"Enough!" a resounding voice rattles everyone to the bone.

And when you open your eyes, both Grimdal and Golimar are entangled in coils of tree roots rising from the ground. You cast around the room to find the source of this magic, and are astonished to see Elder Illya as the one responsible for the spell.

Scanning the chamber though, you realize that she wasn't only controlling the roots that held both men in place.

"This entire tree..." you mouth in amazement. "She's making it move by herself?!"

Her outstretched palms release an unimaginable level of energy. The way she so effortlessly manipulates the building is unlike anything you've ever witnessed. And she uses her power to seal the entrance shut and aim sharp tendrils of wood at the remaining dwarven soldiers.

The elves were in control from the very beginning.

"A-agh..! What in Ifrit's name is this manner of trickery?!" Golimar struggles to move his hands and feet, as they are bound together. "Let me go godammit!"

"S-she somehow immobilized me before my Sanguin Contract could land..." Grimdal is instead stunned and allows the roots to wrap around him. "Her speed is... beyond comprehension..."

Silvain in a last-ditch attempt to save the discussion, calls out to you.

"O-oi!" he shouts. "What do we do now?! Have negotiations broken down?!"

"I-I'm not sure..." you find it hard to read the situation.

The situation is hectic, and nobody's making the next move. Taking this into consideration, you use this lengthy lull to devise a deal that would make both parties happy. You funnel years of knowledge and experience into this thinking process, and in a matter of seconds, you figure it out.

"Everybody chill!" you scream at the top of your lungs, garnering the attention of the whole room. "If we allow ourselves to be consumed by conflict, it'll only spell doom for both of us in the future!"

"Easy for you to say, Garden Beast," Alimarc criticizes you. "It's clear that we can never find common ground with outsiders. They will always seek to benefit off of us and discard us when they're finished."

Anna clenches her fists. "That's not true, Alimarc. Not all outsiders are like them."

"And you think we can afford that carelessness? Our lives were fine before we interacted with outsiders. They bring us nothing but trouble, the Garden Beast is no exception. We lost an elder because of her, and now we're in this mess because she decided to invite more outsiders here. How are you still blind to the danger?"

"There you go again trying to pin this on Nameless Seer. She's not—!"

You cut in and say the unthinkable.

"No... Alimarc has a point." your words reverberate around the room, and the elves stare at you in stupefaction.

"W-what?" Anna is taken aback by your remark.

"Elder Illya's advice yesterday served as a wake-up call. I realize I'm not going to be here for long. After learning everything you have to offer, I'll have no reason to stay."

"Nameless Seer..."

"D-don't get me wrong... I'm happy to have made friends with everybody here. But until I learn how to live, as the Elder said, I won't truly appreciate what I have. And foolishly, I've made myself an existence you need to depend on. By owning your main source of food, I've shoehorned myself into this society of yours. I was naive in thinking it would be fine in the long run, that I see now."

And the elves cast their eyes downward, registering your reasons as true.

"Which is why," a determined smile replaces your gloomy expression, "I've come up with a solution that'll satisfy everybody in this room."

"H-huh? Really?" Chief Ginta pins his gaze on you.

"Yup!" you turn to the masked diplomat, who hadn't understood a single word you said. "Silvain! I have a question for you!"

"U-uh, yes?"

"Since the dwarves live in and around a volcano, where do they get their food?"

"From the surrounding pastures of course! Volcanic soil is extraordinarily fertile and rich in minerals that aid crop growth! The dwarves are as much a farming people as they are a mining people!"

"Just as I suspected."

"W-what?"

You face the elves with this ultimate trade offer.

"Instead of being fed by my farm, why don't you depend on imports from the Stoneweaver Dwarves?" you suggest.

"Imports?" the Elders collectively repeat.

"Mm. I thought about why the farmland I own was so fertile, till Silvain told me. It's because I've been living above an underground volcano! From that, I could deduce that the dwarves' farmlands must be similar."

"So the reparations we receive for the attack on our soldiers will be... food?" Leronil tries wrapping his head around your plan.

"Yes, a steady stream of food for about a year. That's the short-term, but after that, you should strive to become close trade partners!"

"Hahaha! What a joke!" Golimar provokes you while still trapped in a wooden prison. "Trade partners?! And what could you offer the great Stoneweaver Dwarves?!"

"Well, for starters," you glimpse at the meeting table, "lumber sounds like a good export."

"Lumber?!"

"When I was at your camp, I noticed your wooden furniture was quite flimsy. It's probably because the trees in that area are relatively weak. The craftsmanship can also be taken into consideration, since judging by your race's name, you specialize in stonecutting."

"Y-you don't know anything about us, elf!"

"Yeah, I don't. Which is why I'd like to learn more about you."

Your response bewilders the dwarven champion, who mulls over your proposal.

"Oh, and if you're no longer relying on the meadow, we can convert the compound into an excavation site, and start digging for that underground volcano to find the Fire Crystal. Win-win right?"

The speed at which you reach this conclusion impresses the Elders who discuss your trade plan amongst themselves.

And after much contemplation, Anna is first to step forth. "Then let's go with that! I can't really think of a reason not to..."

"I second this motion," Leronil is next to concur. "Even if it's more lenient toward these dwarves, I accept it as the only peaceful resolution that benefits us both."

"My thoughts exactly. Like father, like son. I'm prepared to work closely with these dwarves, Garden Beast," Chief Ginta strokes his beard in delight.

The Elders then rivet their gazes on Alimarc, expecting him to make a fuss. The priest rolls his eyes and groans.

"It doesn't matter what I think right?" he utters, irritated by the reputation he's stuck with. "I personally wouldn't give these dwarves, or any outsider for that matter, the time of day. Alas, what I want isn't necessarily what the council wants, now is it?"

You take his callous submission as another vote, and Elder Illya heaves a sigh of relief.

"Since all of you are on board, I suppose I have no reason to expend my mana any further," she swiftly ceases casting her spell and the council room reverts to normal.

The roots lose their strength and drop Golimar and Grimdal. While the eyepatched swordsman gracefully lands, the dwarven champion falls flat on his ass. A sight that depicts the difference between the two champions.

"Yeowch!" Golimar yelps.

"Have you calmed down now, 'Champion of the Stoneweaver Dwarves'?" you say with a smirk.

"Shaddup! I care not for the result of these talks! As long as I get to dive into that volcano and claim the Fire Crystal for my people, I have no qualms!"

"You could've probably waited a few minutes before physically threatening the village leaders..."

"Waiting is for the weak! Action is for the strong!"

You find this aspect of Golimar similar to Grimdal, and you chuckle to yourself having thought of that.

"Phew!" Silvain removes his mask and wipes the sweat off his face with a handcloth. "Glad that's over. Had a war commenced over Golimar's thoughtless aggression, my pay would have undoubtedly been cut!"

"That's what you're worried about?" you didn't expect the man to be so cheap.

"I may fight for harmony, but I'm driven by gold. As are a lot of people, elf."

"Darius didn't seem concerned with lining his pockets..."

"Well, come what may, I find these terms acceptable. I'll write up a contract and have your leaders sign it. Uh... do they know how signatures work?"

"Maybe Anna does..?"

"Whatever. With unhindered access to the meadow, the dwarves are one step closer to saving their home."

"Ah, on that topic..." you lean closer to the man, "can I help out?"

"Help out? I mean, if you'd like."

"Splendid! I've always wanted to see magma! Ever since I saw it in Darius' book!"

"There you go talking about this Darius person again. Also... why magma of all things?"

You grin at the man with an answer already on the back of your tongue. "Because it's cool!"

"Strangely the most sense you've made all day."

And you two laugh to yourselves as the elves and dwarves look on in confusion.

"I don't mean to interrupt your little conversation but," Anna butts in, "does this mean the deal is in effect?"

"O-oh," you almost forgot you were in the middle of a council. "Yep, everything's A-OKAY!"

Thus began relations between the Elderwood Elves and the Stoneweaver Dwarves. Little did you know, this would soon snowball into a great alliance that would span many centuries.