Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 113: Willingness to help

Their first meeting with the Stone-horns was successful. Uri didn’t expect it to go as well as it had. He returned with several things from the Stone-horns.

He was able to get different kinds of knives that he was sure would be useful to the pack. Because of the rediron, he could get axeheads and spearheads. The pack would be able to cut their own wooden handles to hit the heads. They were also able to get chisels.

This means that for future building projects, they no longer need to use their nails as tools rather than the weapons they truly were.

Before leaving, Uri walked around with Gorn. They visited the place where the Ston-horn people made their metal. Uri watched them work, linking the knowledge in his brain to what he was seeing. He understood that metal work was more than meets the eye.

He decided to talk to Visha and Xeno about postponing building a forge. They needed someone who could teach them the basics before they decided to dive in. What’s more, they do not have the numbers to properly keep a forge running.

Uri took note of the people working. He could see those who were hard at work. However, he also saw another set of people. These people were still working, but they had a sickly grey colour. They were trying to keep themselves upright.

There were people asking them to rest. The ones with the grey pallor refused to rest.

He hadn’t noticed it when he first arrived at the Stone-horn settlement; however, now he has seen it so close he couldn’t help but ask.

"Your people, why do they not rest?" Uri asked. He didn’t mention them looking sick outright, only framed it as them being overworked. "It is better to rest and come back to the work later."

He noticed Gorn had gone stiff when he mentioned the sickly people. "They choose to work. This is what they have known their entire lives. I will not stop them from working if it gives them peace before they die."

Uri didn’t expect Gorn to be so forthcoming. But he thought about their previous conversations and realized that Gorn is a pragmatic person. There must be a reason he is willing to tell Uri about this. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Die?" Uri asked. "Are they ill? What troubles them?"

Uri felt as if he was walking into a trap. Even so, he asked the question. It seems Gorn made a point of leading him to these people. He wanted to see what Gorn wanted.

"It is the Forge sickness. For generations, our people have died from working in the forge. The sickness leaves us weak. Your mind becomes clouded. You cannot strike the ore as you used to," Gorn’s eye held a faraway look as he spoke. "It is the fate of our people. We are made to work with metal, but metal will also kill us."

"You can leave. You can try working with something other than metal," Uri suggested.

"If you were asked to leave your home, the place you have bound yourself to, the place where you have witnessed generations spend their lives. Would you be able to leave?" Gorn asked.

Uri said nothing. He knew what ancestral land meant to beastmen. Just like the snake tribe. Although they were a solitary people, they would not leave their ancestral home simply because a few people died. It was linked to their own identity as a part of the snake tribe.

"You’ve brought me here to see this. Why?" Uri didn’t beat around the bush. He let Gorn know he understood that he lured him here to see these people.

"I want to ask for your help. I had not intended to ask at first. But after our fight and the rediron you have given, I want to make a request." Gorn paused. "We are willing to give you metal pots, pans, and armour to your pack in exchange for your priestess treating our people."

Uri’s eyes narrowed as he heard the request. "The River Clan told you."

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. The River Clan was the only one who could have said anything. It was expected that after they helped the River Clan, they would tell others. Uri just didn’t expect others to know so quickly.

He wondered what kind of network the River Clan had and how many people they had already told about this. It shouldn’t have gone far. But Uri wasn’t sure how many tribes the River Clan had visited since the time between their last trade and meeting each other to go to the Stone-horn camp.

Since the information was already out there, it didn’t make sense to deny it.

"They did. And I am sure they told others." Gorn held Uri’s gaze. "You should be careful in the future. Healing their water supply might not make you a threat. But healing our people might make people more interested in both your pack and your priestess."

Uri nodded with understanding and said, "You have asked for our help. What of your priest? Is he unable to cure this illness?

"Our priest hasn’t been able to cure it in all the time he has been a priest. He doesn’t have a gift of healing. He can tell that people are ill. He can use various herbs to lessen the sickness, but he has not been able to completely cure it."

"I cannot guarantee a cure either," Uri said. "If I bring our pack’s priestess here and she is unable to cure them, what would happen to us?"

Gorn understood the meaning in Uri’s words. Some tribes are willing to destroy another because of petty reasons. Many large tribes are willing to imprison people who do not listen to what they want.

"I can only give my word. Our priest has already tried all he can. It would be disloyal of me to force someone to stay in our lands for not being able to cure the same illness our own priest is unable to cure," Gorn replied.

Uri was not certain of Gorn’s sincerity. He felt it better to ask Visha her thoughts on it rather than promise outright.

"I will have to speak to our priestess. If she wishes to help you, we will come back with the River Clan for the next trade." Uri said. "I believe they will be back at the half-moon. Correct?"

Gorn nodded, hope flickering in his eyes. "I look forward to seeing you and your priestess in the next half-moon, Leader Uri."

Uri smiled. He neither agreed nor disagreed.

Gorn decided to see them on their way. He mentioned to Uri once more that he was waiting to see him again soon.

This time, Uri nodded.