Zuko hummed quietly, the warm glow of 'candlelight' breaching his eyelids faintly as he meditated. Another human invention, one of the few that didn't require him to consistently toss wood into a baking, bright fire that would distract him from his thoughts with it's cracks and pops. Much softer and calmer, something he appreciated during these hours waning into the night, as he relaxed for sleep. Something he loathed to admit that he was thankful for.

A deep breath in, a deep breath out.

Knock knock.

The warrior sighed. Most lizardmen didn't bother with knocking, not when a tribe was practically a family in itself. No, he almost immediately knew who it was. Secretly, he'd been wondering how long it would take the human to befriend him, Hashi's own warnings in advance at least helping him mentally prepare for this.

'Befriend'. A foolish concept. There was clan and there was everyone else. A concept it seems that few of his own seemed to understand these days, unlike Kukri'.

Still, he needed to maintain a pretense of friendliness with this human, for the sake of his chieftain's 'plans'.

"Come in, human," He grumbled with thinly veiled annoyance, the deep bass in his voice reverberating through the hut.

There was a faint shuffle, and the human slid the curtain to the side. He seemed surprisingly chipper for one that was stepping into the hut of a war chief. His grin was friendly, his chest puffed up, and his shoulders broadened. He had only seen the human from a distance, observing his fights. Admittedly, he wasn't bad for a human, not when it came to fighting as they did. Though he still very much couldn't compare to the best warriors his people had to offer. Something that should be keeping him from carrying himself so proudly in the first place.

"So, human, what is it you wish to discuss?"

The human chuckled with a shrug. "A lotta things quite frankly. We could start with smaller topics like the weather, or we could skip straight to the point. I'd prefer the latter if I was being honest"

Direct. This was… acceptable. Still, as much as he dislikes the human, it wouldn't do to cast aside his own honor and dignity.

"Very well. Please, take a seat," Zuko motioned for a spot across from him on the ground for the human. Without hesitation the human nodded, sitting criss-cross.

"Thank you, I truly appreciate it. Ah, before we begin with talks…" The human reached into his jacket and pulled out a bottle, followed by two wooden cups. Zuko couldn't help but raise a brow ridge at the items placed in the center before him.

"It was customary in my homeland that talks be shared over a drink. Not necessarily required, as not doing so wouldn't be considered a faux pas, but it was considered polite as well as a sign of trust"

'A drink? Whatever has he… ah, wine. I must admit, I am somewhat surprised to see the human offering such a gift. However, it could just as easily be a trap…'

The human took his knife out, briefly making the lizardman tense, but the knife went nowhere threatening, merely being used to uncork the bottle, pouring its contents out into the cups. The human resheathed his knife, and held the fluid in his hands.

"{Frostbite}," The lizardman heard him speak, and saw the faint wisps of mist drift away from the top of the cup. "Would you like me to chill your drink as well? The burn of brandy can be considered a little harsh at room temperature"

'Brandy? So not wine?'

"I suppose so," He couldn't help but say warily.

The human nodded and complied, waving a hand over his own glass as he repeated the spell. Using magic for such an inane purpose… the human must not be overly concerned with wasting mana on such feats. Knowingly or not, the human just provided him with useful information. Still, the human was very much at ease, Zuko sensing that perhaps he was just a fool.

"Well, as they say, cheers!" The human spoke with a grin, briefly holding his cup up before taking a sip from it.

Sensing that at the very least the bottle wasn't poisoned, Zuko took a sip of his own, and was indeed surprised by the slight burn it left in his mouth. It was countered well by the combination of tart and sweet, as well as the chill he left in his drink. Ashamedly, it tasted better than any wine that he'd had in the village, though he was at least glad to say not by too much.

"I know, it's something to get used to. Not everyone can quite drink the stronger stuff unless they've already had a little booze in their system"

'Damn' Zuko thought to himself with beration. 'I don't want this warm-blood thinking I can't hold my drink'

"It is perfectly acceptable to my tongue. Though I am curious, you called this 'Brandy'? What is that, out of curiosity?"

"In basics, distilled wine. It's boiled and condensed to create a higher concentration of alcohol in the drink. If I had to guess, this is… actually not technically brandy. It's definitely on the lighter side if it can be called brandy, but most definitely stronger than any wine I've ever had. I want to say… twenty five percent alcohol?"

Zuko could tell that he was talking more to himself than he was to the lizardman across from him. He stared at the cup in thought for a moment, before his eyes seemed to dart and shift, rubbing his thumb along it before nodding.

"Let's say thirty percent, just to err on the side of caution"

'Strange, it seems almost as if he was… looking at something in particular? A thought for another time'

"I presume that this percentage matters?" The warrior asked.

"Very much so. It'll matter on how hard I wanna send it with this bottle tonight, as well as how much bread and water you and me will be sharing to prevent hangovers in the morning"

"Bread?" He couldn't help but ask. That he was somewhat familiar with, his father spoke of the foodstuff as something they stole from human settlements to keep themselves fed, he remembered having a piece when he was a child. A small, crunchy piece of bland 'food', something that felt like he was chewing into a rock.

"Right, I have a little bit I've tucked into my pockets. Now which one did I… ah," He relaxedly muttered, before pulling out a leaved bundle. "We'd been messing around with yeast and some siltfoot root to make this. A sort of potato bread I guess"

He unfurled the bundle, revealing a fluffy brownish-grey lump with scores in the top. "I know the color might be a little unappetizing compared to some of the juicier things cooked up around here, but I guarantee this stuff is good to eat"

He then extended the loaf out to the warrior, giving a nod. "May we break in bread and share in spirits, for it is under the eyes of the Lord that we dine in peace"

'A prayer of some sort? I know that some of my warriors have been speaking of a cult that the human's pet goblin has been preaching about, often called the 'Lord'. Hmmm… just what are you playing at, human?'

Why the fuck did I put it like that? Really should try to ixnay on the eligionray stuff, but it almost felt kind of fitting in a weird way. This is more or less a peace talk between him and I, even if it shouldn't technically be necessary. I need to confirm we're on proper footing though, and to do that I need to set the pace and come forward with initiative.

At least, he isn't weirded out by it. I think. These lizardmen have some pretty decent poker faces when they want. He reaches out gingerly, and grabs hold of the bread. I slide my finger and thumb subtly, breaking the bread in half almost perfectly with his grip. I then nod to him and take my first bite, himself following suit.

It's… a little earthy to be honest, almost as if it was plucked from the soil. I should probably expect that taste from most of the swamp food at this point. That said, as far as baked goods go it's definitely pretty good for being something homemade. And I'm honestly glad that some honey was slipped into this batch to make it a kind of sweet bread.

I see the lizardman stare at his own piece tentatively, as if unsure as to whether or not it was actually edible. C'mon, eat it motherfucker, Lulu didn't overwork herself in a lab just to reinvent bread for you to stare at like it's a mud pie. The chunk of starchy bread slowly raises to his mouth, and he bites a piece off, chewing it carefully inside his mouth. Like it please, like it…

"This is… acceptable in taste"

Fuck it, I'll take a victory where I can get it.

'This is the food of the ancestors,' Zuko internally thought, almost wanting to shed a tear at the taste. 'It's soft, fluffy, and has a rich earthy taste that makes this swamp feel like home! And to make matters worse, I detect the taste of honey within! Gah, this human is going to make us soft with these foods he's delivered to us!'

Zuko almost wanted to spit the food out to deny his body of such a sweet good provided by the warm-blood in front of him, but found himself incapable of doing so even if he could find the willpower to resist it.

"Now, to get down to the meat and potatoes of our conversation," The human said, taking up a more serious facade that completely countered his prior cheerfulness. Something that had caught the lizardman by surprise after such sweets and kindness, loathe he was to admit. "I'm going to be honest… I don't like the situation that's brewing in the forest. The lizardmen have enemies on all sides at the moment ever since their arrival, and the fact that you fight amidst your own tribes only makes the matter worse. This is exactly why I'm coming to you, as the head warrior of the Red Eyes"

Zuko grimaced at that. 'He speaks as if he considers himself one of us. As if'

"I am well aware of this, plain as day, so why do you speak of things that everyone is well aware of?"

The human breathed in through his nostrils. "I'm sure you know my reasons at this point, I'm not blind to the fact that words travel fast in the tribe you know. The reason I bring this matter up is because I wish to contribute to the battle when it comes"

The warrior snorted. "I also know that you plan on heading towards the toadmen by the time winter comes to return that warty lump you drag around. The war itself won't likely happen until the spring, at the edge of when resources have run dry through the winter. How can you possibly achieve such a thing when you won't be here for it?"

"Because," The human spoke with determination. "Part of winning a battle is fighting on your own terms. As such, rather than waiting for the war to come to you, you should take the war to those who would seek it"

Gears turned slowly inside Zuko's mind, processing what he'd heard. "There's no… you plan on starting the battle before spring?"

The human nodded at that, and those gears shifted into higher speeds.

'No, fighting a war in winter would practically be suicide for lizardmen, there's no way he's rationally considering that as his answer'

"I very much am," Nolan spoke with firmness.

'I was wrong, he's absolutely mad'

Zuko couldn't help but break in his facade, scoffing. "There's no possible way that we could do such a thing, it woul harm us more than help us, draining precious resources and energy!"

The human didn't flinch at his shout, remaining cool and collected as he sipped his brandy. "Under normal circumstances? Most definitely. However, I have more than a few plans to handle that. Of the considerable issues that come from such an expenditure, more than a few rise. Food, manpower, and heat are the main three issues. Are there any others you see that I do not?"

"Those 'main' issues are the exact wall that makes this impossible, and you mean to tell me that you have answers to all three?"

"Yes," He responded. He swirled the drink in his hand, looking down for a moment. "In terms of food, that one is the most easy. Pemmican, bouillon, jerky, and hardtack all provide answers to this solution, all of which can now be easily produced by your tribe. Something you couldn't claim at the beginning of this year. All of these foodstuffs are long lasting, some of which can last an upwards of years in the correct storage conditions. And thanks to the methods of insect and vegetable consumption I've introduced, resources are far more flexible as to what goes where now. That counts for our issues pertaining to food"

Zuko settled slowly, squinting at the human. 'At least that much makes sense. But how in the Abyss of the ocean does he plan on convincing lizardmen to march into the cold of winter?'

The human took the warrior's silence as a prompt to continue. "As for convincing manpower to join the front, that's dependent on the other two issues as well as how we present and convince that they can be provided readily to enact such a campaign"

Zuko glared at the human. "All warriors march on their stomachs, and us lizardmen need warmth to make the distance, at least you recognize this. How do you plan on solving the problem of heat, oh wise one?"

A shadow of the human's mirth broke back onto his face with a dark smirk. "There are a few ways to go about this, but by far my favorite choice to consider is Hit and Run tactics"

"Hit and… Run?" Zuko asked with genuine confusion.

'His madness knows no bounds. He is well aware that we are incapable of mustering up much energy in the face of winter cold. What is he planning?'

"You see, something I've talked about with the medicine women with about this matter was the treatments considered for warming up lizardmen that have had brushes with the cold in the past. And more often than not, a 'heat bladder' is often applied to the core of the body for the most effect in a pinch, though more are applied if need be. This in turn led down a road of meditation. What if we designed our armor around this principle?"

"What are you getting at?" Zuko warily asked, unsure of where this was going.

"I've been speaking with the magic casters as well as the researchers in my labs," The human said. "There's two key problems with the plan. Weight and heat retention. Out of all of our options, grains and seeds prove to be our best choice. They can be heated by a campfire easily enough, and are lightweight, but this still leaves the problem of retention. Heat. Under normal circumstances, the packs are capable of staying warm up to roughly an hour under the right conditions, half of one under the worst. This is where the magic casters come in".

It took me more than a little bit of digging the other week, but I found a solution of sorts. In emergencies, the casters of the village know a spell capable of applying heat to an object, {Warm Glow}. Tier zero of all things, more or less considered a specialized variant of prestidigitation that just about any person could use. One of the useful things about the spell is that because of its' low tier, just about anyone willing to learn it likely could, provided there was at least a smidge of interest in the arcane arts. Unfortunately, while lizardmen do value the arts more than some place like Re-Estize, they don't value them enough to consider learning at least one or two tier zero spells here or there. At the very least, our pool of magic casters that can use the spell is pretty wide once it's actually taught to the ones that do have an interest.

"Though a heat pack is only capable of sustaining heat for that long under plain conditions, there exist spells that can easily reheat these packs on the go. And considering the mana needed for the spell is dependent upon the size of the affected area, applying to heat packs located at key points throughout the armor should in theory allow us to go hours at a time away from campfires, before a rest is necessary"

"In theory?" Zuko asked with obvious doubt.

"Yes, in theory. If there's one thing I can say for certain, it's that there's a significant difference between theory and practice, and that's a matter of whether or not someone is actually willing to do it. We have the resources to create these modified suits of armor, capable of keeping lizardmen warm, and I have means of producing clothes for the casters that should keep them warm indefinitely to save their mana. There just comes one last problem. Manpower"

I could see the warrior mulling over my words as he took a gulp of his brandy, humming in thought. "And this is where I come in".

"Yes," I responded with a sigh. "Though I've worked with your warriors in the past, this is something that even I'm hard-pressed to believe I could convince them of. Not unless you can see the merits of what I'm trying to accomplish. I'm not asking for a trial by fire, of course. Once the initial prototypes of the armor are made and tested for weakness, I would suggest we put them into a field test hunting animals this fall"

There was silence, and I resisted the urge to squirm under the quiet. Eventually, the head warrior sighed, nodding his head. "If this works… this would give us an extreme advantage in the coming resource war. We may even be able to accomplish this before spring time"

I nodded. "And to top it off, it would minimize casualties. A lizardman force, capable of marching through snow drifts as if it were another day of summer? It would strike fear into the hearts of any other cold blooded demihuman, as well as force them to fight on our terms through and through. With the hit and run tactics, we would whittle their numbers and they wouldn't be able to give chase"

It was a risky maneuver however. There was still so much that could go wrong, especially in the event of a siege. Of course, that's what the ballistae were for, provided we could get a supply chain capable of transporting them established. I need to go into this fully ready to win while keeping my head clear though. Especially considering this should probably provide us with the best possible answer to keeping as many people alive as possible for the future.

Zuko hated to admit it… but the human was as genius as he was crazy. Never in a hundred generations would any lizardman have likely come up with a solution.

'Abyss, even any other human would have a difficult time to match such a penchant for creativity. This… human is something else. I'm almost even tempted to refer to him by his name'

The warrior looked at his cup, and with a swift motion, gulped the rest of it's contents down. "Very well human. Keep in mind the only reason I'm willing to go along with this… plan of yours, is almost purely out of morbid curiosity. You will have my warriors to assist in your tests"

The human's air of firmness softened, and he returned to his chuckling demeanor, finishing the rest of his drink in kind. "Whatever it takes I suppose. I shall do what I must to ensure that your people fight as one in the face of those that would belittle you"

He refilled his cup with more brandy, and offered Zuko in kind, to which the lizardman accepted. With both cups filled, and both parties properly inebriated, there was one matter left with this meeting. The human took lead, waving in his seated position for a moment as the alcohol affected his system.

"Then I suppose we shall toast. To the future of the tribes, to the future of a brighter tomorrow. Cheers!"

Two wooden cups clacked, and two different species drank with one another. Putting their differences aside even for a moment, with the power of food, drink, and a mutual agreement that a common enemy required differences be put aside. Even if one party wasn't fully aware of the true enemy they were yet to face.

Nolan Potts, Human (Karma: 70 [Neutral]) [20/24 Spell slots used]

Classes: Brawler (6), Ranger (3), Druid (5), Clothier (3), Translucer (1). Total Level (18).

Spells (Druid): Frostbite, Entangle, Create or Destroy Water, Guidance, Jump, Cure Wounds, Dust Devil, Protect from Poison, Hold Person, Spike Growth, Lesser Restoration, Water Breathing, Darkvision, Sleetstorm, Ice Knife, Lightning Arrow

Spells (Ranger): Animal Friendship, Speak to Animals, Ensnaring Strike, Conjure Animals

Items of Note: {Humble Beginnings}

Party Members are as follows…

Member One: Todone, Son of Kodrotti, Toadman (Karma: -10 [Neutral])

Classes: Toadman Warrior (9), Brawler (9), Martial Artist (1), Total Level (19).

Member Two: Yulg (Karma: 50 [Neutral])

Classes: Goblin Marauder (1), Brawler (8), Warrior (4), Cleric (1), Total Level (13)

Member Three: Crusch Lulu of the Red Eyes (Karma: 50 [Neutral])

Classes: Awakened Elder Blood Lizardman (1), Druid (6), Spirit Shaman (3), Summoner (1), Scientist (2), Total Level (13)

AN: 'Nother chapter's out folks. Glad to finally get the blood flowing now that work ain't pounding me like it was. Let's get right into the reviews.

Spatialyeti8: Thanks for still following man, I appreciates ya

Gho: You shut your mouth

Aicka: Good to be back myself! Looks like you kind of got your answer though XD