After the group went in, one individual from each country stayed behind. They walked to us and bowed.
Each of their gestures were a little different, having little details like where and how they placed which hand, the degree at which an arm was stretched, and whether or not a leg went in front of the other.
“Good morning, Your Excellency,” one of them, a male Harpy, greeted me. “I am Higher Relations Regulator Erma Iracon. It's an honor to meet you.”
Next was the Goliath. Even though the woman was bowing, I had to look up. “Good morning, Your Excellency,” she greeted me. “I am Ladni Afras Koluum III, Higher Relations Aide, at your service.”
In absolute contrast to the Goliath's height, a Dwarf spoke next. “Good morning, Your Excellency,” he greeted me. “I am Plavi de Piedrazul, Minister of Higher Relations. I sent Your Excellency a letter last month. It's a pleasure to finally meet you.”
The man reached the Goliath's thighs.
Next, a woman with light green skin and leaves that were similar to an artichoke's instead of hair addressed me, “Good morning, Your Excellency.” Her voice was like the sound of a stream in the middle of a forest during the day's early hours. “I am Trilly Puna, Facilitator of Higher Relations.”
Finally, the Human spoke. “Good morning, Your Excellency,” he greeted me respectfully. “I am Jahal Silos, Secretary of Higher Relations.”
Not only was the bowing different, each had a unique title attached to their position even though they were practically the same. They outfits were also unique, each having the crest of their respective country on various articles of clothing.
I nodded. “Good morning to you, too,” I replied.
A voice came from the entrance to the Royal Palace, “Your Excellency, we meet again.”
I looked to the source and noticed Alastor, Lumin Kingdom's Minister of Higher Relations, walking towards us. “Gentleman Lafin,” I greeted him with a nod.
He stopped in front of me and bowed, then straightened up. “I'm here to guide Your Excellency, if that is welcomed.” He turned to my companions. “And anyone who chooses to join.”
Yolin smiled. “I'll go ahead first,” she announced, then winked at me. “Have fun,” she added and walked off.
“Same,” Pokora replied and followed the Oni.
My companions went into the palace, announcing their betrayal of leaving me alone with politicians.
Hanna was the only one that stayed behind, walking to us and standing behind me. “I'll join Her Excellency,” she declared.
Alastor nodded and turned to the foreign envoys. “You are more than welcome to accompany us,” he offered with a polite smile.
They nodded appreciatively and replied in affirmatives.
And so, we went inside the Royal Palace.
I turned auto-pilot on and followed Alastor.
__
“...which helped us in keeping other countries from claiming the lands around Koluum,” Ladni, the Goliath, explained to me.
“I see,” I replied, chewing a pineapple cube.
The Banquet had already begun, and everyone present was socializing.
The group of people accompanying wasted little time to promote their countries and how amazing they were. I listened to the founding of five different countries, two of which were involved in the wars a very long time ago.
Interesting information, but not the most stimulating of conversations.
Performers played relaxing music in the middle of the hall, keeping the atmosphere from being a constant murmur of voices.
Hanna kept quiet, listening to the people talking to me.
We were standing next to a table crammed with fruit, and I took the chance to try them all while listening.
“...agreed and handed unoccupied land...” the Goliath continued.
I hummed and ate a grape. Fuck, this is good.
“...got a heirloom as a reward...” she kept going.
I nodded and used a fork to pick a large slice of chirimoya. What's the name in English? I wondered and put it in my mouth. Delicious.
The Goliath continued her explanation of her country while I ate fruit. I paid enough attention to pick the important bits, but names, years, and minute details went in one ear and out the other.
Basically, Goliaths descend from Colossus, a species related to Giants. Their country was massive at first, but very little of it was populated. So, a few Halves requested them to give land away so other countries could form. They agreed, because otherwise I assumed they'd be shunned by the rest of the world, and got legendary weapons in return. This inevitably justified the ruling of Warriors in that country instead of Merchants. Still, Ladni, who is the sister of High General Odnik, is a Merchant but is unable to chase the throne despite being Royalty herself. Their mother, who passed away around two thousand years ago, was a capable Warrior and the previous Ruler of Koluum.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Unfortunately for me, they are overjoyed with the appearance of a Halve Warrior after fifteen thousand years.
I had the feeling Odnik would invite me to Koluum if he got the chance... which came sooner than later.
“Your Excellency,” Ladni began after finishing the story of her country. “High General Odnik would like to share a few words with you, if that's welcomed.”
I suppressed a sigh and gave her a nod. “Sure,” I replied and used a wet napkin to wipe my hands.
A second after I said that, the man himself approached us from a few tables away.
The dude was an absolute unit, around 260 cm tall. He was a mountain of a man, wearing a robe that clung to his muscled body. His feet were covered in sandals and he wore a glowing crown on top of his bald head. His skin, just like his sister's, was a reddish gray and his eyes were forest green.
The man bowed. “Your Excellency,” he greeted with a polite smile. “I am Odnik Afras Koluum I. It's an honor to meet you.”
I nodded back, looking up at the man.
He reminded me of a bald Leonidas. Even the beard was the same.
“Nice to meet you, High General,” I replied. “Ladni has been sharing some interesting things about your country.”
“I'm honored you find our country interesting,” he replied with a smile. “Could I ask what, specifically, caught your interest?”
“You're a Warrior,” I pointed out and appraised him.
[Odnik, Limar Goliath Lvl 311 Berzerker]
Hmm... Two thousand years ruling and 311 is the highest class, I concluded. Was expecting more. “I see you've been busy,” I commented. “That's good.”
Odnik nodded with a satisfied smile. “Ruling a country leaves little time to fight,” he chuckled.
“I bet,” I agreed. “So, what weapon do you favor?”
He rubbed his beard and thought for a second. “Mostly swords,” he replied with a carefree shrug.
How basic, I thought and nodded. “I see...”
The Warrior smiled. “Still, Your Excellency, I must say... that skill of yours is phenomenal,” he praised with a nod. “How you shot up to the skies and fell down like a meteor... fantastic. The spikes look menacing, and Lady Lapia's addition was a very nice touch.”
I smiled. “Thank you. I'll let Lapia know,” I told him. Now, leave me alone! I want to try more fruit!
“And that armor you wore,” he continued with an exaggerated sigh.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, settling with nodding along.
Unfortunately, Odnik pestered me for a while, praising my armor, my weapon, my shield, my skill, and asking questions about them like their quality, the enchantments they had, and more.
I avoided giving concrete answers, but remained polite. He had praised Lapia, after all. Being mean to someone who could see her awesomeness was simply rude.
After a few minutes of chatting, Gordon walked to the center of the hall and clapped a few times.
The Performers stopped playing and everyone quieted down.
“Dear guests,” he began with a smile. “I would like to steal your attention for a while, and invite you to a different world.”
My eyebrows climbed my forehead.
“Today, we have the honor of witnessing a play by none other than Lumin Kingdom's Illustrious House of Theater, who will perform Yinka Plava's internationally praised Life Under One Sun,” he announced.
Those present clapped, and I noticed most had faces of expectation and excitement.
A play? Cool, I thought and turned to Odnik. “It seems our chat will end prematurely,” I politely informed him.
He nodded. “It appears it will, Your Excellency,” he chuckled. “It has been an honor to have a chat with you. Please enjoy the day,” he curtsied and bid us farewell.
The Performers cleared the stage in the middle of the hall and prepared a few props.
Everyone moved to one side of the large room, faced the stage, produced chairs, and waited.
Alastor had the tact of producing a chair for me, Hanna, and the foreign envoys.
I was grateful for the break, so I took my seat and faced the stage.
After I sat down, everyone did so as well.
My eyelid twitched a little at that.
A pair of Tigeas walked to the stage wearing what looked like rags and spoke to the audience, introducing the setting.
The story was pretty interesting if anything. A couple goes on a long journey back to their homeland. The woman was pregnant with their first child together. On the way, however, they are attacked by monsters and end up captured. The woman gives birth during captivity and has her child stolen from her by the monsters. After that the couple is released and they rush to get help to rescue their child. A big party is formed to search the monsters' nest but nothing is found. With heavy hearts, and after mourning their lost baby, the couple tries to have another.
In my innocent mind, I thought the actors would either skip that scene or do a fade-to-black equivalent.
No, the Performers straight up started banging on stage while actually crying, not leaving character.
I discreetly looked around to see if what was happening in front of me was normal or not.
Everyone had glassy eyes and napkins ready to wipe their tears.
I looked back at the stage.
The two Tigeas were doing the nasty in front of everyone.
That's when I found out Tigeas do have spiky penises.
What if he nuts too soon? I wondered, covering my mouth. Will the scene be ruined? Or will they improvise and go from there? Just what the fuck is going on?
Right as I finished the thought, the dude blasted his load with a long moan and shaking legs. He arched his back and screamed, “OH, FATES! WE ASK YOU TO BE BENEVOLENT WITH US!”
I closed my eyes, deeply confused by the fact I was seeing a man bust a nut inside a woman on broad daylight and in front of around fifty people.
The play continued but I didn't pay attention.
This world is awesome... I concluded after a while. But there goes my apetite.