Chapter 164: The Foxfolk

Tanaka had planned on visiting the Foxfolk district before noon. Meeting Aldren Greymane and surviving Garrath Goldmane’s rather aggressive introduction had interested him in the other large beastfolk races that populated Varghelm. The Foxfolk presented the most interesting case, due to the fact that everything he had heard about them seemed to be completely contradicting.

Merchants, diplomats, spirit mages and scholars. People you should never play cards with, according to Garric. Tanaka was unsure if that was an official source of information or not. He left the guest residence in his human form and made his way towards the eastern part of Varghelm, where the Foxfolk had several estates and trading houses located.

Raizen had stayed behind to speak with several wolf representatives, while Zephyr had found something more interesting than diplomacy on the rooftops. Tanaka had no problem with walking alone. It gave him time to think. The Beastfolk Lands were more complex than he had first thought.

Wolves thought in terms of clans and cooperation, lions valued strength above all else, and the Foxfolk apparently thought in terms of knowledge, negotiation and spirit magic. Tanaka wanted to see for himself. “Lord Tanaka!” a voice called. Tanaka stopped. The voice had come from behind him. He turned.

A black-haired cat beastfolk girl stood several meters from him. Tanaka recognized her instantly. Amber eyes. Black ears. The collar. The same girl that had run from him twice. She looked nervous. Very nervous. But she didn’t run. Tanaka waited. The girl took a deep breath.

“Can I… have a moment of your time?” she asked. Tanaka raised an eyebrow. “So you do know how to talk to me,” he said. Her ears drooped. “I’m sorry,” she said. He gave a small smile. “Relax. I’m joking,” he said. It didn’t help much. The girl looked around the street before approaching.

Tanaka noted the careful way she walked. Not like someone weak or submissive. More like someone used to hiding. “What’s your name?” he asked. The girl hesitated. “Lynessa,” she said. Finally. Tanaka memorized the name. “Lynessa,” he repeated. Her ears twitched at the repetition. “Yes,” she said. “And you wanted to talk?” he asked.

She nodded. Before she could respond, another voice spoke up. “Well, look at that,” the voice said. Lynessa froze. Tanaka turned. Three Foxfolk were approaching from a side street. All three were young. Two men, one woman. Their red and white tails swished behind them as they walked, and small magical ornaments decorated their clothing.

Lynessa’s face changed at the sight of them. Tanaka noted the change. The man in the front gave a smile. “Lynessa,” he said. She lowered her gaze. “Please,” she whispered. Tanaka narrowed his eyes. The Foxfolk stopped several meters from them. The woman regarded Tanaka first, then Lynessa. “You’ve been avoiding us,” she said.

Lynessa clenched her hands. “I said I would finish the work,” she said. “And you haven’t,” the woman said. “I will,” Lynessa replied. The second fox gave a short laugh. “With what magic?” he asked. Lynessa flinched. Tanaka’s expression darkened. There it was again. That word.

The leader turned to Tanaka. “Apologies, stranger. This doesn’t concern you,” he said. Tanaka looked at Lynessa. She was terrified. That was an easy answer. “It does now,” Tanaka said. The Foxfolk stared at him. The woman frowned. “Do you know who you are interfering with?” she asked. Tanaka smiled. “No,” he said.

That didn’t seem to be the answer she was looking for. The leader stepped forward. “This girl owes service to our household,” he said. Lynessa looked up sharply. “I don’t owe you anything!” she exclaimed. His smile vanished. “You should know your place,” he said.

Tanaka watched as Lynessa shook. Not in anger, but in fear. He stepped slightly in front of her. “Perhaps you should explain what is happening before you start threatening her?” he asked. The second fox beastman clicked his tongue. “You’re annoying,” he said. A sphere of mana appeared around his hand. Tanaka’s senses flared.

Spirit magic. Unlike regular elemental casting, it was more… refined. The Foxfolk performed a quick hand motion. “Whispering flame, follow my command. Spirit Foxfire,” he chanted. Blue flames surrounded his fingers. Lynessa took a step back. Tanaka didn’t. The Foxfolk thrust his hand forward. Fire shot at Tanaka’s chest.

Tanaka moved. He caught the fox beastman’s wrist just before the spell could reach him. The Foxfolk’s eyes widened as Tanaka twisted slightly, not breaking any bones, but forcing the young man to the ground. The foxfire blew out, harmless. “What the…?” the fox said.

The woman was the next to act. “Veil of wandering spirits, distort his sight. Mirage Curtain!” she chanted. A burst of mana shot from her, and for the briefest of moments, Tanaka saw six copies of the woman surrounding him. Interesting. Tanaka activated Mana Sense. He saw five vanish instantly. Tanaka took a step closer to the real one.

Her eyes widened. He tapped her on the forehead with one finger. The woman stumbled backward. “Ow!” she exclaimed. Tanaka gave a small smile. “Nice spell,” he said. The woman stared at him. “Who are you?” she asked. The leader straightened. His expression had changed. He freed a short blade from beneath his cloak.

A spiral of mana surrounded the weapon. “Binding spirit, coil around my enemy. Serpent Thread!” he chanted. Several glowing threads shot from the blade. Tanaka exhaled. He didn’t use the Endless Abyss. Didn’t need to. A current of wind surrounded his hand. Not Wind Breath, not Storm Lord. Just Wind Manipulation. Tanaka flicked his wrist and the threads blew away.

The Foxfolk’s eyes widened. Tanaka appeared in front of him. One hand closed around the blade. The magic metal stilled. The leader tried to pull it free, but nothing happened. Tanaka looked at him. “Enough,” he said. The fox beastman snarled. Tanaka squeezed slightly, and the weapon cracked. Silence. Tanaka released the blade instantly. He hadn’t meant to break it.

“Sorry,” he said. The Foxfolk looked at the broken weapon. Tanaka rubbed his cheek. “I still don’t completely understand my strength sometimes,” he said. Behind him, Lynessa stared, as did several passersby who had stopped to watch. One merchant muttered something, another pointed. The fox woman suddenly paled. She had just recognized him.

“Wait,” she said. Her ears drooped. “Dark-blue magic. Human transformation,” she whispered. The leader turned to her. “What?” he asked. She swallowed. “That’s Tanaka Eldoris,” she said. Everything changed. The three Foxfolk froze. Tanaka exhaled. He really needed better disguises. The leader slowly lowered the remains of his weapon.

“Lord… Tanaka?” he asked. “Yes,” Tanaka replied. None of them attacked again. Good. Tanaka had no desire to hurt them, and the Wolf Crown had certain restrictions on street brawls, not to mention the fact that he didn’t want to cause a diplomatic incident two days before the general meeting. Tanaka regarded them. “Now,” he said. His voice was colder.

“Explain what you are doing to her,” he demanded. No one answered right away. It was Lynessa who finally spoke. “They’re from House Velmire,” she said. Tanaka turned to her. Her hands were still shaking. “Who are they?” he asked. “A Foxfolk merchant family,” Lynessa replied.

The leader stiffened. Lynessa continued, “My owner borrowed money from them.” Tanaka’s expression changed. “Your owner?” he asked. She touched the collar on her neck. Right. Bonded servitude. The law Maeryn had spoken of. Tanaka had almost forgotten. “The academy household owes them money,” Lynessa stated. “They’ve been making some servants work extra jobs to pay it back.”

Tanaka looked at the Foxfolk. “Is that true?” he asked. The leader frowned. “The debt is lawful,” he said. “I didn’t ask if it was lawful,” Tanaka replied. Tanaka’s gaze darkened. “I asked if it’s true,” he said. “…Yes,” the leader admitted. Tanaka looked at Lynessa. “So why were you running from them?” he asked.

She looked away. “I couldn’t finish the work they gave me,” she said. “Why?” Tanaka asked. Silence. Then she whispered, “Because it required magic.” Tanaka understood. The Foxfolk leader scoffed. “She knew what was expected,” he said. Tanaka looked at him. The man instantly stopped. Not because Tanaka released aura. He didn’t.

“You assigned magical work to someone who can’t cast spells?” Tanaka asked. The woman shifted uneasily. “Everyone can cast basic magic,” she said. Tanaka’s attention sharpened. “Apparently not,” he replied. Lynessa lowered her head. The second fox beastman, rubbing his wrist, muttered, “She’s the only beastfolk I’ve ever heard of who can’t.”

Tanaka regarded Lynessa again. That was not entirely true. Not completely. She did have magic. More than they suspected. But it simply wasn’t accessible. The strange sealed mass of power Tanaka had sensed still bothered him, and he decided not to reveal it, not here. “Leave her alone for today,” Tanaka said.

The leader frowned. “We can’t simply ignore a contracted debt because you say so,” he said. Tanaka nodded. “Fair,” he said. The Foxfolk looked surprised. Tanaka continued, “Then I’ll speak with whoever manages the contract. Properly.” Lynessa looked up. “You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I know,” Tanaka said. “Then why?” she asked.

Tanaka didn’t answer right away. He was not sure himself. Curiosity, perhaps. Dislike of slavery, most likely. But there was something else. Tanaka had sensed something inside her, something so deeply buried that even Lynessa thought herself empty. He wanted to know why. The Foxfolk leader reluctantly stepped back. “House Velmire is located in the eastern district,” he said.

“Good,” Tanaka said. He gave a small smile. “I was already heading that way, anyway.” The three exchanged glances. Tanaka suspected their day had just gotten a lot more complicated. They left without another word. Tanaka waited until they turned the corner before turning back to Lynessa. She was watching him.

“What?” Lynessa asked. Lynessa quickly shook her head. “Nothing,” she said. “You wanted my time earlier,” Tanaka reminded her. Her expression changed. Right. She had approached him before the Foxfolk showed up. Tanaka crossed his arms. “So?” he asked. Lynessa looked around nervously. Then she leaned closer and whispered, “I wanted to ask you about Eldoris.”

Tanaka blinked. “Eldoris?” he said. She nodded. “I heard people talking about it,” she said. Her fingers touched the collar again. “They said different races live there.” “Yes,” Tanaka said. “Humans too?” she asked. “Yes,” Tanaka replied. “And Varkesh monsters?” she asked. “Some,” he said.

She hesitated. Then asked the question that made it all clear to Tanaka. “Do people without magic have a place there?” she asked. Tanaka went silent. Lynessa instantly looked embarrassed. “Forget it,” she said. She turned away. Tanaka caught her shoulder gently. She froze. “Everyone has a place somewhere,” he said.

Lynessa looked at him. Tanaka released her. “You don’t need magic to live in Eldoris,” he said. Her eyes widened. For the first time since he had met her, fear was not the strongest emotion on her face. Hope was. Small, fragile hope, but it was there. Tanaka smiled. “Now, weren’t you going to tell me about the Foxfolk?” he asked.

Lynessa stared at him for another long moment, before slowly nodding. And as Tanaka and the cat beastfolk girl made their way back east, he realized that his visit to the Foxfolk had just become much more interesting than he had anticipated.