《Tyrants and Heroes - The Hollow Triumvirate》Intermission 1 - Amargoss Kharanyla
Advertisement
The tension in the room was palpable. Of course it would be. After listening to the Exalted, the Grand Tactician and the mysterious tengu, I decided to summon all the dwarves of high standing in Greshe Khaaran to discuss what we should do about it.
“Gentlemen, as you know, I have called all of you because there is a topic of great importance that I must discuss with you. Several days ago, I was visited by Aurelya, the Exalted, Bereul, the Grand Tactician and a masked tengu accompanying them.”
Of course the names caught the attention of everyone present. Even mentioning the tengu raised some alarm. The tengu were extremely isolationist and for one to be walking around meant that either this policy was about to change and he was an emissary or he was an exile from the Secret Kingdom. I know very little about the tengu, but the little that I do know is that they do not exile weaklings, they execute them. I wouldn't be surprised if that tengu was more troublesome than the other two, no matter how famous they were.
“What would they want with this rotting kingdom? It's not like we have anything to offer. I don't think they came just to mock us, or else we would not be having this conversation.”
Of course the head of the intelligence division would be smart enough to realize that. However, he was overlooking one thing. What someone might want from Greshe Khaaran might be surprisingly obvious.
“Oh, but we do have something to offer them. We can offer them our friends of more than a thousand years: The mountains. The one thing that Greshe Khaaran has not lost following Teldarion's defeat is its secure geographical location.”
The room broke in a hubbub, with people trying to talk over each other. “What?” “Unacceptable!” “There is still dignity left within us!” The captain of the royal guard calmed everyone down.
Advertisement
“Everyone, quiet! We still don't know exactly what the King means by this.” He then turned his intense eyes toward me. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
I let out a bitter laugh. Unfortunately, it's not much different from what they think it means.
“Sorry to disappoint you, they do want every single one of us to bend the knee and recognize Aurelya as our new ruler. Although, supposedly I can keep my title as king...” Confusion broke out again with outraged voices all around. “Quiet! You will listen to me to the end!” They quieted down, but none of them were calm. “From what I understand, Aurelya plans a grand vengeance on the world for the fact that all of her children are dead. For that, she seeks a safe haven, from which she will wreak havoc. It seems that Bereul suggested Greshe Khaaran to her.”
Confusion broke out again. It's starting to get annoying. I summoned these people to calmly think about how to deal with this situation, instead I have grown men in front of me holding their heads, lamenting and losing their temper. Well, at least a few of them were still somewhat calm.
“If you can't calm down, then you should just leave now! We are wasting time here!”
Well, it's not a surprise that the head of the artificer division would keep his calm. The stubborn old man is one of the last few remaining beacons of hope in my crumbling kingdom.
“Thank you.” I take a deep breath and momentarily mull over the words I will say next. “Some of you might not be very happy with what I am about to say next, but I believe that more than a problem, this situation might be an opportunity for us.” They held their reaction. Good, now the conversation might flow. “As you all well know, there are some who believe that opposing Teldarion was a mistake. Are we going to commit the same mistake?”
Advertisement
Some said yes, some said no. The captain of the royal guard did not look too happy.
“With all due respect, my king, the situation is quite different from back then. It's not like the Exalted buys our products. Besides, it is no small matter the ethical implications of siding with a Tyrant. This time, we might just be wiped off the map completely.”
The head of the artifice division scoffed at that.
“Hah! Wipe us off the map? How? Tharaz Eron was able to break us almost completely through trade without lifting a single sword against us. What could they do that would be worse than that? If they come invading us, I say we just slaughter them. But still, now I am intrigued. What would the three of them have to offer us, my King? It must be a good offer if they want the kingdom in exchange.”
Good, the conversation was now going into the direction that I wanted.
“First, Aurelya promises not to kill any citizens of the kingdom that aren't elves.”
The captain of the guard glared and cut me off.
“Are we just abandoning the elves then?”
Voices erupted in response. “They abandoned us first!” “Yeah!” I hit the table with force to quiet them down.
“Quiet down! All of you!” I turned to the captain. “Yes, there is no choice. You haven't seen the hatred in her eyes. Even our own resentment pales in comparison to it. Now, second, they promise a restoration of Greshe Khaaran's dignity. Third, they promise prosperity to Greshe Khaaran.”
Even I knew it sounded too good. The head of intelligence division sounded doubtful as he asked.
“Let me be direct, do they have anything to back these promises.”
Of course not, but there was a more important point at stake.
“You will have to ask them about that, if you are so inclined. However, there is something else that is undeniable. Aurelya could easily just kill every single one of us and take this kingdom for herself afterwards. I'd rather try and make use of her while I have the chance.”
Of course, nobody looked surprised when I said that. Maybe that is why they were all on edge from the start. They knew as well as I did that, in the end, this was an offer we could not truly refuse.
“We are listening, my King.”
Advertisement
From Nothing
Rejoice Humanity! You have been invited to join the Galactic Hegemon. It is time for our Centenary Caste Competition. The best 1% of humanity will be given a 1 cycle tutorial before the 5 cycle contest. Be brave, be bold, but most of all, be strong and earn your place and privileges. Burning red letters hung large in the vision of everyone on earth that knew a written language. At the same moment that smartest, fastest, and strongest people on the planet disappeared with nothing to mark their passing. After a cycle of training and growth they would compete to earn their place in their suddenly expanded galaxy. This is not their story. Joe did his best to take care of his parents house and stay healthy. He was the only one of the four family members not chosen. The societal upheaval made by the announcement made the inflation and purges of the 20's seem pleasant by comparison but he keeps his head down and survives. Once the next message arrives 11 months later about the contest starting, even that society broke down into city states around large population centers. Joe tightened his belt and looked forward to the day that his family returned. Two years later burning red letters once again filled his vision. Humanity, the last of your competitors have been eliminated. Your determined caste level is 13 of 13. As such your planet has been claimed and will be repurposed for ideal resource production. Rifts will be seeded across the planet to increase resources and mana density. Your orbit will be corrected to ideal Hegemon standard. Do not interfere with any Hegemon activity, as the bottom caste you have no rights. Rejoice that all castes receive at least the basic Hegemon Growth System. Better luck next century. Joe didn't comprehend any of it. His family was dead. Everything he cared about was gone.
8 133Elemental God
Azuel is a demon that had lived his life fueled by the urge of revenge....Finally fulfilling his goal, he embraces death but fate has another plan for him.....
8 140adVerse Wishes
Rose Smith, living in a poor world struggles to get over her grandpa's suspicious death in South Carolina but soon finds it was a murder...by a piano! Strong willed, Rose displays her determination to avenge her grandpa's death by fighting the piano, but at the same time, she has another battle to face being the new girl. Rose happened to move into her grandpa's house from Ohio after he died and with her old apartment she left all of her friends. With two negligent parents, Rose lacks in social interaction until she becomes best friends with a wealthy girl named Marylyn whom she meets at her new school. After breaking the traumatic news about the instrument in her grandpa's old house, Marylyn and Rose fight the piano with all the power they have.
8 181Alaska's Illicit
"If the cold doesn't kill you, the wolves will."NOT A WEREWOLF STORYBook 1 of 2.In which an 18-year-old girl flees to Alaska to escape being accused of murder & to uncover what happened to her uncle. Involves two gentle giants.Completed. :) MORE INFORMATION INSIDE.
8 141Seventh Seal
A band of mercenaries, trying to change the world, adventure by adventure. They'll take any job, be it bandits, monsters, demons or dragons.This is a spinoff/ sequel to Katarina the Witch Hunter. It takes place roughly 300~ years after Katarina's story. While it's not completely necessary to read Katarina first, it will fill in a lot of background information. [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 170Because You Broke Me
A variety of poems about a girl who's been through several heartaches - fought too many battles and cried a lot of tears but she's still here.#36 in poetry (5)
8 124