(Third-person perspective)
Two years ago
Moon Brothers
Thunder echoed across the rugged peaks of Mountains of the Moon, reaching the ears of Omer, the leader of the Moon Brothers. His brow furrowed, he appeared in the village square, surrounded by his son Ulf and a group of his most trusted warriors. A scene awaited them, one of both awe and terror—several charred corpses lay scattered on the ground, and the villagers bowed in reverence to a figure that appeared to be sculpted from the essence of trees.
Having lived his entire life in the unforgiving the Mountain Omer possessed keen perception; he sensed the weight of the moment. His intuition told him to be cautious, warning him not to antagonize this mysterious figure. The tree-man stood calmly, unmoved by the surrounding commotion.
Moon Brothers organized themselves and gathered warriors to surround the invading foreigners, Omer couldn't shake off his unease. This was no ordinary encounter; it was a clash between the familiar world of the Mountain Clans and the mysterious power emanating from this Stranger. Omer felt a mixture of suspicion and respect for the Tree People.
"You claim to be a priest of the Old Gods," Omer said in a low voice. "But the Old Gods have never had priests; only the Seven have their Seven and Seven priests."
Aermir was dignified and responded with a magical voice, each word ringing out like thunder.
"Children of the First Men, followers of the Old Gods. Our merciful God of Nature has grown weary of the tyranny of the Andals and the Seven. They have sent me to aid the believers."
Omer was a pragmatic leader who believed in tangible things—his axe, his strength, and the bonds forged in the mountain furnace; his faith was rooted more in the tangible realities of mountain life than in an unseen divine realm. To him, the Old Gods were merely traditions observed out of respect for his deceased mother, not true faith. His childhood experiences taught him that even if the gods existed, they were indifferent to the struggles of mortals.
His deceased mother was a devout believer, but this did nothing to help her when she was raped and killed by a man from the Vale. No god helped or protected her. But he learned from others that this man had the ability to control lightning.
He found their Warg, Kur. He was about 55 years old, with almost all of his long hair white except for some black stripes. He was a fierce warrior and a Warg. His rugged face stared intently at the men, but his eyes were milky white.
Omer understood that if other men came to their village, they must be scouting the area. At that moment, the Tree Man said...
" Omer, son of Ulta, I, the Emre the Druid, have come here peacefully. I only attacked in self-defense. As long as you do not attack me, you have nothing to fear."
Aermir turned to the Warg and spoke.
"And you, Kur, you don't need to waste your time scouting with the owl. Nobody else is coming."
Kur smiled.
"Don't expect me to believe you; I don't know you."
Aermir said, opening his arms.
"Then please do as you wish."
Aermir waited patiently, making them feel safe. After Kur whispered something in Omer's ear, Omer turned to him and spoke.
"We've confirmed you're a person, so, Druid, what do you want from us?"
Aermir didn't waste any words and said...
"An army, a unified army of Mountain Clans, will fight against the Vale peoples and reclaim the land that belongs to your ancestors."
Omer was taken aback when he heard this.
"Hahaha! That's exactly what I wanted, but do you expect us to bow down to you and serve you so you can achieve your goal?" His voice was laced with sarcasm.
Aermir's wooden mask moved, revealing a smile.
" Omer, you Unworthy to serve me. With time and training, when the Mountain Clans become an army, you may earn that right."
Aermir said with a look of Yi Ti.
"Now, you 'Unworthy to be my dog."
Omer was furious and nearly exploded, but he trusted his instincts and swallowed the insult for the time being, but his son could not. Ulf was enraged...
" The Old Gods must have been drunk to let you, you pathetic wretch, crawl out from the crack in the rock, you damned sheep-bastard! How dare you insult my father!"
He raised his great axe and charged at Aermir; Aermir didn't even flinch, for the axe was made of bronze; he simply cast a "buff," grabbed the axe with one hand, and tossed it aside like trash, saying menacingly.
"I'll give you this chance. If you attack me again, I'll show you who you've messed with."
Omer nearly had a heart attack. Had that man simply grabbed his son, fully armed, and tossed him aside like a sack of potatoes? Aermir didn't show it, but his hand was broken; the armor protected him, but he wasn't invincible; the man was powerful, but to demonstrate superiority, he had to grit his teeth and endure. He cast a healing spell on his hand, mending the broken bone. "I can't breathe," he said.
"Let me tell you just how strong you have to be to become my dog."
He summoned Berus, who was astonished that Druid Omer had conjured a dog out of thin air, but it looked like an ordinary black dog. Yes, it looked pampered and imposing, but it was just an ordinary dog.
Then the beast began to roar at them, and the roar grew stronger every second. Everyone began to back away in fear. It kept growing until it was bigger than a donkey. It wasn't as big as a horse, but it was definitely bigger than a donkey. He thought of the terrible wolves that used to live in these mountains, Aermir said.
"Now, fight my dog, and let me see if you're capable of being my dog."
He cast an armor spell on Berus because he didn't intend to fight them seriously or cause him too much injury. Also, he wanted to radiate power, so he couldn't let them drain Berus's blood. He said with a smile.
"Don't worry, he won't really fight you; he just wants to play around."
Kur summoned his familiars—a brown bear and a wolf—to the village square. He looked quite pleased with himself. Aermir smiled and summoned several familiars, then conjured three wolves with a spell. Two Crow larger than eagles, a snake as big as a man, and the wolf watched them. Then, Aermir summoned an earth elemental and his Wildfire Spirit. Aermir said.
"I have twelve Druid under my command. They've only been practicing for a few months, but one of them is very promising. He can transform into two animals at the age of 22."
Kur's proud eyes lost their luster. The person before him was beyond his comprehension.