Maxius glared at Liam intently. He didn’t like him at all. Such free wheeling and light hearted attitude didn’t sit well with him at all. Confident, cocky, and charming despite his boisterous attitude. Such a combination was sure to be difficult to control on the battlefield.
Liam was cheerfully conversing with the King since he arrived only giving lip service to the rest of the attendees thus far. Little to no decorum was kept as he chopped at a large slab of meat.
“Let me tell you! Myredien is a long ways away from Osland, but I never imagined you would have such a nice city here!”
“Do you not have many cities in Osland?” Princess Amelia asked mostly out of courtesy rather than lack of knowledge. Any noble would have been educated about their closest human nation neighbor from a young age.
Shaking his head Liam took another bite before speaking “Nah, we have only two major settlements and they are a fraction of the size of this place. Os tribes formed a union and elect a King so our population isn’t super centralized as a result.”
Amelia looked at the man feigning interest. At least as far as Maxius could tell.
“Say, Liam” Maxius spoke up. “Tell me…what do you think about the meeting between the heroes so far?”
Maxius couldn’t help, but challenge to see if this man was truly only brawn and no brain.
Liam paused just before he was about to take another bite. Setting it down slightly more rough than was appropriate. “Well I see you care about business huh? Do you think Oslanders are not aware of the purpose of this? We are more than aware of the more developed nations wanting to use our might to push into the wildlands. We have no love for beast tides, but it will not come without benefits for us. So what do I think about the meetings? I think it is politics by another name.”
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Xi Shi burst out laughing immediately. “I like you! Straightforward to the point.”
Maxius clenched his jaw. ‘So not just brawn it is’ he thought to himself.’
“I hope you don’t think we intend on mistreating you hero Liam?” Amelia spoke up before anyone else could respond.
*pfft* Liam huffed “That is for the geezers to figure out, not me. I’m here to bash skulls and have a good time. Don’t step on my toes and I won’t step on yours.”
“Where is your contingent of warriors?” Xi Shi spoke up. “I can’t imagine they would have stayed behind with the so-called geezers.”
Liam smiled “What warriors? You got me the hero of Osland.”
Maxius couldn’t stand the cocky demeanor “Do you take this as a joke? The Goddess Caphaine gave us this task herself. How could you not prepare more for this?”
Liam sighed again just as he was about to take another bite from the leg of meat in his hand. “You like to ruin a meal. Stuck up and taking everything so seriously. Makes me sick. The Dwarven hero isn’t nearly as obnoxious as you are, nor is the elf prick. My preparation is that I am the hero and I was raised to bring glory to Osland. You have a mighty high view of yourself, hero Maxius, considering from what I can tell you quite superficial behind all the properness and etiquette.”
Standing up Maxius pointed his finger at Liam. “You mock and insult my honor. I won’t stand for it.”
“Boys. Both of you calm down. Maybe the solution is a friendly spar tomorrow? We can let loose some pent up energy while we wait for the so-called geezers to finalize agreements.” Xi Shi offered looking at the King and Princess Amelia.
“I agree. Long journeys and battles to come can cause tensions to rise. Maybe we should release some of it. Would be good for those joining the heroes to see what they are made of.”
Maxius took a breath. “Fine by me. I will go to my quarters to rest.”
Liam stood up and gave a small bow to the King and Amelia. “When the Geezers get here let me know I am stuffed. Princess Amelia…thank you for the good company. Hero Xi have a nice evening.”
Maxius and most of the attendees parted after that. He would show this hero what it means to honor Caphaine.