I chuckled mentally. After all, those two are much older than me. And higher level. However, when we meet eyes, the young foxes start shivering. Am I really that scary?
I must give the young archers their due. They weren’t the only ones afraid of us three. The elder foxman warriors were still sticking close to the mage and, based on their tense looks, were also quite wary of us.
Meanwhile the mage finished his speech and asked us to introduce ourselves.
Pinebogey and I traded glances and came to the silent agreement that the primordial should take the role of lead negotiator.
“My name is Pinebogey,” he introduced himself, not especially hiding things. “This is Master Eric Bergman. And this sweet beasty here belongs to him.”
The “sweet beasty,” sitting peacefully a step away from me, was yawning lazily to reveal a row of sharp teeth and fangs.
I saw a few of the foxfolk’s fur stand on end. And they had every reason to feel that way. The breadth of Gorgie’s maw made a strong impression. It would be no trouble at all for him to tear off any of their heads. And he had demonstrated just that a few minutes earlier on the blackbloods.
“By the way, the life aura you can probably still feel is also Master Eric’s handiwork. I believe those you were defending will also have sensed this magic.”
Pinebogey glanced at me. And I confirmed with a silent nod.
The foxfolk grew livelier and began exchanging whispers. The oldest among were now just waiting to hear what their mage had to say. They clearly still believed it was all his magic.
However, all doubts on that account were dispelled by Sly when he made a respectful bow in my direction. I had to respond in kind.
“As you can see,” continued Pinebogey. “We had no ill intent. Master Eric’s beast smelled your battle and led us here to aid you.”
“And what timing,” came Sly, smiling amicably. “If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind telling us what you’re doing in our lands?”
Pinebogey and I traded glances. We couldn’t lie.
“No trouble at all,” said the woodsman. “One hour ago, we exited the Labyrinth of Fright via a portal which is located that way to the east.”
Pinebogey pointed back where we came from without looking.
His words inspired a new wave of animation in the foxfolk. From the snippets I overheard, I realized that the portal was thought to be nothing but an ancient and long nonfunctioning structure. A fire of curiosity sparked up in Sly’s eyes. The mage had clearly heard all about the ancient labyrinth.
“And now we would like to get back on our way, but alas, we do not know quite where we are.”
Sly Redtail looked around and led a sullen gaze over his warriors. They all fell silent instantly.
“You are on the lands of Clan Sharpear, which are located on the west of what is commonly referred to as the Dark Continent,” he stated, fully confirming my earlier theory.
After that, looking around the scene of the slaughter, he added:
“Today, many of our clan’s greatest warriors perished. If not for your help, I’m sure there would be more victims. And as I already said, Clan Sharpear is deeply indebted to you. It would be our greatest privilege to have you as our guests of honor.”
Pinebogey gave a slow bow to the foxman and turned his gaze to me. He silently asked my opinion. I then, in my turn, responded silently: “Have you considered this carefully?”
The primordial closed his eyes for an instant as if to say, “there’s no rush, we should talk about this.” Then he turned again to the expectant mage and said:
“We are sincerely touched by your invitation, but we must first discuss something among ourselves. We would never think of insulting you with a refusal, but we unfortunately have lots of urgent business to attend to. To be frank, we’re already running behind.”
After he said that, Pinebogey gave a nonchalant nod toward the dead blackbloods.
Based on the sullen looks on the foxmen’s faces, the woodsman’s response was not what they wanted to hear. Sly however displayed an enviable composure. Not so much as a single muscle on his fox face twitched.
“As you like,” he answered with a slight nod. “While you make up your minds, we’ll start getting ready for the journey.”
“Journey?” Pinebogey responded with surprise. “Aren’t you going to stay here, in your settlement?”
Sly gave a slight frown, then it hit him.
“You are mistaken, Master Pinebogey,” he responded with a smile. “We do not live here. This is a temporary camp where our hunters spend the night with their families when they are out on a long hunt. A few days ago, we received word that this settlement had suffered a blackblood attack. That was why my house’s warriors and I hurried here, to fight back the onslaught. Or in the worst case to come back certain our people had perished.”
“That explains a lot…” muttered the primordial.
“When I invited you to be our guests of honor, I meant in Foreston ― our clan’s main settlement, which is three days travel from here.”
“Then we especially need to discuss.”
“As you like,” answered the foxman mage, turning to hand out orders to his warriors.
Pinebogey then placed a hand on my shoulder, silently suggesting that we take a few steps aside. Further from inquisitive ears.
“We have to agree,” he started right away, laying out his arguments: “These are their lands. This is their domain. Refusing would insult them.”
I winced.
“You do realize they could hold a feast for their guests of honor out here in the field. The most we’d have to do is sup down a bowl of firewater around a campfire and go on our way. But he’s taking us into the very den of a foxfolk city.”
“I don’t get it,” Pinebogey responded with surprise. “Do you have something against the foxfolk? Please don’t tell me you believe in all the travesties your people say about their kind.”
“I used to,” I muttered and hurried to add: “But then I met an ancestor of the mage that just invited us, and he dispelled any desire I might have had to have further dealings with their clever ilk.”
Pinebogey frowned and asked:
“What do you mean?”
I breathed a heavy sigh, then nodded despite myself at the mage, a font of incessant activity.
“I have personally met an ancestor of his. Or rather… ghm… the ghost of one…”
The primordial turned a stunned gaze on Sly, then back at me:
“What makes you so sure?”
“They’re as alike as two peas in a pod,” I responded confidently. “They even have the same name. Sometimes I even notice familiar body language.”
“Well, well…” Pinebogey drawled, stunned.
“As a matter of fact, it was his ancestor that inducted me into the hunters. He was a magister of the order.”
“So where does all your distaste for foxfolk come from?”
“That creep put me into an unenviable position. He locked Gorgie and I in Stonetown and said we couldn’t leave until we got the otherworldly portal there closed. We had to fight off dark beasts every single day one more terrible than the next just to survive. And beyond that, after he locked us in, he up and disappeared.”
“So how’d it all end? You get the portal closed?”
“I wouldn’t be standing here today if I hadn’t…” I muttered.
“A-hemm… Eric… The more I learn about you, the more surprises I uncover… So does that mean you have visited the legendary Stonetown? What was it like?”
I saw the same look of childlike curiosity on Pinebogey’s face as I saw when I was telling him about the Heart of the Forest.
“Nothing special,” I responded, shrugging my shoulders. “An empty, abandoned subterranean city. Crammed full of inoperable traps.”
While I thought, I distantly considered that, with my current mana reserves, it wouldn’t be too hard for me to gradually start activating the wh
ole network of traps in Stonetown. Same as in Fort Stout, in fact.
We spent a little while in silence. Pinebogey was digesting what I said, while I watched the foxfolk whipping up a storm of activity. The squadron split up. The first group was taking care of wounded, while a second was picking up the bodies of the dead. The wounded were carried closer to the mage, who took from his bag a dark blue stone adorned with angular script and placed it on the ground. At such a distance, my magical senses didn’t work but, based on the way the groaning warriors gradually quieted down, it wasn’t hard to guess what kind of magic the stone must have contained.
The families of the hunters started poking their heads out of the burrows in the earthen mounds. As soon as the women and children got their bearings, a series of aggrieved howls came rolling over the meadow. Many of the families had lost their providers today. But there were also some hugging joyously with their surviving fathers and brothers. But alas, there weren’t many.
In fact, after watching briefly, I came to the conclusion that Sly’s dozen fighters were the best equipped and most disciplined of them all. They seem to hold a higher position in the clan.
They had also taken notice of us. Honestly, even though we saved them, they preferred to keep their distance, casting suspicious looks our way. As expected, particular attention was awarded to Gorgie, who was lazing around on the ground. The tiny fox cubs and other young quickly forgot their misfortune and turned their attention to the gigantic scaled monster whose growling they had probably heard while underground. The particularly curious got immediate shouts from their mothers.
“Listen, Eric,” Pinebogey finally spoke up, emerging from his pensive state. “As I said, we’ll have to accept Sly’s invitation. Otherwise, he’ll be offended. Even despite the fact that we just saved them all. That is in fact the precise reason the mage invited us. He realizes that he was a hair away from death. You must understand that it truly is a great honor. The foxfolk don’t particularly relish inviting outsiders into their fold. They have always lived apart. In their own little world. Beyond that, no one has known about them for centuries. I wouldn’t be surprised if the portal brought us into the very heart of their lands. Do you really not care to know more about our potential allies?”
Noticing skepticism on my face, Pinebogey continued to press:
“Yes, yes, Eric. Allies. Look around you… They are fighting against Darkness same as us.”
“Looks more like they’re fighting out of desperation.”
“And desperation always makes for easier negotiating. Do you think Sly invited us only out of a sense of gratitude? Looks like you get it ― there’s gotta be more to it. Two mages that just easily slayed almost fifty blackbloods and they are favorably disposed ― such guests are always welcome. And I won’t even mention your beast.”
“Aha,” I snorted. “And on top of that, they can use us to stick it to their rivals in the clan. We know. We’ve been through it before.”
“Well, why not,” Pinebogey waved it off. “Broaden your perspective.”
I cringed and breathed a heavy sigh. Pinebogey was right. Despite all my unwillingness to make my acquaintance with this maligned group, we needed all the help we could get. But something was telling me the foxes would try to get more out of us than give. Still, I was even willing to look the other way there. Just think how surprised Pinebogey would be if he knew that I had made up my mind to accept the invitation long ago. I just wanted to hear my companion’s reasoning. As for my decision, the man who dragged me out to this continent, Captain Takeda, had once mentioned that he intended to visit this very area. Seemingly, the foxfolk were a link in a chain I still had to find the end of no matter how badly I did not want to.
“So then, what have you decided?” the mage asked, walking up to us.
Pinebogey glanced at me and, awaiting a short nod, responded:
“We would be delighted to accept your invitation, master. It would be our honor!”
Sly, having been noticeably tense up until then, clearly relaxed and started smiling.
“Excellent, good sirs! You won’t regret it. Foxfolk hospitality is the stuff of legends!”
It took me some effort to hold back an acrid smirk.
The mage wanted to say something else, but Gorgie gave a warning growl. The harn was all tensed up and ready for another fight.
“We have visitors,” I explained the harn’s behavior. “They’re your kind. They’ll be here soon.”
Sly’s reaction caught me by surprise. He tensed up severely. A few loud commands and all his warriors had grabbed their weapons and fanned out on the meadow. The women and children ducked back into their burrows.
After a few minutes’ wait, the first few fox snouts poked out of the wall of trees. Cautiously, one after the next, they slunk out where we could see them. When a pure white foxman emerged from the bushes, a true giant in foxfolk terms, Sly cursed out angrily.
“Enemies?” Pinebogey clarified. We were ready to attack at any moment. I had already commanded Gorgie to flank the newcomers from behind. That way, if anything were to happen, we had a nice little surprise we could give them.
“Yes and no,” Sly responded vaguely, frowning. “They are warriors from a competing house. But they’re also from Clan Sharpear.”
The white fox gave a short growl and another foxman popped out of the leaves. I even snorted. A big paunch, puffy cheeks, closely set malicious little eyes ― the fat guy who had just showed up made for a sharp contrast with his fellow foxmen.
He quickly looked around and paused his disappointed gaze on Sly. Then he saw us, and his beady eyes shot up into his forehead. His warriors, of which there were almost forty, reacted to his mood instantly. Any sudden moves and a battle would kick off.
“Sage Whitebelly!” Sly exclaimed with false happiness. “What a surprise! Did you also get word of the blackblood attack and come racing out to help the poor hunters?”
“Sly, who’s that with you?!” the fat guy shouted out squeakily, ignoring the mockery.
“This is Master Pinebogey and Master Eric!” the clever mage introduced us almost triumphantly. “They helped us slay a herd of blackbloods. They are friends, and I have invited them to Foreston!”
Pinebogey and I traded glances. When Pinebogey saw the smirk on my face, he shook his head. I just kept feeling an urge to tell him “I told you so!” We were still on that same meadow and they were already trying to use us.
The fat one winced. Everything in his appearance seemed to say that we, Sly and the other survivors were coming as an unpleasant surprise. To the left of Whitebelly appeared one more foxman. Small, lean with mousy brown fur. Hm… A fox that looks like a rat. That’s a new one. He quickly started talking into the fat one’s ear, which made him frown even harder.
“Right as always, dear Sly!” the fat one said with false amicability. “We got word the beasts were attacking your hunters and hurried here to your aid!”
After he said that, the tension on the field fell away and the foxman warriors on both sides started to lower their weapons.
Sage Whitebelly himself, accompanied by the white giant and smaller fox came our way. Sly nodded at us and followed his example.
When the three newcomers were just fifteen steps away, I suddenly tasted a bitter flavor. I wanted to fall back, but Pinebogey’s hand came down on my shoulder.
We traded glances.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” he whispered with lips alone. “We need to take a closer look. Maybe it’s just an artifact.”
When we stopped a few paces from Whitebelly and his companions, I could already tell which of them stank of darkness.
Chapter 20
IT DIDN’T TAKE just three days to travel as Sly claimed, but six. But that was no surprise to us. Accounting for the travoises of wounded, the young foxfolk, and our many breaks we actually made very good time.
Also, Whitebelly and his unit left us back on day one. The fat fox made some vague excus
e about urgent matters, which meant he and his soldiers could not accompany us. I would not be surprised to discover the fat bastard and his whole pack made it to Foreston long before us. Internal relations in this clan are curious. I said as much to Pinebogey.
“Families quarrel,” he shrugged. “Such things happen everywhere. The foxfolk are no exception. In a way, it’s the right thing.”
That news just about made me stumble.
“Abandoning wounded and children is the right thing?”
Pinebogey snorted. Seemingly, our opinions on the matter differed.
Labyrinth of Fright (Underdog Book #5): LitRPG Series Page 21
