Chapter 1028 Dispute of Losses (2)
Adhara and Ugrok came across the commotion on the border earlier.
A distant commotion reached their ears as they made their way to the Tigermen Kingdom to check their situation, remembering what Dokhur said to her. Investigating the source of the commotion, they surprisingly discover a confrontation unfolding between the Dwarves and the Tigermen.
Both factions had assembled their forces in anticipation of a clash.
It was clear to see that the Tigermen were the ones instigating this tense standoff.
On the other hand, the Dwarves were only making a barricade line.
Sensing an anomaly in the situation—as they shouldn't be fighting with one another, Adhara told Ugrok to stay behind and observe. He was to intervene only if the tense confrontation escalated into an actual fight.
Meanwhile, Adhara went ahead and sneaked into the Tigermen Kingdom.
Oddly enough, she managed to sneak in rather easily, there were no protective measures.
Reaching inside the capital city, she went straight to Daniel who are tasked to keep an eye on the Tigerman Kingdom as the Silverstar Pack's emissary. If anyone could explain what had happened, it should be him.
From him, Adhara learned that Drakar had issued their army to invade the Dwarven territory.
He also told her about his encounter with Drakar.
Just from his report alone, Adhara could tell that Drakar was a cunning Tigerman as he was using a loophole in the alliance agreement to his advantage. He needs to be addressed, and the only one who could do that is a member of the Silverstar Pack.
Daniel couldn't make it work himself.
It was true that he was the emissary, but he was not a part of the Silverstar Pack directly.
Naturally, Drakar doesn't feel like he has to abide by his words.
Upon meeting with Drakar himself, he was exactly what Adhara had expected.
Adhara was now following Drakar closely behind as he guided her out of the capital city and into a dense, artificial forest, evident from its isolated location and modest size. Her face is showing signs of unease, she had no time for a meeting with the Council of Elders.
If Drakar didn't say the words, a fight might break out at any moment.
'Even if I want to stop the fight myself, I can't. I had to admit that the Tigerman's forces are overwhelming, and are too much for me to handle alone. Moreover, most of them were from the older generations, and they would not recognize me' She mused, her expression marked by a thoughtful frown.
Going there herself had a big chance of being attacked too.
None of them would realize who she was, especially in the heat of a fierce fight.
Looking at Drakar's back, she let out a deep sigh.
Adhara had no choice but to follow him, but she would bring up the matter if it took too long.
Following the carved path in the forest, the two eventually reached a solitary building at the heart of the forest. Nestled within the dense foilage of the Tigerman territory, the Council of Elders' hall rose with a regal presence.
Its grand wooden architecture depicts the traditional style they adopted.
"Welcome to the Sanctum of Strength, the Council of Elders' hall" Drakar introduced.
Stopping right before the majestic building, Adhara looked up at the building with a slight bit of awe. She could see intricate carvings adorned its facade, each a storied emblem of past heritage with multi-tiered roofs pointing towards the heavens, topped with totems that stood as silent sentinels.
Before her was the entrance, flanked by towering columns and stoic stone-carved tigers.
It led to a wide staircase, thick with ancient grandeur.
Ascending the staircase, she was greeted by the gate into the hall guarded by two Tigermen that she reckoned to have an aura equivalent to the peak of the eighth-rank realm. Both of their bodies were marred with battle scars, a sign of vicious and elite fighters.
Opening the gate, Drakar and Adhara stepped inside with steady steps.
Upon entering, both were greeted by a spacious circular room.
Drakar led Adhara to stand at the center, right beneath the natural moonlight that came from above. Looking around, Adhara didn't see anyone inside, but she could feel that there were a couple of strong auras within this hall.
However, pinpointing their location is quite difficult.
It was almost as if there was a disturbance inside this place that blurred their auras.
Even though she had an outstanding sense as a Werewolf with the addition of the night's blessing, the disturbance blurred the direction where the auras came from, making it hard even for her to locate the source.
Soon enough, the torches on the wooden pillars flared one by one, lighting the entire place.
Only then that Adhara realize that they were not alone.
Gazing up to the second floor, she found that there were three Tigermen present.
Each of them was slightly hunched, showcasing that they were quite old even for the long life a Tigerman could attain. However, this doesn't diminish their bearing but adds a wise air around them instead.
At the sight of the Elders, trailing their gaze to Adhara, Drakar stepped forward.
"Esteemed Elders," He began, bowing his body slightly. "I've brought with me an important guest, a guest that you might want to meet. Behind me is Lady Adhara, the Female Alpha of the Silverstar Pack"
Upon hearing this, Adhara nodded and said, "Greetings to the Elders,"
Before the Elders could formulate a response to the unexpected visit, Adhara pressed on, her words direct yet diplomatic, "Forgive my bluntness, but I seek your understanding. I propose that our meeting be postponed a bit longer. A pressing issue has arisen at the border, your forces are invading Dwarven territory. I urge you to issue a command promptly to appease the situation"
One of the Elders frowned, "Invading the Dwarven territory? On whose order?"
Adhara looked at the Elder in confusion.
However, it was then that she quickly picked up the situation and turned to look at Drakar.
Drakar was silent, and he had a sanctified look on his face.
'So the Elders don't know about his ploy? I can use this...' Adhara pondered.
Now that she knows that Drakar didn't consult the Elders first about his issue, it gave her the perfect opportunity to bring it to light to the Elders. Judging from his body language, it was obvious that the Elders were of higher standing than he was.
If Adhara could make the Elders angry at him, then the situation would be over soon.
Just when she was about to direct the blame to Drakar, a frail voice echoed inside the hall.
Another Elder on the left squinted and said, "It is customary in our race, passed down from the ancient time that the representative of a new ally would undergo the rite of passage, to obtain the blessing of our ancestors before anything else. Drakar, call the Seer of the Feline Spirits, and tell them to prepare for the ritual"
Upon hearing this, Adhara's eyes widened, caught off guard.
"Esteemed Elder, we can postpone this ritual, there's a pres-"
"You stand not above our sacred traditions!" the Elder's frail voice thundered, his aging finger pointing accusingly at Adhara. His eyes gleamed with a sharp intensity. "We already heeded your Alpha's call, we have already extended aid to the Dwarves, even before the completion of our sacred ritual. We shall not entertain any further delays, do you understand?"
Shocked by the loud voice, Adhara was tongue-tied.
Out of anything, she was not aware that the Tigerman had delayed their tradition for Rex.
Now, there wasn't any wiggle room for the Elders to delay any further.
"Pardon the Third Elder's fervent tone, Lady Adhara," the central Elder, silent until now, spoke with measured calmness. "However, as he stated, our tradition holds utmost importance, and further delays are untenable. The choice is yours—will you persist or honor our traditions"
Being put in the spot, Adhara clenched her jaw.
She understands now that if she refused, then she would be dishonoring their tradition.
Additionally, her refusal would not only dishonor the Tigerman's tradition but would signify a clear bias towards the Dwarves. Since she, at this moment, was the sole representation of the entire Sivlerstar Pack, it would also portray the entire pack as favoring the Dwarves.
This could lead to a loss of respect and trust from the Elders, jeopardizing their alliance.
Under the current circumstances, that couldn't happen.
If that happened, then they would lose a very powerful ally under them.
Rex even decided to spare the Tigerman Kingdom knowing full well that their forces were quite strong, and that alone shows that the Tigerman is not a joke. So losing them right now is not an option that Adhara could handle.
'It was his plan all along...' Adhara gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.
Casting a subtle glance at Drakar who was still slightly bowing down, hiding his face from the Elders, she could see an obvious smirk plastered on his lips. 'He deliberately brought me to meet with the Elders, and trapped me in this tradition, allowing more time for his people on the border to invade further'
Surely, Adhara walked straight into his trap.
But then again, this situation is unavoidable, it was too well thought out.
Had she refused to come with him to the Council of Elders, Drakar would still be able to stall.
He has all the power in this situation, it was only he who could stop the Tigerman forces at the border to stop invading the Dwarves. No matter what Adhara does, he won't budge and calls quit to his forces.
Due to that, the only answer was the Elders.
Now, even choosing to meet the Elders was the wrong move for Adhara.
It's simply unavoidable, she could do nothing to stop this.
A moment later.
Adhara and Drakar went to the other room, a private room to wait until the Seer of the Feline Spirits finished preparing the ritual. It had been ten minutes, and Adhara who was sitting on a chair couldn't stop her leg from moving in a repetitive, up-and-down motion.
Obviously, she was restless as she didn't know what was going on at the border.
Even now, the fight might already started.
If that happened, then it wouldn't only be the Tigerman that she needs to think about.
Looking at the other side of the room, leaning on the wall with crossed arms was Drakar, and he seemed to be meditating while standing. He hasn't said a word, even though he was the one who orchestrated this to happen.
"You set me up..." Adhara uttered in a whispering tone.
On the other hand, Flamy also darted a glaring look, showing its dislike toward Drakar.
Upon hearing this, Drakar opened his eyes, "I don't understand what you meant"
"Don't act like a fool—I know you lied about the misunderstanding and brought me so that I couldn't do anything to appease the fight on the border. Just what is it that you want? If you have any demands, you could pass them through to us. At this rate, you would still be punished by the Elders for sending your forces without their consent" Adhara replied, trying to probe his mind.
When the ritual is over, Drakar would certainly be exposed.
Adhara would make sure of it, so she was confused as to why he was doing this.
In response, Drakar only shrugged nonchalantly, "Everything I do is for my people. We've taken losses helping the Dwarves in their personal matter against the Demons, so what I want is to recover those losses"
"We, the Silverstar Pack, can compensate!" Adhara replied, raising her tone.
But this only made Drakar scoff.
He wasn't the least bit troubled by her evident anger, "I am not the kind of person that would ask and beg. I have the pride of a Tiger, and I'd rather do it with my own hands compared to asking your pack for compensation. Also, there's only so much disrespect I can take"
Listening to this, Adhara's expression grimaced.
Turns out, Drakar has a problem with the losses they suffered against the Demons.
However, in the following moment, a spark illuminated Adhara's eyes as she conceived a solution that could potentially resolve their ongoing conflict. "I understand that you wanted to do it with your hands, and you've achieved that. So, how about a bet...?"
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