Amat says "Well, that may happen from time to time! You are smarter than most members of the cat tribes! So, I know that the Ox tribe is following you, who else?"

"The outcasts, the badger tribe, and the fox tribe."

Amat says "The fox tribe?! You actually got that lunatic Muyaun to submit to you?!"

"Not only that, she swore a blood oath."

Amat says "That is amazing! I don't know how you did it but that is truly impressive! So, tell me what will happen to my people if we join you?"

So we sit down to talk over lunch and I explain all the current options that are available. I also talk for a while about my current plans and thoughts on the future. I also explain some of my situation and my thoughts about the future of the beastmen once I am gone.

The entire conversation lasts a few hours and the entire rat tribe listens the entire time. Those that are too far back to hear are being told what is being said by others in the tribe. The entire time I am talking, all attention is on me, which is hard to get used to.

Amat says "I have heard enough. The rat tribe will follow you. Long live King Ash!"

As soon as Amat finishes speaking the thousands of members of the rat tribe repeat his words. They repeat it three times and then all of them bow towards me, Amat also bows. Just like that I have another tribe on my side, and one that has numbers on their side.

Amat, after a bit more conversation, decides to take his entire tribe and move north. They will help with the construction of the city and some of them will join the military. Just the rat tribe alone should solve the manpower issues for Mason.

They should also be very useful when it comes to the teams for the road network. The road network is going to require massive amounts of labor and materials. Thanks to Pol the funding needed for the project will be taken care of easily.

He might even be happy to have something to spend all the extra money on. Besides, the road network will allow him and his merchants to open trade with all the tribes. In all likelihood we will end up making more than we spend in the long run.

The trade should help reduce some of the hostility between the tribes, at least I hope so. All the tribes have various issues, but they should work them out slowly given the proper motivation. It is just too bad that the empire has it out for beastmen, otherwise the rats would probably make great spies.

"Amat, I just had an idea. Don't take this the wrong way but do your people have any abilities with normal rats?"

Amat says "My people don't, but our shamans do. Why?"

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"We are having issues with the empire and it is difficult to get decent information. But all human cities have rats and they would make excellent spies."

Amat says "That is something that our shamans would be able to help with."

"Great! Wait, beastmen don't have mana, how do you have shamans?"

Amat says "Well, I don't completely understand it, but from what they have told me it has to do with making contracts with spirits."

"Spirits? What kind of spirits?"

Amat says "I'm sorry, but I have absolutely no idea!"

"Could I speak with a shaman then?"

Amat says "Of course! I will summon Dizara, she is the head shaman."

Amat sends a runner off and very soon after an old female rat approaches. She is completely gray furred, walks with a cane, and is covered in feather and bone ornaments. She absolutely fits my mental picture of a shaman, including the wise eyes and powerful aura.

Dizara says "It is my honor to meet you, King Ash."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Dizara. I would like to know about the spirits that the shamans contract with. If you don't mind."

Dizara says "Not at all. We contract with two types of spirits, nature spirits and the spirits of our ancestors. Those able to become shamans are about one out of every thousand. Only one in ten of those can hear the ancestors. Most of our shamans are contracted with nature spirits."

"Which are you?"

Dizara says "I am contracted with nature spirits."

"Can you describe these nature spirits?"

Dizara thinks for a minute and then starts describing the four spirits she has contracts with. They represent the four elements, which I was expecting, but the descriptions I was not. She describes them more like fairies rather than elementals like I was expecting.

"That sounds familiar, tell me do the spirits have their own language?"

Dizara says "Yes, they do! It always takes a new shaman months just to learn the language."

"Can you speak a few sentences for me?"

Dizara speaks for a few minutes in a different language, but I recognize it. The pronunciation she is using is slightly different from Core's, but it is definitely elven. The spirits of nature that the shamans are talking to might be related to the elves somehow.

"Are there any spirits around right now?"

Dizara says "No, they won't appear without being summoned."

"Can you summon one? I would like to see if I can see it."

Dizara says "Sure, I don't mind."

Then she recites a spell in elven, although it sounds more like a request than a spell. As soon as she is done speaking the air next to her moves and I can see a faint outline. When I focus on it I can see a transparent figure, a beautiful elven woman.

It is hard to describe her because her appearance keeps shifting constantly. Even her hair color keeps changing every few seconds, only her eyes stay the same. They are bright emerald with an iris like a cat's and they are looking at me.

(In elven) "Greetings! Do you understand me?"

(In elven) Lynara says "Barely! Your accent is horrible!"

(In elven) "My apologies, this is my first time speaking in elven."

(In elven) Lynara says "You are not a shaman, how did you learn our language?"

(In elven) "I learned it in the city in the mountain."

(In elven) Lynara says "You have been to our city? Are the spiders gone?"

(In elven) "The city has been cleared of the spiders, yes. However, they are still present beneath the city."

(In elven) Lynara says "They will come back, they always come back!"

(In elven) "Not this time, the defenses now cover the bottom of the city. Also all the driders made from elven bodies have been destroyed."

(In elven) Lynara says "What?! How?! Only the king can modify the defenses?!"

(In elven) "Um, I have the king's crown, I modified the defenses."

(In elven) Lynara says "Are you saying you are the elven king?! You are not even an elf!!"