Eolande quickly approached the largest hut of the buildings and waited outside of it. 'This is going to be annoying, but I guess the Chieftain does deserve some level of respect. She is one of the most powerful people in Hope, after all.'
Several seconds later, a large hulking Lizardman stepped out from within the thatched hut. 'She always disgusts me no matter how often I see her. How can a Lizardman, especially a female, get so large? Surely there's a limit to muscle growth,' Eolande thought in disgust. She much preferred lean muscles like Lone's, not overly large ones like the Chieftain's ones.
"Mmm? The Enchantress? To what do I owe the pleasure? I was just about to go kill a pesky vermin who assaulted one of my kind, so your visit is a bit, hmmm, inopportune?" the Lemurian said to Eolande with a somewhat surprised expression on her scaly face. 'The Enchantress never leaves her Glade unless something important happens, I wonder why she had to come here, of all places. This is going to bug me a lot, I bet.'
Eolande made an expectant face as if to say she knew that would be the Chieftain's response. "Well, that 'pesky vermin' is a potential apprentice of mine, and I'd suggest you stay out of it just this once. For your own good, of course," Eolande said with a charming smile.
The Chieftain's eyes had narrowed before she responded with her fluent Milindonian once more. "I appreciate you looking out for me, but may I know why I must avoid a person who is dragging my kind through the city with nary a care in the world for his public image?" she said with a flicker of the tongue.
"Oh, how delightful! Your shamans can even see things from a distance now! You must be so happy to be advancing as a species, finally," Eolande replied in a derogatory fashion. Normally, she wasn't the racist type, but she just couldn't stand this particular Lemurian.
"Answers, Enchantress. I am losing my patience," the Chieftain demanded.
Eolande took a second to scan the forty or so Lemurians that surrounded her and the Chieftain before she responded. "Well, first things first, the vendor tried to steal from his lover by accusing her of stealing the brooch she wore from the vendor's stall. This accusation caused his partner to enter a panic attack, and I assume her companion, a three-tailed Foxkin, contacted him, which made him leave my Glade and his test, to help her." Eolande then took a second to think before she continued. "So he intervened. By the way, I did mention he's a Foxkin, yes? You know how emotional beastkin can get, your race is very similar the beastkin in many ways."
"Indeed, we are. However, I fail to see why this should stop me from at least saving my kin from his grasp, even if I spared his life, would you still stop me?" the Chieftain asked reasonably. 'Foolish girl. To think she's still tricking people in this city with such an old scam... I'll have to punish her myself later.'
"Mmm, there's a small complication," Eolande claimed with her famous mischievous smile.
"What?" the Lemurian Chieftain asked with concern clear in her voice. It would be foolish to trust any species that were related to Fairies in any way, shape or form.
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"Well, he's in the middle of experiencing his seventh awakening. I have no idea how he's survived six so far, but to my knowledge, it would do him more harm than good to stop him," Eolande happily explained.
"... What you say does indeed, ring true," the Chieftain said with a shocked tone. She had never heard of a being who had successfully awakened so many times and lived. The most she had ever heard of was four awakenings. Her eyes had narrowed before she continued. "You know my people; we do not wish harm onto others whenever possible. I was willing to break that preference this once, but I imagine you come with a solution?"
'Too many of our kind have died to our stupid pride. It was our kind that was at fault here, so I must make amends with the offended party and heavily reprimand the young one. It was clearly too early to let her leave the nest. It was actions like hers that forced us into this dungeon... ' the Chieftain thought as she was hit with a wave of regret. Regret at her past self and past actions. Such actions that led to her current relationship with the Tylwyth Teg floating before her.
"Naturally," Eolande said with a small grin. "I have an answer to this small issue that I think we can all benefit from," she finished.
Back in Lone's summoning room, Sophie could feel herself waking up from a wet sensation on her left cheek. "... Wha... whe-where am I?" she mumbled.
She looked around in a bit of a daze before her eyes focused on the small fluffy and golden creature that had been licking her face. "Kyu?" it said with a cock of its furry little head.
"Kyuubi?" Sophie asked before she gently scooped the golden Fox up into her arms. "What happened? Right, I was being surrounded by people and getting shouted at by that lizard person... then... it grabbed my arm and... I fainted?" Sophie questioned herself.
She took another moment to look around. "Ah! I'm in Lone's summoning room. So, he saved me? I wonder where he is..." Sophie said before she walked over to the large screen that projected Lone's actions.
Sophie almost dropped Kyuubi by mistake upon seeing what was happening to Lone. Currently, he was standing at, what looked like, some sort of bog. He was surrounded by more lizard people. None of them were attacking him except for the biggest one. Sophie could see the vendor that had tried to steal her brooch crouched down nearby being treated by several other lizard people. Its hand was missing.
Sophie squeezed Kyuubi a little, eliciting a yip from her. 'I know that aura... he awakened again... but... but it's purple... just like Breena's... what emotion was that? Fear? There's no way Lone was afraid... unless more than one emotion is linked to that colour? I want to help, but I know that if you're awakening, all I can do is cheer you on. Good luck, Lone!' Sophie shouted from within her heart.
Watching the man she loved getting attacked by a shockingly strong lizard person ached her heart, but she knew that there was little she could do, so she sat down while still cuddling Kyuubi and watched the screen with all of her focus.
The Chieftain was honestly rather startled at how powerful Lone was. 'it was such a bother bringing him here, how can an E-Ranker be so freaking strong? I'm an SS-Ranker for Lord's sake! This plan of yours better work, Enchantress. I don't plan on getting injured for no good reason.'
The Chieftain then cracked her neck before she pounced at Lone once more. His body twitched in response and he swivelled his body around before he pierced the Chieftain's left arm with two tails and missed his target of her chest with the remaining seven.
"They always said that beastkin had the greatest reflexes," the Chieftain said with a smile before she coughed up a mouthful of blood. She then clenched her arm muscles which caused her new wound to seal itself before she continued, "but come on, Surely there's a limit?" She then smiled a vicious grin before she pounced at Lone once more.