The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2

Part 16

"If you had announced your discovery of the approaching demons and spheres of the Triax to the entire world when you discovered them, and offered your plans and your leadership, I estimate that fifty-six percent of all the intelligent beings on Kellaran would have taken you up on it initially. With the fear of the demons fresh in their minds, and the capabilities that you could display, they would have been eager fo a leader of your stature, particularly one with a good plan. With the support of those fifty-six percent it would only have taken you three years to pacify Serminak, and once that was done, an overwhelming majority of the rest would have fallen in behind your banner.

"The entire world would have had two hundred and seventy-three years to prepare for the demons, not the two years that you left us with your distrusting stupidity! Your failure lay in your contempt for the smaller races, and your resulting failure to learn to understand them sufficiently!

"The Just Alliance and the enforced vows of justice would both have been unnecessary, curse it all!"

"You are entirely correct." Zarkog calmly agreed, surprising his young visitors. "And now it is your party who are being discourteous. You have admitted that you are disguised, and you have had ample time to introduce yourselves, yet you have failed to do so. If you wish to continue speaking with me here, you will reveal your identities. While your use of the Draconian language is impressive and appreciated, it is not necessary."

"Fine." Fire said in Trade Common as she altered her Simulacrum to be identical to her real appearance, and her siblings followed suit a second later. "Know that we are the children of the Key to The Just Alliance. I am Princess Helemia Longstrider, known as Fire. He is my twin brother Prince Markhan Reginus Longstrider the Sixth, known as Six. Our mother is Princess Talia of The Nine Valleys. She is Princess Valentia Longstrider, known as Val, daughter of Princess Alilia of The People of Life. And we are the new warlocks. With Karzog, we are The Governors of Hiliani."

"I see." Zarkog noted in Common, and chuckled a bit, emitting some smoke from his nostrils. "I'm surprised that you seem to share my opinion of The Just Alliance, considering your parentage." "The Just Alliance is a fine thing, but it was formed in response to the unjust and unnecessary killing and destruction that you initiated, and the War of The Founding was a huge and unnecessary waste." Fire retorted. "Aside from the fact that every death in the war was a needless tragedy to everyone who lost someone close to them, there's the fact that everyone who died in the war will not be fighting the demons. Though the combatants and civilians killed on both sides were small portions of the totals, it still means that almost two hundred thousand fighters will be missing from our military, and that's a significant force! "As to forcing the vow of justice on those who had no wish to swear it, it had to be done. But everyone in The Just Alliance knows that it was the best of a list of very bad choices, and it would have been better avoided."

"I see." Zarkog nodded, and turned to her two siblings. "And what are your personal reasons for wishing to speak with me?"

"I'm here to see that you've been sufficiently punished for the deaths of my paternal grandparents, and my aunt and uncle." Val bluntly announced. "We've been told that you've been punished, and that the sentence was agreed upon by a great circle of justicers, and by the surviving relatives of those who were killed in your try for global domination. But that sentence has not been made public, and it seems to me that you've suffered no punishment at all that I can see. If I find that your punishment is insufficient to satisfy my sense of justice, I'll seek to punish you further."

"What audacity." Zarkog snorted. "I'm tempted to let you think that I have been mildly punished, just to satisfy my curiosity as to how such a tiny person who appears to be less than ten years of age could possibly think to inflict any punishment upon me, of any sort.

"But the temptation is small. So, in order to satisfy your sense of justice, I'll allow you to Read my physical sensations."

Val did so in a blink, then cringed a bit, despite her best efforts to resist the urge to do so. Her companions were looking to her expectantly, so she told them. "He's in a great deal of pain. It's constantly changing and affects every part of his body."

She considered the great black dragon again, then told him. "I'm surprised you can still function. You must have a great deal of self-control."

"Yes I do, but in this case it makes no difference." Zarkog returned. "The pain is an automated spell, and its severity is always enough to almost incapacitate me. On days when my will is stronger, the pain increases until it is almost more than I can stand. When my resistance is less, the pain decreases until I am again fully able to function. But just barely.

"I will suffer this for twenty years. Though the situation is to my benefit, I consider it an incredible stupidity that The Just Alliance let me live. To allow a conquered but formidable enemy such as myself to remain a danger to them was the height of strategic foolishness on their part."

"So I suppose that you must not have considered any of the dragons and Sylvan in Serminak to be formidable, either singularly or severally, since you let them all live." Val stated, with a touch of derision.

"That is correct."

"Well I'll have you know that my father might just have let you die. No one knows if he would have or not, not even him. You live because Visinniria, Elven Goddess of War, suggested that he spare your life, on the grounds that you may prove useful. I agree with the assessment. To quote you, killing you would have been a waste of a useful tool that can be repaired. I'm certain that you're destined to kill a great many demons, and for now, that's all that really matters.

"You may think that someday you'll overcome your vow of justice and take revenge upon us all, even though you're sworn on The Truthstone of Falgaroth. Even though Falgaroth, Eighth God of Unicorns, poured his power into the stone for tens of thousands of years, in order to ensure that it would be binding on the gods themselves. Any hope you may entertain of escaping the vow is futile, and even if you did, it would do you no good.

"The Withdrawal is ended, and all the gods of Kellaran live among us as fully-sworn justice-bound members of The Just Alliance. Your loss to my father decided that. Even if you could overcome all of The Just Alliance, including all the gods of Kellaran, you'd then have to face all the people and gods of the Triax. They're the sworn allies of The Just Alliance, and I'd guess they're pretty tough, considering they've been hunting worlds full of demons out in the great void for eons.

"No, I'd say that in relation to those you'd face if you succeeded in attempting to rebel against The Just Alliance, you aren't significantly formidable. They're quite safe in letting you live."

"Perhaps." was Zarkog's only reply to that, then he looked to Six. "And what is it that you want with me?"

"I'm here to tell you that we're offering you a chance to redeem yourself." the boy replied.

"We believe in the meritocracy system of the giants, and we think that The Just Alliance's present military command structure may prove unwieldy in the war we're facing with the demons. We intend to propose the greatest tournament that Kellaran has ever seen, with the prize being nothing less than the rule of The Just Alliance.

"We think we can lead this world in warfare against the demons more effectively than anyone else, and we want a chance to prove it. In order to ensure that there's no favoritism toward us, we're not going to ask Quewanak to referee the tournament and set the scenario that will be our arena. We're going to ask Amirgath.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐