"Everything has to be perfect for when the human envoy gets here. We are not keen on displeasing those idiots," the female lizardman spoke with a hint of annoyance in her tone.
She was Zysera, the current village chief of Yolan Village. This village had been under her family's rule for many years, providing for its people with the best of their men. However, in recent years, a part of the region had been conquered by the human tribes up north, so she had to create "diplomatic" ties with them.
At least that was what the humans called it. But in truth, it was nothing but extortion in disguise. They would come here once every year and leave with gifts worth hundreds of thousands. These gifts were meant for development.
It was maddening, and unfortunately, there was nothing they could do about it. It was that time of year once again.
"The Sibar mine gave around 40,000."
"The Red Hood bandits at Yalek Marsh refused to pay, so we took what was owed and then some."
"Ehhh, I couldn't find those ones; they probably moved out of the region."
Sitting opposite his mother, Yolan Qarc gave a detailed response about his tax-collecting operation. They had to come up with the gifts for the human tribe up north, so they had to extort the people under them.
It was only natural.
"What do you mean they moved?" Zysera frowned deeply. The Twin Weyam Tavern had been in the Yolan region for a very long time; she had even been there when she was a kid. There was no way it could just shut down like that.
"We got there, and there was no one around; all the booze was gone, too. So I assumed…" Qarc explained. He had planned to stop there and grab a drink, only to be met with disappointment. He couldn't lie.
Luckily, on his way out, he came across four little goblins who filled the tavern's spot by donating some of their treasures.
"I see." Zysera nodded slowly, feeling frustrated. She felt like the entire region was falling apart on her watch, and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Go on." But of course, she still had to prepare for the human tribe envoys; that was the priority.
---
"Had a good time, did we?" Standing outside a pit with his hands on his hips, Cious looked at Malvorrak with a hint of disgust in his eyes. What he had just witnessed was pure savagery.
Malvorrak's eating habits were just too horrid to watch; it seemed he could eat anything, even the most hideous creatures.
This was, of course, natural. This was the subterranean underground; there weren't many appealing food options down here. One could only eat what was weaker than them. Cious didn't know this, though; he felt it in his bones that such food was beneath him. Plus, he didn't really feel the need to eat.
"It was a good meal." Malvorrak smiled weirdly, revealing his fangs. It didn't seem possible to get rid of this little white lizard, so he just decided to go with it.
"Hmmm, so now what?" Cious asked. He still wasn't 100% sure what they were doing outside. But from Malvorrak's actions, he could infer that he was preparing for a fight.
Eating, powering up, and sleeping was a natural cycle for any beast when it came to battle. Unlike humans, they did not see reason in tactics and strategy; only the strong could win. This was the way of beasts.
"We wait," Malvorrak said. If there was one thing Urgar hated more than anything, it was other monsters hunting on its land.
The moment Malvorrak set foot in this area, he had called forth the wrath of Urgar, the giant behemoth.
—Roar!!!!
Several kilometers away, Urgar could be seen racing at top speed, rushing toward where Malvorrak stood.
—Boom
—Boom
—Boom
Urgar was massive; its weight heavier than that of a dozen huge boulders. With every step it took, the ground shook, and the hearts of passersby trembled.
Cious still couldn't understand the reasoning behind fighting such a monstrous behemoth, but he respected it. However, he wouldn't be part of it. The moment he set eyes on Urgar, Cious felt fear and went into hiding behind some rocks far from Malvorrak.
"You're a big boy, Malvorrak; you can fight your own battles," he muttered under his breath.
Even though the sight of this monstrous, elephant-like creature, with scales tougher than rock and teeth as long as a human arm, scared the daylight out of him, he didn't necessarily think Malvorrak would lose.
He, too, was a giant monster that caused the earth to shake and tremble when he moved. Coupled with his wisdom and newfound abilities, this would probably be an extremely close fight.
But it was one he would rather watch from the sidelines.
—Roar!!!
It didn't take long until Urgar reached where Malvorrak was standing atop a hill. He was fast for his size, but the moment they were within each other's range—
—Pheeeeeee
A stream of highly condensed water shot straight forward from where Malvorrak stood, blasting directly at Urgar's skin, attempting to break its outer armor.