Earlier, deep inside the fox-kin Sanctum...
Inside an ornate room, a young woman is seated on a floor cushion. She appears early-20s, with long hair as black as night, rosy skin, and cold, crimson eyes. She wears a fitted robe of black silk that stops just above her knees, accentuating her generous figure. Behind her, a rust-red tail can be seen peeking out of her robe, swaying gently in the air.
Her gaze is fixed on two fox-kin in front of her, her posture composed. She lifts a cup of tea from the small table between them, taking a sip as she studies the two men. She speaks, her voice elegant but sharp.
{AN: All the following private dialogue is in the so-called Sacred Tongue from earlier, but I'm not going to annotate it. Just know.}
"Reports."
The men share a brief glance with one another. The older of the two, perhaps in his early 40s, bows respectfully at the young woman.
"There is news from the eastern border, Head Teyla. The Empire's border towns under our surveillance have been...erratic. Our investigation suggests that Emperor Belmod was killed." (fox-kin 1)
Teyla Zang – the designated Head of the city of Central Tail's three Council members, and by extension, the city's day-to-day ruler. She also holds the most power of the fox-kin Council's nine total members, acting as its Mediator. The two men across from her are her subordinates, each in charge of different facets of the fox-kin's intelligence gathering network.
Teyla narrows her eyes at the subordinate delivering the news about Belmod.
"Killed?" (Teyla)
The man nods.
"Murdered...around a week ago, in his throne room, along with a hundred of his elite guard. At least, according to the commoners' gossip." (fox-kin 1)
Teyla's hand freezes, her tea stalled part way to her lips. She lets out a thoughtful hum, setting her cup back down. Their spies in the Empire's border towns are well-equipped to gather information by posing as humans – they just have to bind their tails under their clothes, around their waists. There's no reason to doubt them, and yet...
"Hmm...that's quite the rumor. How much of it is true?" (Teyla)
The man hesitates, considering his words carefully.
"I think...the number of dead guards was likely exaggerated by the human commoners. Still, it's probable that Belmod and at least twenty of his elites were killed in the Empire's palace." (fox-kin 1)
Teyla nods contemplatively.
"Good...their discord is our advantage. I assume this was some kind of coup by the Empire's generals or nobles – any rumors of perpetrators or subsequent infighting we could benefit from?" (Teyla)
The man shakes his head.
"According to our spies' reports, the culprit was an adventuring party from Elmesia, that independent city-state bordering the Delmura Forest. Allegedly, they managed to escape the Empire unscathed afterwards." (fox-kin 1)
Teyla's placid expression cracks for the first time, her eyes widening in astonishment.
"How did a single, foreign adventuring party get access to their Emperor, kill him and his elite guard, then escape undetected? And why did they do it?" (Teyla)
The man shrugs regretfully.
"I apologize, Head Teyla...we do not know the party's motivations or means. However, we've gathered that Emperor Belmod actually summoned them to his palace for an audience. That's when the party attacked." (fox-kin 1)
Teyla's expression grows more puzzled, more thoughtful.
"How dubious..." (Teyla)
Her eyes sharpen, studying the man inquisitively.
"Have you been able to ascertain why Belmod allegedly summoned them? That in itself is strange." (Teyla)
The man nods.
"There's no official explanation, but...the Empire's commoners have speculated. It's possible Belmod suspected them of committing an earlier crime in the Empire, and summoned them for interrogation." (fox-kin 1)
Teyla purses her lips, some of her curiosity fading.
"I see...less interesting than expected, but very human. So, this party committed a crime, got called for questioning, and when things didn't go their way, they killed their would-be persecutors and fled. Impressive, and fortunate for us, but nothing more." (Teyla)
The two fox-kin men share hesitant glances, as though silently debating something with one another. Teyla notices, and her eyebrows raise.
"What...am I missing something?" (Teyla)
The two men seem to reach an agreement, the younger one nodding, then the older fox-kin returns his gaze to Teyla.
"It's just, the party seems rather...peculiar. Significantly so, perhaps." (fox-kin 1)
Teyla cocks an eyebrow, staring at the man expectantly. He nods.
"Well, they're what's known as S-rank in the guild system – the highest party ranking possible – and the only existing adventuring party on the planet to boast such a thing. In addition to the strength required for such a ranking, such an honor requires the formal backing of a major country's ruler." (fox-kin 1)
Teyla frowns, her voice irritated.
"That's all? I didn't need the humans' petty rankings to tell me that. They killed the ruler of the most powerful country on Azura in his own home and walked away alive, so naturally they're strong. And as the humans say, yesterday's friends are tomorrows enemies. I see nothing interesting about this." (Teyla)
The man shakes his head.
"My apologies, Head Teyla. The noteworthy point is that their ascension to S-rank was recent, and the ruler that endorsed them...was the Elf Queen. In addition, that crime they were suspected of committing, it involved freeing a group of recently captured elf and wolf-kin slaves. We believe the latter feat may have facilitated the former endorsement." (fox-kin 1)
Teyla's irritation evaporates. She leans forward, eyes gleaming.
"You think a human adventuring party chose to rescue some kidnapped elves, somehow managed to return them home, and the Elf Queen actually rewarded them for it with this endorsement? I honestly can't decide which is more ridiculous – humans doing something decent for non-humans, or elves not immediately killing said humans at their border." (Teyla)
The man nods, affirming his theory. Teyla leans back, taking a sip of her tea while she considers the information. The man presses on with his report.
"Actually, the events surrounding the party seem even more dubious. Based on what our spies have heard, and the timing of events, we think that two of the rescued slaves joined the human party. At present, the party consists of two humans, a wolf-kin, and an elf." (fox-kin 1)
Teyla chokes on her tea mid-sip, her graceful facade broken as she coughs for several moments. When she recovers, her voice cracks with incredulity.
"There's an elf...outside its kingdom...working for a human?" (Teyla)
The man nods solemnly. Teyla sits back, a sigh of exasperation escaping her lips.
"Unbelievable...the whole of Azura's gone mad..." (Teyla)
She shakes her head, composing herself.
"Well, it doesn't sound like they're hostile to non-humans, at least. What of news closer to home? Human activity in our territory. Developments with the other demi-human races." (Teyla)
The younger fox-kin man, around mid-30s, nods. He finally speaks, his tone more nervous than his companion's.
"Of course, Head Teyla. Negligible recent human activity in our territory, and no disruptions in our trade agreements with the rabbit-kin. That dragon still seems to be attacking them on occasion, but our underground shelters seem effective in minimizing their casualties. As of now, I don't think the situation warrants the risk of our warriors trying to kill it. However, I have news from the south. There have been...strange developments, with the wolf-kin." (fox-kin 2)
Teyla's eye twitches.
"You, too? Have I mentioned how much I hate being slowly fed vague statements designed to irritate my curiosity?" (Teyla)
The younger man pales, his voice becoming hurried.
"A-Aplogies, Head Teyla! I just mean...the wolf-kin, they suddenly started acting differently. The minority of their population living outside the primary settlement has dwindled – they've been congregating in the main village. Also, that settlement has been...progressing, startlingly so.
"A new defensive wall around the settlement, wolf-kin living in modern housing instead of huts, wolf-kin warriors wielding steel weapons and armor – all of this happened in the past couple weeks." (fox-kin 2)
For the second time today, Teyla's calm is shattered, her eyes bulging in disbelief at the report.
"The wolf-kin!? The same wolf-kin that relieve themselves in the woods, think avoiding baths builds character, and couldn't appreciate the value of a sword even if it was actively severing their underdeveloped heads from their shoulders? Those wolf-kin?" (Teyla)
The man coughs uncomfortably.
"Uhm...yes, those wolf-kin. They also seem to use toilets and take baths now, though." (fox-kin 2)
Teyla scoffs, not with disdain, but in disbelief. And yet, she somehow doesn't doubt any of it. Irritating though they may be, these two underlings of hers are competent. She shakes her head, taking in the news. Then, her gaze sharpens and her eyes flicker thoughtfully, as if she's just realized something significant. She narrows her eyes at the man seriously.
"That's incredible...too incredible. Even with the Savior's generosity, our ancestors didn't progress that quickly. Do you have any idea what caused this massive...shift?" (Teyla)
The man nods.
"The changes seem to coincide with a new wolf-kin leader, an Elder, rising to power. From what we can gather, the Elder is a young woman...not even an adult by our standards. But the way the wolf-kin speak about her, even the older generation...it's almost reverent, Head Teyla.
"I cannot vouch for their validity, but...I've heard rumors. Ones that strain belief. That she's a sword prodigy who defeated a demon general in single combat, that she's friends with an Elder Dragon, that a god of death accepted her as his protégée." (fox-kin 2)
Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Teyla can't help but chuckle at the man's report.
"Fufufufu...well, it seems like I haven't been giving the wolf-kin enough credit for their imaginations. The demon general and Elder Dragon nonsense sound like their typical boasting, but I never took them for religious nuts. Even they know the truth of this planet's only god, and Azazel doesn't meddle. Still, clearly she's doing something properly." (Teyla)
Teyla allows a rare smile to come to her face, making a mental note to arrange a meeting with this new wolf-kin Elder if the southern reports remain this interesting. She's never been interested in the wolf-kin as allies before – she considered them useless liabilities. But if even half of what she's hearing about their rapid development is true, it's worth reconsidering.
The man continues with his report.
"Of course, Head Teyla, clearly just fanciful tales meant to glorify their leader. However, the wolf-kin's admiration for this Elder is very real, as is their progress. In my opinion, we should reconsider formal relations with them. Also, there was one other rumor from the wolf-kin territory..." (fox-kin 2)
The man glances at the first fox-kin man hesitantly, as if looking for assurance, and the first man nods at him firmly. The second fox-kin returns his gaze to Teyla.
"Well, our spies reported a few mentions of this new Elder having a friend...a young human male. We were only able to gather two pieces of information about him. The first is that the wolf-kin fiercely respect him. Several of our spies posing as humans reported the wolf-kin becoming extremely hostile when they inquired about the identity of the boy. The second is that their Elder...well, apparently this mysterious human friend saved her life." (fox-kin 2)
The fox-kin man emphasizes the last point with a pointed look at Teyla, the silence between them thick with implication. Teyla studies the two men, both looking at her expectantly, her mind turning over everything she's heard at a dizzying pace. Then, realization dawns on her, her breath catching in her throat.
She hangs her head, letting out a long sigh as she runs her hands over her face in exasperation.
"So...that powerful human party killed Belmod, rescued some wolf-kin, then had one join them. Now, there's a recently empowered wolf-kin Elder, who's allegedly friends with a mysterious human who saved her. Don't tell me..." (Teyla)
Teyla trails off expectantly, and the two men nod without hesitating, the first man finishing her thoughts.
"Yes...we think this new Elder and her human friend are part of the adventuring party that killed Belmod. Specifically, the human friend is likely the party's leader." (fox-kin 1)
Silence rules the room for several seconds, then...
"Pahahahahaha! Oh gods, of course...hahahahahaha..." (Teyla)
Teyla continues giggling hysterically, while the two men exchange nervous glances. Though it's rare, they have seen Teyla act like this before. It may seem harmless enough of a reaction – a young woman enjoying herself, experiencing a forgivable break in decorum – but they know different. Teyla finding an intelligence report hilarious? It doesn't bode well...
As if reading their thoughts, Teyla's laughter abruptly comes to an end. However, her cherry red lips are twisted into a small smile, as deadly as it is enchanting. She leans forward slightly, her crimson red eyes gleaming with equal parts anticipation and mischief. She speaks, her voice almost a purring with excitement.
"I've changed my mind...I'm very interested in this party. You two wouldn't happen to have more information on them for me, would you? Hmmm?" (Teyla)