Galakrond ducked under the branches and slashed at the vines that were in front of him with his claws, a massive stature such as his wasn't convenient for travels through densely wooded areas. Finally, he saw his destination, a simple yet large tent in the middle of a small clearing. He opened the flap and entered only to be ignored by the two figures inside. One was familiar, possessing scales and two distinct hands, it was Valodan. Opposite of him stood a figure that was equally tall, but covered in light armour and robes, concealing the skinny body beneath.
Galakrond cleared his throat, "Hey Valodan! Father sent me here to help you out, something about conquering the forest and how I may be useful. Oh. Who's the new guy? Can't say I remember having high-level undead just lying around."
Valodan finally turned around, his mechanical hand appearing to be five pens that he used for his extensive, obsessive even, planning; while his bone hand was turned into pencil-like apparatuses for sketching and marking on a map. He extended his hand toward the other figure, "This is, I suppose, my apprentice. Vice-general Thanatos. Jericho sent him over after that necromancer fiasco that happened in E-Rantel a few days back."
The reaper bowed, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Galakrond. I was created by Sir Jericho several days back from a corpse of what we presume to be a former adamantite adventurer. After a delivery to Sir Amal'Thazad concerning one very chatty orb, I was sent here to learn and prepare for the future."
"Oh please, just Galakrond is fine. So how's the subjugation of the forest going? And why the hell are there so many papers here?! I swear, Lucius does his scheming and you do all this ridiculous planning."
Surrounding the two generals were piles of paper as tall as the two of them, pillars of plans that were most definitely overkill. "Lucius' work always continues, I at least know how to relax once everything is written out. Anyway, everything is going as anticipated. With the help of the druids our father made connections with, as well as two thirds of the forest already being controlled by that traumatised naga, we have subjugated all of it, except for the territory controlled by the so-called Wise King of the Forest and the southern part of the Great Lake, where the lizardmen dwell."
"And what is the reaction of the local inhabitants? I don't presume they took too kindly to just being taken over all of a sudden, even if we want to improve things."
"Might makes right among most demihumans, a brief demonstration by Thanatos and myself made them rather subservient, thus it went smoother than expected. As for integration, we had a special helper who's dealing with that."
"Oh? Who would that be?"
The oversized entrance to the tent was opened once again and in went a girl in her late teenage years. A blonde braid ran down her back and her brown eyes widened upon seeing Galakrond, her mind flashing back to his transformation during the Black Scripture attack on Carne. She immediately bowed once she regained her wits, "My Lord!"
Valodan shook his head, "If you insist on a title, then Mister will be fine, formalities get in the way of efficiency. Come in Enri, we were just talking about you."
Galakrond turned to face his brother once again, "What's with you and taking apprentices? And again, why are the papers stacked so high? I doubt we need to be too careful against mere demihumans. What harm can an ogre do to any of us, except Enri here?"
"Well, none really. Anyway, these are the false flag operation proposals, these are the guerrilla warfare strategies, military take over plans, assassination, espionage…"
Galakrond raised his hand to stop the tirade of overly complex military machinations, "Okay, that's enough. Anyway, why take Enri onboard? No offence to the young miss, but isn't she just a village girl?"
Valodan and Thanatos both looked over to Enri who began to explain, "Lord Pyke gifted me with two items that summon a goblin troop, so I still have one left and I already am chief of the village and their leader. Lo-, Mister Whigrane thought it'd be a good idea to train me for the future."
Thanatos began to elaborate, his voice filling the young village girl with a feeling of dread that she could barely suppress, "Given my undead nature and the presumption that I hate the living, the proximity of Carne and Enri's unique position make it an optimal solution to have her rule the forest, along with making Carne a bustling hub of civilization once things are put into place."
"W-w-wait, Sir Thanatos! You didn't tell me this was the plan!" yelped Enri.
Valodan put his bony hand on her shoulder, "Well, it is. Don't worry, you have the best teacher in the world! The naga, Ryraryus, will deal with the internal area of the forest, you just focus on Carne. However, politically, it'll be good to have a human representative that successfully integrated demihumans. Could you imagine how wrong international diplomacy would go if all our representatives were heteromorphs? No nation would deal with us unless we engineered a scenario where they had to."
Galakrond's eyes suddenly widened as he pulled Thanatos and Valodan into a huddle and away from Enri, "Wait, does she know about the whole "world takeover" plan? Are we sure we can trust her?!" He turned around to look at the village girl, who stared at them with curious eyes. Internally, Enri was sweating bullets, wondering if she did something to offend the direct servants of her saviour, barely stopping her eyes from watering.
"Don't worry. She was almost killed by humans twice and even built a statue to father. She's one of the two humans we can actually trust; the other one being her boyfriend who works with Trise. The Golden Princess on the other hand… A snake like that needs to be kept on a tight leash, one that Lillith is busy putting on." Galakrond sighed, the anxiety slowly leaving his body, and turned to the reaper.
"By the way, don't you hate the living, Thanatos? Isn't that, like, the undeads' thing in this world?" Galakrond asked the reaper, who merely chuckled, or made a sound that the other two presumed to be a chuckle, in response. The guardians of course had no prejudice against undead, given that their father was in part one, but it seemed that even intelligent undead, like elder liches, retained instinctive hate of the living in this world.
"If I was a naturally spawning undead, perhaps. However, I am an intelligent summon ordered to not frivolously kill the living. Can't say I like most of them very much, but unless I'm ordered otherwise," he shrugged," I'll let them be. Live and let unlive. Perhaps if my summoner were to die and I would be free then that hatred would return? For now however we need not have such worries."
They gathered back around the table, Galakrond's worries now washed away, that oversaw the map of the area, created by Overlord Wisemen utilising the observatory of the Swimming City to make what must have been the most detailed map of the area in history. When Pyke said he looked down on the world from the bottom of the sea, he wasn't lying.
"So who's going to take care of that Wise King? I could, but by Father's harpoon am I not looking forward to getting through that underbrush." said the aspect of madness. He could, of course, fly over it all, but where was the fun in that? He didn't get to go out in the Old World, so he thought of taking the chance here, but so far? Dense, natural forests turned out to be very inconvenient, if still mesmerising.
"You should have just asked the druids to teleport you since it's a racial skill of theirs, it would have been much simpler. It doesn't matter, because I've already dispatched someone to take care of it. There's barely any monsters there, so if it is sentient then we'll make it report to Ryraryus; if not, well… I only pity what they'll do to it."
"Who did you even send out? Some summons, I presume?"
A massive grin blossomed on Valodan's face, "Lily and Zesshi."
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The blade of the scythe flashed and the cries of birds could be heard as the branches fell onto the ground. Zesshi sheathed her weapon once again, "Why are we even here anyway? You just grabbed me through a gate in the middle of my nap!" she said.
Lily turned around, the two ethereal appendages lingering behind her and holding two magnificent blades that slashed at the nearby flora, "I wanted to go outside and dad said to ask Valodan for something to do, so I asked him and he told me there's some big beast here!" She jumped on a nearby stump, "And you like fighting things! So I thought it'd be nice to go play in the forest with my big sister!"
The half-elf sighed at the disarmingly cute monster's antics. She seemed to be considered a sister by her, while the others viewed her as at best a close ally and at worst a convenient tool. But she had grown fond of the blue haired girl, despite the beatings she received in training, so betrayal wasn't an option. Not to mention that the councillors were the strongest being in existence and Winston in particular appealed to her tastes. "Whatever… Are you sure we're going the right way? Couldn't we have just used that fancy spell to go to it immediately?"
Lily crossed her arms and pouted, "Hmph! But then we wouldn't get to have fun finding it! Val said if we'd just walk around here we'd find it or it'd find us!" They continued on, Lily marvelling at their surroundings and bombarding Zesshi with questions that revealed she had none of the common knowledge a native of this world would.
"Wait, this is your first time outside, right Lily?" asked Zesshi as she untangled her hair from one of the nearby branches. Her own elven half was currently singing, elves were after all connected to forests very deeply. Being stuck in that musty old treasury was hell for her and the Swimming City was beautiful, and yet she still felt the most at home here. In fact, the Elf Kingdom was so densely wooded that only the Holocaust Scripture, who specialized in guerilla warfare, could effectively fight there, while the elves moved there easier than in the plains.
In the past she would suppress her elven blood's calling, given that she was taught to hate it. Her ears were a sign of shame that she hid not only from others, but also from herself. Now however they were on full display, her hair tied back into a ponytail for this mission. Ever since she met Pyke her worldview had been shattered and rebuilt.
It probably started when she was almost bisected, alas she didn't remember much most likely due to the state of shock she went into. Her memory of the Swimming City was however crystal clear. It was… sobering to see there are stronger beings out there and that fact was beaten into her on the training grounds repeatedly. What still came as a bigger surprise was that they didn't seem to care about her race.
For the first few days, after the training, she mostly sat alone in her room pondering what to do with herself now that she was just another drop in the ocean. Still, the promise to train her and let her kill her father kept her going and she hanged onto that lifeline. After a while she warmed up to the place, in no small part thanks to the godly accommodations and nice view Winston made for. 'How do I talk to him? I thought I'd just get beaten and he'd take me but now… Maybe Lillith can give me some pointers?' she thought to herself. Being stuck in a vault for decades wasn't great at improving social skills and now she was at a bit of an impasse.
Lily's energetic voice brought Zesshi back from her deep thoughts, "Yep! And look at all these pretty flowers! I wish I could've explored the old world as well…" A bit of melancholy creeped onto the unblemished face of the girl. Memories from that time weren't the clearest, but they were there; fleeting and brief and yet some, like that of being created still lingered. Clear as day she remembered her first moments of existence, the unmoving face of her creator, her feelings and consciousness blossoming into existence; the smile that she felt was hidden behind the red bandana. Now it was her turn to be brought back to reality with another question from Zesshi.
"Then why didn't you? Pyke certainly doesn't seem like the overprotective type."
Lily put a hand to her chin and appeared to be deep in thought, "I dunno, I just kinda couldn't. But then we came here and now I can! Dad also sometimes talked to us when he came home, about the scary people that were out there."
"Scary? For him? Hard to believe, I doubt anything could scare someone who kills Gods like it's a chore."
"Dad was always the best and strongest! Though, sometimes he would come and talk to us about these things called "World Enemies" like us and him, and how he was happy they couldn't get to us. Those players I sometimes got to kill could also hurt us and there were supposed to be a lot of them!"
The conversation began to die down, Zesshi, in between answering questions about all the flowers Lily was picking, was pondering about this other world. 'All of those godlike beings… Could my father have come from there? Is that what Pyke meant?' However her train of thought wouldn't go uninterrupted for long as her sharp senses detected a large creature racing towards them. The ground began to slightly tremble as the beast made its way towards them, Lily's face taking on a more serious look.
They didn't have abilities to enhance detection in wooded areas like a ranger would, but they're reaction speed was still off the charts and Zesshi easily batted away the snake-like tail that tried to bludgeon her shoulder. It was a rather disappointing amount of force, certainly strong by this world's standards, but Lily's training was nothing if not otherworldly. She could have split the tail in two with her new scythe, which she affectionately named Patricide, but decided against it for now; legendary beasts weren't just found on the town corner after all.
"Marvellous parry, that it was. Warrior, I will let you leave my territory after such a block, that I will." It's voice was… oddly high pitched for a majestic beast, in fact, it was kinda underwhelming.
Before Zesshi could answer, the tree line almost exploded, Lily's blades flashing across it and obliterating everything around the creature. Zesshi covered her face to avoid the storm of branches, twigs and leaves brought on by the shockwave from Lily's strike. Where once was an impenetrable thicket of bushes, now lay a barren area, the dirt upturned by the trees whose roots were ripped out by the attack. In the centre stood a magnificent beast.
Its body was round and the colour of the most noble silver, turning darker at the top of half of its body; a dark streak stretching from its nose to its tail. The tail was snakelike and covered in scales, being several metres long. Its vicious claws appeared to be rather capable as weapons, despite how weak Zesshi knew it to be in reality. And its eyes confirmed the half-elf's suspicions, they were full of wisdom and power despite the difference in strength between the two.
To the side meanwhile, Lily's eyes lit up like a kid's on Christmas as she lunged at the creature. All the poor thing managed to yelp out was "Wha-!" before it was turned over, with Lily nuzzling it. "What are you doing? We're supposed to see if this thing wants to work for us! Or kill it if it refuses…" The hairs on the creature noticeably stood up upon hearing that last sentence.
But the only response the childish guardian gave was muffled muttering. "Lily, I can't understand you through the fur, speak up." said Zesshi, impatiently tapping her foot on a nearby rock.
"...Hamshter" once again came the muffled reply caused by Lily's face being suffocated by the fur.
"...What?" asked Zesshi, puzzled by her companion's action.
Lily finally stood up, still firmly holding the now terrified Wise King of the Forest. "Look! It's a massive djungarian hamster! She's sooooooooooooooo cute! Can I keep her!?"
The Wise King, or the Wise Queen now, appeared to be rather puzzled, "You know my kind, you do?" it asked.
"Well, not as big as you, small like my hand! Very cute! They like running around in a wheel! I'll have Ferra make a wheel for you! Zeeeeeeeeeeeshiiiiiiiii, can I keep her?" once again asked Lily. The councillors of the Swimming City knew quite a bit when it came to the Oldest World, given how Pyke was lonely and stuck in YGGDRASIL, leading him to talk to them about it.
"I guess? You'll have to ask Val, the forest is under his jurisdiction. And wait, are you really the Wise King of the Forest?" Zesshi came up and booped the nose of the now helpless creature.
"Yes, that I am! And why are we talking, that we are?! We should fight to the death, that we will!" It attempted to wiggle out of Lily's grasp to no avail, held tight by the small hands of the blue haired girl.
"Fine, I didn't want to do this." She let go of the poor creature, which immediately took up a defensive stance. Killing intent began to leak out from Lily, sweeping over the area like a cold wind until the hamster was all but immobilised, prostrating itself before her.
It attempted to replicate a bow and smashed its head into the ground, fearful that offending its new mistress may lead to a swift death. "P-please forgive me, my lady, that I say!" it said, its high-pitched voice trembling. It would be a comical sight, a legendary monster bowing before a child, if not for the fact that Zesshi knew which one is the real monster.
Lily patted it on the head and used a scroll to open an abyssal gate to Valodan's camp. Zesshi and Lily hopped on top of their new found steed and it gingerly went through the hole in reality. They found themselves in the command tent, which, as huge as it was, was not made to fit a ball of fur with a diameter of two and half metres. Papers went flying everywhere as the hamster shook off the feeling of dread that crept up its back thanks to the unknown spell.
The pair jumped off of the beast and Lily ran up to the disgruntled looking Valodan, "Hey Val! This is the thing you wanted me to find in the South! Look how cute it is! Can I keep it?! I'm gonna call it… Um… Hamasuke! It fits her so well, doesn't it?!" In anticipation of the reaction of the general, Zesshi began to inch towards the exit, along with Thanatos who seemed to have a similar idea, In truth, the two were almost evenly matched, in no small part thanks to the excellent gear Zesshi now possessed, but a hurricane made up of Lily and Valodan? They were still far from surviving that.
Valodan sighed, morphed his metallic hand into an odd pendulum and swung it. All the papers began flying back as if time was turning back, startling the newly named Hamasuke. The general then turned to Galakrond who was standing next to him, "And you said I'm paranoid when I put a temporal mark on the papers, who's laughing now?"
The dragon in disguise gave a sigh as his only response, prompting the general to turn back to the tiny, energetic typhoon that stood in front of him, "Fine, keep her. I'll have Thanatos send a runner to Ryraryus to take over the area and establish settlements. You can take it to the Swimming City, just don't forget to give it an invitation, lest it drowns."
Lily nodded and sped off, opening another gate and dragging her pet and companion through it. Despite his lack of need for air, an audible sigh escaped Thanatos' throat, or what passed for a throat in an almost skeletal being. Galakrond walked back up to the table, "Okay, fine. You win this one, the temporal seals were actually useful…" Seals such as that one were used by only absolute penny pinchers as they were a complete pain in the ass to apply, having to be hand drawn in a shitty UI and they would give back one charge of an item, but only on non-cash shop items and non-World Items, but, as with most spells in the New World, their utility was now greatly expanded.
Valodan scoffed, "Of course they were, all my planning is useful! Anyway, we should get onto the matter of the lizardmen. We subjugated the toadmen so no need to worry about a potential conflict, although integration between races will have to be slow. I'm thinking we go with the tried and true method of a show of force. However, that may not be necessary, we'll engage with the Green Claw first, the ones father met. They will most likely join us willingly after a duel with their chief or his brother, who wields that odd blade. With them, we can go on to negotiate with the other tribes. Then we use a show of force if that doesn't go well and, in the worst case, conquer or completely annihilate them."
Galakrond put a hand to his chin, "Hmm… Brother, do lizardmen not believe they come from dragons? Perhaps I can reveal my true form and that will convince them?"
The general shook his head, "No. Your form is too primordial and will terrify them. A show of strength will be plenty and I don't want to strain myself concealing your form like I did in Carne; you know Enri is still vaguely traumatised by that?"
"Vaguely?"
"Yes, vaguely, because she was busy being traumatised by that scripture. Nemu, on the other hand, asked for a plushie of you, which Ferra has been busy tailoring instead of working on the three secret projects that were tasked to her weeks ago." Valodan sighed, "Whatever. Let's just get this over with. There are 5 tribes and I'd much rather be planning out our conquests that are due in a few months or relaxing."
And so, they mounted abyssal worms and made their way towards the southern end of the Great Lake…
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Shasuryu and Zaryusu were making their way to the fish farm when they were interrupted by one of the hunters of the village. "Chief! Two humans appeared next to the village!" he had cried out, prompting the two to rush towards the village boundary. The brothers didn't have the worst opinion of humans, and neither did the village following their last visit, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. Thus they ran to the outskirts and found two giant men that appeared human only at a glance. One had inhuman hands and scales of a human pinkish colour, and the other had vicious claws.
"What is it you have come here for strangers?!" yelled Shasuryu, his hand at his side, but ready to grab his massive sword from his back at any moment.
The two men glanced at each other, the other with odd hands leaning in and whispering something into the other's ear, promptly followed by a slap to the back of the clawed man's head. He cleared his throat, "We have come here on behalf of Lord Pyke, who I do hope you remember. From one leader to another I shall be honest, the entire forest of Tob has been put under our control. Your tribes are the only ones left standing and I recommend you surrender. If you do not resist then we can guarantee your lives."
"How do we know you're telling the truth? For all we know these are all lies!" answered Zaryusu, already holding his blade, Frost Pain, with one hand.
"Have you noticed any incursions by the toadmen lately? No? That's because we conquered them, along with the rest of the forest. Clearing and building projects are currently underway, centralised at Carne Village. My name is Valodan Whigrane, the general of the Swimming City. This here is my brother, Galakrond, a guardian. You have an hour to decide on your course of action. We shall wait here." Two magnificent chairs materialised under the strangers, along with a clock that was tick, tick, ticking.
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The hut meant for meetings wasn't particularly large. Made of thatch, leaves and hardened mud, it was a humble abode. It was built in a way to let everyone gather in a semicircle, the chief in front of them; and this was exactly what was going on today. The warrior, hunter, druid castes were all present, seated together, while the council of elders sat closest to the chief. Zaryusu, a traveller who once left the tribe, which was signified by the odd brand on his chest, was seated at the far corner of the room.
The lizardmen worked on a dictatorial structure where the chief was absolute, but that didn't stop the others from arguing with each other. "Let us go fight them! There are only two of them!" shouted the hotblooded head warrior, the only one in the tribe who could approach the martial prowess of Shasuryu and his brother.
His tirade was however interrupted but the head hunter of the tribe who shook his head, "No. Have you seen their equipment? Not to mention that one's claws? We need to be careful here, negotiation is the best way forward. If they really are affiliated with the ones that came earlier, then the situation is dire,"
"You fool!" yelled an outraged elder who happened to be the head priest and capable of Tier 3 magic, "This is the second time their kind has come here and now they threaten us! The head warrior is right! We need to fight them and show tha-" The monologue of the conservative elder was interrupted by a meaty thwack on the floor caused by Shasuryu's tail. He was a well-liked chief and the strongest in the tribe, with only his brother outmatching him. However, Zaryusu had another advantage, his knowledge of the world outside the lake during his traveller days.
"Brother, what do you think?" he asked.
All the elders turned to him as one, "You can't let a traveller talk in the meeting! He should be glad to just be here!" they cried out.
Once again the hut trembled as its foundations were tested by Shasuryu's tail, "And you dare defy the chief?!" He gave serious side eye to the elder, who meekly backed down, "Speak up, brother."
Zaryusu sighed, well aware of how much the elders hated him given his important position in the tribe, despite his traveller status. "You remember those humans and that Pyke who came through earlier? His magic food was impressive enough, but just being around him made my instincts go haywire, like death would be sitting next to me. Those women were impressive enough, but him?" he shrugged and slumped his head, his tail drooping behind him.
"When I was still travelling, I found an undead that must have been legendary and I ran away, terrified. That same feeling came from that one, except more insidious and worse if you looked under the surface; he probably could have killed all of us while he was here. With that said, I think we should fight."
Shasuryu's jaw fell open, his demeanour of a serious chief cracking at his brother's remark, "Care to explain? I don't think I got that, you wouldn't ever want to fight that Pyke guy, but these two are fair game? Even though their gear is so impressive and their physique is more than a match for our own?"
"Brother, only the two of them came, which means they are confident, proud or have put us in a position from which there is no escape. If we propose a duel, the two of us against the two of them, we can see if they're lying and if they're worth anything…"
Shasuryu scratched the lower side of his extended jaw, eventually sighing, "Fine, we'll go with it. Have the druids bless us with the ancestor spirits and let's go…"
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They made it back to the area where the two intruders sat, this time followed by an audience composed of a majority of the tribe, who stopped a fair distance away in anticipation of the battle. The brothers stepped forward and announced themselves, Valodan Whigrane! Galakrond! I, Shasuryu Shasha, and my brother, Zaryusu Shasha, challenge you to a two on two battle for leadership of the Greenclaw tribe!"
Galakrond stood up, already knowing full well that this was the most likely outcome. "Don't worry about my brother, he knew this was the way it would go down and he's busy planning the conquest of the other tribes…" Indeed, papers floated in front of the seated guardian, Valodan rapidly drawing out complex plans that no one would ever use. Galakrond sighed, "Well, I guess I'll take you lads on myself."
"To the death?" asked Galakrond, more of a formality than actual question. If he did kill the chief, thus destabilising the tribe and striking unnecessary fear, Valodan would never let him hear the end of it. As expected, the two shook their heads, Galakrond internally being relieved that they didn't insist on sacrificing themselves for what amounted to a lost cause.
He stretched his back and neck, rotating it around a few times and causing several cracks to ring out through the flat marshes. "Galakrond, guardian of the gates of the Swimming City. I accept your challenge." His claws grew several dozen centimetres, now being more akin to butcher knives that anything a human could use in everyday life. They turned black, as if rejecting all light, and made a few of the lizardmen in the audience feel insecure about their own claws.
They stood 6 metres apart from each other and nodded. Shasuryu rushed forward and unsheathed the massive, very slightly enchanted broadsword from his back. It was a crude, two metre long steel blade, simply lifting it being a sign of strength. He attempted a side slash at the giant of a man in front of him, but it was easily repelled by the claws of his adversary.
Zaryusu however didn't let his brother attack alone and attempted to jab at his opponent's lower abdomen with his unique blade, which resembled more of a club with three prongs at the top, rather than a conventional sword. Galakrond however batted this away as well, knocking Zaryusu off balance and moving in for a counterattack, slashing at his right arm that held the blade and drawing first blood.
Shasuryu jumped back and began casting spells lent to him thanks to his druidic prowess, "[Cure Light Wounds]! [Earth Bind]!" The first attempted to heal up his brother's wound, alas it had no effect. The incarnate of madness was cursed and magic was practically useless against him, unless it was of the 8th Tier or higher; this extended to his attacks, which couldn't be healed with anything below the very highest tiers of healing magic.
The binding also failed and dissolved in the infinite barrier between magic and Galakrond leaving him free to move, as evident by the devastating punch in the guy Shasuryu had just received which caused him to cough up blood, leaving him immobilised and out of the fight. Zaryusus decided it was the time to use his trump card, the ability his weapon, one of the treasures of the lizardmen by the name of Frost Pain, could only use 3 times. Said to have been made from when the lake that never freezes over froze over, it firstly dealt frost damage to anyone with whom it made contact, secondly it gave the user partial frost protection, and thirdly…
"[Icy Burst]!" he cried out, the area around Galakrond beginning to freeze over. Alas, Galakrond was once again not affected, shrugging it off like a cool breeze in the Summer morning. Zaryusu repeated his attack, this time using it to cause mist to appear around his opponent by freezing the moisture in the air.
"You know this is futile, but I respect the dedication, from one warrior to another." said Galakrond, tracking the lizardman by smell and lunging into the mist, grabbing Zaryusu by the throat and squeezing until the lizardman was on the brink of unconsciousness yet not enough to crash his windpipe or snap his neck. He threw him towards his brother, the two barrelling over one another like a cartoon.
Galakrond walked forward and crouched next to the two fallen brothers, "Well? I believe you have our village to show me?"
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"No." said Valodan.
"W-what do you mean, my lord?" asked Zaryusu, a healthy amount of fear now instilled in him. Once the fight was over and Galakrond cancelled the curse that was inflicted on the brothers during the fight, allowing them to be healed, Galakrond and Valodan unleashed a chunk of their auras in order to demonstrate their undeniable superiority. Of course, even a fraction of their aura was enough to spook the poor reptiles into total submission and knock them to their knees.
"Where are the fortifications from monsters, where is the proper structural integrity and where are any farms? You are omnivores, so how come you rely only on fish?! This must have led to some sort of famine by now…" ranted Valodan.
Galakrond came up to Shasuryu and put a clawed hand on his shoulder, making sure to not accidentally stab him, "Don't worry about, he's always like this. Just pray that rule over this area isn't given to Lucius or you'll never hear the end of it. And to be fair, this place is rather shabby."
Shasuryu shook his head, "You are right, my lord. Several years ago, when there were still seven tribes, a war erupted and two of those were wiped out. It started off small, a few skirmishes over fishing territories, but it quickly turned to full out war. In the end it whittled our numbers down to what they are now and made the fish enough for all of us… If things kept going like this and my lords didn't show up I doubt it would have been long before another war like that."
"Did none of you think of making fish farms? I understand your civilization isn't too developed by our standards, but by the depths! There are going to be sweeping changes when I'm in charge. We'll need fish farms, fortifications, farms for vegetables and to properly introduce you to metalworking. " said Valodan.
Zaryusu perked up at the mention of a fish farm, "I actually started a fish farm! It's still in the early stages, but it works for now. The elders weren't too thrilled about the idea so I didn't get much support for it. My brother always did what he could, but favouring a traveller like me doesn't have a very positive effect on the chief's reputation."
"Finally, someone with some brains around here! Well, time to actually bring in a labour force." He took out an ornate horn, pure white with engravings displaying a massive army, and blew it. The ground shook as the deep, reverberating sound echoed across the swamp. A huge gate, twenty metres wide and ten metres tall, made out of pink and blue corals, appeared in front of the general. Out stepped an army straight out of a nightmare; first marched Thanatos, flanked by an elder lich and skeleton armed to the teeth in turquoise plate armour.
Behind them came several dozen similarly armoured skeletons, all of them possessing crossbows, throwing knives and two shortswords. Naturally, all of this was enchanted, making it a truly legendary army. Behind them were skeletons with no gear on them, except for the tools they had on their back. They all knelt as one, ignoring the panicking lizardmen around them.
"Relax, these are under our control. Once we unify the tribes they will act as both guards and a workforce. Undead are rather useful, no need for rest or nourishment and they don't complain about low wages. With a little bit of delegation, they can do the work worth a month's time in a tenth of that. You'll get used to them. The elder lich will be the coordinator and liaison between myself and you." explained Valodan.
"Brother how about you begin dealing with infrastructure changes and I go conquer the other tribes? I'm not suited for all this post-conquering clean up." proposed Galakrond.
After getting Valodan to finally relent, admit that his plans are overkill and that he could handle this on his own, Galakrond followed Zaryusu and Shasuryu to their hut in order to discuss the other tribes. "So which ones will pose an issue?" he asked.
"My Lord, I doubt that the other tribes won't submit after a demonstration of strength; that after all is the way of the lizardmen..."
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And indeed it was so. The Small Fang and Razor Tail fell in line with little resistance and Valodan was busy attempting to manage them, gathering them at the Greenclaw village to start integrating them being his primary concern. The next stop was the Red Eye tribe, about whom there was remarkably little information about. The village looked like any other, except for the mud walls that seemed to be a construction unique to this one. Apparently this tribe was supposed to specialise in druids, but even the identity of the chief was a mystery.
They approached as they did with the two previous tribes, only to receive a thicket of spears as their greeting. Lizardmen were an isolationist species, but this was a bit much even for them. Humans generally didn't appear at the marshes, making many lizardmen unfamiliar with them, but able to recognize them still. There was no instinctive negative disposition, so why were they acting like this? Had something happened? "Step back!" yelled one of the lizardmen, "What tribe are you from? And why is a human with you?"
Galakrond stepped forward and put a fist to his chest, "Because my brother and I have conquered them. You're next. Just surrender. The entire forest is ours and I assure you that we'll improve things around these parts." There were two ways this could go from this point. Either the tribe accepted him at his word and decided to talk or they attempted to resist because they didn't believe in what he said or in his strength.
"Lies!" cried out what appeared to be a youthful lizardman, most likely inexperienced and acting on his agitation, thrusting his spear at Zaryusu. Before Zaryusu could react Galakrond stepped forward and took the stone spear to the chest. The lizardman was ready to pull the spear back and see it covered in blood, but it merely broke upon Galakrond's chest. He slashed at the four spears in front of him, his claws going clean through them, leaving nothing but sticks in the hands of the lizards.
"I'd like to say I'm kind enough, despite being made for violence, but I don't recommend you attack my colleagues here." He moved forward and lifted the lizardman who initially attacked by the shoulder, his claws digging into the soft flesh beneath the scales and causing the demihuman to cry out in pain. However, before the other lizardmen could panic, another voice broke the silence.
"Stop!" It was in a definitely female octave and seemed to be coming from a walking bush. There was a pet hydra owned by Zaryusu named Rororo, but that was an exception to the rule that lizardmen generally didn't coexist with other races, particularly monsters or heteromorphs like what this creature appeared to be.
"Okaaay… You guys didn't tell me that lizardmen are ruled by sentient moss." said Galakrond. An odd creature such as this warranted caution and further study, thus he didn't want to have this devolve into conflict and have Trise yell at him about how she can't study the shreds of the corpse that are left.
The two brothers looked at each other and then back at the shrub, which now had a white head poking through it. It appeared that inside the bush an albino lizardwoman was hidden, most likely to protect her sensitive skin from the sun. "Oh, an albino." said Galakrond, "Interesting, but also disappointing… Can I presume you are the chief?"
She looked at the lizardman that was still struggling to free himself from Galakrond's prismatic grasp. "Oh, right." he said, dropping the lizardman who immediately scampered away on all fours, "You're lucky it's me that came here. Thanatos nor Valodan would have been as kind as to keep you alive after such disrespect." He brushed off his clothes that were now dirtied after the lizardmen hit him, "Luckily for you, I'm more forgiving. So what will it be? Negotiation or do you want to die? I'd choose option one if I were you." His claws extended slightly and he clicked them together, causing a high pitched metallic sound to ring out.
The chief signalled for the others to lower their spears, which they did, not willing to become the next ragdoll in the gigantic man's grip. Once the tension finally eased up the chief spoke once again, "Follow me, I wish to talk." They were led to a hut similar to the one found in the original Greenclaw village, except that this one didn't let in any light. Lizardmen had decent dark vision and Galakrond had perfect dark vision, thus it wasn't an issue; Galakrond guessed it was to once again protect the albino skin of the chief.
The chief sat opposite of Galakrond, the brothers positioning themselves behind him. She introduced herself, her voice betraying no emotion, "I am Crush Lulu, chief of the Red Eye." Zaryusu was notably doing the equivalent of a lizardman's blushing, his tail going haywire behind him, which drew a curious look from his brother.
"I am Galakrond, of the Swimming City. These two are Shasuryu Shasha, the former chief of the Greenclaw, and his brother, Zaryusu Shasha. You already know we conquered the entire forest and that the Red Eye and Dragon Tusk are the only ones left standing, so what is it you want to talk about? Terms of surrender perhaps?"
"Of a sort. The Dragon Tusk are already scattered. Their chief, Zenberu Gugu, is in fact recovering in a nearby hut with the help of my tribe's druids. They arrived earlier today."
Galakrond narrowed his eyes, "And I don't presume you are the reason for his condition? You certainly don't seem to be the warring type. I was told both your tribe and the Dragon Tusk didn't participate in the war for fish a couple years back. Was this preparation for a more personal feud, perhaps?"
Crush shook her head, "No. The Twin Witches of the Swamp attacked their village and used some high tier magic to devastate them. Only a few managed to make it to us… They were… are… a tribe based on strength so they tried to fight, but it was too much for them. Zenberu took his duty as a chief seriously and ordered a retreat, but it was too late."
"So let me guess, if I can defeat these witches then you'll join peacefully?" Galakrond asked. A standard affair, similar to that of the Draconic Kingdom; a country, or in this case tribe, with no way out has to sacrifice everything they have for a chance at survival. In truth they were lucky that it was Galakrond that came here when he did, or they might have been just as devastated as their neighbouring tribe.
His negotiation partner nodded. "Deal, huh? Then, let's move to the Greenclaw village first. Gather everyone outside and leave the wounded to me. I'll teleport us from there, don't ask how, the power my lord has at his disposal is beyond your imagination. You two go help her, I've got a call to make."
The three went outside and did as they were told, while Galakrond put two fingers to his temple and cast [Message], {Val, something odd is afoot. Apparently some two witches massacred almost an entire tribe.}
Valodan's disapproving shaking of the head could almost be felt, {I told you extensive planning is key. I'll send out shadow demons across the swamp and contact our observatory. I doubt they will be a threat, but I'd rather not get unnecessarily damaged. Anything you need on your end?}
{Yea, a gate to transport the ones from this village and a seraph class angel to heal the wounded.}
{You know we could leave them as bait, right? A few wounded lizardmen would be the perfect way to lure these witches into an ambush.}
{You know I would never agree to that…}
{A good general must sacrifice the few for the many, brother… Fine, this is not the time to argue after all. I will begin weapon manufacturing, training and defensive construction immediately when you arrive.}
{Thank you. I'll see you there.}
Almost as soon as the connection cut off, a blue oval appeared and out stepped a blonde beauty that oozed holy energy. She bowed, "What can I do for you, my lord?" However, other things were on Galakrond's mind; this angel seemed vaguely familiar, too much so for it to be a coincidence.
"Wait… You don't happen to be that aerosphere Jericho summoned a few days back?" The demonologist would not stop complaining about how mistreated he was by a summon over dinner, until his mouth was shut by Keno complaining more about him.
A frown manifested on the blemishless face of the angel, "Indeed I am, my Lord." Yet it quickly turned upside down after she confirmed that fact, "But now I've been summoned by Lord Amal'Thazad and it's the most glorious feeling to serve such a righteous lord! And how amazing he looks and his knowledge! Oh I swear, if I wasn't an angel…"
Galakrond quickly put his hand to her jaw and snapped it shut before his ears began bleeding from the endless gushing, "Listen, I like my brother as well, he's a nice guy, but heal the wounded and go. And if you don't want to end up a fallen angel working under Jericho, then control yourself."
The angel nodded so vigorously that her head might have just been thrown back into the celestial realm once again. She left the tent to do what she was summoned for, leaving a tired Galakrond shaking his head to the empty room, "Why do undead seem to be the only reasonable ones?"
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"And then this dark purple light came at me, next thing I know my whole arm is gone!" said one of the Dragon Tusk survivors. Valodan noted everything down, the details matching up perfectly with other accounts, but still something was off.
"Oi! Galakrond, get over here for a minute!" A loud crash echoed out as Zenberu, who happened to be a monk, was smashed into the ground by Galakrond, who was currently acting as the teacher for the chiefs. It also helped to set the hierarchy among the lizardmen who had not tasted the bloodlust of the duo. The clawed man called a break, the chiefs immediately scampered away like children afraid of a further beating, and made his way to the general.
Valodan handed the paper to his brother and told him how it was, "Something isn't right. I've had both Jericho and Amal'Thazad check every single spell they know and they still haven't found one that matches… and they know every spell! Well, every YGGDRASIL spell, there's still the chance this was custom made by someone in this world. They're creating more spells as we speak, but nothing lines up with this,"
Galakrond titled his head, "Couldn't it be this Wild Magic that father told us of? We should be immune to it, if it's on par with World Items. And if it's tier magic," he shrugged, "I doubt it can scratch me."
Valodan slapped the back of Galakrond's head, "No! Listen, from what we've learnt, Wild Magic relies on souls or some other source of energy and is primal, unfiltered, thus the name. This seems worse… It's concentrated and not the type of purple associated with necromancy! All I can think of is a concentrated form of Wild Magic with some unknown variable in the mix, but what that variable could be? I've got no idea."
"Wait, isn't Wild Magic exclusive to True Dragon Lords? Or at least those with their blood, like that Draudillion woman? How would some random witches in the middle of nowhere be able to cast it?"
"Yes, which is why this is even more baffling. We can presume these witches are draconic, at least in part, but no Dragon Lord will mate with what they see as an inferior life form; they're too proud for that."
"Look at Draudillion again, and at me! I'm not very proud and she has an entire lineage started by a Dragon Lord. That Brightness Dragon Lord apparently disappeared several decades ago, but maybe this is his doing?"
"Maybe you're right. I suppose both you and that Brightness Dragon Lord must be exceptions… Best be on our guard. I have a perimeter of hanzos set up around the village and the observatory on full alert. I doubt they have the health to back up that magic, so I'm going in for an instant kill; you just have to distract them, ok?"
"Got it. Though, if they don't pose an immediate threat then I'll play with them a bit to see what's their deal."
The moment they stopped talking, the familiar sound of someone reaching out to them using a message rang out in their heads. They put their hands to their temples and answered the call, {My lords! Two suspicious humanoids wearing what appears to be mid-level YGGDRASIL armour have appeared inside the perimeter! Your orders?} said the hanzo on the other hand.
Hanzos were mercenary monsters of around level 80, specialised in stealth rather than combat. They could hold their own, especially given the number of them in the area, but overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer; and there was a more concerning element at play. {YGGDRASIL?!} both of the brothers yelled into the message, {A player?} asked Valodan.
{Doesn't appear to be, my lord. The gear is too high-level, around level 55, compared to the humanoids, who appear to only be around level 35 to 40.} answered the hanzo.
{Observe, do not engage at all costs. We're coming over there right now and subjecting those two to a test. Sacrifice your life by jumping into the spell if you deem it necessary.} said Valodan.
{Of course my lord!}
They terminated the connection and sprinted to the area the hanzo had transmitted via the message. Valodan used a function of his metallic hand to turn invisible and moved downwind from the approaching enemies, just in case these creatures had a sense of smell on par with something like a werewolf. Galakrond, on the other hand, went on to face them head on.
Even in his humanoid form, the dragon was extraordinarily resilient to all manner of harm, particularly magic, and was the premier physical combatant except for Lily and Vacuus. His claws extended, dark magics swirling around them, and he cut through the bushes that concealed him from the witches. He leaned against a nearby tree and waited until they came to him.
He smelt them before he heard them, his draconic senses recognizing the horrid stench of abominations that should not be. Yet there was something familiar about this, 'Wait, isn't this the scent of the homunculi and chimaera creatures Jericho was creating? It's similar… I thought those were a failure given their form was purely based off of mana instead of a corporeal body? But, if a Dragon Lord crossbred…'
Next came the sounds of footsteps and the undergrowth being trampled. Given the frequency of footsteps, Galakrond suspected the creatures seemed to possess six legs in total, rather than the four one would expect. His guess turned out to be correct, as when the two creatures came into view, Galakrond began second guessing the competence of the hanzos.
Their gear was indeed of the level they said it was, as was their surface strength, Valodan already having confirmed that no anti-divination magic was being used. But to call them humanoid? It was quite a stretch. None of the Dragon Tusk survivors had caught a proper look at the witches, even Zenberu was too blinded by the spells to see them and yet they still defied descriptions by those unfamiliar with the abominable process of trying to create artificial life when one was not a Supreme Being, such as Pyke. Thankfully, Jericho and Trise are both connoisseurs of all things morally heinous and physically questionable, thus Galakrond could recognize these two for what they really were.
Chimaeras crossbred from a Dragon Lord and some incompatible species, further tampered with probably while they still were in the womb. In truth, they were pitiful creatures. They seemed to be identical twins, both possessing three legs that resembled that of a dragon or wyvern, except they were bent in all the wrong places. Their arms were similar to those of a harpy, however the wings attached to the arms were featherless and ripped.
Their facial structure possessed the elongated snout characteristic of most reptilian races, except the scaly features that came with it weren't there, instead the human skin stretched over it and appeared to have permanent scars on it from the process. Vertical irises could be found in their eyes, whiter than the dullness that the blind displayed. They wore pointy witches hats that you would expect of a generic fantasy, something that was rather popular in YGGDRASIL. Their robes were a decent item for mid-level players, being made of black wyvern skin and granting bonuses to magic casting.
It was hard to miss the massive man in the middle of the forest and they certainly didn't, initially stopping in their tracks and then jumped back, hissing like wild animals.
"Are you at least sentient enough to talk to?" asked Galakrond. The answer he got was a purple bolt of magic to the chest. It travelled far slower than anticipated, at least when compared to the speeds the guardian could move at. He moved out of the way of the spell and stuck his hand into it.
"Hmm, so my passive didn't activate and I still didn't take damage? It must be Wild Magic in that case." While he was monologuing the two witches kept casting spell upon spell, all to no avail. By his estimates, these were no higher than Tier 5 if translated into that system. Still, the fact that they could only be blocked by something on the level of a World Item was cause for major concern.
Galakrond rotated his shoulders, making sure he wouldn't sprain or pull anything given that he didn't have a proper warm up beforehand, and lunged at one of the witches. In one swift motion his claws penetrated the cloth covering the soft skin underneath and into the chest cavity, digging around for a heart, only to find two of them. He put in his second hand and ripped them out, crushing them and staining the ground with the viscous, pale yellow liquid that passed for blood in the creature.
A cry of anguish reverberated from the witch as she breathed her last. Galakrond took a step back and began wiping his hands on the nearby leaves, muttering "By my father, this is disgusting. What kind of sick fuck would make something like this? At least I'm putting them out of their misery…"
The sister however wasn't so casual, she pulled the body back and embraced it, yet instead of grieving she began devouring it. Once Galakrond had turned back to her a good chunk of the head was gone, the skull cracked open and the brain matter leaking across the ground. The body unceremoniously fell to the ground, the bizarre funeral right apparently now complete and the witch jumped backwards, pulling something out from under her clothing.
It appeared to be a sort of spell sealing crystal, except… it was empty with no spell inside of it. 'What can she do with an empty crystal?' Galakrond asked himself. The crystal however seemed to react with the previous spell used and shot it out with an intensity and power incomparable to the previous attack; being at least Tier 7, something the creature would normally not be able to use. Galakrond still easily dodged it, stuck his hand into it and analysed it, "Same spell but maximised by a large margin? This must have been what that one lizardman saw… And you used your own sister's soul for such a measly thing. Well, I suppose I should end your accursed existence…"
Yet another voice had other plans, "Brother, stop! This one can still be useful!" called out Valodan from the trees. "Establish superiority as a dragon and we'll take it alive! We have one specimen for dissection, but I'm sure our brother and sister will be more interested in a live specimen."
A poor monstrosity such as this, created by a madman for an unknown pursuit and to extend its suffering? "Do we truly have to do this? Look at it!" Galakrond shouted back. The witch was cowering a tree, having the primal instinct to realise it was surrounded and she should now make herself as small as possible to not appear threatening.
"You know this is for the greater good and to realise our father's goal! Would you undermine your own creator!?" asked Valodan.
Galakrond sighed, putting morality and his own feelings after the glory of the Swimming City, and activated [Draconic Dominance V], bending all lesser dragonoids in the area to his will. As expected, the witch stiffened and stood up straight, now an obedient puppet. Still, a single tear flowed down its dirty cheek, its final remnant of free will escaping before its mind was wiped.
Valodan jumped down, and grabbed the crystal the witch had dropped, "A sealing crystal used to amplify Wild Magic and granting it a purple colour due to the vaguely hemomantic origins of the spell that was originally stored there? Interesting… I wonder if that familial connection and sorrow caused the soul of her sister to be more efficient fuel? I'll have Jericho look into it. This crystal must also be that treasure the lizardmen mentioned. Odd that something so out of their reach would be counted as a treasure among a pot of unending wine, an ice sword and cursed armour. You'll have to ask the chiefs. Alright, I'll bring these bodies to Jericho's and Trise's laboratory. It appears a dragon's hubris reaches far, even here. To think himself mighty enough to tamper with even life, pfeh, pathetic creature. Only our father is capable of such a feat."
The general picked up the two bodies, the living one acting like a doll given that its mind was made permanently subservient by Galakrond's skill. Valodan gave one more smirk before he went through the newly opened gate, "Heh, I wonder how those flying lizards will react once they realise the predator has once more become the prey. I'm sure they'll make fine shoes…"
He went through, the gate swiftly closing behind him, leaving Galakrond alone to contemplate how he doomed what amounted to a feral child to an eternity of horrid experiments by the very ruler of hell. "For now I can only pray they deem her useless quickly and end her…" he said to himself in order to ease his guilt and then began walking back to the Greenclaw village.
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[3 Days Later]
The familiar whoosh of reality fixing the rend in its form echoed out next to Galakrond as he was overlooking the lizardmen that commanded the new undead labour force, albeit with a lot of trepidation. He turned to the man he was expecting, "So… What did Trise or Jericho say?"
"Well, they both took a look at it and it is as you probably already hypothesised, it was a form of homunculus-chimaera created from a live birth following tampering in the womb. The only reason these two didn't fall apart once mana was cut off was because souls were put into them via wild magic. Not organic ones, created from nothing such as ours, but amalgamations from various sources."
"Wait, you're saying that their conscience of those witches was composed of many souls crying out in anguish? Were they able to sacrifice parts of their soul and lifeforce to cast as a substitute for foreign ones?"
Valodan nodded gravely, "It appears to be the case. Jericho's co-worker, Keno, who I'm sure you remember, is afflicted by some weird Wild Magic curse and she can become a stronger undead if she consumes more souls. It appears this was a similar situation, think of their souls as patchwork dolls made from previous ones. They turned out animalistic because the merging process didn't go as smoothly as with Keno. It seems some Dragon Lords are experimenting with soul creation for one reason or another…"
Galakrond shook his head, "When are we finally going to kill them? Such blasphemy to happen in our father's future kingdom… They shall learn true anguish yet."
"Don't worry, I'm sure Jericho already has something cooked up for them. For now, let's focus on what we have, yea?" He put a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder, "So tell me how the lizardmen village has been progressing these past few days."
The progenitor of dragons forced a smile to appear on his face, pushing the sins of his kind to the back of his mind, "Well, how about we go ask the chiefs themselves?"
They walked through the muddy swamp, their immaculate clothing becoming drenched with mud. Everyone still gave them a wide berth, despite Galakrond's efforts to be more friendly with them, the fear from when he unleashed his bloodlust on the new tribes, in order to show them his power, still lingered. They entered the hut where the chiefs were gathered. Three of them were familiar, while the other three were the boisterous Zenberu Gugu, who had to be beaten into place by Galakrond, but now showed adequate respect.
One was Sukyu Juju of the Small Fang tribe, a pale yellow, dotted lizardman who happened to be the greatest hunter in all the tribes. Next to him stood the chief of the Razor Tail, Kyuku Zuzu, who wore cursed armour that sapped his intelligence upon dawning it, permanently that is. It took a great amount of intelligence and thus became as hard as adamantite, but he was still a good chief, although his speech was impeded.
The six kneeled to their new rulers, or the representatives thereof as Pyke had visited them a day prior to demonstrate the real hierarchy and to deliver supplies from the Swimming City. Shasuryu was appointed as the head of them all, the rest being advisers, including the reluctant Zaryusu who got talked into it by Crush, on whom he had a crush.
Valodan lifted his hand in greeting, "Chiefs, at ease. Stand. I bring good news, but first I'd like to hear of the situation here. Are the supplies adequate, how is the food situation and how are the people reacting to the undead?"
Shasuryu spoke up, "General, the supplies are very generous and we would be grateful if you could once more pass our thanks to Lord Pyke. The expansion of this village into a town has already begun, as well as the relocation of all the lizardmen. The food aid that came with the supplies is enough to sustain us for a few months if it continues and we estimate that with the technology brought by the, um, elder lich advisor, we'll be able to have consistent fish farms by then. The people are still wary of the undead, but those working closest with them, including us, are beginning to get more comfortable. Nobody has attacked any of them. We believe integration is a matter of time now."
Valodan nodded, "Good. Now then, I believe such actions require merit? I may be a conqueror, but even I know how to have a good time. Do the Greenclaw fondly remember my father's original visit?"
Zaryusus and Shasuryu looked at each other quizzically, and nodded a second later, "Indeed general. The food our lord had brought that night was unlike anything we had before. I was a particular fan of those rolls with raw fish."
The two guardians chuckled, "Of course you were, everyone was." said Galakrond, "And you should get excited. We commissioned our private chefs to prepare a feast for your unified tribe. Let us make it a holiday."
Galakrond turned to Zenberu, "As for what happened to your tribe… I dealt with the witches. They weren't sentient, just acting like wild animals, attacking out instinct when one of your scouts probably moved too close. I won't say more, but you can rest easy knowing they are avenged. We also recovered the treasure, but we'll keep it, although I'll omit why."
Zenberu's jaw opened and closed several times, eventually culminating in him hitting the makeshift table with his massive right arm that he got from his monk training and splintering it. "At least tell me they will suffer…"
Before Galakrond could speak up, Valodan stepped forward, "Indeed they will. We handed them over to one of our more sadistic brothers; they'll know hell without end."
The massive lizardman looked at the guardian, "Thank you, general. I'm in your debt; point me to war and I'll go."
Valodan patted Zenberu, who was almost as tall as him, on the back, "Don't worry. There will be war, but there will be no need to endanger the people. You will know peace and prosperity. Tell me about the daily affairs now, I'll draft up some plans to optimise things."
This was the cue for Zenberu and Galakrond to sneak outside and spar rather than listen to the overly complex planning and explanation that came from the general. These spars would become rather large attractions in the village, being one of the few times when they could witness one of their ruler's strength without needing to be afraid of it…
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The night was still young, but the perimeter for drunk and passed out lizardmen had already been established on the side. As it turns out, the pot that created infinite wine, which usually was of subpar quality by human standards, could be modified if one possessed the correct skills; and the chefs of the Swimming City just happened to have those skills. Another revelation was that lizardmen couldn't handle their sake.
Valodan and Galakrond chuckled as Shasuryu and Zenberu crawled to Crush to ask for her to cast [Lesser Cure Poison] on them several times in a couple minutes. The feast was a huge hit, cementing the reputation of the rulers as benevolent and with great taste in food. Rice hadn't been found yet by any of the denizens of the Swimming City in the New World, but Galakrond suspected that he could probably start farms of it around here, or rather, he had to consider that after the twentieth lizardman came to him asking if they could grow it.
Alas, what is a day of celebration without a good speech? And what is a good speech without an audience? Valodan stood up, gathering the people's attention before they were all too far gone down the alcoholic rabbit hole. He tapped his bony fingers, now turned into chopsticks, on his glass. "Lizardmen, you are no longer separate tribes, skirmishing over scarce resources, being threatened by every shadow that lurks in the forest; now you are one tribe, one tribe under the glory of Lord Pyke!"
He continued, "The forest has come completely under our control, the wide world has its doors open to you. Fresh goods, new ideas and prosperity are on the horizon and I swear by my father's name, we will reach out and grasp it! Drink, eat and be merry, for the witches are gone, the forest subjugated and glory has arrived!" A cheer split the night as the revelry redoubled.
Galakrond nudged his brother with his elbow, "Where did you learn to do speeches like that? I thought that was more Lillius' style."
Valodan smirked, "Once the army is trained and equipped, what else do you need?"
"I don't know, what?" asked Galakrond.
"Morale, and nothing gets morale higher than a good speech and good alcohol."
The two brothers looked upon the clear night sky, knowing that all the pieces on the board were moving as expected and soon the big event would start. The powers that be never react well to radical change and that power being threatened, so what kind of mess would erupt once the stage was set and the curtain lifted? Well, they already knew, it was, after all, all written out on Winston's desk…