Taldur

I stood still in a partial stupor at the pitiful state of my collapsed and balled up enemy, the clown.

The demon jesters collection of clawed legs and arms were lying in a tangled pile as the creature twitched and jerked, alive but certainly in a terrible condition.

"Dammit, Greezly! you soft fool!" the clown growled before a racking cough forced it to stop and shake violently.

"We can't let any of them live... not... a single... one..."

The clown shuddered one last time then went still, unconscious, purple tongue lolling out of its mouth.

Perhaps not dead, but hopefully down for the foreseeable future, fighting that thing further was not something I was in any shape to do.

I didn't even know what the clown was after all, analysis+ only came up with blanks when I tried to identify the monstrous jester, the additional power I just got for the skill being insufficient.

Unable to quantify my foe or apply meaningful damage I glared at the felled pitch monster for a second before I clacked to myself, "Good riddance." 

Both I and Lescar were almost slain at the hands of this freak, not to mention...

I prodded at the limply flailing bond in my mind that no longer attached to anything, no response or chatter coming from my only blade tailed rodent.

Grounding my mandibles together in anger, I seethed, the rage at her loss still bubbling just under the surface of my iron control.

The stupid clown had undone a lot of my hard work and removed a pawn from my arsenal, all that effort spent on molding Roulette wasted.

It enraged me that one of 'my' possessions had been taken from me.

She had been a part of my belongings, something that could not be easily replaced, or so I felt.

My anger simmered down a bit as I recalled a certain memory.

Soft, comfortable, a sense of calm, close...

Flinching as I remembered it, imaging the pleasant warmth that being embraced had involved, my anger boiled up again

I wouldn't be getting any more of those again by the looks of it.

As I thought about this a deeper part of me twinged uncomfortably, something more painful than rage stabbing at my heart, but it was not productive so I quashed it.

Weakness could not be tolerated right now.

Refocusing myself, I eyed the collapsed monster jester, wanting to scuttle forward and stick my venomous stinger into the defeated clown, but knowing better than to do that.

We were not out of the woodworks yet...

A deep, soft, and yet resonant voice, hit my mind with its unique timbre, a note of ruefulness in its inflection, a reminder we were not alone and that thoughts were not necessarily secure.

"Take a nap Phil, you always get so riled up when anything remotely smelling of the pale lord is involved, it's not a healthy obsession."

I turned to face the new, more pressing power looming behind me and Lescar, making sure to protectively coil in front of her, she was still vital to my plans.

The same power that I had sensed earlier and the same one that had instantly beaten the clown with no effort stood in front of me, looming like a great oak, huge and sturdy.

'What is it this time,' I wondered looking up at my massive opposition.

I activated Analysis as I faced the mystery power then stopped mid observation, doing a double-take.

'Are my compound eyes deceiving me? or is this guy a bear?'

He was indeed a bear, analysis+ only managing that single detail and nothing else, a frustrating demonstration of my own weakness.

I cautiously took in the appearance of this beast that would normally dwell in forests not tents, and was distracted by the unusual raiment this bear seemed to enjoy.

Much like the clown, this bear wore clothes that distinctly felt out of place for the medieval era the rest of this world seemed to be in, the clean-cut clothes undersized but very well kept.

The large distinctly dressed up bear was wearing a little blue buttoned-up vest, and red bowtie, neither of which quite covered up its furry underbelly.

Accompanying these two wardrobe choices, a tiny top hat that was woefully inadequate for the bears large head, sat awkwardly between its ears.

Having just offered a paw to Lescar beside me who obviously refused to take it, the bear turned his elongated head slightly to face me.

"Ahhh hello, you must be the little fellow that Phil over there mistakingly thought was just a pet rather than the master."

The bear shook his head in exasperation before he continued, little top hat wobbling dangerously.

"As I just told the little miss here," the bear said pointing a single padded paw at Lescar. "my name is Bawn Erdghast Greezly and I am terribly sorry for any trouble or inconvenience my associate over there may have caused for you."

The bear's soundless voice was genuine in emphasis but I was not swayed.

'So this...  Greezly is in charge,' I reasoned, being sure to keep my voice to myself as I looked the relatively well-dressed bear up and down.

The bear, Greezly, was not at all puffed or seemingly tired from his earlier instant thrashing of the clown, but that was not what presently bothered me.

An antenna twitched dangerously on my head at the prior spoken words 'trouble' and 'inconvenience'. 

The bear's jester friend Phil, or whoever he was, had done a lot more than merely inconvenience me.

The tall freak had almost killed both me and Lescar, and had managed to slaughter my very own rat.

A sharp pain clawed again at my chitinous chest at the thought, the bond to Roulette still severed and limp, an open wound to the void.

It was not something that could be lightly or casually brushed aside as a minor accident, and this silly bear thought a half-arsed apology would fix it? 

Not even close.

'He would need to try a lot harder than that to salvage my good graces' I hissed under my breath.

Perhaps sensing my rising ire, the bear called Greezly paused before saying in a quick yet sincere sentence.

"Oh... yes, you seem rather upset,"  the bear blinked before saying in a consolatory tone, "and I think I know why."

The bear stopped, opened its mouth in what I assumed was meant to be a reassuring smile, then reached behind itself to grab at something, smoothly bringing that something over his shoulder on his large curled up paw to hover before me.

"Your little friend, well, little relative to myself at least," the bear said glancing at me shortly as he laid his paw flat in front of me, revealing the contents.

What was revealed, was something that made much of my prior rage and anger simply fall away, no longer needed or fully justified, as the exposed individual curled haphazardly on the bear's hand twitched, before sitting upright, looking disheveled and frightened but entirely in one piece and still alive.

Roulette.

The white rat having been facing opposite me, towards the bear, turned her nose aquiver as if detecting something comforting, before her ruby eyes went wide and the pale rodent lept full pelt off the bear's hand, hitting the ground and stumbling in her urgent desire to reach me, scooting forwards in a hasty rush.

I felt the severed connection between me and the rodent flex before a sense of absence and lacking was filled, the void sealed shut as Roulette rushed forward, almost upon me.

"DAAAAAD!" the rodent squeaked, more scarlet tears leaking from the corners of her watery eyes as she ran.

The distraught rat collided with me, pushing me back a few scuttling steps but causing me little pain even in my wounded state, a feeling of completion overwhelming that trifling irritation as the anxious rat cuddled closely to me.

She was clearly distressed from whatever ordeal she had gone through and contorted herself around me trying to cuddle up as close as possible both to me and Lescar.

'Somewhat unlike her,' I thought, watching as she snuggled up to a resisting Lescar almost as much as myself.

It was uncharacteristic behavior from my little rat, but I knew it was Roulette, my restored bond told me as much.

She was just very frightened because of something...

It was then as Roulette trembled and quivered while clinging to me that I spotted many small incisions on Roulettes ruffled but otherwise pristine white fur, small incisions where trace lines seeped red blood, Roulettes bare pink skin visible as if someone had shaved subtle lines uniformly all over her body then cut into them, piercing the skin only to sew it back together with fine wires.

'What is this,' I thought, feeling some of my anger resurface, defacing my property and torturing my servants was not something that pleased me.

'What had that Clown been doing to her!?'

As if answering my question the bear spoke out.

"The little miss there should be fine, I was able to snatch her away before Phil's magic could make certain irreversible changes..."

Greezly somehow with his unwieldy paws snapped a claw and in the next moment, a collection of limply hanging life-sized puppets or perhaps more accurately dolls fell from the ceiling as if they had actually been there a second ago.

Speaking with a touch of shame the bear continued, "Although she might need a tad of extra kindness after so long trapped in there with Phil's other projects."

Roulette shuddered beside me at the bear's words curling further into a ball.

The puppets were similar to the ones that I and Lescar had fought earlier, yet eerily more detailed and realistic with a more leathery texture for the outer covering, a very skin-like covering...

'Ahh... those definitely used to be people.' I said to myself with an internal frown, the puppets almost looked like people too, if you ignored the glassy expression, dead eyes and sown together seams the freely swaying dolls visibly showed.

The suspended lifeless cadaver-dolls looked to be a human man, two ab-human women, some sort of Lizard thing and what looked like an upright pig?

Each doll or corpse was dressed up in the same outfit regardless of sex or species, a clown outfit identical to that of the unconscious Phil, the only difference being that the three more human corpses had a symbol sowed onto their clothes like a badge.

'A sort of crescent moon symbol?' I squinted or tried to in any case, at the silver badges that were absolutely filthy compared to the pristine state of the rest of clothes on the corpses turned dolls.

The clown obviously had no love for whatever group owned this symbol.

Regardless of the symbol, each doll's face was twisted, not into a pained or horrified face but demented joy instead, the clown seemingly having made sure each one looked hysterically happy after they perished.

I looked at the dolls then back to the quivering Roulette, I realized how close she had come to ending up like the dangling corpses on strings, the same telltale seams covering most of her own body.

My anger deepened, and my eyes hardened, that clown was lucky Greezly the bear was here or otherwise I would have killed him in his sleep.

Even as my fury began to ebb to the surface again, the sharp ache in my chestal cavity faded away, replaced with a latent sense of satisfaction, Roulette clinging both to me and a frustrated Lescar for a few passing seconds soothed me before I remembered I had onlookers.

"Such a touching scene," Greezly sniffed still dabbing at the corners of his eyes, " and to think that silly Phil would destroy something so harmonious, deplorable." the bear said with an aloof sniff as he glanced at his unresponsive clown companion shaking his head in disapproval.

Swiveling my head at a 90-degree angle I regarded the bear who both looked amused and moved by the impromptu hug Roulette had served out, the bear touching the corner of his eyes with a tiny handkerchief he had pulled from the breast pocket of his vest.

Slowly and gently prying the traumatized Roulette away from myself, I wriggled free, leaving her to cling to a grimacing, if relieved Lescar.

Now observing the bipedal bear up close and standing as tall and as straight as I was able, I considered the bear's last words, 'Was Greezly being serious? or was he mocking me?' it was impossible to tell but a hunch told me it was the former.

If my hunch was correct and Greezly here really was such an easily moved individual, what could he possibly want that required him to speak to me personally?

It was doubtful the bear just wanted to talk for the sake of talking, what angle or goal did this bear have in mind?

There was only one clear means to find out, and I no longer had the patience for any other way, additionally both of my familiars needed time to recover, Lescar was badly hurt and Roulette seemed slightly unnerved if only lightly injured.

I would ask the bear.

Ignoring the dangling boneless corpses, I crawled further out of Roulette's entanglement to stand before the massive imposing figure of Greezly, addressing him directly with a wary if courteous voice.

"So... I heard you wanted to meet the boss," I said recalling Roulettes words prior to entering the tent, "well here I am, what is it you wanted to discuss."

For a few moments, it looked like the bear was going to respond to that question before the bear said suddenly smacking its sloped forehead with the back of his own paw in exasperation, causing the puppets to sway alarmingly as he shifted and jostled them.

"Ah! wait!" the behemoth bear gestured, pointing a single large paw at the surrounding dark space and busted quilt work everywhere, "we can't talk with the place in such a potch! just give me a moment I'll clean it right up."

Greezly closed his small squinty eyes placing his two paws together as if meditating for a second before his eyes snapped open and his paws slapped together once in a thunderous singular clap, a clap that made the earth shake beneath my feet, before...

The pitch-black darkness dispersed, the remanents of destroyed puppets and furniture vanished, and suddenly the world seemed a lot brighter and full of movement, the walls of the silk tent now being visible and much closer than they had been when the tent was still dark, a multitude of comfortable and luxurious massive furniture being placed here and there.

The corpse dolls also vanished and in their place, a small brazier with a merry fire burned.

"No way..." I heard Lescar mutter behind me as she struggled into a propped up position, a long laid back chair having appeared under her to support her weight, being able to easily seat both her and the clingy Roulette.

I clenched my jaws tighter, my eyes narrowing in my heart, the idea that this bear was no mere talking bear reinforced further by what had just transpired in front of me, the very tent instantly jumping to do the bear's bidding.

Either, both the bear and the clown possessed this ability to create and manipulate mass or it was the bear who was the source of the power here which was why the matter was bending to the bear's will without the clown being conscious.

I glanced at the clown, who in the light of day had shrunk down to the size of an average man, the extra arms having withered into what looked like small spines on the creatures back as it lay passed out on the rug strewn floor.

I tilted my head slightly in reconsideration as I observed the lessened clown monster that was now no bigger than Lescar, and even skinnier.

Alternatively, my predictions could be way off the mark, I hardly knew a thing about sorcery, magic, and witchcraft, despite being able to use it pretty easily so far. The last spell that I used to injure the clown, being not too hard to cast, merely draining instead.

However, at the end of the day, all I knew was that this bear was even stronger than the clown and that the only feasible way out of this was diplomacy and conversation.

Hopefully, considering the polite and even regretful approach the bear was taking with us, it would not be too hard to obtain survival.

"Spiffing," the bear said happily appraising his handiwork before he settled into a massive chair that fit him comfortably, motioning towards another identical if much smaller chair opposite him,

"We can talk now," Greezly said easily, seated firmly in his massive chair.

I had my doubts about the bear's intentions and his lack of a leash on his clown friend, it was high time I saw what my host had in mind.

Climbing into the offered chair, I queried for the second time feeling annoyed and slightly angry but still keeping my voice neutral.

"What is it you want to talk to me about?"

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"Oh! nothing too much," the bear said waving a paw dismissively at my question, "I mostly just want to introduce my self and give you good sir, some advice-"

If I'd still possessed eyebrows they would be floating ten feet above my head in disbelief, no one just invited strangers into their tent, attacked them then apologized so that a measly introduction could take place, this bear had aims, aims that were tied to my presence in some way.

The question was, what were they?

The bear continued unabated, undisturbed by the whirling thoughts I was rapidly considering.

"And..." and Greezly said reaching behind him and casually pulling out a dainty teapot and tea set which he proceeded to set up on the small coffee table between us, "I also wanted to make ties with you before anyone else in this city had the chance too if I am being honest. Of course, that did not quite go according to plan..."

The bear again, looked ruefully at the passed out and still naked clown monster, shaking his head once more in disdain before he said in a cheery if slightly forced voice.

"Does anyone want some tea? it is good! it helps speed up recovery," the bear nodded towards Lescar and myself, both of us wounded still, before continuing, "I purchased this from an Ursifor farming community, lovely people, they sure know how to make the finest teas if I do say so myself."

I waved my antennae, testing the scent the fragrant liquid was giving off, it smelt pleasant if in a very flowery and sweet way, but the tea was not what held my interest, a specific word catching my attention.

The word Ursifor was unfamiliar to me, but Lescar whispered something to me quietly, understanding alighting in her eyes.

"Ursifor are small hairy badger-like demihumans, no taller than children that tend to live in close-knit groups," Lescar managed silently before adding after a pause, "...they also kinda look like bears, although... they speak with actual words..."

I glanced at Lescar without moving my head, her face pale with pain as a still shaking Roulette clung to her, she didn't say anything further, but she did not need to, the implication was clear, was our tall host some sort of giant Ursifor or just an irregular oddball of a bear?

Or perhaps he was like me? a reincarnator, not that I was sure I had died to actually get here.

Nonetheless, it had become clear to me what the bear, at least in part, desired. When the large carniform had offered the tea I had pieced the bare minimum together.

'He wants to start good relations with me' I realized, an understanding that raised a few other inquiries.

Inquiries like, 'why doe's he want good relations with me? what could he gain when he was so clearly stronger and more influential than I? How did he know I was in charge? and how did he find out about me in the first place?'

There were many questions and I intended to have them answered, among other things. This bear, if he really wanted good relations with me, owed me quite a bit more for his business partners epic failure and near-fatal treatment of my two familiars.

Sitting back on my chitinous haunches, laying my tail across the hand rest adjacent to me, I replied to the waiting bear in a formal tone.

"I would not mind partaking of some tea and neither would my two servants either if that is permissible."

Neither Lescar or Roulette reacted visibly at my casual use of the word servants, but I did feel a twinge of dissatisfaction from Lescar before I focused my attention on Greezly the bear.

Greezly upon hearing my response beamed before enthusiastically pouring four cups of tea, one for each person, including Roulette, the large bear resting the delicate cups and saucers on a small table next Lescar's lounge chair for the two girls to have easy access too.

"Splendid!" Greezly smiled at my sentence revealing some of his large fangs, already savoring a sip from his own cup, "I know a fellow tea enthusiast when I see one!"

My forceps twitched at the bear's evident delight, I had not drunk any tea since before I was a cockroach, tea did leaves did not tend to grow in sewers, and I couldn't even remember if I had liked the drink in the first place.

Rounded ears on his head wiggling slightly, shifting his tiny hat marginally off-kilter, Greezly asked politely with a pleased expression.

"Does anyone want sugar? cream? Biscuits? feel free to help yourselves!" 

A pitcher of pure cream appeared on the small table next to a pot of sugar, a delicate engraved silver teaspoon protruding from the top, besides both of the supplements a decorated plate of slim biscuits that smelled of honey also was laid out invitingly.

It seemed Greezly really liked his tea and thought better of anyone who also appreciated it, accepting the beverage had been a good decision.

'Well then,' I thought somewhat self-satisfied, 'it couldn't hurt to push that advantage a little further, perhaps Greezly appreciates decorum.' 

I picked up the teaspoon with my more precise tail pincers before expertly moving to take a single cube of sugar before stopping, the cogs in my head turning, a bear watching me intently.

Real tea enthusiasts preferred their beverage pure.

Knowing my host was watching, I picked the spoon up placing it instead straight into my drink, stirring it slightly, making sure every tea leaf was thoroughly stirred through before I carefully lifted the fragile cup up to my jaws, opening my mouthparts to reveal a small proboscis-like structure that I used only for drinking.

Sticking my elongated spike-like spine into the drink, I sipped at the flowery liquid quietly, the bear watching silently in approval, nodding all the while.

The hot liquid swished around the sensitive taste hairs in my mouth, rejuvenating and refreshing me, making the pain from the many lacerations covering my body to dull and instead gain a slight tingle.

I took another sip of the tea carefully, It certainly wasn't half bad, in fact, I liked it, perhaps the bear was right, maybe I was a tea enthusiast and I just didn't remember it.

Having watched me sip the tea the whole time with a sparkle in his eyes, the bear said with a good-natured chuckle.

"You have a great drinking form I must say,"  The new gleam of respect still twinkling in his eyes as he too took a sip smoothly from his own cup, large bear paws somehow managing the dainty porcelain with ease, regarding me closely but with a much more appreciative demeanor.

"Thank you," I replied politely but with genuine sentiment as well, much of my built-up tension easing off as the tea's warmth made its way around my body, not forgetting what I was owed but feeling a little better than before.

"And you were right," I added, "this is some good tea, I already feel revived."

"Isn't It!" the bear replied gleefully, "it is a shame more people don't understand the greatness of tea, instead they all drink that black sludge coffee instead! the folly of it! hmmph!" 

The bear harrumphed in front of me and any tension that might have filled the tent earlier diffused, the bears love of teas leaves dismembering it in a grand fashion, the relative quiet of the tent now abruptly punctuated by the stifled sounds of crowds outside.

Had the topic distracted the bear so much that he forgot to maintain whatever magic he had been casting?

It seemed like it, the general muffled din and clamor of the market was now audible, the spatial isolation had been broken, escaping was now an option.

I teetered on the edge of my seat as the Bear rambled on about how coffee was the source of sin bad manners and crankiness, ready to flee from the chair as I calculated.

If I made a dash for it, I could make it out of the tent but that possibility had some major flaws, I would have no time to carry others meaning I would not be able to drag the rather injured Lescar with me.

I would have to leave her behind.

That was an unacceptable loss, no one could replace Lescar at the moment, she was absolutely critical for future events.

Not to mention that promise I made...

A promise my ever-helpful instincts were whispering should be kept.

It was clear now, I was not leaving this tent until I could take all my familiars with me.

I sat back down on my haunches picking my teacup back up as if nothing had happened, the long-winded bear finally coming to the end of his anti coffee spiel, a relaxed expression on his maw.

"And that is why tea is the king among all drinks don't you agree sir..."

"Taldur" I answered sparing the bear an awkward pause.

"Yes... sir. Taldur" Greezly acknowledged, "Tea is supreme is it not?"

"Oh! most certainly, it is the greatest!" I conceded without hesitation.

Tea had been the only liquid I had consumed outside of sewer water and blood, and so far was definitively the best out of all three, still only narrowly beating blood however.

And earning more points with Greezly was not a bad thing either, with such an obvious vulnerability as mundane as tea, what reason was there not to take it?

"Here here!"

The bear beamed in agreement to my prior, only slightly false words, before taking a prolonged sip from his own cup. 

'Mr. Greezly most certainly loves his tea,' I considered idly with a purr as I sipped my own

It was good my face did not emote much because, I am sure I would smiling an evil smile right now otherwise.

Maybe the bear had intended to earn some rapport with me by sharing his tea but it had gone the other way instead.

I was gaining rapport while revealing little.

It was excellent, perhaps something more than the bear's advice and what little he might have imparted upon me could be gained.

After all, it looked like being destroyed was extremely unlikely now since the bear was in such a good mood.

All thanks to the miracle of tea.

Both I and Greezly continued to sip on our respective teas in silence for a moment appreciating the good brew, while the two girls watched the surreal scene with perplexed expressions.

Lescar after a moment of watching me and Greezly casually sit and drink, picked up her own drink.

Clearly still in some pain from her injuries, Lescar lifted her less broken arm and took a sip, her face remaining neutral but regaining a small amount of color before a look of weak surprise appeared on her face.

The bear noticing this waved a paw before saying in a humming low voice.

"Mmm see, the tea is already helping you feel better, tea is best."

Lescar did not respond but did take another sip from her own cup breathing deeply.

Having seen both me and Lescar drink from our respective cups through her balled up position, Roulette unfurled briefly to lap at her own teacup, stopping after a single slurp seemingly not liking the taste and retreating back into being curled into a ball next to Lescar.

Greezly didn't seem bothered by this and after a glance simply said with a shrug, "children don't tend to have an appreciation for the more refined things in life, not until they grow up a little at least."

The bear took another sip from his cup before he sighed and leaned back into the chair, apparently pondering something before he spoke more seriously, the whole tents atmosphere taking a turn for the professional.

"So my good sir, about why actually I went through all this trouble to see you," Greezly began swirling his tea with a single claw.

I listened intently, searching for anything I might be able to exploit in the ensuing discussion, antennae straining.

This was the important part.

The bear looked up from his steaming beverage as I concentrated before he stated in a plain voice.

"said openly, I want a favor,"

"A favor?" I frowned.

"Yes a favor, not now obviously, but later in the future, if you still live," 

It sounded almost like a threat, but I knew that was unlikely, this world was surely a perilous one much like my previous one, and survival was not guaranteed.

But why would the bear want a favor of me? I hardly had any power in this world, at least not yet...

I flexed my jaws reflexively feeling a tad uncomfortable, 'this guy knew...'

Did he have some sort of intel on my plans beyond figuring out I was in charge? How?!

I remained silent as I stared at the bear, refraining from answering.

Seeing easily through my silence, the bear said with a fanged and knowing smile.

"You are not the first of your kind to appear, and your kind almost always want the same thing."

I did not respond outwardly but internally I was in turmoil, 'others like me!' I furiously considered 'did he mean other reincarnators?'

This was a bombshell of a sentence that prompted a change in my bartering plan.

Information on others like myself was crucial knowledge, this world was vast and any information on those that came before me could spare me a lot of hardship.

It was data so delicious I would even forgive the clown if required, I needed that information.

The bear didn't pause allowing me to interject, instead, continuing on steadily.

"Territory, riches, power, fame." the bear continued staring back down at his tea, "Your kind always hunger for such things." looking up after saying this the bear laughed a little before booming.

"Not that I wasn't guilty of the same thing in my younger days," Greezly snorted adjusting his tiny hat that had begun to slip sideways because of his hearty chuckle.

I watched as the vest-wearing bear fixed up his hat before straightening his tie, Greezly wasn't speaking well of my fellow earthborn, but then he was right, humanity was pretty greedy, selfish and ambitious overall.

Not that I cared too much, I wanted that information.

The bear reset his bowtie as I watched, my own thoughts on the available possibilities, a distinct likelihood coming to the forefront of my mind.

'Though... I would probably have to accept this favor to acquire it.'

Gathering myself I sat up in my chair, my tail flexing as I placed my cup on the tea table, I offered up a wary inquiry.

"This favor, what will it entail?"

"Ha! that's a funny question," the bear chuckled before fixing me with a more sober expression.

"Its a favor, it could change depending on what is happening at the time," the bear said in a simple and flat voice, "however," he added with his tea claw waggling in front of him, "it will probably be related to trade if I am to be astute."

"Trade..." I considered, looking around the interior of the tent, obvious signs of wealth abundantly clear.

The bear didn't look like he needed any more money, but then... you could never have too much money.

'Besides he could have other reasons beyond making a profit,' I considered looking the dressed-up bear over.

Greezly obviously had some confidence in me, that or he was just doing this to cover his bases in the slim chance that I succeeded to take over this city.

I did intend to do that after all.

If I did one day manage to take control of Octaal city, surely that would be the time that Greezly would ask this so-called favor of me.

But despite my furry host calling it a favor, nothing was ever free.

And I certainly wasn't going to agree to anything on positive talk over tea alone.

'No, Greezly here needed to make this promise worth my while and not a one-sided exchange,' I concluded, tilting my head back up to look at Greezly.

Speaking brusquely, I made things clear,"Now excuse me if I'm being blunt Mr. Greezly, but here is the part where I ask," I paused for effect speaking in a polite tone but with a decidedly iron caliber to it.

 "What's in it for me?"

Greezly didn't immediately respond but his slight smile did not disperse either, likely having assumed I would do this, the business bear waved a paw, gesturing for me to continue, comprehension in his eyes as he listened.

Acknowledged, I elaborated, making sure to readdress the fact that he owed me.

"Despite our pleasant sharing of tea, I find myself still disinclined from offering you a favor considering what happened to both myself and my servants at the hands of your... Associate."

Using the same words Greezly had used to address his clown friend I motioned towards the still passed out monster jester with a foreleg.

"Mmm I see, that is a sensible reason." the bear muttered darkly shooting a glare at his passed out companion.

"And so I would like compensation and future assurances that this won't happen again before I even consider agreeing to anything."

Turning back toward me with a thoughtful expression the bear took a long sip of his cup before he placed the still warm drink down on the table.

"Well good sir Taldur," Greezly began with a slight huff, "I can promise you that we won't have a repeat of this rather unfortunate misunderstanding."

The bear made a swiping motion causing what looked like a stretcher to materialize and whisk the unconscious clown away.

"You can rest at ease in regards to that, Phil won't be able to bother you again, but my ears did not fail to hear that there was something else you wished to say."

Greezly leaned back in his chair, the stained hardy wood creaking from his bulk.

The bear was not wrong, I did have more demands.

Lifting my own cup and sipping the golden liquid inside I added to my list of compensations.

"Yes, firstly if it is not too difficult to ask, I would like to have any knowledge on those like myself, when they appeared, what happened to them, everything."

The bear raised a brow at this before giving a short chuckle.

"Oh that," Greezly snorted, "well, to be honest, you probably know more than I do about your own kind, I know very little outside that they appear every now and then over the centuries, tend to be pretty potent and that most of them tend to be more, ahhh... how should I say this..."

Greezly ummed and ahhed for a couple of seconds before apparently giving up, finishing his sentence awkwardly.

"'...Human.'"

I felt disappointed, not at my mentioned inhuman form, but that Greezly didn't seem to know much about what I wanted to know.

Still, any scraps or hints of knowledge might be useful, perhaps Greezly might even know someone who could fill me in on the details of the passage of others like myself.

Although I had a creeping suspicion that Greezly wasn't telling me the full truth.

The bear was dressed like a rich man from 18th-century Europe, had a peculiar accent reminiscent of prim and proper nobles and I could not help but notice the similarities between us.

He was a telepathic intelligent creature that seemed to possess servants and maybe even familiars.

Was he like me? a reincarnated individual?

"Mr. Greezly If I may," I asked, remembering to remain civil, "are you a-" I paused using the word that the bear preferred to implement, "Terran?"

The bear who was mid-sip of his cup spluttered, spraying a fine mist of liquid from his lips.

"Me? a Terran!?" Greezly guffawed astonished, "Oh-no, I have never been Terran."

After his outburst, Greezly slowed down, dabbing a fine handkerchief to his mouth as he considered his next words.

"I am not a Terran but I would be considered something of a..." the bear paused for a moment wrinkling his nose in thought.

Speaking slowly the hat-wearing bear said, "Mmm yes, I would be considered to be more of an irregular than anything else here."

The great big vested mammal seemed to be satisfied with his own answer and turned his elongated snout back in my direction, an inkling of comprehension on his face.

"I am not lying to you my good insectoid sir, not even by omission," Greezly assured, "I do not possess much information on the topic of your people, just know that almost all of them achieved something great or history-altering, or at least the few that I know about did..."

"And so..." the clothed bear continued, "I hope that you will do the same and give me some good business opportunities."

The bear's assurances and words did not entirely remove my doubts, but even if he was leaving something out or was lying, it couldn't be resolved.

I had no way of confirming he really knew anything or whether he was lying and so I would have to take it all with a grain of salt.

'But...' I reasoned, returning to my line of thinking prior to questioning the bear's validity, 'perhaps he knew someone who did.'

Speaking my mind I asked.

"Is there anyone else who might know more, anyone?"

Greezly shifted restlessly with a wry expression in his chair before answering.

"Mmmmm, yes there is... But I doubt you could get him to speak," Greezly grimaced apologetically, "your first meeting with him did not go so smoothly after all..."

'Ohhhh...' I ground my segmented jaws together, 'that dirty clown, juuuust dandy!' 

There was no way he would speak after showing such an obvious and intense hate for both me and Lescar, all just because of some stupid pale lord smell, a pale lord that I had certainly never met.

Clearly the clown's sense of smell was rubbish, both Lescar and I had never met this pale lord.

Sitting on the edge of my seat, practical hovering, I asked with the dying embers of hope in my voice, "Is there no one else?" 

"Not as far as I'm aware," Greezly shook his large head, "barely anyone even knows about Terrans, and anyone who does is unlikely to spill the beans sir Taldur."

I crumpled back down into my chair, defeated.

I would not be getting much data on those who came before me here, I had no delusions on getting the clown to talk, he was much stronger than I and it looked like Greezly didn't want to strongarm his buddy any further than he already had.

I would have to look elsewhere for my answers for now.

Flicking my antennae in frustration I conceded that it was a lost cause, moving onto my next demand.

Direct material compensation.

I didn't really need more money right now, but more was almost never a bad thing, all the resources, both human and otherwise that could be purchased with currency were innumerable.

"Ok Mr Greezly we come to my second remuneration," I said evenly, "I want at least a thousand dubine for the injury of myself and both of my servants."

"Done," the bear said immediately without flinching, placing a large bag on the table that tinkled cheerily, "anything else sir Taldur? or is that it?" the bear said in an easy voice, almost grinning,

'The rich bastard.' I thought, narrowing my non-existent eyelids at the casually sitting wealthy bear.

Maintaining an unphased look, I spoke up, offering my last demand.

"Thirdly, I want any information you might have on the city and its happenings, the people in power, their connections, everything!"

My last demand was a tall one, one I was sure the bear couldn't or wouldn't supply.

Greezly slowly shook his head with a more somber expression.

"Ooooh sorry, but as a professional business bear, I can't just hand out information that other clients may have entrusted to me."

I was right, but it was worth a try.

"However..." the bear said his tone changing to a sly one, winking at me as one paw reached behind him.

"I can offer you something almost as good..."

Greezly pulled hard and from thin air, a slim almost elegant book appeared, the bear placing it down on the table in front of me.

Unable to read, I furrowed my antennae.

"What is this?"

"The advice I had planned to give you," the bear said happily looking at the book with a proud scrutinization, "I wrote it myself but it never quite caught on with the major public, I only managed to sell three other copies..."

The bear stopped then sniffed disdainfully, dabbing at the corner of his moist eyes with his handkerchief "people truly have no respect for good literature these days."

As Greezly wiped away his sorrow I studied the slender book dubiously, anything that sold so poorly was likely not too useful.

Was this really what the bear wanted to give me? this was his helping hand?

I looked up at the bear who was now blowing his nose with his now sodden handkerchief having gotten emotional.

Yep, looked like it.

I sighed then went to hand the book to Lescar so she could store in her bag for later, maybe it would be useful, maybe.

"Lescar put this away, would you," I said without glancing at her.

Lescar did not respond.

"Lescar?" I turned my head slightly beginning to focus my attention on my human familiar.

Crash!

The sound of breaking pottery rang out making me turn swiftly, instantly focusing in on the source.

Lying sprawled out on the couch, pale and limp, her cup of tea in pieces on the ground, the many wounds on her body still seeping red, Lescar slumped over, her eyes rolled back and her breathing shallow.

"LESCAR!" I bellowed rushing to my human girl's side.

I had forgotten just how badly she was hurt, the discussion between me and Greezly distracting me from her grievous injuries. 

"Don't die little girl" I cursed thinking back to my glade where I could heal her.

I just had to get her there first.

Pulling the injured Lescar onto my back with my tail, I growled.

"Don't you dare die little girl! you are mine!"