As soon as Lone reached the door to the Chieftain's hut, he gently knocked on the door. 'I've got no clue if this is considered good manners or not to knock for them... but whatever,' he thought.
"Come in," came a powerful female voice from the other side of the door.
'Wow. That was very fluent. No 'ss' with the Chieftain, huh?' Lone remarked in his mind before he opened the door and walked into the hut.
What he saw was a spacious single room that was filled with rugs and different kinds of mounted items that hung up on the walls. It looked very tribal, and Lone couldn't help but appreciate it. 'There's so much history hidden within these items... maybe I really should extend my stay period here in Hope? There's so much to learn.' he thought in awe.
"Welcome, Nine-Tails, or perhaps, Darkness?" came the same voice as before. Lone turned to look at its owner to find the unfamiliar Lemurian Chieftain, Reytla, staring at him with interest. She was sitting on a thatch chair and was carefully dabbing some sort of ointment on her arm.
Lone watched this curiously as he answered, "I'm Lone, not Darkness. I'm pleased to meet you. I wanted to come sooner, but I had to complete Eolande's test first."
Reytla noticed Lone's gaze towards her arm so she decided to explain. "I'm using a special salve made by the Dryads that call this city home. I need it to cure the remaining power 'Darkness' left inside of me. I suppose it was my own fault though for attacking him," she finished with a laugh.
She took a few more moments to finish up rubbing the paste-like substance on her arm before she stood up and walked over to Lone. Reytla stuck one of her hands out, her left one, as a form of greeting.
Lone didn't shy away from the scale covered hand and grasped it with his own left hand in a firm handshake. Thankfully he wasn't wearing his armour sleeve like usual, but he did put some strength into the handshake.
"Mmm, strong grip for a Fox. I'm Reytla, although I presume you already knew that. Before we get to why you have come here, I must ask, did you succeed or fail the Enchantress' tests?" Reytla asked with her interest in the subject clear for Lone to see.
"Your scales are surprisingly smooth. Again, I'm Lone, and yes, I did pass her tests," Lone replied before he separated his hand from the Chieftain's. 'So 'the Enchantress' is referring to Eolande? Interesting. She never mentioned having a sour relationship with the Lemurians. Hrmm.'
Reytla's eyes widened in shock before she passed Lone and went to stroke a certain spear mounted on the wall. it was bristle and clearly unusable, but Reytla stroked the feathers attached to its blade with care and love. "I suppose that makes sense since you have so much power at such a young age. A talent for enchanting can be within expectation for one such as yourself."
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Lone remained silent and a few seconds passed before Reytla turned back to face Lone, forcing her long green tail to curl around with her movements. "So, Lone, what brings you, the victim and attacker of one of my former kin, to my home? An apology, was it?"
Lone took a second to collect his thoughts before he responded. "Yes. I would like to apologise not only to you but also to the entire Lemurian race. What that vendor did, while inexcusable, wasn't worth her life. I was angry and upset at the time. As soon as I saw Sophie being held by that Lemurian while she was experiencing a panic attack, I lost control. I'm sorry. I... I would like to make amends," Lone said with determination in his voice.
'I don't really care, but I'll need to be nice to the Lemurians to get the knowledge I want, won't I? I'm glad Darkness was in control, not Sky or Void. They would have killed her fucking everything up, I bet Sky would have killed everyone if they attacked him since he increases my power by twenty times... or is that skill still on cooldown? I forgot.' Lone thought.
A surprised look appeared on Reytla's scaly face. "Your words do not match your actions, but I understand that this 'Darkness' is not you," she said before she moved across the room and sat down on her thatch chair again. "I accept your apology, but my people might not. I can feel your sincerity and regret, however, you must prove these things to the people of my tribe. Are you willing to do so?" she finished.
"Of course. I'm a man of my word. I'll help the Lemurians however I can. I won't apologise to everyone since I don't feel I was in the wrong, only to you since I've clearly troubled you. however, I'll help anyone here if I can. So, what's needed? Are your people without something that I can provide?" Lone replied. 'I'll never get access to their technology and history properly if I don't make them trust me. This is gonna be a bit of a nuisance. Oh well, I never was one to back down from a challenge.'
"There is much that we need. I suggest you go and talk to each individual member of my tribe and see if you can fulfil their desires? Obviously, within limits, but I feel that helping our community like this, one small act at a time, will be the best way for our race to forgive your actions," Reytla stated to which Lone could only nod.
"That's a bit bothersome. I'll figure something out," Lone had said before he put his right hand on his chin and held his right elbow with his left hand. "Well then, how can I help you, the Chieftain, Reytla? I'm gonna help your tribe, right? May as well start with you, no?" Lone finished with a smile.
Reytla's face took on a thinking expression before she pulled out a piece of parchment from a nearby thatch drawer and began writing on it with a quill that she had dipped in ink. After maybe a few minutes, she rolled the parchment up and placed it in a small wooden tube before sealing it. "Please give this to your new Master, the Enchantress. This is all I desire of you."
Reytla then handed the tube to Lone and he immediately placed it in a pocket of his overcoat before storing it in his dimension. "Sure, sounds easy enough. Well then, if you don't need me to do anything else with you, I think I'll start making amends with your people if you're alright with that," Lone said in an eager way. Clearly, his mind was filled with nothing but the Lemurians' history and technology.
"Go, Please, do not disappoint my trust in you. I am trying to be forgiving and accepting of your circumstances. Do not misunderstand, if you cause harm to another member of my race, there will be consequences," Reytla responded sternly.
"Of course," Lone replied before he turned and left the hut. Reytla watched him leave before she returned to the adorned spear and ran her fingers along it lovingly while a sad look flashed through her eyes.
"I miss you dearly, but I have changed since your passing... no more shall we let our own kill ourselves with our battle-focused thoughts. We have changed now. I wonder, would you be proud or disgusted with our newfound passiveness? I wonder..." Reytla mumbled.