Chapter 141: The Monster Alliance 1

Tanaka entered the fortress just minutes before sunset. Tharven was waiting for him in the main hall, flanked by surviving commanders. A map of Varkesh was spread out on the table, covered in annotations denoting damaged districts, impassable roads and settlements that had suffered casualties during the civil war. The commander looked up as Tanaka took his place at the head of the table.

"Did something happen?" "Nothing important." Tanaka wasn’t in the mood to explain what had happened with Nethaliel, and he had enough problems with the commander without adding another True Dragon to the mix. "Have you managed to stabilize the kingdom?" "As much as we can," Tharven said, gesturing at the map. "The war is over, but some settlements refuse to yield and others have lost their leaders entirely. We’ve taken charge of them, but we’re waiting on your orders as to what to do with them." "Then we should give them an answer," The commanders exchanged glances. Tharven straightened. "Are you ready to formalize the alliance?" "That’s why I’m here."

A tense silence filled the room. Varkesh had deliberated for days over whether to accept Eldoris’s offer. Some had swallowed Tanaka’s rule because they realized it was the best option for their survival, and others had ceased their rebellion when they understood what another war would do to them. It didn’t mean they trusted him. Tanaka understood that. Trust wasn’t something he could demand, especially from a broken kingdom. "Gather the representatives," Tanaka said. "I want to address them myself." Tharven bowed his head. "I’ll arrange it."

---

The meeting was held the following morning. Representatives from the various Varkesh settlements gathered in the courtyard, surrounded by their people. Families and warriors flanked the monsters that had come to negotiate with Tanaka. Some of the monsters observed the proceedings with a wary eye, but more ignored him entirely. Tanaka seated himself near the front of the gathering, with Tharven at his side. Raishin, Razer, Raveana and Drakar had remained in Varkesh, and their mere presence was enough to remind the crowd that Eldoris had an army at its disposal but Tanaka had no interest in bullying Varkesh into submission. When the murmuring died down, he spoke.

"Varkesh will remain Varkesh." Several heads turned toward him. Tanaka continued, "You will not lose your names, your homes or your traditions because you chose to follow me. Tharven will administer the kingdom in my name, and your respective lords will continue to rule their districts." A large monster in the back crossed his arms over his chest. "And what do we gain from this?" Tanaka turned to face him. "An end to the war."

The monster looked unconvinced. Tanaka didn’t argue, "Varkesh will be part of Eldoris, which means you won’t be at war with your neighbors unless I approve of it. Any attack on Eldoris or its allies will be considered an attack on Varkesh, and any attack on Varkesh will not be defended against alone." He paused to let the words sink in. "I also have some conditions," The murmuring died down.

"Slavery will no longer be allowed in Varkesh," This caused several monsters to murmur amongst themselves. Tanaka ignored them, "No one will be imprisoned and drained of their mana without just cause. No one will be used as a resource because they have abilities that can be conveniently utilized. This applies to all races." One of the elder monsters stepped forwards. "Even on prisoners of war?" "Capturing an enemy soldier in battle is one thing," Tanaka replied, "but enslaving them and using them as your personal property is another." His voice was hard, "Once the war is over, prisoners of war will be subject to standard laws and punishments." The monster said nothing more.

Tanaka continued, "The second condition is that strength will not excuse crimes committed against your fellow Varkeshi. A powerful warrior who bullies the weak will not be rewarded for his power, and will be punished accordingly. I will not allow Varkesh to become a kingdom where the strong prey upon the weak simply because they have no one to protect them." Rhazek’s old teachings had nearly made Varkesh exactly that, and it was one of the first reasons Tanaka had intervened. Some of the warriors present looked distinctly uneasy.

Tanaka moved on to the last condition. "No one will be forced to leave Varkesh." The murmuring started up again, but it was subdued compared to the first two proclamations. Tanaka turned to Tharven. "Can you enforce these conditions?" Tharven nodded, "Yes." "Even on your commanders?" "Even on my commanders." Tanaka studied him for a long moment. "Good. Then I recognize you as the ruler of Varkesh under Eldoris’s protection."

Tharven knelt, "I swear fealty to the kingdom and to you, King Tanaka." Several other monsters followed his example, but many remained standing, watching Tanaka with wary eyes. The Varkeshi warlord did not force them to swear loyalty, because it wasn’t necessary. He knew the people of Varkesh - they would obey him as long as it was in their best interests, and the best interest of the kingdom was to survive. That meant choosing who they wanted to lead them, even if it wasn’t a popular choice.

With that, Varkesh became the first monster nation to be incorporated into Eldoris. Not everyone was pleased with the decision, but it was a start.

---

The human prisoners were delivered to the fortress that evening. There were twenty-three of them, including several mages that had been involved with the corruption of the Great Verdant Forest. While the wounds caused by their mana-draining collars had mostly healed, it was obvious that several of them were still in pain and had to lean on their companions for support. Tanaka observed the group as they were led into the courtyard. The eldest of the mages stepped forwards, a frail woman with tired eyes and bandages on her wrists where the mana-draining collars had pinched her skin.

"You asked us to decide whether we wanted to stay or not," the woman said. Tanaka nodded, "Yes." "We have." The woman hesitated, then said, "We don’t want to stay in Varkesh." Tanaka already suspected that would be the case, but he waited for her to continue. "We don’t have anywhere to go back to, here," she said. "Some of us lost our homes before you found us, and others had to leave when we were taken. No matter what happens to Varkesh, we don’t think we’ll be able to find a future here."

The woman’s hands tightened around the edge of her sleeve, "We would like to go with you to Eldoris." A few of the other mages nodded in agreement. Tanaka was silent for a long moment, then said, "You’re free to leave. You don’t owe me or Varkesh anything for saving your lives." "We know," the woman replied. "But we would prefer not to live as prisoners, if that’s not too much to ask." Tanaka’s expression softened, "Eldoris will welcome you." The woman bowed, "Thank you." A murmur of relief passed through the group.

Tanaka turned to Tharven, "See to it that they have supplies for the journey. They’ll need food, blankets and whatever else they require." "It will be done," the commander replied. Tanaka turned back to the mages, "There’s one more thing I’d like to ask you." The woman was looking at him, "What is it, your majesty?" "I’d like to learn how you use magic," Tanaka’s smile was a little wry, "The monsters of Eldoris can use our abilities to fight, but we don’t have your knowledge of spells and incantations. If you’re willing, I’d like you to teach my people what you know."

The woman was surprised, "You want us to teach your people magic?" "That’s the idea," She considered the offer, then smiled, "Actually, most of us were students before you captured us. I’m sure we could share what little knowledge we have with your people." Tanaka nodded, "Good. We’ll prepare accommodations in Eldoris, but in the meantime you can rest here and decide when you’re ready to teach." The woman bowed again, "We accept your offer."

It was an unassuming agreement, but Tanaka knew it was an important one. So far, humans had only been visitors in Eldoris, and it was unlikely they would stay. Varkesh didn’t really have a connection to magic beyond the occasional spellcaster and the monsters of Eldoris were unfamiliar with many of the finer points of magical theory. The humans’ knowledge of magic could fill that gap - and the mages’ willingness to share it was something Tanaka was grateful for.