"So what, you think we would just stand there and let you pick us off?" Waka replied, his voice dripping with coldness.
"That's enough, Waka," the chief interjected, his tone stern. "Remember, one day you could be the new chief or a general. Be mindful of your words."
"Now let's get back to where we left off," the chief continued.
"Okay, I don't think I need to add more, but let's even say we don't have children coming. There's also the issue with the fillers. The water from the 'Well of Hope' is something we should never play with," she finished.
"What if the creature followed you in? We should have sensed it. If not, that would mean the being is either as strong or stronger than the chief and the grand elder," Joheki said.
His words seemed to resonate with everyone except for a young man sitting on the grass a few meters away. As he heard those words, a smile formed on his face.
"This thought had crossed the minds of everyone present, but only Joheki had voiced it," he said. He believed they should prepare for the worst, and this sentiment echoed in the chief's mind as well.
"Or it could have been a passerby," the chief said, looking at Aleazm as he made the comment. He was trying to lighten the mood, but his joke fell flat. No one believed that Aleazm wouldn't be able to distinguish between a living and non-living thing, even if the only living beings he had ever seen were themselves.
"Haha… We have me and the grand elder. If even we can't defeat this unknown entity, then we all lose and face certain death. But neither of us is weak," the chief declared. "We are strong, just like the world we hope to create, and like all the obstacles our past elders have conquered for us. We shall conquer this threat and protect our oasis," he said with unwavering determination in his voice.
"Do you truly believe that Khan?" Mul said, addressing the Chief by his name. This didn't seem to surprise anyone.
"I do, Mul. It is known that the more powerful one becomes, the less interest one has in those weaker than them, even if they are from the same group. Aleazm probably noticed this, and his interest would be in me, the grand elder, and all the members of the assembly, whether old or young. We would serve as a distraction and draw the battle away, so that the others won't be affected and, if needed, sacrificed for them."
"Then we have a lot to do, don't we?" Mul said, standing up.
"Yes, we do," the Chief replied, looking up.
"I don't think they have anything to add," Tada said, referring to the elders in the deeper layers of the cavern. He also stood up to leave. Aleazm, Joheki, and Kedi joined Mul and Tada, leaving Waka, who was surprised by this turn of events, with the Chief.
Waka had thought that maybe the Chief wanted to have a private talk with the elders, and he just didn't catch the signal. But this time, that wasn't the case.