Lizzy says "Well then, let's get going! Wait, Asuna is too big to ride me, is she going to be able to keep up?"

"No, but I have an idea. Are you going to be okay with dragging her by holding onto your tail?"

Lizzy says "My tail? Really? Why not some rope or something?"

"Because Asuna has a special ability. As long as you are touching her you can walk on the snow."

That's when Lizzy pays attention to the fact that both Asuna and I are standing on the snow. Then she looks and notices that Asuna has one of her tails touching my shoulder. Lizzy then reaches out and touches Asuna with her tail and steps up onto the snow.

Lizzy says "What a useful ability! Alright, she can hold onto my tail."

"Perfect! Asuna, I want you to create a sled out of ice and ride it behind Lizzy, okay?"

Asuna says "A sled?"

Realizing that she has no idea what I am talking about I stop and explain a sled. Then I have her create a few sleds for practice while I give her advice. Once she has a good sled I climb onto Lizzy and have her start moving slowly to test it.

As soon as she sees that it is working Lizzy picks up the pace and Asuna starts laughing joyfully. From her expression when I look back I am guessing that sledding is Asuna's new favorite thing. Not that I blame her, it does look really fun, especially since the cold doesn't bother her at all.

In fact, I am fairly tempted to go back and ride with her, riding Lizzy without a saddle isn't very comfortable. Since Asuna isn't having any problems, Lizzy speeds up until she is at her normal speed. The laughter from Asuna changes to screams, but I can't tell if they are of fear or excitement.

At that speed it only takes us two hours to reach the meeting point, which was about eighty miles away. When we arrive we find that the ox tribe is already there and has set up a camp. When I see the members of the tribe I don't think ox, I think minotaur!

It is only as I am looking at them that I realize I haven't seen any of their tribe before. They are the most beastly of all the beastmen I have seen, they look just like D&D minotaurs. When Lizzy comes to a stop and I dismount I find out that they are also the tallest beastmen I have met.

After all this time it feels really weird to be looking upwards to meet someone's eyes. As they all leave their tents I count around fifty male tribe members, all staring at me. Then the largest and strongest looking one leaves the crowd and walks toward me.

Knarra says "I am Knarra, chieftain of all the Ox tribes."

"Nice to meet you, Knarra, I am Ash."

Knarra says "Such a simple introduction for someone who Grud says is the strongest."

"I prefer to keep things simple, if I can."

Knarra says "Suits me! Let's get this settled!"

"Alright! See that boulder? Can you lift it?"

Knarra turns and looks at the boulder I am pointing at, then he walks over to it. After wrapping both arms around it he struggles to lift it, all his muscles bulging. After a minute he finally manages to lift it, with a roar he manages to lift it three inches.

As he steps back with a triumphant smile I stop to wonder if he is going to turn hostile when he loses. Guess I will find out soon, Knarra moves away and I walk up to the boulder. I could just do a little better than him, but I don't want to deal with more challenges in the future.

So, I grab the boulder with both arms and quickly lift it above my head. Then with a grunt of effort I throw it, I watch as it lands on the far side of the camp. When I turn back to Knarra, I find him and all of his people down on one knee.

Knarra yells "The Ox clan swears allegiance to the Beast King!"

Ox Tribe yells "Long Live the Beast King!"

"While I accept your allegiance, I am not the Beast King yet."

Knarra says "You now have two tribes who have sworn to you, that is a good start. No one has ever accomplished that before. So, what are your orders for my tribe?"

"First, I have a question. How come I haven't seen any of your people among the outcasts?"

Knarra says "We trade with the outcasts, but none of my people are outcasts. We are a tribe, a family, you don't kick people out of your family."

"I can respect that, but what do you do with your troublemakers?"

Knarra says "I educate them!" as he clenches his fist.

"What about those who fail to learn?"

Knarra says "If they can't learn then the lesson proves fatal."

"Ah, now I understand! Is this all of your tribe?"

Knarra says "No, we don't gather together often. The land can't support too many of us grouped together. So, we stay spread out, there are a dozen groups this size."

"Well, I don't have any specific orders, but I do have options for you. We have started construction of a city."

Knarra says "Yes, the outcast city, I've heard about it."

"It isn't just for the outcasts, it is for all beastmen."

Knarra says "Grud said you wanted to turn the beast lands into a nation, I just didn't believe him."

"Yes, I plan to unify the tribes and turn them into a nation. I want to make sure the beastmen will survive as a nation once I am gone."

Knarra says "That is going to be a tall order, we may not be as bad as humans, but we still have our share of idiots."

"If they are idiots, then I will just have to educate them!"

Knarra and his men all have a good laugh at that and then invite me to join them for dinner. Of course, I accept, but I insist on providing the food for everyone. I am a little surprised when I learn that the ox tribe are vegetarians, but I can handle that.

Luckily, both the tower and the inn have a wide range of dishes available. Including plenty of vegetarian dishes, to the delight of the ox tribe's members. They greatly enjoy the food and as they eat I tell them about all the options available currently.

Mainly about the moving of stones, construction of the city, and the opportunities in the army. Of course, I make sure they all understand that these are all just options, not mandatory. I make sure to explain to Knarra that if they want to remain as they are it is fine by me.

Knarra says "Oh, I'm sure quite a few of my people will be interested. Our lifestyle is satisfying, but some find it boring."

"Well, any of them that want to join are welcome."

Knarra says "How else can we be of service?"

"Are there any tribes that you are friendly with? I am interested in gaining more tribes without bloodshed."

Knarra says "You may not know this, but our tribe is not really liked by most of the other tribes. Those that are from meat eating creatures despise us for being vegetarians. Only the badger and rat tribes are somewhat friendly towards us."

"Then can you meet with the chieftain of the rat clan and see how he feels about me? If he seems friendly then we can arrange a meeting."

Knarra says "Sure, give me a couple of weeks."