The thoughts would have tortured Nestra in her depression-prone human form, but Mlemra was built differently, she guessed. When thoughts threatened to drown her, she could find refuge in routine and detailed tasks. Using her patience and the small obsidian carver she’d brought, Nestra decided to start with the enchantments since she wasn’t sure if there were rules to spear decorations. Resistance and sharpness were the norms, then she had several choices: she could make the spear channel mana better using an imbuement that would make every poke deadlier, but there was also the focus route. Much like human Nestra, Mlemra saw herself as a hybrid fighter so she went for runes that would accelerate her casting of nature spells. Carving them didn’t take all that long though night had long since fallen when she was done. It was just that, well, it was still just a wooden spear. A very basic tool. She could get a much better result with a printed Threshold-made metal weapon that would just surpass it in every possible way. Nevertheless, there was a benefit to carving the spear that just went beyond getting a weapon: she was getting practice and, also, it was just pleasant.
Her lizardwoman brain just enjoyed the fine attention to detail, a singular focus that brought purpose and calm for hours on end. It was a refreshing change, to be honest, to the extent she had to wonder if other Aszhii just switched masks according to their moods. Even brushing her scales before sleeping on the ground brought a sort of zen pleasure she had never expected.
The next morning, Nestra woke up to the smells of cooking. Outside, the lizards of the Bleak Spear had gathered around a campfire to eat a meal of leftover stew and simple cereal pancake packed with bits of nuts and dried fruits. Nestra stood awkwardly until Argent Ephis remembered he was supposed to introduce her.
“This is one of my sisters on my father’s side. Her name is… Curious Gazer.”
That motherfucker.
“She brought me this portal treasure as a gift to the tribe. She is a traveling shaman apprentice. She will depart soon.”
The lizards nodded. Besides Death Bloom and Argent’s cousin, Nestra counted another three hunters who returned to their meals as soon as Argent stopped talking. They ate slowly and with great care, but as they were done, the mood improved. The lizards were interested in Nestra who explained she had found the spear on a dead human. When pressed for explanations, she used her memory of the carnage before Camp Riel to explain how she snuck near to steal it from a dead raider. The hunters asked to see the spear which Argent agreed to. It led to a great clamor of boasts and compliments that must have been heard throughout half the village seeing as it was normally so quiet. It made Nestra wonder if spears were more common artifacts in lizard words. They certainly didn’t have a use for armor, it seemed. Maybe it just didn’t suit them.
After a while, the hunters left and Argent Ephis offered Nestra to do the same, with Death Bloom bemoaning that she was bored and wished she could join, something that scared Argent Ephis. It took half of their conversation before Nestra realized that a heavily pregnant woman going hunting was a terribly shocking proposal for lizards and that she was just teasing him. Eventually, they left with some of the dried fruit and a few pancakes. As usual, Argent was silent for as long as they were in the village. Now that the locals had seen Nestra and that she’d been accepted by her tribe, and because she had a proper spear, no one paid her much mind anymore.
After an hour of quick walking, Argent Ephis finally opened up. By then, they were in the deeper parts of the forest and the day was pleasantly warm. Nestra was hungry though. Maybe the lizards had a slower metabolism but she felt like she wasn’t getting enough.
“We will hunt soon. The warriors have killed all the game in the gate’s vicinity. Now we must foray far to find meat. And talk, also. You said that my family was in danger. I want to know how, and I want them protected.”“I need a few things in exchange. First, you cannot betray me.”
He shook his head.
“We are of the People. My first allegiance is to you. Then, to the tribe.”
His eyes narrowed.
“But if you get my partner and child killed, I will change my hiss.”
It seemed like Nestra wasn’t the only one with a strong bond to her mask kin.
“I will not. Second, you must help me free the prisoners.”
His refusal was obvious in the way he stood to his full stature, snout up. A human would have crossed his arms here.
“No need to make yourself bigger. I won’t ask you anything that might ruin your reputation.”
“Your mask kin is obviously going to attack us. The best way for me to protect my family is to leave with the rest of my clan. If I leave with the rest of my clan, then the others will suspect me. It is known that the Carved Tusk clan works with your kind now. The other tribes know that working with humans is not impossible.”
“You can just claim that you want to bring the portal treasure back to your tribe. Must they not decide on a Sacred Wielder?” Nestra asked.
Argent Ephis hissed with displeasure, then, without warning, he took his mask off. His massive true form now hissed Aszhii in her face.
“You are too deceitful! Are all human-born like you? You make my chest dance against my ribs with your half truths and half lies! I do not like it.”
Nestra was over two meters tall and masked before he could poke his grubby finger at her chest.
“This is spy work. I’m doing spy work. I told you that. If I’m going to be a spy then of course I’ll be deceitful, because I have to! Is that hard to understand?”
“No, no, I —”
“I even told my people there were innocent civilians here. I am taking a risk for your sake.”
“As if your people cared! Perhaps they will call fire down on the village from afar, like you always do!”
“They will not.”
Mostly because Shinran wouldn’t risk it. He knew she was there. Getting Nestra killed in a bombardment he would have called himself was a direct way to get Sereth to pull his spine through his ribcage.
“You need to decide,” Nestra said. “You accept the deceit for our sake and the sake of your tribe, and then you work with me fully. Or you refuse and I will work on my own, and what happens, happens. Decide. And then stop whining!”
“Then you take the lead. I want as little to do with this… this dishonorable war as I can!”
“Fine. But no whining and no protests. I don’t even have a plan yet. My people asked me to wait for instructions.”
Argent bobbed his head, apparently surprised.
“I thought humans planned everything. I heard you even plan what you will eat in three days!”
Nestra had to blink to that. Though Argent probably wouldn’t get what it meant. Ugh. If only most physical expressions transcended species. Beside the rude ones, of course.
“Bro, I’ve planned weeks of meals for really intense training. You guys need to lock in on the food and fight business.”
“What do you mean by locking in? Stop using human slang when you speak Aszhii!”
“It means you’re deeply unserious about food and training. Do you even travel around with spices?”
“I have salt. Also, cooking proper stew is done at home, by those who stay behind! You are supposed to hunt and eat jerky and what you brought if you must, not start a full kitchen out in the wilderness.”
Nestra glared with all the obvious disgust she could possibly express.
“Pathetic.”
“Hssss! How do you even do it properly?”
“We use backpacks. Come on, man, you don’t even use water flasks! And yeah, sure, you can cook properly. Observe.”
Nestra took out her visor from her dimension pocket, made absolutely sure it was in offline mode, then shoved the entire thing on Argent’s baffled face. It didn’t fit but it worked well enough.
“I… I can see. It doesn’t even use magic?”
“Nope. Pure technology.”
Argent remained speechless after that, until the episode of Cooking with Crescent was finished.
“So?” Nestra asked.
“You have a great many tools. My kind… could learn a lot from you. The tribes are made to look down on you because you need so many tools, and that means you are weak. But this is not weakness.”
His tongue darted out, considering his next words.
“How did you obtain our form?”
“You have to kill a human and before you say anything, no, it will not work. The access to the fort and to its portal is secured and the access out of the portal is possibly the most tightly locked on the planet. The only thing we humans distrust more than invading aliens is ourselves. You’ll just be spending the next thirty years in the Red House, assuming you don’t get pasted on sight.”
“What is a red house?”
Nestra sighed, then her stomach gurgled.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Look, I’m waiting for instructions and I’m hungry so, let’s just hunt and talk for today?”
“Yes!”
***
Cultural exchange with Argent proved to be an experience. The lizard was strangely inquisitive, to the point that Nestra was starting to wonder if the lizards’ lack of curiosity was cultural rather than biological. Or maybe it was more of an Aszhii thing. The internet was the hardest thing to explain on the list. Argent couldn’t fathom that the entire human knowledge on spear techniques were available online for practically free, yet people preferred to doom scroll and post slurs. To be fair, Nestra was struggling to explain the depression and anxiety that was the human experience in Threshold most days.
The two of them hunted a weird quadrupedal herbivore with horns that could shoot lightning. It took two hours to properly hunt one in lizard form because the creature was aggressive but it was also fast, not hesitating to retreat so it could recover and cast again. Nestra caught it on the shore of a river as it was trying to drink after a rather hot pursuit. A nature spell captured it long enough for Nestra to stab its flank. After that, it fled and Nestra only needed to pursue until it bled out. Argent was rather pleased at the end.
“You are impatient. Like many young hunters. But you are persistent, also, and that is a good quality to have if you can remain calm. You did well, new Bleak Spear huntress. Now… show me how you cook things out here!”
So Nestra did. She identified what looked like the beast’s tenderloin, which she seared in a pan until it was medium rare since lizards didn’t like stuff that was too cooked anyway. Sliced with a void-infused knife and seasoned with pepper and sea salt flakes, the simple dish turned out nice enough that Argent was delighted. He grew a little giddy and went for a nap while Nestra prepared a stew with mushrooms and berries they’d picked along the way. She wished she’d packed more.
“Do you think other Aszhii do this? Travel together?” he asked after waking up.
“I got the impression that our kind are mostly loners, but since we’re based off different species, I can only assume some of us are more social than others. You’d probably want to wander off at some point though.”
“Hsss. Perhaps you are correct. Ah, I wish you could cook for us every day!”
“Don’t get used to it, bozo. If you want good food, reach B-class then you can visit my planet later.”
“And commit murder!”
“Well…”
It would be a bit hypocritical of Nestra to object.
“At least pick an asshole please. We have a surplus of them.”
“I will find an asshole for you, sister.”
After they were done, Argent used vines and a nearby young tree to attach the remaining carcass to a sort of staff they could carry on their shoulders. The trip back was slow and relaxing now that her stomach was full. She resisted the urge to nap until they reached the village’s vicinity, where the laborers and hunters greeted them with respect for this fast catch. Nestra dropped the meat with a happy Death Bloom, but before she could rest, there was one last thing she wanted to do.
Nearby, near the portals, were the cages. Nestra approached under the indifferent gaze of the portal’s B-class guards. She counted the humans. They noticed her too.
So many desperate and hateful gazes on her made her feel distinctly uncomfortable. It brought back memories of the auction, of men and women treated like cattle by the powerful and unscrupulous. Aunt Claire had lucked out. Many others weren’t so lucky.
“What do you want, scaly bitch?” someone muttered.
Those were raiders, here for a while for some of them given how long their hair and beards were. At least they hadn’t been tortured or sexually abused. They were, however, starving and without hope. They would definitely not be able to run.
While she watched, she still spotted small signs of defiance. Someone had built a chess board with pieces of bones. Two raiders were looking after a despondent third, feeding her the last scraps of their daily meal. Enchantments on the door were weakened, though with the guards present, opening the cages would only lead to a painful death. Those humans were not entirely broken, and she was going to save them. But not right now. She was still too weak to do this alone.
Nestra turned and left. For now.
***
It was night. Nestra was alone in her tent, which had been decorated with fresh herbs and a nice pelt to sleep on after she’d ingratiated herself to the tribe. It was time to check her communicator. As expected, she’d gotten an answer.
The first message blinked on the ancient screen. With all the UI improvements her visor boasted, returning to basic typing felt like taking a trip back in time, to the early 2000’s before the Incursion. Sitting in a hut only reinforced the feeling of anachronistic weirdness.
“Agent Crescent, please respond to this message when you are safe.”
Very considerate.
“I am,” she typed back.
It took only a few seconds before someone answered.
“Are you confident that you can safely stay around the objective without being detected up until the time of the raid?”
“I am fully confident.”
The messages came fast. The person typing to her had to be at least B-class given how quick they were.
“Can you assess the number and circumstances of the prisoners?”
“I counted twenty-seven. Some of them are in intense emotional distress and appear unresponsive.”
That was the best way she could think of to convey that those people had suffered far too much.
“What is the likelihood that they could all safely leave the camp on their own?”
“Nonexistent.”
“It has been determined that a rescue mission is the ethical responsibility of the city.”
Yes! Well, now she would get to show off, that is, not show off, now she would get to do what’s right and prove she belonged here. As a human-adjacent existence. An ally, at the very least.
“Your participation in this mission must be voluntary.”
“It is.”
“The Specter guild also accepted the new mission. Now the briefing begins. Five days from now, the Specter guild will make contact with you on your communicator. You are to rendez-vous with them, prepare, then carry out a break-out operation that will begin after the diversionary attack. You will hide and slowly move the prisoners over the course of the next hour. The Specter guild will tell you more. A rescue party will join you after you have left the immediate vicinity of the camp or if the operation partially fails. For operational security reasons, we can give you no more details.”
Nestra nodded. Raiders were always given a ton of latitude anyway. That was nothing new. She still had questions though.
“What about lizard civilian casualties?”
“Our priority is the rescue of the prisoners. Limiting collateral damage is your decision and responsibility.”
Nestra paused. According to the plan, Shinran and Ragnarok were supposed to attack the base which, according to her understanding, meant that they’d raze it. Maybe she had misunderstood and they would focus on lizard warriors instead. It also meant it was up to her to convince Specter not to kill everything in sight. It might be a bit challenging given her perception of them. She guessed she’d see.
The plan also left her a lot of free time. One work week, specifically. She already had a plan to handle the door guards or at least attract their attention, but maybe there was an angle she could find.
All of this led her back to the previous night. Talking to Argent had brought a measure of clarity, weirdly, especially the curiosity aspect she hadn’t found in other lizardmen. It was abundantly obvious from the way he spoke Aszhii that his lizard brain shaped his thoughts, to an extent. Oh, there was the Aszhii sensuality and hubris she could see seeping through the cracks, and a measure of curiosity that must drive the Aszhii to be the wanderers she took them to be. He was also… kind of bad with social cues and more a champion than a leader given how his tribesmen sort of ignored him, deferring to Death Bloom instead. Although, again, it was hard to decide if this was random, an Aszhii thing, or, as she was starting to suspect, Argent Ephis did in fact share a father with her. It would make sense for a male Aszhii to travel to linked planes, banging one or several people of each species on the way. It sounded like the sort of efficiency this cunt would go for.
Anyway.
Argent Ephis was a lizardman with Aszhii aspects, mental wise. His appearance was of a lizard-born Aszhii. Nestra was born from humans. Her appearance was based off the human form, but bigger and stronger and gray. A bit like a xenomorph! But less drooly.
Anyway.
She was very human. For all intents and purposes, there was more in common between Aunt Claire or Helena and herself than between herself and Argent. Sereth was a bit of an oddity in this regard. She’d felt such relief figuring out she was an alien all these months ago, because it had meant there was an explanation for everything that had gone wrong with her. That happiness had been genuine, like finally opening a door or finding something she’d been looking for. Now, though, she’d fixed or at least learned to cope with absolutely everything that had happened to her. She had repaired the frayed bonds that still tied her to… most of her family. Now, the new mind struggling for dominance upset her. But she had to be honest with herself. Her primary mind was the one that resided in her true form, and that one was human with some small variations.
Until she met other Aszhii and traveled around, she was, essentially, a spicy human. That was it. It was also why she cared so much about them, the silly geese. Or why people like Hunnigan or Evil Shinoda pissed her off since they were the worst the species had to offer without any excuses whatsoever: rich, attractive, intelligent, influential, and then using all of this to be absolute bastards.
The consequence of that was clear. Her primary purpose was what the modified human mind in her Aszhii brain wanted, with her human self a close and nearly-identical second. All other forms were secondary, and her lizard sympathy made sense from a human perspective anyway: no one should want the death of harmless civilians as a general rule. The species of the victims didn’t matter. Only that they were innocent sapient lifeforms.
Nestra sat comfortably on her gifted pelt. She didn’t know if she was right, or even if there was a right answer to who she was, but until something changed, her recent conclusion felt like it made sense, and also aligned with her objectives. Maybe Aszhii were more dual species than most other species. Maybe she could see herself that way, not an ‘Aszhii’, but a human born Aszhii.
And it would be up to her to make sure the two species became friends. Humans are friends, not food etc.
That might be a little difficult, but there was no one else but her to do the job.
***
Nestra woke up to a bad surprise. There was a new guest sitting around the breakfast fire, though ‘guest’ might be pushing it given how awkward and intimidated the rest of them were. Black, scarred, and immensely powerful, the lizardwoman turned her attention to Nestra as soon as she emerged from her hut.
She was the A-class raider on guard duty.
“Good morning, sleepy one. I am Night Cloud, and you are Curious Gazer. I do not remember you going through the portal carrying a portal treasure. If you had, I would remember it.”
Interrogation before coffee ought to be illegal in every species.
“I found it on a dead human,” Nestra calmly replied.
Nestra kept silent while she sat for some stew and grain bread. Night Cloud was owed deference, so Nestra kept her head low, but something told her showing fear would be a bad sign here. Lizards were less cautious but that didn’t mean they were idiots, and the older ones must have definitely survived a treason or two. This one didn’t look like she would be satisfied with simple answers.
“Where did you find the dead human?”
“Not far from their gate. After the big battle.”
“Did you fight in the big battle?”
The questions were coming fast, perhaps as a way to trap Nestra.
“No. I went to watch. They still burnt my spear.”
“Why not fight?”
“Why should I? They were not my tribe.”
“All of us must fight against the humans. They are our enemies.”
Trick question? Nestra wasn’t sure.
“I have no blood feud with humans. I will not hunt them unless they hunt me.”
Night Cloud hissed in annoyance.
“You younglings cannot see the death looming over us. We still do half measures. We squabble, while they grow stronger. We should have attacked them again with all our might, but no, half of our greatest warriors disappeared and the rest became as fearful as newborns. Some even turned their scales! And now it is almost too late…”
She shook her head.
“May I die before I see us brought to our knees. And you, are you a huntress?”
Oops, better stick to what Argent had said. Fuck, they should have coordinated the over but she had forgotten with everything else going on.
“I am a traveling shaman apprentice.”
“You are? Can you sing me the song of Obsidian tongue Seduces the Seven Sisters?”
Curses. Nestra’s mind worked fast. Fortunately, she still remembered Semerdjian’s briefing and the Lizardmen legends.
“No. I am learning enchanting, not storytelling. And I hate that story.”
“Hsss!” Night cloud cackled with amusement. “Me too.”
“I can tell you a short version of the brave huntress Little Quiet.”
“This is a child’s tale!” Night Cloud complained.
“I like it,” Nestra defended.
It was about a young girl braving a monster who had defeated her family’s warriors, one full of cunning and patience against overwhelming strength while the Obsidian Tongue tale was just some asshole deviously seducing and fucking an entire hut. Boring.
“If you are an enchanter, what does this one mea—”
“It helps you channel shadow magic,” Nestra cut off.
Night Cloud remained silent, like she couldn’t believe she’d been cut off.
“And this one allows you to do so for a long time. Very good to survive in battle.”
“Alright then, why is my spear so shiny? What enchantment is this?” the A-class asked with a smile.
“It is not an enchantment. You have infused the spear with your mana for a great many cycles. Now, the wood remembers.”
“Hsss! I like this one. A spine and something on top. Now you only need the wisdom that comes with age,” Night Cloud finished.
Losing interest, the A-class demanded a cut of meat which Argent willingly offered. It seemed that Nestra had passed her little test and now the powerhouse was just getting her dues. Argent did nothing to resist her. He was still a very young adult according to lizard standards while Night Cloud was a mighty elder. She could pretty much levy offerings from every dwelling in the village and nobody would dare to mouth off. Demanding gifts had always been the privilege of the mighty back on Earth, so Nestra wasn’t surprised. She was just really lucky Ragnarok accepted offerings of raspberry biscuits. She made a note to bake more of those delicious Hallongrottor after she got back.
***
There was no hunting to be done that day since they had meat to process. Death Bloom couldn’t do everything by herself so Nestra helped. It was interesting to see how absolutely inept Argent Ephis was when it came to chores. Apparently, roles were really strongly separated in lizard society with village workers doing village things and hunters doing the hunting, and that was it, which was interesting because usually gender roles followed the same rule in human society. Not here though. Death Bloom used to be a huntress but she had switched to laborer as soon as she was visibly pregnant, and would stay that way until her child grew up or she had relatives do the rearing for her. She had forfeited all hunter activities up to spear training. Nevertheless, she was still happy for the help Nestra provided. Argent Ephis had praised Nestra’s cooking so now she was stuck turning what they had into salt alien, smoked alien jerky, alien stew, and sliced, fried alien tender cuts. Her popularity exploded.
“Is it a shaman thing?” Argent’s cousin whose name was Lithe Dancer asked.
“No, it is a me thing.”
“Hah! You speak funny, little Curious Gazer. I like your brain.”
The rest of the day was spent working on her spear while listening to hunting tales, then napping under the sun. Lizards were amazing power nappers and the experience left Nestra jealous. A short stroll through the village in the late afternoon gave her another bout of whiplash. It seemed that people here just didn’t hang around. She was asked where she was going once, and returning to the glassmaker she was curious about ended poorly. The old lizardwoman asked her her name, confirmed that she was with the Bleak Spears, and then told her, in direct terms, to fuck off. Glassmaking techniques were a protected IP of the tribe, apparently. She had exhausted her quota of curiosity.
At night, the Specter Guild hadn’t made contact yet. It was likely they would need a few more days. It presented a certain problem to her, however. She still didn’t give two shits about most lizardmen, especially those who kept the humans caged, but the Bleak Spears were kinda growing on her.