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Royal Road

SomethingOtherThanRain

A Nerubian's Journey by Fizzicks

Chapter 9

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Krivax barely stopped himself from pacing back and forth as he waited anxiously for the tuskarr leadership to send back a representative to speak with him.

His first contact with the tuskarr was going well enough so far—given that there was no violence involved, even if there was a bit of understandable fear—but Krivax couldn't help but worry about the next meeting. There were a lot of important things that depended on him successfully developing a peaceful relationship with the tuskarr.

Krivax had nearly panicked when he and Masruk returned to their temporary camp after successfully catching a fish, only to find it surrounded by armed tuskarr. It was fortunate for him that the walrus-people proved to be reasonable people who were open to diplomacy.

"Why are you so nervous?" asked Masruk.

"I just really hope this works out," said Krivax. In an attempt to distract himself from his worry, he decided to pass the time by making small talk with Masruk. "So what do you think about the tuskarr?"

"Hmm… they look strong, but they don't seem very fast. I would need to spar with one of them to form a complete opinion."

Krivax waited for his friend to say more on the topic, but he seemed content to leave it at that.

So much for small talk, thought Krivax as he gave in to the urge to start pacing.

Krivax knew that in order to accomplish his ultimate goal of finding evidence of the existence of the other continents, he would need to develop a certain amount of trust with the tuskarr. It shouldn't be too complicated for him to ask the tuskarr leadership if there was any contact between them and people from outside Northrend, but if they were suspicious of him then they might simply lie or refuse to answer.

Even if they did share their knowledge about lands outside of Northrend, Krivax would still need the tuskarr's assistance if he wanted to get into contact with them. After all, he doubted that the nerubian leadership would give much credence to the words of a "lesser race" for such world-changing information, so Krivax would need to be able to bring them actual evidence.

The first step in getting the tuskarr to trust him was to start trading with them. Things would become much easier for Krivax if he succeeded in building a mutually beneficial relationship. The various trading goods he had brought for this meeting were all things that were both relatively cheap for him to acquire and were likely to be very useful to the tuskarr.

It also helped that all the silks were the magical varieties that he was capable of creating himself, and that the ores were mined within Azjol-Nerub in such vast quantities that it would not be impossible for him to supply the tuskarr by himself.

The only metals that Azjol-Nerub truly considered to be valuable were either extraordinarily rare, such as titanium, or were used by them as currency, such as copper, silver, gold, or cobalt.

The only problem was finding something that the tuskarr could trade in return for these things.

While Krivax did not believe that the nerubians were a 'superior' race, it was still undeniable that their society was vastly more advanced than the tuskarr. Nerubians would not be interested in going out of their way to trade for knives made from shark teeth or vests made from the skin of a whale.

Krivax hoped that the tuskarr Elders would be clever enough to find something that the nerubians would want, or he would have a hard time justifying his continued interest.

Like this, Krivax anxiously tried to sort through his future plans while waiting for the tuskarr to arrive. It was only after a few hours had passed and he started to worry that something had gone wrong that he finally spotted a group of tuskarr that looked more official than the previous one heading in their direction from the Ancient Lift.

Finally, I guess it makes sense that their meeting would go on for a while when they need to figure out how to deal with the two giant spider people who randomly showed up.

When the group came close enough for Krivax to properly see them, he could tell that the warrior he spoke to the first time was accompanied by a few other warriors, and someone he assumed to be an Elder was leading the group.

The presumed Elder had long yellow tusks covered in carvings, a small mustache, carried a gnarled wooden staff, and was wearing an extravagant fur and leather jacket. Krivax could tell the exact moment the new tuskarr could see him and Masruk properly because they all immediately stopped moving and started to nervously talk amongst themselves.

Krivax tried his best to stay still and look as harmless as a nerubian could look while he waited patiently for them to gather their courage. Eventually, they started to move again, though their body language was notably more cautious than it was before.

"Greetings," said Krivax when they finally reached him. "Happy to meet you. I am Krivax. My friend is Masruk. What is your name?"

He did not have a firm mastery of the tuskarr language, but he decided it would be best to use it as much as possible instead of relying on magic to translate his intent. Ultimately, the best way to learn a language was to use it as much as possible.

"Greetings, Krivax," said the Elder in a feminine voice. It was very difficult for Krivax to determine a physical difference between male and female tuskarr, but now that he was looking, he could see that her tusks were slightly more curved and her hair was longer. It was also possible that she had breasts… but it was honestly generally hard to tell considering the stout and blubbery build of tuskarr.

"I am Elder Ko'kewi. These are Lunk-tusk, Kagonut, and you've already met Orfus. We greet you and hope for peace between us."

Hmm… so the one I was talking to is named Orfus. Good to know. I'm not an expert, but these guys look like skilled warriors.

It seemed likely to Krivax that the tuskarr had decided to approach him with a small group of skilled warriors as a way to offer sufficient protection to their Elder while not appearing overly hostile.

"We also want peace. We want to trade and exchange knowledge. We want to grow friendship."

The tuskarr delegation seemed to relax significantly at his words. It seemed that they were very willing to be friendly after they got over his appearance and realized they did not need to be afraid.

"I am happy to hear that," Ko'kewi said amiably. "Orfus has told us about the goods you wish to trade. May we see them?"

"Of course."

Krivax quickly laid out the various silks and ores he had brought to trade and presented them to the delegation. After that, he gave the same speech he already gave Orfus about their various uses. The tuskarr were visibly startled when the intent of his words started to be translated to them by magic, but they must have already been warned because they got over it fairly quickly.

Unfortunately, while translating intent was far easier than translating language directly, it was also much less clear. Krivax needed to repeat a few things during his speech multiple times for them to accurately understand his meaning, but they eventually understood what he was offering them.

Krivax felt comforted when he saw the visible greed in their eyes; it seems like he picked the right trading goods to bring.

"What do you want for these?" Ko'kewi asked with a feigned lack of interest after he finished speaking.

"I don't know," said Krivax honestly. "I have a few ideas, but I would prefer to speak with your leadership so that we might negotiate a mutually beneficial arrangement."

It took a little effort to get the tuskarr to understand what he was asking, but after they did, they huddled together and started to talk about it quietly amongst themselves.

"We will take you to meet our Chieftain," said Ko'kewi after they reached a decision.

Once she was done speaking, the tuskarr called Kagonut stepped forward and delivered a series of stern warnings and threats about what would happen if they harmed anyone in the village.

While Kagonut was busy delivering his warnings, Orfus ran off to presumably get the body of the shoveltusk they had offered him earlier with Masruk guiding him.

I'm pretty sure I would be able to understand this guy even without magic. There's no need to glare at me so much, dude. You're the bad cop. I get it.

After reiterating his peaceful intentions, the tuskarr must have felt sufficiently reassured because they instructed him and Masruk to follow them back to their village. Orfus displayed the crazy strength of warriors in this world by easily carrying the wrapped-up shoveltusk on his back without any visible strain.

"Where are we going?" asked Masruk. Unlike Krivax, he did not know any tuskarr, and the magical artifact that translated intent only worked for those who held it.

"They have invited us back to their village," said Krivax. "I'm going to talk to their Chieftain about trade, and hopefully we'll be able to reach an agreement."

"Why are they willing to bring us into their home?" asked Masruk, confused. "Kilah'Kuk would never allow them to enter our city under any circumstances."

"I suppose they are just more trusting and open to outsiders than we are," said Krivax evenly. It was good that his friend was asking these kinds of questions and learning that different groups had different values.

Masruk contemplated that silently for a moment before he spoke again.

"The big one looks very powerful," said Masruk while looking directly at Kagonut. "You should request that they allow me to spar with him. I would like to test his strength."

"...Sure, buddy. I'll make sure to ask."

I just hope they are familiar with the idea of friendly spars.

The tuskarr seemed to be growing agitated by the two of them speaking in a language they could not understand, so Krivax decided to end the conversation there.

It was not long before they reached the Ancient Lift.

There was a small group of several buildings that likely served as an outpost that protected the Ancient Lift from potential threats. The buildings themselves seemed to be fairly well built, with thick thatched roofs and an exterior constructed with wood and stone. The support beams were made from what Krivax assumed to be whale bones, and the doorways were covered by some kind of leather and fur.

Although the design of the Ancient Lift looked simple, it was still a remarkable thing to see in real life. Krivax wasn't sure that some kind of primitive cable car that was in fact a vrykul boat suspended over the air by a rope was the safest way to travel, but he didn't have very many options if he wanted to get to the Isle of Spears without a boat.

The tuskarr probably understand the thing pretty well, and they don't seem particularly concerned, so I guess I should just suck it up.

The boat itself had a surprising amount of room and their entire group had no issue fitting inside.

Krivax was not certain how the tuskarr managed to start the thing when they were all safely aboard, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as they began moving.

As they approached the Isle of Spears, Krivax couldn't help but feel that the tuskarr had chosen a truly defensible location to build their village. Aside from murlocs, there were few things in the Howling Fjord that could threaten them when they lived on an island. Not only that, but the real island was much larger than it was portrayed in the game.

Krivax looked to one of the snowy portions of the island and gawked at a white, two-headed creature that was flying lazily through the air.

Soon enough, the boat passed over another tuskarr village—Iskaal, as Ko'kewi told him after being asked—and Krivax could see people waving up at them and staring in open curiosity. Krivax waved back at a tuskarr child and chuckled in amusement when the kid jumped in surprise and ran into one of the houses.

Eventually, their group descended safely unto the Isle of Spears, and Krivax and Masruk followed the tuskarr off the lift. Awaiting them was a pair of tuskarr warriors who were holding spears and riding giant turtles.

"Elder Ko'kewi, Chieftain Atuk awaits you and our guests."

"Thank you, Turtle Rider."

The two tuskarr followed along on either side of their group as they approached the village of Kamagua. While they entered and made their way to the Chieftain, Krivax took the opportunity to take a good look at the village.

For the most part, the buildings were built in the same style as the ones at the Ancient Lift's outpost—although Krivax did see one interesting building that looked like it was built down into the ground and a couple of large tents made of some kind of hide.

There were also rows and rows of boats lined up near the docks and a steady stream of fishermen could be seen coming and going. The villagers themselves seemed to be both fearful and curious of the two nerubians, but they remained respectful enough of the Elder not to approach and did not appear overtly hostile.

Soon, they were led into the largest building in the village which Krivax assumed belonged to the Chieftain.

The inside of the building had a large fire pit lined with stones in the center, and several doorways that led to different rooms. Colorful weavings and a variety of what Krivax assumed to be trophies were hanging from the wall.

The Chieftain himself was a large tuskarr wearing a dark brown vest and a thick fur coat. His tusks were long, yellow, and densely covered with intricately carved symbols. However, his tusks could not compare to the female tuskarr that stood next to him.

She was much smaller than the Chieftain, yet Krivax felt like she had a presence that filled up the room. Her hair was long and white with old age, and her tusks were the longest of any tuskarr Krivax had yet seen and were nearly completely covered with carved symbols. Like Ko'kewi, she carried a gnarled staff and her eyes held a wisdom that made Krivax feel like she could see all of his secrets.

"Greetings, outsiders," said the Chieftain. "I am Chieftain Atuk, and this is Elder Wumni. Welcome to Kamagua."

"Greetings, I am Kriv—"

Before he could finish his introduction, Elder Wumni let out a snort of irritation and pounded her staff onto the ground. Krivax didn't know what had just happened, but he momentarily felt a sudden surge of magic from the woman before it suddenly dissipated.

Krivax tensed and prepared for a fight when the old tuskarr suddenly spoke in what to him sounded like perfect nerubian.

"I'm not interested in listening to you butcher our language for the rest of this conversation, outsider," said Elder Wumni, completely unconcerned by the sudden tension of the two nerubians. "This magic will allow us to understand each other while in the confines of this building."

Krivax was completely dumbfounded. True translation magic was not a simple thing to accomplish, which was why the artifact Hadix gave him only allowed for the translation of general intentions. The Circle of Viziers had specific members who were trained to use such magic, and Seer Kuk'ir was the only nerubian he knew of that could cast a Glyph of Comprehension.

The fact that this old tuskarr managed to cast such complicated magic so casually was a… tad intimidating.

"Thank you for your assistance, Elder Wumni," said Krivax as politely as possible. "My understanding of your language is incomplete, and I hope to learn more from your people in the future."

Elder Wumni snorted with faint amusement.

"At least you're polite. As far as I've been told, you're already making a better impression than the last nerubian who came here. There's no need to introduce yourselves. Orfus has already told us your names."

"You have experience with my people, Elder Wumni?" said Krivax, forcing his voice to be as calm as possible, even as his mind was racing.

"Not me, but one of our ancestors," said Elder Wumni. "When I called upon them and asked, they told me that a nerubian like you decided to come here in the pursuit of knowledge while offering nothing in return."

She's probably talking about the most recent Vizier to try studying the tuskarr. That definitely sounds like something a Vizier would do.

"I will not lie to you and say that I do not seek knowledge, but I wish to do so in a mutually beneficial way that will leave us both enriched, Elder Wumni."

Elder Wumni stared at him searchingly for a long moment before suddenly nodding and turning her attention to Masruk.

"And you? Are you just a silent follower with no thoughts of your own?"

"I am Masruk, and I am here to protect and support my friend," Masruk said matter-of-factly. "I would like to spar with some of your warriors, but I am not otherwise particularly interested in you."

Krivax barely resisted the urge to bury his face in his palms.

Thankfully, rather than being insulted, the Elder instead started to chuckle.

"Very well said, Masruk," said Elder Wumni. With a nod to the Chieftain, she stepped back and allowed him to lead the conversation.

"I think we both know that the goods you have brought to trade are very valuable to us, outsiders," said Chieftain Atuk seriously. "I'm curious to hear what you wish for in return."

"I have a few ideas, Chieftain Atuk," said Krivax, shifting into a more comfortable position.

The negotiations were likely to go on for a while once they started getting into the specifics, so it was a good idea for him to get comfortable.

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Royal Road

SomethingOtherThanRain

A Nerubian's Journey by Fizzicks

Chapter 9.5

A note from Fizzicks

My beta reader, massgamer, sometimes writes interesting scenes that I skip over in the story.

Things that happen in these scenes are things that happened in the real story.

Some people like to read these as extra content, and some don't care about them

I will be posting them here as Chapter x.5 and they will always be posted on the same day shortly after the chapter that they were written for.

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"I have a few ideas, Chieftain Atuk," the 'nerubian', Krivax, said with what sounded like good cheer.

"Then please, share them," Atuk responded as he sat down on one of the seal hide pillows in front of the firepit while gesturing for his guests to do the same. Both Krivax and his companion Masruk did so, if not in the same manner as himself.

Both oriented themselves above the offered seats and then curled their legs until their 'lower bodies' touched the ground. Krivax folded his arms in front of him while Masruk laid his spear across his lap. It was… odd, but understandable given their different body shapes, more similar to the savage Magnataur than any Tuskarr, but much more polite and peaceful.

So far, anyway.

Elders Ko'kewi and Wumni also sat down, the latter with a sigh as she rested her old bones, while their party of warriors simply backed off a respectful distance… but still close given these strangers.

"First, you must understand that our kingdom, Azjol-Nerub, is very self-sufficient for the most part. We haven't interacted much with the surface world for a very long time since… Well, frankly many believe it has nothing we want or need. The Circle of Viziers, the order I am a part of, are among the only ones who still have an interest in the surface for research purposes, but even then most think we are better off on our own. I am one of the few who believe that the surface has much to offer us, but only if we lend out a friendly hand and speak with those who live here and get to know them. Hence, why we are here," Krivax explained.

He then paused for a moment before continuing. "Do keep in mind though this is mostly a personal venture. I have no authority to speak on behalf of my own city's ruler, let alone the High King. But I do hope our talks here might lead to something more official in the future."

Atuk hummed to himself as he digested the information. A whole kingdom living underground, apparently for a very long time and barely venturing to the surface, without anyone knowing was rather… distressing. Still, the fact they hadn't caused his people any trouble in the long memory of the ancestors was good, and even better this diplomatic venture by this curious and open-minded example of their kind.

Still, that left the question…

"If your people are so well off, then what could we possibly have to offer them?" Atuk asked outright.

"Well… if I can be frank, not a whole lot, but what you can provide can still help show the rest of my people that totally isolating ourselves is not in our best interests," Krivax said.

"And what would that be?" Elder Wumni asked with a slightly clipped tone.

"Knowledge is a big one," Krivax, earning a huff from the Elder Wumni. "Not your magic though! I get that the last nerubian here likely didn't leave the best impression. Viziers can be… a bit single-minded at times. While I would love to know more about it personally, I also would love to learn about your history, your customs, your traditions, your language, and everything you would feel comfortable sharing with outsiders."

"That would be something we'd be willing to share with guests freely. Our way of life is no secret, and so long as you'd be willing to share the same I think this could build the groundwork to a good relationship between our people," Atuk nodded at the easy enough request.

"As Shaman I suppose you'll be dumping that job mostly on me then," Elder Wumni grunted. "I suppose it won't be too different than teaching the calves."

"Thank you, Honored Elder, and naturally I will share with you my peoples' way as well. And if you ever feel comfortable teaching me a little about your magic I can gladly do the same," Krivax hummed and gave what Atuk thought might be his version of a smile… It was a little disturbing seeing the mouth parts in front of his face move like that.

"Don't go hunting whales just yet, boy," Wumni lightly warned.

"Of course," Krivax nodded before turning back to Atuk. "As for other things… is it true that you fish certain creatures from the waters that have an outer exoskeleton like us?" he asked while tapping at his chest, letting out a light clicking sound.

"Exoskeleton… you mean a shell? In that case, yes. We catch many crabs, lobsters, shrimp, clams, and other such creatures all the time in our traps and nets. Why do you ask?" Edler Ko'kewi questioned.

"Well, you see the main source of food for our people is fungus, algaes, protein-rich webbing, and especially raised and ranched insects, arachnids, and worms. Fish is a rare meal only few of our people actually eat, from whom I learned to fish," Krivax explained.

No fish! Atuk thought in shock, not imagining anyone not taking part in the sea's bounty at least in some small way.

"Why not trade our excess fish and whale meat then for… whatever it is you use for currency?" Elder Wumni asked.

"We use coins," Krivax stated, sharing a convenient fact about how his people did business with one another that was similar to how their own did. "And unfortunately I don't think it will catch on since only a few of us as said actually eat and enjoy it. However, while I haven't tried it myself and I hope I can while we are here, that these creature's similarities with what we eat already will make a luxury market for those in my kingdom who come to enjoy them. This can be a very beneficial trade since it exposes my people to an aspect of the surface they like and you would likely earn much in exchange, be it coins or products."

That was an interesting idea… and it was harder to store shellfish than fish anyhow so they could sell the surplus during good seasons and use the wealth earned to better prepare for lean ones. Of course… this depended on whether the nerubians did enjoy shellfish…

Well, it was close to lunch anyhow.

"Then let us test it now," Atuk said with a smile.

---

Atuk chuckled a little as he took a bite of fried Fangtooh and shoveltusk, both provided by their guests to complete the gift giving ritual, alongside Elders Wumni and Ko'kewi as their guests dug into their own food… almost literally.

They were given steamed crab and lobster, with a side of oysters, to see how nerubians liked the taste of them, and the answer was apparently very much.

The chieftain watched as his guests dug into their food as if they hadn't eaten for days, cracking open the shells of all the foods with their teeth and happily sucking out the meat within. Masruk was especially eager, shoving a whole lobster into his mouth with only a couple of bites, while Krivax was more restrained.

On one hand it was a little nauseating watching them devour their meal with such gusto, but on the other he himself remembered his first solid meal of the sea's bounty very fondly too. His own children and their children were very much the same with their first fish as well. He could excuse a bit of messy eating considering the nerubians had never partaken of such fine meals before.

It was only after they cleared their plates that the nerubians recognized their rudeness and actually looked embarrassed, or as embarrassed as giant spider people could look.

"I- I apologize for our poor manners," Krivax bowed, followed quickly by Masruk.

"It smelled like nothing I've eaten before, and tasted like a mix of beetle and flyer- but better!" the warrior explained himself.

"I suppose that answers the question of whether or not your people would be willing to pay good coin for it then," Elder Wumni chuckled out loud at their shamed looks.

"Indeed, I am sure it will be the talk of the Spiderlord, Vizier, and Queen circles the second it reaches their tables," Krivax said. "Easily something they will pay a vast amount for."

"That is good to hear, though I doubt we can sell much all the time since there is only so much we can safely fish out of the sea every season without harming the population. You'd have to ask the other clans elsewhere if you want a similar deal," Atuk explained.

"If this grows as popular as I believe it will, then I am sure the High King himself will send trading parties to set it up," Krivax said with confidence.

"Hehe, good to know," Atuk smiled. "Now that we have shown you our bounty, do you mind sharing yours?"

"Of course," Krivax said as he reached for his 'magic bag' and began pulling out various items from it that should not have fit within something so small. It confirmed Orfus' earlier stories at least about the spiderfolk's strange magic, since Atuk knew of no ancestral items with similar abilities.

He then laid out several bundles of silk and a small pile of different ores before him, also confirming past reports.

"Since we live underground my people mine a lot of minerals pretty often and use them for all sorts of things. I am sure you can get things like iron and steel for cheap from us, but don't quote me on that since I am no merchant. We also mine precious metals like silver and gold, which we use in our currency along with copper and cobalt. I am sure you can find uses for that in tools, weapons, armor, kitchenware, etc."

"Indeed we can," Elder Ko'kewi said. "We value our tradition of making various things from the bones and teeth of the creatures we hunt, but we know the value of forged metal as well."

"Great to hear, but I'm sure you'll be more interested in our silk," Krivax said while unrolling a sheet and presenting it to them. "I don't like to brag, but our Weavers are masters in working it into all kinds of things: clothing, art, structures, stories, food, you name it. It can be woven into nets and ropes of great strength and longevity. As master fishermen, I am sure you can see the benefit of it, but don't take my word for it. Take this and just try to tear it."

Elder Ko'kewi took the sheet offered to her, and after feeling it for a bit did as she was told and attempted to rip the flimsy-looking sheet in twain… and failed.

Eyes widened all within Atuk's home as all the Tuskarr present watched as Elder Ko'Kewi failed again and again trying to undo the bindings that held the silk sheet together, all to no avail. She huffed a bit from exertion before huffing again and giving the sheet over to him in defeat.

Atuk merely held the thin and incredibly smooth piece of fabric before him, turning it over and over to see if there was any damage to it after all that effort or if there was some trick at play. Finding none of either he merely decided to also test its resolve against his own, in his humble opinion, great strength.

Yet no matter how hard he tried it did not break, and in his youth he had once pulled a small kraken to shore!

He merely looked upon the undamaged sheet in awe before handing it to Elder Wumni.

The aged Shaman held the sheet within her hands, carefully rubbing her fingers through it while whispering under her breath, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"This fabric… the spirits like it," she simply said before handing it back to Krivax. "I've never seen anything like it. Not even the giant spiders of the Rivenwood could weave something such as that."

"To be fair, lesser giant spiders don't have our intelligence and skill," Krivax humble-bragged as he folded the sheet and put it away. "And our silk is also very receptive to magic, which is likely why your… 'spirits' like it. We weave many spells and magical effects into our silk for certain effects, but even in its base state it has countless uses. These are some of the most common ones, and in fact ones I made myself, magic and silk," Krivax said as he handed over another sheet, this time to Elder Wumni first.

"So warm," she said at once, rubbing her hands all over the sheet in surprise.

"That sheet contains an enchantment that my own robes hold we call 'minor flameweave', which in this case makes those who wear it have a constant warm temperature. I think you can guess how useful that could be here on the surface considering how cold it can get. That is not even getting into the Flameweave and Iceweave enchants which we use to heat up and keep things cool respectively, which can help in cooking and storing food. That is only the beginning though and I myself can enchant silk to have a wide variety of effects, and I am a total novice compared to master Weavers back home. And who knows, maybe you'll find them useful in your own magic like we do for our own." Krivax said towards Elder Wumni, who had at some point during the explanation wrapped herself in the magically warm sheet with a content smile on her face.

"So warm…" the eldery shaman simply said.

"I would assume that these magical… 'weavings' would cost a great deal," Elder Ko'Kewi pointed out.

"The more complex ones, yes, though minor ones can along with pure silk works tend to be pretty cheap since all nerubians can produce silk ourselves," Krivax explained.

Atuk hummed once more to himself as he considered things. From practicality alone, these silk products could be very useful in nearly all aspects of his village's life, and the envy of the other clans once word reached them. All of which can be bought and paid for mostly through fishing, something they could easily do and then do more of once they had better tools.

It could be a very good deal.

"This is all very impressive and I won't deny that if a deal can be made that it would be foolish not to take part of it," Atuk stated, who was about to say more before someone interrupted him.

"If you are serious about wheeling and dealing with us you are gonna need to learn how to actually talk to us beyond broken words and magically transferred intentions outside these walls," Elder Wumni spoke up from her comfortable looking cocoon. "And since you seem so intent on getting to know the surface I say you should stay here and actually learn it right."

That earned more than a few shocked glances.

"You… you mean stay here? In the village?" Krivax asked.

"Where else are you gonna properly learn Kalu'aka than right here? Also, figure keeping you here for a bit and seeing how you do among our people is the fastest way to see just how honest you nerubians are in your peaceful intentions," Elder Wumni said. "Of course, assuming you both and the Chieftain are alright with it of course."

"I do not mind, so long as I can spar with your warriors regularly to keep up my strength and Krivax agrees to it," Masruk was quick to give his consent.

"Well… I wasn't expecting this so early, but so long as I inform my superior back home about my extended 'research expedition' then it should be alright. I have a magical tool on hand to let me do just that as well," Krivax nodded along.

"I would be happy to extend guest rights to you both for the time being, but if you plan to live and learn among us then you will be expected to contribute to the wellbeing of our community like all adult members of the Kalu'ak," Atuk warned them.

"Of course, that is something both our people agree on," Krivax readily agreed.

"Then on behalf of all Kamagua, I welcome you among our tribe and hope in time you come to see yourself a part of it," Atuk intoned.

And so it was that Kamagua had earned itself two new… unique members.

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