The night of the next "Meeting" was approaching... The tension was rising between me and the others. They were waiting for answers...

I approached the great hall, accompanied by Hissa.

On the side of the path there were stone buildings and lizard men, young recruits trained to handle the spear under the unruffled gaze of the chief of the guard.

They trained night and day and because of the limited number of people, I was required to do military service and everyone had to know how to defend themselves or their village.

Hissa bowed to the chief of the guard and I did the same.

Then he nodded that we should move forward, then he blew an order and everyone stood at attention! Humans could not hear this ultrasound but I could!

Then, after guards and warriors in armour, famous warriors, much stronger than what I saw in Kanda-ar, we arrived in a room with a large table and an armchair on a platform.

The chief was there!

A colossus with 4 large horns and a sawtooth tail and ritual tattoos all over the body.

He stared at me from head to toe.

Hissa brought me to my knees just like her and made me:''Shhh says nothing, let him speak first"

KRULL: "Hello young human. There's a lot of talk about you these days!

Is your name Ivan? "

I wanted to answer but hoisted my hand to tell me to shut up. Krull was known to be irritable and always wanted to see the warrior in his men.

"Well, well, I'd like you to answer me frankly:

You've been living here for a few months. Are you happy among us? Aren't you disgusted with the way we look? Do you want to be adopted and find a family of lizard men or a family of humans like you. You can talk"

"Hello Lord Krull

Yes, I am happy here and everyone is loving beyond appearances. I don't know if going to a family again would be good, my family, I already have it here!"

Krull: "I'm glad to hear you say it. So you want to stay here and live here if I understand correctly. But you know the rule! If you marry one of ours, hybrid children are taboo! If you break the rule you will have to live outside the village or in the hybrid village a little further away. You have access here to trade and meet the family but outside of religious holidays, hybrids must stay outside!

This is how other tribes have simply disappeared, their culture and religion with them. I hope you understand!

So when you grow up and pass the tests, you can start a family.

But to come back to your summons, I saw your excellent results in the combat tests and for hunting, I am surprised that you bring so much game for your age.

This is your tribe now and you have to tell us the truth. We are sometimes attacked by other tribes, human slaves and orcs so the security of the village is at stake.

You come and go every night and I want to know the reason. If you tell the truth, we won't hurt you, rest assured. You can talk!"

I: "Lord Krull, I am very good at magic and I would like to complete my training one day. My magic allows me to hunt and defend myself."

Krull: "But you could stay the night here!"

Me: "At night, I stay in a cave because I change a little and because of the charge of magic. I remain conscious and I am not likely to do any harm, at least not on purpose and I love my new family and I don't want, I don't want to be judged by my appearance anymore. I apologize, but I've suffered too much being so ugly I don't want anyone to see me."

Krull remained thoughtful and then continued:

"Ivan, I thank you for telling the truth. But you will still have to meet the Great Silver when he comes to visit us.

We respect your decision but it is normal that the Scouts will come to visit you one day to see if everything is going well. They represent me and you owe them respect.

Now I introduce you to Akar, our hunting master, he lived here and was an orphan like you."

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.

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"You will follow his teachings and then you will be able to emancipate yourself and if the Great Silver allows it, you will continue your studies but before that, you will have to do your military service here."

He dismissed us and Hissa turned to me:

"You know, no matter how you look, you'll always be my heart. You were brave! Come on, let's not hang around!"

A great kajit was waiting for me outside and greeted me and Hissa.

Akar: "Is that you Ivan?"

"Yes, Master Akar"

"Well, let's not waste any time. In the forest, we don't talk. We listen, we look and we observe. You stay put and hold your breath when I wave to you.

We speak sign language and hunter's language. "

You brought back big prey. I want to see how you do it. And I will analyze your techniques and correct you."

We walked with a fast pace, even running, and we had to make as little noise as possible. I was used to it. I jumped from one trunk to the other and avoided making any noise.I used my infrared vision and my sense of smell. I sniffed a track of a big, juicy deer and started running quietly.

The Kajit didn't react immediately and then he confirmed my lead, I was 50% ahead of him!

I jumped on a branch in sight of the deer and the Kajit pulled out an arrow and aimed at the deer. I signaled that he didn't and he lowered his bow.I took my pistol and screwed a long barrel on it, equipped with a silencer and I adjusted the approach scope and I aimed at the head then, plop!!

The deer's head jumped, a small hole on one side and a large hole on the other. Akar was amazed. What a powerful weapon! It usually took at least 10 arrows to shoot down this mastodon.

I killed him the first time and even the birds didn't even stop singing. Death had been sweet and instantaneous. Akar approached me. What is this weapon?

I said, "I built it! But it's a powerful dart launcher. You see, the dart, when it enters the prey, it opens and turns and cuts everything in its path."

Akar: "But what a power!"

"It's an iron blowgun and the powerful breath comes out of the capsule.I can kill anything I want!"

Akar: "You haven't even looked at the tracks and paths, how do you find it?"

I said, "His smell!"

Akar: "but it's impossible for a human..."

"I'm not 100% human, but with a few magic tricks, we do wonders"

Akar: "Good how are you going to transport this thing?"

I: I throw Tenser's disc and like an invisible tray, it slips under the carcass and the deer enters into levitation and I only have to walk and the deer, finally its body, follows me whatever the terrain.

Akar: "But how the hell do you do that?"

"Well, I learned the disk of Tenser, all magician apprentices learn it in Kanda-ar. There's still the mana problem... and that's where everything gets complicated."

Akar, yes, I understand now. You use magic to hunt... But now imagine that you don't have any magic..."

I said, "Why, how, how?"

Akar:" If a magician seals your powers during a fight and the seal stays, how will you survive? Or you're captured and put on a submission necklace. You escape, how do you eat????"

"Well, I showed you, it's your turn!!!!!"

Akar smiled and said to me: I'm starting to love you! He showed me how to track the traces, signs and plants eaten and it was very instructive.

Then, in the days that followed, I became his best student.

Snares, traps and other types of traps. Hunting rations, apeau but I systematically refused to shoot the birds.

it pissed Akar off.

"Why don't you hunt birds? Duck and orange parrot are delights"

Me:" Akar, birds are my friends! When an intruder comes, their song changes and I am informed."

Akar: "You betcha!"

Oh, yes, next moon, we're going on a surveillance expedition. We don't hunt, we don't make any noise and we go looking for predators and threats...The evening fell and I was invited to the "meeting"

Sam: "Ivan, so you said you were going to tell us one of your secrets! But first you have to promise us you'll never trust adults! They're liars!"

Me: "I agree 100%!"

They swore an oath and then I told them that I had been tortured and that My adopted little brother had been sentenced to death and beheaded for freeing me! I said without going into detail that I had avenged myself with my magic and ran away.

They wanted to know more, but I didn't want to say it.

It hurt too much and I would mourn thinking of Robin. and the others who betrayed me.

Me: "My secret is that I understand the whistles and screams in Lizard and they lie to us!"

"Before I arrived, Hissa defended us against Brutus who said we were wasting too many resources."

And the big Silver is a lie all the way down the line. They believe it hard, but some of them know truths that are hidden from us!

Well, I have to go, Akar is waiting for me outside!"

Sam:" Master Akar? You're lucky, he only takes the best..."

We left by the light of the stars, but soon the weather became cloudy and he soon turned black with ink.

Akar: You need to amplify your other senses, sense of smell and hearing to direct yourself. Xe approached the delta and arrived in front of my lair.

Akar: "Chtt, there's a great predator living here! I'm sure. Don't make any noise ABSOLUTELY. Look, smell and listen!"

I shook his shoulder: "This is my cave!"

Akar:!!!!!!!!!!??????????

Me: "Well yes, I have my layer there, a palisade especially against rats.

Come on, I'll show you..."

We went around the lair but some signs were not misleading.

Akar: "A great predator lives here! Or do you live with it?"

Me: "No, I live here! And I sleep here! "

Akar, no wonder you're quiet. The smell scares away all the predators! And you have the smell on you!

All right, let's go home!

And I followed Akar