Chapter 26: True Monsters (2)

Monsters. That was what Alaric thought as he watched the two Lizardmen have a go at each other. Their movements were barely traceable with the bare eyes, his vision straining to the very furthest to follow their rapid movements. His magically augmented eyes did all they could to follow the pace of the battle, and that was the only reason he was able to tell that the yellow Lizardman was winning.

The moment the yellow Lizardman landed the final blow, ending the life of the red one, Alaric let out a deep breath that he didn't know he had drawn in. The yellow Lizardman then proceeded to give out a speech in the language exclusive to the Lizardmen, firing up the emotions of the surrounding creatures, which then led to them roaring out to the high ceilings above their heads. The sight made Alaric nervous, and he could feel that nervous air spread between him and his party members.

It took some time for the sounds of the Lizardmen to settle, but after that, Alaric and the other adventurers stepped forward from their hiding places hesitantly. A path for a quick retreat had already been prepared, just in case the leader of the yellow Lizardmen turned against them and tried to kill them. They wouldn't be caught unprepared.

The Lizardman leader turned to face them, his blue eyes glinting in the dim lighting of the cavern.

"My adventurer friends." He opened his arms wide as he spoke, the scales on his face stretching in a strange manner that passed for a smile. "I believe our work here is done. The threat of the Red Scaled Lizardmen organizing a raid on our territory has been taken care of, along with their unstable leader. You do not have to worry about any Lizardmen attacking your party from now on, unless there is a different tribe of Lizardmen that is independent from out control."

The adventurers remained quiet for a few beats before Eudora took up the role of their representative and stepped forward.

"Thank you for your help with the matter, we truly appreciate it." The Dark Elf water mage had a smile on her face as she spoke. "We can handle what comes after now."

Michael fixed a questioning gaze on her as he heard her words. "What do you mean by 'what comes after'? We have handled the problem, that is all. Now, if you please, get off my territory." Michael's voice began to take on a cold edge as he spoke. He knew that the reason for the adventurers taking up the matter of Lizardmen attacks was much more deeper than just wanting to ensure their safety. They were after something, and his intuition told him that.

"Of course, we will be out of your... scales in a bit. I just wanted to make some arrangements with you, if that was possible." Her smile faltered a bit as she realized that they wouldn't be able to get what they needed without using force, and that using force would end badly for them, as they were wholly outnumbered and outmatched. The Lizardmen would surely crush them.

"Oh? Of course, we can talk about some things as long as they aren't too excessive." Michael waved off the tense atmosphere, the threatening aura around him vanishing entirely. His unpredictability in Eudora's eyes was one of her main reasons for fearing him. At least she could sense any open hostility thanks to her sensitive senses as part of the Elven race.

"We can head back above ground if you don't feel comfortable here. I can tell you aren't comfortable being this outnumbered."

"Please." Eudora let out a relieved sigh when Michael brought up the suggestion. Michael waved for them to go on before turning to address Milizaus.

"Make sure the red Lizardmen get back to out territory. They won't act out of character, I'm sure of it, but even still, be careful." He warned Milizaus before turning to follow the adventurer party with his entourage that consisted of Aiden and his brothers.

Unlike the journey into the territory of the Red Scaled Lizardmen, they had already cleared out all the nuisances in the area, and they knew where they were going, unlike last time, so they were able to make their way back out to the surface quite quickly. The sun had set a long time ago and they were now in the very late hours of night. Stars littered the dark sky, and the two moons of the planet granted a dim glow that shone over their heads. Michael was already used to it, but he couldn't help but still be amazed by it.

Whatever he thought about the moons though, now wasn't the time to revel in those thoughts. Eudora, Brutus, Alaric, and their healer stood exactly outside the entrance of the underground tunnels. Their backup that had remained hidden earlier had made their way out, and with a quick scan through their numbers, Michael was able to tell that all of them were there, if he compared their current numbers with the numbers he had sensed during the day before they set out on their mission. They spread themselves out in a semicircle with Eudora in the middle, her dark hands tight around her fragile staff.

Michael stepped into the dim lighting of the overhead moons, along with his entourage.

"You wanted to speak to me?" He asked, his eyes scanning the people before him.

The adventurers warily eyed the Lizardmen behind Michael in turn.

"Yes. It's actually quite important, and also the reason why Brutus and I initially stumbled into your territory a week ago." Eudora spoke up, Brutus nodding at her side.

Michael thought for a while before deciding to listen to what they had to say. "I'm all ears, as long as its reasonable." At his words, Eudora let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, but no one noticed.

"You see, deep in the mountain where your settlement is located, there is an artifact of immense power buried there. We want to retrieve that artifact before any of our competitors get wind of the location of the artifact. But surely, we can't overrun your people, as we do not have the manpower or resources to do so." Eudora chose to come clean and tell Michael the truth of the matter. Hiding information, only for that information to leak and become known to the Lizardman later would only implicate them.

"I see." Michael rubbed his jaw. "If we do decide to hand over this artifact, what's in it for me and my people?" He probed.

"My family and I will offer you and your people as much support as we can in the foreseeable future!" Brutus suddenly spoke up, stunning Eudora and the other party members with his words.

"Brutus!" Eudora tried to push him back.

"I'm sure, Eudora. Don't worry." He shot her a smile that made her reluctantly drop her complaints.

"Let me think over it." Michael decided, an strange light present in his eyes.