Fallen Fate Online

They held massive sticks in their hands and were stirring the contents of the cauldron. Inside was a dark blue liquid, with small brightly colored particles. It seemed that the particles were gradually getting bigger, but it was definitely not a fast process and required a lot of effort.

Clort looked at the cauldron and nodded slightly, he didn\'t seem to think it was anything unusual and had no complaints about what the Lizars were doing, also he knew what they were doing.

\'Hmm... Are they cooking something?\' Zayne raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, \'Maybe some kind of weird soup? No... It\'s probably a potion, right? Otherwise, they wouldn\'t look so wary and serious.\'\'

Among the many huts, one was much larger than the others and now there were Lizards constantly running up to it. They would quickly come in, bring something ask something, and leave to do their task.

It was obvious that each Lizard was trying to help with the problem their village was facing and they were ready for it, at least they had experience. They were worried, but no one looked scared or lost, everyone knew what they had to do.

"It\'s just as I thought. The Lizards got poisoned too, and it looks like this time they have considerably more casualties than we do." Clort muttered with a slight frown, heading towards the large hut.

"This time, right? Zayne internally muttered, \'Well, this is all new to me, but to them it\'s a familiar disaster. Clort\'s right, they keep Snake Tree as a necessary evil that they\'ve learned to control so that the rest of the time they can only gain an advantage.

Zayne stopped and looked at one of the Lizards standing off to the side. He was nervously biting his fingernails and it was obvious he was worrying a lot about something. When the Lizard turned in their direction and saw the knights, his eyes went wide, filling with anxiety.

\'However... Looks like something happened this time that they weren\'t prepared for... Or at least something they can\'t control.\' Zayne pondered, trying to understand the purpose of his Trial.

He had to protect someone, but who? Lizard or Clort and the Knights?

Crackle.

Clort opened the doors to the hut.

Inside lay about ten Lizards, from the expression on their faces it was clear that they were feeling very ill. Some of them had blood coming out of the corners of their mouths. Apparently, they had all been poisoned, as well as Clort\'s Lady. They drank the water without knowing it was poisoned.

Next to each patient, there were several Lizards who helped them hold out as long as possible. The poison was spreading through their bodies, but they were still alive and not about to die.

Some of them even had smiles on their faces as they were joking about something and talking to each other. The situation was complicated, but familiar and controllable. 

In the center of the hut stood a tall Lizard with broad shoulders and a long tail. When someone approached him, he was treated with respect, it was obvious that he was in charge.

The Lizard girl stood next to him, her build was not as bulky and powerful as the others, and her scales had a slight pink tint to them, while her eyes showed care and concern for her tribesmen.

"Gron!" Clort said loudly, drawing attention to himself.

At the same moment, the Village Elder turned around. Staring intently at Clort, on his face was a long diagonal scar running over his right eye.

"Clort... You came after all..." Gron uttered as he looked at the knights standing behind Clort, "Looks like you\'re serious, and we\'re going to have a hard conversation, aren\'t we?"

Clort looked around, "Let\'s talk outside. I don\'t want to disturb the sick, you and I have a similar situation, and I want to get to the bottom of what\'s going on here."

Gron nodded, "Sure. I\'m glad you\'ve made that decision. It\'s very appropriate of you."

Clort responded with a nod and headed for the exit. The knights let him pass ahead, then followed him.

"Father...? Are you sure?" The girl asked, pressing her palm to her chest.

Gron sighed, "Nela, I have no other choice. I have to talk to him and explain that nothing is our fault. We didn\'t break the treaty and we\'re just trying to save our people, just like we always have."

Gron put a hand on Nela\'s shoulder, smiled slightly, and headed forward.

Zayne was the last to exit, purposely slowing his step and lingering slightly, so he was the only one to hear it.

\'Well... It\'s not like he\'s lying, but it\'s not like Clort was trying to trick me either. I doubt he\'s taking me seriously, so there was no point in making up a lie just for me. So... If they\'re not both lying, then who\'s right? What\'s going on here?\' Zayne pondered with a complicated expression while leaving the hut.

Clort, with a group of knights, stepped aside, near the center of the village and the massive cauldron that the Lizards kept stirring.

A moment later, Gron, with several Guards by his side, approached them. In their hands were long spears, which they were skilled with.

"So, why did you come?" Gron asked with a calm expression.

Clort frowned, "Are you saying you don\'t understand this? You broke the treaty!" Clort exclaimed, pointing his staff at Gron. 

Gron took a deep breath, "I don\'t know what you\'re talking about. According to our treaty, the fruit of the Snake Tree is divided equally. We took exactly as much as we were supposed to. No more, and what\'s more, it was impossible."

Clort tilted his head in confusion, "What do you mean it was impossible?"

Gron pointed back toward the cauldron.

Everyone looked over there.

Behind the cauldron was a massive fruit, it was missing half of it since it was already in the cauldron. The pulp was dark blue just like the liquid in the cauldron, but that wasn\'t the most important part of the Snake Tree Fruit.

Amidst the dark blue pulp was an azure sphere, shining brightly with a pleasant light. It was the core, and it contained the main amount of energy as well as the antidote to the Snake Tree poison.

"As you can see, we are already using our fruit to brew a potion to cure our people. Soon we will be ready to add the core, and our people will be saved." Gron explained with a calm expression.

Clort was silent for a while, then he glared at Gron, "I know what you use the fruit for, but it\'s the only one! Where are the others?! Have you already used them? If not, then I demand that you give us the part that belongs to us according to the terms of the contract!"

Gron took a deep breath, "Just as I thought, you don\'t understand what\'s going on here."

Then, Gron\'s gaze became deadly serious as he stared intently at Clort, "Clort, you think there were four or six fruits and we took the rest, don\'t you?"

Clort didn\'t answer anything, but it was clear from his gaze that Gron had literally read his mind. 

"Clort, there were only two fruits this time. You took one, then after ten hours, we realized the water was already poisoned and took the second fruit. According to the terms of the treaty, everyone takes an equal amount, so considering there were only two fruits, each of us only got one fruit." Gron said confidently with a cold stare.

Gron realized that the situation was unusual and that perhaps Clort was in serious trouble, but it was his duty to take care of his men. Moreover, they weren\'t cheating anyone, everything was fair.

"What...? Only two fruits?" Clort muttered in disbelief, then his face contorted in anger, "What kind of nonsense are you talking about?! There\'s no such thing! In the dozens of times the Snake Tree has borne fruit, there have been four to eight fruits! Always an even number and never less than four! Two is impossible!"

Gron sighed, he knew that Clort would have such a reaction, after all, he would most likely say the same thing.

\'Hmm... Interesting, Clort obviously isn\'t lying, now I\'m beginning to understand why Chaos decided to send me here. So far none of them are at fault, as none of them have violated the terms of the contract.\'\' Zayne pondered.

Then, he glanced at the fruit, \'However, something has happened that has never happened before. They weren\'t prepared for it, and I doubt they\'ll accept it. Although, Gron has to prove that there were only two fruits.

"I knew you would say that, that\'s why I prepared for it." Gron said as the ring on his finger shone brightly.

A crystal sphere appeared in his hand, with magical energy inside.

Then, he channeled the mana into the sphere, and everyone saw the Snake Tree, however, not at this moment, it was a few days ago. Back then, the fruit had just started to ripen.