Fliana Pleimellou cursed her terrible luck. Out of two possible escorts, she had been assigned to the xenophobic narcissist with mutilated elven slaves as the guards of herself and the envoy from Baharuth. She had no doubt in her mind that should she have the misfortune to be at the complete mercy of this man, he wouldn't hesitate to crush her horns and burn out her inhuman-looking eyes if he even gained the slightest and flimsiest excuse.
Why her Queen and the Emperor of Baharuth decided that the best option was to hire mercenaries with questionable reputations was beyond her, but she wasn't one to know what they dealt with. With how bad things were at her homeland she couldn't get any soldiers as her guards, as despite her being of dragon blood with all possible metrics surpassing most humans, she wasn't trained in either magic or combat and soldiers assigned to her would be better off protecting valuable magicians on the front lines rather than the near-useless her.
The moment they reached the forest the main camp was set up and most of the regular escort was left behind to guard the supplies prepared for a whole month's expedition, as that was the calculated time that would take to explore most of the forest and find the location of the Research Guild.
Her personal tent, in stark contrast to the extravagant tent of her Baharuth peers, was filled with various necessities but not much more as her beloved queen couldn't spare much for luxuries. But one needed to make sacrifices for the sake of their homeland and she was willing to sleep under the skies covered in rags if that helped her nation in any way.
At least her immense endurance helped as they wandered through the thick monster-filled forest for two hours, hoping to find any signs of this mysterious Nazarick her Queen spoke of, seen through prophetic visions. The only plan they had was to map out the forest and set up camps to wander deeper, in hopes of stumbling upon the signs that could lead them to their goal.
Only then would her job truly begin. She was instructed to treat the players, the godlike race of beings that ruled over Nazarick, with utmost reverence and do her best to make them agree on establishing favorable diplomatic ties.
Fliana had extensively studied any detail she could find about the forest of Tob, though any information took a lot of work to come by. People, for the most part, avoided going into the monster-filled forest, and those who did never wandered deep, meaning information was superficial at best and wrapped in unreliable folklore at worst.
As they traveled deeper and deeper in, she started to realize they had not met a single creature, not even a bird. The forest was eerily silent, as if trees themselves were watching her. The unsettling feeling only grew with each step. Perhaps the players knew of their approach and didn't want anyone to intrude on their domain, including the native ecology.
Ultimately, whatever the reason for the unnatural silence was, she had to move forward. Her homeland depended on her and garnering a favor from players might be the last chance to save it. Each day the beastmen encroached deeper into the territory and took more people as slaves or food, plundering the land and destroying it completely. Sooner or later what little defenses they had left would fail and there would be no one left to stop the evil beasts from roaming freely in the dragon kingdom, taking who and what they wanted.
It was four hours into their trip when they finally encountered the first life form in the forest. The cutest dark elven child she had ever seen in her life emerged from the trees alone, dressed in a white skirt, long socks, and a vest over a blue scale armor. The elven girl seemed solely unprepared to traverse the uneven terrain of the forest yet approached them with surprising grace, clutching a wooden staff in her arms.
"Finally!" Erya exclaimed. "You, elf, do you know where Nazarick is?"
"I will handle the talks," Fliana immediately interjected, fearing that the man would hurt the child.
"My job is to get you to Nazarick. Once we reach it you can do your job. Now, don't try to prevent me from doing mine," Erya shot back as he took a step toward the child watching them nervously.
'That poor girl looks lost.' Fliana contemplated if she should say more. The envoy of the Baharuth Empire seemingly was content with the man doing whatever was necessary to reach their goal.
"Speak, or I will make you speak!" Erya now openly threatened the elven girl, yelling.
"W-why do you want to find Nazarick?" The child asked with a stutter, her nervousness only visibly growing.
"I am asking the questions here!" Erya raised his voice and grabbed the girl, or at least, attempted to grab the girl.
Fliana, for all her reflexes, couldn't even perceive how fast the girl moved. One moment she was nervously standing there and the next Erya was staring at the broken stump that remained of his hand, his fingers flying into the shrubbery.
The man stumbled back and screamed, "Heal me!"
But the girl seemingly was having none of it as the staff she held quickly found its targets in Erya's knees and spine, crushing bone. The girl then glanced at her and spoke in the same nervous voice, "P-please don't attempt to run. I need to bring in all of you."
The three enslaved elves watched with glee as the elven girl further broke the man with no effort on her part and made no effort to help him, not that she could blame them. One thing was clear, this dark elven girl possessed monstrous strength which was a sign that she likely belonged to Nazarick and was sent to confront them as some sort of test, one they had possibly failed from the get-go.
Fliana, seeing no other option, walked forward stepping over Erya who was convulsing in shock, and bowed her head as she spoke, "Please forgive the rash actions of this mercenary. I am Fliana Pleimellou, representative of Dragon Kingdom. We seek Nazarick to establish diplomatic relations and I promise we will do our best to atone for the rash actions of this man. Could you please tell us where you are taking us?"
The girl grabbed Erya by his long hair as a dark oval void appeared behind her, looking back with an unsure expression. "To my mother. She will know what to do. Go through the gate."
Knowing that the survival of her kingdom depended on her task, she stepped through the rippling darkness without hesitation, not caring if anyone else followed. This was a journey that could end with death or imprisonment, but she knew that when she accepted the Queen's request. It was now or never.
On the other side awaited a spacious, well-made hall with a single throne at the end. On the throne sat the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, long elven ears parting her luscious golden hair. This woman radiated power she had not felt before, both physically and literally. It wasn't just an elf on that throne, she was something divine, beyond mortal touch or comprehension. That meant that the woman must be a player, although how powerful she couldn't tell.
Fliana approached the throne with steady steps and silently bowed what she hoped was the appropriate distance away. Her only option to even be heard was to show proper respect and hope what the despicable man had done to the elven slaves wouldn't be pinned on her.
"One of your men attacked my son. Care to explain yourself," The woman spoke, a hint of anger behind her tone.
'Son? I must be cautious not to misunderstand local customs.' "I make no excuses about the poor judgment in picking mercenaries. This man was hired to help us find Nazarick, your Grace," She replied, utilizing her training to steady her voice.
"Rise. Once the other group is brought in I will listen to the reasons why Baharuth and the Dragon Kingdom decided to contact us," The woman stated, metal slightly clinking as she shifted in the throne.
As if things couldn't get any worse, Erya behind her was coming out of the shock and began cursing out the woman seemingly having no survival instinct whatsoever.
"I will break you all! You lesser scum will be wiped out of the world! Heal me or by the six I will break you three bit by bit like the rest of your kind should be, inhumans!"
"Mare, be a dear and bring that garbage to Cocytus and tell him to make entertainment for ogres out of it. Be sure to remind him that he could ask Demiurge for help to make proper adjustments. I'm sure they'll enjoy a pretty toy like that for now. Oh and before you go, some of our guests are injured. Could you be so kind and heal them?" The woman ignored Erya's ranting and gave very clear examples of the range of treatment she would offer depending on the transgressions.
"Of course, Mom. You can count on me." The young elf enthusiastically replied, his whole demeanor changing in an instant.
It was easy to assume that Erya would face a fate worse than death while his three hopefully former slaves would be restored to full health, verified by what she soon saw. Fliana turned to see the boy wave his hand over the elven trio, regrowing their cut-off ears and then disappearing through another void to who-knew-where. The elves stood there, their eyes filled with tears, mumbling with gratitude under their breaths.
"I am Buku Ooal Gown, the Grand Marshal of Nazarick's military forces. I am also the Goddess of War. State your names and why you have come, and if you have any claim to those three." The woman finally introduced herself, glaring at them.
Finally, she had clear confirmation that she was in the presence of a player and one declaring herself a God at that. In a sense, the embodiment of a war was just what the Dragon Kingdom desperately needed. She bowed deeply and introduced herself in return.
"Fliana Pleimellou, an envoy of Her Majesty Queen Draudillion Oriculus, the Ruler of the Dragon Kingdom. My task is to establish diplomatic relations with the rulers of Nazarick on behalf of my Queen. We hope to find common ground and welcome the players as the Gods in our world. We have no claim to these women as the Dragon Kingdom does not practice slavery, regardless of race."
"Abelar Geseon, a faithful servant of his Imperial Majesty Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, the rightful ruler of Baharuth Empire. His imperial majesty wishes for peaceful cooperation and offers to recognize the territories Nazarick holds as a separate nation. We claim no ownership of these women and since their former owner is in your custody, esteemed Grand Marshal; it would be fitting if you decide upon their fate," Her peer from Baharuth was next to speak.
"Very well. Come forth," Buku ordered the elven trio, which they timidly obliged. "You can become citizens of the Empire of Nazarick and you will be provided resources to become full members of our society. If you reject my offer, you will be escorted to the borders of Tob and your fate will be your own after that."
"I want to stay and serve you, Goddess." The first of three prostrated before her with the other two following her example.
"You don't strike me as soldiers. But if you have household skills, my son and daughter could use handmaidens."
"I am honored. Thank you, Goddess." The most daring of the three was the first to speak again, the other two nodding in agreement.
"Now that that's settled we can wait for the other group to arrive and settle this matter," Buku stated. "And there they are."
Another void opened and the other delegation came through led by an elven child. Considering that she had already mistaken a boy for a girl, Fliana decided not to make any assumptions about what gender the child was.
"Mom, this one has a unique talent! She could tell I could use tenth-tier spells." The child announced with brash confidence while pointing to the young mercenary caster, in stark contrast to the more timid boy.
"Now that's interesting. Can you read my power level? But let's get introductions out of the way. I am Buku Ooal Gown, the Goddess of War and Grand Marshal of Nazarick's armies. I am glad my daughter didn't see the need to subdue any of you," Buku addressed the girl.
"I do not sense any magical power coming out of you, Your Grace," The girl replied with a deep bow.
"I see." The Grand Marshal removed one of her rings and asked. "Can you sense it now?"
"You can cast seventh-tier magic but there is more power I cannot understand. I think I sense you are a Goddess but can't measure it," The girl continued.
"Now that's interesting. You're a mercenary, correct?"
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Would you be willing to join Nazarick? We would provide you with adequate pay. Your talent could be useful to us."
"I'm sorry, I must reject your generous offer. I have two sisters to take care of and I could not be away for too long." The girl shook her head.
"A shame. In that case, I would like to be in contact with you and possibly offer a deal that works for you at a later date. What is your name and do you know how the message spell works?"
"I do, and my name is Arche."
"Sorry for speaking up but she is part of our team and I usually lead negotiations. We can be hired for individual jobs and assure you are quite skilled." One of the other mercenaries spoke up.
"I'll keep that in mind." Buku waved him off dismissively. "Arche, I will contact you through message when we are in need of your talent and you will be properly paid. As you saw, we can use transportation magic freely so you wouldn't be away from your sisters for long." Buku gave another offer, understanding why the girl was reluctant to agree as she ignored the rest of the mercenaries. As one who had to take care of her younger brother since her mid-teens, she saw part of her in the young caster, not that the mortals knew that.
"As for the rest. You will be sent home and we will send our envoys to both Baharuth and Dragon Kingdom. Inform your superiors that we are interested in diplomatic relations," Buku declared, mentally ordering Aureole to open portals to the capitals of Baharuth and Dragon Kingdoms.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by Mfkzrocker, fvvck, IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, x4x, aidan_lo, and clagan
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