Salazar grinned as he left the large tent that the dwarf king resided in , not far from the Marianna snakes lair.
As he looked up at the stars ,glittering like jewels upon the darkness of the night, he called up his most recent quest again.
[Sudden quest: Get the phoenix queen to support you. ]
[Rewards
1. Hints on how to proceed in order to become the next Monster king.
2. A high position among her retainers
3. System skill-[Soul imprisonment ]
Time -unlimited.
He tried to get information in the soul imprisonment skill but it was locked. He shrugged. It didn't matter, he'd find out about it soon enough.
His grin widened. In three days time , he'd join the dwarf group to return to the capital to partake in the Apex summit, which would he held at the Phoenix queens residence known as the Phoenix Perch- a large hollow mountain which reached high into the clouds , around which the city was built.
He couldn't wait. He raised a fist and pointed it to the heavens. I'm gonna leave this world soon, so don't get too attached.
He chuckled as he went to find his own tent to sleep.
Meanwhile , in the large tent , the dwarf king sat behind a large mahogany desk, that had been adjusted to meet his height. Although it was just a desk, it's legs were intricately designed with sculptures of giants , holding it up.
Dwarven massaged his temples , while he was deep in thought. He suddenly reached for his war hammer , leaning against the side of his desk , just as the flap of his tent opened and his advisor walked in.
With a sigh, he king relaxed. "My lord?" His advisor and friend sent him a questioning look but he just waved it away. "I'm just a little on edge right now. Don't worry about it. "
His advisor nodded worriedly ," My king. I know it's not my place , but can you explain to me why you'd allow a golem to accompany us to see the queen. What if he has ulterior motives. Not only will he cause trouble , but he'll ruin our already declining reputation. We can't aff-"
"Would you have me go back on my word Malek. A kings word is law. Now that I've promised him, I'll have to follow up. Besides -" his expression narrowed. "He's not a normal golem. "
Malek nodded as he recalled how the golem had eaten the Marianna snakes resilient body as though it were nothing , and he shuddered.
"In the current state of our army , I can't refuse this guy. I'll just have to pray and hope for the best. "
Malek didn't say anything in response.
"We'll be leaving tomorrow so that we can arrive at the capital before the parade starts," Dwarven nodded and waved him away still deep in thought.
.....
The group arrived at the capital of the Phoenix's kingdom- Vespa, just as the celebration began. Just before the Apex summit, there was a parade through the town , after which the subordinates would ascend to the Phoenixes perch.
They arrived just as the parade started. The strongest warriors in the entire territory paraded through the streets , showcasing their muscles and their abilities. Salazar saw a saber tooth tiger , a fiery mane lion , an frost serpent and many other strange and powerful beasts. It took visible effort on his part not to rush forward and try to devour them.
After about three hours , Dwarven led them through an underground tunnel at a hidden area of the capital , that led through the city, and into the Phoenix perch directly. Apart from the Phoenix, no one was strong enough to so high to enter through the top , and so , this was the only way to enter.
Because of her strength , there were no guards within the tunnel. After all ,which madman would try to sneak into her residence.
The group finally arrived.
Salazar looked around at the high mountain walls that encased them warily. He could see cracks on the walls and ground that glowed red , providing the only illumination in the place.
Glancing up , he could only just barely see the opening at the top and gulped. What kind of person lives in such an ominous place. He began to panic. How as he supposed to convince such a person to help him.
There was a giant ash -gray throne at the end of the space. It looked out of place in the setting , but since no one had commented about it , he didn't think he should either.
It was only after he calmed down that he noticed the other subordinates. The Phoenix queen had 4 different people who directly attended to her territory.
Including the dwarf king, there were the elf king , the werewolves alpha, and the leader of the birds of prey.
The werewolves alpha turned his gleaming yellow eyes in their direction and grinned , revealing sharp yellow teeth. "Oh , lil one. I didn't think you'd make it this time. How goes it ?"
Although Dwarven showed no reaction, several of his subordinates clenched their fist and teeth. From what he could infer , it would seem that there was some kind of internal conflict. Already, he was thinking of a way to use the situation to his advantage.
The dwarves were the weakest direct subordinates of the Phoenix. The only reason why they were allowed to stay was because of they're great crafting skills, and extraordinary physical strength. Because of this, the other subordinates looked down on them , and the person who bullied them the most were the werewolves.
Their king was even looking for ways to forcefully replace them with his own subordinates. The only reason he hadn't made a move was because he was wary of the Phoenix s retaliation if he went against her.
Dwarven just looked on impassively and didn't react. The alpha just chuckled and turned away. The elf king stepped forward ," Now that everyone's here , we can finally proceed. "
He werewolves grinned as they glanced openly at the dwarves. "As is our tradition , every Apex summit , before our lady makes an appearance , the subordinates under her will send a person from their group to display their strength. This will be used to determine the next ranking of her subordinates until the next meeting. "
A lot of the dwarves paled. Just from their reaction ,Salazar could tell that they were always last. It was no wonder that they were always being bullied.
The elf king continued. "Usually , the competition would have involved fighting against each other to determine the victor , but our lady seems concerned about something right now. As such , this year , instead of fighting , we shall do a simple display of magical power. It would cause no harm to those involved , but would also clearly allow us to at least judge a persons potential. Are we all agreed. "
At his words, the dwarves relaxed, their tense shoulders sagged as they projected untold relief. But their king still had no emotional response. All the 4 subordinates agreed and so the wolves stepped forward first.
"Hahahahahaha, we'll go first if you guys don't mind, " their king bellowed with a loud voice.....