Panta's impassive eyes watched Prefect Opious enter the chamber as the man strutted ahead of everyone else. His first impression of the middle-aged tribune was that he wanted to be a senator, but more than that, he had the family backing and lacked the moral character to make it happen. Or that was how the old legionary interpreted how the prefect pranced forward while throwing condescending looks at everyone in the chamber as he turned his upturned nose from left to right.

  Panta's opinion was based on more than his attitude, as while Prefect Opious's clothes were indeed meeting the appearance that his rank and position demanded, it was clear that the quality was higher than what a legion would provide. He would have had to go to a tailor on his own and commission his uniform to get the higher-quality material he was wearing. Which would be costly.

  The man's bearing that he was the most important one entering the room was wrong. A step behind the legionary and to the side, the fox messenger had a condescending look on his face as if he was watching the particularly arrogant child, waiting for them to fall and embarrass themselves.

  However, even the Kin, and whatever important message he was here to deliver, couldn't hold Panta's complete attention. The scout in the hallway had a wealth of information. Whatever he experienced while gone gave him more knowledge about the Kin than everything the other scouts and even Panta himself had gathered on the Kin combined, information Panta desperately needed in order to formulate an effective strategy to deal with the Kin.

  And he wasn't talking about a military strategy, as Panta was sure that gate crashed shut a couple months ago. If he could devise a diplomatic approach to ensure peace, he would be more than happy to employ it and focus his attention on the Letairry.

  Such thoughts were for later, as for right now, he needed to deal with the latest problem that fell into his lap before something else piled onto it. Looking down at the maps laid out on the command table, he took in the different clusters of figurines. The largest group was within Southtown, showing where the large numbers of goblins were. The second biggest showed beastkin hoards to the west in the grasslands, and the smallest showed the hesitant scouting missions he sent to the north and east that haven't turned up much so far. Yet, each one represented a surprise, and there were far too many for Panta's liking.

  "Legatus Panta of the 15th Legion, I demand you gather the legions under your command and march them to confront the beasts that dare to obstruct the 14th's advance!" Declared the prefect before anyone else could speak.

  Panta looked at the man, wondering who he was, that he believed he had the right to be so arrogant. He didn't even salute Panta before he started speaking, and he was blatantly craning his head to look around the chamber.

  Even the Kin had the courtesy to appear to have his eyes locked on Panta and stood like he was giving his full and undivided attention… Though the arms straight at his side and head forward with only the eyes moving made it clear the Kin was mocking the prefect for his actions. As lackadaisical as the fox appeared, the legatus had no doubt the man had already swept his eyes over the room and taken everything in, especially the maps… and that was what Panta wanted. It was a show of good faith he wasn't pressing north into their territory.

  As for the prefect, Panta wasn't sure if he was looking for information he could use or simply somewhere to sit as his eyes lingered on Panta's chair. Or maybe it was the food and wine sitting on the table next to him…

  Either way, Panta felt no respect from the man before him, which meant there was a reason for it, and that reason had to be his family. Not that Panta recognized the Opious family name, as remembering all the noble families would be impossible, especially for him, who spent the bulk of his career in the Isles

  "I wondered what the sudden smell was." Tribune Latic Shree said, "Turns out it's the wine-soaked drunkard the Opious Family tried so hard to hide. If you're going to pull yourself out of the gutter long enough to enter polite company, you should at least bathe first. It's only common courtesy. I would think — though that might be hard for you — that even you would have learned that lesson."

  The man's face flushed with embarrassment, and his eyes turned vicious from their previous haughty indifference as he looked around the room. The reaction from both parties told Panta much he needed to know about the situation, though it was worth letting it play out a little longer.

  Panta could see the man mentally marking who was snickering at him, but his attention quickly focused on the one who insulted him. "Says a bitch who ended up with the rejects of the republic." The man said, making enemies of everyone in the room and seeming not to care. "Some might be so crass to defame me, claiming there are blemishes in my past," The words caused Shree to snort in disbelief and giggle behind her hand, but he continued like she hadn't. "While they languish in obscurity, I have a future. Few can claim to have participated in relocating and saving a legion across a thousand miles of hostile territory!"

  "Really? Well, that is laudable," Shree confirmed sweetly, immediately putting the other noble on guard. His hands twitched as his right foot slid back like he was instinctually entering a defensive stance. "However, petitioning and forcing the senate to deploy three of their legions to the Triad, arriving in time to defend the fortress from an attack that decimated Southtown and conquered Basetown, makes your achievement pale in comparison… wouldn't you say?"

  “…From what I have seen and heard, you and Legatus Panta were so incompetent that you allowed the foe to infiltrate your ranks. And to make it worse, you even had to ally with the beasts to win the battle!"

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  "As one of those beasts," Said the Foxkin Messenger to the prefect's side, "I would like to point out that the only reason the Letairry didn't infiltrate the 14th instead of bypassing it like they did was because they weren't of any importance. If they took Basetown and the Triad, the 14th would be trapped and warn down at a later, more convenient time."

  Her voice containing the honey-like smile stretching her face, Shree responded, "Oh? So you and your legion were an afterthought… You should be used to that by no—

  "Enough." Declared Panta, cutting off the personal squabble before it would devolve anymore. "I have no doubt all of our actions will be scrutinized and studied sooner than later. For now, we need to move on to the reasons for why we are gathered here."

  "I told you!" Snapped Opious, "I negotiated an agreement of safe passage with those beasts, but they have decided to forsake their word and trap the legion on the far side of their wall. A wall I understand you let them build in secret. Really, I should have expected as much from creatures so similar to animals, but as a man of my word, I — and the rest of the tribunes — were blinded to this dastardly betrayal!"

  Turning to the messenger, Panta raised an eyebrow at the Kin in question. The man stepped forward and bowed low before popping up, displaying a crystal he wove between his fingers as he started speaking. "It was true that we had an understanding, but it was decided that we could no longer rely on the words of men with such little character. If they had half the honor and intelligence of the Honored Legatus, we would not be in this situation."

  "How dare you dishonor me in such a way! If you were human, I would demand a duel to regain my honor… but what can I really expect of beasts."

  "I would accept," The Kin said, showing off his fangs, "as I speak nothing but the truth." the Prefect spluttered, as he seemed to be at a loss for words with the sudden shift of the situation. "However! There is a better way to resolve this without bloodshed."

  Holding up the crystal, the fox's hand shone with a multi-colored light. "While my magic is not the most effective in deciding large battles, I — and those who share my gifts — have found that it is exceedingly useful in small engagements."

  The swirling light coalesced into the crystal, and then lines of light shot up, causing gasps of shock and some exclamations of alarm from the guards. Raising his hand for his guards to stop, Panta looked up to the chamber's roof, seeing what almost looked like a painting. The image was a side profile of a canopy with Kin on one side and legionaries wearing the emblems of the 14th on the other, with an elf scout of the 15th and another Kin sitting between the two sides underneath the cloth covering.

  Before anyone could say anything, the images started to move, and a voice filled the room, coming from nowhere and everywhere. "So, we will receive your guarantee of safe passage to the Triad, and in return, you want to be officially presented before the senate where you can pursue being acknowledged and officially accepted as a sovereign state?"

  "It isn't much to ask." Responded a female foxkin that Panta recognized as the Faction leader of the Redtails. "We want nothing more than a peaceful coexistence with your people, and yet, all we have interacted with for months are your warriors. It seems that your people's leaders are unwilling to come to us, so we will have to go to them."

  Nodding, the Legatus of the 14th replied, "An understandable course of action. If such is all you require, then I would be happy to accommodate you."

  With that, the images froze, and the Kin spoke again. "I thought it would be best to clearly lay out the agreement that was reached. Now, that very night—

  "You cannot possibly be putting any stock within this creature's magic! It's absurd that you are even allowing him to be — let alone talk — while he stands within the heart of your fortress! If you can't expel such creatures yourselves, then I will!"

  Hand falling to the overly ornate sword on his hip, the man started to turn, but Panta did nothing but shift his eyes to the doors leading to the chamber. While few had noticed, less than a minute after his first wave of guests had arrived, another man had entered the room.

  So far, he had stood against the wall with his arms crossed over his large chest, but when Panta's eyes had flicked to him, he frowned and nodded. Reaper Keeper would not typically have stepped in, but from that little display of power and the response of the prefect, a picture that depicted the Republic in a bad light was starting to form.

  Something that could undermine a chance at peace and put the Republic on the back foot if it ever came to the negotiations Panta wanted. Stepping forward, the half-elf headed off the Prefect as he said, "Are you saying that the events the Kin just displayed are inaccurate?"

  Turning to the new speaking, the noble puffed up his chest and said, "Of course! And who are you to question me?"

  Lazeally flipping a coin a few times while everyone waited, the man finally caught it and flashed the silver coin that denoted his office and authority at the man, making all the blood drain from the prefect's face as he tried to say the word "reaper" but was only able to mouth it. "Given that we are dealing with what appears to be a peace treaty between the Republic and a foreign nation — that we have few interactions with — nothing less than a witness's confession will be adequate to confirm your statement on the matter. Are you willing to subject yourself to be scanned?"

  “…N-Na… No!" the shrinking man stammered, showing fear and deference for the first time.

  "With the claim redacted, we can move forward. If you would continue messenger?" The reaper said, stepping to the side again but unable to hide in the shadows any longer.

  "Thank you," The Kin said with a wide smile, bobbing down in a bow of thanks. "Now, as I was saying, that very night, this happened."

  A new image appeared, and this time, it was Prefect Opious and Legatus Kellaport sitting in a tent, "You can not seriously be considering working with such beasts, Justinian! At the first chance they get, they will rip our throats out!"

  "I'm inclined to agree… However, there is nothing wrong with agreeing to such demands. We will be on guard for a betrayal, and at worst, we will be closer to the Triad when they strike. I believe that for now, playing nice with the animals is for the best." The Kin went on to show a dozen more such videos, each one circling around the same topic. And with everyone, the prefect gradually pushed Kellaport's opinion of the Kin further into a negative light.

  The farther into the videos they went, the more the tone shifted from defending themselves to attacking the Kin first. Though the Legatus would not allow an outright attack, he was convinced to let the prefect to enact "tests" on the nearby Kin warbands, seeing if they could instigate an assault.

  By the end, Panta had a headache, and the prefect of the 14th looked like he was a sweating corpse. "I must apologize for the actions of my countrymen. But I also have a duty to ensure their safe arrival behind my walls. Is there any way we can look past these recent events?"

  The Kin smiled at Panta like he was looking at a delicious feast laid out before him. "I believe we can come to an understanding."