Braid sat in silence with the other members of his party. All of them were clean and currently sitting in a well appointed cafeteria within the estate of Enna, this nation's Land God.
If he had to describe it, Braid would say that they were all in shock. Yes, they had been sent here to discover the happenings of the forest, but none of them would have ever thought they would find what they had. An entire community... of monsters! Different monster races living together under the apparently generous hand of their new land god.
And generous was putting it mildly.
Braid did not know too much about land gods other that they were all vastly different and wildly powerful, most choosing to take a hands off approach to their charges. But he did know that this Enna was very much involved with the development of the Forest of Monsters. There was no way that hundreds of foxkin and goblins evolved themselves, after all. She must have done it.
But, why?
By her own admission she had been born human. Not that Braid understood how a woman went from being an average human to becoming a land god, but still... Why would she take to monster kind so readily.
Braid looked around the hall. It wasn't very busy at the moment as it wasn't a meal time, but there were a few stragglers hanging about, gawking. He couldn't blame them, he would stare too if a group of monsters came and sat down in the guild hall as if it were nothing. Given how humans were forbidden from entering here, he had no doubt that the vast majority of these monsters had never seen one before.
"That Trixie lady, she was very nice..." Porsha stated softly, running her fingers through her hair, staring down at her plate of untouched food. They had been served some kind of roasted beast along side root vegetables.
For some reason, it shocked Braid to know that they ate such normal food here. He had just assumed that all monster just ate raw meat. Preferably human meat. Having thought about it, he saw now how foolish and biased that may have been. This whole ordeal was a bit of a cultural shock.
Trixie had been the foxmen woman that Enna had put in charge of their party once she decided that she had said what she needed to and left, taking her massive hobgoblin body guard, the equally humongous fox beast, and the strange talking cat, with her. She claimed that Trixie was her personal maid and in charge of all the others, and told the monster to look after them.
And Trixie had done just that. No word of complaint, no hostility to a race of beings that would have killed her on sight had the situation been reversed. She had been polite and stern, but had softer eyes for the innocent Porsha, almost mothering her.
They had been brought to empty bunk rooms that were currently un used and Trixie got them settled in. Ordering other servants to go and fetch them a change of cloths and the like. Before any of them knew it they had been lead to the baths- escorted by Trixie and the two huge hobgoblin guards that had been following them closely since their arrival- and told to wash up.
The guards were reluctant to let the girls and Trixie go off to the woman's baths on their own but the older fox monster waved them off. "There are others in the baths already, besides, what would these lovely girls gain from attacking a land gods personal maid? Her wrath I would imagen."
Somehow that seemed to placate the two hobgoblins. Though Braid couldn't see why. Sure, angering a god was never overly smart, but she was just a girl. Clearly even a rather naive one given her reaction when he told her of the fate of the goblins caught parading through Pern's borderlands.
"Yes." Stated Reinga, using her fork to toy with her food, eyes hooded as she thought. "If I did not know better, I would simply think her a fox beastmen... Its rather disconcerting." It wasn't a side of the wolf assassin that Braid had ever seen before, still and contemplative.
"This is all far beyond us being able to deal with." Stated Sora, her usually cool and aloof meaner still firmly in place, though Braid suspected she was just as shook as the rest of them. "Sure, we thought there may very well be a new land god, but..."
"She is but a child." Sighed Arthas, the fool of a prince who nearly had his head removed a few times since arriving at this compound. Someone should tell the king to knock some sense into the boy.
"Stop being a fool." Snapped Reinga, clearly deciding that she might as well take the liberty, never mind that she may be killed for insulting a prince. Though, the king was not usually seen as a man who would do such a thing. "If a land god appeared before me in the shape of a fluffy bunny I would still fear it. Only a moron would insult such a being."
"But-"
"No!" Snapped the wolf woman in a haggard but quiet hiss. The last thing they wanted was to draw attention to the group more than they already had. Their guards sat only a table away, not eating at all, but watching closely. "Look what that 'small child' has done Arthas! All of these evolved monsters! A cohesive group of normally fighting beings, and even a working- if young- governing body... I say again, do not be a fool."
Arthas looked annoyed, but also chastised. He may have been a young and some what spoiled prince, but as a knight he knew well about the chain of command, and every one here out ranked him on this mission. Aside from Porsha, that was, except when it came to matters of her own safety.
"You should listen to your dog." Said a sardonic voice, at a much louder volume than the party had been using. The small black cat that had been sitting with the land god hopped up onto their table, glaring purple eyes on their group. He licked a paw, seemingly happy that he had startled them.
Reinga held a dagger in her hand while the rest of the group had half risen from their chairs. The fact that they had been aloud to keep their weapons spoke volumes to how insignificant these monsters saw them. Still, even if they had been allowed to keep them, Braid would have thought that the guards at the very least would have made a move. But a glance their way showed that, though they still watched, not a single one had even stood up to defend the cat.
Braid raised an eyebrow. "It seems that your friends do not care if Reinga were to gut you right now..." It was odd, talking to a little black cat.
The cat's eyes shifted to the hobgoblins and he snorted. "The moronic oafs know that your little pin sticker would not do me much harm, even in this accursed body. Though, you are correct in assuming that they would not care."
"Enna said he was a bad person." Said Porsha, eyeing the cat like he might well explode. Clearly their healer already held the young land gods words in rather high regards.
"She did, didn't she." Said Sora, glaring at the cat. "I wonder why that is."
"Because I am." The cat stated, his eyes doing little to hide the desired violence behind them. "If this went my way, you would all be nothing but blood smears and a snack. "And if you continue to act as your little princeling wants, maybe you will be. I have never been able to feast on a human before."
"And you won't now either!" Snapped another voice as a small, orange furred had entered Braid's line of sight, swatting the cat to the floor. Braid looked up to see the young fox boy that had been with the group of hunters that had saved them out in the woods. "Go on, before I tell Lady Enna you were harassing her guests."
On the floor, the cat glared at the boy before lifting his tail into the air, flashing the fox his back side, and sauntering off, showing zero urgency.
"Don't mind Mittens." Stated the fox, sitting across from Braid and next to Arthas. "I am Ozzie by the way. Brillum already told me your names, so need to worry about introducing your selves!" He added with a bright, if odd smile. "I figured I would come say hi, given the dumb cat was being a bother."
"Er, what is he anyway?" Asked Reinga as she watched the cat disappear out the door.
"A left over of Aeros is what I was told. He was causing a bunch of problems- killing kobolds and the like- and Lady Enna turned him into a cat as punishment." An even wider smile spread across Ozzie's face. "She also renamed him Mittens. He is pretty upset about the whole thing, but most of us think he got off rather light. I mean, he gets to spend all day with Lady Enna, eats where and when he wants, and isn't dead or in a dungeon."
"That does seem rather lenient of Lady Enna." Said Reinga.
Ozzie shrugged. "Apparently he doesn't think so. I guess it is pretty hard to go from almost being a god, to being an enslaved house pet. The way he makes it sound, he would rather have died."
Braid wasn't sure what to make of that, other than the fact that, apparently, that cat was far more dangerous of a creature than it appeared.
"Don't worry." Stated Ozzie. "Lady Enna holds his life in her hands, and she would never allow him to hurt anyone. All he can do now is be lippy."
"Is Lady Enna always here?" Asked Sora. She clearly wanted to know weather or not she was only around now because they were here. After all, what god lived with the people?
"Yup. She likes living with us. I was the one who found her, you know?" he said, sounding pretty proud of himself.
"Found-"
"That's enough of that." Said yet another voice. What was with these monsters and sneaking up on them. How sneaky were they? But a quick look up told Braid that this wasn't a monster at all. It was the strange elvish woman that had been in the meeting. "You should know better than to mouth off about what ever pleases you, Ozzie."
The young fox snapped his jaws shut and looked mollified. The elf woman sighed and sat next to him.
"I was curious about you so I thought I would come and chat. Besides, you all huddled up here is making some of the others antsy."
"I guess human/ monster relations still have a ways to go." Braid said on the tail end of a sigh.
The elf laughed. "No doubt. But, our Enna is nothing if not idealistic. Any man woman or child in this forest would kill to keep her happy." The sheer ice in the woman's voice had them all on edge, the threat very apparent.
"Rei... Enna will get mad at you." Sighed the fox.
"No she won't. And who told you, you could call me Rei?" She snapped.
The fox rolled his eyes. "You did, over a week ago. Something about getting tired of people pronouncing your name wrong."
"Hmmm." Said the elf, scratching her caramel colored chin. "I guess that does sound like something I would say."
"Exactly. And Lady Enna would not want you threatening the humans and demi-humans."
"Threatening? I was not! I was warning them. You want someone to threaten someone, then you should get the oaf."
"You shouldn't call Lagdon that either."
"Why? It is just a nickname." She said, brushing off Ozzie's concern. "Anyway, you all should relax a little. No one here is going to eat you. In fact, for a group of rowdy monsters, they are all almost sickeningly polite."
"That's not nice." Huffed the young fox monster. "Maybe we all just wanted to make you feal welcome, as you are new."
"Pfft! I am many times your grandfather's age, boy, I need no coddling. Save it for Enna."
Ozzie laughed, eyes bright and full of merriment. "If poor Enna was coddled anymore she might run away."
Braid watched this exchange and wondered what kind or turn his life had taken now. He was seated, surrounded by monsters, watching one conversing with and elven woman. If he had been told that was what he would have been doing today he would have laughed.
"You all seem to love Lady Enna quite a bit." Observed Porsha, a soft smile on her face. The fox boys attempt at relaxing the party seemed to be working on their little healer at least.
"She has done... well, everything, for my people." Said Ozzie, honestly. "Before Lady Enna, we were all on the verge of starving, nearly at war with one another. Don't you all like your land god too?"
Braid saw the other exchange looks. "Most gods are not involved as Lady Enna, it seems." Stated Sora, while Reinga nodded. "And any land gods in and around Pern keep rather silent. Though there are some who worship other gods. Each person is different, I suppose."
Rei- or what ever the elf's name was- laughed. "Don't let Enna hear you speaking about worshiping things. The poor girl is already uncomfortable with the over protectiveness of you all, much less being worshiped."
Ozzie squinted a the elf. "Did you not swear yourself to her too though?"
"My fealty has nothing to do with worship, and everything to do with gratitude and respect." Huffed the elf. "Speaking of respect, are you not supposed to be training with that crotchety old hobgoblin right about now?"
Ozzie hopped to his feet. "Shoot! I nearly forgot. I just wanted to check on these guys first." He turned to Braid and the others. "Sorry, I have to run. If Nord catches me showing up late again he will have my pelt."
With a cheery wave, the fox boy took off.
"That boy is in for a tanning." Sighed Rei, shaking her head.
"Sorry," Said Sora, eyeing the older elf curiously. "But what was your name again?"
Rei glared at the younger elf, but answered all the same. "Reihekiu Fein'Tria."
"Fein'Tria?" Braid asked. He had spent enough time with Sora to know that an elf's last name was actually the name of where they came from. But Braid had never heard of Fein'Tria before.
"It means Forest of Monsters. Tria is short for forest, and Fein is the elvish word for monster." Explained Sora. So, apparently this elf came from here? "But you would be the first to hold that name, I think."
"Indeed. Though, if our little goddess has her way, I will not be the last." Stated Reihekiu.
"I do know of a half elf by the name or Reihekiu, however." Sora went on, earning a narrow eyed glare from the other elf. "Quite a famous one."
"tch, you need not worry about that." Huffed the elf as she got to her feet. "You all just rest up, and be good kids and take Enna's message back to your king and the like. I am sure that a worthwhile alliance could be in the works if everyone just keeps an open mind." With that statement, she spun on her heel and walked out of the hall, not even looking back once.
"What was that about?" Braid asked the elf.
"There is a smith who made many of the most famous weapons of the last age. She was half elf and half dwarf, known as Reihekiu. Even among elves, it is a strange name. I can't imagen another elf sharing it... I would not have thought her still alive. One day she just vanished."
"If that is indeed the very same elf, then this Enna is drawing powerful people to her side." Said Reinga, giving in and stuffing a chunk of meat into her mouth. "I think the elf spoke wisely, and we should take the land gods message back to the king."
That went without saying. Still, Braid was not fully convinced that there could be a truly symbiotic relationship between humanity and monsters. Heck, there were countries out there that still would not accept Demi-humans, much less monsters. Still, looking at what the monsters here had accomplished, Braid could not deny that they were more than just mindless murderers. It would take some solid self evaluation of his own biases, at this point. And he was sure he would not be the only one who needed time to process all this...