"That is simply outrageous, kaw."

"Is it really? I thought it was a valid question..."

"For you to have the audacity to imply that I would be the spawn of those tame pet birds- I shudder at the thought! I must have neglected my appearance greatly for this question of yours to even grace your mind!"

Henry the guard captain watched in mild amusement as the mayor tried to sooth the upset bird. The bird looked to be some kind of overgrown rooster. It sported a brilliant black plumage with white spots and tail feathers cascading down from its seat on the table down to the floor. Said rooster had arrived with the monsters from the forest and had with a cockiness befitting of a rooster proclaimed itself "King of the Frightcrows". That had marked it as a person- monster of importance, and so it had been invited to the tavern along with the other monsters on top of their hierarchy.

The rooster, who's name was apparently Norman Blackplume the first, had practically tackled the mayor and demanded to strike up a conversation as soon as it was decided to bring the monsters' leaders to the tavern to discuss things in a calmer manner. Henry started to suspect that the bird was nowhere as important as it pretended to be.

"That's Lord Norman Blackplume, thank you servant, kaw."

The mayor gave the waitress a silent apology after the rooster had accepted the bowl of grain she'd brought it. Norman sniffed, gave the mayor a judging glance, then promptly shoved his head into the bowl to "partake in this local snack, kaw". His fancy words and disdainful behaviour clashed a bit too much with the way he was eagerly pecking at the grains.

Jonte saw this as an opportunity to escape the annoying bird and excused himself. Henry followed his example and bowed politely before following the mayor. Norman didn't seem to mind that, or perhaps he was too busy gorging himself on the grains to care.

In a much busier corner of the tavern sat a much more important guest. Fanv, Queen of rats and Guardian of the forest, sat with her legs crossed and an evil smirk on her face. In front of her stood a satyr that single-handedly held the crowd at bay. Any request to talk with Fanv or questions, valid or not, was met with increasingly rude refusals from the satyr.

"Now listen up whelp, if ye don't shut yer whining trap soon then I will be shutting it for ye."

Henry stretched his neck to look over the crowd at Dessi's current victim. Peter Coaler stood there, red in the face and barely containing his frustration. The satyr tapped her hoof and looked down at him. She was standing on a table to be able to look people in the eye without straining her neck. Peter took a deep breath and tried to speak again.

"I'm just asking if that's really Fanv, or if it's just using her face or-"

"Shut. Yer. Fecking. Trap. Whelp."

"Why won't you-"

"Zip it. It's nona yer buisness, punk."

"This isn't fair-"

"Show some gotdamned respect to her highness behind me will ye?! Go gargle pig shit. I bet it taste the same as the stuff ye keep throwing out yer mouth."

Peter was practically fuming but no one stepped in to help him. It was no secret that he was the one who'd shot Fanv during her first transformation. He had been very proud of it and boasted for weeks about his glorious "kill". That arrogance lasted right until the moment Fanv reappeared on the back of a wolf that could swallow a pig whole, clad in fine silks and the title of Forest Guardian.

Some might argue that talking with her at all right now was a stupid idea but Peter seemed fully intent on finding out if there was even a sliver of pride to be saved. Dessi denied every attempt before it had even begun.

"Is that or is it not the werewolf we killed some months ago?!"

"Does she look fecking dead to ye, ye daft feck?!"

"So she isn't the real Fanv? She's just taunting me for some reason?"

"Yer not worth the effort."

"Is this a fucking joke? Why would it dress up as some dead monster-"

Fanv's eyes blazed. Dessi spat right in Peter's eyes. Peter cursed and started yelling. The entire tavern grew silent at once as every single monster in it turned to glare at him. The mayor's son and his arachne look-alike, Norman, the rodents that had managed to sneak in, the two snake-like wolves, the single dryad that had earlier looked bored out of his mind and the horned man named Pohc all stared with murderous intent at Peter. He gulped and shut up as he was reminded of just what sort of creatures he was insulting.

The room was tense. At last the silence was broken by Fanv, who's voice still unnerved Henry deeply.

"I am Fanv. I died as a werewolf in the forest those many nights ago. The next night I rose again as a Visvarg and the night after that as the leader of Mageon. We have not come to demand your head, but if you feel so eager to offer it to me then I won't refuse, Peter."

Peter gulped again.

"Do you wish to have a rematch, Peter? Bring as many weapons as you want. Bring your friends, bring your prayers. You will need them all if you ever hope to kill me again."

The low rumble of the wolves in the corner of the tavern grew louder and Peter felt as if his heart was stopping.

"She asked ye a bloody question."

Then Dessi spoke and the poetic moment was over. Pohc gave her an irritated glare and the satyr flipped him off immediately, despite not realizing why he was mad at her in the first place. Fanv sighed and leaned back down in her seat.

"We've not come to fight so just drop it, ok?"

Peter nodded and quickly escaped into the crowd. Henry scowled but didn't have time to comment. The mayor was making his way towards Fanv. He quickly followed and stood at his side as he spoke. Jonte cleared his throat. Fanv looked mildly amused at the formal behavior.

"I apologize for Peter's rudeness."

"Ye better."

"Shut up Dessi."

The mayor cleared his throat again.

"As I was saying, I apologize about that. Onto more important business, what brings you back to Ogon?"

"We've come to greet you as neighbors. We live nearby so we were bound to meet at some point. We figured it was better to establish first contact during controlled circumstances."

"... A wise choice. May I ask, what caused you and your... group of friends to gather as a group in the first place? We first assumed that they were following a Guardian but seeing as you're a familiar face here I assume it's a bit more complicated than that?"

"... It is."

Fanv took a deep breath before continuing. The crowd watched her intently.

"We are part of a dungeon."

Many different reactions were seen among the crowd. Many looked shocked or worried. A dungeon was a dangerous thing and not at all what they'd expected. It would explain the monsters and abnormally intelligent creatures but...

"Does that make you a threat to our village?"

The mayor voiced everyone's main concern.

Fanv answered without hesitation and with full conviction.

"We are not a threat to the village."

Some of the more naive villagers sighed in relief while others looked unconvinced. Fanv continued before they could voice their doubt.

"But, we will defend the dungeon should you decide to be a threat to us. Peace between Ogon and Mageon is only ensured as long as the wish for it is mutual."

The response was immediate and varied. Some were angry and claimed that a dungeon couldn't be trusted. A dungeon's monsters were slaves to the dungeon-core, treachery, deception, and violence was in their nature. Others saw Fanv's word as fair. They would defend their home just like the village would defend their own homes and family. Wasn't it proof enough that they meant no harm since the village hadn't even noticed the dungeon until its inhabitants came knocking on their door?

Arguments broke out all over the tavern and the already tense atmosphere grew almost hostile in a matter of seconds. The mayor tried to raise his voice but didn't manage to get heard above the stirring crowd. Fanv and the creatures of Mageon watched in silence as the situation spiraled out of control at an alarming rate. A guard, red in the face and clearly against trusting the dungeon pushed someone aside and glared at a nearby rodent. Fanv saw the knife in his hand but before she could act-

BANG!

The entire room went silent and both creatures and humans froze in their tracks. Krystal stood towering over most people, fist bloody from wooden splinters. The broken remains of a table lay crushed against a wall, indicating that she either flipped it and the wood was brittle enough to break, or that she threw the sturdy piece of furniture at the wall hard enough to break it.

The redheaded woman glared with fury at the silent mass of people and most decided that the last option was much more likely. Krystal inhaled deeply and the people nearest her shied away.

"YOU COWARDLY PIECES OF INBRED SCUM. WERE YOUR MOTHERS HEADLESS CHICKENS OR DID YOUR FATHERS SIMPLY HUMP A SHEEP UNTIL YOUR SORRY EXCUSE FOR A THINKING BEING POPPED OUT OF IT?! THE DAMNED RAT GOT MORE BRAINS IN THE SKULL YOU JUST TRIED TO STAB! HAVE YOU NO FUCKING PRIDE, YOU WASHED UP REFUSE OF MOTHER NATURE?!"

The crowd shivered as Krystal's outrage sent tremors through the floor. None spoke. Dessi looked at Krystal with such awe and admiration that she almost looked not grumpy for once. Krystal huffed and stared everyone near her into submission before continuing, slightly out of breath.

"Those fuckers could rip all of you to pieces if they wanted to but instead they come here like civilized beings and propose peace and good relations. Bloody hell, you could probably even set up trade with them. Use whatever's sloshing around in those heads of yours and consider the profits of being on friendly terms with a god damned dungeon! And if that ain't enough for you greedy garbage then have a fucking look at those beasts in the corner. They could eat a horse in seconds! It would be like bloody magic, making you all disappear into their maws in seconds because some imbecile decided to stab one of their fucking rats."

Mara and Ronr looked at Krystal with mild confusion.

"Now sit the fuck back down and try to act at least half as much as people as the monsters are. Fucking disgraces, you all. Except you, mayor. Take over will you?"

Krystal sat down without waiting for Jonte's reply. He stared at her dumbfounded for a moment then quickly regained his composure.

"Y-yes, let's all sit back down and keep discussing this like civilized people. Anyone trying to harm the mon- the inhabitants of Mageon will be severely punished."

The silent crowd did as told and soon the sound of talking resumed, although a bit more hushed this time and with people constantly glancing at Krystal.

Dessi stared at Pohc until she got his attention, pointed at the table she was seated on, then jumped down and walked over to Krystal to sit with her instead. Pohc shrugged and took up position next to Fanv while the satyr looked at Krystal with sparkling eyes.

After a while, the many discussions in the taverns started to resemble peace- and trade- negotiations between villages, rather than humans trying to discreetly ask if the monsters would eat their children. Things such as territory limits, local resources available for trade, communication methods and different customs were discussed. The sun set as the negotiations continued and only when the moon was high and the village shrouded in darkness did the conversations slow down until finally, people started heading off to sleep.

The edge of the dungeon's territory would be marked by the change in vegetation, aka the black and white trees and shrubbery. Metals and herbs from Mageon would be traded for knowledge in crafting and man-made materials such as alloys, fabric, and tools. Jonte and Mikvel had had time to talk alone for a long time after the most important negotiations were done with and the mayor's presence was no longer absolutely necessary. Krystal helped steer many conversations by adding her own knowledge and experiences with setting up trade routes and relations. All in all, the first meeting with Mageon and Ogon went pretty well. No one was hurt and only a few threats were made. A clear success.

Maker listened to Norman's report about it all and felt very satisfied with the outcome. She thanked the rooster and watched him leave her alone in her cave. She then picked up a pillow (a peace offering by one of Ogon's tailors), put it to her face, and yelled into it as loudly as she could.

I wanted to be there in person... *sob*