“How is it possible that you are still in that form?” Solus pointed at the sky-blue scales covering the merfolk’s body and the gills on her neck.
“Like this.” A wave of Rem’s hand conjured a drizzle of water that kept her humid. “Humans are crazy. They were uncomfortable with my people and asked us to wear clothes. Those things are itchy and tight, making us uncomfortable.
“So we have reached a compromise.”
“That’s not going to work in the Desert. Also, you have to get used to clothes. Going around naked is a big no-no.”
“Why?” Rem’s voice gurgled in annoyance. “Beasts and plant folk do the same and everything we need can be carried around in a dimensional amulet or a sack. What’s so vital about clothes?”
“Never mind.” Solus realized that she wasn’t going to change millennia-old habits with a few words so she changed the topic. “How did your negotiations with the Overlord go?”
“Again, we needed a compromise.” Rem grunted. “Overlord Salaark showed me her realm and my people weren’t pleased with it one bit. We merfolk long for the vibrant colors of the green, the light, and the wildlife that we lack in the deep of the ocean.
“We have no desire to move to a place whose heat can kill us and is more inhospitable than an oceanic trench. We had to arrange for the nearest oasis to the ocean and it wasn’t easy. We’ll end up relatively close to Magus Verhen, but much further away than we desire.”
Aalejah contacted Lith a few hours past dinner time. The Parliament of Leaves was in full debate, half of them wanting to visit the Wayfinder and witness with their own eyes the marvels that they would soon obtain.
The other half, instead wanted to keep away from what might easily be turned into a death trap were the elves to refuse the humans’ terms. It took the Parliament until the next day to reach an agreement and then even more time to prepare its forces.
The elves of Medolin had decided that witnessing the apex of modern magic was worth the risk but they weren’t going to take more than necessary. Only a few representatives of the Parliament would get inside the array field of the Wayfinder at a time.
The rest would stay outside with several units of their elites and secure an escape path. The representatives would take turns visiting the facility, ensuring that the vast majority of the Parliament members would be safe at all times.
Aalejah accompanied the rulers of Medolin, acting both as an ambassador and a bodyguard. Lith served the same role for the humans and spoke on behalf of Garlen’s Awakened Council as well.
His nature as a Divine Beast further reassured the elves and gave him the authority to speak on behalf of the Beast Council. Raagu kept herself at a distance to not scare the elves and made sure that Inxialot’s Sealed Box was tight shut the whole time.
Ilthin and a Balor attended as well, representing respectively the Eclipsed Lands and Zelex. Identical negotiations had already been conducted with the people of Setraliie so everyone knew what to do and say.
The real issue was reassuring the elves of Medolin that it wasn’t all a ruse to lure them out of the Fringe and kill them all. After that, it would have been smooth sailing.
The representatives of the Parliament were pleasantly surprised to meet Rem and the rest of the merfolk. Even more when they discovered the merfolk’s plans to move to Garlen and build their cities on the surface.
Merfolk and elves had fought side by side during the War of the Races. If one race felt confident enough to step out of its self-imposed exile there was no reason the other couldn’t do the same.
“Damn, we should have thought about this.” Kelia grumbled. “If we played the merfolk card better, we could have easily gotten the elves’ trust.”
“Disagree.” Orion Hushed them. “We had no idea that we would meet merfolk upon our arrival and they have no reason to trust us, they are here because of Lith and Tista. The merfolk have no reason to be nice to us.
“On top of that, the fact that we have no common interest with them plays in our favor.”
The elves had at first believed that the meeting was no coincidence but something carefully planned and staged. That was until they spoke to Rem who complained about the food, the spices, the issue with clothes, and her current dealings with the Desert.
No pawn would be so outspoken about her grievances with her allies nor would Soul Vision show them her honest surprise at their arrival and sincerity in her words.
‘Dusk?’ Kelia asked.
‘I agree with Orion. Had we prepped Rem, the elves would have noticed it and trusted her even less. Now instead, they see how unhappy she is yet she still feels safe enough to hang around our camp and voice her opinions.’ He replied.
‘Wait a minute. What about Soul Vision? What if they notice you?’
‘Don’t worry. I’ve never met elves and they went into hiding long before my creation. Even if they can sense something weird, just blame it on your equipment and bloodline.’ The Red Sun said before activating his best cloaking spells, just to be safe.
The elves of Medolin also didn’t miss how their cousins from Setraliie were at ease with Lith, the undead, and the reverted monsters. They were all awkward around the people from the Kingdom and the Empire, yet they trusted the humans enough to lower their guard.
It was the perfect show of reluctant trust that was to be expected from such a recent and diverse alliance.
“Marvelous.” One of the elven elders said while taking in the sight of the many magical appliances, the wagons of the Wayfinder, the partially built Warp Gate, and the babies strapped to Lith’s chest.
“My eyes are up here.” He replied with a grunt.
As predicted, the elves considered the terms of the treaty fair and remained adamant about keeping the location of their Fringe a secret. Yet the negotiations took much longer than expected.
After hearing from their colleagues about the many wonders inside the encampment, every member of the Parliament wanted to visit the place in person and make sure that the other representatives hadn’t struck a better deal exclusive to their own Clan.
Orion and Kelia had to repeat the terms of their offers over and over while Rem had to give the same answers so many times that she started to treat the elves rudely. The Wayfinder and the Gate were the main foci of attention, though.
‘A mobile fortress and a device capable of bending space further than any living being can.’ Every single member of the Parliament thought. ‘If we find a way to pierce the veil of the Fringes with it and connect our cities, building an impregnable elven country wouldn’t be a dream anymore.’
After the second group of Senate Representatives, Solus and Kamila went back inside their wagon with the babies to rest, leaving Lith alone to grumble.
