Just inside the tent was a long wooden table that was lit up with numerous smoky candles. Tucked in a corner was a small bed that was padded with expensive looking furs. Feasting at the table was over a dozen exquisitely dressed nobles.
Speaking with precisely measured decorum, no less and no more than was absolutely necessary. Duke Freidrich walked in and bowed to the man sitting at the head of the table. "Your majesty. As per your instructions, I have brought the summoned hero Miyata Hanako, and Sir Richard of Wittenfeld who found her in his lands. As well as the demi-human adventuring party."
Richard had stopped behind Viscount Detlev, who had stopped just behind the Duke. At his introduction, everyone behind the duke got down on one knee, with our heads bowed and both palms pressed flat against the ground.
Before bowing though, I was able to get a good look at the emperor. He looked to be in his mid to late fifties, with a long black beard that had a single white streak weaving its way through the thick hair. Unlike the rest of his nobles, he was wearing full plate armor, and over that, he had a black cape that was embroidered in gold and mithril thread with the imperial bear crest. He also had a jeweled mithril crown that merely seemed to be complementary to his status of emperor, his air and aura spoke louder than any crown that he was the emperor.
The emperor made a gesture, and the minstrels who were playing lutes and flutes packed up their instruments and left the tent. He then spoke up with a voice with a voice that was deeper and more intimidating than a grizzly bear. "Thank you, Duke Friedrich. I have heard various reports via messengers, but I would like to hear a direct report."
Duke Friedrich, instead of turning to Richard, who had the firsthand knowledge of all the events and people involved, he turned to Viscount Detlev. He probably would've asked Count Nicholas, his direct report, but the count was busy getting his troops settled down in the massive camp.
Viscount Detlev stood up and bowed reverently in a way that made it difficult to determine whether he was bowing to the emperor, the duke, or the assembled nobles. "My lords and lieges, I am humbled by your attention. My knight, Sir Richard, has relayed to me the story of his meeting the summoned hero and the Yankee Adventuring Party. If you would please bear with me, I will tell the tale he told me. I beg your indulgence during my narration, since multiple portions of his story would be difficult, even well nigh impossible to believe, had I not seen the proofs for myself."
The Viscount then gave a detailed history based on the information that Richard had either experienced firsthand, or that we had told him later after meeting again in the empire. It was tastefully edited, and said in the noble words and phrases that the imperial nobility seemed to utilize, but it basically detailed how Richard found Miyata in his lands, and how he came to meet and hire our party.
"You are quite fortunate, Duke Friedrich, to have among your ranks not one, but two, full blooded elves." A noble that sat near the middle of the table on the emperor's left, spoke up when Viscount Detlev finished his tale. His dark blond hair was grown out and arranged in a manner similar to the elves. "I must confess, I find myself to be jealous of your good fortune. Truly, you must have been smiled upon by Hapiau, goddess of luck."
Duke Friedrich glared at the noble in annoyance while Viscount Detlev bowed and stepped back out of the spotlight. "Duke Markolf, I'm sure I will feel your envy from the front lines, as myself and my men weather the waves of the goblin assault, while you and your weak half elves fling spells at your leisure."
Duke Friedrich's remarks were met with satisfied nods from some of the nobles, while the nobles sitting around Duke Markolf scowled in anger. Another noble, this time from the group sitting to the emperor's right, spoke up. This noble had a long beard that was arranged in a braid in imitation of a dwarven beard.
"I personally find myself more begrudging of the favor the ancestors have shown Duke Friedrich in sending two dwarves into his forces. Not to mention one of them is a confirmed dragon killer, I look forward to fighting alongside them."
Suppressing an annoyed sigh, Duke Friedrich looked over at the bearded noble. "As I you, Duke Hartwin. But if I may be so bold, your majesty, I assure you that neither the elves nor the dwarves will affect Viscount Detlev's performance in the coming campaign."
"His majesty is assured by your promises, Duke Friedrich." A noble that was sitting at the emperor's right hand said with an imperious nod. "Your lieges story was unique, but since I doubt that a few elves and dwarves, as well as a member of a forgotten race, will make a difference in the war, I request that your majesty take charge of the summoned hero, and conclude the meeting. There is much that needs to be done if we are to move out tomorrow."
The emperor growled and glared angrily at the noble. "Archduke Grimwald. There is still much to discuss. However, those who believe that the introduction of a new summoned hero is inconsequential, may leave to prepare their men."
There was a few minutes of intense discussion between the nobles and their servants as they made their decision. Once the servants left with their instructions, the nobles relaxed again and looked to the emperor with reverent expectancy. None of them had left the meeting.
Leaning forward in his seat, the emperor peered at Miyata, who was still kneeling uncomfortably next to us. "You are the summoned otherworlder Miyata Hanako, who received celestial blessings from the goddess Hela, correct?"
I was kneeling next to Miyata, so the emperor's gaze wasn't directly towards me, but the weight of his aura felt heavier than a mountain. It was like a mountain got hurled via catapult and grazed my cheek.
Miyata got hit with the full force of the emperor's aura, she paled and instinctively prostrated herself as if she were meeting a Japanese emperor. "Hai!" Her translator device fell out of her ear from the rapidity of her movements, leaving the nobles unable to understand her.
"Your majesty." A minister standing behind leaned down to speak to the emperor. "Miss Miyata doesn't appear to have the same rebellious streak that the other summoned hero had."
Duke Friedrich's eyes slightly widened, and he took in a sharp breath with a start. "There was another summoned hero?"
I understood his surprise. In all of my history lessons and studies of the past, there had only ever been one summoned hero at a time, no matter how much magic was used or how many mages performed the summoning spell. The fact that there were two summoned heroes in this world at the same time, meant that the gods felt that this threat to the world was unprecedented in scale and severity. I gulped nervously at the possibilities.
The minister glanced at Duke Friedrich with mild irritation. "Your grace, I acknowledge that the news is surprising, but please maintain your decorum in his majesty's presence." He then turned back to the emperor. "Your majesty, may I suggest speaking to Miss Miyata in the same manner you speak with your granddaughter. She may respond better to that."
Nodding in thought, the emperor addressed Miyata again, this time without the overwhelming presence. "Miss Miyata, I would like for you to speak with you personally. You may rise and address me directly."
Miyata appeared to be shaken by the emperor's previous aura, and for once, she didn't stand up with her usual flibbertigibbet energy. "Konbanwa- I mean, good evening, your majesty. I-I look forward to fighting on behalf of this world."
"You speak Imperial, otherworlder?" A noble asked, leaning forward in surprise.
"Y-yes, Mr. Kvalinn gave me this device so that I could understand everyone. He then taught me how to speak with everyone." Miyata picked up the translation device I had made for her, and held it up. The nobility leaned forward in interest.
"Your majesty, perhaps Miss Miyata could assist the other hero to learn the language. The Heroes Order is growing weary of constantly charging the translation device and his rebellious attitude."
"Hmm, that would be helpful. He has thus far rejected attempts to learn our language, but perchance the example of Miyata would prompt him to take his studies seriously. Call for him immediately." At the emperor's words, the minister gave instructions to a servant. A few minutes later, the servant returned with a distinctly Japanese highschool kid.
"Baka-Taka!" Miyata hissed angrily as she jumped to hide behind me, even though I was still kneeling. She then took out her translation device and spat several harsh sentences at the other summoned hero in their native tongue.
"Oh yeah? Same to you, Miyata." The summoned hero sneered, his own translation device turning his words to Imperial. "What happened, did you get locked in a septic tank again? Maybe you need another reminder of what it smells like."
Miyata was about to start speaking harshly again from the safety of behind me, when the emperor glared at her, projecting his aura once more. "Miyata." He only needed to growl out the single word for her to kneel next to me. The other hero was about to spit out some biting remarks, but the emperor turned to glare at him as well. "Takamori. Sit down."
Takamori scowled at the emperor for a minute, waging a war of wills, before sitting down on a stool provided by a servant. I glanced up to look at Takamori. He had the distinctive black hair unique to Japanese people, but it was sloppily cut and worn longish. He looked to be around nineteen years old, with sneering eyes and a belittling smile that caused me to raise my hackles instinctively. I could see that Bekhi had the same reaction as she flexed her hand as if it were holding a weapon.
"Takamori. The reason I called for you was to introduce you to a fellow summoned hero, but it seems you already know each other." The emperor kept his aura turned on the entire time he was talking to Takamori, willing him to obedience.
Takamori nodded with barely suppressed insubordination. "Yes, your majesty. We went to the same school, and the magic circle that brought me here, also appeared under her."
"Is it possible that other summoned heroes have appeared in this world?" A noble at the lower end of the table asked.
"Wait, really?" Miyata asked, standing up suddenly. "Could my classmates have come here as well? Where are they? Are they nearby? Do they need translator devices too? Can you find them?"
"Miyata." The emperor growled, causing her to hastily kneel again. "As a summoned hero who is new to this world, you will not be held to the same standards as the commoners. But there are limits to this grace, interrupting nobility being one of them."
He then turned to Richard. "Sir Richard of Wittenfeld. Your discovery and training of the summoned hero Miyata is commendable, and will be rewarded should we survive the coming campaign. I will be taking charge of Miyata so that she may fight by my side as a summoned hero, and then later, stand by my side as a royal ward."
Miyata started, and fidgeted uncomfortably while Richard sighed in relief before replying.
"Thank you, your majesty. I hope that even without Miyata's contributions, I and my men will be able to bring honor to my liege lord." Richard then stood up and after giving the imperial salute, turned to leave. We were supposed to follow his example, so myself and my party stood to leave as well. Miyata tried to sneak out alongside us.
However, before we could escape, the emperor's voice rumbled out. "Kvalinn Runecursed, where do you think you are going? There are still items I must discuss with you and your party. Also, Miyata, you are a royal ward now, you cannot stay with the forces of a landed knight." As we were about to resume our uncomfortable kneeling position, he continued. "I give you and your party special permission to stand for the rest of the meeting, I would like to look in your eyes as we talk."
"Your majesty, is this really necessary?" Archduke Grimwald said in a dismissive tone. "Just let the demi-human adventuring party return with Sir Richard, any business that you have with them can be conducted via Duke Friedrich, and not in person with commoners."
"This business is relevant to the upcoming campaign, and cannot wait." The emperor said, taking a tired sip of his beer mug and checking a piece of paper handed to him by a scribe. "Delimira and Jenise, you are, according to the report from Sir Richard, full blooded elves, is that correct?"
Delimira stepped forward and bowed in the manner of the elves. "That is correct, your majesty. I am of house Thilinire and my companion is of house Aedahl. Both are longstanding and respected houses that have spent centuries ensuring our blood is pure."
"Excellent." The emperor nodded to himself. "I would like to offer you two positions in the Imperial Mages, they are always complaining about not having enough magic. You will assume your duties when we return to the capital."
Delimira bowed in respectful refusal. "Thank you, your majesty, but I am Kvalinn's apprentice, and I still have much to learn."
"A shame, and what about you, Jenise?" The emperor turned to the other elf in our party.
Jenise trembled nervously, since the emperor still had his intimidation dial turned up to max to deal with the glowering Takamori, but after gulping nervously, she gave her answer. "I-I'm sorry, y-your majesty. But, I'd like to stay with my guardians, Kvalinn and Bekhi."
"...I see?" The emperor wasn't the only one who was confused, several other nobles looked befuddled as well.
Duke Markoff glanced between the two elves with a furrowed brow. "Jenise, I thought you were part of house Aedahl. So why would two dwarves be your guardians?"
"If I may, your majesty." I spoke up to draw the attention of the nobles away from quivering Jenise, wincing as the focus struck me like a physical blow. "The story is rather long and convoluted, if you desire to hear the story, then would you mind providing food for my party?" As if to punctuate my request, Gerde, who had been leaning half asleep against Bekhi, had her stomach growl loudly enough to be heard throughout the tent.
The emperor chuckled humorously. "Understood. Frank, bring in food and drink for the yankees. Also, bring in the dwarven representatives from the Einangrad mountain." He then turned to Takamori. "You can go now. Do not harass anyone, servants or otherwise, on your way back to your tent."
Two heavily armed guards, wearing capes matching the emperor's, entered the tent, and deliberately escorted Takamori out. At the same time, servants bearing steaming food and a small barrel of dwarven beer. Gerde's ears and nose twitched cutely at the sound and smell of the food, and woke up a bit.
Around a quarter of the nobility left as well, with the emperor's permission of course. They were from territories that were closest to the assembly point, and thus had arrived first, so their men were more entrenched in the camp and would require more work to get moving again.
Alongside the food and beer, there were a couple of familiar figures.
"Dad!" Bekhi dumped Gerde on me, and dashed to hug tackle her dad with her usual linebacker hug. There was a loud clanging of metal on metal as their steel armor met, and it continued like ringing bells as they joyfully patted each other on the back. "Dad! I've missed you and mom so much! How is everyone doing back home? Did you get my letters? You would not believe what's happened since we left. Oh, right!" She jumped back over to me and Gerde, and led her over to her father, Dak. "Dad, this is my adopted daughter, Gerde."
"This is Gerde?" Dak asked with a surprised look on his face. "Isn't she a bit tall for a three year old?"
According to ancient texts, the beastkin race had been created with an accelerated growth rate in order to quickly grow an army to fight the first demon lord. So even at three years old, Gerde was at least four and a quarter feet tall, barely shorter than me if you don't count her wolf ears on the top of her head. Gerde, as a kid who was proud of her height, annoyingly always included her ears when we stood back to back to see who was taller.
"Dad, didn't you read my letter? Gerde's a beastkin, so she'll grow really fast." She then shook Gerde to wake her up a little more. "Gerde, remember the granddad I told you about in my stories? Will this is him. This is your granddad."
"Granddad?" Gerde sleepily rubbed her eyes, and sniffed in Dak's direction. It took a few minutes, but the lightbulb eventually went off and her face lit up with a happy smile. "Granddad!" She then tackled Dak with the same linebacker hug that her mother had performed moments before.
"Oof!" Dak grunted. "Bekhi, is it just me, or is Gerde almost stronger than you?"
"She's getting close," Bekhi said with a grin. "As long as she keeps up with her training, then she'll get even stronger than Barirdrolim Chaosshaper, the dwarf who could tunnel through mountains with a single swing of his pick ax."
"I can believe it. How's her ax work? Or is she a hammer girl? Don't tell me she fights with a sword!"
As Bekhi, Dak, and Gerde, had a heartwarming family reunion. My father walked up to me with a frown and a scowl. "Kvalinn." He rumbled in a tone that let me know I was in a lot of trouble.
All my previous plans of distraction to evade his fury went out the window at the sound of his voice, leaving me meek and helpless against whatever he was mad about. "Yes, Father?"
"What in the ancestors name were you thinking?!" He boomed out. "I don't blame you for rescuing Gerde from the Eternal Forest, but adopting her?! While underage! Not to mention you were in the midst of a guard quest. And what's this? You gave her runed weapons? She's barely older than you when I first started training you at the forge, she's way too young to be wielding weapons. Also, my ears must have played tricks on me, I thought I heard something about you taking a damned elf as an apprentice? Why by the ancestors beards would you take an elf as an apprentice? Or even take an apprentice at all? You are a century too young to even think of taking an apprentice, let alone an elven one."
"Father!" I interrupted. "Delimira took me as a master, I didn't take her as an apprentice at first, but I had a good reason to later teach her weapon crafting."
"Hmph, I'll be the judge of that. Speaking of judging, how long have you been teaching her? Is the sword at her side your work or hers?"
I switched to speaking in Imperial, since my father had been lecturing me in consonant heavy language of the dwarves, and turned to Delimira. "Delimira, would you mind giving me your sword and dagger? My father wants to inspect them." With the weapons in hand, I passed them over to my father. "I made the sword, as you can tell from the runes, and Delimira made the dagger under my supervision."
"Hmmm." My father inspected the sword carefully, checking the edge, feel, strength, point, and every square inch of the blade. "Not bad. You've been neglecting your practice though. You need to do less teaching and more smithing. Now, let's see how good your teaching abilities are." He then proceeded to give the same checks to the elf made dagger. It did not take long. "Adequate, but barely. Although… She has potential. Maybe after a few centuries, she will be able to make weapons of dwarven quality. If we survive this, I'll give her a crash course to make up for your lackluster training."
"Well, Kvalinn?" Delimira tapped me on the shoulder and looked down at me with shining expectant eyes. "What did your father say?"
I didn't want to translate his harsh review, so I decided to omit a bit. "He says he'll train you later if we survive the campaign."
My attempt to spare her feelings failed. Her eyes dimmed in disappointment. "So he wasn't impressed. I guess we'll have to train twice as hard when we find a forge."
"More training!" Gerde chirped happily as waved a drumstick like a sword.
"Hey, Gerde." I called out in Dwarven. "This is my father, so he's your grandfather, don't forget to give him a hug too."
"Grandfather!" Gerde rushed to give my father a hug, and promptly bowled him over with the impact of a quarterback. "Grandfather! You taught papa how to make weapons? You're so cool! Can you teach me how to make weapons too? I want to make dragon killing weapons like papa can make."
"Hjerouhrdinn's hammer! She's strong! OW!" My father's pained cries prompted Gerde to loosen her grip a little, but she didn't let him up off the ground. Her tail wagged merrily in the air like a fan as she nuzzled against her grandfather.
Eventually, Gerde was coaxed to let my father go. Bribed with more food and fruit juice to return her attention to her plate. My father groaned as he got back up on his feet.
"Goblins grog." He moaned, wincing in pain. "You broke several anvils with your damned runes when you were a kid, but your adoptive daughter could probably break one with her bare hands."
I glanced over at Gerde, who was now cheerfully gnawing on a drumstick of meat that was bigger than her head, if her strength kept increasing at its current exponential rate, then it was entirely possible that she would be able to smash an anvil when she grew up. Maybe that was why humanity had enslaved her race centuries ago.
My thoughts were interrupted by the emperor clearing his throat. "Kvalinn, we are still waiting to hear how you are the guardian of an elf girl."
A servant presented me with a large mug of dwarven beer, high quality and stronger than a troll by the scent, alongside a tasty cut of meat. Feeling the emperor's, and the nobility's impatience, I wolfed down the meat and washed it down with the beer. Hopefully I'd get the chance to try food that high quality again someday without an emperor staring me down.
Doing my best to keep my Imperial as polite as possible, I proceeded to tell the assembled nobles about my time among the Issanorian elves. It was an abridged story of course, there wasn't time for the full tale, and telling the emperor that Delimira was the Chancellor's daughter would likely be a bad idea. She became my apprentice to get out of arranged marriages, and letting an emperor know that the daughter of a national leader was in his presence was a one way ticket to an interspecies forced marriage.
After I finished my story, with us waking up in the empire, the emperor let out a sigh that conveyed a variety of emotions. Dak was much less subtle.
"Botvid's bilge! You not only ignored the ancestral grudge completely, and went to the cursed island of Issanore, but you also attended a school meant for the damned elves! What in the ancestors name were you thinking? Are you trying to be barred from the Halls of the Ancestors?! Even if you get in, Hjerouhrdinn himself will lecture you for eternity on the subject of honor."
All of the above threats were shouted in the Dwarven language, and were also common threats against wayward youths. I knew that this would be the reaction from any dwarves who heard my tale, some might even issue a personal grudge against me for my interactions with the elves. But the results were worth it.
Dak's lecture was cut short by a loud chuckling sound. We looked and saw that the emperor's shoulders were heaving in amused laughter. "I must say, Kvalinn. I do not think I've ever heard such a fantastical tale in all my life. Have any of you ever heard anything like this?"
The nobles shook their collective heads in disbelief. One or two nobles were even mentally deliberating if I was making the whole thing up, but the presence of the two elves was difficult to discount.
"By the gods." Duke Markolf exclaimed. "Duke Friedrich, would it be possible for me to take over the contract with this adventuring party? I would like to hire them into my forces permanently once this campaign is over."
"Why bother?" Another noble asked rudely. "Is your vaunted elven heritage curdling your brain like it has your blood?"
"Duke Siegward! That sort of boorish behavior is exactly why the other races avoid interaction with the empire."
Duke Siegward shrugged in an uncaring manner. "We don't need the other races. Your reliance on half elves to bolster your magic forces weakens you. I'm sure that in the coming battle, you'll see that the men of Schaffsiedeln fight infinitely better without elven magic or dwarven weapons diminishing their humanity."
The duke's words caused more than half the table to twitch in anger. The emperor leaned forward and growled at Duke Siegward. "Are you suggesting that Schaffsiedeln will follow the example of Einstuhl in the coming days, and will rebel against the empire?"
Crumbling like a house of cards, Duke Siegward deflated and deferred to the emperor's authority. Protesting that he wouldn't ever think of rebelling.
Order now restored to the meeting, the emperor turned to me, blasting out the full force of his aura. "Delimira. Jenise. I wish to amend my earlier offer." The two elves looked up from the mugs of weak human wine that they had been served. "As with Takamori and Miyata, I wish for the two of you to become royal wards. Kvalinn, I will assume the guardianship for Jenise, and Delimira may continue her apprenticeship under you as a ward of the empire."
The emperor's words were barely phrased as a request, and the tone made it abundantly clear that this was a national leader issuing an order. There was no room for quibbling, debate, or negotiation.
Everyone in my party seemed to realize that as well. Delimira and Jenise looked conflicted, they knew as well as I did that we couldn't fight against an empire, but they didn't want to become separated from our party. Bekhi, rankled by the imperious tone taken by the emperor, gripped her shield and looked to me for a doomsday weapon.
"Mama, are big sis Del and Jenise going away?" Gerde seemed to get the gist of the situation, but all the new words were confusing her.
"I'm not going anywhere, Gerde." Delimira said, with just a hint of nervousness slipping into her voice. "We'll train with your papa again soon."
"Your majesty." Duke Siegward exclaimed, standing up in fury without a hint of decorum. "Having demi-human royal wards would be a slap in the face for every noble in Schaffsiedeln, Einstuhl, and Helventer. It is unthinkable, their kind have no place in the living quarters of the Imperial Palace."
"Duke Siegward!" Duke Markolf joined Siegward in standing in anger. "Your xenophobia is unworthy of an imperial noble!" He then turned to the emperor, with a much more obsequious tone. "Your majesty, once the elf girls are royal wards, I would request that you consider allowing my sons to court them."
"Your majesty!" Duke Hartwin stood up as well. "My colleague is just attempting to secure a one of a kind dwarf into his employment. One who has been trained in both dwarven and elven arts. Besides, the two elves have already expressed that they wish to stay with the dwarves. I say we should honor their wishes as independent adventurers."
"Yes. Let them scurry around as the commoner demi-humans that they are." Duke Siegward spat out.
The rest of the nearly dozen nobles sitting around the table stood up, arguments and insults started being flung across the table like it was a family reunion that was only in-laws. The minister's attempts to restore order and decorum were shouted down. Even the emperor's full aura, blasting out like a blazing inferno, wasn't sufficient to get the meeting of strong willed nobles back under control.
At first, I sat back and watched. This was messy internal politics that I had no business sticking my nose into. Plus, it was way more entertaining than elven politics, and less bloody than dwarven politics since none of the nobles were swinging hammers.
However, when Duke Siegward and those in his faction started lobbing personal insults at me and my party that criticize everything from Gerde's and the elves' ears to my height and lack thereof, I began to lose my temper. A single insult about my missing beard, and questions about my maternal ancestry finished the job.
"Enough!" I roared, my voice cracking embarrassingly as I shouted. To emphasize my point though, I cracked the table in half with a single swing of a runed hammer. "Delimira and Jenise are respectively my apprentice and ward. I will not hand them over to anyone."
"Finally." Bekhi sighed with relief as she took her place next to me, weapons drawn. But once she was closer, she whispered to me. "Are you sure about this, Kvalinn?"
"No," I whispered back, "but follow my lead."
The rest of my party formed up behind me, weapons drawn.
"Damned demi-humans!" Duke Siegward spat at us. "Your heads are forfeit for drawing weapons in his majesty's presence! Guards! Seize them, and hold them for execution in the morning!"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I said coldly as the heavily armed imperial guardsmen moved forward. I took a rune out of my pocket and held it up for all to see. "You just saw the destructive power of a stable rune, this right here though, this is one of my experimental runes. Not even I know what it will do, how destructive it will be, or even when it will go off. Who knows, it might even explode in my hands, and wipe out the entire imperial army."
"KVALINN!" My father bellowed at me, in equal parts worry and anger. "Did you seriously make an experimental rune?!"
"Possibly." I called back in the dwarven language. The rune in my hand wasn't overly dangerous, but I didn't want to risk having my bluff called if anyone in the vicinity spoke the dwarven language. My father bought it though, both he and Dak paled and ducked behind their shields as if expecting an explosion.
The emperor, taking note of my father's reaction, waved off his guards and spoke to me in a concerned voice. "Kvalinn, Duke Siegward is technically correct. Drawing your weapons in my presence is a capital offense. But, since I do not wish to see both my armies and nobles disappear in a flash of celestial flam, I will pardon you this once. So put away the rune, have your party sheath their weapons, and let us negotiate in good faith for the future of the elves."
"Your majesty!" Several nobles spoke out at once. The emperor stood up and glared them into submission.
"Silence. We march at dawn for the Tharkuldohr Mountains. Go, prepare your troops for one final push to reach the mountains." His tone brooked no opposition, and suggestive movements his guards, and my party, convinced them to leave. Grumbling like dwarves.
Once the last noble left the tent, trembling servants entered and removed the shattered table while bringing in dwarf scaled chairs for us. They kept glancing at me like I was a live bomb so they had likely overheard our conversation from outside.
While the servants were busy cleaning, Dak cautiously sidled up to me. "Kvalinn, was that really one of your experimental runes?"
"Nope. Well, sort of. It's experimental in that no sane sentient race would want it on their weapon, but it's stable and perfectly safe." I handed the rune stone over to Dak so that he could see what rune was inscribed on it.
He held it up to the light to better examine it, and once he realized which rune it was, he whacked me upside the head before lecturing me in the dwarven language. "You unbelievable rock chewing, pebble brained, dolt! I ought to reconsider letting Bekhi travel with you for that stunt!"
"What did he do, Dad?" Bekhi asked.
"He just threatened the emperor of the Throndian Empire, and the fifty thousand men accompanying him, with the Rune of Stench!"
"Kvalinn!" My father burst out, his brows drawing together in rage. "What type of son did I raise? A true dwarf only threatens if he has the weapons to back up his threat, we do not play with truth like the damned elves!"
"Agreed." Bekhi chimed in with a nod. "It would've felt more honorable to beat up a couple of those guards, and those asshole nobles, before agreeing to negotiate."
Before I could reply, the minister standing behind the emperor cleared his throat to catch our attention. "Ahem. If we can proceed to business, the hour grows late, and his majesty's time is limited." Once we took our seats, the emperor turned to me with an annoyed gaze.
"So, Kvalinn. What will it take for you to pass over your rights as guardian of the two elves, and how can we convince the elven girls to become royal wards."
Delimira stood up from her seat, barely restraining her feelings. "Your majesty, there is nothing you could say that could convince me to become a royal ward. Even if Kvalinn dismissed me as his apprentice, I would still never become a pawn in someone else's political games. Never again."
"U-um, I'm with Delimira, y-your majesty." Jenise meekly added. "I do not wish to become a royal ward."
"Do I get a choice too?" All of us started, and looked at Miyata. She had somehow stuck around in the tent without anyone noticing her.
The emperor gave a tired sigh. "No, Miyata. As a hero summoned from another world, both tradition and honor bind me as the one who summoned you here, to take you in as a royal ward. There can be no debate about this. It is not a bad fate though. You will be sent to the Imperial Academy for a few years to teach you the manners and ways of the nobility, after that you will be expected to take a husband from the nobility. From then on, you may do as you please for the rest of your life, provided of course that you fulfill your duties as a member of the imperial nobility."
"So an arranged marriage is in the cards if we become royal wards. I'll pass on that." Delimira said with a sarcastic eye roll. "I didn't smuggle myself off the island in a crate to marry an ephemeral human."
"Are you sure there is nothing I can do to change your mind?" The emperor asked. "You are currently the apprentice of a young dwarf, but as a royal ward, the best weapon smiths in the empire would be available to teach you. Jenise, you would have the might of the empire guarding you, watching over you until you grow up."
Delimira was about to start swearing in Issanorian, and while the elven language doesn't have quite as many swear words as the dwarven language does, they can weave magic into their curse words to literally curse you. So I stepped in before things got messy.
"Your majesty, you said that you have a responsibility to take in the otherworldly heroes since you summoned them. But why do you want to take in Delimira and Jenise? You have no responsibility towards them, and more than a couple of your nobles seem to be against you taking them in. So why do it?"
Heaving a sigh, the emperor glanced at his weapons. "It's because of their magic."
He didn't elaborate further than that, leaving his minister to explain. "His majesty is concerned by some of the reports that have come from the dwarves. Apparently there is some mention of the goblins using some previously unknown form of magic, and due to his enthusiasm for the martial arts, the Imperial Mages have been sorely neglected for decades, thus weakening its ability to defend the army from magic."
"Weakling mages." The emperor softly grumbled. "That is how I've mocked them ever since taking the throne, and now it has come to bite me in the ass." He looked up at us with sunken eyes. "Yes, you would be forced into arranged marriages eventually, but it would be in name only so that you could revive the Imperial Mages from the smoldering embers that I reduced them to. More importantly though, I need your magic in the coming battle, and since the positions near me are highly coveted by the nobility, I can only have you near me if you are royal wards. So please, is there anything in the empire that can make you change your minds?"
Delimira and Jenise were moved by the emperor's heartfelt plea, but I could tell they had no intention of changing their minds. There was silence for several minutes as the two girls tried to figure out how to gently turn down an emperor.
"Your majesty." I said while rubbing my chin. "Forgive me if this is oversimplifying things, but in the short term, you only want the elves to be royal wards so that their magic can protect you in the fight, is that correct?"
"They will also be protecting my guardsmen and those nobles who fight alongside me against the goblins, and any feats of honor they accomplish will be directly seen by me. Justifying to the likes of Duke Siegward that they are worthy to become my wards."
"But they aren't going to agree to become royal wards." I interjected, pointing my thumb to the two girls. "They're perfectly fine watching the empire collapse before they become royal wards, so let's forget about that since it's not going to happen."
"U-um, Kvalinn." Jenise spoke up, but I winked at her and made the zip it gesture. I knew they didn't want to see an entire country collapse from goblin attacks, but like a used car salesman, I had to up the ante to close the deal.
"But, I have an alternative, your majesty." I continued from where I left off. "The hammer that smashed the table just now was but one of over a dozen magic weapons possessed by my party."
"Good for you." The emperor interrupted. "But how does that help me defend my troops against the goblins' dark magic?"
"I was just getting to that." I could feel my inner yankee warm up, the scent of desperation and money filled my nostrils with its heady aroma like a strong beer. "I created nearly every weapon my party wields, and more importantly, I added the powerful runes and magic circles on each piece of equipment. And I can create more. If your majesty sent me ahead of the army, with instructions to the dwarves to provide me with a rune forge, I'd be able to make you and your guards equipment that can protect you against a variety of magic."
"Also, your majesty." Dak spoke up with unexpected backup. "We have brought hundreds of equally powerful weapons. More than we can use frankly, although their stability is questionable. We would be happy to provide them to your majesty's forces if you forget about the elves becoming royal wards."
"Where in the ancestor's name did you get hundreds of runed weapons?" I quietly whispered in Dwarven.
"Don't worry about it." Dak hissed. "Just keep doing whatever it is you're doing. I'm worrying more than enough about them."
His answer was troubling, but I put it off for later. Right now I needed to focus on sealing the deal with the emperor. "So what do you say, your majesty? Surely, magical weapons and armor are more than worth two royal wards that at least half your nobility would object to you taking in."
The emperor seemed swayed by my argument, but shook his head. "The problem is the other half of the nobility. The Magical Supremacy Faction that is led by Duke Markolf will hound even my heirs if I let this opportunity to bring full blooded elves into the empire slip through my fingers. Delimira and Jenise are not the only ones at stake, their descendents will doubtless have crucial roles to play in the coming decades."
"You say our descendants will be part of the empire, as if we're gonna be good little elves, and give you a bunch of subservient half elves that your line will marry off to your nobles for centuries. That's never going to happen you-"
I covered Delimira's mouth before her insults landed our heads on the chopping block, or guillotine, hangman's noose, or whatever the empire used for capital punishment.
"Look," I said, keeping my hand firmly over Delimira's mouth, "They aren't going to marry into the empire, at least not by royal decree. So let's forget about that and make a deal. If you absolutely need them to fight alongside you, how about you hire the Yankee Adventuring Party?"
"Can he do that?" Bekhi asked. "I thought we were already on a quest for R- I mean, Sir Richard. Won't we be charged with quest abandonment if we work for the emperor?"
To prevent adventurers from accepting quests and then just sitting on them or abandoning them halfway through, the Adventurer's Guild had strict penalties in place. Usually they were monetary, but numerous offenses, or a single big one, would prompt them to ban you from the guild. Fortunately, there was a loophole.
"There's a clause in the guild rules that says that superior authorities may supersede an issued quest and take control of the adventurer/adventuring party. So his majesty, as the ultimate authority, can have Sir Richard sign over the contract he has with us over to the emperor, and then we can fight alongside him."
"Are you mad, dwarf?" The minister burst out. "His majesty signing on with an adventuring party would be seen by his guard and the nobles that he does not trust them to keep him safe. It would cause discontent from the highest noble to the lowest footsoldier over the insult, it could even lead to a coup!"
"Then keep it off the books." Delimira said, tearing my hand away from her face. "I'm sure one of your trusty guards needs someone to 'hold his weapons for him as he fights'. He could sign the quest with our party, and once the battle starts, we'll all be too busy fighting for our lives to pay attention to the niceties of contract details."
"And you will still provide the weapons?" The emperor asked, leaning forward in interest.
"Yes, your majesty." I replied. "However, I'd be able to get them ready much faster if you sent my daughter and apprentice along with me. They are both trained in weaponsmithing."
The emperor leaned back in his chair, combing his hands through his beard for several minutes in thought. His minister mimicked his lord, his eyes darting all around the room as he ran through the political calculations.
Eventually, the emperor came to a decision. "I agree to your terms, Kvalinn Runecursed. I will have Sir Hugo, a novice in my guard, supersede your contract with Sir Richard so that you may fight by my side. As for the weapons, I will send you tonight in some empty supply wagons."
At the emperor's words, his minister sent for both Sir Hugo and Sir Richard. They arrived half dressed and bleary from lack of sleep since it was now nearly the middle of the night, and barely conscious, they signed any document put in front of them.
"One more thing." The emperor spoke up as my party was about to leave the tent. "Thredak, I would like your dwarves to fight close by me in the line. I am curious to see these weapons you spoke of in action."
Dak nodded respectfully. "Understood, your majesty. If you are sending Kvalinn ahead tonight, may I request sending his father, and a runesmith from our mountain? They are both the best in their craft in the entire mountain, and will be able to assist Kvalinn where his youth causes a deficit."
"That won't be a problem." The emperor said. "Kvalinn, I look forward to seeing what you can produce for me and my men. Do not disappoint me, or I may find that this informal agreement between us has slipped my mind."
"Understood, your majesty."
As we got in the empty supply wagon that would take us to the Tharkuldohr Mountains, I resolved to make the best weapons possible so that Delimira and Jenise wouldn't be forced into arranged marriages in the Empire.