Chapter 23: The Demon Alliance : Part 1
Sadako's mouth hung agape, her scarlet eyes were open wide in disbelief. She grasped for the correct response to what she had just heard Shirone utter to her.
"W-what…did you just say Shirone?"
"The Grim Reaper Kayako Yamagaya is the mother of you and your sister Atsuko."
"What? How could you never tell me this before!? I asked you about my mother and the only thing you said was that her name is Kayako. That's the only thing I've ever know about her."
"I never knew Sada, I was only a foot soldier at the time. She was introduced as 'Lady Kayako' but her origins weren't known to those outside the highest nobles and the King himself."
"And she rules the Hollow Forest?"
"That's not all…actually, if I had known you would be here then I would've planned this a little better…there's a good chance they'll kill me before hearing what I've got to say."
"It's okay Shirone, they haven't been too violent overall, the food situation is a little rough, but I have a plan…"
Shirone contributed a hearty laugh the moment he heard those words.
"Of course you do, that's just like you to have a plan in a hopeless situation isn't it? Well, hold ya horses fer a minute, you see I actually am here on some business of my own ya know."
"And…what business is that?"
"Well, I don't know how you feel about this, but the answer is clear to everyone in this Kingdom at least. There's only one thing causing all the problems in this whoooole situation. If we cut that troublesome variable out then everything will be peachy keen."
"You mean…King Goliath right?"
"Yep…that is exactly right. Prince Rale has stepped forward towards the people to let democracy do it's job. He's having a secret election with the people while Goliath is off fighting the Vampires."
"And, what is this election for?"
"To vote for a new ruler of the Kingdom of Flames, whoever that may be will work alongside the people to lift this nation back to it's former glory."
"Whoa…that's heavy…"
Avery cut in to the conversation, they were all in a circle in the dungeon so Avery, Evan, Cera, Jericho, Lyran and Angel could also hear what they were talking about.
"Is Rale electing himself then? I'm not gonna lie, that doesn't sound like much of an improvement. When I left all those years ago this Kingdom was thriving. Businesses were succeeding and the economy was clearly very healthy.
Since the time Goliath sent me and Atsuko away there's been such change. The people's happiness was neglected and something horrible must have happened that caused this place sink to this current abominable state. Now the streets are run down and the people are in such low spirits compared to back then…"
"Well... that's the aftermath of the war with the Vampires. The whole world has ceased commication and trades with the Kingdom. This is the result of the kings actions and no one knows what is to come…Rale's spent the most amount of time with Goliath, he's the only one that has any kind of idea what compels the king to do the things he does.
And with that being said…Rale knows better than anyone how Goliath will act when he finds out about this movement to dethrone him."
"What are you getting at?"
"Rale believes…that he will be killed by his own brother for this. That's why he had to lay all his cards out on the table to ensure that this whole thing will work. He entrusted me to make an alliance with the Vampire Lord."
"What? That's a lot easier said than done you know? They said their whole country was destroyed, they're pissed off man."
Avery added his two cents, a short silence ensued while everyone mulled over the situation.
Jericho reached out in attempt to steal Cera's piece of toast, but he was unsuccessful. She kicked him in the face and dramatically ate the last bite while exclaiming how good it was.
Shirone spoke once again in reply to what Avery said.
"Well, let's just say I have some important information that I may be able to use for some leeway into making this alliance."
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It wasn't long until the Vampire General Rellik had finished making her rounds through the castle to ensure there were no Intruders. As a Vampire, she was gifted with keen senses and thus heard their entire conversation from outside the dungeon.
She had walked in with the presence of a warrior. She had flowing blonde hair that draped past her shoulders and wore a white cloak with an intricate red border. The back of her cape sported the royal Vampire crest which signified that she was probably one of the higher ups in the vampire clan.
She most certainly could relay an important message to the vampire Lord and get the negotiations started. That is what Shirone was hoping at least.
"What is this valuable information of which you speak?"
"I will explain everything when Damien arrives, just tell him that we have a connection to Kayako Yamagaya and a possible way for the Vampires to make a treaty with the Hollow Forest in exchange for a new home for your people that will suit your needs.
As you probably know by now, there aren't many humans living in the kingdom of flames and therefore your well of blood will run dry quite quickly the longer you stay here...That said, the Demons are electing a new ruler for the sake of peace. This will allow us to put the water under the bridge and move on to ally our new nations instead of fighting all the time.
If he is interested in this discussion then it's imperative that I speak with him before the war goes on too long."
"And why should we listen to that? It sounds to me like you Demons are just scared of facing what you've started."
"If that's how you feel then so be it, either way I will choose to try resolving this conflict peacefully over continued blood shed. If that's all you're here for then look no further. People are dying out there you know? And not just soldiers either, innocent people are screaming out their last breaths and for what?
Because we have a king that does horrible things.
He's the strongest warrior our people have ever seen, that makes him seem dependable, sure. But the fact is that no one understands what's going on inside that head of his, he's corrupt. He doesn't think for the kingdom, he thinks for himself.
Let the people live and start fresh. They will elect someone this country needs. If you're satisfied with just bloodying yer hands with the people who have nothing to do with this then you're a lost cause. That makes you just as bad as him. But, if you can see a future where we all bare our scars and move on to a better way of doing things then please tell Lord Damien to come talk to me."
Shirone put so much emotion into his words that it was clear that his very heart was yearning for Rellik to understand him. Given the circumstances, she could easily just kill him and ignore everything he just said. They were enemies of war on opposite sides after all.
But…somewhere deep down she was moved, she had thought the Demons were all rash, unreasonable creatures. She thought there was no reason to speak about peace with the ones who ravaged her homeland. But, despite all that, she felt Shirone's words and made her decision.
"Very well, I…will relay the message. But, that is all I can do."
With cold eyes Rellik turned on her heal and walked out of the dungeon. She would wait for Damien to arrive from the battlefield, though she was unsure just how he would respond to all this.
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