After hearing the explanation, Thanatos had one question on his mind.
"Then you were watching me fight those beasts?"
"Yes, I thought it was strange that you didn't follow me. I could smell that you went in the opposite direction. After a bit of delay, I followed you and found you fighting with the Hydra and the Stone Boar. We told you what happened next." Thanatos took a moment to think about what he had just been told.
"Are you surprised that I didn't help you?" The cat woman asked him.
"No is the opposite. Why did you help me at the end? You could have left Lia behind. That would have been the end of it"
"I gave my word that I would believe her if she did what I asked her to. She did, it's just that. You have been unconscious for a whole day, so I don't think you guys are slavers anymore." She gave him her reasons, but something still felt off. "By the way, my name is Neo. When you get dressed, I can show you the village." After that, she left the tent.
Thanatos and Lia stood for a moment in silence before one of them could talk. The first thing they said was…
"I'm sorry" "I'm sorry" Both at the same time.
"Why? It was my mistake. I left you alone. If I arrived a second later, the Hydra would have devoured you. I was supposed to protect you, but I can't even do that. You almost hurt yourself trying to save me.
"No. It was entirely my fault. The bear bought so much time for me, but I was too slow. You saved me again while I was useless. If Neo hadn't had pity on me then, you would have died."
Both have regrets. The feelings of uselessness and disappointment tore at them. They wanted to apologize, but the other refused to accept the fault of the other. The expectations they put on themselves prevent them from reaching a true understanding.
"If only I was stronger. If I wasn't so useless, then I could help you."
"If only I was stronger. If I wasn't so useless, then I could help you."
The conversation ended with both refusing to share the blame. After a few minutes, Thanatos came out of the tent with Lia and Neo waiting outside.
The village was small. A few houses made of wood, stone, bricks, and clay. All residents were demi humans, based on the number of houses. Thanatos estimated that about 50 to 60 people lived here. Like Neo, they were mainly half cat, or some other feline. They turned their eyes in curiosity when Thanatos passed between them. After walking through the village, Neo led them inside the largest tent.
"This is where the Chief of the tribe lives. He wants to speak with you" She said as she opened the entrance for them.
It was a cozy tent; some flowers were burning, and that generated a nice scent in the air. There was a nice pelt on the ground of what looked like a bear. In the middle sat the Chief of the tribe and another man. The Chief was an older guy. He had white hair on his head and on his beard. He was thin, but not from lack of food. He was mostly naked, only covered from the waist down with some pants. The doctor was a younger man, around his forties, and he was wearing a cloth of green that covered all his body.
"Chief, he woke up, so I brought him to you. Lia, you've already met him. Thanatos, this is the Chief of the tribe. At his right seat is the doctor of the tribe. He was the one that treated your wounds."
"Welcome, young man. Please take a seat and drink some tea. We have something to talk about." The Chief offered him a cup with a gesture of his hand. Thanatos and Lia both took a seat in front of the Chief and drank the tea. It had a sweet and delicious taste.
"I must thank you for saving my life. I don't know how, but please tell me how I can repay your tribe."
"I´m glad you brought that up, because that was why we wanted to talk to you" The Chief started to scratch his long bear. "You see, young man Thanatos, when Neo brought you and this young lady here, a lot of us got worried. A lot of neighboring tribes have been attacked in the past few months by some humans that come from the other side of the mountain"
"Humans? What kind of humans?"
"The worst kind, I'm afraid. These humans destroy villages and capture all the people to use them as slaves. If someone refuses or tries to resist, they just kill him. We were worried that you were with them and were about to attack us" He said with a frightened expression.
"Thankfully, Neo and young Lia have assured us that you don't have any connection to these enslavers. On the condition that you offered us a payment, we offered our doctor's knowledge and medicine to help you. Young Lia accepted, so we wanted to discuss the payment"
"I see then how much it is going to cost?" Thanatos didn't care about the amount of money he had to pay. Underworld was generating a lot of money even with all the chains the soldiers were putting on them.
"Well, we don't want anything like gold, or some other object like jewels. What we need right now is your help."
"My help?"
"Yes, young Thanatos. At this moment, the balance of the forest is at risk because some creature has decided to make its nest here. There's a strong possibility that it is an elemental lion. We want you to help us kill it." The Chief bowed in front of Thanatos.
"CHIEF DON´T DO THAT YOU´RE MAKING THE TRIBE LOOK WEAK" Neo reproached him for that, but the Chief ignored her.
"According to Neo, you fought a Hydra and a Stone Boar, correct? Our good doctor can also corroborate that you have at least eight marks of bites from the Hydra and a broken arm."
"Yes, that is all true. But what's the point?" He was at a loss trying to follow the chief's point.
"Those animals. The Hydras and Stone Boars have moved to this part of the forest, trying to escape the new predator, the Elemental Lion. A single bite of a hydra can kill any of us. I was lucky enough to survive it once when I was young. You took eight times that and lived to tell the tale. Even more impressive, you fought a stone boar with poison inside your body and he only managed to break one arm before you managed to kill it too."
Thanatos finally understood what they were asking of him.
"Please, young Thanatos, help us kill this beast and save this forest. We can't do it without you."
Thanatos took a moment to regain his composure before he could start asking questions.
"Mmm... I see. You want my help to deal with this beast as payment? Have you sent someone to confirm this elemental lion with their own eyes?"
"Yes, we sent four warriors to scout the beast nest. The first signs of something strange happening were the sightings of hydras and stone boars in this part of the forest. Their territory is more south of here. We decided to investigate, so we thought that four warriors would be enough. I told them that confirming the threat was all they needed to do. Not a single one of them came back. We only learned of the possibility of the creature being an Elemental Lion because the second search party managed to retrieve the body of one of our warriors. It had been split in half, bitten, scratched, and burned."
"I´m going to be honest with you, Chief. I didn't beat the Hydra and Stone Boar easily. The doctor can confirm that I almost died. So, taking something even more dangerous... I don't know if I can manage."
"See, I told you, Chief. We don't need strangers to help; we can deal with this ourselves" Neo interrupted once again, and the Chief still ignored her.
"You won't be alone, Young Thanatos. It is not much, but our shaman will fight alongside you."
"Shaman. You have a shaman? He asked, with surprise on his face.
"Yes, since the death of our warriors, she's now our strongest member. Our Shaman Neo will help you defeat the beast"
Thanatos looked back at Neo. She was scratching her head in an awkward gesture. Is she really a shaman? An interruption occurred. She had been keeping quiet for most of the conversation, but she had reached her limit.
"Please, Chief, you can't ask him to do something so dangerous." It was Lia. She was hugging Thanatos' left arm. To not let go of the one she almost lost, she begged with all she had till her voice almost cracked. "Please, I will pay for anything else you want. No matter how much gold, just tell me and I'll pay. But please don't make him go through something so horrible. He has gone through so much pain already. Please." Her face was the most pitiful thing one could think of. Not even the old Chief was immune to such an expression.
The first one to speak was Neo. "Just let them go, Chief. I told you it was useless. They are complete strangers, of course. They can't risk their lives for something like this. Besides, he only managed to win that fight by pure chance. He was just lucky. If he fights the Elemental Lion, he's going to die for sure. They should go back to their town or whatever"
She was about to walk out of the tent when a voice interrupted her. "Wait, I didn't reject the mission yet" Thanatos's voice responded.
"Yes, is going to be hard, even with your help, but I still have my reasons for doing it. One reason is that I like to help those who help me. The second one is that you guys seemed to know your way around this forest. The third reason is the most beneficial, but I have to ask Neo, you were the one that killed my boar, so I suppose you know about my abilities?"
"What abilities? I don't have any idea what you're talking about?" Neo seemed clueless about the question.
"Don't play dumb, you know I can control the dead"
"Control the dead? Neo, why didn't you tell us that part!" The Chief demanded an answer. "If he can control the dead, then it is a sign that, like you, he also possesses shamanic powers. You two have been chosen by the spirits to save us."
"Uh, a sign, heh. Well, like I told you, if you guys want that elemental lion out of the forest, then I can use it for my own sake. Chief, I will help you deal with this animal!"
"Oh, thank you so much, young Thanatos. In the name of my tribe, you have our deepest gratitude."
"B-But... then... I'm staying with you!" Lia exclaimed while still hugging his arm.
"Lia, you don't have to... It was my fault for putting you in danger. You should return to Raind for your safety."
"No, no way. I'm not leaving you alone. You're going to get hurt again, I know it!" She hugged him even more tightly.
"I can't. I'm sorry-" A punch on the back of his head interrupted him. It was Neo who smacked him.
"Shu up, idiot. If she wasn't coming, I would not help you either."
"NEO, DON´T BE RUDE TO OUR SAVIOR!" Now she is the one ignoring the Chief.
"Okay, okay, you can come with us." He wasn't happy, but both girls had forced this decision on him. "Neo, I want you to take me somewhere" A plan was forming in his head.