Chapter 192: OMAKE#15

The chair is kicked back, clattering across the floor along with the several dishes of food and utensils that's been brought down in a raging fit.

"Argh!" Reven screams. A literal scream, like his very being was being attack despite the fact that he's just disrupted the entire meeting. 

But of course, I expected this to happen. His guard beside him doesn't reflect his master's fury though, merely standing still as rock beside him, glaring at Yelenia and Daria.

Over the course of the meeting, I've decided that the guard must have some sort of magic because there couldn't be any way he could be so confident in taking on Daria without a weapon of some sorts.

Although, all weapons were admitted at the door, I'm more than certain Daria and Yelenia have more than a few little ones hidden here or there.

"You insult me, you insult humans far too much for a lower, disgusting lesser species that you are!" Reven screams, spittle flying around as he does.

And he talks of disgust.

I try to keep the cringe off my face as Hastra directed, but it's getting very hard to endure such blatant and outright insults.

I shake my head and let my tight smile fall into a deep frown. I'm not quite sure why I'm being so docile, why I still bother. It's obvious this meeting has broken through and it was largely expected to anyway.

I shouldn't be taking this, I'm the one being insulted, the one being stepped on.

I feel my frown turn into a scowl as I begin to glare at the stuffed man, his guards gaze switches from Daria to me and rightly, his eyes widen.

"I think you've said enough, Reven." I cut Reven off in the middle of yet another string of offensive slurs and insults. 

He looks at me finally, truly looks at me, and scoffs. "You must think that in these short moments you're in charge of the city." He pauses to chuckle a bit, muttering the phrase 'in charge' like it was the funniest thing he'd heard himself say.

"You have yet to realize how much you truly have control over and who the true power of this world belongs to. But I'll tell you now as it seems your mother failed to do so. It's humans! And it always will be you pointy eared cunt!" He spits on the floor, kicking the broken pile of plates and food he spilled.

Inhaling, I speak, "The only reason I haven't thrown you into the dungeons this very second is because your slurs and oppressive behaviour is directed towards me, the head of this city. And for the moment I am forgiving enough to let you get away with it."

I get off my chair, tightening my fists. His guard takes a step closer, setting himself between Reven and I.

"But Reven, I will warn you and your group for the last time. Direct this oppression to any other elf and there will be swift and disastrous consequences. I may very well deal it out personally, after all, I have to relief stress some way as well, don't I?"

I use his own words against him with a sinister smile. He'd rejected the thought of having the humans who still hold control of elves as slaves release said elves as by Asher's new law, every single one of the elves are free people.

He cited the reason for having them as slaves was none other than stress relief. Stress relief that Yelenia, Daria and many others in the Elven North have described as torturous beatings for and abuse.

It's time to change all that, it's time to get the elves what we promised.

"You have been heard." He says snidely, "But as the representative of the Proper Faction, I will tell you now, there will be no cessation to any of the terms you've laid out. These are our rights by Kingdom law!"

Kingdom law. It's the De Jure law that precedes over every other in the Kingdom. If one county or March chooses not to practice the enslavement and maltreatment of elves, it doesn't change the fact that the entire Kingdom see said practices as legal.

The Kingdom has long given Lords and all sorts of Nobility to even the commoners the right to make elves their property and the only thing that will ever have a say in this is of course, tokus. 

But as always, tokus is in hard places to reach for those of the elven race. And so, they're picked off and sold and can barely do anything to stop it.

There are of course laws that mark some elves as untouched by these practices, but that just means they aren't to be sold or bought as property because they've already bought their price to life from the Kingdom. 

This is something Maylin had to do for many of the elves that lived in the underground, but we weren't exactly Kings so only a few got the mark. Merlara did, I didn't have to because…well, because I shouldn't technically exist.

The mark is just a badge to scream 'Hey, don't sell me' but it says nothing about beating, mutilating, and all-round abusing. You buy a knife and it says that for you.

Kingdom law is what largely stops me from letting loose the Eleven North on these stuck-up Nobles. Its very well within their sickening rights to do the things they're doing, even though Asher has carried out a law in the city saying otherwise.

Kingdom law supersedes everything. And if I impose on it, there's a chance these stuck-up bastards could tattle on the operation here, throwing a wrench in Asher's plans for a Kingdom where everyone is equal into the bin as Ire's forces March down to set everything 'proper' 

So far, my argument has only been this, "You realize that Lord Ash is not of the intent of heeding any of the values or word of the Kingdom, right? This city is the foundation of a very new Kingdom and you are already breaking its most important laws."

Reven scoffs as always, "Well, I'll believe all that crap when this master of yours who thinks holding a few cities makes a Kingdom has an army ready to face it."

Thankfully, that's exactly what he's preparing. Reven turns to leave but not without spouting one more bit of nonsense. 

"You may not know this seeing as you're sitting up here in the Palace cushy and all, but I'd advise you to get on the right side, Interim, we have all we need to remove you after all."

"Sir!" His guard cautions, speaking for the first time since he entered the building.

Reven nods and walks out of the room with the black clothed man following closely behind.

"That wasn't a success." Yelenia's sudden words startles me a bit. I'd almost forgotten she was here with all the screaming and slurring I was dealing with.

I turn to meet her, she's slouched in her seat, getting comfortable I assume.

"No, no it wasn't."

She nods, "But you weren't expecting a success, were you? If you were then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought, Miss Magic."

Inwardly cringing at the sound of the slur turned nickname I sigh, "No, I wasn't expecting this to be a success, but one could hope for a miracle, couldn't they?"

Yelenia doesn't seem to agree being the practical, go-get-it life she's lived as a woman and an elf.

"It was just to test the waters; diplomacy always has to be first on the table after all."

"So, you have an excuse for when you decimate them in war." She says, completing my sentence in the worst possible way.

"Uh, no?"

"We're not going to war with the humans?" It's Daria that speaks, she's on the edge of her seat now and has a furious look on, "Are you kidding me? We're doing this again? Have we not learned our lesson yet!"

"Daria!" Yelenia yells, "Calm down. I'm sure she has some sort of reasoning to not wanting us to crush these humans and free our people."

The way she says it I can't not have a good reason, in fact, I half suspect it's a trap and she's just trying to tell me there isn't a single reason worth hearing why we shouldn't.

Still, I try. "The Future." I start, Yelenia looks confused, "If we strike now and fall into the invariably large pit of traps they've set, Asher could be looking at facing the Kingdom before he's got his plans together."

"Asher…your Master,"

Not my master but-

"I'm sure he realizes how ridiculous it sounds to hear that he will have an army to go up against the Kingdom's forces, Ire's Crown doesn't just send some infantry fodder to crush rebellions and treasonous lords. The Crown send battle Mages, people skilled in the art of crushing and defeating armies with Magic."

"He's a Mage as well." I argue, "And if you don't believe he can do it then why stay here and fight for something that is already lost? Why not go out with Maylin to the Kingdoms across the sea?"

She frowns and glares at me but it's Daria that answers for her, "Because this is our home, shit hole or not, we're not going out without a fight worthy of our name, The Elven North."

Well…lets hope it doesn't come to that.