Chapter 17: What do you mean a plant is growing inside you

The Typhon Tribe sat a few miles west of the river that the Nemean Tribe used. Because of the distance, it wasn’t often that they made the journey, especially when there was another river closer to them.

When poisoning the river, as well as the few plants and animals they could, their people took a huge risk, knowing that if they were caught, they would be killed, but that was a risk they needed to take.

Fortunately for them, their plan succeeded, and none of them were caught in the act. Once done, they left right away and returned to their village. This is why Kanan and Yala didn’t come across them as they purified the land and river.

But now, a week after the Nemean Tribe poison incident, the Typhon Tribe grew restless.

The village stretched across a barren land, its countless huts standing beneath a dull, gray sky. Smoke from dying fires drifted lazily through the air, mixing with the sound of coughing that seemed to come from every corner.

People wandered between the huts with hollow expressions, some clutching their stomachs, others leaning against wooden walls as they struggled to remain standing.

Groans of pain echoed through the village, while those too sick to move lay outside their homes on the cold, dirt ground. The usual sounds of daily life were gone. There was no laughter, no lively chatter, only restless footsteps, coughing, and the occasional cry of someone overwhelmed by pain.

The land itself seemed to be dying. Crops had withered in the fields, patches of grass had turned brown, and trees stood bare and lifeless. The soil was cracked and dry, offering little hope for anything to grow even as fresh water passed through it.

Everywhere one looked, there were signs of sickness and decay. The village had once been full of life, but now it felt as though something had drained it away, leaving behind only misery, fear, and the desperate struggle to survive.

"We lost another one today." An older woman spoke with a coarse voice. "This plague is spreading fast. If we don’t find a place to migrate to, then we’ll die in no time."

"Witch Anuwat, is there anything we can do?" A younger man asked, his expression dire.

Anuwat shook her head, sighing as she closed the eyes of the dead man who lay on the stone-cold ground. All around her were the bodies of those who had suffered the same fate, dying from whatever plague was going around.

Bodies were stripped of their life force, and a parasitic plant would eat them from the inside, resulting in a flower blooming from the belly once the person died.

"And what of the poison attack on the Nemean Tribe? Any news?" A tall, muscular man with a wide array of tattoos stepped forward, the younger man and woman bowing to show their respect.

"Chief Woton, I can confirm that the animals and plants past the Snakeway River have been poisoned, including the river itself." The young woman spoke.

"Good. Then they must be experiencing the effects as we speak. Telah, prepare a scouting party and check up on the Nemean Tribe’s current situation."

"Yes, Chief." Telah bowed, then went to gather some scouts.

"Tagah, prepare our forces for an attack. Once we get word that the poison did its job, we’ll eliminate the remaining Nemean Tribesmen and claim their land as our own."

"Understood." Tagah left right away to fulfil his chief’s orders.

"Are you sure about this?" Anuwat didn’t like the idea of wiping out a whole village just for them to survive. Death didn’t solve problems.

"We have no choice, Witch Anuwat. The land around these parts has been dying for the past ten years, and we cannot wait any longer to migrate. We only have until the start of spring before things become dire, and once that happens, it’s all or nothing. We have to survive."

"By wiping out a whole tribe?"

Woton sighed. "The Typhon and Nemean Tribes have been enemies for generations. This is just another assault in our long history of assaults. However, this time, our survival depends on their downfall. Their land is fertile, rich, and the plague doesn’t spread past the Snakeway River."

"And if we fail?" Anuwat asked

Woton stopped to think, though he already knew the answer; they both did. Still, he let Anuwat hear what she was expecting to come out of his mouth. "Then we die."

---

"We cannot let this slide! Eder Hal, don’t tell me you’re going to just turn a blind eye to the Typhon Tribe’s cruel actions! We’ve done nothing to antagonize them, yet they attack us with no justification!" Warren slammed his hands onto the table.

"I nearly lost my son, Elder Warren. I feel your rage. But what will we do? We need to defend our home in case of an attack. What would happen if we attack, and they trick us by having their forces take the long route around the Snakeway River to attack us from behind?"

"You’re worried about that?! We just need to crush them!"

"Crush them? And what about their innocents? Their children? The ones who do not wish to attack us? The actions of a few do not speak for the actions of all." Elder Nala spoke.

"What about our innocents? They disregard our own, so why should we care about theirs?"

"So you wish to become a monster to fight a monster? Lead our warriors into battle for what? Revenge? We’re barely staying afloat! The curse has caused our birthrates to plummet! We just lost a child in its mother’s womb! War won’t fix that! It will only make us weaker!"

Elder Trena and Lars agreed with Elder Nala, speaking their minds on the situation. They didn’t wish to go to war and instead wanted to focus on protecting their home and fortifying their defences.

"You all are fools! They will attack again, and when they do, I will not hesitate to wipe them out."

"Warren," Solan spoke for the first time. "Remember who makes the decisions around here."

"That’s what I’m worried about." Without being dismissed, Warren left the council room.