"We found one of the archers who ran away after your fire spell. He told us his leader managed to injure your death mage."
Gaia's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What exactly do you think you'll gain from meeting him?"
The hooded man landed on the ground, and his mana flared.
The winds have swirled around the clearing, and Isgram lost his footing and fell backwards while gaia kept her legs on the ground using mana magic.
"It seems there is some talent in you lot, but you're not my match.
Your threats are effective against scrwany nobles and amateur warriors.
Not against other mages, certainly not ones who lead armies.
So stand down or instead of leaving this place, I will leave with your heads."
The mana flared once again, and several trees were uprooted.
Isgram, now on his feet, wiped the dirt from his hands, his own magic stirring restlessly within him. The fire inside him began to rise again, licking at his skin, but he held it in check for now. His eyes burned with the urge to retaliate, but he didn't act immediately. Not yet.
Gaia, still calm but with a steely resolve, met the man's gaze without flinching. "You might be powerful, but you underestimate the kind of mages you're dealing with."
There was a pause, the air thick with tension. The wind died down slightly, but the threat was still palpable.
"What do you want from us?" Gaia finally asked, her voice measured but sharp, refusing to give an inch.
The man stood tall, his body still surrounded by the aftershocks of his magic, his eyes never leaving Gaia's. "What I want is simple. I want your leader to talk to us. If he is injured, we are more than capable of healing him."
Hearing the possibility of healing Fang, Isgram immediately understood the situation.
'If they can really help us... I don't have any choice here, do I?'
Gaia's gaze flickered toward Isgram, silently communicating. He knew that the situation was delicate. The offer to heal Fang was tempting, but there was a high chance he is here to finish the job.
Isgram clenched his fists, struggling to keep his anger in check. "So now you want us to just trust you, after everything you've seen? After what your people have done?"
The man didn't flinch. "I'm not asking for trust. I'm asking for a conversation. One that will benefit all of us."
Gaia's stance remained firm. "And if we refuse?"
"Then you can bury your leader, and we'll move on," the man replied, his tone calm, almost detached. "But I don't think that's what you want, is it?"
The girl, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke, her voice cold. "Father, maybe it's time to let them make their choice."
The man turned his head briefly, nodding. Then he addressed Gaia and Isgram once more. "I've said what I came to say. You know where we stand."
"Do we trust them, Isgram?" Asked Gaia as the realisation of the power gap between them sank in. The man was strong, far stronger than anyone they had encountered in this forest, and the fact that he hadn't killed them already said something. But that didn't necessarily mean they should trust him.
The offer to heal Fang was a tempting one, but something about this man...
He couldn't shake the feeling of helplessness.
Gaia stood motionless, her eyes never leaving the hooded man. Her calmness was the only thing that held Isgram back, the only thing stopping him from unleashing the flames that burned so violently within him. Her gaze flickered to Isgram for a moment, a silent exchange of thoughts passing between them.
Finally, Gaia spoke, her voice steady, but a faint edge of suspicion lingered. "You want us to trust you, after everything that's happened? After your people hunted us, tried to destroy everything we've worked for?" Her eyes narrowed, the weight of her words hanging in the air. "You want us to put our faith in you just like that?"
The hooded man didn't respond immediately. Instead, he regarded her with a strange, almost pitying look. "I don't ask for faith," he said, his tone low and controlled. "I ask for a chance. A conversation. If you don't want my help, then by all means, refuse. But don't mistake my offer for weakness."
Isgram's eyes burned with anger. "So this is just a power game to you?" His voice was cold, filled with barely-contained fury. "You think you can threaten us into submission, and we'll just roll over? You're not the only one with power, and if it comes to it—"
Gaia's hand shot out, stopping Isgram before he could continue. "Enough, Isgram," she said, her voice soft but firm. She turned her gaze back to the man. "You haven't killed us. You've shown restraint. But that doesn't mean we trust you. And it doesn't mean we'll let you dictate the terms."
The man's daughter, still silent until now, stepped forward slightly, her eyes sharp as she studied them both. "Father," she said, her voice cutting through the tension, "maybe we've pushed them enough. We came here for one thing—don't let pride ruin this."
The hooded man's gaze shifted to his daughter.
He exhaled slowly, the energy around him dissipating just a bit. "Very well," he said. "I won't force your hand. So let's talk terms."
Gaia held his gaze, her mind tired from the last couple of days. "I don't trust you," she said bluntly, "but I'm not a fool. We ask for the healing of our leader, what do you want in exchange to that?"
"I see," he said, his tone no longer as biting, but still laced with the same quiet intensity. "You've made your decision." His eyes flickered briefly to the girl, who stood watching them, silent but aware of the subtle shifts in the exchange. Then, he returned his gaze to Gaia, his voice lowering. "As for the terms of healing your leader..."
He let the words trail off for a moment before stepping forward with a slow, deliberate motion. His presence felt as though the air itself bent around him, an unspoken reminder of his power.
"The leader of this group will be healed by our best healer here.", he gestured at his daughter next to him.
"I will introduce myself." He pulled his hood back, and his face looked familiar to Isgram.
"I am Fujin, the chief of Davra. I believe you've visited Davra before, isn't it right, Isgram?"
Isgram's heart skipped a beat. His face hardened, but a flicker of recognition passed through his mind. Davra… He'd been there once, during his travels, to trade some of his ores. It was a place for warriors, a village known for it's harsh winters and strong swordsmen.
Certainly not one that welcomed outsiders easily. The fact that the chief knew of him, was either a blessing or a curse and he didn't know what it was.
"I've been," Isgram said cautiously, his voice cool as he squared off with the chief. "Not long ago. Why does it matter?"
Fujin gave him a calculating look, the faintest ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "It matters because your presence was noted," he said smoothly. "Perhaps you'll come back again. I certainly hope so. Davra could use more like you."
Isgram's expression remained unreadable, but he couldn't quite shake the unease that crawled under his skin. Something about this exchange felt... too familiar, as if the game was already in motion before they had even begun.
Gaia, sensing the shift in the air, stepped in. "Enough games. What else do you want? Healing Fang isn't free."
Fujin nodded, his gaze unwavering. "No, it isn't. As you may have guessed, there is a price. Not in gold, nor in tribute, but in something more... substantial." He gestured toward the large chunk of iron lying nearby, a dull gleam in the light of the clearing. "I want that. That iron you've gathered here. It has properties that will be of great use to me, and the trade agreement is simple." He paused, making sure they understood the gravity of his words. "You will give me the iron, and in return, I will offer you a trade route—resources, supplies, and access to Davra's market. A mutually beneficial arrangement. If, of course, you choose to accept it."
Gaia's eyes narrowed, her mind quickly evaluating the offer. "That iron is vital to us," she said, her voice hard but calculating. "We can't just hand it over for nothing."
Fujin's eyes were gleaming with a quiet confidence. "And I won't ask you to. But it's a valuable resource. The kind of thing that makes the difference between war prepared to insufficiently armed. You need it, and I need it. The balance is already in motion."
Isgram's hand twitched, a subtle flare of fire threatening to rise again at the mention of trade, but he held himself in check. The iron had already been earmarked for something much more important. If they gave it away, it might be an investment rather than a lost resource.
"Gaia, do you think we can handle ourselves without the iron?"
Gaia nodded lightly, as she knew that finding more veins of iron isn't a hassle but the mana cost is.
Last time she brought this one back it drained her to almost 300 mana points for the whole day.
"The trade agreement…" Gaia mused aloud. "What exactly does it entail?"
Fujin's gaze flickered briefly toward the chunk of iron, then back at her. "It's simple, really. You'll send goods from your end—anything of value—and we'll provide supplies, materials, even warriors if the need arises. In exchange, you will be able to build a connection with the elven empire through us. If you ally with us, who will dare talk ill of you?
We the people of Davra are proud warriors, and there are several strong mages in our midst, stronger than you and Isgram.
We want power and influence, and to live peacefully."
Gaia considered the terms. A part of her knew the iron was important, but the offer of Davra, with its resources and its connections, was too enticing to simply dismiss.
But Isgram's wariness lingered. "And what's the catch, Fujin? You don't make deals without something in return."
Fujin's expression softened, though his eyes still held that calculating gleam. "I don't seek to make enemies, not with you. The catch is simple: you stay on our good side. You don't provoke Davra. And, should the need arise, you will support us. Not all things are easily won through strength. Sometimes alliances are more valuable than the might of a hundred armies."
The silence stretched between them, the weight of his words settling in.
Isgram shot Gaia a glance, his mind still swirling with possibilities. There was a part of him that still bristled with distrust, but there was something undeniable about Fujin's presence, his confidence, and the fact that he was giving them an opportunity. But could they afford to trust him?
Finally, Gaia spoke. "We'll need time to think on this," she said. "You've made your terms clear. We'll return to you with an answer."
Fujin gave a small nod, his expression unreadable. "I'll be here," he said. "When you're ready, you know where to find me."
With that, he turned to leave, his daughter following behind. The clearing once again grew still, the sound of their departure the only thing breaking the silence.
Gaia exhaled slowly, turning to Isgram. "We will discuss this. But something doesn't sit right with me about this deal."
Isgram nodded, his gaze lingering on the large chunk of iron. "Neither does it with me. But it's not like we have many options, is it?
How hard will it be to find more Iron veins like this one?"
Gaia smirked and let him in on the secret:
"There are a couple of dozen such veins nearby, some are even bigger.
I just didn't want that bastard to know such information.
He is really sharp."