Atempt at Communications

Nick was watching Hasso from the hill. "I wonder what type of equation can be used to say. Where's water?"

Hasso pointed to the circle and made a thumbs up. "I just needed it for correct and incorrect, for now."

"So you are not going to use math to communicate? I feel lied to."

Hasso then pointed to the x and put his thumb down. "I did use math. But I can't use only math. Like you said. 'They are slaves after all.' How much geometry, calculus or trigonometry would someone teach their slaves?"

"And that is if the slave owners knew the subject as well. So what now?"

Hasso confident with his attempt erased the equations leaving the circle and x. "We go a little more artistic with pictographs and crude sine-language."

Nick put a fist in the air and then pointed his middle finger up. "Crude like this?"

Hasso started to draw a pointing arrow. "A little less crude then that. Do you see anybody?"

"No, not yet. Feels too convenient."

"Let's take what we can get."

- - -

Pasht sighed watching the metal men trying to communicate. "We should've had the god of language sent to us, instead of the god of fakes."

Dolos sighed at the insult. He knew arguing wouldn't solve anything. "What math equation is it drawing now?"

Victoria was entranced by the metal men's actions. "It looks like two arrows with out a fetching."

Victor walked in the tent with another individual. "Your holiness. This is Roland the best scribe in our unit."

Roland bowed before the gods. "I am at your service."

Victoria pointed to a stool between her and Dolos. "Take a seat. You are going to help us translate in real time."

"Yes your holiness." Roland gut up and sat on the stool.

"I knew they would bring you in Roland."

"Albus?" Roland looked around at the gods. "How are you doing old friend?"

"I would be better if you took that stick out of your ass. The gods you are siting with care more about results than proper etiquette right now."

Pasht smiled. "You know me so well."

Victoria smiled. "Yes, but please make sure you are talking to the others. We don't want them suspecting you are talking to someone that isn't there."

"Yes your holiness." Albus smiled at Tullia.

Tullia smiled back. "What a good little boy for figuring all that out."

Albus' crystal started to shine a pinkish hue. "Yes. Let's get back to what they are trying to say."

Roland looked at the image drawn in the dirt. "If circle means yes and the x means no. They are indicating that arrows point to there destination. You needed me for this Albus?"

"No, I need you for the ones to come. They are intentionally starting off easy."

Victoria cut in. "They are making another one."

- - -

Hasso erased away everything. "The elf kid seems like he understands. Now to get a little more complicated."

"How complicated will you try and go?"

Hasso drew two circles, one with three dots and the other with four. "How about combine our groups?"

"That's a little more complicated."

Hasso drew arrows from the circles to another circle with seven dots. Then pointed to the circle with four dots and pointed to the slaves. "We are not trying to test their limits. We are just trying to find a river or animal trail. Then they can go their own way. The elf kid gets it again."

"How do you know he understands completely?"

Hasso erases everything redrawing the circle with seven dots and an arrow splitting in to two. One arrow points to a stick figure of an animal with a line coming from it's feet. And the other a river. "I don't but the beast man confirms by pointing to the correct image."

"Looks like communication isn't that hard."

"Are you offering to switch?"

"No"

Hasso erased everything but the animal trail and river. Then drew a line from both to a circle with seven dots. He then drew two lines from the circle, one to a circle with four dots and a circle with three dots. "I think that should do it. Now we just need them to say yes."

- - -

Roland watched the last image come in. "So they want to group up and find a river or animal path. Then you are free to go. What do you want to say back?"

Victoria gazed in to the image of the metal man. "How would they say. 'We don't want to leave you?'"

Roland thought. "I think you can draw an x above or below the separation arrows."

"What if we wanted them to continue on a path to a lake or hill?"

Roland thought. "You would have to draw the landmark for them, a lake for a lake but anything repetitive like a hill or slope would be a waist of time. Better to just point the way."

"How would you draw a lake with an island in the middle?"

Pasht glared at Victoria. "You really want to take them there?"

Victoria sighed. "They were headed that way already."

Roland interjected. "A lake should be easy. Draw an uneven circle in the shape of the lake. Don't be diligent like your making a map. Then draw a small circle in the location of the island. Got that Brando?"

"Yes."

Roland continued getting a smile from Victorai. "Don't forget the separation part after the lake. We are altering the destination not the plan itself."

Victor stood up. "Are you trying to take over the operation? Roland?"

Victoria smiled at Roland and glared at Victor. "Roland understood what I wanted and did all he could to achieve that. That's better than just watching Pasht and I bicker."

- - -

"Nick, I believe they understand me."

"How's that?"

"They are trying to change the destination. Probably a lake with something at the center. An island?"

"I can't believe they have demands."

"They're probably just relying on us. This must be a safe place for them."

"I don't suppose we can ask how far?"

"I don't know how to do that. Do we accept or do we decline?"

Nick looked over at Jaeger lying down in the sun and sighed. "I don't know. I'll leave it up to you."

Hasso looked over at Nick. "Do you want me to take all responsibility for this?"

"I wanted nothing to do with this."

"But here we are. And we are a team. We need to decide like a team."

Nick looked down on the group and focused on the little elf that was so frightened by them he yelled out. "In for a penny, in for a pound."

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes, we will take them to the lake."