Jack looked over at Elaine, seeing the elf blink slowly as she tried to process everything she just heard. Drake chuckled, sitting back in his chair with his hands behind his head.
"Well, that sure is a lot to dump on the poor girl. Hey, you just lost your entire people, now its all up to you. Good luck."
"But it's the truth." Midnight said, elbowing him in the ribs. "She is the princess of the elves, and the only person here that the emperor of the Duluhan Empire would even consider speaking with. They were known allies to the elves, and their war with the Twiverse Kingdom is nothing compared to the horror that is about to catch them by surprise."
"None of that matters." Jack said, stopping them before they could argue. "It is up to Elaine, and it is up to us whether we will join her. No use asking for an answer right now; let her rest first, give the idea some thought before deciding what she is going to do."
Elaine looked over at him, and he could see that she was grateful for his words. Of course, he knew that she would accept; she was too kind hearted to simply stay in the sanctuary and do nothing. But she appeared overwhelmed by everything they said, and she deserved to rest before adding the weight of the human race on her shoulders along with the rest.
The councilors sat down, Annie smirking and leaning back in her comfortable looking chair.
"Now, is there any questions you have for us before you leave? Take all the time you need."
Midnight did not hesitate, standing and placing her hands on the table.
"How many forces do you currently have? Do you plan on joining the war if we can convince the humans to cooperate, or do you plan on hanging back and waiting to see what happens? And when did you get here, Annie Lionheart?"
Annie laughed at the last question, looking Midnight in the eye as she answered.
"For capable warriors that can fight, we have four thousand humans, eight hundred dwarfs, two thousand elves, one thousand and three hundred dark elves, and five hundred vampires. Jerry is the only werewolf with us, and may be the last werewolf alive. Everyone else is simply too weak, old, young, or unwilling to fight. We will join the war, but we will hang in the rear of the armies, as most of the races here have lost enough of their people to the vampires. I deserted when I was ordered to attack an elven village and kill everyone there, including women and children. I grew tired of fighting a race that did not want a war, and left without a word."
Annie took a breath when she was finished, answering all three questions without pause. Midnight sat down, satisfied for the moment, and Drake stood up, towering over everyone else like a tower of muscle and bad jokes.
"I have never seen a dwarf before. Do only the guys have beards, or-"
He was cut off as both Jack and Midnight stood up and hit him in the ribs, Midnight standing on her tip toes and grabbing his ear, forcing him back into his chair as he protested.
Sigra burst out laughing, clearly having been asked the question before, and Jack remained standing, scratching his head and sighing.
"I apologize for our friend here; he has never been good at thinking before he speaks. Do you have somewhere for us to clean up, maybe get something to eat and drink, and rest? I would also like a tour of the sanctuary after I get out of this armor."
Annie stood up, and Jack just noticed that she had her sword at her hip; she also used an estoc, although hers was of much finer make than his, having a red gem in the pommel of the handle.
"I will show you where you will be staying, and will give you that tour you want. I am also curious to see how much your swordplay has advance; before I left, it seemed you started making a name for yourself, and I am eager to see just how terrifying you have become, Night Stalker."
He nodded, the others standing as she began to lead the way. Long ago, he would have been nervous and anxious at the thought of sparring with her, as every time he did ended with him on his rear, looking up at the wooden sword which was pointed at his face. That was years ago now, and he was more confident in his ability to handle a blade.
The other councilors bid their farewells, Bellator telling Elaine that he would like to speak to her whenever she had the time, maybe over some tea. Annie led them out of the building and deeper into the city, opposite the way they came, until she stopped in front of a large building. The building itself was plain and made of clay, but it was much better than sleeping on his cloak outside.
"This is the building you all will be staying, and it was set aside just for visitors such as yourself. I will wait here for Jack, and anyone else that wants to go somewhere."
They nodded, heading into the building. The door led into a large living room, with a large couch and a table with stairs, as well as a kitchen to prepare food. The instant the door closed Elaine turned to them, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"How did you three know that vampire? I was surprised to see any vampires here, let alone one that somehow looked beautiful and terrifying at the same time."
Jack groaned, already knowing what Drake was going to say as the large vampire threw his arm over Jack's shoulders, grinning like a fool as he spoke.
"Why, Annie was one of the sword instructors who taught new recruits how to use a sword. She also has advanced training for stabbing weapons, which Jack took. Oh, he also had a huge crush on her, and would get all red in the face whenever she was around. I almost died of laughter every single time."
Jack growled, shoving his arm off and sending him a cold look.
"That was years ago. All you need to know is that she is a powerful and clever elder vampire, and I will finally beat her in a duel after all these years."
"Sorry Jack, but I disagree." Midnight said, looking for where the rooms were and finding a hallway with doors on either side of it. "She duels without abilities, and she has hundreds if not thousands of years of experience over you. You will get knocked around like you always do."
"This is something I must see." Noelle said, smirking in his direction. "There is nothing like a powerful woman putting an overconfident man in his place."
Elaine looked at him, the only one smiling warmly as he sent Noelle a dirty look too.
"I will watch as well, although I will be vouching for Jack. I have yet to see anyone defeat him."
Jack nodded, the group heading to the hallway and picking out rooms. He picked the farthest one on the right, heading in and seeing that it was simple; a bed against the wall, a night stand, a small desk, and a dresser. He went about taking his armor off, piece by piece, grateful that the armor was made to be removed by one person; he has seen heavier armor, but it always required assistance to remove, and he preferred his medium weight armor.
When he was done, and had cleaned and dressed himself, he took a deep breath, getting himself mentally prepared to not only fight someone he has never beaten, but to do it with Elaine watching him. He would have to be in his top form, otherwise he would never forget the embarrassment.