Wild Wastes 6 -ch 16-

Unfortunately, nothing happened on the ride into the capital proper.

Nothing happened either when they’d arrived to the winter palace directly after exiting the city and moving out the gates, and out into the countryside.

Though country-side was slightly misleading as Vince could see there were guard towers and walls in the distance.

This was indeed a palace with the guards and defenses to match.

Everything went exactly the way Harvey had seemed to want it to go.

What’d been obvious though, was that the Tri-Lliance was far from what he’d been expecting. What the group as a whole had been thinking they’d be riding into.

The buildings were well made, the streets were built straight and with a mind towards proper drainage, alleys were non-existant and there didn’t seem to be any areas that would invite a seedier element.

Which made the trash everywhere, the clogs in the drain-ways, the people laying about in the filth unmoving, alive or dead was unknown, and that there was a visible security presence at all times all the more shocking.

It was as if the whole of the nation was under a type of martial law, though, as far as he could tell, no such declaration had been made. The country was operating as it normally should.

Looking to Ynes, then Renata, he wondered if they were thinking the same thing he was.

Stretching after exiting the carriage, Renata put her hands behind her waist, pushed, and leaned her shoulders back. It was an eye catching thing to do that showed off how beautifully put together the Orange Dragon was.

“I think we should have sex,” Renata said, looking to Vince with a look that was thoughtful. “Maybe from behind this time.

“Oh, and yes, I noticed how weird everyone was. How everything was… secured. Something is going on. Going wrong.”

In other words, same thing I was thinking, but also not at all.

Because that’s how Renata is.

“Right?” Renata asked with a laugh and then wrapped herself around Vince, pressing herself bodily up to his side. “I’m just Renata and I’m different. Now. Look at the pretty Dryad. She has more to say than I did.”

Renata kissed his cheek, patted at his chin, and continued to do so till he was looking at Ynes.

“It’s definitely a form of security. Like martial law,” Ynes murmured. Everything so far had been in french.

The Dryad glanced to the side and Vince followed her gaze. Harvey and his group were slowly getting out of the carriage.

“Maybe not martial law but close to it. I don’t think it’s new,” the Dryad concluded.

“Not new at all,” stated a tall elf. Vince was fairly sure it was Claudia but he wasn’t certain. She had her helmet on as well. “There’s signs of there being magical enforcement at some point.”

“A lot of magical enforcement,” Dalia confirmed. “Like they had large sections of the city roped off.”

“Riots?” suggested the other elf Vince couldn’t identify. They were smaller three.

“That’d be my guess,” Ynes confirmed, then clicked her tongue. “Cull the chatter for now, keep an eye on things.”

Vince put on his best Felix smile and turned to face Harvey.

“Ah yes, here we are, here we are,” Harvey murmured. He looked somewhat nervous. As if his words really didn’t match his thoughts at the moment. “I’ve scheduled some time for you to meet with the Supreme Tri-Council for tomorrow. It isn’t a long meeting, but it isn’t short either.

“About the time to get to discuss your visit, have a meal, and maybe a few other miscellaneous topics that might come up.”

Oh?

Rather helpful.

Almost too helpful, isn’t it?

I… aren’t… they the enemy?

“Thank you very much,” Vince said.

“Of course, of course. We’re having meals brought in quickly as well as a store for future meals,” Harvey continued, then he gestured to the palace. “I’ll leave it at that so you canj get your rest.”

“Thank you again, then. Though… what’s protocol for going out into the city?” Vince asked. “At some point I’m sure I’ll want to go wandering about the capital.”

Harvey’s face froze in place before he let out a chuckle.

“I’ll be sure that’s on the agenda for your conversation tomorrow. DO excuse me, your highness,” Harvey said and then bowed deeply at the waist to Vince.

Turning, the man ran off quickly, leaving behind all the servants that he’d brought for Vince.

“Curious,” Vince murmured in french when Harvey was far enough away. Then Vince looked to the palace. “Let’s wander around and have a nice evening. I’m sure some of you have work to do and set up for.”

“Yes,” agreed Ynes. “Lots of work. Though, I’m hoping Dionara, Lorraine, and Sheena show up tonight or tomrorow.”

“Huh?” Vince grunted out, looking at the Dryad.

“Final transfers. I mentioned it previously. If they can join us here, they will be. I kept in touch with them,” Ynes purred, then took his elbow. Pulling at it, she guided him toward the palace.

***

Riding into the capital again, Vince noted that they were taking a different route this time. One that’d most certainly been prepared in advance.

Someone had cleaned up to a degree.

The trash was gone, the clogs were removed, and there weren’t any bodies, or ill looking people, lingering around.

However, the stains remained.

There were visible signs of recent problems that weren’t able to be taken care of overnight.

Potholes in the road, cracks in the buildings, hasty repairs that nearly looked as bad as damage.

“I can’t tell if this is better,” Safina whispered. “Or worse.”

“I imagine it’s both,” Dalia stated and peeked out the window around Safina. “Better for the image, worse for the fact that it makes the need for the image obvious.”

“That and whoever had to do all this likely hadn’t volunteered for it,” finished Canae with a grunt. “Honestly, I’m rather surprised they were able to put up a fight against Yosemite at all in the way they did.

“They seem destitute… destitute and broken from a morale stand point.”

“This might be the results of that fight and what happened after,” Renata murmured, then laid her head on Vince’s shoulder. “I mean, they lost their goddess, Ferris, Vince gained a wife, and a great number of Dragons left to join.

“They all came from the Tri-Lliance, you know. It’s not a surprise that there’s a problem here now.”

Ah, Dragons came with their hoards and families.

They don’t like to spend, they prefer to hoard.

Even then, they’d still spend when they wished.

To remove all of that wealth from a country, as well as the people… yeah, I could see that being a problem.

I know for a fact, now that I really think about it, that Yaris would go to great lengths to make sure such a thing didn’t happen.

“Ah, yes. That would make sense. I’m from the southern part of the Tri-Liance,” Safina admitted. “My uncle convinced us to leave the very same day that Ferris joined your pantheon.

“Our entire family came. There is no one with any blood related to me in any way, still in the Tri-Lliance. My grand-father even dug up the bones of his ancestors and packed them away to bring them over.”

“And all your hoards,” Vince said, putting the unstated part to voice.

“Yes. Ferris was able to negotiate quite well for us to buy land all around Yosemite and put down our vaults,” Safina agreed with a chuckle. “My family was able to manage to get into a really great neighborhood.

“Every roof has an established Ratkin population and the Dryad services are fully formed. Admittedly are taxes are a bit high but it’s very worth it.”

“Oh? How lovely. My family clan moved into Nevada. There’s an outpost going in in the southern tip that we like quite a bit,” said Claudia. He’d figured out that she was a snow elf. Which sounded weird that they liked Nevada to him.

“I think we’re stopping,” Ynes stated. “Assume a standard formation. Really wish the second half of our squad was here already.”

Half a minute later and the coach rolled up onto a pathway and came to a full stop.

Vince and company had been following a carriage to reach this location that’d been sent by Harvey. An escort to take them to the capital building where the Supreme Tri-Council were waiting for him and their meeting.

While awkward at times, and perhaps not giving a full measure of courtesy to a dignitary, it was obvious Harvey wasn’t doing it out of malice. Nor was it even disdain.

It felt more like ignorance.

As if the Tri-Llliance really didn’t deal with other nations and had no experience in it. That this was their first real experience of it in living memory.

Looking out the window, he saw a very large building. Easily six or seven times the size of the Yosemite government building.

The look of it was considerably ostentatious. Sweeping domes, archways, and a number of carved statues dotted about.

At the ground level there was a number of plazas, patios, and lawn decorations such as beautifully growing plants and hedges shaped into designs.

Honestly, Vince thought it was all a waste of money that could have probably been spent elsewhere. He also didn’t have an eye for design of the like, though, so it was possible he was looking at master level artistry and he’d never know it.

His entourage filed out and found that Harvey was nowhere to be seen.

Though there was a group of people waiting for them. Arranged in a column, all of them servants or well dressed individuals.

Not one of them had a weapon or looked to be aggressive in any possible way.

They were perhaps as far as they could be on the other spectrum as possible.

Each and every one was attractive, well dressed, young, and had a pleasing, and inviting, disposition. Doubly so for the women, who seemed to be of every type of “flavor” possible and all eyes for Vince.

It’s on both sides.

Accidental dismissal and then attempting to tempt me in over the top ways.

Neither side said anything and just stood at one another.

“Their thoughts are ridiculous. Most of them want to know how big your member is,” Safina murmured with a chuckle. “Most are spies. They’re also curious.”

Ynes laughed brightly at that, then reached out and bumped a gauntleted fist to Safina’s shoulder. The Dragon turned their head and grinned at the helmeted Dryad.

“Yes, hello, good morning,” said one of the women. “I’m here to escort you to the Supreme Tri-Council?”

The last was said that sounded like a question but really wasn’t.

Nor had they waited for him to respond in any way. They started to move down the walk-way toward the building.

Vince followed though he did hesitate for a moment.

He turned his head and looked over his shoulder down one of the streets that led away from the government building.

They were empty, devoid of life, but didn’t feel as if they were truly void.

Looking intently for several seconds, he couldn’t pick anything out as actually being wrong or out of place.

All the same, his instincts were telling him that this was bad.

That being here right now, at this moment, was a problem.

Yet none of those feelings were coming from his hosts.

Nor hard they come from Harvey.

Chewing at the inside of his lip, Vince turned away and began following his guides. Something was bothering him but it didn’t seem to be the Tri-Lliance itself.

His mind drifted off back to england and the demon that waited there.

What he’d heard from Ferris though was that the Tri-Lliance was quite similar to Yosemite. That many of the citizens in either could easily move to the opposing nation and have a fairly similar life.

Except that had been when Ferris had been active here.

Now it seemed a great many changes had occured.

“— will be meeting you here in just a moment. They blocked off their time before your meeting just in case you arrived early,” announced the very pretty blonde haired, green eyed, young woman in front of Vince. “All we ask is you please limit your body guard to one person.”

Vince only thought on that for a single second, then looked to Ynes. He really didn’t think he needed a bodyguard, but he wanted to make sure he gave Ynes the chance to gather information.

“Aliza, you’re our girl,” Ynes murmured. “You know the drill. Do the royal elf thing while you’re in there. No sense in stopping it here.

“You’ve got your satchel and everything you’ll need? Don’t need anything?”

“Goodie, goodie,” replied the elf while nodding her head in response to Ynes questions. At the same time she moved over to stand next to Vince. She let her weapon hang in front of her, her helmeted head swiveling around to look at him.

Oh? She’s the royal?

I wonder how much she looks like Yaris.

“Too much, unfortunately,” purred Renata in french, just as Aliza and Ynes had. Then she reached over to scratch at Vince’s head with her long fingers. “Just put a thought in your head if you need us. Fina and I can be through those walls in a tick or two.”

“I’ll be taking her,” Vince said and put an arm around the armored elf’s shoulders. To which she just looked back to the guide.

“Yes. He’ll be taking me,” Aliza confirmed, though in spanish.

There was a brief sign of recognition in the guides eyes but she didn’t comment.

Instead they turned and began walking toward the heavy doors that were off to one side.

At the moment the doors were wide open, though guarded. The soldiers that stood there reminded Vince of what he’d seen back in Vegas.

Not acknowledging them, Vince, Aliza, and his guides, trooped past them and into a large and open room.

It had a great many chairs and benches set out. Spread across one side of the room entirely to the halfway point.

The middle was empty and bare of anything.

On the opposing side was a semi-circle shaped table with three chairs at it. Each chair had an occupant.

In front of that was an ornate work-desk and a chair placed at it. A dining table of sorts had been slid into the desk to make an L-shape and it was laden with foods and drinks and a second chair.

Well, once again, they actually seem quite generous all things considered.

These actions aren’t really matching up in the way I was expecting.

“Ah, your majesty, a pleasure to meet you,” stated an older man at the semi-circle. He stood up and gave Vince a warm smile.

He looked to be in his later years, likely sixty racing towards seventy. With pale brown hair that was only a short hop from being pale-blonde. His eyes were a flat brown that looked beyond the definition of weathered.

To his right was a Dragon that looked quite old as well. Vince had never met an old looking Dragon.

They had green horns coming up from their temples and green hair and matching green eyes. His face sported a number of wrinkles around the eyes, mouth, and brow as well.

To the left was a Lizard-man race and they looked fairly common for their type. Though they were wearing leather armor that looked rather ceremonial.

Reaching the table, Vince wondered how to proceed with the situation.

He honestly hadn’t considered getting this far without having to cause a problem, or having a problem being caused for him. The fact that everything was going so smoothly really had left him on a strange footing.

Then the three had stood up and bowed at the waist to Vince in a way that felt similar to how one would address an equal.

Vince smiled, bowed to the same level that they did, and stood back up.

“Thank you for the greeting,” Vince began. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all as well. Your cordial response and generous offers have given me a chance to recover quickly.

“Additionally, I appreciate the Supreme Tri-Council meeting me so quickly. I’ll admit that I didn’t expect to be given such a chance to speak with you within twenty-four hours of arriving.

“Genuinely I was expecting that I’d be given the brush-off for a time until I was finally deigned to be allowed to see you.

“Or that’s at least the type of response my mind conjured up. It isn’t as if it’s happened, or you gave me any reason to think that.”

Vince realized he was rambling and his mouth shut tight with click of his teeth coming together.

The Dragon laughed at that and nodded his head several times.

“You know, I’ll be honest with you, had this been before Yosemite beat us back… that’s likely how we would have responded,” they admitted. “Being given such a humbling loss has been educational.

“Doubly so when it’s obvious that you could have simply gone down along the cost and set off more of those… bombs… and attempted to wipe us out as a nation. Or send us back to the stone-age, one could say.

“It’s now quite obvious that you have your own way of moving along the coast with warships and they have the appearance of being quite… advanced.”

“Yes. The kingdom of Yosemite has formally joined the Empire of Legion,” Vince explained simply. “My brother is the Emperor. The Empire is… it’s… it’s a lot more technologically advanced than anything seen before anywhere on the face of the planet.

“I can say that with absolute belief and likely be under-selling it. Legion is… Legion is beyond your understanding, and Legion’s motto, is Legion First.”

All three council members had various looks of surprise or shock at this. Though the Lizard didn’t seem to be as surprised as the other two.

“I… see,” murmured the Human with a small shake of their head. Then they took in a short breath, let it out, and then took in another to hold it.

“Is… you… ah… Mr. Campbell—” started the Dragon.

“Vince is fine. I was just a dirty ranger before I became what I am,” Vince put in quickly.

“Vince,” the Dragon tried again, the corner of their mouth turning up into a smirk. “Have you come to discuss the Tri-Lliance joining Legion?”

I… ah… uh… what?

“It’s one of the reasons we did indeed come, my lordships,” Aliza murmured quietly. She reached down to her hip bag and opened it. Rifling around in it she eventually came out with a packet of papers. “Do forgive me for being presumptions, but I have that information right here if you wish it.

“My name is Aliza Campbell, bride of Vince Campbell, of the Royal Elf lineage. I’m a very distant cousin to the queen of Yosemite.”

Oh? You’re my bride are you?

Whatever.

Probably just bullshit to feed to them so she has a reason to step in like this, since it’s obvious they already planned for this possibility without telling me.

Or someone did at least.

Aliza pulled off her helmet and set it down on the desk next to the packet she’d removed.

She was most certainly related to Yaris now that Vince could see her. She shared all the same normal traits that the feisty Royal Elf did, though she had slight more angular features.

As if she was a bit more of a predator than Yaris was.

Her blonde hair was cut quite short and her blue eyes seemed to glow.

Looking back to her satchel she removed another packet, and several pieces of loose paper.

“We wouldn’t presume to give you an ultimatum or anything of that nature,” Aliza continued, arranging the paperwork. “Our only statement to be given along with the suggestion of joining Legion is… Legion First.

“That would include recovery efforts, economic balancing, trade agreements, and markets becoming open. Open in ways that cannot be discussed with outsiders, but that you will under-estimate in every way until the moment you were told what they are.”

The beautiful elf smiled then and it felt like he was looking at a younger Yaris that didn’t have all the political polish, but had more brashness in her.

“May I approach and offer you this?” asked the elf, holding up the papers.

“I-that’d be wonderful. Please approach,” stated the Human who then glanced to the guards that ran along the walls of the room. “A Royal Elf you say. There isn’t many of those that I’m aware of.”

“There isn’t,” agreed Aliza. “Every single one that is known of is in Legion in some capacity. Most of us are in Yosemite, there’s two in Legion itself, and one has been transfered to our newest conquest, Europe.

“We find that spreading ourselves out decreases our natural friction with each other and brings in more elves.”

All three councilors eyebrows had gone up at the mention of europe.

Whatever their information network was, it hadn’t been able to discern the current ongoings of Yosemite. Likely settling another deep seated fear in them now.

“Please cancel the rest of our meetings for the day,” asked the Dragon councilor, moving over to stand next to the Human.

Aliza handed over the papers and then turned around to move back to Vince.

The Lizard also moved over to join the other two.

Vince realized they planned on reading it right here and now.

Shit.

Is the Tri-Lliance in so much of a problem that considering the offer is immediate?

They’re not even hiding that they’re considering it.

Aliza returned to him and hit him with a sexy smirk that he’d never seen Yaris ever have before.

“Husband, sit. I’d love to fill a plate for you. We have some time to chit chat,” Aliza whispered huskily. One gauntleted hand came out and turned the chair to the table where food was laid out.

Then she gently pushed at Vince’s back and guided him to the chair.

In a second, she put a plate in front of him and started loading it in a way that reminded him of Meliae. Loading it up with a number of different items quite quickly.