195 Fight For Respec

The Blackfire siblings had no need for animal transport. They simply shapeshifted into their sky animal forms and flew downhill. Within a matter of minutes, they had arrived at the campsite of the Republic of Mothylek. 

Much to Vy's surprise, their campsite was a lot larger than she had imagined. It spanned across as far as the eye could see, filled with caravans, horses and dome-shaped tents. Vy and Lycster took to their human forms in the cover of the forest before walking out into the open. 

As they walked up to the entrance of the campsite, they immediately caught the attention of the people on the campsite. Two men, covered in leather armour approached Vy. 

"Travellers, welcome to the campsite of the Republic of Mothylek," the one with the eye patch welcomes the Blackfire siblings.

"Are you here to trade goods with our merchants?" he continued to ask. 

Vy took out the badge and scroll that Zylphy had given her earlier before she left and handed it to the guard. 

"My name is Vyrena Blackfire, and this is my brother, Lycster. We have been sent here to be your negotiator." Vy explained. 

The man with the eye patch looked through the scroll while the other guard scrutinised the badge she had given to him. After a few minutes, he returned the items to Vy. 

"My name is Hallvard, the advisor to Leader Atlas," the man with the eyepatch introduced himself before he continued, "I will bring you to meet Leader Atlas."

Hallvard led the way into the camp. Vy and Lycster followed closely behind. It soon became apparent that due to the way they were dressed, they garnered many onlookers. As they walked past many tents and caravans, Vy took a quick glance around her surroundings. 

If she wanted to fully understand these people, she would need to use all of her senses to analyse. Hallvard guided them to the largest tent, situated in the centre of the campsite. The tent was covered in white fabric, nailed into the ground. 

When they approached, the two guards at the door placed their right fist on their chest and bowed in respect to Hallvard.

"Leader Atlas, the new negotiator has arrived," Hallvard announced their arrival as he guided them into the tent. 

Vy and Lycster entered the tent and were surprised to see that it was much more spacious then how it looked on the inside. Much like their own living space, the tent was decorated with lots of furniture, weaponry and even had a small bar for drinks. 

In the centre, was a large rectangular table covered with maps, books and scrolls. At the head of the table, stood a woman deep in thought. Hallvard stood to the side as Vy and Lycster stood at the opposite end of the table. 

She also had numerous healed scars covering both her arms. Her entire right upper arm was covered in a tattoo of a large brown coloured moth. 

When she looked up at Vy, she noticed that the woman had light blue eyes. When their eyes met, it seemed that both of them were just as surprised to see each other. 

"You're the negotiator they sent?" the woman asked. 

"You're the leader of the Mothylek?" Vy asked. 

Both of them shared a laugh. 

"Indeed I am," the woman replied, "My people know me as Leader Atlas, but my name is Anja Duskwing. You can call me Anja."

"Leader Atlas, I think it would be best if they addressed you with the proper title. We wouldn't want your identity to be exposed to the Papillion." Hallvard suggested.

As soon as those words left his mouth, Anja's face showed some disappointment. Despite that, she did not voice out her dissatisfaction to her advisor. 

"Hallvard, can you leave us for now?" she said curtly. 

"As you wish," Hallvard replied before leaving the tent. 

Now that it was just them, Anja walked over from her side of the table to meet Vy up close. 

"I'm sorry you had to witness that, Hallvard is just concerned," Anja explained. 

"Concerned? About what?" Vy asked. 

Anja grinned, as she folded her arms, "When you walked through the camp, did you notice anything?"

Vy thought for a while, she could not understand what Anja was trying to point out. 

"Did you notice how most of those carrying weapons are men?"Anja asked. 

Thinking back to the campsite, Vy realised that she was right. But it was nothing out of the ordinary, which was why Vy never took notice of it. It was the norm, not just here but in almost every place she went. 

In fact, Vy was quite certain that the Mothylek was where she had seen the most number of women carrying weaponry. 

"I became the leader of the Mothylek by proving my worth. Every year, I fight to retain the position I hold. Negotiations with the Papillion are important for us. We cannot lose. I need you to understand that," Anja said to Vy. 

"I am here to ensure that the negotiations go through smoothly," Vy assured, "But in order for me to do so, I need to know everything. And I need to know the truth."

"Everything?" Anja asked, "The truth?"

Vy nodded her head. The key to a smooth sailing negotiation was first to gather all of the facts she could gather. Any lies or slip-ups could completely change the direction of how things would go. 

She needed both leaders' trust in her decision making. 

"My intention for the negotiations would be for both sides to meet…"

"That is out of the question."

Vy blinked, "What is?"

"For both sides to meet? That is out of the question." Anja declared. 

This was not going to be an easy negotiation.