Chapter 65: A Proposal

“That thing almost killed us all!”

The voice, impassioned and filled with an irate fervor, ripped across the room with its overwhelming volume. Murmurs of agreement followed behind it, some reaching even further to become outright shouts. The large hall, lit by an abundance of Light Orbs and festooned with finery that nearly made her eyes roll, was filled to the brim. As much as it ever was, at least. Twenty councilmen - every single one of them, a rare occurrence - sat in their designated locations, though some had raised themselves from their seats. The Council was in uproar, and Valera was unsurprised.

Not after what had just happened.

Still, she wasn’t the only one to raise an objection, few though her allies might have been.

“With all due respect, Councilman Port, nobody was injured. The moment that we arrived and began to intervene, the snake stood down. Hardly the demeanor of a murderous monster, is it?” Captain Wren - Erik’s father, as well as the head of Orken’s Seekers, pitifully few as they were - responded. She wasn’t sure what he really thought, whether he was simply doubling down to support the actions of his subordinates and son, or if he was truly as unworried by what had occurred as he appeared. The man’s face was an inscrutable mask, just as it always was, a statuesque picture of focus and determination.

It was that same focus and determination that had earned him his fame, that had led the Council to provide him with his position in the first place. Though he did not take part in searching for and dispatching Cores himself anymore, the former mercenary had been an integral part in training up the few Seekers that Orken had, ensuring that they were prepared to face the world outside the boundaries of the null-water that protected them.

Now, that same focus was twisted and pressed against the irate Councilman, wrapped in a light coating of humor and friendliness.

A very light coating.

The poor Councilman blanched, but soon rallied.

“Th-that hardly matters! It may not have attacked us directly, but its actions could have killed us all just as surely as if it had bitten at our throats. The Webweaver colony has long been an essential part of our exports. What do you imagine would happen if they were to have all died, hmm? How would we trade for the food that we need, or for anything else?”

As much as she wished that he didn’t have a point...he certainly had one. Their slippery little companion had managed to do a number on Orken’s economy. While she was sure that it was unintentional, it had hurt.

The Captain was forced to acknowledge that, ducking his head in affirmation of the councilman’s words. As powerful and intimidating as his very presence might have been, he was a man of blood and combat - not of logistics and gold. Still, he pushed onwards.

“From the knowledge we have of the snake’s previous demeanor, it’s very possible that he saw the Webweavers as some sort of threat. He has been observed to be extremely hostile towards monsters. While I agree that this might have been catastrophic, it also highlights something that I was already going to propose.” He let that sink in for a moment, meeting the eyes of the gathered councilmen.

Valera chewed her lip lightly, hoping that whatever came next would be enough to save the little cutie. Whatever they thought, she was still willing to place her faith in his good intentions; after saving her life an untold number of times, she felt that he had earned at least that.

“Regardless of the unfortunate circumstances, I think that there are some positives to take away here. The first is that nobody was hurt.” He raised a hand, forestalling another objection from Councilman Port. “Physically. There would have been ample opportunity for the beast to attack any number of humans in its course from its last known location to the Webweavers. The fact that it didn’t attack any humans, and instead attacked monsters - tame though they might have been - is a good sign.”

She found herself nodding alongside Erik, Kala, and - surprisingly enough - Doran, agreeing with what he said. Hopefully that would help to sway the Council’s view.

“Secondly, the fact that it attacked the Webweavers in the first place could debatably be a positive. I certainly wouldn’t expect a monster to understand the concept of domestication. It’s more than likely that he simply saw what he thought was a threat and sought to eradicate it.” Captain Wren steepled his fingers, leaning slightly against the table before him. “Both of these lead towards my proposal - one that may be even more important now than when it was originally proposed. Regardless of intentions, Orken has taken a blow. That will need to be remedied. Fortunately, both the problem and the solution have the same source.”

Valera’s breath caught as she realized where he was going. Before the Webweaver nests caught on fire, they had been in the midst of discussing this very thing. They had known that it would be difficult to convince the Council of its necessity, but - ironically enough - it had become more necessary with the most recent troubles.

“Before we go further…” the head of Orken’s Seekers turned, gesturing towards Doran with one hand. “Doran, if you would give your report on your team’s most recent expedition. I think that the Council might find it...enlightening.”

Doran quickly acquiesced, launching into a sanitized retelling of their adventure, as well as their new companion. She was relieved to note that he scrubbed out her repeated failures to befriend the little snake in question. It wouldn’t have been necessary for the report, and it might have put the claimed docility of Orken’s newest criminal into question. Also, it would have made it seem like the little guy didn’t like Valera.

Which would be wrong. She knew she was the favorite.

Instead, he glossed over much of that, focusing instead on the most important points - the initial encounter, the Ascension, finding the second Core, and so on. When he explained the way that they had been forewarned or protected from every enemy within the Dungeon, the Council became decidedly more heated.

Even they, safe and sound atop the protective lake of null-water, were well aware of how important something like that could be.

There were very few Seekers in Orken, deadly undertaking that it could be, and that showed in their pitiful lack of Cores. Some of the more successful settlements didn’t need to rely on something like a Webweaver colony to get by - their economies were buoyed by the trade created through their captured Cores, along with their ability to defend themselves and any trade routes.

By the time Doran finished his report, she could already see the image of gold reflected in many of their eyes, and she knew that the hook had been set.

“Thank you, Doran. Now, my proposal: the snake will be given the opportunity to work off its debt to Orken. It makes little sense to execute it, if there is something to gain by keeping it alive - and, as long as it can be kept from consuming the Cores that we need or damaging Orken's economy further, there is.”

The following hour was filled with a fierce discussion of the idea’s merits. Some, like Councilman Port, were entirely against the idea of the cute little noodle’s existence, calling for him to be immediately dropped into the null-water. Others were more reasonable, willing to see the merit of increased safety during Dungeon Expeditions. In the end, those more reasonable voices managed to win out, snagging a close victory via vote.

After that came the even harder part: rules and regulations. Those were still mostly up in the air, what with how the success of the proposal would still be in question until the first Core was acquired. Her mind blanked as they droned on and on about precedent this and safety that.

She did hear them decide on one thing for sure though, and Valera was sure the little guy was going to hate it.

In the rest of his time in Orken…he was going to have to be muzzled.

She really hoped that he didn’t blame her for it.