Isekai Family Robinson: A slow-burn Isekai

It was a fully assembled family of Albrights, plus one adopted Albright, one sentient sword, a talking tree, and a slightly dazed-looking elf, that stood together beneath the Boughs Of Billy and awaited their encounter with the island locals.

Okay technically untrue, since Seeker Tempest was a local, and she had been with them a couple days now. But Matt had a hard time placing her in the same category as an actual envoy from a neighboring power base, complete with flags, armed escort, and…

Tribute, was what Billy had called it. And that word made Matt, ooh, all different kinds of uncomfortable.

Allie stood beside him, her rifle slung over her shoulder and her hand grasping his. He had called her immediately after Billy had alerted them to the fairy delegation's approach, and she had agreed to abandon the hunting trip and come home immediately. This was a big enough deal that it needed to be faced as a unified front, especially with what else Billy had said.

"They've come to declare Obeisance to the new Sojourners."

Matt glanced around at the others. Isabel stood next to him as eldest daughter, her arms crossed and her mosquito-beak swords belted around her waist. She looked more like a grim warrior awaiting a battle than she did the teenage girl she was. On her other side was Olivia, bouncing slightly on the soles of her feet and muttering something like "this is so cool" over and over again under her breath. She held her staff in one hand, and the other was on her belt near her pistol.

Lucas stood next to his mother–except 'stood' was the wrong word. He sat next to his mother, atop Harry's elephantine head, making up their right flank all by himself. Like the rest of them, he was armed with his single-shot shotgun. And rounding out the troupe was Dinah, currently slightly behind the entire party and held aloft by four of Onesie's hands, the ones that did not currently hold the Bargalest's brand new shovels. The big creature had been loathe to part with them, so Matt had seen no harm in letting him hang on to them.

The hunting party had just gotten back about ten minutes ago, their return trip slightly delayed because DInah had shot something edible and she wasn't going to leave it behind. If it hadn't been for the enhanced strength the whole family seemed to be enjoying, Matt had the sense that Allie would have ordered her to ditch it. As it was, the carcasse was now strung up from one of the non-Billy trees at the edge of the clearing, draining.

For himself, he stood in the center of the little formation next to his wife. His shotgun was loaded and slung over his back, and Toraline, still almost unnaturally quiet, hung from his belt, her weight a comforting presence against his thigh. Seeker Tempest was watching everything from up on the platform in Billy's branches. She was not part of the family, nor a Sojourner, so she had excused herself to just be a spectator to… Whatever the heck was going to happen here in the next few minutes.

Honestly, they'd armed up more as a precaution than anything else. Billy had said there were at least twenty fairies heading their way, and while Liv had said the ones she met were basically barbie doll-sized, he still wasn't taking chances. It was unlikely that there was going to be a fight at the end of this meeting, but Matt and Allie had both agreed that it was best to not take chances.

They are coming to offer obeisance to the Sojourners.

Matt felt his jaw set.

Like hell they were.

* * *

Chief Clennais of the Starlight Tribe drew in his fifth deep breath in as many seconds and surreptitiously rubbed his sweating palms against the cornflower silk of his trousers. The motion was hidden from his fellows by the undulation of his mount, one of the best-trained Feathered Boas on the entire island though he said it himself. The aerial serpent's scales were brightest blue, its feathers sharpest crimson, and its head markings brilliant gold. He had trained Archie from a hatchling, and the most excellent serpent knew exactly how to move to make his master look the best no matter the circumstances.

Which was good, because, riding as he was at the head of a procession of nearly thirty of The Folk and twenty more of Tribute to the Sojourners, he needed to look his best.

Because he was currently fucking terrified.

What in the six names of the Great Stone One had he been thinking? Lead the procession himself? Come himself to treat with the Sojourners face to face? Oh yes, surely, I would love to stick my head inside that particular kreekaw's maw and criticize its dental work. Please, allow me the honor. He berated himself, screaming within the confines of his own mind, even as the troupe marched on in stoic silence.

"We're bein' watched, Chief," said Pennat, his right-hand fae, similarly mounted on a Feathered Boa, though of slightly less quality. "See there? The tree's got eyestalks all over this part of the jungle."

"Yes," Clennais said, nodding once and trying to project a calm confidence. "The Sojourners have already gained mighty allies and are obviously very security conscious. When they have accepted our fealty, we should confer with the Kel'Darshein and see how we might best aid their work."

Clennais nodded, not trusting his voice. His thoughts stuttered and whirled as he once more looked back on this insane decision and wondered, for the thousandth and third time, whether it was the right one.

But of course it must be. One could not remain neutral so close to the borders of a new Sojourner empire. And to even think of opposing them…

Clennais could not suppress a shudder, but Archie, his most excellent Boa, felt the motion and immediately undulated slightly to counteract it, hiding it from any eyes that might be on him.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Blessings upon your scales, my faithful steed, Clennais though, trying not to picture heaps of slaughtered fairies and burning glades in his mind's eye. He'd read the histories, he'd heard the tales as a lad.

No. Such as they did not oppose Sojourners.

"Visitors to the Albright's camp," the Kel' Darshein's voice suddenly rustled all around them, causing the whole party to jerk in surprise. "Once you pass the upcoming copse of Jumipa trees, you will be in the camp proper, where the Albrights have gathered to greet you. Please show respect while speaking, but I have been instructed to tell you that overt formalities need not be brought forth. It is to be an informal meeting."

Well. That was good, right? Clennais took another deep breath and adjusted his best clothing so that it sat better against his slender frame. It was good when the most powerful people in the world said 'be at ease', right?

Please?

"Alright Chief," Pennat said from beside him in a gentle whisper. "Here we go. Remember, if things go south, break left and I'll cover your retreat. We all will."

"I swear I'll get as many of us out alive as I can," Clennais said, the words bringing a dreadful icy calm to his belly.

"I know you will," Pennat said, then took a deep breath and lowered the visor on his helm, instantly transforming from close friend and confidant to grim bodyguard.

The Jumiper trees loomed to their left. And beyond them, a clearing.

Here we go.

* * *

"Oh my god," Allie whispered just loud enough for Matt to hear. "That is one of the cutest things I have ever seen."

Matt watched as a procession of fairies, each one no more than a foot high, emerged from the jungle and into their clearing about fifty yards away. And he had to fight to keep a straight face, because his wife was right. They were cute.

They came in three waves. The first five emerged at about the height of Matt's head, flying in formation atop some of those blue-scaled winged snakes that had delivered their messages a couple of times. Four of them were wearing what looked like full plate mail and bore various types of medieval cutlery. Had they been of human size, Matt had no doubt they'd cut an imposing sight.

The fact that their armour was bubblegum pink in color, however, sort of blew up that particular image.

And the fifth one wore, no fooling, a purple suit and tophat that looked like they'd stolen it straight off of Mister Wonka.

"Lucas, stop laughing," Olivia hissed. "This is important!"

"I'm not laughing," Lucas whispered back through choked chuckles. "You're laughing. Shut up."

"Both of you shut up," Isabel growled.

Matt tuned out his kids and watched as the second wave appeared from the jungle. There were about twenty of them this time, all on the ground and riding a collection of animals or reptiles. They too wore armour, heavy pink mail it looked like and carried lances with pennants streaming from them. And again, if they hadn't looked so cute, they would have looked like they meant serious business.

And finally came the third wave. These were without armour but instead were dressed in what looked like gaudy flowers and plant-fiber robes. Their hair were all colors of the rainbows, as were their skintones. And they rode atop the same kinds of beasts, some kind of pig-slash-miniature horse it looked like, in a two-by-two column. Slung between each red-bristled hog was a basket full of what had to be the tribute. Matt saw what had to be fruits and vegetables in several, interesting minerals and ores in others, and some were too far back to see what they contained.

The five snake-riders paused in mid-air, waiting for the other waves to catch up to them as they studied the Albrights from afar. Then, on some unheard signal, the snake-riders urged their mounts forward. Contact was imminent.

"Alright mi amore," his wife whispered. "Here we go."

* * *

Chief Clennais of the Starlight Tribe did not stare, but only because he had encountered several of the larger races of the world already and so was somewhat innured to the fact that they would be treating with gods damned giants. You never truly got used to dealing with creatures that massed roughly as much as half of your entire village, but you could… deaden the feelings somewhat. If you knew what you were doing.

That skill did not, sadly, translate into being inured to an entire family of Sojourners watching them whilst also in the company–and apparently happy company–of a gods-damned thundercaller and a Bargalest for pity's sake what were Sojourners doing with a Bargalest and why was it holding that one up like it was queen over all she surveyed and–

Clennais took a deep breath and activated one of his skills. [Placid Lake] washed over him, calming his nerves and stilling his thoughts. He hated using it, it always felt like cheating and never served him as well as his own calm mind did in those times… But he could feel the void reaching for him as he circled it, and he couldn't afford to show even the tiniest of weaknesses to the Sojourners.

So he used his Skill, urged his Boa forward, and tried to put out of his mind the fact that the arrayed power they approached could wipe them from the face of Seroco merely by breaking wind in their direction.

"Sojourners," he called, standing up in his stirrups and bowing as low as he could over his saddle horn. "I am Chief Clennais, and I greet thee and welcome your august persons to our world in the name of the Starlight Tribe–"

"Starlight Tribe???"

The voice was feminine, shocked, and came from the tall male Sojourner's sword. Clennais hastily slammed another [Placid Lake] into his mind as his thoughts began to roil out of control again.

"Ye-es?" Clennais said, blinking and completely thrown off of his script. "I… Am sorry, do you know of us, miss…?"

"I am Toraline, of the Tutorial Tribe! It has been centuries, but the Starlight Tribe were our closest neighbors in the time of migh–of Caesar! I have heard nothing of my clan since awakening in this form. Please, can you tell me where they are and if they are well, if you've the knowledge?"

Tutorial Tribe.

The void yawned open. [Placid Lake] evaporated like a water sprite in a fire wall. Clennais felt the blood drain from his face as he turned his Eye on the sword and saw its Aura, and the soul trapped within the blade, and saw the truth of it all.

Tutorial Tribe. An actual, living Tutorial Tribe, allied to the Sojourners, comfortable enough in their presence to speak out of turn and ask such questions.

It was then that Chief Clennais of the Starlight Tribe, Master of the Administrative Arts, Inheritor of the Grand Archive, and descendent of they who had Cleansed the Tutorial from the world knew, as the Void reached for him, that he had led his people to their death this day.