The village of the Epe Tribe was surrounded by a towering wall of dried mud bricks, with long, sharp tree branches reaching out into the air from between the cracks of the bricks. Surrounding the wall, the bodies of dozens of great beasts littered the forest, vicious stab wounds scattered across their bodies. Naadi immediately put a hand to his nose, trying to block out the pungent smell of decaying flesh which enveloped the area, and Alci laughed softly at his reaction.
“Before we enter, I want to warn you.” Alci tilted his head to the thick wooden tendrils which stuck out the wall like reaching hands. “If you have any evil intentions, then you should stop here. Or else, you’ll end up like those corpses. Even a stray, intrusive thought could lead to your death.”
It must be some sort of magic barrier. Naadi observed, nodding his head at Alci, who pressed his hand up against the wall, inciting the sound of a button clicking. Promptly, a gap in the wall the size of a door was opened up, granting entrance to Alci and Naadi, who walked in without a moment of hesitation.
The village of the Epe Tribe was surprisingly…nothing like Naadi thought. It consisted of at least twenty great wooden domes, with few villagers roaming outside of the domes. It was dull and devoid of any flora or artistry; it was clear with a single glance that not much thought had been put into aesthetics. To think it would be so ugly. The Epe Clan…they’re nothing like the peaceful, nature-loving beastmen I thought they’d be.
“I know, it’s pretty ugly, isn’t it? I feel like my head’s gonna explode everytime I look at this place; it’s much better out there.” Alci smiled, seemingly reading Naadi’s mind like a book, before waving at a boy who was leaning up against one of the domes, drinking thirstily from his canteen. The boy grinned at Alci, wiping his mouth and walking over to the two.
“About time you came back! Khai’s been pissing me off all day, now that you’re here, he can bother someone else!” The boy complained, playfully punching Alci in the shoulder before turning to Naadi. “Who’s this guy?”
“Not happening, Asime, if I have to put up with that guy today I’m gonna kill myself.” Alci grinned and then put a hand on Naadi’s shoulder, gesturing to him extravagantly. “This guy is King Naadi the second, ruler of the Northern Lands!”
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“King? Can this one be a king?” Asime glanced at Naadi up and down.
“He does look worse for wear, but underneath all that dirt, I’m sure he’s a very handsome guy!” Alci joked. “He must have gone through hell trying to get here!”
Without another word, Naadi strode off, heading towards the biggest dome, which was positioned at the very back of the village. He wasn’t sure if the so-called ‘Master of Epe' resided within it, but he could sense a distinct energy source that had a more…feral vibe to it then the others he’d sensed.
“Guessed just by looking?” Alci said, catching up to Naadi quickly. “It’s rude to just leave your escort behind, you know! Not that I care too much about that- but it’s better if I introduce you, right?”
“He’s going to see the master?” Asime asked, and Alci nodded.
“Yup. He’s on a quest to kill the Locket Bearer; in fact he demands that we must entirely leave the killing up to him.” Alci said.
“Oh, that again.” Asime groaned. “You know, the Master wants you to be the one to kill him, right? Khai said that she was assembling an elite group of warriors to search the forest thoroughly, and she wanted you to be the leader!”
“What?” Naadi spun around, glaring at Alci who sighed and tossed his head back.
“Don’t worry, Naadi. Honestly, I could really care less about that kind of stuff; it’s the others you have to worry about.” Alci said, oblivious to the man who loomed behind him, and then jolted when the man grabbed onto his shoulder.
“Disappointing, both your lack of work ethic and your disregard for tradition.” The looming man said, tightening his grip on Alci’s shoulder, and then nodded at Naadi. “King Naadi the second, hm? Make your way to the dome without this one; we have much to discuss.”
“Fine by me.” Naadi shrugged his shoulders.
“You’re just going to leave me?! I thought we were friends!” Alci groaned, and then sank even further when he saw Asime tag along after Naadi, waving at him mockingly. “YOU TOO, ASIME?”
“Sorry, this just sounds more fun!”