198 Greeting a wolf

During the briefing, Alan and Rose explained that in a normal run, the kobolds would be hostile to the humans at first and treat them as a bother after joining the army. Only after the second day would their disposition change. That was only considering they reported to any kobold and were led towards the command tent. However, the team was now in the ancient chieftain's private quarters. This was a trick that Alan learned from an explorer a few months ago. However, it was a risky move. If they didn't say the right things, it would only increase Ferunir's ire and make the kobolds hostile during the entire dungeon.

Alan bowed to the chieftain, "I'm sorry for arriving unannounced. We are from a human settlement nearby. Some time ago, we came looking for Golden Moon."

At the mention of that name, Ferunir grabbed his axe but did not move it around. He just stood there watching the humans with his piercing grey eyes, "And why have you sought my eldest child?"

The entire team was in a cold sweat. Even if the kobold leader would never directly harm the explorers, being this close to someone so strong and angry was a harrowing experience.

Alan continued, making sure not to stutter or miss any words like he did the first time, "We heard rumors about the conflict between your tribe and the Dragon Kin. Since we had some knowledge of how your enemies behaved, we came forward to aid the Wolves of the Night. Golden Moon was kind enough to receive us himself, and we explained our ideas and the services we could offer. He refused our help since it would not befit a kobold to use such underhanded methods. Yet, he asked about tools to care for the sick and the elderly. We had a pleasant conversation that afternoon as we discussed ways to improve the life of his tribe after the war. He was especially concerned about those families who could lose their children in the battle. A phrase of his resonated a lot with us. When the son is no longer among us, the tribe must help the father."

When Ferunir heard that final line, the anger in his eyes vanished, being replaced by pain, "His greatest desire was to diminish the suffering that one family would go through after losing a child to war," there was a long pause while Ferunir stared at the ground, "But that does not explain why have you come here."

"We heard about his passing and came to join the army. Before reporting, we wanted to pay our respects to his memory. We didn't know you would be here, and I'm sorry for that."

Ferunir nodded and sat down, "I thank you for your kindness. It warms my old heart that even moments before his end, Golden Moon was still gathering new allies. Come, sit with me. Lend your ears to an old wolf reminiscing about his son."

The group sat down on the logs in front of the large tent around a small campfire and listened to the stories about Golden Moon. They didn't even need to contribute much. Just an impressed gasp here and there was more than enough to keep Ferunir going. He told them how Golden Moon found the lost son of a giant and took him back to his village alone, the time when he went on an expedition to search for a ship that had gone missing, saving an entire crew, and many others. The last story was how he wanted to refuse the chieftain's role to not rob his brothers and sisters of their chance, but before he could refuse, the rest of his family all withdrew their claim, leaving him as the only possible option. This was all because of their love for their big brother and the belief that Golden Moon would be the one who led the Wolves of the Night into the future.

Ferunir shed a single tear when he ended his stories. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes before getting up and picking his axe, "Thank you for humoring me. I apologize if the stories were too boring."

"Not at all. They were incredible. It only proves how amazing Golden Moon was," Rose replied with a smile.

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You have completed a hidden event

Confort the Ancient Chieftain

By showing your appreciation for his late son, Ferunir was able to open his heart for the first time since he became aware of Golden Moon's passing.

Wolves of the Night kobolds will view you in a friendly light.

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Seeing the notification pop out, Alan turned to the group and nodded with a large smile.

Ferunir looked up to the sky and got up, "There is a meeting with the Alphas. Follow me. I'll introduce you to the other clans and get you set up in a tent."

The Wolves of the Night didn't have a regular command chain. Instead, they had Alphas and Betas. Alphas would be the leaders and Betas the vice leaders. It was a bit odd because while an Alpha could be the leader of an entire clan, it could also be the leader of just a small group of five. The best way to understand their standing was to pay attention to the title that accompanied it. According to the briefing, they would have things like Windchaser Battalion 3 Alpha, which would be a mouthful, but it worked to inform their position in the command chain.

After walking for about ten minutes, the team arrived at an area with a massive tarp roof tied in the middle of several trees. It was like the tent was a part of the forest. Underneath it, a table and several chairs were spread around, with twelve kobolds sitting in a large circle. They were the leaders of the 12 kobold clans. All had the same stature as a human, unlike the chieftain. Ferunir gave everyone a quick introduction and asked them to join for the early part of the conversation before heading towards their tent to set up.

There were some small pleasantries and condolences before they started to talk business. Ferunir was the one who changed the subject first, "My brethren, these humans came to our aid. They are well versed in the treachery displayed by the Dragon Kin. They shall take the day to assess the battlefield. I believe they might take the lead to guide our Omega teams in their new positions."

Omega teams were something new for the kobolds. During their briefing, Alan explained that it would be a group created to perform jobs that no one else was willing to do. Sabotage, assassination, anything that could be considered trickery by the kobolds. Those who became a part of that group would be exiled from their clans, forming a new community that would work from the shadows.

"Father, are you insisting on such a dishonorable strategy? We are kobold. We must not allow ourselves to become the same as those heinous lizards!" a kobold with brown fur and braided hair spoke up. She was called Azura, the alpha of the Thunderfury clan.

"I agree, chief. The creation of the Omegas is not something we should do. We must fight those creatures who stole our name!" Gustav, the alpha of the Steelclaw clan, voiced his protest. He had thin blue fur and a large scar on the right side of his mouth, leaving one of his canines perpetually exposed.

Ferunir sighed, "I care not for the name. Right now, I'm just a father wanting to get revenge for the death of my son. The decisions and strategies that will be used by the Omegas are all my responsibility. All the volunteers have agreed, when this war is over, we will be exiled from the tribe," loud gasps accompanied the announcement.

"Father! We can't let you do that. You must stop this madness. To fight these creatures, we must maintain our honor. Using the same underhanded methods as they do is beneath us!" Azura protested once more.

"Enough!" Ferunir slammed his fist against a trunk on the ground, splintering it instantly, "Even Golden Moon fell for their schemes. Yes, this is not noble, but it is a way to survive. I will not live to see another one of my children die for our hubris."

There was a long pause. According to the compendium, Golden Moon was the strongest kobold of their clan, even stronger than Ferunir himself. If traps and such were enough to bring him down, no one else could argue about the strength of such tools.

"Father, have you chosen an Alpha for the Omegas?" one of the betas, a skinny kobold with black fur and heterochromatic eyes called Shilo, spoke up.

"I have not my child. I intended to be the alpha when this is over," Ferunir replied.

"Then allow me to become the alpha during the war. After it, I will become your beta in exile."

"Are you leaving us?" Azura asked.

"I'm sorry, sister, but you know I'm not suited for noble wars. Thank you for all the effort you put into teaching me the honorable ways, but I still can see the value and strength of underhanded tactics."

Azura gave him a hug, "I understand, brother. I'm happy that you finally found something that could be your purpose," she turned to Ferunir, "chieftain, as alpha of the Windchaser clan, I accept Shilo's resolve and relinquish him to your command."

"Isn't this a bit too fast? I mean, she went from I hate this idea to I'm happy for you in a heartbeat," Blue whispered.

"Don't let it bother you. This is just the MAZE doing its best to make a compelling story. It can't make a 10-hour series explaining everything," Chloe replied.

"I'm not so sure. Aren't dungeons supposed to be created because of events that actually happened? Maybe it's just trying to give us a more concise version of history." Hera said, but Chloe just shrugged in response. Not many people were interested in the origins of the dungeon or what the MAZE and, by extension, the system actually were. It was the kind of thing that philosophers or scientists would waste time trying to figure out.

"I accept your claim Shilo, you are now the alpha of the Omegas. Gather your new clan and join us in our new quarters. The humans will go with you to share some of their knowledge. I shall join you after we are done here."

Shilo gave a bow and moved towards the human team, "It is my pleasure to know you all. Follow me, please."

The team followed the new alpha and was led to a similar tent, although darker and with the same tarp making walls to hide whatever happened inside. About forty different wolf kobolds were inside, all waiting for their new leader. Shilo gave a brief speech explaining the situation and passed the ball to the humans. Alan and Rose took charge and described the traps, siege weapons, and tools used by the Dragon Kin, even having Blue use her trap spell to showcase the spike trap. This was all part of the plan. The more information they gave the Wolves, the better the entire army would deal with their enemies.

After this meeting, the team was led to the tent they would be using during the war. They spent about one hour and a half just walking around and listening to other people talk. They all wanted a break from it. Yet, there was still the strategy meeting for the explorers waiting for them. Once more, Alan and Rose took the floor to explain what they should be doing today. Luckily, that only took 30 minutes since they had already explained how the dungeon worked. When they finished the explanation, Rose walked out of the tent and called Hera.

"I asked Shilo to get us some way to move quickly around the camp. Come with me. We have to get your map set up," she headed outside where a large wolf, bigger than a lion, was waiting for them with a saddle on its back.

"So, wolf kobolds have wolves as mounts? Seriously?" Hera asked.

"Yep, sometimes there is just no creativity. Now hop on, sweet cheeks, we have to make our rounds," Rose jumped in the saddle and gestured for Hera to sit in the back, "By the way, if you ever rode a horse, this is nothing like it."

The wolf moved forward. At first, it seemed to be a smooth ride, but that was only until the wolf started running. It quickly became clear that the barbecue they ate might come back to say hi.