On a platform that was equidistant to the islands of Lhimkio, Kinzoku, Jangalee and Enplua the boat of one of the barons began to dock.
This platform had been built with the sole purpose of being the gathering point for the meeting that was to take place.
A large dome with openings in all four directions of the cardinal directions was the only structure on the platform.
Barons Jinshu, Beura and Musset were inside, sitting on comfortable sofas, waiting for the last participant of the important meeting to take place.
Baron Jinshu was a silver colored voidmaw. His body was full of images and golden marks. Behind him were two other voidmaws, one reddish and the other greenish; Accompanied by two canogons, the first one seemed to be made of marble and the second of obsidian, so one was white and the other black. These four men were his bodyguards.
Baron Beura was a quinoid with goat characteristics. His coat was mostly dark brown, almost black, with some white spots from which the most striking was one that came out of his shoulders forming an X on his chest. Two small antlers formed above his forehead pointing back. His fur was adorned with different types of braids and precious metal decorations hung from his ears and horns. Behind the baron was a cat like quinoid, a gecko like quinoid, and two other bird like quinoids: the first was a pygmy falcon and the second was a marsh harrier.
Baron Musset was a multrow unlike many of his kind. He was a cone snail with only the upper part of its body shaped like a humanoid. His huge and beautiful shell covered the entire back of his body, generating so much weight on him that he was always hunched over. His two arms were large and strong, almost the same size as half his body, with which he helped himself to walk faster. The four multrows who accompanied him as bodyguards all looked like humanoid slugs in shell armor and had odd tentacles on their bodies.
The hatch of the last ship to arrive soon opened. Helvella walked down casually. The lepiota was wearing a typical Lhimkio costume that reached to his waist in front and to his knees from behind. Strange bell shaped pants complemented the dress.
“Welcome Baron Helvella,” Beura greeted in a friendly way, but without getting up from his seat.
“Jinshu, Beura, Musset is a pleasure to see you again,” said Helvella purposely omitting their titles.
" I cannot say the same, " replied Baron Musset.
Jinshu remained silent, he looked like an animal looking at his prey, ready to strike at any moment.
“What is the reason for this sudden invitation?” asked Helvella as he sat on the only available couch.
Expressions of doubt soon appeared on the faces of the other barons. Hadn't he found out what had happened in Vorpiax?
No one else had descended from the boat in which he arrived, which meant that he was alone before the three barons and their twelve bodyguards.
This was a very good opportunity to assassinate him, but Baron Beura, remembering how cunning Helvella was, decided not to act. Which the other two groups did not do. Baron Musset attacked with one of his tentacles with the intention of killing the lepiota with his poison. Yaiban the reddish voidmaw pounced on Helvella shouting:
“I’ll avenge my brother!”
Helvella received Yaiban's attack with only one of his delicate arms and with a slight movement caused the voidmaw's body to end in the path of Baron Musset's tentacle.
“Tss!”
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A single blow and one of Kinzoku's strongest warriors had died.
“You dare?” Jinshu shouted.
“Oops,” Helvella said looking at the body of the voidmaw on the floor
“I see that you have become much stronger,” commented Baron Beura.
Hearing this, Jinshu stopped mid attack and stopped his three guards.
" It is not a big deal, you don't have to make a fuss, " Helvella replied, smiling.
" I hear that third magnitude energy waves appeared in Lhimkio, " said Beura, trying to make the other two barons realize that their enemy had seized the precious object.
“That’s what they told me too,” answered Helvella.
In fact, his increase in power was in some way thanks to the events in the cranial peak caverns. Gathering information from the survivors about everything that had happened, Helvella soon located the strange crystal dew lagoon. From what Darthañan and Frigglene said, the demon used this place to heal his wounds and regain his strength.
After several tests between Anaya, Kolia and Latispora they managed to understand the properties of the liquid in this lake. Any individual regardless of their power level had to circulate the large amount of energy that would invade their body when touching the purple liquid. As evidenced by some inmates, failure to circulate energy would trigger a chemical reaction in the individual's body, turning them into an inert crystal body.
The benefits that this lake could bring were evident when a soldier offered to try one of the circulation methods that were theorized could work. The success of the method soon brought him to the top of the second magnitude.
Unfortunately, not everyone who tried it came out alive. So far of the more than three hundred individuals, only that soldier, Veigar and Helvella had managed to use the circulation method successfully.
Experiments were suspended while the possible war was resolved. They couldn't keep testing this with criminals and cause a catastrophe by giving inmates so much power. And on the other hand, with the number of volunteer soldiers who had died in the attempt to acquire strength, they could not afford to decrease their forces by gambling.
However, an idea haunted the minds of everyone who knew about the experiments. The liquid in this lake could produce beings of the third magnitude if it was not in Almawarth.
" Haven't you seen the men we sent to help with the removal of the item?" asked Baron Beura.
By this time the suggestion was obvious. The three barons viewed Lhimkio's men as the murderers of their men.
“Unfortunately I couldn't meet them. I was taking one of my sons to the imperial academy and by the time I returned they were no longer with us,” Helvella replied acting as if he was sorry for not having been able to meet their men.
The three barons rearranged themselves in their seats, trying to hide the discomfort caused by knowing that one of Helvella's sons had been accepted into the imperial academy.
“But do you know something I hear about them?” commented Helvella softly as if he were about to tell them a secret.
The Lepiot leaned down and gestured for the other barons to approach.
Beura the multrow that looked like a cone snail used its two powerful arms to crawl close to the mushroom. Jinshu and Musset doubted it, they were not comfortable with the way Helvella had appropriated the conversation.
This meeting should address the demands they were going to make to respect the lives of the Vorpiax people. Not to hear secrets from Helvella.
However, thanks to the Lepiot's insistence, the two barons soon resigned themselves and decided to get closer and hear what Helvella knew about their men.
Any one of them would be lying if they denied that they were not curious.
Helvella smiled seen the three barons behave like kids. This was what generally happened when they did not have their advisers or the real people who tried to pull the strings on their respective islands.
Placing his hands around his mouth Helvella said slowly:
“They threatened my daughter.”
His voice chilled the three barons.
Had he not known the consequences, Helvella would have killed them right then and there.