The usual scenery.
Nothing seemed different. Just as he figured his mind was playing tricks on him, he noticed a strange cloud.
Everyone in the center of the village noticed it at the same time—a solitary dark mass blocking the sun, thick and heavy like a rain cloud.
The priests had said today would be clear all day. Their weather forecasts were magical and, thanks to their knowledge from long years of experience, extremely accurate. Everyone was surprised they’d gotten it wrong.
But the odd thing was that aside from the single dark cloud over the village, there were no other rain clouds. It was as if someone had summoned a cloud to hang directly and over only the village.
Then things got stranger.
Swirling around the center of the village, the mysterious cloud started to spread out. It encroached on the blue sky with tremendous speed.
This was abnormal.
The warrior caste hurriedly went on guard. Children practically dove into their houses. Zaryusu lowered his center of gravity and reached for Frost Pain as he scanned the area.
The darkness blocked out almost the entire sky now. It was possible to see some blue far in the distance, so the cloud was truly hanging over the village. In the midst of this, the center of the settlement was in turmoil. The wind from that direction carried shrill, abrasive cries that made full use of the lizardman vocal cords.
The din was a warning. It meant there was a dangerous threat nearby, perhaps one that warranted evacuation.
When Zaryusu heard it, he raced through the marsh faster than most lizardmen could manage.
He ran, and ran, and ran.
It wasn’t easy to move in the marsh, but he kept his balance by twisting his tail. At a speed impossible for a human—although, of course, lizardmen had feet geared for places like this—Zaryusu arrived at the source of the alarm.
There, he found Shasuryu and the warriors in a circle, focused on the center of the village. Zaryusu followed their line of sight and glared at the object of their attention as well.
At the place where their many gazes crossed was a monster like wavering black fog. Inside the fog, a multitude of horrifying faces formed and dissipated a moment later. The variety of creatures and peoples had one thing in common: All their expressions spoke of eternal pain. Anguished sobs, resentful voices, tortured screams, dying gasps, and more formed a chorus that rode on the wind.
A spine-freezing hatred pressed in on them, and the horror of it caused Zaryusu to shiver. This is bad… Brother and I should let the others go and take care of it ourselves. But… This was a powerful undead that could frighten even Zaryusu, considered a top-class warrior among the other tribes dotting the area. Zaryusu and his brother were probably the only ones who could put up a fight. What’s more, Zaryusu knew the monster’s special ability.
He glanced around and noted that although there were only warrior-caste lizardmen present, almost all of them were breathing hard—like frightened children.
The monster didn’t budge from its position in the center of the village.
How much time passed that way? The tension was so thick, even the slightest trigger would cause an explosion. It was evident from the way the warriors slowly huddled closer together. In order to even move, they had to desperately struggle against the mental pressure.
Noticing Shasuryu draw his weapon in his periphery, Zaryusu followed suit and silently assumed a fighting stance. If there was going to be a fight, he meant to charge faster than anyone. They shouldn’t consider it overstepping my bounds if I let everyone know what this thing’s special ability is…
The air, stagnant with accumulated tension, thickened even further— and suddenly the resentful clamor stopped.
The voices from the monster mixed together to form one. Unlike the incomprehensible curses, this voice conveyed a proper meaning. “Hark, servants of the Great One. I come as a forewarning.”
Everyone stirred and looked at one another. Only Zaryusu and Shasuryu kept their eyes fixed.
“I announce your deaths. The Great One has mobilized an army that shall destroy you. Though that be so, in his generosity, he will grant you time to put up a frantic—futile—resistance. Eight days from today. On that day, you will be the second of the lizardman tribes around this lake to be sacrificed.”
Zaryusu’s face twitched into a scowl, and he bared his teeth to growl threateningly.
“Put up a desperate resistance—so that the Great One may delight in ridiculing you.”
Like smoke and its constantly shifting shape, the monster distorted and warped as it floated up into the air.
“Don’t forget—eight days.”
And it flew through the sky undisturbed in the direction of the forest. Among the many lizardmen watching it as it went, Zaryusu and Shasuryu gazed silently at the far horizon.
2
The largest hut in the village served as a meeting place, but usually it wasn’t used much. Since the lizardmen had a tribal chief with absolute authority, they didn’t hold meetings very often, so there was almost no point in having the hut at all. But that day there was an unusual excitement in the air.
There were so many lizardmen inside that what should have been a spacious room felt small. Of course the warrior caste was there, but so were the priests, hunters, elders, and the traveler Zaryusu. Everyone was seated cross-legged facing Shasuryu.
Shasuryu the chief announced the beginning of the meeting, and the first to speak was the head of the priests, an older female lizardman with strange symbols written on her body with white dye. The designs all had meanings, but Zaryusu didn’t know them. “You remember the cloud that covered the sky? That was magic. As far as I know, there are only two spells that can manipulate weather. One is a tier-six spell called Control Weather, so it couldn’t be that. Casters who can use tier-six spells are the stuff of legends. The other is the tier-four Control Cloud. Again, only an immensely powerful caster could use this. Only a fool would bare their fangs at such an enemy.”
The similarly painted priests lined up behind the head priest nodded in agreement.
Zaryusu knew what a feat tier-four magic was, but the doubtful groans of many who didn’t echoed throughout the room.
The look on the head priest’s face showed she wasn’t sure how to best explain it, but she singled out a lizardman. He looked perplexed in turn and pointed questioningly at himself.
“Yes, you. Could you win in a fight against me?”
The lizardman hurriedly shook his head.
He would probably be confident he could beat her if they were fighting using only weapons, but he had a very slim chance if magic was allowed. A slim chance that, as a warrior, was practically not worth considering.
“But I can only use up to tier two.”
“So our enemy’s twice as strong?” someone asked.
Sighing at the question, the head priest shook her head in lament. “It’s not that simple. Someone using tier-four magic could probably kill even our chief with no trouble at all.” Finally, she said, “I can’t say for sure. The possibility exists,” and closed her mouth.
Once everyone understood the awesome power of tier-four magic, a silence descended on the room until Shasuryu’s voice sounded again. “In other words, head priest…”
“I think we should run away. Even if we fight, we can’t win.”
“What are you saying?!” roared a large lizardman in a deep voice as he leaped up. In terms of sheer brawn, he—the leader of the warriors—was probably on par with Shasuryu. “You mean we should run before we even try to fight? Because of that little threat?”
“Do you have any brains in that head of yours? If we’re fighting, it means it’s already too late!” The head priest stood to meet the head warrior’s stare. Emotions were running high, and they unconsciously made threatening sounds at each other.
As the words touch-and-go situation came to everyone’s minds, a cold voice rang out. “…That’s enough.”
The warrior and priest turned to look at Shasuryu as if he’d woken them up with a bucket of cold water. Then they both apologized and sat back down.
“Head hunter, what’s your opinion?”
“…I can understand the head warrior’s view, as well as the head priest’s. They both make sense.” A lanky lizardman spoke in answer to Shasuryu’s question. Though he was lean, he wasn’t lacking muscle—just extremely slim in a pared-down way. “So I think since we have time, we can see how things go. It said there’ll be an army. They’ll need to pitch camp and whatnot, so isn’t it fine to observe them and decide what to do after that?”
Several voices agreed that it didn’t make sense to say this or that now, when they lacked information.
“Elder…”
“I can’t say anything. Everyone’s opinions feel correct. All that’s left is for the chief to decide.”
“Mph…” Shasuryu shifted his gaze, and Zaryusu felt their eyes meet across a few other lizardmen. The elder brother nodded without moving his head.
With the feeling like he’d gotten a gentle push from behind—although it may have been off a cliff—Zaryusu raised his hand to speak. “Chief, I’d like to give my opinion.”
Everyone’s eyes fell on Zaryusu. Most of the lizardmen were expectant, but some were frowning.
“You’re a traveler! There’s nothing for you to say. You should be happy you’re even allowed to be here,” said a member of the council of elders. “Step do—”
A tail whacked the floor with a bang. The sound cut off the elder’s comment like a sharp knife. “Quiet!” It was Shasuryu, with unpredictable emotion in his voice. He spoke half in the growls lizardmen made when agitated. No one could interrupt him if he was like that. The tension in the hut grew at once, and the heat of the excitement suddenly cooled.
In that strained atmosphere, one of the elders opened his mouth to speak—without noticing the unspoken urge from many others to let sleeping dogs lie. “But Chief, you can’t give him special treatment just because he’s your little brother. Travelers are—”
“I told you to be quiet. Didn’t you hear me?”
“Gngh…”
“Right now, we’re allowing everyone with knowledge to take part. It would be strange not to listen to the opinion of a traveler.”
“Travelers—”
“I’m the chief, and I say it’s fine. Are you really still objecting?”
The elder silently averted his eyes, and Shasuryu looked at the others.
“Head priest, head warrior, head hunter, do you agree that he’s not worth listening to?”
The first to respond was the head warrior. “I think Zaryusu’s opinion is worth hearing. There is no warrior who would ignore the opinion of the one who possesses Frost Pain.”
“I agree. There’s plenty of reason to listen,” came the head hunter’s jocular reply.
Finally, the head priest shrugged. “Of course I’ll listen. Only a fool ignores someone with knowledge.”
A few of the elders scowled at the scathing sarcasm. Shasuryu nodded at the three after they gave their opinions and gestured with his chin to Zaryusu that he could proceed.
Zaryusu remained seated and began to speak. “If it’s between running and fighting, I’d choose the latter.”
“Hmm, why is that?”
“It’s the only choice we have.”
If the chief was asking a question, a proper answer was required, but Zaryusu, with an attitude that said, That’s it, didn’t seem like he was going to elaborate.
Shasuryu rested his jaw on a fist and sank deep into thought.
What! Did you figure out what I’m thinking? Brother…
Zaryusu was troubled, although he didn’t let his inner thoughts show. Then the head priest asked no one in particular, “…But can we win?”
“Yes, we can!” the head warrior shouted energetically, to dispel their anxiety.
But the head priest just squinted.
“…No, the way we are now we can’t have much of a chance.” It was Zaryusu who verbally disagreed.
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Head warrior, our opponent must have gathered intelligence on us, what kind of fight we can put up. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to talk with such an air of superiority. That means that even if we fight well, victory must be impossible with our current strength.”
Then what should we do? It was the question on the tips of everyone’s tongues.
Zaryusu, still keeping his true intentions hidden, answered before they asked. “So we need to mess up their plan… Do you all remember the war?”
“Of course,” someone replied.
It had been only a few years ago; no one was so far gone that they would forget it so quickly. No, even if they’d gone senile, it would be impossible to forget that war.
Once there had been seven tribes in the great wetlands: Green Claw, Small Fang, Razor Tail, Dragon Tusk, Yellow Specter, Sharp Edge, and Red Eye.
But now there were only five. They had participated in a war where so many lizardmen died that two tribes were wiped out.
It started with a string of poor catches of their staple fish. Green Claw’s hunting parties began to extend their reach over a wider area of the lake. Of course, the same could be said of the other tribes.
Eventually, the hunting parties began to clash over fishing spots. Their respective tribes’ food was on the line, so they couldn’t back down.
It didn’t take long for arguments to turn into fights and for the fights to turn deadly. Eventually, warriors began to move in as backup for the hunting parties, and a fierce food war broke out.
Five of the seven tribes joined the conflict, which evolved into a three-on-two struggle: Green Claw, Small Fang, and Razor Tail joined forces to face Yellow Specter and Sharp Edge. Entire tribes participated—not only the warrior caste but also regular adult males and females as well.
After several all-out battles, the three allied tribes that included Green Claw won. The other side had lost so many members they couldn’t maintain their two tribes, and they scattered, although they were later absorbed by Dragon Tusk, who hadn’t participated in the war.
Ironically, the decrease in lizardmen living on the marsh had solved the food issue. There was enough of the staple fish to go around once again.
“What about it?”
“Remember what it said: We’re the second, so that must mean it’s going around to other villages besides ours.”
“Ohhh…” Some voices went up in understanding.
“So you think we should form another alliance, huh?”
“…You gotta be kidding.”
“No, I think we should.”
“Like during the war…?”
“If we do that, I think we have a chance at winning.”
Neighbors whispered to one another, and before long, the voices had transformed into a surging conversation. As everyone in the hut considered Zaryusu’s idea, only Shasuryu remained silent and made no move to speak. Unable to bear his deeply penetrating gaze, Zaryusu couldn’t meet his eyes.
After it seemed like they’d had enough time to discuss, Zaryusu spoke again. “Don’t misunderstand me. I mean with all the tribes.”
“What?!” The second one in the room to grasp his meaning, the head hunter, gasped.
Zaryusu looked straight at Shasuryu. The lizardmen standing between them involuntarily parted.
“I propose we ally with Dragon Tusk and Red Eye as well, Chief.”
This caused a huge commotion—Zaryusu might as well have thrown a bomb into the room.
Dragon Tusk and Red Eye were the two tribes who hadn’t participated in the war. Green Claw had no contact with them whatsoever, and since Dragon Tusk had taken in the surviving members of Yellow Specter and Sharp Edge, there had to be some deep-rooted resentment remaining in that tribe. Making an alliance with them would mean a five-tribe coalition.
If they could do it, they certain
ly might have a chance. As everyone imagined this faint hope, Shasuryu spoke suddenly. “Who will be the messenger?”
“I’ll do it.”
Shasuryu didn’t show any surprise at Zaryusu’s immediate reply. He knew his little brother well, so he’d probably expected it.
The surrounding lizardmen made admiring noises. They felt there wasn’t a better choice.
Only one person disapproved. “A traveler?” It was Shasuryu, shooting an icy look through Zaryusu.
“That’s right, Chief. This is an emergency. If they won’t listen to me because I’m a traveler, they’re not worth allying with.” Zaryusu had no trouble shrugging off the icicle glare.
They stared at each other for a few moments, and then Shasuryu cracked a bitter smile. Was it because he’d given up? Or because he knew nothing he said could stop his little brother? Or maybe he was inwardly smirking at himself for accepting that Zaryusu was the right choice? It was a pained smile. “Bring me the chief’s mark.”
The mark meant the bearer was the representative of the chief. It wasn’t something that could be given to a traveler. The council of elders was about to say something, but before they could, Shasuryu hit them with a fierce glare, and the words died in their throats.
“Thank you.” Zaryusu bowed his head.
Then Shasuryu spoke. “…I’ll be the one to choose the messenger to the other tribes. First…”
In the evening, a cool breeze blew. Since the area was a marsh, the rather high humidity combined with the heat to make the air stifling, but in the evening, the wind cooled off enough to be a little chilly. Of course, the change was nothing to the lizardmen with their thick skins.
Zaryusu splish-splashed through the marsh toward Rororo’s hut.
He still had time, but it was possible some unforeseen incident could occur. There was also the chance their enemy wouldn’t keep their promise or that they would disrupt his travels. Considering all those things, it made the most sense to ride Rororo across the marsh.
The Lizardman Heroes Page 3