Chapter 219: The Worth of the Displaced

Yael stood in silence, staring into the bottom of the bone mug he held. Kellar’s question had fallen upon him with the weight of a sentence.

What did they have to offer? What could they give in exchange for shelter and protection? Yael reviewed the reality of his group. Women? They had none, save for a couple of old women. Nearly all the young, strong warriors of his tribe had fallen over the past few years, slaughtered by beasts or consumed by winter frosts. His group was a handful of frightened children, elders, and a few survivors. Otherwise, they would have never abandoned their ancestral home to crawl up to the gates of an unfamiliar tribe.

Despair began to tighten around Yael’s throat, and he clenched his teeth, trying not to appear defeated.

"We have no riches, my lord..." said Yael, lowering his gaze. "We bring no fine furs, no weapons of value, nor warriors to swell your ranks. If I told you we could fight for you, I would be lying. My people are broken, consumed by the cold and hunger."

Kellar did not interrupt him; he continued to watch him in silence while taking a sip of his wine.

Yael raised his head, revealing bloodshot eyes filled with determination.

"The only thing I can offer you is our loyalty and our labor," said Yael. "My elders know the secrets of the northern herbs and the forest paths; the children can learn any trade you assign them in your workshops or fields, and the few of us who can hold a tool will work to exhaustion in whatever you demand. We ask for no privileges or comforts, only a corner where we won’t freeze to death and the chance to prove we will not be a burden."

Mentz, standing at the side of the table, crossed his arms and looked at Kellar, awaiting the Shaman’s reaction to the nomad’s plea.

Kellar listened to Yael’s words in silence, keeping his face expressionless as he swirled the wine inside his bone mug. He let out a slow sigh and leaned against the edge of the table, looking into the nomad’s eyes.

"I understand why you think of me and my people in that way, but you are mistaken about one thing," said Kellar, his voice echoing with authority. "My tribe possesses the power to exterminate your people before you realize you are being killed. That is the level of power my tribe holds. We do not need anything you could offer. But even so, I want to know if you are willing."

Yael swallowed hard, feeling the pressure in the air grow suffocating.

"If you join my tribe, you will have to hand over the guardian symbol of your tribe," said Kellar, taking a step toward him. "You will have to kneel before our Bear God and accept him as your sole deity. You will have to abandon everything you were, are, and ever will be, and you will have to become whatever we tell you to be. That is the kind of commitment I am asking of you. Are you certain you want to dishonor your ancestors and abandon everything for us? You have time to consider it and walk away. If you decide to stay, you know the price to be paid."

The words struck Yael like a blow. A agony pierced his chest, visible in every line of his face. Handing over the sacred totem was no mere gesture of surrender; it meant erasing the history of his people with his own hands. It meant destroying the name of his ancient tribe, condemning the memory of his ancestors to despise him from the spirit realm, and causing the Great White Stag—the god who had guided them for generations—to abandon them forever. Once he surrendered that carved bone and wood totem hidden beneath his garments, there would be no turning back. They would become ghosts without a past, bound to serve a new master.

Suffering etched itself deep into Yael’s eyes as his hands trembled.

Yael squeezed his eyes shut. Bitter tears carved tracks through the dirt coating his face. In his mind, he saw the nameless graves left behind in the north, the faces of his ancestors who would soon curse his name, and the shadow of the Great White Stag turning its back on them. Yet when he opened his eyes, the image that forced its way forward was not the past, but the present: the children of his group shivering from the cold at the village gates, and the elders who would not survive another night in the wilderness.

With trembling hands, Yael reached inside his heavy fur tunic. From an inner pocket pressed against his chest, he drew out an object wrapped in a worn cloth. He unrolled the fabric with the reverence of someone holding a newborn, revealing a small figurine carved from stag horn and wood, polished smooth by the touch of generations of tribal chiefs.

He held the effigy of the White Stag for a second, feeling a void open within his soul. Then, with a motion, he dropped to his knees on the wooden floor. He pressed his forehead against the timber planks and extended both hands upward, offering the artifact to Kellar.

"My ancestors will abhor me, and my god will abandon me..." whispered Yael, his voice shattered by sobs. "But my people will live. I accept the price, Great Shaman. My tribe dies here today... so that they may breathe tomorrow."

Mentz watched the scene in silence, maintaining his rigid posture, though a look of respect for the man’s agony flickered in his eyes.

Kellar took a step forward. He reached out and took the White Stag effigy from Yael’s hands. The moment his fingers closed around the amulet, the system reacted.

[Guardian Totem of the White Stag Tribe absorbed]

[Tribal entity has been dissolved]

[Integrating 14 new members into the Overlord Tribe demographic map...]

[10,000 Tribal Evolution points due to the achievement of your first subjugation]

[1,400 Tribal Evolution points due to 14 new members]

[Initial loyalty of newcomers: 45% (Subjugation through desperation)]

Kellar stowed the figurine within his robes and looked down at the man kneeling at his feet.

"Stand up, Yael," said Kellar. "You have sacrificed your past for the future of your people. As of today, the White Stag nomads no longer exist. You are members of the Overlord tribe. Mentz, take them to the integration quarters. Ensure they receive clean clothes, warmth, and full food rations. Tomorrow, we will begin assigning their duties."