Chapter 170: The Gathering Of Kings 2

The first argument began before all the guests had been seated. "You’re positioning the Lion King beneath the Wolf Crown’s representatives?" The man who spoke was a golden-maned lion warrior, standing by Garrath Goldmane’s side as he indicated the seating plan on the wall. It showed how the nine clan representatives of the Wolf Crown occupied chairs above ground level, while the rulers of the other nations were invited to sit on the floor.

Garrath wasn’t concerned. "Leave it, Darius," he said. "But, Your Majesty--" the warrior began. "I said leave it," Garrath said. The lion warrior bowed with a frown. Tanaka observed the confrontation from Raizen’s back as they arrived at the assembly hall. He’d decided against taking his human form, expecting that revealing himself as a slime king wouldn’t achieve anything considering the population of the Beastfolk Lands who’d already heard tales about him.

Besides, Raizen was a comfortable ride. The teleportation network he’d seen the morning before left him with more pressing concerns than the seating arrangement. "Is this normal?" Tanaka whispered. Raizen’s ears twitched. "Apparently, some people believe they have a right to dictate how others should be seated," Raizen said. "That is ridiculous," Tanaka replied.

"You rode here on my back," Raizen said. Tanaka was quiet for a moment. "That is different," he said. "Of course," Raizen replied. Zephyr landed on the other side of Raizen, his feathers glinting in the enchanted light. The slime king, the star wolf and the sky wyvern entered the assembly hall together, causing several of the gathered rulers to fall silent.

The room murmured as they entered. A dark blue slime riding a Star Wolf King wasn’t a common sight. Tanaka looked around the great hall. It was lined with banners belonging to the major beastfolk nations, and the rulers and clan chiefs who’d travelled from all corners of Bravelm to attend the meeting were already arguing politics that had nothing to do with Eldoris.

This was going to be a long day.

"Lord Tanaka Eldoris," he said. Once again, every living creature in the hall turned to stare at the slime king. Tanaka hopped down from Raizen’s back and took centre stage before the dais. There was no need to put on any show. The mere fact he was here was impressive enough. "My name is Tanaka Eldoris," he said as he studied the faces watching him.

"I rule the Eldoris Dominion beyond the Great Verdant Forest, and Varkesh has joined our alliance," he continued. A few of the other rulers exchanged surprised looks. Tanaka went on to explain the situation. "Eldoris is home to several monster races, as well as humans that have chosen to live among us. We are building roads and establishing new shops to accommodate the growing population of our cities," he explained.

He fixed his gaze on the audience as a whole. "We are interested in forging trade agreements and peaceful relations with the Beastfolk Lands, but I am not interested in claiming any of your territory, demanding obedience or interfering with your internal affairs," he said. Garrath’s golden eyes narrowed. "If that is true, why have you come?" Garrath asked. Tanaka met the challenge from across the room. "To learn about the world outside my borders," he replied.

A look of surprise spread across the faces of most rulers in the hall. Elowen Whiteburrow seemed positively delighted, while Veyra Vossari’s smile barely reached her lips. The Lion King’s grin stretched wide enough to reveal his teeth. "Now that is an answer!" he boomed. Tanaka bounced once in response. "Am I to understand that you lied?" Tanaka asked. Garrath laughed.

"Most kings would have chosen more elegant words," Garrath said. Tanaka narrowed his eyes. "I don’t see the problem with simply stating the truth," he said. Garrath continued laughing as he returned to his seat. After a few seconds Aldren nodded in approval of Tanaka’s speech. "Eldoris shall be acknowledged as the sovereign nation of monsters that it is, for the duration of this gathering. In the future, its ruler may be allowed to speak whenever formal proceedings take place," Aldren declared.

There was another argument. "Your Majesty, the assembly has never acknowledged an outside monster nation before," one wolf said. Veyra Vossari crossed the floor to face Tanaka. Elowen Whiteburrow, at least, looked embarrassed. "It happens now," Aldren said, "...because its ruler has defeated a powerful Monster King and established an alliance of his own."

"Now see here!" a voice shouted. The Wolf Clan representative who’d interrupted the initial meeting stood to his feet. "Do you mean to imply that an outsider should be allowed to sit among us like any other king?" he demanded. "The same cannot be said for monsters who serve the Crown," another said. "It is a new situation!" a third shouted. "It is a real situation!" Aldren’s voice echoed through the hall.

"We will not pretend that Eldoris does not exist simply because the throne does not belong to a beastman!" Aldren declared. Veyra Vossari stood silently, her tails ceasing their movements. Tanaka turned to face Aldren as best he could. "Your Majesty, I believe the position is understood by all parties," Tanaka said. That earned only a few approving nods. Tanaka wasn’t pleased.

Not because the Wolf King had refused the criticism, but because he couldn’t deny that some of it was true. Veyra watched Tanaka and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being judged again. But this time the smile had vanished. A loud click of metal rang out in the hall. A second later Tanaka caught a glimpse of the black projectile as it ripped through the air, past him, and into the pillar beside him.

The explosion of dark mist sent several creatures scattering for cover. "Attack!" someone shouted. "Protect the king!" another cried. "Close the entrances!" a third yelled. Tanaka turned towards the source of the attack in time to see it vanish beneath the surface of the stone floor. A wave of monsters surged forwards, bellowing imprecations and summoning attacks as they advanced on the gathered rulers.

Tanaka caught a few words amidst the chaos. "...poison...targeted...not just...kill..." The slime king had heard enough. He turned towards Veyra Vossari. "I know what that was," he said. She merely raised an eyebrow. "It was an assassination attempt, yes?" she asked. "If it wasn’t, then I suggest we find the culprit and let them suffer the consequences," she said.

"After all, an attack performed on one of the assembled kings of Bravelm is an attack upon every one of us," she added. Aldren was the first to rise to his feet. "No one leaves this hall until the royal guards have secured the perimeter!" he ordered. The entrance doors shut with a resounding thud that sent silence echoing through the great hall.

Then another magical circle appeared on the floor, centred directly beneath the Wolf King’s throne. The moment Aldren turned to look at it, his golden eyes widened in alarm.