Two lizardmen stood in front of the entrance to their village, standing guard in cloaked but shining plates of blue-green copper. One lizardman blew air out through his nostrils as a fly attempted to crawl over it, using his tongue to snag at a bug on his snout before it could fly away. Much to the chagrin of his partner.
"Eugh, I can't understand why you do that," The other complained, adjusting his stance with spear in hand.
The other could only shrug, his plates adjusting on his shoulders. "Gotta hand it to the human, they're fresher when they're live"
"Yeah, but didn't he warn that you'd risk getting sick eating most of them raw?"
"Eh, if it comes down to it I'll just make a trip to grab some of that 'Wild Garlic' we've been gathering lately"
The lizardman guard scoffs, shaking his head. "Don't think it'll excuse you from guard duty"
"Now that is up to the captain, not-"
"Sshh, company" The first stated, not moving from his stance as he nodded to the oncoming group. Lizardmen, from the looks of it, and…
"Hey, old man!" The second shouted and waved with a smile, briefly getting a dirty look from the first one.
The 'old man' waved back with a crocodilian smile, moving fluidly with the enchanted bow across his body.
"Would it kill you to be a bit more professional?" The first muttered, gripping his spear tightly. "Something's not right, I recognize some of those lizards"
"Know 'em?"
"Not personally, but I know their tribes. Both allied with the Green Claws. Stand firm, this could spell trouble"
In a seemingly sharp turn of attitude, the formerly aloof lizardman regains his composure as a guard for the village. It didn't take long before the group came up to the village entrance. The old lizard leading the group came up to the second one with a smile, and a surprising hug.
"Ah, Yoshi, so good to see you!" He bellowed, letting go after the brief grapple and patting his shoulders. "I remember when you were waist high, how are the hatchlings?"
"Er, shiny-scaled and strong-spirited, Zarusosa," The guard sputtered, caught off guard by the unusual display of friendliness from the lizardman.
"That's good to hear young man. Ah, I don't believe you've met my sons! Zaryusu and Shasuryu, this is Yoshi. I used to let this whelp ride my tail whenever I'd visit the Red Eyes"
"An honor to meet you, sir," Shasuryu spoke with a bow.
His brother bowed alongside him. "Likewise, sir Yoshi"
"Ah, it's Yoschisa…" He muttered, before clearing his throat. "Er, Zarusosa, what brings you and your… entourage to the Red Eye tribe?"
"Why, we were hoping to sit down and hammer out an alliance with your people. I know old Kukri is still somewhat bitter about things, but the tides are changing boy. I'd rather gather my clams while the tide is low, you understand?"
'Yoshi' sighed, nodding. "I understand sir, but the human's had him on edge lately from what I hear. It won't be easy, but I do wish you luck"
"I appreciate your well wishing, young boy," Zarusosa remarked with a chuckle.
"Ah, I apologize for interrupting, but… what is it you're wearing?" Zaryusu asked.
"Frost Copper," The first guard answered. "Another gift from the human. He's shown us how to 'extract' materials from the environment, and how to work them"
"Look green for copper," Kyuku noted, getting a brief glance from the two before the second decided to answer.
"That's because it was forged using magic in the process. It's actually helped us understand the work of the white-scales of our tribe a little better"
Kyuku nodded, accepting the answer. The tribesmen all shifted, and Zarusosa nodded to the two guards.
"Ah, but enough chatter. May we enter? I'd like to see how the village has been fairing in our absence before the meeting"
"Er, right away sir," Yoshi said with a nod, waving them in. "Allow me to accompany your group. Er, Yerschell, I'll be back"
'Yerschell' grunted, nodding to the lizardman before the rest of the group made their way into the village. As they passed on into the village, the remaining lizardman grimaced and clutched his spear, feeling wary about the storm to come. He was one of the few that was on the fence about the whole human situation, and knew just what kind of mess this was about to stir up.
"My goodness, it's a lot more lively here than it was a couple of months ago!" Zarusosa commented, taking in the sight of playing children and cheerful residents. They waved and smiled at the crowd of newcomers, all familiar with Zarusosa at this point.
"You know, it's mostly thanks to that human actually. Ever since he came to the village, he's talked about all kinds of ideas and plans, sharing everything he can think of with us. And if it isn't him, it's that toadman or the albino that's always tailing him whenever they can. The albino girl is young and eager to do everything she can to make his ideas a reality. The toadman himself isn't a slouch when it comes to being a warrior. He's put our own warriors through all kinds of pain, but then he's shown us how to work past it and train harder. The boy's a prodigy when it comes to the spear I say. Honestly, it's endearing to think of what we could have been if the races put their differences aside like those three have"
The old lizard blinked at that. "Albino?"
"Mm, Crusch Lulu, one of old Runo's top disciples. Though rumor has it the old lady is getting a little jealous of all the attention the human gets when he teaches her. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the girl probably had a crush on him"
"Ha, a lizardman and a human? That'll be the day," One member of the entourage chuckled out, getting a few laughs out of the others.
Sukyu, meanwhile, was caught up on another comment. "I'm sorry, but did you say there's a toadman in the village?"
Yoschisa nodded. "Says his name is 'Todone'. I know, it's a strange thing indeed, I for one never expected one to be here. And yet he is. He doesn't get it easy from what I hear, there are still plenty in the village that hate his people with a passion. But he shrugs it off like nothing, boy's got nerves of granite and seems to be a lot more optimistic than when he first came here"
Sukyu could help but snort at that, his tongue flicking out as a result. As his tongue flicked out however, he couldn't help but waggle it through the air for a more proper smell. He squinted after a moment, looking around. "Anyone else smell that?"
The others followed suit, sniffing the air with their tongues.
"Smell… nutty?"
"No, it's juicier smelling than that Kyuku"
"Whatever it is, it smells good"
The group, deciding that the first stop in the village would be to satisfy the curiosity of their stomachs, followed the odor to a portion of the tribe's communal kitchen. There, they were greeted by a sight that made some of their stomachs immediately churn. Zaru, however, couldn't help but laugh.
The laugh caught the attention of one of the older females tending to the fires, her eyes perking up at the sight of the group. "Ah, Zarusosa! It's been too long!"
The old man chuckled at that. "It's only been a couple of months since we last saw each other, you know"
"Still, it's good to see you back. These must be your boys then I presume? My, you both look quite strong!"
Zaryusu and Shasuryu both were somewhat distracted however. Shasuryu pointed weakly at the object in question over the cooking range. "Are… those…?"
Though he couldn't finish, the old woman seemed to get the jist of what they were asking, and chuckled. "Yes, water beetles. The human actually introduced the idea, if you'd believe it. Ah, these should be done actually"
The lizard woman carefully scraped the seared beetles with a spatula out of the pan, placing them on a plate before glazing them with a bottle of sauce and holding them out for the boys. The two of them looked at the plate warily, unsure of what to do. They'd heard that their forefathers occasionally dined on something called shrimp, but this?
"Oh for- I know I didn't raise a couple of whelps," Zaru jabbed with humor in his tone, plucking a beetle off the plate and tossing it into his mouth, much to the shock and awe of his comrades. "Mmm, is there honey in the glaze?"
Sukyu was sputtering at the sight. "D… Did you just…?"
The old man barked a laugh, patting his back. "My boy, when you've been a hunter long enough, you learn to not be picky on the trail. Never would I have thought to make it into something so delicious however, I must absolutely thank the human for the idea"
"I'm the one who cooked it you know," The chef pouted playfully.
"Ah, yes, sorry. Would anyone else care for a beetle?" The hunter asked.
The group looked among themselves warily, unsure of who would take the first bite. Certainly, Zarusosa had clearly advocated for their deliciousness, but he was clearly showing himself as… eccentric, as of late. To the surprise of everyone else however, Zaryusu moved his claw to the plate. Without even hesitating, he popped it into his mouth, and made a crunch. His reaction wasn't apparent at first, but then his eyes lit up and he started reaching for more, getting a swat on the claw from the old lady.
"Ah-ah-ah! Only one per person! I can't have you scarfing down the whole plate now can I?"
Zaryusu mutters sheepishly and looks away, rubbing his claw. The others chuckle at it before Sukyu steps up.
"Ah to the Deep with it, I'm curious. Can't let the old man's kid one up me anyways"
They all eventually step up, taking their turns grabbing one. Soon, almost the entire group is munching on a bug of some kind.
Beeeeeelch!
"Oof, pardon," One of the lizards in their group spoke, patting his stomach.
Yoschisa couldn't help but smile at that. "They're great, aren't they? Plenty enough to go around too, at least for a while"
Murmurs of agreement sounded around the group. Though the first platter was limited, everyone had gathered around for a full course meal and had their fill. Crickets, shearjaw, water beetle, all kinds of insect made their way onto their plates, much to the surprise of the group themselves.
"Never… would think bugs taste good," Kyuku grumbled in satisfaction, patting his stomach.
Zaru stood up and stretched, fighting off the drowsiness that came with a large meal. "I must admit, that was far more than I expected. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some of these recipes for the other tribes, it would certainly help fight off famine"
Yoschisa nodded in agreement. "It's help us prevent starvation, that much I can say. I'm afraid of what may have been, if we hadn't been taught these methods"
The group stood up one by one, stretching and adjusting themselves to move on.
"I think we've spent enough time eating," Zarusosa admitted. "We ought to move on. What else has changed since I've been here?"
"Well, there's the 'forge' that the human helped make, as well as the fishery, the stockpiles of metals that he's helped us gather" Yoschisa noted, receiving shocked appraisals at that.
"I figured as much, I doubt that there are many armors the humans made that are so easily molded to our shape. Even so with a material that normally isn't considered as useful. How strong is it, exactly?"
"Strong enough to hold against stone and wood," The guard admitted. "I can't say how well it would fare against other metals, but it's certainly held on as durable"
Before they could continue on with their questions of the forge however, a young lizardman bumped into Shasuryu, a few scrolls scattering into the winds. They landed on the marshy soil in a scattered mess, the offending lizardman himself hissing in air as he tried to get back up.
"I'm so sorry about that, I really need to watch where I'm…" He trailed off, looking up at the chieftains like a confused, gawking fish.
"No, nonsense, I was just as much at fault for not paying attention," Shasuryu waved off, helping pick up the scrolls. He paused to look at one that had opened up, squinting. "What… is this?"
"Er, my uh… studies," The young boy uttered, carefully picking up some of his other scrolls.
"Studies? For what?" The boy's father asked, staring at the paper thoughtfully. Was it some kind of magic scroll? He wasn't literate, but he also knew this writing didn't match any human writing he was familiar with.
"'English' as the human calls it," He responded, making the old chieftain think more and more on the human's impact in these short few months. "He's teaching it to us for all kinds of reasons. I uh… I'm studying it to record our people's oral histories"
"You're… writing?" Zaru confusedly asked as he connects the dots, unsure of what he was hearing correctly as he stared at one of the scrolls intently.
The boy nodded excitedly. "A lot of us are, we're learning the basics but we're so excited! It's… not much, but he's taught us a few things about how to write words out. We're making progress, and hopefully once I've grown better at this I'll be able to write it out better. It looks nothing like some of the things I've seen him write!"
The group all shared various looks with one another. The lizardmen never had a writing system before, only crude pottery work and oral stories. Not only was the human showing them how to, but doing so freely? Shasuryu meanwhile was studying the scroll with intent. A means of recording stories by more than word of mouth… that obviously wasn't the only application he could think about for it. Imagine simply writing down all kinds of schedules and records for the sake of keeping things more organized. It certainly would have helped ease some of the load off of him when he was trying to help keep the tribe together in his father's absence.
"I'm starting to see what you mean by seeing things in person, Zarusosa…" Sukyu murmured, shaking the chieftain's eldest out of his thoughts. "I don't think I'd have considered you as anything less than senile if you had told me what the human was up to…"
Kyuku, meanwhile, had grabbed the scroll in Shasuryu/s hand, looking at it thoughtfully. He studied it, longingly, before reluctantly handing it over.
"Study hard," He said simply, briefly sending a chill up the boy's spine with the visage of his White Dragon Bone.
"R-right, sir"
"Well," Yoschisa butted in. "Best not keep you waiting. We've made enough detours as it is, but we need to move on. I'm certain the chieftain's no doubt gotten word of your arrival by now"
The old lizard chief sighed, shaking his head. "You're right, you're right. Er, sons, why don't you go on without me. Young man, could you take them to visit the human while I speak with your tribe's elders?"
"Father, but-" Zaryusu began, but was shushed by the old man.
"But nothing, Kukri was known for having a short temper back in the day. I don't want you to have to deal with one of his outbursts if I can help it. I know you boys are growing and need to know how these things work, but this in particular is… something that needs to be a chieftain only meeting"
The boy reluctantly nods, and the young lizardman with the armful of scrolls nods. "I was heading that way myself actually, I'd be glad to take them along"
"Thank you… now off with you both! Go see that which has brought our peoples hope!" Zaru barked with a laugh.
As his boys reluctantly parted ways with the group, he began to grimace internally. For deep inside, even he had doubts that Kukri would be willing to see reason. But still, there was no shame in trying.
"This is going to be a long talk…" The old man murmured, unaware of what exactly lay in store for them.
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: Whelp, NGL, I simply didn't continue writing for a sec cause I wasn't in the mood. Nothin' extranuous happened, I just discovered a Pokemon fangame and would you look at that it's been over a week. Downside being, now I'm feeling some brain tickles to write a Pokemon fic too, but I know that's gonna be a bit much since I don't wanna overstretch myself hear. I love writing, but I also know I shouldn't burn myself out XD
Raven Mordrake: YIKES. Thank you for pointing that out, I'd made the edit earlier this week when I saw your comment, kinda forgot about that. Can't believe I did either, but I guess it was just one of those little details you glance over sometimes.