Tiakau, this is what the Adaklis people in the Rainforest truly call themselves.
In the language of the Rainforest, Tiakau means 'valiant and skilled in battle,' which is how the Rainforest inhabitants define themselves.
However, this doesn't mean that all Rainforest inhabitants are just 'waaaagh'-ing, axe-wielding kings who only believe in melee combat.
As long as Originium is nearby, the most primitive Originium Arts are bound to exist within the Rainforest. Whether they are called shamans, Witch Doctors, or anything else, these sorcerers who have mastered Originium Arts to a certain extent are all inheritors of tribal wisdom.
"Hey, you girls from outside the Rainforest are really impressive. You don't look as muscular as Gavial, but each of you is a better fighter than the last."
Inside the dilapidated wooden hut, which was somewhat charred, an elderly Adaklis woman was using a small stone pestle to pound pungent-smelling medicinal herbs.
"Also, you, young man, are not bad either. Your strength isn't immense, but Shaman Grandmother can tell you're no worse than Gavial, that little one."
Meanwhile, Gavial and Goki were in the room, holding rags and feather dusters, helping to clean up the black soot that Surtr had previously smoked out.
Tomimi ultimately didn't continue to take a beating. She was the chieftain of this small tribe after Gavial left, and the guests from the Columbia exploration team had to be received by her, the leader.
If anything went wrong, Gavial would step in to back her up.
The red-haired Sarkaz girl had regained her composure, while the Aegir girl sat by the bed, somewhat dejectedly fiddling with her fingers.
"Hmm..."
Thanks to the humid air of the Rainforest, Goki's timely response, and the help of the surrounding residents, Surtr had fallen back into a deep sleep, and the Witch Doctor's hut was not burned down.
However, when Skadi volunteered to help wipe the walls, she quickly snapped a house pillar, as thick as a bowl, with a towel.
According to her, it was 'just a slight push.'
Frightened, Goki quickly appeased her, made Little Orca sit on the bed, and coaxed her for a long while before finally convincing her not to do any work.
Surtr lay quietly on the bed, her breathing steady, her expression serene.
Beneath her black dress, her perky chest rose and fell slowly, completely devoid of the terrifying Aura of burning everything that she had displayed earlier. Her extra-long two-handed greatsword was also clutched in her arms.
Now, she finally looked a bit more like an ordinary person.
The old Witch Doctor, meanwhile, returned to the room, not at all afraid of the terrifying power Surtr had just unleashed, and continued to prepare calming and fever-reducing herbs for her.
Although she was elderly, from her appearance, this female crocodile Shaman Grandmother still looked very young, at most forty or fifty years old. Her hair wasn't gray, she had no forehead wrinkles, and the muscles in her arms were even more developed than Gavial's.
Her old age was evident in her thin tail, somewhat similar to Gavial's, which no longer had Gavial's vibrant colors, appearing somewhat withered and yellow, with many scales already loose and peeling.
In the Rainforest, anyone who lived to this age was surely the wisest person in the entire tribe.
"Gavial, tell me honestly, is this young man your partner? Hey, I think he's quite good."
However, perhaps due to her age, or perhaps her profession, the old Witch Doctor quickly focused on the pair, who were working together harmoniously to clean the room, and began to gossip incessantly.
"The young man's name is Goki, handsome and good-natured... Our Gavial has been straightforward and hot-tempered since she was little, and she couldn't get along with those big, clumsy guys—but don't worry, Gavial is only like that on the surface; in reality, she's a kind-hearted and gentle good child, perfect for a wife."
Hearing the Shaman Grandmother's words, the three people present suddenly coughed.
Goki felt a hint of secret pleasure amidst his embarrassment, Skadi's red eyes widened, her arms flailing in the air in a panic, while Gavial directly dropped her rag, turned to glare at the Shaman Grandmother, and her thin tail behind her sharply hit the floor.
"Get lost, old hag, stop spouting nonsense! If you hadn't constantly urged me to find a man, would I have run out of Acahuala so quickly?—Goki is just a friend I met not long ago, don't listen to her BS."
This was the Acahuala people's way of respecting the old and loving the young; it had to be experienced.
"Mm-hmm, Goki is my friend too."
Skadi, at the side, nodded vigorously, as if to emphasize Gavial's point.
"Yes, Shaman Grandmother, Gavial and I are just companions on this journey."
Of course, Goki also just nodded, agreeing with Gavial's statement, but then immediately added a sentence.
"But, I don't deny the kind-hearted and gentle part—ouch, ouch, ouch."
They were companions on this journey; what they would be afterward was hard to say.
Before he could finish speaking, Gavial's tail whipped across Goki's back.
"Go away, you too, say less! I'm not that nice, I don't need you to flatter me here!"
Puffing out her cheeks, a hint of embarrassment crossed Gavial's face. She turned her face away from everyone's view, rubbed it twice, and then turned back with a calm expression.
Who wouldn't like to be praised?
"Hurry up, let's talk business. Earlier, at the border, I encountered the legendary Flame Demon of our Acahuala. Its appearance and heat were quite similar. That's why I came back this time; otherwise, do you think I'd be willing to return?"
Gavial glanced at the old Witch Doctor, remembering the legends she had told her when she was a child.
"Now, this fellow lying on the bed can also use fire, and just now she was saying some strange things... I'm afraid something might happen. Goki is a professional in handling these kinds of matters, so I brought him."
Gavial still had lingering fears about the previous heat. After Skadi and Goki rushed in, Gavial actually wanted to follow, but the temperature of the flames unleashed by the red-haired girl was simply too high; she couldn't get close at all.
Coupled with the self-destructing flame giant she encountered during a mercenary mission on the Sargon border, Gavial had no reason not to connect these two incidents.
Would such a thing happen again? If Goki hadn't been here, how many casualties would the two disasters have caused?
However, hearing Gavial's anxious inquiry, the old Witch Doctor maintained her calm smile.
"Legends, I know many legends, but they are only legends now—you must know, Gavial, how many legends were once facts witnessed firsthand by people of that era? I originally planned for you to take my place; you should have known these things earlier."
Pounding herbs in her hand, the old Witch Doctor slowly recounted the facts she knew.
"The Sargon royal family was not incapable of governing the vast Rainforest. This freedom was earned by the champions of Tiakau with blood and sacrifice. They were once hired by the conquering Pasha and once fought alongside undead legions, together resisting the scorching heat of the Burning Wind wasteland."
The strange smell of herbs permeated the air. The old Witch Doctor stood up, walked to the bed, placed the prepared herbal poultice into a bandage made of boat grass, pressed it onto Surtr's forehead, and recounted the stories of the past in a low voice.
"At that time, Acahuala also fell into a sea of fire. His followers broke through the Watcher's Wall, causing a forest fire, offering the creatures of the Rainforest as sacrifices, and drawing that supreme being from Chaos into reality. A single arm alone killed thousands of elite warriors."
Although she had not witnessed that battle, the records of that conquest from a thousand years ago had been passed down orally by Witch Doctors and shamans. Even in retelling it, the old Witch Doctor's face was filled with terror.
"But in the end, we still won. The Emperor of Sargon poured out everything, melting down the treasury of the Golden City, and re-forging it into temples within the Rainforest. Using the power of their faith, they Sealed a portion of this alien god's power. We also abandoned civilization, allowing the temples to be covered by soil, giant trees, and shrubs, and we have lived here ever since."
The Witch Doctor sighed. After Gavial left, she had intended to reveal this matter after her young apprentice Tomimi came of age, but now it seemed there was no time.
"Columbia's plundering of the Rainforest has never stopped. Many temples have been excavated and plundered, losing their original efficacy. Our suppression of that being is also becoming weaker—but it shouldn't be happening so quickly."
The Witch Doctor sighed, narrowed her eyes, and looked at Goki, whose back was being whipped by Gavial's large tail.
This young man was enveloped in a mysterious power that subconsciously attracted her, yet also made her feel a little afraid.
Although the white-haired Aegir girl seemed stronger, in her essence, the Witch Doctor felt that this man named Goki was even more terrifying.
"The shamans a thousand years ago made a prophecy that He would eventually break free, but there are still decades until the prophecy's deadline. It should have been irrelevant to our generation..."
It wasn't just the accidents Gavial and Goki encountered; in recent days, strange phenomena had also been frequent in the Rainforest: no rain for many days, sudden forest fires... For some reason, the situations mentioned in the prophecy seemed to have come early.
The power of that supreme being from the South seemed to be recovering faster than expected.
"Ha... isn't this already very dangerous! I knew you were unreliable. Prophecies, prophecies, aren't they just wild guesses! How can you fully believe in such things! Goki, we need to go check the old temples. I don't believe in gods, but there must be some Originium Arts problems inside."
Gavial patted Goki's back with her tail, looking particularly anxious.
"Tomimi also said that Mavesotia is being held near the nearest temple. These people really love a spectacle."
And then, Gavial's shoulder was patted by Goki.
"Don't worry, there's always a solution. Trust me, I'm an expert in this area."
Goki's expression was particularly serious, but facing Gavial, he still gave her a reassuring smile.
Gavial's eyes widened slightly, and after a moment, she grinned, and in turn, put her arm around Goki's shoulder...
"Alright then, I'll watch your performance, Mr. Hunter?"
And then, Skadi directly squeezed between the two, interrupting Gavial's embrace of Goki.
"I, I'll help too!"
With the Witch Doctor's knowledge, Goki, half a theologian from Yharnam, had already grasped the basic information about the God of Burning Wind.
After that Pasha launched his conquest and expansion, the God of Burning Wind had launched a counterattack, causing considerable losses, but ultimately a part of Her power was Sealed in the northern Rainforest.
"No wonder she was so weak, and the Sargon people also rely on gods... Right, thinking about the Feiyangyang sisters, they are both Pharaoh's chosen, maybe they can piece together a thousand-year-old Divine Artifact."
As for why the prophecy would be fulfilled early, Goki didn't know, but he felt that since the God of Burning Wind had a hand in plundering his power, he would definitely awaken earlier than in the original storyline.
"Hey, so, little brother Goki, are you really not considering our Gavial? Even if you don't like this type, Tomimi is also good. Her tail is so thick, and her butt is round and perky, definitely good for bearing children—and Zumama and Kmar next door are also very nice!"
The old Witch Doctor started promoting the girls in the tribe again. Before she could finish, Gavial was already pouncing on her, baring her fangs and claws.
"Old hag, what's in your head? Tomimi is still a child—today I'm going to make your nose bleed!"
"Afraid of you, little brat? Don't you remember who taught you your Originium Arts and fighting skills!"
Seeing that the two master and apprentice were about to come to blows, Goki was about to break up the fight, but then he heard Tomimi's voice from not far outside the door, completely different from before, a particularly firm refusal.
"Ms. Tomimi—"
"No, sir, this matter is not open for discussion! We will not allow Columbians to enter our temples!"
Outside, it seemed, an argument had also broken out.
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