?
'Have, to, now?' Virksi asked, still struggling to form the words. Though he was getting more fluent. At this point, Virski sounded like a hermit who hadn't talked in ages and struggled to remember how to.
Then again, telepathic communication didn't exactly use words in the conventional sense. It could. But for talking with Virski, Eldrian had to convey concepts as they were, not with words but with what they meant.
It was a little tricky, but it was doable. After all, the mind worked in amazing ways. Give it some information, and it could fill in the gaps on its own. And this wasn't limited to just the mind of humans.
'No, but I want to hear what you want to do going forward.' Eldrian replied. Trying his best to convey his worries and that Virski couldn't always follow him everywhere. He would often need to stay behind, as he did this time.
After all, Virski was only Tier 3. While he was as strong as average Tier 5 soldiers, that strength was sadly not enough to ensure his survival.
Worse, a taming contract wouldn't allow him to be resurrected. If it had, taming would be far more common. Everyone would be doing it, despite the cost.
No, taming contracts were quite useless, especially to Eldrian. It generally allowed the tamer to control the monster, for them to communicate easier or at least understand one another better. And it gave the beast some extra stats.
Since Eldrian could already communicate with Virski, the only benefit would be the boost in stats and control. However, Eldrian was hesitant over the latter.
As long as Virski promised not to attack someone, Eldrian was okay with him staying at his estate or in the fort. Whichever the pup preferred.
'Estate?' The pup repeated, the concept's meaning evading his understanding. Eldrian had to send the pup some images of his estate to get it.
Ultimately, Virski was extremely keen to see more of the world.
"The estate it is then," Eldrian said, but asked Virski to wait a little longer. Eldrian still had to gather the magic crystal, and Levana was in the fort today. He had better go say hello.
—
"Your Imperial Princess, to what do I owe this honor?" Farest, the king of Taurus, asked. He was currently in his human form, hosting a girl in the royal gardens. Her sharp features made her appear angry or scornful, but she was actually smiling.
"The tides have turned; it is time for our counterattack." Her words were beyond Farest to understand. But her playful smile made it clear that this was good news.
The princess had hair the color of periwinkle. Her hair was tied into a bun, accentuating her sharp features. She appeared more like a warrior than a noble princess of an empire.
That she was not in a dress but in something akin to adventurer garb added to this hardened image of hers.
"Might I ask what happened?" Farest asked, doing his best to keep his tone polite.
Taurus wasn't part of the empire of Floria, and its standing certainly wasn't equal to an empire with over a hundred satellite kingdoms. Sure, that number was lower now. But the empire's strength hadn't fallen.
While it had sent some soldiers to aid various kingdoms, it had not moved its elite army to any front. The same held true for most kingdoms. Each had kept their soldiers at home, unwilling to send them to their deaths in unknown lands. They had sent aid, but more in name than anything else.
But, if the empire commanded it, the kingdoms would have to obey. And if they all moved, Taurus might still be able to reclaim its glory.
"Oh, you haven't heard?" Evelyn asked, playing the image of a stunned little girl as she fought back her laughter.
"I'm afraid not. Why would you think I would?" Farest asked, resigning that he had lost.
Admitting that he didn't know was equal to admitting he wasn't up to date on things. And if she expected him to know, it must concern something he should be up to date on.
"You know of the forest of Avgi, right?" She asked, and the way she phrased the question irked the king.
Of course, he knew of it! But how was he supposed to know what was happening in the forest? Nearly a hundred kilometers of Chaos Lands separated it from his kingdom. Getting to and from was a deadly task, requiring either a fast and skilled rider or centaur or days of slow travel.
Then again, there was one child of the forest aiding his kingdom. So expecting him to know what was happening there was perhaps a logical conclusion for outsiders.
"The forest was attacked. Quite a sizable force too, and I heard nearly half the forest was razed to the ground. But, in the end, they came out on top."
Shocking as the news was, Farest still failed to see how this meant they could go on the offensive.
"And the same happened with over ten other holy sites. The devils had tried to claim all the neutral ones at once. And while they managed to conquer a few, just as many deflected their efforts."
Now it made some sense. Launching attacks on so many places was sure to spread the devil's thin.
Certainly, they had the number advantage when one considered the monsters under their control. But those monsters couldn't accomplish much when attacking a holy site and the mythical beings defending it.
This meant that, at the moment, the devils were fewer in number and spread thinner than they had ever been. It was the opportune time to attack.
"Have you made contact with those who repelled the attacks?" Farest asked, hoping for the aid of the Alicorns.
There was already one aiding his kingdom, and that one and the elf Chosen it was normally with had turned many a battle. Should the kingdom gain several individuals of such skill, then the war might truly turn in their favor. They might even be able to go on the offensive.
"We've sent envoys. The other empires have as well. For now, they are recovering. But their neutral stance will surely falter in the face of such aggression. I heard many of the dragon younglings are already flying out. Enraged that their friends had been attacked. And enraged even more that they hadn't."
This was all great news. And the fact that the dragons were enraged that they hadn't been attacked was comical. Farest didn't know a single dragon, but he knew of their reputation.
When young, they were hot-blooded. But then, with age, they settled down. Honestly, no matter whether they had been attacked or not, there would be some dragons who were angered by either act.
Their being excluded had only irked the young ones, which might be for the best for the devils. But the young ones were also the quickest to act. They were often fed up with their parents need to debate before acting.
"What is the plan?" Farest asked, returning to the topic at hand. He hoped an army would aid his kingdom, but he also knew that Taurus was doing well compared to many other kingdoms within the empire.
Worse, Taurus wasn't technically part of the empire. Which meant they had no obligation to help defend it.
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