"Ugh, this is taking ages." Grumped Reinga for about the fifth time in the last twenty minutes. Braid would have been surprised to know just how irritating a famous assassin could be if he had not just spent over a month with the woman.
"Now Now, Reinga!" admonished Porsha, her pink hair glittering next to her fresh white priestess robes. They had all been quite relieved to be aloud to freshen up before their audience with the king and guild master. The last comfortable day they had had was at the monster's mansion. "His majesty is a very busy man, you know?"
"Ho Ho!" mock laughed the dark haired wolf woman, eyes sparking with a mischievous light. "Haven't you gotten brave with your words as of late, young miss?"
Porsha blushed but did not shy away like she once might have. this last mission- and the monsters the group had met- had really opened her up. She had grown, truly, in such a short amount of time.
"My father will arrive shortly, I am sure." Arthas sighed. He was acting cool, but Braid could tell that he was anxious as well. After all, this report could very well determine weather or not his majesty was willing to set their kingdom to war with the monsters.
Braid heard Sora sigh in the comfortable high backed chair next to him, but she kept her mouth shut. Out of the whole group, she was the most composed, but that was no surprise, was it? The elf would hardly let a meeting with the king about such a monumental topic affect her at all.
Braid was about to ask her, her opinion when the door at the far end of the conference room opened and two knights entered. An image of the hobgoblins entering before the child god flashed before Braid's eyes for a moment.
Admittedly, King Damien Rightwell struck a more intimidating figure than the small girl had, with his scarlet cloak draped over broad shoulders, tall bulky frame of a man who had once worked as a knight himself, and strong jaw line that rivaled Braid's himself. But some how the god had more impact. But, he supposed a god would, wouldn't they?
Braid and the others hurried to their feet and bowed their heads.
"That's enough of that. Sit." Rumbled their leader.
When Braid raised his head he saw the king taking his own, much nicer seat, pulled out by Frost, the guild master, who must have entered the room when their heads had been lowered. He looked even more stressed than normal, which had Braid's lip twitching. Good to see that some things would never change, he supposed.
But it was the last man that confused him. A wolf beastmen with hark hair and ears, sharp eyes, and the stance of someone light on his feet. Perhaps sensing Braid's eyes on him, the man flashed a smirk at the adventurer and he felt a twinge of familiar irritation.
"Brother!" He heard Reinga grump, confirming Braid's suspicion. "Why are you here?"
"I came to assess the situation, dear little sister." Said the man now confirmed to be Gill, the new head of the top tier assassin clan. He doubted the others in his party knew this- Reinga aside- as the clan was hardly more than a rumor in the kingdom. A family of assassin's everyone of them, each trained to be shadows in the night, protecting the kingdom and its interests.
Braid only knew about them due to a job he had taken a few years back. He had met Gill then, and though the man was a bit of a mystery, and seemingly young for his position, he struck Braid as a good man.
"I thought it appropriate that he hear your report as well." The king stated. "I assume everyone is here then?"
"Yes, your majesty." Stated Jillian Roth. She and the other advisors had been waiting, right along with Braid and his party. Though, they had been able to keep a little quieter than his group. The older woman eyed Reinga disapprovingly, but the wolf woman wasn't going to be cowed by anyone, not even a retired knight.
"Very well, then lets hear it." Sighed the king. He was well composed, but Braid felt that he was waiting for the hammer to fall and to learn that they were all doomed.
"How many to the beasts number? Has the dragon truly returned?" Asked Bishop Rodrick, his eyes flashing the mania of the devout and terrified.
"Numbers?" Sighed Braid. "I do not think numbers are the issue. Quality over quantity, I should think."
"What do you mean?" Frost asked, standing behind the king rather than taking a seat of his own. "Did something happen?"
"When we first entered the forest, we were confused at the lack of activity." Reported Braid. "We did not have to fight many monsters at all for the first half of our mission."
"As for the forest itself." Interrupted Sora, though Braid didn't mind. He actually hated giving reports. "It was not overtly apparent due to the time of year, but I would say that the reports have been right, and vitality has, indeed, returned there."
"Damn it... Aeros?" Cursed Jillian.
Braid shook his head. "Dead. at least, all evidence seems to suggest that."
"Evidence?" Asked the king, thick eyebrow raised and fingers woven together, chin resting on them.
"We were contemplating returning with a report of nothing more than a confusing lack of monster activity and a healthy forest when we came under attack." Here was where the tricky part came in. How would the king and his advisors react to the tale of the little goddess and her estate full of seemingly civilized monsters? "We were surrounded and hard pressed to get out of the issue. But then we were saved. And by the most unlikely of rescuers."
"Well? Don't leave us in suspense." Drawled Frost.
"Foxie saved us." Sora stated bluntly.
"Foxie? As in the rare evolved form of the Fennik line? There were such highly evolved monsters in the forest?" Asked an alarmed Jillian.
"Most alarming." Agreed Gill. Like Frost, he too, had declined to take a seat, instead standing at the king's left shoulder.
"Yet you say the dragon is gone? Are you claiming that that demon has been replaced by an even stronger beast?" the other woman asked, her usually resolute face loosing a little of it's color.
Arthas snorted, but did not elaborate, so Braid continued. "Yes, we were saved by several foxie hunters, mounted on the Rohgek, no less."
"Rohgek?" Asked the bishop, looking quite pale himself.
"If I remember correctly, they were the monsters that the goblins use as mounts are they not?" Frost speculated correctly. "Large wolf like creatures with the traits of a boar?"
Braid nodded. "Yes, sir."
"But you say they are the mounts of goblins. Why in the world would the lesser monsters, foxes, be using them."
"I would not call the foxie lesser, Mr. Frost." Said Reinga, her usually cheeky face now set into a more serious shape. "From what I have seen, both the foxie and foxmen in the forest are as skilled as any adventurer out kingdom has to offer.
"Indeed." Agreed Braid, remembering even the young Ozzie's skills in taking down the Ursa.
"there are Foxmen as well?" Asked Jillian, now looking clearly pale.
"What are foxmen?" Asked Rodrick. the bishop needed to brush up on his monster knowledge if he did not even know that much.
"They are another rare evolution of the fennik line." Sighed the advisor, looking drained. She had best pull it together, however, considering Braid had not even gotten to the most shocking news yet. "though their combat skills are not stellar, they do have the advantage of looking remarkably similar to the fox beastmen. An untrained eye would even mistake one for the other... I am sure the implications are not lost on you, bishop."
The bishop did, in fact, still look confused.
"It means that they would be more than capable of acting as spies in our cities." Huffed Frost, his anxiety making him sharp. "the average citizen could easily be fooled. the beastmen may be able to tell them apart at least. But in nations that resent the demi-humans and wouldn't know the difference, it could be a major security risk."
Braid saw the guild master's point. It was true that such nations would not allow any beastmen- let alone monster- just walk around freely, but the foxmen might be able to sneak in as slaves. Even a week foxmen would be stronger than the average beastmen citizen. Putting a few in disguise amongst the slaves could, potentially, do a lot of damage.
The king sighed, worrying his short beard. "You still did not explain the rohgek the foxes were riding."
"We found out about that after we were taken." Said Arthas, not looking happy about it still. the boy had far too much pride in him still.
"Taken?!" this spoken by several in attendance.
"Yes. We could have tried fighting our rescuers off, and we may have won, but..." Braid's eyes drifted to the young Porsha. She saw him looking and flashed him an apologetic smile.
"I understand." The king accented. "Please continue. You are clearly not captured now, so what happened?"
"We were taken to the monster's estate in the woods, next to a lake they have come to call Silver Lake, I think." Spoke up Reinga, leaning in her chair so that it stood only on two feet. Her brother narrowed his eyes at her, but no one else paid it any mind. She was respected and liked enough to get away with a little break from decorum.
"Wait, an estate?" Mumbled Jillian, her mind clearly racing as her brain tried to process all this. Braid wished her luck with that, given he was still having a hard enough time with it.
"Oh yeah. A big one. With walls, and guards. Big, muscley, hobgoblin guards." Said the wolf, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. At least she was still able to crack jokes.
"Hob-hobgoblins...?" Breathed Frost, he too, now deathly pale.
Braid didn't blame the man. The foxes evolving was bad enough, but at least they were hardly scarier than a mid rank adventurer for the most part. But hobgoblins? Even before Braid had set eyes on them, he knew that they were a supremely dangerous race, and the kingdom had been very lucky to have never come access them before. But now...
"Lots, and lots of them." Reinga confirmed mercilessly. "And even a few Goblane to boot. Not a single, regular, goblin to be seen in the whole freaking mansion. And it was more like a wood and stone palace than a mansion, to be honest."
"This is terrible news..." Breathed Jillian, looking truly shaken. "But, how did you escape? I am not disparaging your skills, but if there were as many as you claim, I find it hard to believe you could just walk out of there unscathed."
At that, it was actually the usually stoic Sora that began to laugh. It was a low and almost self-deprecating sound. likely because she, as well as the rest of the party, knew that, had thing not gone as they had, they never would have made it out of that estate. Perhaps Reinga could have made it out on her own to deliver the tale to the king. But the rest of the party would have been doomed.
"What is so funny?" Growled the bishop, not looking amused in the slightest.
"The fact of the matter is, we were not being threatened in the slightest." Sighed the elf, looking resigned. She smiled wanly at the men and women around the table. "We were not treated as anything less than uninvited guests."
"What? Explain?" Demanded the king.
"This was not a rag tag rabble of violent monsters. they were not gathered around campfires, sharpening spears and salivating over our flesh." sighed the elf. "Trust me, I was among the most shocked to see that these monsters were as civilized as any human, elf, or whatever, race I had seen... they were dressed smartly, well organized, and smart as any sentient race I have ever seen."
"How could that be..."
it was not that all monsters were dumb. Any adventurer would tell the average citizen that if asked. Braid had come across plenty of monsters that were capable of speech and even critical thinking. the number of times he had nearly been caught in a goblins trap... No, most realized that not all monsters were slobbering beats.
But it was a shock to see them as they were at the estate. Monsters did not live with other races. Foxes and goblins were enemies. Monsters were selfish, greedy, and merciless. Even if they were also intelligent. They did not all come together and make a functioning, united, prospering, nation. It just was not done!
"It is all Lady Enna's doing!" Piped up Porsha, looking delighted, even as the rest of the summit looked devastated. The priestess was truly taken with the young land god. "She is amazing. And so cute!"
"Who?" Asked Frost, looking like the Porsha may have lost her senses due to the stress of her first dangerous mission.
"Enna is the new land god of The Forest of Monsters." Said Arthas to his father. "When we were brought to the estate, the monsters brought us to a meeting room of sorts."
"It was actually quite beautiful." Said Reinga. "I was impressed. I never would have thought monsters capable of such artistry."
"Indeed!" Beamed Porsha, getting excited once again. the girl was far too innocent for her own good. though, it was thanks to this innocence that she was so loved amongst the Pernians. "And all that stained glass too! It would be lovely to have some of it in the cathedral too-"
"We are getting off topic, Porsha." Sora sighed. She may not admit it, but Braid knew that the young priestess was growing on his old friend. "When we were taken to the room, we had all thought it was the end of our lives... to say it was a shock to find a conference room rather than an executioners block would be putting it mildly."
"Right." Agreed Braid. "We were made to sit, thee massive hobgoblins at our backs, and wait." He thought back on that day, and realized that it was then that his opinions on monsters really began to change. They had just acted so, well, human. Not always... Braid could still feel the inherent aggression of the monsters, even if they appeared a little more civilized that he had expected.
"People began filtering into the room-" Braid continued, but was then interrupted by Gill's soft voice.
"People?" He asked, clearly thinking that Braid meant several humans or demi-humans had entered the room.
Braid chuckled to himself, shaking his head at the clear proof that he had come to accept that some monsters were, indeed, 'people', as the land god had professed them to be. "Other monsters. Goblins and foxes, yes. But There were others too."
"What others?" Asked the king.
"An older elf woman for one... not that she looked overly old, of course..."
"She was Reihekiu, the famed sword smith of the last age." Said sora with confidence. "And, though she was as rude as rumors said she would be, she appears to hold great respect and faith in Enna. According to her, she has sworn fealty to the land god. Not that she elaborated as to how or why that may be the case."
"I have heard of this woman before. Though I did not realize she still lived." Said king Damien thoughtfully. "So then, this Enna has no qualms about having demi-humans in the forest then?"
"None." Said Braid. "She wasn't the only one their either. There were a goodly number of kobolds living at the estate as well. From what we could make out, the land god saved them from some great calamity some months prior and had taken their people under her protection."
"Why would a land god be so involved?" Mused Frost. "I understand that she is likely new to this position, but what land god hangs about and interferes so much in the daily lives of the creatures that live on their land."
Reinga chuckled at that. "We have it on good authority that this Enna spends all of her time amongst her people. She is highly involved with everything from revitalizing the lands to evolving her subjects... And I mean, all of them." She added, her voice all seriousness now.
Arthas nodded. "If what we heard and saw of the people in the estate is correct, then Enna has evolved every foxkin and goblin within the entire forest. Not including the ones we saw passing through our boarders, that is."
"Yes, we were told that those goblins were not willing to accept that Aeros was gone, and Enna had banished them." Said Sora now. "She was highly shaken to learn of their deaths, however.
There was a moment of silence among the party members then, as they all remembered the darken of the room, and the oppressive power surrounding them when they had informed Enna of the fate of the goblins she had driven from her lands. "Enna seems almost naive to some things in this world." Braid said.
"Does the land god seek retribution for their deaths?" Rodrick asked, fearful. To be on the bad side of a god was never a good thing.
"She said that she under stood." Spoke up Porsha. "She looked very sad for their deaths, but claimed to blame herself for not considering the consequences of their banishment."
"This all seems to fantastical to be true..." Said the king, leaning back and contemplating things. "Clearly she let you go. I assume it was to deliver a message?"
Braid nodded. "Yes, and you maybe shocked by what it is."
"Has she declared war?" Growled the bishop, ready to fight monsters from his cushy church it seemed.
"Not at all. As a matter of fact, Enna has requested diplomatic relations between the Forest of Monsters and the Kingdom of Pern."
"I beg your pardon?" this time from Gill, looking actually shocked.
Reinga seemed pleased to see her brother off his guard. "That's what she said. She stated, quite emphatically, that she was not Aeros, and that she bore no ill will toward humans, nor demi-humans. She wishes for us all to live in peace."
"Peace?!" Boomed the bishop, jumping to his feet. "With monsters? How absurd!"
"Take your seat, Rodrick." Ordered the king, not looking pleased with the other man's exclamation. "Were those her words, exactly?"
"She made it very clear that she wanted nothing but peaceful relations between our two nations, father." Arthas stated reluctantly. He still seemed a little put off with finding out the land god was a human child. Despite ethe fact that it was told to him that that was not her usual form. and even if it was, it hardly mattered.
"She did have some stipulations, moving forward." Braid said, getting to the heart of the issue.
"Oh? And they would be?" the king asked, not liking others telling him what he could and could not do. But the king was no fool, and knew better than most in this room, the delicate situation they found themselves in.
"She says that any further adventurer activity in the forest must be put, temporarily, on hold."
"Not possible!" Huffed Frost. Braid had known that he would be the first to object to this one. "Men and women rely on-"
"I know, I said as much to the land god when she first uttered the statement."
"You back sauced a land god?" Asked Gill, clearly amused at the thought.
Braid glared at the wolf man. "She had some good counter arguments. And, given what we saw in the forest, the monsters at the border are not as grave a threat as they had once been.
"It's true that we have had to send out fewer adventurers to deal with monsters at the border..." Frost relented. "Still, what were these counter arguments then?"
"That it would be a poor start to good relations between our nations if our adventurers died to ursas before talks could be established, for one." Sighed braid. It was a good point, but not a definitive one. Adventurers were responsible for their own lives, and the guild would not fault the other nation for their deaths. "Also, there was no way for us to know what monsters were a threat, and which are not..."
"She had a good point." Agreed Porsha. "Before that day, I would have said that any monster would deserve a quick death... but Miss Trixie, and Lady Kishi... Well, they are good people! Even if they are monsters. And I know that I am not informed enough to know which monsters would kill me on sight, and which are just innocent people living their lives."
There was another silence after this. It was a pretty indisputable reason to keep the adventurers out of the forest. It would be a political disaster if a wary adventurer accidentally killed Ozzie, for instance. the adventurer would see it as him just doing his job, but Enna would see it as the slaughter of one of her most trusted people, right after asking quite politely, for them to stay out.
The king nodded and turned to frost. "Make sure to make it very clear to the adventurers that the forest is off limits for now. We will post men along the border as precaution, but no one crosses the tree line."
Frost sighed, but relented. He was no fool. "Yes, you majesty. I will have it posted and spread the moment I return tot he guild."
"Good." The king returned his gaze back to Braid. "Anything else?"
Braid nodded. "She requests that we send a representative to discuss further relations."
"Why should we do that?" Huffed the bishop, earning an irritated look from Jillian. "She is the one requesting the-"
"I am sorry, bishop." Interrupted Arthas. "But Enna made a very good point when she said that our people may be a little distressed if a foreign land god showed up in our capital with a retinue of monsters..."
"Yes, I can see how that would not go over well..." The king said as the bishop looked pale. "Very well, we will make all the preparations necessary."
"You can not be serious, your majesty?" Breathed Rodrick, looking deflated. "Political discussions with monsters?"
"It may be unprecedented," Agreed the king. "But it is much preferred over being at war with a nation of highly evolved monsters. You have never seen a hobgoblin, Rodrick, but I can tell you right now, that if every goblin residing in that forest has become one, then our kingdom would not make it out unscathed should war break out."
"And just imagine if the god her self were to get involved in the fighting..." Said Reinga ominously.
It was clear that this had not even passed through the noble's minds as they all grew pale. But after only a short interaction with Enna, Braid had no doubt, what so ever, that that girl would do all she could to protect her people.
He had no way of knowing if the threat she possessed was as all encompassing as the dragon, Aeros, had been. But he had felt the power in the conference room briefly, and had seen and heard what the monsters described as Enna's 'true form' and knew that it was not a fight that mere mortals could hope to win.
Pern had no choice but to enter negotiations with the Forest of Monsters. For good, or for bad.