Chapter 108: The Negotiator

The three ran for their lives, behind them a Rank Eight bear was fighting off a mammoth of the same rank. The ground was shaking and the sky was filled with lightning.

"Why are they even fighting, there is plenty of food around?" Ciaran asked, terrified that a stray spark from the bear would come and kill him by accident.

"Territory kid. There is enough land here for the weak, but the sovereigns want to reign supreme. By the looks of it, that Lightning Bear has just ranked up, and it wants to try its luck against the old mammoth." Paul answered.

This wasn't their first brush with death. Since they accepted his plan, the trio ran straight for the Kingdom. However, there was a small patch of land they had to cross, that was between the two nations, and there were no strongholds nearby. It was vast, vicious, and unexplored.

When the two nations fought, they did so by deliberately ignoring the Tundra, lest they piss off the truly deadly monsters, residing inside it. As they had formed an artificial battlefield between them, the Tundra that bordered it, went unchecked, and when there was no war, people viewed the battlefield as part of the Tundra as well.

It took them, three hours to pass through it and get to the hunting zone of the enemy Kingdom. Now the difficult part had come, convincing an army of selfish Hunters to risk their lives and cross the path, just so they could kill some poachers.

"I said I have a plan, and I do. You guys need to trust me more. Have I ever lied to you?" Ciaran asked.

"Constantly," Diana said.

"With and without reason, you are a pathological liar boy." The old man said.

They answered at the same time.

The boy pretended he was hurt and ran even faster. They didn't know the geographical layout of this place, and they didn't know who to watch out for, but they couldn't take things slow as the poachers wouldn't stay in one place for long.

"We could have told the army, or hunted them down when they scattered, why did we have to do something so dangerous?" Diana asked. She was in much more danger than her companions. If Auroria found out that a member of the Hemperyngs family was at their borders, unprotected, they would not hesitate to capture her.

She would not be harmed, as she still held the position of a Ranger, and no one wanted to deal with those maniacs, but she would have to take an unpaid vacation inside the Kingdom.

"First, the army couldn't be bothered about small stuff like this. Second, we have no guarantee that the poachers would ever disperse in small groups, and third, there is no danger to us, at least not yet. Old man, restrain her for a few minutes I am off to do something stupid." He said as he ran off.

Paul was startled, but he had come this far, so he just decided to follow through and made a root cage around Diana. It would not hold her for long, but that was all that was asked of him.

Ciaran ran toward the Kingdom when suddenly he felt a squad of soldiers camping.

"Hey, we had an appointment yes, take me to General Avery. Please take me to her."

Before they answered, he was gone, teleported to an office inside the most fortified fortress of the Auroria Kingdom.

Ciaran was disorientated. Teleportation was a hard magic to use, and most weren't as proficient with it, or at least, not as proficient as Verdania.

The Grand Mage who had brought him in left the room. Now there were only two people present, the masked boy, and a tall blond woman.

General Mira Avery was a woman of imposing stature and strong features. She stood tall and proud, with a commanding presence that could make even the bravest soldier quiver. Her sharp, angular face was framed by long, platinum-blonde hair that was often slicked back to keep it out of her eyes. Her piercing gaze, which was a striking shade of icy blue, seemed to bore into those around her and leave them feeling exposed.

Her body was muscular and toned, evidence of the intense physical training she underwent to maintain her position in the military. She often wore her uniform with crispness and precision that matched her no-nonsense personality and it was clear that she took great pride in her appearance as well as her duties as a leader.

Despite her tough exterior, there was a certain beauty to her features that shone through when she smiled at the boy.

"It's nice to finally meet face-to-face Ciaran Clades. Tell me, why are you here today, and why didn't you bring Princess Diana Hemperyngs in with you? I gave you my word that you would be treated fairly and that this would be civil and fair negotiations." She said slowly, emphasizing every word.

She was making a threat, without outright threatening the boy, but he didn't care.

"Because, you didn't promise we would make sure we would be returned home, free and in one piece, certainly not any time soon. I couldn't risk my partner being a victim of our little game of wordplay. And even if you capture me, I can work with that too." He said as he took off his mask and sat down on the chair prepared for him.

General Avery looked at him and nodded, satisfied by his answer. Then she stood up and grabbed a file, before sitting back down.

"Make this worth my time." She said as she began writing something down.

He took a document out of his bracelet, earning himself a quick courtesy glance from the woman, before she continued writing. He then took a vile full of blood and put it down on the table.

"I want to lead an army of your most patriotic hunters against a bunch of poachers. If the operation is successful, you can have all the credit for it. Use it against the Empire,

or get in on the good side of the Rangers, I don't care." He made his offer.

She took the document and saw two sets of handwriting. Most of it was from an unknown person, but the autopsy had a name and a signature at its bottom, the boy's. His name being associated with the Kingdom could be seen as treason, as such he was giving her a lot of leverage over himself.

"I am the son of a merchant, and for us, reputation is everything. I said, I will bring you benefits, and I am willing to bet my name and my life on it. The question is, are you going to give me the chance?"

He said that in full honesty. The poachers were just a convenient excuse, what he actually wanted was a connection to the Kingdom, and a big one. The General was one of their strongest powerhouses and a national hero, so in his eyes, she was the perfect candidate for the job.

"Do you know why we are at war with the Empire? And no, just because we are civil to each other does not mean we are not at war at the moment. We are at war because the world is full of fools and cowards."

"The Kingdom of Auroria is among the few nations that oppose the restrictions on magic. We refuse to give up on tradition, and only use the alternatives when all other methods are exhausted." She said, as she through the file she was working on at him.

It was a document describing his whole life. From the moment of his alleged birth to the burning of the Library, the reason he got exiled to the north, and even a few notes on their current conversation.

"I am talentless when it comes to magic, only achieving the Rank of a Mage, but I have always admired the craft. Recently, I have grown to appreciate the science your Empire is so proud of as well. You want the hunters, take them, but I want something more from you boy, I want you to swear friendship to my Kingdom here, and now." She demanded as she released her Rank Ten aura.

Ciaran was intimidated, it would be a lie to say he wasn't, but it was far from enough if she wanted to make him submit. A casual conversation with his messenger was far more frightening than this.

"We almost have a deal then, just a slight adjustment. I don't make friends with institutions General, I make friends with people." He said as he extended his hand for a handshake.

General Mira Avery didn't even think twice before she shook his hand. The kid had ignored his personal well-being to establish a connection with a person that could squash him like a bug if she so chose. And he did it all just because he felt like it. To her he was the perfect example of what a mage should be like, and someone she would gladly call a friend.