"S... Sorry?" Neytiri asked without thinking, not understanding her words.

Sobek felt like laughing. The Neanderthal's reaction was too funny. "It's been a while since our last meeting, at least by the standards of you humans. Yet I see no sign of that time passing over you. Someone of my High Brothers has surely blessed you with lasting beauty"

Ancient societies put gods and superstition into everything; even the tiniest event was considered a deity's work. So if Sobek wanted to play the part well he had to stick to that line.

Neytiri felt a tinge of pride deep in her heart, but it was quickly (indeed, instantly) clouded by the fear she felt for the giant creature in front of her. And also the confusion: the Great King of the Forest was very different than when he first saw him, yet there was no doubt that it was the same as he had mentioned their first meeting perfectly. With a courage that not even she thought she had, she found the strength to ask: "Forgive me... forgive my question..."

"You can ask me what you want, child. You came here as a guest and as such you are protected by the laws of hospitality to which even the gods are bound; no matter what you say or do, you can leave here unharmed" Sobek reassured her. Like the ancient Greeks, the Neanderthals believed that guests were sacred because they came with the protection of the gods; this belief was obviously due to the fact that from their point of view walk through the forest and come out immaculate was a divine blessing.

However, Sobek's words had the desired effect: Neytiri felt much of her fear vanish, even though her legs still seemed to be made of mozzarella. "Tha... Thank you, oh Supreme One. May I... May I ask why are you so... different?"

Sobek let out a slight laugh. "I and my High Brothers don't have a single form. For us, the physical appearance is more a dress than a real container of flesh as it is for you, and as such we can change it to our liking. What you saw at our first meeting is the shape I wear when there is no need to fight because the forest is peaceful; but now that a great battle is looming I have chosen to wear this form, more powerful and more suitable for a bloody battle"

Obviously this wasn't written in Neanderthal culture, but Sobek didn't need to copy all of their religion on an equal footing. The important thing was that the things written in their sacred texts were kept, such as titles or behaviors; otherwise he could very well invent, and if Neytiri had doubts he could justify himself by saying that certain truths had never been revealed to mortals.

As he predicted, Neytiri had no problem believing his claims. Although initially surprised, after a few moments it became natural for her to think that the Great King of the Forest was not bound to a single form. After all, the Lords of the World were not made of matter but of primordial energy, so they were not subject to the laws of nature like all other creatures.

Sobek tapped the ground with his claws. "But now let's talk about the main topic. As I am sure my servants have told you, a war is upon us"

Neytiri returned to a cold sweat. In Neanderthal myths the gods only moved when the world was in grave danger. "Is it my faculty to know what threat is looming?"

"Yes. The enemies are those who come in the iron boats" Sobek answered.

Neytiri froze at those words. Were the khel'valarts that her people had repeatedly hosted enemies of the gods? Realizing her thoughts, Sobek said: "Calm yourself. Not all men who live beyond the forest are evil. Those you have hosted over the years were virtuous and righteous, so I allowed them to pass". Neytiri seemed relieved at those words. It was a half-truth: the humans who had come to that place were scientists, they were interested in the beauty of nature and the culture of other peoples, not destruction. "However, there are many others. They inhabit a large land mass far away from here, beyond what is called the ocean. Like you, they too once lived in harmony with the world and respected it. But over time they became terribly arrogant and convinced themselves that they could decide the fate of every other living species"

Sobek was deliberately treading the tone: his intent was to make Western humans look like blasphemers, and then make the whole thing look like a holy war. "They have cut down trees, tore up grass, killed countless creatures, poisoned the waters and polluted the air. They are convinced that these actions will establish their dominion over nature. They do not realize that what they inflict on the world they inflict on themselves as well. Their land, once bright and luxuriant, is now reduced to a barren desert. And instead of learning from their mistakes, they decided instead to invade this continent and destroy it like they did their"

Unfortunately, Sobek could not ask Neytiri directly to join his pack or he could have blown his cover, consequently he could not show her the terrifying images that instead he had been able to share with his most trusted subjects. However, this was not necessary: his words were more than enough to make Neytiri pale. To her, what the Great King of the Forest said was pure gold, so she had no doubts in imagining the humans of the west as destructive demons. Which was partly not wrong.

Neytiri could not understand how a people could have fallen into such depravity. Who would have been crazy enough to poison the water and destroy the forests? It meant running out of anything to drink and eat. In addition, they had also polluted their own air; did they want to suffocate?

Sobek then raised his head high and made a solemn proclamation: "That's why I'm leaving now! My High Brothers and I have endured their madness for a long time in the hope that they will change and learn from their mistakes; but we can no longer tolerate their actions. If we don't intervene, the whole world will die. Therefore we are moving. For days I have summoned all the creatures of the earth to fight with me. My dear friend, the Lightning Lord, has done the same with those of the sky, and soon the Queen of Water will join us too. We will march against the blasphemers and punish them for their actions! When we meet them, the earth will tremble, the sky will become flames and the rocks will turn into steam!"

Sobek was practically describing what happened when an atomic bomb was dropped. Obviously it would be a long time before such a thing happened, since atomic weapons didn't exist on Eden yet. However, the scenery was very impressive, so he had chosen to use it.

Neytiri felt her heart pound in her chest as she heard the proclamation of the Great King of the Forest. His voice as he spoke sounded like that of an almighty god, just as it should be. She had no doubt that the blasphemous humans of the west would be punished as they deserved. "Do you want my people to join your army too?" she asked, expecting an affirmative answer.

On the contrary, however, Sobek shook his head: "This is not your war. You have not stained yourself with the bad deeds of the people of the west. Furthermore, you have no enmity with them: on the contrary, I know that you have formed a strong bond with the last ones who have come here. I would be wrong to make you fight a battle not yours. No, you can continue your peaceful life. If I have summoned you here it is because I have an important favor to ask of you"

On the one hand Neytiri was disappointed that the Great King of the Forest didn't want her people to fight alongside him, but on the other hand she was relieved: after all, the image of the sky covered with flames and the earth shaking that Sobek had summoned was still vivid in his mind. "Tell me what you want, and I will execute"

Sobek snorted. "It's very simple. You humans have been blessed with a great gift, and that is intelligence. Whatever comes into your hands, you can probe its secrets and shape it. And through your intelligence you can create armor"

Neytiri was a little surprised by his request. "Do you want us to forge armor for you?"

Sobek laughed so hard and unexpectedly that Neytiri nearly fell to the ground. "I already have an armor" he replied. It was true: once he completed the [Armor system] he would receive his own custom armor. "But my subjects don't. They are vulnerable to physical attack, and as their king it is my duty to protect them. What I want is that you forge one armor for the manhak, one for the kaiakas... and so on until you include all living creatures". Sobek tapped a claw on his right eye. "Many eons ago my eyes were immersed in the River of Plenty; as such, they have assumed the power to multiply everything. You create one armor for each species, and I will multiply it and then infuse it with divine power, so as to make it indestructible"

Neytiri was amazed at Sobek's statement, but was able to make sense of it very soon. After all, his words were not foolish: while the Great King of the Forest was a god, his subjects were not, so they needed protection. Neytiri had never heard of the River of Abundance, obviously because Sobek had invented it, but as the spinosaurus had foreseen she felt that her people simply did not know this secret of the divinity and therefore believed it without too many words. Without thinking twice he bowed and repeating the words of his teacher said: "When the Lords of the World call, we can only obey. My people will carry out your order; we will work hard to provide you with what you want. There is no greater glory than working for you"

"I am pleased. However, I wish to present you with an award for your hard work" Sobek said.

For primitive peoples, just serving a god was a cause for joy; it was not uncommon on Earth to have stories of people who had damned their existence to create the perfect sculpture or temple for their divinity. Sobek knew that if he just ordered Neanderthals to make armor for him, they would do so without asking for anything in return. However, as a reincarnated human, he knew that people worked best when they were filled with gratitude, so he opened the [Food system].

He had become familiar with the mangers offered by the System during those weeks; by studying them over and over he had discovered that he could create 'pocket' sized feeders that could be carried by other dinosaurs... or humans, as long as certain conditions were not met. Thus in his paws materialized a little tree, seed for a fruit manger, and a pitcher of water, seed for a fish manger.

The Neanderthal grabbed the gifts in disbelief, not knowing what they were, but Sobek prevented her from asking questions: "When you return to your people, plant this plant in the ground, then dig a hole and fill it with this water, and you will have my word that your people will never go hungry again. Now it goes. When you have completed your task I will know and send someone to take the fruits of your labor"

Having said that he lay down again and closed his eyes pretending to be asleep. Buck then motioned for Neytiri to follow him. The Neanderthal thus realized that the conversation was ended and obeyed without further questions. Buck brought her back to Cobra, who made her climb onto his back again and took off in the direction of the Neanderthal's city.