Shree sat in a cushioned armchair, her back straight as a board. Her hands were placed atop each other on her lap, and her elbows slightly indented the padded armrests. A serene expression was plastered on her face as she internally seethed, unwilling to give the creatures around her any more pleasure at her disgrace.

To each side of her were more seats placed in a half circle, with small side tables next to each chair holding drinks and delicate snacks. An intricate cloth canopy was spread over them, showing scenes of birds flying through puffy clouds and over mountain peaks. Under their feet was a large mosaic carpet that mirrored the canopy but showed land animals bounding through an old forest.

All in all, the accommodations showed some crafting skill, the wine was decent — though nothing compared to a 1029 from Chanlos Vineyard — the temperature was abnormally pleasant under the canopy compared to the sweltering heat a step past its edge, and the seat was surprisingly soft. However, she was still despising every second.

Shree would like nothing more than to storm away, and, if she thought she could get away with it, send some assassins back for the male creature seated to her right… but she couldn't. It wasn't that the assassins she knew of would be incompetent and incapable of the task. No, it was far from that.

Her family had connections to some of the best, but sneaking past a bunch of beastkin with weird powers and no idea where the target was, seemed like a bit of a stretch for their skills. However, that should only raise the price.

The main reason was that Shree would be one of the first to fall under scrutiny, which, in itself, decided the matter. As her father always said, "If you can't pin it on someone else, don't do it."

The sentiment applied to many things in life. And yet, the arrogant, self-satisfied beastkin to her right was someone she was seriously contemplating openly killing for the pure joy of it, even if she had to suffer the repercussions.

"We are going to be stuck here a while," the man next to her drawled, his mocking tone grating over her skin. "Might as well enjoy the scenery and the wine while we wait."

Clenching her jaw, Shree stopped herself from grinding her teeth together, but she couldn't fully relax her throat by the time she spoke, causing her voice to come out ever so slightly strained. “Waiting… I have experienced much of it lately…"

"Could not be helped, my dear lady." The foxkin said, waving his goblet in a wide arc gesturing to all that was around them, "We had to gather the Faction Leaders, something that you should understand, as I doubt our societies are so different that gathering powerful and influential people is considered an easy task."

Shree opened her mouth to deny the claim, then moved her cup to her lips and took a sip. The wine wasn't bad, but it was rather bitter at the moment, as she had to concede the point to this creature. As good as Shree was at controlling her expression and voice, she could not put a genuine tone into her voice and say it was easy to gather nobles to do anything.

From the corner of her eye, she caught the curl of his lips before he raised his cup to take a sip, which Shree was sure she was supposed to see, making it all the more infuriating. Lowering her cut, Shree said, "Perhaps you have a point, but I do find it difficult to enjoy the scenery when the sky is obscured by the smoke of a burning Olimpian city. A rather prominent one within my people's history, as a matter of fact. One could almost take it as you wanting my people to suffer and be weakened."

"Want~" The messenger, who was also the temporary leader of the Redtail Faction, slowly said as if tasting the word and trying to tease out every possible meaning. "No." Suddenly, his voice took on a hard edge. And, for the first time since she arrived and was made to wait for hours before giving the gathered representatives a low bow in the field as an apology, he sounded serious. "No, I would not say I 'want' your people to do anything. You need to understand. That would be a better way of putting it."

The fox got up from where he sat and slowly walked to the center of the half-circle. He put his hands behind his back just above his tails and looked at Southtown burning across the river. "I want your people to understand that we are not the real threat. We are an obvious challenge, an unsheathed blade, but you have failed to notice that we are not pointed at you. You do not understand that even while we talk here, the majority of our warriors, the veteran armies of our factions, are fighting in the Broken Peaks, holding the passes. But it doesn't matter, as, apparently, the slime-covered worms wiggling their way out of the ground have long found their way into your society. So, we find ourselves employing the greatest teaching aid mortals have ever conceived. Suffering."

At that, the beastkin turned to face her, his face stern and eyes burning with determination, "You and your people will suffer. You will learn by death and destruction the power of their machinations, the depths of their plans. Your people will kill each other, and once you are weakened — pushed to the breaking point — they will appear. And you will despair, as you know that all your fighting never mattered, as the war was lost long ago."

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The conviction in the beastkin's voice and the burning intensity of his eyes locked Shree in place. A little shiver ran down her spine, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. At the moment, Shree couldn't tell if it was the fear of what he was saying that got to her or the intensity of his speech and gaze… but she didn't care for either. "There is nothing that can stand before the might of our legions. The Republic has existed for thousands of years, and we will not be brought low by the machinations of those who only move in the shadows." She said, forcing the words out and filling them with a conviction she couldn't fully feel in that moment.

"If." Was all the fox said in response.

Seconds ticked by, and soon, most of two awkward minutes passed. By that point, it was abundantly clear the beastkin was content to stare at Shree until she asked the question. Trying not to show her annoyance — and that his tactic was getting to her — by doing something so obvious as gritting her teeth, Shree asked in a sickly sweet voice, "If?"

The fox didn't even try to hide the victorious smirk, and the embarrassment was only made worse as a woman and man sitting in a trio lounging off to the side snickered. "If they fight you in the field. If you can find them. If they do not turn your people against each other, and in your ignorance, do their work for them. If… If… If. If you survive this battle and report their existence. What they have done."

"We already came to an understanding for your aid. Are you going back on your word now? Is this the extent of the Kins' guarantee, where they will go back on a promise once they see a chance for further gain?"

"Not in the slightest," the male said, flashing a knowing smile at Shree, "I am just informing you that even if we win and everything goes perfectly, not all of their agents will be dead. Probably not even most, given they have been among you for months. Perhaps years? How many minds have they implanted thoughts into and twisted? How many commands are waiting to be triggered? A truth you should know is that you have never met a people more petty and vindictive than the Letairry. They would rather watch the world burn than let the smallest of slights go unanswered. How many cards will they play to remove a piece that united their two foes?"

The beastkin had started walking to the side as he spoke, and he had moved around her to the point that Shree would have to turn her head and shoulders to follow his movement, which she was unwilling to do. So his voice continued to speak from her back, almost like he was caressing her neck. "Not because you are a threat to them or to enact revenge on you for all those you had a hand in the killing, but simply because you will act as an example. Possibly the first, but definitely not the last, extinction, showcasing what it means to stand against them."

"Absurd." Shree scoffed, but there was a flicker of doubt in her chest. She had heard plenty of first-hand accounts from nobles who had done the same thing. "Even if what you say was true, and I have my reservations on the matter, the only way such a warning has any meaning is when those in power are aware of who is sending the message. To expose themselves to such an extent to make their warning would go against everything you have told us about our mutual foe."

"You have a point," the temporary faction leader admitted while popping his head into her vision, now on the other side from where he vanished and too close for her liking. "I guess assassins sent for you will be solely based on how much your actions aggravate them, meaning you aren't worth the really skilled ones."

Shree found herself in a unique position at that statement. On one hand, saying she wasn't worth the best of anything was somewhat insulting. Her noble family deserved nothing but the finest quality items. Nevertheless, arguing that she deserved the best assassin would be…

Well, for one, it was dangerous for her health and, more importantly, far too juvenile of an argument for her to be making. Deciding that she had already wasted too much time verbally sparring with this beastkin — a low point in her life, if there ever was one — Shree changed the subject to one that mattered, "We have been here for hours. Where are the troops you are supposed to be gathering? And are you even capable of enacting the other part of the plan? I can't help but wonder if you have no intention of prov—

A rumble filled the air, and Shree looked to the south with everyone else, seeing a massive cloud of gray dust shooting into the late morning air. The sound and thunder lasted for what felt like several minutes, and once it all ended, the fox was the one to break the silence. "Well, this might be an assumption on my part, but I think the Letairry has made a move. Should we start the plan now?"

"No," Shree said, her voice containing an authority it had lacked since she arrived before these beasts and groveled for forgiveness and a favor. "Any actions you take will only make the situation worse. You are the poison and the hammer, so it is better to wait for a report before taking any preemptive actions."

"I agree wit' t'e girl," Rumbled a large scared bear of a man who had stood at the edge of the gathering, who had never once taken his eyes off Southtown and its surrounding area. None of the faction leaders questioned his words, so the gathering fell into an anticipatory silence. Minutes slipped by, and then they saw the gate to the Northern Fort of the Triad burst open, and a messenger turned and ran toward them.

Watching the man heaving for air stand before her, Shree took the slip of paper he was offering before unfolding it and reading the message. "Well," asked the annoyed fox before she had finished reading.

Giving him a look of irritation, Shree straightened her posture and tilted her chin up as she spoke, "It appears a cavern was dug under the wall of the First Ring's wall, and that dust cloud was it collapsing, taking the area with it. As of yet, there is no coordinated attack on the city, and we are to wait until they have a clearer picture of the situation."

Her voice had no give, and what was phrased more as a suggestion in the note became a command to these savages. After all, if she played this right, this was her opportunity to make a name for herself.