Текст книги "Overlord - The Lizardmen Heroes"

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

Finishing his statement with a strong intonation, Shasuryu slid one foot forwards. The pressure he gave off felt like a wall pressing down on Zaryusu. Even Zaryusu, who was an experienced traveller and veteran of many battles, felt the urge to take a couple of steps backwards.

However, he had the perfect retort.

“If it’s only to inspect the breeding conditions, then it also means that you don’t want them. Such a shame, elder brother. If they were raised well, I was thinking about giving some of them to you.”

“Muu-”

The flopping sound stopped, and the tail appeared dejected.

“So very aromatic too. They have become nicely fattened because of the nutrients diligently fed to them, even more plump than hunted fish.”

“Oh-”

“If you keep them in your mouth, some really good tasting juice will flow out. Biting down with a crunch will also make it seemingly melt in your mouth."

“Muuu-”

Once again the cocked tail gave off a flopping sound, and it was even more intense than before.

Half of Zaryusu’s attention was transfixed on that tail, the other half was directed to addressing his elder brother in an almost teasing manner.

“Sister-in-law has also mentioned this before. Elder brother’s tail is just too honest.”

“What? That horrible person, making fun of her husband. Say again, which part is honest?”

At the sight of his elder brother replying whilst looking over his shoulder at the tail which was still, Zaryusu was momentarily lost and don’t know how to react, before vaguely replying ‘right’.

“Huh. That horrible person… If you have a woman… then you will understand how I feel right now.”

“I won’t be able to marry.”

“Huh, nonsense. Is it because of that mark? You’re better off ignoring whatever those elders say. Saying that there are no women in this village who find your affection annoying… even the person with the most beautiful tail will accept you.”

Lizardmen stored nutrients in their tails, therefore having a thicker tail was an important key factor for the opposite sex. In the past, Zaryusu would have chosen a thick-tailed female. However, the grown up Zaryusu, who now had an understanding of the world, wouldn’t choose in such a way.

“Taking the current situation in the village into account, I have no desire for females with thicker tails. If I had to use tails as the criteria, I would choose a female with a slim tail instead. Personally, I think one like sister-in-law’s is also fine.”

“Of course it is fine for someone with your personality… except, don’t you dare mess around. I do not want to butcher anyone over some silly matters. Speaking of which, you also ought to realise the pain of being married. It’s just not fair that I am the only one.”

“Hey, hey, elder brother... I’ll tell sister-in-law.”

“Ugh… this is one of the pains of being married. Even me, your elder brother and tribe chief, can be threatened.”

Boisterous laughter sounded out by the peaceful lakeside.

After the laughter stopped, Shasuryu looked at the fish lake as he voiced out some words of frustration.

“But honestly? It’s just too great; Your…”

Zaryusu came to the rescue of his elder brother who fell silent.

“Do you mean the breeding farm?”

“Right, right, that’s the one. In our tribe’s past we have never had an individual who would do such a thing. Furthermore. many people already know of its success. In the future, more and more people will feel envy at the sight of your fish and copy your ways.”

“It’s all thanks to elder brother. I know elder brother has said all kinds of things about me to everybody.”

“Younger brother, talking to many people about reality does not count for much. That kind of stuff is merely recounting anecdotes. If it weren’t for your hard work in nurturing such delicious fish from this breeding farm, those words would have been meaningless.”

The initial breeding farms were constantly failing. This was expected, since they were built solely based on the impressions from talks during his travels. Just the construction of the fence was met with constant setbacks. After a year of trial and error, although the fish lake was created, there was still more work to be done.

Fish could not be left alone without being looked after. It was necessary to obtain fish feed.

The fish in the fish lake had died out many times by experimenting with a wide variety of food for the sake of finding out what kind of feed was best. There were also instances of the surrounding nets being broken by monsters, freeing all of the fish.

There were some who criticised him behind his back for ‘treating fish captured for food as toys’. There were also those who said that he was nothing but a fool. However, the results of his efforts finally bore fruit.

The shadows of enormous, swimming fish were reflected on the lake’s surface. Comparing its size to hunted fish, it would be in the very large category, and no lizardmen would believe that these were fish that had been completely reared from birth, apart from Zaryusu’s elder brother and sister-in-law.

“...Simply amazing, younger brother.”

Seeing the same sight, Zaryusu’s elder brother said this in a low voice at the same time. His words were filled with emotion.

“This is also thanks to elder brother.”

The younger brother who replied also conveyed such emotions in his tone.

“Huh, what have I done?”

Truthfully, elder brother – Shasuryu did not do anything. However, that was just the official stance.

During times when the fish health deteriorated, priests would suddenly show up here. When collecting materials to build a fence, there would be many individuals who came to help. When captured fish were separated and allocated, there would be live fish. In addition, there were also fruits brought back by the hunters to be used as fish feed.

Those fellows who came over to assist all refused to reveal who they were doing this favour for. However, even the dumbest person would realise who was pulling the strings, even if the person was adamant on not disclosing the name.

Because it was not appropriate for the tribe chief to look after travellers, who had seceded from the tribe hierarchy.

“Elder brother, wait for them to grow a little more larger, then I shall take some to your place first.”

“Hum. Then I’ll look forward to it.”

Turning around, Shasuryu took a step away from the place, then said in a low voice.

“I’m sorry.”

“...What are you saying, elder brother. Elder brother has not committed any wrong.”

These words may or may not have been heard. Zaryusu merely looked silently at the back figure of Shasuryu moving away from the lake shore.

Having confirmed the condition of the fish lake and returned to the village, Zaryusu suddenly felt a strange feeling, and looked towards the sky, yet there was nothing out of the ordinary up there. The whole sky was blue, with a thin layer of clouds at the mountains towards the north.

It was the usual landscape.

There were no changes. Just at the moment he brushed it off as a misconception, a weird layer of clouds appeared in the middle of the sky.

Almost at the same time, black clouds which blocked out the sunlight suddenly appeared at the centre of the village. Those were thick rainclouds which cast a shadow over the entire village.

Everyone was surprised and looked up into the sky.

The druids had said there would be clear skies for the entire day. Priests made their weather forecasts using both magic and their many years of knowledge accumulated through experience, therefore the accuracy of their predictions was extremely high. As such, anything that was not predicted would come as a surprise to anyone.

However, the strangest feature was that there were no rainclouds apart from the dark clouds covering the village. Simply put, it was as if someone had called out the clouds and placed it above the village.

Furthermore another strange feature appeared.

Whilst the clouds swirled with the village as the epicentre, they also expanded in range at a constant rate. It was as if the sandwiched sky was being invaded by the terrible momentum of the ominous dark clouds.

Warriors all around scrambled to be on alert. Children escaped by rushing back into their homes. Zaryusu bent down, observing the surrounding while reaching towards Frost Pain.

The dark clouds completely covered the sky, and blue sky could still be seen in the far distance. It was as if the dark clouds were targeting this village.

From there, a clamour arose in the village centre. The wind carried over a high-pitched sound produced by lizardmen’s vocal chords.

That sound was an alarm, one which signaled that there were formidable enemies and advised others to evacuate according to the situation.

Zaryusu who heard this sound bolted along the wetlands at a speed which was fast for lizardmen.

Run. Run. Keep on running.

Moving in the wetlands was extremely difficult, requiring use of the tail to act as counterbalance. At a speed unattainable by humans – although lizardmen feet were more suited for this environment – Zaryusu reached the source of the alarm.

At that place, Shasuryu and the tribe’s warriors had formed a circular formation, staring at the village centre.

Following the object in their line of sight, Zaryusu also glared at the same place.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on a monster which looked as if it were created from dark mist.

Within the dark mist, numerous terrified faces would appear then quickly vanish. Although faces of various races appeared, the one thing they had in common were expressions of agony.

Carried by the wind were sounds of sobbing, resentment, painful lament, and dying gasps melding together to form a chorus.

With his back frozen from the gathered resentment, Zaryusu trembled in fear.

...Not good… we should have let all the people in the vicinity escape, leaving elder brother and I to deal with this, but if that were the case...

The surrounding lizardmen were all elite warriors of the tribe, but the opponent was one which even Zaryusu was terrified of: a powerful undead. In this situation, the only two who were able to give a proper fight would be Zaryusu and his elder brother. Even more importantly, Zaryusu knew that this undead had special abilities.

Diverting his attention slightly, he noticed that the majority of the lizardmen present were all taking short and sharp breaths, as if they were scared like little children – despite all of them being of the warrior class

The monster stood at the village centre and made no movement.

After some time had passed, whilst maintaining a tense atmosphere and aware that only a tiny disturbance would trigger off the escalation into a fierce battle, the warriors slowly narrowed the distance. They resisted the mental stress and moved into action.

Using his peripheral vision to confirm that Shasuryu had drawn his weapon, Zaryusu also swiftly and silently took up his sword. If it became a fight, he intended to launch a surprise attack faster than anyone else.

It is necessary to tell others about that guy’s special ability, therefore, I cannot act rashly.

The tension in the atmosphere thickened. Suddenly, the sounds of resentment stopped.

The noises emitted from the monster mixed together, forming one sound different to the intelligible cursing earlier. It had a definite meaning now:

“Listen well. I serve as the messenger of the Great Being and I came here to announce his decree..”

Everyone looked at each other. Only Zaryusu and Shasuryu did not break eyesight.

“Proclaiming your death sentence, the Great One has sent his army to exterminate you. In his leniency, he has granted you mortals time to put up a meaningless resistance. Eight days from now, the lizardmen tribe of this lake shall become the second sacrifice.”

Zaryusu and grimaced, revealing sharp teeth and issuing an intimidating sound.

“Resist stubbornly, mortals. Allow the Great One to relish in your demise.”

Like smoke which constantly changed shape, the monster also gradually deformed and floated into the sky.

“Do not forget. Eight days.”

As if there were no obstruction, it flew in the sky towards the forest, with its departing back figure watched by many lizardmen. Zaryusu and Shasuryu were silently looking at the distant sky.

Part 2

The biggest hut in the village – the assembly hall – was rarely ever used. Clan leaders had absolute authority on all matters and assembly only happened once in a blue moon. There was no real value to having the hut, but on this day the inside of the hut was filled with strained clamor.

Many lizardmen had gathered, causing the spacious hut to feel narrow and stifling: the warriors, the druids, the hunters, the elder council and Zaryusu, who was a traveler. Everyone sat cross legged, facing Shasuryu.

Acting in his capacity as clan chief, declared the start of the meeting and the first to speak was the elder druid.

The aged female Lizardman’s body was covered in white dye, showing fantastical drawings. Although the symbols had many meanings, their significance were unknown to Zaryusu.

“You all remember the black cloud that covered the sky? That was magic. From what I know, there are two spells to manipulate weather. One is called 「Control Weather」, a 6th tier magic. We can safely rule that out since magic of that level is in the realm of legends. The other is a 4th tier magic called 「Control Cloud」. This is also a spell that only a powerful magic caster can cast. We would be fools to stand against such a foe."

Behind the Elder Druid, the similarly garbed druids nodded their heads in agreement.

Although Zaryusu understood how powerful 4th tier magic was, the other Lizardmen did not and their voices of doubt filled the surroundings.

Not sure of how to explain, the Elder Druid showed a perplexed expression before pointing at a Lizardman. The one being pointed at showed a confused expression, pointing at himself as well.

“Yes, you. Can you defeat me?”

The Lizardman slowly shook his head.

He might stand a chance if both sides were using weapons, but if you included magic, the odds of winning were really low. Or rather, it was nearly impossible for a mere warrior to win.

“However, even I can only use 2nd tier spells.”

“So to say, he should be twice as strong as you?”

Facing this kind of dumb question, the Elder Druid sighed and shook his head.

“It’s not that simple. Faced with magic of the 4th tier, even our Clan Leader would be easily killed.”

"Although it’s not absolute" added the Elder Druid speculatively then closed his mouth.

Finally understanding the terror of 4th tier magic, the room became silent. At this moment, Shasuryu started talking.

“In the end, what the Elder Druid means to say is...”

“Fleeing would be the best course of action. Even if we fought, there would be no way to win.”

“What are you saying!”

Following the thick and low roar, a tall Lizardman stood up. He had a similar build as Shasuryu and was the Head Warrior.

“To flee without even putting up a fight! Running away when facing just that level of danger is intolerable!”

“– What is in your head!? It would be too late if we are to start fighting!”

The Elder Druid glared and stood abruptly, face to face with the Head Warrior. Both of them had already lost their temper and made threatening sounds. Just when everyone feared the situation was about to escalate, a cold voice could be heard.

“...That’s enough.”

With faces like being woken with cold water, the two of them turned to Shasuryu and seated themselves as if in apology.

“Head Hunter, let us hear your point of view.”

“......Elder Druid and Head Warrior’s opinions are both understandable, they both make sense.”

To answer Shasuryu’s question the skinny Lizardman opened his mouth. Although he seemed small in size, it was not for a lack of muscle, but rather that his muscles were densely packed.

“That is why since there is still time. We should examine the situation. Supposedly, they are sending an army. There ought to be signs of construction for a forward base and such, therefore we should observe first and decide afterward.”

Without any information, saying this or that would be completely useless. A number of people expressed their agreement.

“—Elder.”

“There’s not much to say, all of the opinions are correct. All that’s left is to leave the decision up to the Clan Head.”

“Muu...”

Letting his gaze wander, Shasuryu met Zaryusu’s eyes, who was sitting among the crowd, and gave him a nod.. Zaryusu felt as if he’d gotten a gentle push on the back – whether the road ahead was dangerous was unknown – still, he raised his hand to show he had an idea.

“Clan Head, please allow me to speak.”

At this time, the focus of all the Lizardmen gathered on Zaryusu. Most of them wore expectant expressions, but others showed discontent.

“This isn’t the place for a ‘Traveler’ to be speaking. You should be grateful we’re already allowing you to attend,” a member of the Elder Council declared. “Step down right...”

Bam! The sound of a tail striking the floor, it cut through the Elder’s words like a sharp knife.

“Silence.”

Giving off a dangerous vibe, Shasuryu's voice carried the guttural sound that Lizardman made when riled up, the tension in the room increased sharply as the heated atmosphere from earlier cooled down.

In this atmosphere, an Elder opened his mouth without paying attention to the gazes around him who were warning him “Don’t do anything unnecessary.”

“But Clan Head, to receive special allowance just because he’s your younger brother is not good. Besides, Travelers are—”

“I said to be silent. Didn’t you hear me?”

“Geh”

“Presently, all who are seated here possess wisdom. Why not hear the idea of the Traveler.”

“Travelers are—”

“The Clan Head has spoken and you still refuse to comply?”

Moving his sight from the silenced Elder, Zaryusu looked at the other Heads.

“Elder Druid, Head Warrior, Head Hunter, do you also think there’s no value in listening?”

“Zaryusu’s words are worth listening.”

The Head Warrior spoke first.

“What kind of warrior would disregard the words of Frost Pain’s wielder.”

“I agree, there’s definite value to listening.”

Then the Head Hunter spoke followed by the Elder Druid who shrugged.

“Of course we have to hear. Refusing to listen to a wise man is something that’s only done by fools.”

Receiving the intense mocking, some of the elder council’s members pursed their eyebrows. Shasuryu nodded to the three Heads and let Zaryusu continue his speech. Zaryusu sat still and opened his mouth.

“To flee or to fight, if we had to decide we must choose the latter.”

“What is the reason?”

“Because it is the only choice.”

Normally, if the Clan Head asked for the reason one must explain clearly. But Zaryusu didn’t continue and closed his mouth as if he was finished.

Shasuryu cupped his chin and sunk deep into thought.

…Have you seen through what I am thinking? … Brother.

Zaryusu did his best not to leak his inner thoughts. At this time, the Elder Druid showed a pained expression while directing his question to no one in particular.

“Is it possible to win?”

“Of course we can win!”

Head Warrior shouted as if to disperse the feeling of unease, but the Elder Druid only narrowed his eyes.

“...No, in the current situation the odds of success are very low.”

The one to directly reject the Head Warrior’s opinion was Zaryusu.

“...What exactly are you trying to say?”

“Head Warrior, the opponent should already know about our side’s fighting force, otherwise they wouldn’t approach us with such a belittling attitude. If that is the case, then it is impossible to obtain victory with our current fighting power.”

Then what shall we do? Just as everyone was about to voice out their doubts, Zaryusu spoke out before anyone else to share his inner thoughts.

“That’s why we need to disrupt the plans of our enemy… Does everyone here still recall the previous war?”

“Of course.”

Even those with dementia would be unable to forget the last war which took place several years ago.

In the past these wetlands had been inhabited by seven lizardmen tribes: Green Claw, Small Fang, Razor Tail, Dragon Tusk, Yellow Speckle, Sharp Edge and Red Eye.

However, now only five remained.

It was a war which claimed the lives of many, and wiped out two tribes.

The reason for this conflict was the bad harvest of the staple food, fish. Led by the hunter classes, the fish hunting zone was expanded further around the lake. Of course the other tribes followed suit.

And then conflicts over hunting and fishing spots amongst the hunter classes arose. Since it concerned food resources necessary for the survival of the tribes, it was impossible to make concessions

Quarrels soon turned into fights, and it was only a matter of time until these fights escalated into carnage...

Next, in order to support the hunter class, the warrior class also took action. A fierce battle was sparked because of the food shortage.

Five of the seven existing tribes were embroiled in the fighting and ended up in a three vs. two situation: Green Claw, Small Fang and Razor Tail against Yellow Speckle and Sharp Edge. Apart from the warrior class, other male lizardmen and even female lizardmen were mobilized to fight for their tribes.

After several large battles, the side with the three tribes that included the Green Claws emerged victorious, leaving the defeated two tribes so destitute they became unable to sustain themselves and were forced to scatter. These remnants were then absorbed by the Dragon Tusk tribe who didn't participate in the war.

Ironically, since the number of lizardmen had been greatly reduced, the food shortage which had originally sparked the conflict had been solved as well. The staple diet of fish could now be distributed to everybody.

“What of it?”

“Think about the words which that person left behind. He said that this village was the second, which also means that he has left a similar message at the other villages.”

“Ah.”

Numerous voices that agreed with Zaryusu’s words arose.

“It means we need to form another alliance!”

“Could it be that…”

“Yes, we should form an alliance.”

“Just like in the previous war.”

“In that case, perhaps we may yet win?”

The small mutterings between the Lizardmen soon evolved into a big commotion. The entire hut was discussing Zaryusu’s opinion, yet Clan Head Shasuryu maintained his silence. The chief’s eyes looked as if he was gazing into the depths of his heart, rendering Zaryusu unable to turn his face to him.

After allowing ample time for discussion, Zaryusu spoke again.

“Don’t be mistaken. The alliance I spoke of includes all of the tribes.”

“What?”

At that suggestion, the second person to understand its meaning was the Head Hunter, who let out an astounded sound. Zaryusu’s eyes locked onto Shasuryu and Lizardmen in his line of sight subconsciously parted to either side.

“Clan Head, I also suggest forming an alliance with Dragon Tusk and Red Eye.”

The surrounding erupted in an enormous commotion, as if a grenade went off in the room. They had no communications with Dragon Tooth and Red Eye who did not take part in the war. Furthermore, Dragon Tooth took in the remnants of Yellow Speckle and Sharp Edge, the refugees of their enemy tribes.

To form an alliance with those two tribes, forming a five tribe alliance.

If that were possible then it might be possible to win. As everyone held this faint hope, Shasuryu suddenly spoke out:

“Who shall be the representative?”

“I will go.”

Shasuryu was not surprised by Zaryusu’s immediate answer. The surrounding lizardmen reckoned that it was because he understood his younger brother’s character and had anticipated this response. Letting out sounds of empathy, they also thought that there was no candidate more suitable to be selected. However there was one who was of an opposing opinion.

“– Sending a traveler?”

It was Shasuryu. His ice-like gaze pierced directly through Zaryusu.

“That is true, Clan Head. However we are at trying times. If the other side is unwilling to listen to my words merely because I am a traveler, then they have no worth as an ally.”

Zaryusu easily repelled the cold stare. After the two glared at one another for a brief moment, Shasuryu let out a lonely smile. It was either because he gave up, or because of his helplessness in stopping his brother, or perhaps internally ridiculing himself for agreeing. It was a smile without gloom.

“Bring along the seal of the Clan Head.”

That had the meaning of being the Clan Head’s representative. Several elders which wished to express the view that ‘this is not something a traveler should possess’ were silenced under Shasuryu’s powerful glare.

“My extreme gratitude.”

Zaryusu bowed. Accepting his gratitude, Shasuryu continued speaking:

“...I shall select the representatives who will head to the other tribes. First is…”

Cold wind blew at night. Because it was the wetlands, high humidity and the summery heat combined together to give people excruciating pain, however at night this heat mellowed and the gusts of wind would even be considered freezing. Of course for the lizardmen with sturdy skin, this hardly registered as a significant change.

Zaryusu stamped along the wetlands, his target being his pet Rororo’s hut.

Although there was still some time, it could not be said for certain that nothing unexpected would suddenly happen, and more so it was not known if the enemy would abide by their declared schedule, or perhaps hinder Zaryusu’s movements. With all these considerations, riding through the wetlands on Rororo was still the most appropriate.

The stamping footsteps slowed down and stopped. The bag on his back which was filled with various items also shook. The reason for stopping was because the moonlight illuminated the sight of a familiar lizardman leaving Rororo’s hut.

Both individuals staggered at the sight of each other, and the confused Zaryusu crooked his neck in a bow. The black scaled lizardman drew himself closer and closed the distance.

“... I reckon that you are the one more suitable to take the mantle of Clan Head.”

Those were the only words of Shasuryu who had approached to within two meters.

“...What are you saying older brother.”

“Still remember the previous large war?”

“Of course.”

Since Zaryusu had raised this question during the meeting, there was no way he would not remember. Of course this was not the main point of Shasuryu’s question.

“...After the war you became a traveler. At that time when you had the insignia burned upon your chest, you have no idea how much I regretted it. Even if I had to use my fists, I should have stopped you.”

Zaryusu fiercely shook his head. His brother’s expression at that time still remained a thorn in his heart.

“...It is all thanks to older brother’s permission that I was able to learn the ability to raise fish.”

“If it were you, even if you remained in the village you would be able to come up with that method. Such an intelligent man as you should be able to be the supporting pillar of this village.”

“Older brother.”

The past was the past, therefore any hypothetical discussions starting with ‘what if...’ were pointless. The past was already set in stone, but to ponder over such events were these two men’s weakness.

No, not exactly that either.

“...Not as Clan Head, but as your older brother, I cannot tell you that things will go smoothly if you go alone. Come back safely, don’t try to be brave.”

In response to this remark, Zaryusu replied with a haughty smile:

“Of course I will complete this mission with perfection for you to see. This task is nothing to me.”

“Huh.” Shasuryu’s face broke out into a wry smile.

“Then if your mission were to be a failure, the fattest fish that you have raised shall be mine.”

“Older brother, that kind of thing is nothing amazing, and not something you ought to be saying at this moment.”

“...Muu.”

Both men silently laughed.

And then exchanged serious looks.

“So is your objective really just that?”

“...What are you saying? What do you mean?”

For a brief moment Zaryusu narrowed his eyes… and then thought to himself “Darn!”. With knowledge of his older brother’s insight, his reaction just now was a mistake.

“... Your speech in the hut was as if to incite everybody’s opinion, yet the way you said it was obviously withholding something.”

Zaryusu fell silent and Shasuryu continued:

“...The cause of the previous war was not solely due to the dispute between tribes. A substantial increase in the population of lizardmen was also one of the reasons.”

“Older brother… Let’s not talk about this any further.”

Zaryusu’s grim tone seemingly confirmed Shasuryu’s statement.

“So… it was that.”

“...It can only be that, in order to prevent a recurrence of the previous war.”

These words that Zaryusu spat out implicitly contained his own detestable thoughts and plans. It was simply too foul, and if possible he did not wish for his older brother to know about them.

“So then if the other tribes refuse to form an alliance, what then? Because those who are only willing to provide support and those who wish to flee from the outset would surely refuse.”

“In that case then… The only option is to exterminate them.”

“Starting with wiping out your own tribe?”

“Older brother...”

Hearing the tone of persuasion in Zaryusu’s voice, Shasuryu smiled almost inappropriately.

“I understand that your concern is correct, and I also agree. As the guiding figure for the tribe, since it concerns the survival of our tribe, of course I would have to consider this. That is why you need not be reserved, younger brother.”

“I appreciate those words. Then shall they be brought to this village?”

“No. According to that person this village was the second one, so the main battle should take place at the first village. Ordinarily it would be the best strategy to gather at the final village or the one with the highest defence, but if it were to be destroyed then it would have serious impact on the subsequent battles, therefore let us establish our defensive position at the first village. To exchange intelligence reports with you, let us communicate through the elder druids’ magic so that you can directly transmit from over there.”