Lakrak laughed.
“Of course not.”
Lakrak threw AR1026’s pig creation at the three Wizards. The now dead Dasamu flew into the air and landed at their feet.
“You people would have died if I stayed still, so why would I have bothered?”
Mazdari took a closer look at Dasamu.
‘…Is it really a god’s creation?’
It wasn’t a known monster or something of good fortune. There was a chance it was an unknown Fiend or Abomination, but given it was unknown, they had to consider that it could be a creation made by another god.
‘The flesh is soft and still warm. It hasn’t been long since it died. It’s unlikely that he was lying about the sudden appearance of a Fiend or an Abomination.’
Although they were in the same place, the Wizards didn’t share the same thoughts.
The Gnome, Yan, said, “Hmph, we can handle this kind of pig.”
Yan was an old Gnome, so he was wearing glass handiwork to aid his nearsightedness. Yan had never specifically said how old he was, but because Gnomes generally lived a long time, Mazdari assumed Yan was around one hundred years old. Were he a Human or Halfling, that would be the equivalent of sixty years old. Yan’s cursed body part was his right ear. It was black and protruded out, so it didn’t look like an ear of any other species and was called the Devil Ear.
“I wasn’t talking about the pig, Gnome,” Lakrak continued. “I was talking about the ones that will come after this pig. This cave doesn’t look very pleasant, considering you guys look down on the gods.”
Yan kept silent.
And this time, the Ent, Talay, said, “Thank you for your help. But even though this pig never ended up reaching us, wasn’t our location revealed through this pig’s death?”
Only looking at the silhouette of an Ent, they weren’t that different from other bipedal species, but they were different in nature in the most fundamental way—all parts that made up their body was wood. They did socially interact with other species, but what set them apart was the fact that they could live on sunlight and the moisture in nature alone.
From a player’s perspective, they were also a rare species like the Garudas, but they were an even less popular choice. Not consuming food was both an advantage and a disadvantage. There was no need for food, so they didn’t require a larger territory or more resources. Given a player’s goal was to develop technology and loot resources by competing with other species, Ents were rarely chosen unless the player was going for a particular concept.
The Ent, Talay’s cursed body part was not apparent on the outside. He simply had a horrific tinnitus.
Lakrak shook his hand at the words of the carnivorous Ent, Talay.
“You don’t have to worry about that.” 𝘦.𝘤𝘰𝑚
“How come?”
Lakrak furrowed his eyebrows.
This legendary Lizardman was overwhelming the Wizards with his existence, and even a slight change in his face made the Wizards break into cold sweat. However, Lakrak was only wondering for a moment how he should proceed with the complicated explanation.
“The Insect God has intervened.”
Mazdari was briefly puzzled by Night Sky’s old name, but quickly remembered.
Lakrak continued to explain, “Firstly, he cut off the connection between the creation and its god. He had done that only occasionally until now, so the god connected to the creation wouldn’t feel that anything was off. After that, I killed it, and the Insect God created another creation that looks just like it. The god connected to the dead creation would be looking down on some random pig now.”
Talay nodded like he was now wholly convinced that they had nothing to worry about.
Then Mazdari asked, “Then Lakrak, I’ll ask you again. Why have you come to us?”
“…Hm.”
Lakrak crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one leg. “Have you all eaten yet?”
***
Lakrak was in charge of the cooking.
The three Wizards used to be alchemists, so they knew how to cook to some degree. After all, alchemy was just cooking things that weren’t edible. But the kind of cooking Lakrak knew to do was completely different.
What Lakrak did was take off the flesh of the animal, prepare it to be cooked, light a fire, and roast the meat, which was a nomadic way to go about it.
‘The skill of cutting and cooking a piece of meat the size of a house is something else.’
The other two Wizards anxiously whispered to each other while watching the cooking process.
Yan said, “Mazdari, what should we do? Can we just eat that? Shouldn’t we run away?”
Mazdari shrugged.
‘Can a Wizard fight an apostle of God?’
Mazdari thought it wasn’t impossible. It would be hard right now, but if his magic was restored, and he combined every trick he could think of, he would be able to put up a fight. But right now, it simply wasn’t an option.
Wizards needed lots of advance preparation for a battle. They had to prepare the necessary materials for magic, prepare the magic circles, and also consider the time and place the magic should be activated to achieve the best result.
On the other hand, if all the legends about the apostle of God before them were true, it would take less than three swings of his sword for Lakrak to cut off all three Wizards’ heads.
Mazdari then said, “Think positively. If Lakrak was going to do something, he would have already done it, but he’s friendly, isn’t he?”
Talay replied, “I’m worried about something else.”
“What is it?”
“About whether we’re allowed to eat something like the meat of a god’s creation. Wouldn’t we get cursed or something?”
“…Uh, that’s an interesting point. I’m not sure, I don’t think I’ve read anything like that in ancient literature…”
Lakrak then replied, “Don’t worry. Meat is just meat.”
Lakrak cut large pieces off the roasted pork and swallowed it without even chewing a few times.
“Mmm, it’s well cooked. You should eat.”
Despite their uncertainty, the three Wizards went up to Lakrak. A part of them simply couldn’t resist. The three Wizards had utilized all the knowledge at their disposal to avoid getting tracked by the gods, and they acted as carefully as possible even when it seemed unnecessary. This naturally included reducing their meals and eating things raw.
The smell of cooking, especially cooking meat, was especially alluring.
When Lakrak cut up the pig and gave each of them a piece, the three Wizards forgot about their pride and chewed on the meat by ripping it off the bones.
From what Mazdari knew, Lakrak was sacred and didn’t have to eat, but he did, just like the three hungry Wizards.
And glancing at them while they ate, Lakrak said, “Ah, it’s hard to satisfy this kind of desire beyond death.”
“Why is that?”
“When all lives after death are eternal, who would be the meat to be consumed?”
Mazdari considered that remark with interest. It wasn’t a great question or an answer, but it still addressed a fundamental matter.
Even if one believed in a god and went to an afterlife, that place wasn’t perfect either.
When the Wizards got somewhat full and began to eat at a slower pace, Lakrak said to them, “So, how long do you think it will last?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your lives.” 𝘳𝘦.𝒸𝑜𝘮
Yan choked and coughed.
While the Ent, Talay, gave Yan some water, Lakrak said, “You three were lucky to run into me this time. But will that be the case the next time? Being careful and vigilant would buy you some grace period. And because there’s three of you, if you run separate ways, you would be able to buy that much more time. Also, if you make time to take in disciples and turn them into Wizards, that would keep you safe longer.”
Mazdari replied, “We know it’s more of a gamble. We are nothing compared to the gods.”
“And yet you still rebelled?”
At this moment, the three Wizards, Mazdari, Yan, and Talay, did not bring up Night Sky. They hadn’t betrayed the other gods because Night Sky had instigated them to, and mentioning Night Sky now would disprove their point.
The three Wizards each told their opinions.
“We were alive in the days when the gods weren’t present.”
“That means gods are only helping us in order to control us.”
“Magic is proof that we can stand on our own without the help of a god.”
Mazdari added, “And nothing ends with our death. If we die at the hands of the gods, that would rather remain as proof that the gods are afraid of us. And magic will continue on.”
Lakrak smiled.
“That’s right.”
“…You, the apostle of God, agree with what we’re saying?”
“Yes. Only fools would decide whether to act or not depending on God’s existence, and it’s also true that God uses us.”
“If you know that, then why…”
“In order to know that.”
Mazadri scrunched his face wondering if Lakrak was making some kind of word play.
Lakrak said, “If you know that we can stand on our own feet without God, shouldn’t you also know that we aren’t a Janggi piece even if we’re on a god’s Janggi board?”
“That’s sophistry. One can only prove that by denying God’s will.”
“But what if God’s will and mine are always the same?” asked Lakrak. “Then what’s the point of denying God’s will to prove that?”
“You are deceiving yourself.”
At those words, Lakrak agreed again.
“Maybe so.”
“What?”
“If that’s the case, then this is a happy trick.”
Mazdari couldn’t understand all that Lakrak had said, but he was reminded again that Lakrak was for sure an apostle of God.
‘…What’s the point in talking about faith with someone who’s not just a priest, but an apostle of God?’
Then Mazdari said, “So are you saying that we should believe in Night Sky because we won’t live for too long? That you’re going to protect us for our favor? Did Night Sky make the prophecy that we will betray our own countries and gods for this moment? If that’s what you thought would happen, you’re mistaken. We have no intention of letting any god command us.”
Lakrak shook his head.
“If you do not believe in Night Sky, I cannot do you any goodwill or protect you.”
“So?”
“However, things would be different with a contractual relationship.”
“…Like I said, we have no intention in acting according to God’s will.”
Larkrak nodded as if it was the answer he had expected.
“But Night Sky only asks for one thing from you three, and I don’t think you will refuse.”
“…What is it?”
“Stay alive.”
Mazdari clacked his beak together and said, “What does that mean…”
“That’s it. Just stay alive. Of course, there’s a limit to how much Night Sky can help you, and Black Scale is soon going to war, so it won’t be easy. But it would be better to accept this deal than leave your lives in danger.”
Mazdari seemed to have realized something and said, “I get it. It’s valuable for us to stay alive because us staying alive threatens the other gods, right?”
“I guess you can think that way.”
“If not, what else?”
Lakrak replied, “If not? You were abandoned for the reason of being cursed. You wandered around the world while enduring hostility and then met people you could rely on, but even that is gone. And after barely surviving, you are now gathering in a cave to shield yourselves from rain, talking about your future while starving.”
Lakrak then added, “What reason is there to not show any sympathy?”
Mazdari stayed silent and looked at the other two Wizards. They were his long-time colleagues, so he could see how they were feeling from their eyes.
‘They’ve fallen for it already.’
Mazdari thought he was the only one left to object to the deal. However, he suddenly looked down and saw the meat he had been eating in his hand.
‘Well, making us eat is part of the negotiation, isn’t it?’
It was inevitable for the party receiving benefit first to be at a disadvantage in a negotiation.
Mazdari became despondent.
Lakrak’s appearance was not part of a clever plan. It was a universal and basic negotiation trick.
“Alright, Lakrak, the first apostle of Night Sky. We’ll accept that agreement.”
This content is taken from 𝘳𝑎.𝗇t