It wasn’t even half a day later before a group of nine elves started making their way toward me. The one in front -- I couldn't really be sure but it seemed that the elf was female, was calling out to my base with their hands held clasped together and their arms stretched forwards. It had been long enough for me to whip up a hopefully longer-lasting tonic of communication with them -- it's not like I had a time release compound or anything, but if matters got worse I could fall back on my knowledge of their language as I'd obtained as a result of further review of the conversation I had held with the two prisoners. Once again I found the experience of that sixth sense of knowing when my notions were correct somewhat unsettling but I had too much evidence of it being effective to discount it.

Downing the latest of my tonics, I called out to them. "That's far enough! Come no closer! Announce yourselves and your purpose here!"

An older man started to take a few steps forward before having his path blocked by the female elf, who called out with a voice of clear command. "Annaka, daughter of the Lord and Lady of the Third March and Warden-Diligent for the Alfarhame Wood, has come before you! Come out, that we might make parley!"

Well. That sounded awfully important, especially for little old me. "No offense, Miss Annaka, but where I come from there's an old saying. 'Shooting the messenger.'. I'm not stepping one foot where your archers can take a shot at me. You and your men with you can lower your weapons and come on in. When I see you've disarmed the gate will open."

There was the inevitable ruckus amongst them as the others clearly weren't thrilled about the idea, until 'Annaka' made a very visible show of disarming herself, saying something I couldn't hear due to the distance between us, causing the others to follow suit. As I saw them hesitate with their belt knives, I decided to throw them a bone and with a wave of my hand, my homunculi opened the gate for them.

Their approach from there was at what one could only describe as a "stately" pace. Whoever this girl was, she very clearly had a place of prestige or command, as it didn't take a genius to see that they were all taking their cues from her. Once the nine of them made their way in, I couldn't help but notice the presence of both Alden and Mintar amongst her escort party.

They fanned out into what I assumed to be some military style presentation with Annaka at the front with the aging man behind her. She began to make introductions, and before she got past the first one, I cut her off. "Look. I don't know how long I'll have your tongue this time and I'm not willing to waste time with pointless pleasantries. It's clear you lot are upset with me and mine. Explain why."

The girl -- and now that I got a good look at her I could see that was exactly what she was, as she looked to be about the age of a college student -- was startled by my words. It was clear that she was very much unaccustomed to being spoken to rudely. She recovered quickly enough, at least. A point in her favor. "I… very well. Your presence in this forest, this … town? … of yours, sir Vincent, it is unbalancing the ishuar. We Wardens are tasked with maintaining that balance. We therefore were sent to discover what was creating that disturbance and determine what was to be done. When we saw this place as an infestation of foreign beasts, we thought it necessary to cleanse the place for the good of all, before wildlings began to react to it. But now that it is clear that you have built this place… I must ask, how could your ishuata be so irresponsible as to fail to contain your abode?"

"Ishuar? Ishuata? Am I already losing your language? I do not know these words. Explain them to me, quickly.". I motioned for one of my spiders holding my language tonics in its foreclaws to bring it over to me. The solitary critter making its way to my side was clearly unsettling to the group, as their hands went to grasp at their absent weapons.

The young elf noble girl looked at me askance again, her eyes clearly doubtful for a moment before she seemed to realize something. "You don't actually know our words. The ishuar … it is all around us. In all things, and of all things. It is in the spirit and the mind, but is not strictly of either. The ishuata are those who are attuned to it and can adjust its flows. You must have ishuata, to make such weapons as you yourself are carrying." She pointed at my heatray pistols.

It took me a few seconds to puzzle that one out, before I realized she meant mana, and mages. "Oh. I think I understand. No, I have only me, and… I have no eldritch awakening. I cannot shape your ishuar."

She was puzzled by this response. "But you make tonics as the gnomon do, yes? Have those who taught you this art not told you of the flow of the ishuar? Where do you come from, anyhow?"

At this point I was beginning to sense a theme, but I couldn't let myself get distracted. "I taught myself the arts you see in use. I woke up in this forest of yours a few months ago, naked and alone. The place I come from… it has no ishuar. No System. Only what is made by hand and tool. But now is not the time for confusion or deliberation. I'm telling you good folks now that I am here to stay and am uninterested in abandoning either of my settlements. But I am willing to try to find an agreeable compromise where you lot don't have to worry about me as a neighbor, nor I you. From the sounds of it, the crux of the issue is that I was polluting the environment somehow without noticing and the stink of that is what drew you to me. Is that about the gist of it?"

Annaka's nose scrunched up as she made an effort to understand what I was saying. I had intentionally tried to lean on my Earthisms to see how the tonic translated them, as I wanted to prolong the impact of the next tonic by not needing it so much due to already knowing much more of their language. However, after a moment of thought, she nodded.

"Alright, folks. I don't really have guest facilities enough for all of you, but I can have that taken care of shortly. In the meantime, please send some of your men out to let the rest of your people know we're making progress. Now, my mastery of your language is almost used up, so please forgive me for just a moment."

I turned and snapped my fingers, and my two homunculi made their presence known. One was holding a tablet recording phonetically all of what was being said, and I used the space provided to provide as much translation as I could remember. I still only had my own alphabet to work with but that was another matter for another day. I then quickly wrote out instructions and a diagram for a tent and cots to be provided for my newfound guests, with bedding for all to be made. To my other homunculus I issued orders to prepare a banquet meal of the various goods I had access to. If I was going to do this "playing at diplomacy" thing, it was best I did it to the best of my abilities. A few minutes later I had my hunch about the Archivist trait corroborated when I suddenly found myself able to recall nuance and linguistic depth to the conversation I'd just had that I had no reason to understand before. It would appear the language tonics really did work on the basis of filling in gaps, and that was absolutely something I could make great use of.

I also took the opportunity of directing my homunculi into action to give my guests time to discuss things alone for a moment, as I believed that doing so would help them to at least present a unified front to me, and thus reinforce any agreement we eventually reached. When I finally did leave the library in my study alone, walking past the scent of complex if quick meals cooking, I found my guests staring at the ants assembling the temporary building that I'd planned on being quarters for them overnight if the need arose.

Hearing me approach, Annaka's man spoke to me, and my tonic-free ears comprehended enough to know he was asking me how I was controlling the creatures. Rather than waste energy on the issue, I downed my second of three tonics currently on hand, this time far more confident in my ability to sustain the effect now that I properly understood its function. "I do not so much control them as train them. Do you see, there, and there? The ones with the significantly larger heads. They are a different… caste? Yes, caste. They possess enough intellect to be trained to voice and hand signals, and are obedient to me and mine. It is those 'brain' ants that then direct the others' behaviors naturally. The system has its limits but within them, is highly effective at doing what I need them to do."

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"Forgive me, but… you claim you are not ishuatar yet you mold living beings like clay. I do not understand this." The older man made no hint at subtlety with trying to probe me for information.

"Ahh. Just a second.". I walked away briefly and came back with one of my smaller biopunk growth vats, crystal and all. "Do your people have anything like this?"

He studied the proffered stone jar with the pink-red glowing crystal in its lid, and shook his head. "This looks … I do not recognize this. Is it more of that gnomon potion making?"

"After a fashion. I combined the alchemy with sanguinism to create these works."

"Sanguinism… You use blood arts!? But only the Cabalites do this. How are you not taken by the blood rage?". The older man stepped back, his eyes wide with fear.

"I do not know these Cabalites. Nor do I know of any reason for madness or frenzy to affect me. I've been pretty careful with stuff but sanguinism doesn't seem to have any cognitive effect."

The elf shook his head. "No, of course. But to obtain sanguinism is to be touched by Chal'tesh, the orken god of madness, hate, and blood. How could you use the art so much without your mind being torn apart by his visage?"

"Huh. Gods are Cthulhubeasts here, huh? Good to know. I have never seen any spirits or gods, not since I came to this place. And there weren't any to see back where I come from."

The middle-aged elf shook his head in wonder at my statement. He clearly didn't know what to make of me. Nor, for that matter, did I know what to make of him. Was I to believe that my HUD and all I'd learned from it were somehow unique to myself and my creations? If so, at least I could rest slightly easier knowing I had access to its benefits while they did not.

After a few moments of being left alone while everything was set in order, Annaka approached me again, with an almost mischievous grin on her face. "I smell the scent of food being prepared from within that stone cabin of yours. I do so hope you've prepared enough for all of us. I couldn't help but notice how varied your farm is for how small its size, and also that I recognize none of the things you grow. Nor even the fish in that little false stream you've got flowing. So many interesting things here! Much to discuss. Now, where are we to eat our meal?"

It would be too tight a fit for all of us to eat within the cabin, so I had set aside space within the tent for basic bound-linen cots to serve as seats before a low woven-reed and chitinite-hardened table for the food itself to be served on.

I had to say that watching giant-headed ants place plates and bowls under the supervision of a clanking spider-homunculus was… unsettling. But it got the job done, and quickly at that. I sat myself at the head of the table, with a place set at the opposite end for Annaka, with the others on side seats. It was obviously not how etiquette was done amongst elves, but I fell on my usual method of dealing with things outside of my control: channel my inner Elsa and just Let It Go.

"What you see, princess, is what you get."

"And what is all of this, then, Sir Vincent?". Her voice still had that somewhat playful edge to it.

"There's a few things here. The larger bowls contain a whitefish and herb with shelfruit soup, and besides that is crushed carrotatoes with a light clusterberry glaze. Next to that is a rice flatbread. Next to that is sauteed shelfruit. The last option is a grilled redfish steak. I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of complex cultivars or dietary selection, here -- mostly I've left my homunculi to get creative with presentation and method of preparation. Over time, I will of course diversify but to be frank I've largely been more concerned with basic nutritional balance than true dietary luxury. For drinks, I have only diluted clusterberry juice and pure water."

The girl's face scrunched up again before she spoke. "Ahh… sir, if I understand you correctly, three of the items you are serving are poisonous. Are your people especially immune to such things?"

I shook my head. "I have no way of comparing between us, but … no. I have a method of removing the poison from plants and animals as part of their domestication process. It's based on what you call gnomon tonics. I use the term, 'alchemical trait infusion.'"

She repeated my words under her breath carefully, with a look of great concentration, before continuing on. She made a show, before her men, of taking at least a single bite of everything laid out -- though based on her choices I had to guess she was a fan of the tartness of the clusterberries and didn't care x much for the shelfruit. No accounting for taste, I suppose.

I cut the ice on the negotiation while the meal was underway, something that visibly upset Mintar before Alden rested his hand on Mintar's forearm and stage whispered, "He doesn't know our ways."

Rather than let that bother me, I barrelled on through. "I want to thank you for actually making an effort to try to agree to a peace with me and yours, Annaka. I'll admit I don't really know how to solve the basic issue between us right now, but I do believe I can perhaps get us partway there. I'm going to guess that you and yours are worried about the impact I'm having on your environment. I actually agree. I've been as careful as I can -- for example, the ants I use; they can't grow new colonies on their own. Once the queen dies, the rest will die off in time as well. My spiders, they barely lay three or four eggs per year, rather than the hundreds their progenitors produce. But now you tell me this ishuar is also a problem, and I can't address it alone. I'm hoping you have people who handle that sort of issue for your own towns and that I could either pay for their services or learn to reproduce their efforts myself with their aid. Is this amenable to you?"

Annaka sat in silent thought for a few moments before nodding. "My men and I have been discussing what we know of you and your circumstances, as well as what you have told us of yourself and your actions. If the legends which your story is so similar to speak truly, you are… far more gracious and considerate than most seem to be in your position. We can work out the specifics later, but I must ask -- if only to lighten the mood, why did you build here? Surely some other location would be more suitable? By a natural pond for example, or in a proper clearing "

I snorted in humor. "I did build elsewhere. This place only exists, as a secondary colony, so that I can obtain the metals that almost certainly are deep below us."

Her men's eyes narrow in concern, even as she herself allowed herself an admittedly pleasant sounding laugh. "There, you see, Trisaldan? I was right all along. If we had simply smashed through here we would have had a war on our hands. We never saw all there is to him."

The older man begrudgingly took a single golden coin out from his belt and handed it over to the elven noble, muttering under his breath something about her having been taught too well. Whatever it was he said, I could hardly mistake the affection that passed between them for something else. Turning back to me, Trisaldan finally spoke up from his quiet table manners. "If I may ask, Vincent, how far is from here that you built your other home?"

"Oh… hmm. As the crow flies? About four days on foot for me. I'd wager five or six for you lot, given your shorter stature."

The older man nodded. "That's… quite a distance. You say you chose this place specifically because you believe you'll find metals here?"

"Metallic ores almost always coincide with the presence of volcanic activity, such as the hot spring here. Now. I can feel my mastery of your language slipping again, so I want to bring up one last topic before I lose the ability, even if it's unpleasant. My guard spiders were doing their duty in protecting my home from what they believed to be an invading force. But I find I deeply regret the loss of life of your people. I do not wish a burden to develop between our people, and have learned you do not have the means to master sanguinism as I have, let alone the later arts I mastered based on it. Therefore, as reparations for the deaths of your three men, I am willing to offer you three of my healing-light quartzite crystals. Place them in open light but near places you bring your sick or injured, and within a day or two any injuries or illnesses which can be survived will be healed as though they never were."

I turn and face Alden and Mintar. "Is this acceptable to you?"

They turn and face Annaka, looking for guidance. She nods, poorly hiding the pleasure at my offer in her eyes. And with that, the basic shape of the agreement between us is struck.

A weight I hadn't even noticed was lifted from bearing down on my shoulders.