"I wonder how things are going on Avarax's side."
Inside the magnificent Home Tree of the Forest Clan Na'vi, within Pandora, Isaac, Jill, and Carlos were gathered, discussing in low voices.
"Hell's Gate Base still has some PDF Soldiers who haven't withdrawn, so the situation should still be under control," Isaac said, less worried than the other two.
"War—"
For the three of them, the largest-scale war they had ever witnessed was the massive beast tide that attacked Hell's Gate just over half a month ago. But compared to everything unfolding on Avarax now, that was merely a skirmish. Green Orcs were a threat that the native Na'vi and wild beasts on Pandora simply couldn't compare to.
"Let's finish the mission as soon as possible; that way, we can alleviate the pressure there." All three knew their limitations and understood that even if they returned, they wouldn't be of much help in a full-scale war.
Isaac got up, about to leave the tent where they were staying. As he did, he bumped into a Na'vi.
"Neytiri? What are you doing here?" Looking at the clan leader's daughter, the next heir to the priestess, Isaac's expression was a bit strange.
"The envoys from the Ocean Clan have arrived. They demand to meet you, the Banshee Rider," Neytiri replied, casting a wary glance at Jill and Carlos, who had already stood up inside the tent. "The Ocean Clan also requests to meet them."
"Understood. We'll go now." Isaac's expression turned serious.
After walking a few steps outside, he let out a specific frequency call. Before long, a shadow enveloped them from above. Accompanied by a terrifying roar, Pandora's undisputed sky overlord, the Banshee, flapped its wings, stirring up a cloud of dust, and landed in front of Isaac. It even lowered its proud head.
"Banshee Rider"—this was the title Isaac had earned for himself over the past half-month. It was also the reason for Isaac's strange expression when he saw Neytiri. The Banshee Rider, who had tamed the fearsome Banshee, held very high prestige among the Na'vi.
A few days ago, something happened that caught him off guard: when Isaac, riding the Banshee, helped the Na'vi repel an attacking wave of PDF Soldiers, the former clan leader, Eytukan, publicly declared him as the successor to the next leader. Although this was originally the goal of Isaac and his two companions, they didn't expect it to be achieved so quickly. And becoming the leader's successor also meant that Neytiri, the heir to the tribe's priestess, had now become Isaac's nominal "fiancée."
(T/N : It should have been me not him!)
"Now you have a blue-skinned, mamasita." These were the words Carlos and Jill used to tease Isaac after learning the news. Isaac himself was quite helpless about it but chose not to refuse out loud. After all, from a mission perspective, the combination of the Banshee Rider and the priestess could indeed better enhance his prestige among the Na'vi.
Shaking his head, Isaac cast aside those strange thoughts, refocused his attention, and leaped onto the Banshee. "Let's go." Jill, Carlos, and Neytiri also called their Banshees, soaring into the air. The group headed towards the location of the Ocean Clan envoys.
Soon, they saw a large group of Ocean Clan Na'vi who had many noticeable differences from the Forest Clan Na'vi. In general, the skin color of the Ocean Clan Na'vi was sea blue, lighter than that of the Forest Clan Na'vi. The iris color in their eyes was blue-green, not the yellow of the Forest Clan. Furthermore, the palms and soles of the Ocean Clan were flatter and had membranes to aid in swimming.
Besides these, the most obvious difference between the Ocean Clan and the Forest Clan was their tails. The Ocean Clan's tails were flat and wide, shaped like fish tails, providing propulsion when swimming in the water.
Isaac, Jill, and Carlos had privately complained more than once about the vast differences between the various Na'vi tribes. They couldn't understand Eywa's intention in deliberately differentiating the Na'vi so greatly.
After all, doing so would undoubtedly make it much more difficult for the Na'vi to form a unified government. Different Na'vi tribes were filled with misunderstanding and discrimination. The Ocean Clan would mock the Forest Clan's slender limbs and tails, thinking the latter only crawled around in trees. The Forest Clan, on the other hand, thought the Ocean Clan were just a bunch of fishermen and considered themselves more closely connected to Mother Eywa.
Even before landing, Isaac noticed that a significant quarrel had broken out between the Ocean Clan and the Forest Clan below.
"What's happening down there?" Isaac turned to look at Neytiri, who was flying beside him. She shook her head, clearly unaware of the situation.
"Trouble," Isaac thought to himself. Then, he pulled on the Banshee beneath him and swooped down.
"Roar!" The Banshee's roar instantly silenced the two groups below. Isaac's yellow eyes swept over the Na'vi of the Ocean Clan, and he spoke calmly. "I am the Banshee Rider you wish to see."
Seemingly not expecting Isaac's reaction to be so strong, the Ocean Clan's envoy group was stunned for a moment. Then, one person stepped forward.
"I am Tonowari, the next leader of the Ocean Clan."
Hearing this Na'vi's reply, Isaac narrowed his eyes and flipped off the Banshee. Tonowari and the other Ocean Clan members' gazes were focused on the massive Banshee.
"Only five Banshee Riders have appeared in history, so we naturally want to meet one," Tonowari said. Although the Ocean Clan did not revere the Banshee as much as the Forest Clan, they also knew the terrifying nature of this creature. They also knew that one who could tame such a terrifying creature was a warrior among warriors, a born leader.
"Heh heh, the process of taming it might not be as difficult as you imagine," Isaac said, speaking quite boastfully. The other Na'vi naturally didn't believe him. Over the years, countless warriors had died in the mouth of the Banshee; if taming a Banshee were truly that simple, Banshee Riders would be flying everywhere by now.
"Let's go. I'll take you to meet our tribe's leader." After performing a Na'vi greeting, Isaac began to walk. Along the way, Tonowari kept asking Isaac for details about taming the Banshee.
However, Isaac vaguely evaded all his questions. After all, Isaac couldn't possibly tell this guy that he had used Psionics to mess up the Banshee's brain, and then, with Wesker's help, implanted a superior Las Plagas Parasite inside it.