Cheep!?

Cheep!?

Chapter 118

Niko was pleasantly surprised at the manner in which Sasha’s mother, Anya spoke to the Wyldwalkers. Prior to her arrival, he would have been lying if he said he wasn’t afraid that she was going to be suspicious or critical of them. Of course, she could simply be concealing those sentiments, but given the warm and inclusive way she spoke to them now, he figured she’d have to be a master diplomat to do so. That was certainly not an impossibility, but was also not an effort he believed would be worth the energy.

“–and then the Hive Queen appeared, and even from as far away as we were, her might was felt. It was humbling to see; that an insect had become so powerful so quickly. Fortunately, the Guildmaster of the Adventurer’s Guild in Greenleaf and his comrades were able to defeat the Queen.” Sasha finished telling her story to her mother, with Niko and the others contributing details when questions came up. Anya was not a passive listener, sitting forward in apt attention to her daughter's words, and had made many clarifying inquiries during the telling of the events of the past week. 

“You’ve all had quite an adventure,” Anya observed with a light smile on her face, “I regret that Greenleaf was damaged so; losing one's home is never easy. On the matter of supporting the city, I wholeheartedly accept. The Blue-Claw Clan does not forget its favors.” Anya graciously spoke, and Niko felt a knot of tightness in his chest finally release. 

“Thank you, Matriarch,” Ronald expressed jubilantly, “That means a lot to us.”

“Just Anya for you all, at least here in my home,” The white sabrecat smiled wider, showing off her fangs, “I would offer assistance even without my Daughter’s promises to you all. And even if the rest of the families should find themselves uncertain of their positions, my family will render aid, regardless. Though it may seem arrogant to say, we alone are enough.” 

Niko felt a combination of gratitude and, try as he might not to, some trace of suspicion at that. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe that she couldn’t provide for them, but rather that he wasn’t certain if there was a political angle behind that. Then again, it wasn’t as though they had any other options. 

“That’s good to hear, the sooner we can get help, the better.” Ronald took a bowl in two hands with a rich wine in it and sipped it. For beasts, the tableware was perfect, but for humanoids some of the dishes were awkwardly shaped. Most of the meal was perfectly edible, though, and some actual tableware that the rest of the group could use was available. Whether or not they’d been in stock for a long time, Niko didn’t know, but it was a nice gesture if nothing else.

“As for the rest of what has been asked for, I’m afraid that must go through the rest of the council as well. It has been a very long time since we’ve had humanoid visitors, and some of us on the council are old enough to still remember those days. Even so, I don’t expect that the matter will be denied out of hand.” Anya shook her head, “They are not unreasonable people, but I cannot predict the direction the other clans will go in. Do you all intend on speaking before the council yourselves in an attempt to sway their opinions?” 

“Great Mother, no,” Skye blurted, before clearing her throat in embarrassment as the rest of the team turned to her.

Amused, Ronald shook his head, “No, that’s not for us to decide. We have two more companions who have been delayed. They should be arriving at the mountain steps soon, though. They are the high tiers who trained us and were responsible for helping Guildmaster Orson to defeat the Hive Queen. The two of them are going to be talking about the finer details, we’re here for separate matters.”

Anya’s eyes narrowed fractionally in thought at that, before whispering something off to the side. Somehow, Niko didn’t hear it, nor did he catch any sign of anyone she was speaking to.

“Ottowan will pass along my orders that if a pair of individuals arrive, they will be escorted with respect to my Clan home,” Anya focused more upon the group at that, openly contemplating them as a mild pressure began to fill the room. “So, if you’re not here for those negotiations, what are you here for?” 

Sasha’s tail flicked rather loudly against the floor for a moment before she spoke up, “Mother, you’re interrogating again.” 

The pressure dissipated a moment later as the Matriarch made an apologetic expression, “Ah, so I am. It’s a force of habit, I’m afraid, I hope you won’t take it to heart.” 

In truth, Niko knew that he and the rest of the Wyldwalkers were at least somewhat more accustomed to the pressure emitted by higher tiers, if only because of the training that Crowe and Camille put them through. They were hardly bothered by what might have been considered a social faux pas.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ronald gave a light shrug.

Before he continued, the double doors opened to another procession of servants, “Oh, more food?” Dachna spoke up, putting his hands together with a light clap, “Is this the main course?”

“Indeed, and then dessert,” Sasha affirmed, seeming quite attentive to the meals coming in, “We have a very good chef here, and I think he’ll have made something suitable for you all as well.”

Anya nodded, “Astold is quite gifted in his culinary techniques. I’m sure he’d like to hear feedback from new sources, though.”

Their previous table sets were either replaced or had new dishes set atop of them. Niko noted that some of the dishes actually seemed to be made with the intent of fitting on top of other types. He didn’t know if that was a normal thing in their society, or a high-society type of thing, but that wasn’t that important.

What was important was the incredible smell coming from some kind of braised meat dish with a hearty collection of tuber-related vegetables. They were all drizzled lightly with some kind of brown sauce that, after a few more sniffs, Niko guessed was some kind of mushroom-flavored gravy. Another dish joined it, a heartily seasoned bread with a soup-like dip that smelled like chicken with a cream base. Even with the appetizer before, Niko found he could very much still eat, and even with his dishes being much larger than what the rest of his companions had, he felt that he was probably going to be the first one done.

The group made light conversation over the meal–which Niko ravaged quickly–and spoke a little bit of the dishes themselves. They were essence meals, which only enhanced his appetite, and shortly into the meal, Niko noticed a new sabrecat enter the room. He was predominantly orange with black speckles, no more than tier three, but as he stalked the exterior of the room and made no move to approach, Niko didn’t focus on him directly. Oddly enough, though, he seemed quite pleased when he looked at Niko, nodding his head vigorously to himself, before doing a once over of the rest of the group.

When he left, Niko spoke up about the oddness, “So, what was with that guy?” 

“That guy?” Anya asked confusedly, before blinking in realization, “Ah! Yes, that is Astold. He is the chef I mentioned.” 

“He just sort of stared at all of us and left?” Mithel tilted her head, “Nodded a lot at Niko, too.”

“I did notice that,” Dachna said, glancing over at his plate before looking towards Niko’s in barely concealed envy, “I feel like I want dishes like Niko’s.”

Niko snorted, “It’s because I’m bigger.” 

Thokk cleared his throat, and Niko immediately shut up, noting the fact that the big bear's plates were, indeed, far larger than any of the rest of theirs.

“Point taken, I want those ones,” Dachna jokingly gestured to them, “That’d feed me for at least three days.”

Anya chuckled, “It’s not uncommon to be able to eat a lot more of an essence-food than of ordinary food. Especially if your body craves the nutrients. Sasha and Thokk will need more food than usual, too, considering that you’ve all just come from a lower tier area.” 

Mithel hummed in thought to herself, before saying, “That makes sense. How would you deal with going to a lower tier area, say, Greenleaf?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t if I could at all help it,” Anya made a sour face, “It’s supremely uncomfortable walking through any area of less than tier three at my stage. My control is good, but I am not ashamed to admit that it is not one of my most gifted areas. My mate could likely go anywhere he’d like without suffering much, but in my case it feels as though my body is trying to explode whenever I go into low tier areas.” 

“That’s the high tier problem, alright,” Stella mused, “Get more powerful overall, but feel miserable in low tier zones.”

“Regrettably true,” Anya sighed, “This is why I recommend everyone travel and adventure in their younger years. Even if you only ever reach tier three, there are still plenty of lovely places that are best experienced without essence-decompression eating at you.”

That much Niko had been aware of, but he was curious about another matter, “There’s plenty of high tier areas, right? Or are most places low tier?”

“It depends. Truly low tier, or near zero areas, are uncommon, but you’ll find most territories sitting between tier two and tier three. Tier four and five are rare, and tier six are vanishingly so, at least in the lands accessible to us. I’m aware that there are places of power on the continent that are tier seven and higher, but,” Anya shrugged her shaggy shoulders at that, “I’ve never been to them, and they tend to be ruled by some beast of legend or the like.” 

For the first time since the meal began in earnest, Tiku spoke up with a twinkle in his eyes, “There’s other places, too! If you go deep enough into the ground, or across the seas to the other continent, there’s a lot of high tier territory there–” 

“The first of which is dangerous,” Sasha rebutted him with amusement, “The second of which is ridiculously difficult. Where did you even hear about this?”

Tiku’s fur stood on end and he scowled at his sister, “From Uncle Orson! He was already reading a book on it when I was there, and then he started reading it to me, too!” 

Anya let out a light sigh, “You’re still calling him Uncle. You barely met the man, Tiku.” 

“Yeah, so? He was cool!” Tiku enthusiastically yowled, “He had all of these really cool books and devices and was really comfy to–” The sabrecat immediately cut himself off and changed what he was going to say “–had really good food and cool stuff!”

“My little brother, bewitched by a man's hands,” Sasha sarcastically and exaggeratedly bemoaned.

Anya shot her a look and Sasha had the good sense to look apologetic before her mother turned her attention to the rest of them. “I suppose, on that note, I would ask what you all make of this Orson fellow? Considering how things had begun, I… recognize that I may have something of a befouled first impression of the man due to the situation that resulted in little Tiku winding up in Greenleaf in the first place.”

At that, Niko nodded understandingly. That had not been an ideal situation, and could have gone far worse very easily if Niko hadn’t hunted down the poachers. It was completely understandable that Anya might not have the greatest impression of Orson after that.

“He’s a good man,” Niko began, “He didn’t try to hold onto Tiku in the first place. I practically had to drag the little squirt out of there.” 

Tiku shot him a look of utter betrayal that Niko privately laughed at. If he hadn’t properly informed his mother of what had happened, well, that wasn’t really his concern at all!

“Guildmaster Orson is a clever fellow, too much for his position in Greenleaf given that he’s also very strong. Honestly, his situation is probably much more complicated than I can think of, but he’s had our backs during the pilgrimage and seems to genuinely want to do the right thing when he can.” Niko then considered things for a moment, before deciding that his next statement should sum things up well enough, “I trust Orson. If he asked me for a favor, I’d help. If he was in trouble, I’d help. And I think he’d do the same for us.”

Anya’s tail swished, just once, as she considered what Niko said. 

Skye’s voice broke the silence, mildly joking, “I didn’t know you held him in such high regard.”

Niko joked right back with yet another shrug, “I mean, introducing Camille to us was a great step in the right direction. She’s a great cook.”

That got a round of chuckles, and then more food came to the table. It was a different dish, but certainly not dessert. 

“More… main course?” Skye asked, looking at the food hungrily.

“I hope you’re hungry.” Anya chuckled, “Astold’s pretty good at telling when you’re at capacity, so don’t be shy.” 

 

—-------------------------------------------

Crowe and Camille both stretched as they rose from the cavernous, yawning pit to the south of Greenleaf.

“Looks like the bomb hasn’t completely contaminated the underground, at least.” Camille popped her shoulders, “Still a pain in the ass where it’s at, though.”

Crowe leveled a quiet disapproval at his sister for the rough language, but gave it a pass, considering what they’d just gone through. “It did not reach into the deeper layers, so there should be no risk of any aggressive response from the creatures down there. Thankfully the vermillion wave has not gone further south, either. The eastern side is… concerning, however.” 

“Everything I used indicated that the growth stopped. We’ll have to see if the beast clans have any underground paths there so we can check that side. I’d prefer Riizen and Greenleaf to be getting off on a better foot than discovering we set off a war crime on their front doorstep.” Camille spat off to the side, before checking herself and her brother over with her essence senses once more, ensuring that they weren’t carrying anything with them from below.

“A fair point.” Crowe opened his equipment pouch, injecting a trace of essence into a communication crystal on him. Shortly after, he felt the feedback jolts from several bursts of essence from within the crystal, a sort of morse code, and breathed a sigh of relief, “The Wyldwalkers are there, and it seems that things are going well. It is too far away for Ronald to speak, though.” 

“That’s something, then. Do we tell them about…” Camille gestured to the hole they’d just come from.

Grimly, Crowe shook his head, “I would normally advocate transparency, but… I do not believe it to be wise to bring it up anytime soon.”

Camille chewed her lip, a nervous tick, “Fine. But we are telling them. They wouldn’t like being kept in the dark. I know I wouldn’t.”

Crowe agreed, with a nod, before beginning to set off at speed, “Let us be off, then. It should only take us an hour to get there if–”

The large, muscled woman blasted past him with a whoop, “Last one there has to start the petitions to the beast council!”

“You childish–wait–” Crowe scoffed, “–At least give me some notice, blasted curr!” 

“All I hear is me winning and you losing, Crowe!” The woman cackled, even as her brother ingested an essence pill covertly, surging ahead of the woman who suddenly looked both surprised and desperate.

“Last one makes the petitions, right?” Crowe shot a smug look back at her.

“No, uh, wait, calm down now! We can talk about–” She started, only for Crowe to turn and zip through the terrain like a living shadow. “Alright, fine, gloves off, then!”

Her essence aura bursted outwards as she began weaving between the trees, her footsteps shaking the earth and rustling trees for tens of meters around…