Elevation of Mana Chapter 171 Meeting

As I ascended the final steps to our council hall several of my fellows stood forward to meet me. Most notable of these was Shorin, an old friend, and while not always an ally on the council someone who at least always heard what I had to say. I smiled to him as my entourage broke off, unable to go where I was going next, no, for this I would stand alone.

“Good luck boss,” Chien said as he moved to the side.

A majority of these here were elders themselves, though there were a few who, like me until recently, were not quite there yet. Those were merchants, craftsmen, and experts in various fields that brought things of value to the city itself. They looked at me with wide eyes, the cloth, the jewelry, the style was what had their eyes.

The elders though looked elsewhere, some looked at my hip in outright panic, the hammer hanging there something all of them knew of. Each and every one of these had either seen the battle between Atal and Cino personally, or been present for the results, results that had lingered for some time afterwards. My new hammer wasn't the same as the old one, but it was close enough that they knew what kind of things it could do if I willed it.

“Congratulations Elder Justin,” Shorin said, moving beside me as I approached, joining me instantly as a sign of his full support.

“Thank you old friend, you don't seem overly surprised,” I noted.

“I knew it was coming, sooner than I expected, but...” I saw him wave a quick spell around us. “Privacy.”

“Something you need it for?” I asked.

“Are you planning on trying to take control of the council today? It might work, but there will be push-back and I'd like to know before the fighting starts.”

“No, I wasn't, just making a point that I will be respected,” I answered.

“Well, that's a load off, I'd heard rumors about your ascent, but not the weapon. I can't believe you reforged it. As for respect, you'll get it with that thing hanging around.”

“Too much?”

“A bit perhaps,” Shorin said with a shrug. “But it'll get attention, and stop people from complaining so long as you don't level the hall.”

I watched as one of the more militaristic elders looked on at us, eyes following our lips, no doubt trying to figure out what I was planning. As someone who hadn't had this rank before I'd had to fight for some of my changes, always held back by the fact that I didn't have the age. Which was nonsense, the people here knew how good my work was, and they really were just being contrarian, but coming in with a threat might well change their tune.

“You can drop the spell,” I told him and as he did I continued. “I've no plans to, it wouldn't do anyone any good.” Let the eavesdroppers make of that what they would.

The meeting hall stood where Atal's former palace had been. That building had been reworked, and though parts of it remained it wasn't truly the same place. The palace had been for one man, and his many servants, but this was for all of us. Bedrooms had been remade into offices, storage added, desks and chairs put in for people to work from and record. Other parts had been demolished, or added too. Our proper meeting hall was a rebuilt version of Atal's old throne room, now circular with tiers of seating.

In total there were about thirty of us, with a few who came and went as needs or their desire to stay in the city waxed and waned. The younger ones were the most likely to come and go, and with my ascent there would be five left. Nor was there a leader as such, but rather a speaker whose job it was to give each a turn to speak when needed.

The speaker sadly didn't like me. Her name was Edana, and she was among the older of the elders here, and I got to see her face go through almost every available emotion as she laid eyes upon me. First was surprise, shock, disdain, irritation, and as her eyes made it to my waist, fear.

“Greetings Elder Justin,” she said as I took my spot. That was the minimal acknowledgment she could and would give, as the council hadn't made any declarations as of yet on the change.

Others murmured here and there, mostly the same greeting.

“Thank you my friends,” I said to them. “I hope this change is for the benefit of us all.”

“Very well,” our speaker said. “On to our business then. We've received further reports of monsters from the western side of our lands. These reports are increasing in regularity and severity, as they have been for some time.”

That had been one that had been going on for years. Slowly at first, but more and more as time went on, we were seeing monsters come in from the west. The earliest had been tiny, almost unnoted except in a few far flung villages. It'd taken decades for anyone to realize anything was going on at all, much less that these rates were increasing so.

“Anything new to report?” Asked one of the elder members. “We've heard this before, but as far as I known all attempts at contacting the remnants in the central region of the world have failed.”

Cino's people, as few as were still left, still bore a grudge. We'd killed their leader and shattered them before driving them out, and the few who anyone had been able to find had either fled, or outright refused to talk to us.

“There is,” Edana said with a scowl. “We have a traveler here to speak on it.”

A man was led in, young if I could judge, and rough looking. He wore ragged furs from beasts I couldn't recognize and had clearly been in a number of fights if his scars were anything to go by. His eyes scanned us almost in panic, darting about like he didn't know what to day or to whom.

“Esteemed elders,” he said, bowing.

“Council members,” Edana corrected him.

“Yes, apologies. Esteemed council members, I bring news. For years my people have wandered the plains, trying to resettle, to rebuild after the loss of our old leader.”

He was one of Cino's then? Well, probably not directly, young as he was I wouldn't be surprised if he'd been born well after the ancient had fallen.

“It's the far coastline, something there has been disturbing the beasts. Where the smoking mountains are, they expand almost by the day, the monsters who dwell in them pressing outward, sending others fleeing. They're burning the plains, leaving nothing but ash and death. I came as a last attempt, to beg for aid.”

“Perhaps we should send an envoy to see what is going on. Justin, I believe you've traveled through that region before no?” Edana asked.

“I have, but I am indisposed for now,” I informed her and all others.

“It wouldn't be too long though, the mission would be...”

“No.” I infused my voice with a slight bit of magic to enhance it. In the past I might have had to explain why, or deal with objections or complaints, but now I would entertain none of it. The one word alone, louder than it should have been silenced the hall.