Upon walking through the streets of Riizen Niko found that it was surprisingly similar to what he had initially experienced as he went through Greenleaf. The curious stares of various beasts of so many types settled on both himself and his humanoid companions. Murmurs of gossip whirled around them as they walked, most of which revolved around the oddness that the Blue-Claw Clan was escorting the Wyldwalkers. It was clear, too, that they were being treated with respect, rather than as prisoners of any kind, which only fueled the fire.

However, he did also hear a number of them speaking about their group. It was somewhat disappointing to Niko that they didn’t speak of how rare or odd his companions were, but it wasn’t as though they’d never seen humanoids before. Amusingly, there were a hefty number talking about him, generally along the lines of having never personally seen his kind of beast before. A few individuals that seemed more experienced, or who wore more than the basic wooden plate with their clan icon on it, seemed to know what he was, and explained it as such to those around themselves.

Of course, they also explained how Niko’s colors were anything but ordinary, which sent its own rumors spiraling outwards. He’d long forgotten that he was considered aberrational by the standards of the various people of this world. His coloration aside, he was sapient from the onset of his birth. ‘Not that they’d know that. It’d probably be a good idea to not tell anyone that, either,’ Niko quietly thought to himself, keeping his attention on the area around them while being at least somewhat mindful of his bearing.

The rest of the Wyldwalkers did the same, to varying degrees. Ronald was stern faced and set his gaze forward while following the stately Sasha, a stark contrast to Stella, who looked around in open curiosity, unbothered by the many stares they received in passing. Mithel’s eyes wandered around, looking at buildings that varied as much as the beasts that occupied the city, but Niko noticed that she was standing fractionally closer to Dachna than usual. The dirty-blonde haired man in question looked unruffled and confident, but Niko knew the man well enough to note that the way he moved was more controlled, as though he was ready to evade at any moment. Skye, on the other hand, was actively annoyed by all the attention and met any pair of eyes that stared too long with an open glare.

That might have been provocative, but no one stepped out to confront them. In fact, most beasts averted their gazes, and the few that didn’t seemed to acknowledge Skye. Niko wondered if perhaps Skye knew more about how this worked than he did.

‘That wouldn’t be surprising. Maybe it’s a confidence or dominance thing?’ Niko thought that over for just a moment before another possibility came to him, ‘Or maybe Skye’s really just annoyed at all the staring. It could actually be that…’

“There are a lot of different kinds of beasts here,” Ronald broke the relative quiet that had settled on their group as they moved down the center of a wide street, “I wasn’t expecting such variety, honestly.”

Sasha chuffed at that, “There are many families that make up the Riizen Clan, and beyond that there are occasionally independent parties that come to live here from the wild, seeking shelter and more. It is not so different from your human cities, from what I’ve seen.”

“That’s true,” Stella said, her attention darting between buildings rapidly, “It looks like the infrastructure has been designed with a lot of different physical requirements in mind.”

“Much of this has been built up over decades,” Thokk rumbled while nodding towards a building that was predominantly constructed of stone, “We’re fortunate to have an abundance of good stone and wood to build from.”

Mithel turned to Thokk before asking, “Do you guys have architects or anything? Or is it more of a local thing?”

“A little of both. People are welcome to make their own structures, but anything expected to hold more than themselves is generally left to architects and engineers. They are not as strictly categorized as what you might be used to, though, and the fields are somewhat less formal, but no less skilled. My family tends to at least dabble in architecture, and we have some that have even committed their lives to the practice.” Thokk rumbled, surprising Niko with how interested the giant was in the topic.

“Ah, it’s a shame we didn’t get to see anything in Frostholme, then,” Mithel clicked her tongue, “I’ll have to get some warmer gear if we can find some. I’d like to see it.”

Thokk gave a light chuckle that sounded like stones being ground together, “I would be happy to show you all around, if you’d like.”

Niko kept tabs on their surroundings as the group spoke, and knew that everything they were saying was subject to public scrutiny. Even so, it wasn’t as though Niko wanted to attempt any kind of manipulation of the public's opinion towards them, or to hide much of anything really.

“I hope there are less people there.” Skye grumbled frustratedly.

“They’ll get used to you,” Sasha assured them, “There haven’t been humanoids on this mountain for a very long time. This is big news for a lot of them.”

Niko nodded his head to that, about to speak when he felt a wave of aura pass over the street like a stormcloud. He easily recognized the essence as belonging to someone, but he didn’t know the source. For a split second, he’d thought he was feeling Crowe’s essence, but he and his sister were still en route to the mountain, as far as he’d been made aware. There was a feeling of refined control in it that deeply impressed him, and as he followed the trails of essence through the air with his Aether Sight, he quickly laid eyes upon the source of it.

For a moment, Niko felt his blood run cold and a cloying sensation wrapped around his body at the sight of the creature he had found. It looked partly like a snake, if someone had attached arms to its upper body and given it a torso. Perhaps of all beasts he’d seen thus far, he resembled a humanoid the most. Niko wasn’t certain if they were drawing influence from humanoids, given how both them and their four retainers–as they appeared to be–were wearing vibrantly colored robes that complimented their scales. The powerful one in question had teal scales, pale sage green robes, and a deep royal purple sash that kept the robe loosely closed.

For a split second, though, Niko almost let loose on his instincts and charged the creature from the onset. His feathers rose in a bristling wave, but he managed to keep the warning crackle of his voice contained in his throat. ‘Pecking snake people.’ Niko felt the animosity run through him, before realizing what it was he was experiencing and feeling a mixture of shock and shame at it.

‘Just because they’re snakes doesn’t mean they’re trying to eat me.’ Niko shook his head, alarmed at the pounding of his heart in his chest and just how ready for combat he felt. But after thinking about it for a moment, he thought it might be stranger for him not to have a response to them. Considering he and his family had nearly been eaten by a snake, and his misadventure with the drugged snake, Niko felt as if this response was actually fairly light.

Luckily, no one seemed to notice. Roan and the rest of their escort gave a very mild bow of their heads towards the newcomer. Sasha, however, did not, tipping Niko off to the fact that this individual didn’t supersede her authority.

That thought was confirmed as the four retainer-serpents each bowed towards Sasha, one with a surprising amount of sincerity, if Niko had to compare them to what the sabrecats had demonstrated.

‘Ugh… please tell me this isn’t just a case of political posturing.’ Niko internally grimaced, still fighting to bring his feathers down from a combative stance, ‘I really wish that Crowe and Camille were here… Whatever, they’re supposed to be coming after us as soon as we give the word.’

“Honored Prince Nivere of the Greenscale Clan,” Roan greeted them, though Niko wasn’t certain if that was for their groups benefit of knowing who they were alone, or also as a proper, formal greeting, “If I may ask, what brings you here?”

The snakelings expression barely changed as their eyes swept over the gathered group, and all the while Niko studied him back. While his station might be of the same level as Sasha’s, it was clear to Niko that he was stronger than she was. So far, he was the only being around that he’d detected to be over tier three, but Niko was certain the snakeling wasn’t tier five. The weight of his regard carried only a sense of pure curiosity, as far as Niko could tell. But he couldn’t help but remain on guard, given the tenseness in the sabrecat’s posture.

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Finally, he spoke, with a sibilant tone that Niko wasn’t ashamed to say was very pleasant to hear, “Honored Warrior of the Blue-Claw Clan, Roan,” Prince Nivere spoke, to Roan’s surprise, if Niko read the man’s expression right, “And Honored Princess Sasha of the Blue-Claw Clan, greetings. Believe it or not, I was merely wandering with my companions and happened upon you. Even so, this is quite fascinating; I hadn’t been aware that we were accepting humanoid visitors once more.”

Sasha’s body tensed ever so slightly before forcibly relaxing, “It is a special circumstance. These individuals, as well as others, aided in confronting and destroying the Massacre Hornet threat.”

That sent a rush of gossip through the still gathered crowd. Niko felt a brief moment of pride mixed with embarrassment, before the former won out.

“Truly?” The serpent’s gaze reevaluated the Wyldwalkers with open surprise, and then acknowledgement, “Then, might I extend my heartfelt thanks? Are there any of them that understand our tongues, or do they require interpreters?”

Sasha answered with a mild note of suspicion, “Some of them are picking up beast-tongue quickly, but they have one capable of interpreting all tongues among them.”

A flicker of surprise and interest crossed Nivere’s expression, and Niko wondered if Sasha had intentionally dropped that detail. Considering the flick of her tail at the snakeling’s expression, he thought it unlikely.

Despite Niko's initial fears that the snakeling prince would act much like a haughty "young master," the serpent instead surprised him by demonstrating behavior quite to the contrary. Indeed, with that newly given information Nivere bowed to their group, even lower than his retainers had to the Blue-Claw Clan escort party. While his head was bowed, he declared, “Sincerely, from the Greenscale Clan to those who hail from the lowlands, I thank you in taking care of the threat that we did not. It shames me that we families did not join hands in the effort, but it brings me great joy to see brave souls of the lowlands here among us. If you need anything, know that the Greenscale Clan will happily aid you.”

Niko numbly translated the words to his companions with plain surprise on his face. He wasn’t the only one, either, and the part of Niko that was at least somewhat politically savvy knew that Nivere just let loose many gossip points for the public. When he rose, Niko could tell that Sasha had a complicated expression on her face as she looked back towards Niko expectantly.

It took him just another moment to realize that the other party was waiting and looking to him as well.

‘Ah cluck me, I have to respond?’ Niko internally griped, before taking a breath and stealing a quick sidelong glance at Sasha in case she was about to stop him.

When she didn’t, regrettably, he nodded to Prince Nivere, and did his best to channel a little bit of how Ronald would probably answer, “We gratefully accept your goodwill, and would like everyone’s understanding and patience in interacting with us. So far, we aren’t yet used to how you all may do things here. That said, we only did what we needed to do, and are glad to be given the opportunity to see this beautiful city with our own eyes.”

‘That should be nice and general enough to not stir the pot too much, right?’ Niko glanced at the crowd, seeing that the reception was overall positive. Humble and accommodating was rarely the wrong way to go about interacting with compliments that might have more attached to them.

Considering that Niko had no idea what the political landscape was here beyond a very vague overview, he thought this was a good position overall.

Sasha also seemed pleased by the answer, but if Prince Nivere didn’t like it, he was an excellent actor. Seemingly joyful, the serpent extolled, “An admirable outlook. If the lowlanders are all like you, then perhaps I’d like to meet more of you.” He gave a light, rasping chuckle at that, “The Blue-Claw Clan’s Princess’ judgment is wise indeed. Ah, but I won’t take your time any longer. The Greenscale Clan’s doors will always be open to you all. And with that I must now bid you good day.” The Prince nodded this time, along with a bow from his entourage, as Niko simultaneously translated.

Sasha became rather stiff as gossip raced through the streets which was no longer solely about the new group of humanoids in their midst. For a second, Niko wasn’t sure why Sasha seemed to be annoyed, but then heard certain particular statements in the crowd.

“The Blue-Claw Clan sought out outside aid? Were the families that resistant to taking care of the hornets?”

“I’d thought the Matriarch of the Blue-Claw Clan had decided not to do anything for now? Did that change?”

Niko cringed, remembering that Sasha had worked on her own. Now, though, it sounded more like she’d been an emissary, rather than a single agent. Yet, if Niko had the right of it, saying that now would be effectively dimming the prestige of her clan.

‘I guess the only question is if he did that as a favor or a hindrance?’ Niko groused, ‘Was he trying to help Sasha and the Blue-Claw Clan out, or was he making trouble for them?’

Before he could consider things anymore, Skye suddenly said, “Does anyone else feel like we’ve just been put on the political board?”

“Funny, I was just thinking that,” Dachna whispered, “I might not understand all the words, but that snake-guy definitely had an agenda. I don’t know if it’s in our favor or not, though. Man… I gotta pick up this language thing faster.”

The procession began moving once more as Sasha quietly mentioned, “Prince Nivere and his entourage are Yaunz, try not to call them snakes. They don’t… quite view it as an insult, but it’s not a compliment, either.”

“Duly noted,” Ronald nodded, “So, what’s his deal? Is he an ally, enemy, or neutral party as far as you’re concerned?”

Sasha chewed her lip briefly, before begrudgingly saying, “They haven’t done anything wrong for a very long time. There was a time when the Greenscale Clan had a very nasty reputation, but that changed when their head of clan passed away. I can’t… bring myself to trust them fully, but they are wily negotiators and driven to an extreme. It’s hard to put them in any one category, but most of the time they’re allies to the mountain, and are also excellent mediators.”

“That might be the nicest thing I’ve ever heard you say about them,” Thokk said, the smile on his face felt in the mirth of his tone, “But, what the Prince said just now can come back to bite him. He did just effectively claim that the big families were too busy squabbling to take care of the threat on our doorstep.”

“Which seems fair, from my point of view,” Niko pointed out unrepentantly.

With a cringe, Sasha nodded, “Yes, well, be that as it may, it’s going to put more pressure on all of you. There’s going to be plenty of beasts interested in meeting all of you, now.”

“Should we expect trouble? Political or physical?” Dachna, an edge to his otherwise calm tone, “Or is this more of a ‘smile and wave’ kind of thing?”

Mithel let out a little snort at that, “Never thought I’d be doing the celebrity thing.”

“Erm… You’ll probably only find yourselves having to speak with them. I wouldn’t put political maneuvering past them, but nothing that would really be considered concrete outside of the council chamber. If it’s physical, I’d imagine you might be challenged to a duel, but it’s considered shameful to fight down in the tiers, so I think you’d all have excellent chances of winning against most of the same tier. The only ones I’d recommend you stay away from are the Rava Clan, but only because when you duel them once, they’ll want to duel you again and again until they find a way to beat you.”

“Are they that spiteful?” Skye asked with a frown.

“They are that competitive,” Roan answered with exasperation, “I once bested one in a duel, and they would not cease harassing me every day for a month for a rematch. I beat them again, under the requirement that they must wait at least two months before challenging me again.”

“And they come to you every two months like clockwork, now.” Sasha answered with amusement, “They are nothing if not driven.”

“I can’t argue that it provides them with results. They may well beat me next time.” Roan chuckled, before returning his attention to his post more fully.

“So, where to now?” Skye asked, “We need to get approval for Crowe and Camille to come in still, right?”

“Correct, so we’re going to someone who can give that approval the quickest.” Sasha said with a small amount of dread.

Thokk nodded gravely, “She will be unhappy that you left without approval. Especially considering you already gave your word that you would provide an unstated reward.”

“I… Yes. She will be, but hopefully less so given how things went…” Sasha said, but Niko doubted he was the only one who heard Sasha doubting her own words.