"How are we looking?"
"Ready to start anytime, Your Majesty."
"Fire it up."
In a large and frivolous room, decorated by countless statues, golden artifacts, and paintings, a short man, but with a muscular body, talked to several aides. He was wearing magnificent grey robes, embroidered with silver lines and patterns. On top of his head rested a platinum crown, with a grey jewel.
At this moment, the marble floor beneath his feet started to shine, creating a circle underneath him. A creature appeared out of thin air, and rested it's tail on top of his shoulders. All the other people in the majestic hall stepped away, and, with a blinding flash of light, the man they referred to as His Majesty, and the Ifere accompanying him disappeared.
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In another glorious palace, nine men and women were sitting around a round table, talking. Some were dressed lavishly, while others could be mistaken by ordinary commoners if it wasn't for the crowns on their heads. Some were laughing, while others exchanged gazes that left no doubt they were mortal enemies. Behind each of them was a single Ifere. They were all different, but unmistakably powerful.
A flash of grey light caught everyone's attention, and the short man appeared. Everyone got up to greet him, and he laughed heartily. From all the people in the palace, he seemed to be the only one who was on good terms with everyone. Sitting at his chair, he glanced at the two empty seats.
"The two of them are still bickering, hum?"
"Hahaha! They just started another war, Brother Lei. It's understandable they are going to be a little late."
"I must say, it's truly a coincidence that Menoraz announced the war the day the meeting is to happen. It's sure to make things... Interesting. Haha..."
A young woman, dressed in a revealing yellow dress giggled, clearly happy to see the chaos unfold. Sitting next to her, an older man frowned disapprovingly. He looked like he was about to say something, but in the end just closed his mouth with a 'humph'. Another man, sitting across from him, however, wasn't so collected.
"Amanda, you just rose to prominence a few years ago, and yet you are so glad to see your neighbors fight. It seems like Greemien Kingdom is quite ambitious."
"So what if we are, Yutake? Are you afraid I'm going to swallow you whole?"
"Humph! You can try."
Seeing that the conversation was becoming increasingly hostile, the man in grey robes, Brother Lei, tapped his finger on the table, and cleared his throat. Instantly, everyone's focus turned from the bickering pair to him. He smiled lightly, a benevolent expression on his face.
"Everyone, please behave yourselves. Remember your positions and standing. There are already enough grudges here, there's no need to deepen them."
"Of course, Brother Lei."
"Yes."
Just as the nine people were all nodding to him, two bright flashes of light appeared simultaneously. When they were gone, two old men, one with long beard and long white hair, and the other with his head shaved, appeared. They glared at each other, and the other nobles could swear they saw sparks flying.
"You still have the face to appear, Ampharus?"
"Pff... Don't talk about face to me, Marcus. You are the one who is invading my kingdom! Again!"
"You should just kneel and die, you old dog! It's Menoraz's honor to become part of Lapidum!"
"You!"
"Calm down, you two, and take a seat. It's about to start."
Realizing that the situation could very well develop in a fistfight if he didn't interfere, Brother Lei got up, and stepped between the two with an amused look on his face. The other people also had small grins, seemingly happy with their antics. What would their subjects think if they saw the two rulers discussing like children?
Albeit unwilling, Menoraz and Lapidum's kings went to their seats, which just so happen to be opposite to one another. Not for a moment did they stop glaring daggers at each other. Brother Lei sat down again, and smiled.
"Now that we are all here, shall we start? The annual Gathering of Rulers?"
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
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Unaware that the twelve most powerful and important people of the world were meeting right now, Drake was advancing through Menoraz, going towards the border. In his way, he passed by military convoys, composed of thousands of soldiers and Iferes, all going the same direction as him. The civilians, on the other hand, were running in the other way, evacuating the cities close to the battlefields.
Battlefields... Drake had thought it would take some time for the first clash between armies to happen, but he was wrong. Apparently, in an unspoken agreement, both Menoraz and Lapidum troops had congregated to a few locations. Although no battle had broken yet, it was just a matter of time.
As for Drake, the place he was going was neither of those battlefields. He would stay as far away from them as possible. Instead, he was following the leads he had regarding the Cleaner squad. Along the way, he asked a few civilians, and discovered that people that fit their description had been seen a few dozen kilometers from where he was now. The scouts, contrarily to him, couldn't simply use the roads, so their advance was much slower than his, and he was catching up to them.
Veering off the road, Drake controlled his Yscalent to enter the forest. He had traced a more or less straight path to the point which he thought it was more likely for the Cleaners to cross the border back to Lapidum. He was well aware that the chances of him getting there in time, and finding them in an area of thousands of kilometers were close to none, but... While he might not find the Cleaners, he could just slip into Lapidum territory, and discover troops movements and so on.
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Two armies assembled a few kilometers away from each other. Neither of them were as organized as normal folk would like to think. While the soldiers were lined up in disciplined formations, the same couldn't be said for the myriad of different Iferes. Although they were all well behaved, their different types and formats were bound to cause some chaos. It also launched a certain degree of unpredictability and uneasiness to the battlefield. You never knew when an Ifere might use a skill with a large range, and wipe out dozens or even hundreds of soldiers at the same time.
In a large tent right in the middle of the Menoraz Army, General Lilac was overseeing her soldiers. Behind her were two vicious-looking Iferes. The first one was laying on the ground, it's eyes closed, but still emanating an imposing aura. All the officers in the tent couldn't help but glance at it from time to time, fully aware of the might the creature possessed. As for the second Ifere, it was nowhere near as big or threatening as the other. However, anytime it's stare met any of the soldiers', they quickly looked away, cold sweat wettening their uniforms. None of them were rookies. In fact, anyone under General Lilac was a battle-hardened veteran. In front of the two apex predators, however...
The female general looked at her subordinates, but did nothing to stop her companions from scaring them. In her opinion, if they couldn't even withstand that little bit of killing intent, then their place was not on a battlefield. But hers was. She never felt so much at home as when she was in the middle of the fight, her life on the line. Her thoughts drifted to Drake, her newly acquired - yes, acquired - scout. He probably would agree with her.
She could tell what type of person he was from their short conversations. He was very similar to her, someone who only felt truly alive when facing death. Usually, someone like Drake would have never had the chance to talk with a person of her status. However, the reports about him, the friends he made amongst rangers, Nulls, cops, and soldiers... All those factors convinced General Lilac that she was right about his character.
The general hadn't told anyone she had recruited a young adventurer under her, not even her closest and much trusted subordinates. They would feel envy and jealousy, After all, they had followed her for years, and experienced countless battles. They had killed much more than Drake, and, for that, they would feel superior. She understood, however, that the number of people one killed wasn't a good indicator of their capabilities. How they felt while killing was.
General Lilac had been purposely vague when she gave him his orders, to see what he would do. She hoped he wouldn't disappoint her. She also hoped he would stay alive, although that was of... Lesser importance to her. If he died... Well, countless good men and women were about to die in the next few days. Drake would be just one more cross in the reports.
"Any new intel?"
"No, ma'am. We sent dozens of patrols to check our flanks for an ambush, but it's all clear. It appears General Bloodborn wants to face us in a head-on battle."
General Lilac frowned, analyzing the maps and documents in front of her. General Bloodborn was an old opponent of hers. They had met on the battlefield more than once, but never managed to kill each other. Bloodborn wasn't her real name, of course, but a nickname she had been given, and which reflected her personality quite well. Since her name had been long forgotten by everyone but herself, the nickname stuck.
"Bloodborn and Lapidum... What do you want?"
"Sorry, general?"
Realizing that she was mumbling to herself, General Lilac directed a stern stare to the officer who interrupted her. Only when he looked down that she turned away. Her mind was still elsewhere. Today was the Gathering of Rulers. She wondered how that old fox, King Ampharus, was doing.
She didn't support her ruler. He was too cunning and sinister to her liking. King Ampharus was the brother of the old queen, whom she had served for over thirty years. After the queen died, without any descendants to take her place, he ascended to the throne. Whether he was fitting or not, it didn't matter. Royal blood coursed through his veins, and he had the birthright.
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"You are a f*cking miserable bastard, Marcus! You and the f*cking sh*thole you call a kingdom deserves to disappear!"
"You are the one who should disappear! You and your entire f*cking family! If it wasn't for the ancestor's wishes, Lapidum would have wiped Menoraz from the maps a long time ago!"
"I want to see you try, c*nt!"
King Ampharus and King Marcus threw curses and insults at one another under the amused glares of the other rulers. They were usually composed, but here, with no one else around apart from the twelve of them, they had no need to hide their true selves. Discussions like that were more than common.
The two Iferes that accompanied the kings only opened one eye to quickly look at them, and went back to resting. There were a few reasons as to why the kings and queens of the Confederation all dared to meet by themselves, without guards. The first was that the palace they were now in was only reachable through the usage of a powerful space-type skill.
The second reason was that each of them could only bring one Ifere with them. Each of these creatures was a powerful and legendary Old One. They weren't companions to the rulers, but guardians of the kingdoms, which had known each other for thousands of years. Obviously, they couldn't be swayed to interfere in the petty discussions of humans. They were only there to protect them. As long as none of the rulers was at risk of death, they could punch it out, for all the Iferes cared.
"Humph! What do you even want, Marcus?"
"The land that is rightfully mine, of course!"
"Yours? Ha! Lapidum cowardly took that territory from Menoraz three hundred tears ago. We only took it back!"
"It's all fine and dandy for you two to go at each other's throats, but should we get to the real reason behind the meeting?"
Suddenly, a middle-aged woman in fiery red clothes interrupted King Ampharus and King Marcus. Her voice was coarse and deep, causing others to be drawn to it. Even the two kings couldn't help but stop talking, and sit down again. Although there still was animosity between them, they were, after all, rulers. They knew when to squabble, and when to control themselves.
"Aki is right. We have more important matters at hand."
A young man nodded in agreement, and tapped his fingers on the table rhythmically. Even the Old Ones turned their attention to the round table, interested in what was about to be said.
"We don't know much yet. The ancestors have been... Cryptic. However, we can ascertain it has to do with the ancient legends."
"Yes... Brother Lei, you are the one who is the closest to them. Did they reveal anything?"
"Not much. They are quite frantic, and said that the war is close. However... You know how they can be. One, ten, a hundred, or even a thousand years, for them it's all the same."
Brother Lei shook his head. The war they were talking about wasn't the one between Menoraz And Lapidum, of course. It was something much bigger, which required all the twelve kingdoms to join forces. However, how were they supposed to do so when most of them hated each other, and two were even in an active conflict right now?