Arras walked slowly and cautiously through an area that was frankly far too open for his liking. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Ahead of him was a massive version of those homes he'd seen back in the other human village that stretched on way, way, way, too long. There had also been a fair amount of those aforementioned houses around the area a few minutes back, but none of them were nearby this larger one for some reason. To Arras it seemed... Somewhat wasteful.
He did unfortunately have to keep moving however, due to the four armed humans walking around him. Those humans being armed wasn't the reason he was cooperating, but instead something in the back of his head was screaming at him to cooperate. It wasn't like anybody had explicitly told him that something would happen if he didn't listen, but he felt distinctively paranoid whenever he thought of simply refusing whatever these humans were asking of him.
He didn't bother to establish any links with these people, Arras wanted absolutely nothing to do with them. All he wanted to do was be with Illia while she recovered, but that odd feeling that had taken a hold of his magic flexed dangerously when he almost refused to go. Perhaps not a direct conflict with... Whatever he had agreed to, but it was better to not risk it anyways.
Once they'd reached what seemed to be... Some form of blockade? That's what Arras made of it anyways. Two of the humans "guarding" him broke away from the group and another two opened the gates for him. It all felt rather ridiculous, given Arras was small enough to fit through its gaps without it having been opened in the first place, but yet again he didn't bother to ask any questions. He simply didn't want to speak to anybody. Let alone talking with these people specifically, the thought of talking to anybody at all churned his stomach after the events of the day. He just... Was tired, emotionally exhausted, burnt out.
Despite that mental wear, Arras continued onward anyways. The sooner he could get... Whatever this was done with, the sooner he could go back and be with Illia until she woke up. Both because he was upset at himself that she had gotten hurt, but also because he was so deeply horrified by the possibility of her being gone from his life that it had caused Arras to re-evaluate his priorities. Spending more time with his friend ranked much more highly on his list after the days events.
Finally, they walked through the doors. Somehow the "house" seemed to be even more spacious on the inside then it looked to be on the outside. Arras only found it distasteful, but still bearable. He was hoping not to spend too much time in the area. Though, he was also starting to grow rather worried, not that he thought it mattered. His feelings wouldn't change anything now, they'd already done quite enough of that.
The two humans along with him took a look at Arras before pointing at a strange path upwards. Arras wasn't quite sure what it was for, but they had something in their tongue that Arras understood about zero percent of. He merely tilted his head at them somewhat lazily as they continued to speak. Then, one of them reached a hand out towards him.
Arras reflexively jumped backwards and outright shrieked at the man who'd made the attempt. His tails rose and flailed dangerously as he flinched backwards The other human present froze in shock as the hand of the one that Arras had hissed at drifted to his side, gripping onto a strange implement in some sort of container. Arras was curious as to what it was, but he was far more wary of the human who had for some reason just tried to grab him.
The other human seemed to come to their senses and walked over to his companion. They put a hand on their shoulder and said something, which caused the aggressor to sigh and relax their grip. Arras was much slower to give any ground, but he eventually breathed out and his hackles fell back into place. He still glared at the man anyways, regardless of the lessened hostilities.
Though, when he heard a new voice coming from higher up he turned to look at that instead of the human he was rapidly growing to dislike. Another human stood at the top, and suddenly it clicked for Arras.
Was I supposed to climb those? Ah, they were trying to pick me up. I see.
In the moment, he forgave the man just a little bit, but didn't quite give them a pass either. They had just suddenly reached out to grab him after all. Regardless of that, he continued to stare up at the man at the top who was now widely gesturing towards the two with Arras, speaking in a tone that sounded not so nice to his own ears.
They continued to talk some more, all the while Arras simply sat and listened. He didn't understand any of it, but as long as they weren't trying to talk to him he didn't particularly mind... Actually, Arras thought about it again. The longer it takes for him to be done here, the longer he's staying away from Illia... Suddenly he rather wished to be coming up there.
Even still, he really didn't want to speak with anybody, but he stood to finish up with whatever he needed to do a bit faster if he did try to communicate. So he made a quick judgement of who would get him where he needed to be the fastest, and figured it would be the man standing higher up.
"Hello." Arras started off simply, not even bothering to check if the spell he'd casted had worked. He already knew it would anyway.
"God at this point I should've just gone off myself to get the damn thing-"
"Hello."
The man paused as he looked around, much to the confusion of the two humans near Arras. Seemingly, he asked them a question, though Arras paid no heed to their responses.
"What in the world?"
"Are you the one I'm supposed to be seeing?"
His eyes fluttered.
"Oh of course! The Spirit Fox, where might you be?" At the same time he waved at the two humans with Arras, speaking in the same language that Arras didn't have the slightest comprehension of.
Arras felt a strange lack of feedback from the target of his spell. He imagined it to be much like his own mental barriers, preventing any unimportant thoughts or feelings from leaking into a conversation. Though it was odd, he didn't feel as if any spells were being casted... Regardless of that, Arras answered the question.
"Right below you."
"I-pardon?"
By now the other two humans had left, which left Arras's strikingly red coat of fur quite apparent against the brown floor. Which simply made him more confused as to how this human hadn't seen him... Oh, wait, right below him.
Absentmindedly, Arras had wandered around while the group of humans had been speaking. He'd been more focused on scoping the area out with his magic instead of his eyes, which had led him to wander behind the pathway up, out of eyesight. After a moment, Arras breathed out and walked into the open, standing dead center in the room. Away from any possible cover of any kind.
"Ah, there you are." The man also spoke as his thoughts went along the link. Arras had absolutely no idea what he was saying though.
"Are you the human that I'm supposed to be meeting?" Arras asked again, slightly annoyed that he'd been basically ignored the first time he had asked.
"What's wrong with this creature?"
"Are you-"
"Ah! What a peculiar form of communication!" The man seemingly almost laughed as he hastily thought those words, "You will have to forgive me fox, I had assumed you would've known common. Though I suppose it is reasonable for you to not know a language if you have spent the majority of your life in The Grand Forest."
"...As I was saying, are you the human I'm supposed to be meeting?"
"Yes, yes. I am the one you have come for. You stand before Baron Pennsworth. Spirit Fox, I hear you have disposed of a great deal of the local militia." He confidently strode down the path as he spoke, eventually coming to a stop in front of Arras.
"However, given you have also been entered into a contract with the kingdom, you now work for me. I could simply have you executed in retribution for the lives you have claimed, but wasting talents such as yours seems rather... Pointless to me, wouldn't you agree, fox?"
So much unnecessary speech and posturing, he'd even timed it dramatically to his descent... Arras already found himself feeling physically drained. Arras wasn't sure when exactly the "contract" he'd made would snap on him, so he chose his next words at least somewhat carefully, as opposed to the more normal response he would've given this man if he wasn't magically bound in some way he didn't understand. "What do you even want? I just want to be done here as soon as possible, and to get back to my friend so I can stay with her until she wakes up."
"Hm, I had thought one of your kind as old as you would be far more reserved. Very well, if you wish to be so forward then I will respect such wishes."
Arras tilted his head curiously at the mention of "old", he'd been keeping count of the days of his life and he wasn't even two months old, the thought occured to him, did humans live shorter lives then that? Regardless, he made no mention of his actual age and simply allowed Pennsworth to continue.
"At first, I had wondered if I should attempt to mislead you on the contents of the contract that my subordinate had established with you, but for a Spirit Fox that has managed to grow it's third tail, I doubt such things would elude you. As you already know, while you have sworn loyalty to the kingdom of Arbre, you have not sworn loyalty to me. While I am not necessarily excluded from such loyalties, I do not hold explicit control over you"
All the while, Arras's own confusion only grew. He tried his hardest to keep it from showing on his face, but this Pennsworth guy had things seriously messed up. Arras wasn't sure if that was good or bad for him, but for now he decided to keep quiet. It seemed as if Pennsworth was telling him things that he wouldn't have otherwise known.
"Due to this, if the crown were to catch wind of this development, or if you were to grow dissatisfied with your time here, it would be exceedingly simple for them to simply take control of you, or for you to simply leave. Thus, I'll be transparent here, fox. What do you want in exchange for your cooperation with me? You alone are easily worth an entire group of experienced mages based on what my subordinates have reported to me, and I am willing to sacrifice as much in return."
At last, it seemed as if Arras could stay quiet no longer. He couldn't very well stay silent after being asked a direct question, so, he responded.
"I... I want... Three things. I want a place to stay, for both me and-"
"Of course, you'll be accommodated for in the manor-"
"No! Outside of one of your homes."
Pennsworth stared down at Arras for a short moment, puzzled, before nodding slowly. "Very well, continue."
Arras started hesitantly, not sure how to feel about his next request. "I-I want free reign over my own actions, freedom in my life. I'll do what you ask of me, but don't try to control me." He breathed out slowly, closing his eyes for a few seconds before looking back up at the man before him.
Pennsworth continued to stare at him for a moment, before nodding once very slowly. "And your final request?"
"Just make sure Illia stays safe."
"And... Ah, is that the Ashwing's name?"
"Yes."
Once again he nodded, then brought a hand to his chin. "That's... It? A place to stay and security?"
"...Yes?"
The man blinked a few times, before very hastily continuing with the conversation. "Hah! Very well, a contract then, to solidify the deal?"
"I'd... Rather not." Arras glanced to the side, he already felt odd with just one of these "contracts" active and restricting him, the less the better as far as he was concerned.
"Hmmm, I suppose that's fine, as long as you follow any orders given, I'll uphold my end of the deal. One contract is enough I suppose. Now! There's a few things I'd like to know."
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Arras felt his legs go weak at the idea of further conversation. He really, really, didn't want to talk any more...
"Can it wait? Just for the day, I'd like to keep watch over my friend." Arras gave a half truth as an excuse, the other half of it being that he felt mortified at the very idea of speaking any more, he'd already been at his wits end throughout the entire conversation prior.
Pennsworth eyed him suspiciously, but quickly nodded again. "One last thing then, given that the Ashwing has a name, may I assume you do as well?"
"Yes, my name is Arras."
...
After that, Pennsworth simply let Arras leave. Though, not without company. Following him on his way out were five of those armed humans that had escorted him to the man's home in the first place. He certainly found it curious as to why there were more of them after leaving then there were before entering, but not curious enough to want to ask anybody about it.
He remembered his way back to where he and Illia had been before fairly easily, passing by groups of humans and many different buildings on the way there. Arras wasn't quite sure if they were all "homes" given dozens of people walked in and out of a few of them, but if they weren't then what else were they? Regardless, he made it back to his friend in short order.
As Arras entered the building, he got a few confused looks from a few humans standing behind some sort of blockade, but the other humans present seemed to explain the situation for him. Silently, Arras thanked them, and continued to walk towards the place he'd last seen Illia in.
Though, the door was closed. Arras had dealt with such a situation before, so he simply repeated the exact same process as the last time he'd dealt with it. Forming a tendril from his own flesh to grab the handle and twist. Within moments, he had the door wide open, and also the mouths of the humans with him. He didn't really care though, because he saw Illia slightly less slouched then she had been when he'd last seen her. Also, her eyes were open.
"Illia!"
...
Illia hadn't stayed awake for long, but for the short amount of time that she had been, all of Arras's fatigue practically melted away. She'd asked what was going on, asked if Arras was okay, and then fell right back to sleep. On the one paw, Arras was very, very glad that she was okay, but on the other, he now felt awful because all she'd seemed to care about in those few moments, was if Arras was alright or not.
Arras laid in bed, a far larger than normal bed mind you, they didn't seem to have the proper lodgings for a creature of Illia's stature anywhere in the... Building? Arras was fairly sure it wasn't a home by now, but regardless. He laid his head down next to Illia and waited. Though after a few minutes of that, the thought that he hadn't eaten at all the entire day so far occurred to him. A few minutes ago, he probably would've just suffered through it, but with the confirmation of Illia's, well, being alive, he was suddenly feeling much more energetic!
To his fortune, the humans who'd been with him on his way to this place were still here as well! For... Some reason, regardless though they were there, so he made the attempt to communicate with one of them.
"Excuse me?"
The human he'd connected to jolted on the spot, glancing around the room looking for the source of the voice that had come from nowhere amidst the quiet.
"You humans always get scared whenever I try to talk to you, is that just a mental magic thing, is my voice loud?" Arras wondered aloud-aloud in the human's mind anyways. What he didn't quite seem to realize, was that the average person wasn't constantly keeping tabs on all things magically related around them, so they wouldn't immediately react to any attempted spells. The aforementioned behavior was, quite certifiably, an Arras thing.
"What in the devils?" Same as almost every human he'd talked with for the first time, this person looked around the room some more, asked his fellows if they heard that, but Arras decided to just skip the charades this time.
"Arras, the Spirit Fox, that's me, I'm the one talking to you, thanks. This is a mental magic spell which transmits the thoughts of those connected by it to each other. I cannot understand anything you say in your... Verbal language, please speak to me through the spell. Any questions?"
Instead of leaving anything for the human to puzzle out on their own, Arras simply laid out the effects of the spell plain and simple. He was quite frankly baffled by the incompetence that the average human showed in the field of magic, enough for him to wonder how exactly they'd established such a large nest like this in The Grand Forest... Actually, now that he thought about it, Arras figured that he wasn't really in the forest anymore... While there was certainly still an amount of magic in the air, it was significantly less then the village he'd been staying in only the day prior. An interesting thought, but not currently important.
"That's... Odd, never heard of a spell like this before."
"I wouldn't be surprised."
The human glared at Arras distastefully, not at all missing the insult. A rather rude retort began to bubble in the man's thoughts, but it was quickly shoved back down by his reasoning. All of which Arras observed, realizing this man, unlike that "Baron Pennsworth" from before, had absolutely none of the mental blocks that he'd had. Which was odd to Arras, because Pennsworth had just about the same level of magic going on as the man before him as far as Arras could tell.
"Oh forgive me grand mage Arras, this lowly peasant knows not the heights of magic that one such as yourself has attained through your years and years of wise mystical work. Please, allow this humble tiller of dirt to glean even a speck of your magic such that I will not be such an exceedingly incompetent dullard in the future."
Arras blinked a few times in a row, not sure where exactly he felt on that response. Yes, it was far less rude than what the man had initially intended to tell him, but it was still practically overflowing with snark, more then enough to match Arras's own at times. At last, Arras settled on a response to that quip.
For the first time in a long, long time, Arras actually laughed. He wasn't entirely sure why, it wasn't even that funny, and it was fully intended to tow the line between being outright hostile and simply joking, but it was just... He just found it funny. Something about it reminded him of better days. After everything that had happened today, it really was the last thing he was expecting. He struggled to keep little barks of laughter from escaping him, but after a few seconds of struggling he simply broke down and let it happen.
"I suppose I deserve that."
The human who'd said that to begin with held a hand over their mouth, even though they hadn't actually said anything, which earned them more than a single odd glare from their companions. Though that shock quickly turned to confusion. "Wait... You're... Not angry?"
"No, why would I be? It wasn't as if I was being very... Tactful, either. You will have to forgive me, I've had... Quite the day. "
"So I've heard." They said with a grimace, for whatever reason.
"Well, I suppose I should tell you why I'm talking to you in the first place. You see, I haven't eaten anything at all today. Neither has Illia, as far as I'm aware. Would it be too much trouble to ask for something? If it is I can go work, or just hunt for our own food myself." Arras didn't quite understand the situation, but that didn't matter to the human he was speaking with.
"Ah, no worries, I'm sure we can get you something. Our task for the day is to watch you after all. So, plants or meat only? Or both? I'm not exactly familiar with the dietary restrictions of all sentient creatures."
Arras nodded in acknowledgement and answered the question. "Both are fine, me and Illia are both able to eat either, thank you."
"Right... So the bird's name is Illia?"
Arras knew this human had told one of the others to fulfill his request, because he could feel the thought, but also because one of the five had left the room. And now, it seemed as if they were trying to make small talk. About half an hour ago, Arras would've groaned and just shut off the spell, but he was feeling a bit more bold now.
"Yes, what's it matter to you though?" Arras asked with a smidgen of genuine curiosity. Most, scratch that, all of the humans he'd met so far in his life had been content to just know he was there. This man attempting to pry a bit into his being was simultaneously somewhat annoying, yet also a bit thrilling, an entirely new experience, an enigma in his behaviors.
"Oh, nothing, just figured I should know you two a bit better given it's my division that's been assigned to you for the foreseeable future."
"I... What?"
...
Apparently, Pennsworth had decided to assign an entire group of humans to just... Keeping track of him? Arras was a bit shocked at that news, wondering why the man would even waste the resources. Surely these people had other work that they could be doing? It wasn't as if Arras intended to run away, nor was he even sure if he could with the uncertain effects of the contract he was in. Other then that though, the human-who's name he now knew was Thomas-had actually made for fairly decent conversation.
Strangely enough, it felt like something had just sort of clicked when he spoke with the man. This Thomas, there was something there he hadn't felt with any other humans, something nebulous, strange. Some sort of... Understanding. His mannerisms, the way he talked, it felt familiar. Easy to get comfortable with, to just... Speak with.
At first Arras questioned if it was some sort of super subtle magical persuasion of some sort, but that would be ridiculous. Nothing he'd even seen in this place would indicate a human with a level of control over their magic precise enough to evade his detection. So after Arras had managed to get over that initial speed-bump of hesitation, he thought it safe to say that the two of them really hit it off.
Arras asked Thomas about mundane things, like the way life worked around here or what his daily routine was, and Thomas asked about equally mundane things, like how hard it was to survive in the forest, or the closest life or death encounters Arras must've had in his long life, which was when Arras dropped a bomb and told Thomas that he was only two months old.
That one threw the man for a loop, but conversation returned to a comfortable equilibrium after that small mishap. They carried on talking for a good long while, but eventually Arras began to feel the fatigue of the day set in. He still felt suffocated in the building, but right now he couldn't bear to leave Illia alone. For her sake, he was willing to suffer through it for a night. Thomas and his group hadn't left, but that was fine by Arras. The fox figured he could have some measure of trust in them after spending the past few hours chatting away with them.
...
When the morning came, Illia still hadn't woken back up. It was certainly a disappointment for Arras, but time marched onwards. He had an appointment to be at. Thomas's group "escorted" him back to "Lord Pennsworth's" "mansion", all of those aforementioned things in quotation marks being what Thomas himself had called them.
After reaching the gates, the same process as last time repeated itself. Thomas's group broke away and Arras said goodbye, and two new humans took over the escort, both of whom Arras didn't bother attempting to speak with. Arras stepped inside the mansion once again, feeling equally as uncomfortable as he had the last time he'd been in the wide open space. He was walked a bit more forward, and once again came face to face with Baron Pennsworth.
"Hello."
"Arras, I've been expecting you! We have much to discuss."
Somehow, he once again already felt drained in the man's presence.
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