Chapter 107: Meeting Someone
"What am I doing?" Ren asked. He sat up and looked at all of them. "Is it normal to look into the details of other forest lords?" he asked, placing his elbow on the table.
"Normally, no," William stated.
"But your case is the first of its kind. We want to ensure that it does not cause massive issues. We already discussed part of this with you last time we met, right?" Aris said.
"Well, we discussed it. Doesn’t mean I care for it or accept it," Ren replied. "Listen, to be honest, I don’t really care for the forest. I don’t care what you all have with it and want to have with it.
What I want to do is build my home and my family. I have dwarves because I want to make tools. I fought royal knights because they came after me, much like you all are coming after me under the guise of a discussion." Ren stated. He looked at each one of them right in their eyes and then kept speaking.
"Face it, a dragon has come to your land and is doing what he wants and gaining more strength. You are all scared of what will happen if I keep growing unchecked." He finished speaking and leaned back.
"You really see yourself as that big of a deal, huh?" Tempest asked, eyes burning with rage. "You really think that three forest lords that have lived long before you arrived would be phased by one lizard that found itself here?"
"Of course you are. Let’s be real, the humans have known you three existed long before and have done nothing to remove you, but the moment they hear of me they start sending royal knights, so yes, I am that big of a deal," Ren finished and then smiled.
"Let’s not get this too heated," Aris said. She looked at Ren. "You are currently at loggerheads with the humans until further notice. It would be best if you managed to work with us better rather than being hostile," she suggested.
"Work with you? You allowed humans to train their young here on our monsters, and you allowed the calamity orc to take lives as much as it wanted.
You do not have a good trust value in my eyes. All of you are doing it for your own profit, and so am I, simply creating a safe home for my own happiness," Ren explained his view.
"Your actions are pulling unwanted attention toward the forest, and that’s not good," William said. "Each of us will surely have this affect us. Adventurers that believe they can take a dragon will come looking and might enter our territories, and that’s the least of the troubles," William explained.
"There will also be stronger and stronger humans coming from different parts, all to come take you, and it will affect us.
As for those developments you are carrying out, something like that should not really exist inside a forest. That’s not how the monsters live," Aris said.
"Uhm, so far you have not been able to tell me why I should care or worry. Do you really think I have not thought about all that can happen?" Ren asked.
"If this is the only reason that you have called me here, then this meeting was a waste of time in general."
Tempest rose to his feet as his fist slammed into the table.
"I have had enough of this lizard."
"Try calling me lizard one more time and watch as your head hits the ground faster than you can blink," Ren said casually, but his smile let Tempest know that he was going to keep that threat.
The tension grew. Tempest was a few seconds away from attacking and starting the fight, and as for Ren, he was seated and looking at Tempest.
’Times like this you’ll not give me a quest to take off his head, huh, System?’
"Enough, let’s keep a level head. A fight here would just be for nothing," Aris urged.
Tempest did not want to sit back down after heating up that much, but after a few seconds he sat back down and calmed himself.
"Listen, this is really simple, and I don’t wish to make it hard for you, so listen close to me," Ren said.
"I’ll not bother anyone if they do not bother me. My goal is simply to find a way to build a nice place that I can know as my home.
Why is it so hard for you to accept that and allow it? It’s my territory. It’s my business what I do there, and if that’s so much for your stomachs to handle, then do something about it, I guess," Ren gave his final ultimatum.
The air went heavy after that. No one spoke for a while.
"Hahaha," William broke into a laugh.
"It’s been so long since this place has had such activity. I’m hyped to see what comes of it.
I personally do not have an issue with what you do, Ren. In fact, the spirits might prefer you to these two. I feel you can find a way to benefit us more."
"So that’s how it is now?" Tempest asked. "Switch on us at the last moment to follow the new lord?"
"If he has something that is worth it, then sure. Do not forget this alliance is working simply on the fact that none of us can kill the other. If the scales begin to tip, I believe it’s in my best interest that I follow where the strength is, and from the looks of things it’s with him." William made his stance clear.
Aris smiled as she listened to him while Tempest fumed at the mouth.
Suddenly, the air inside the room got heavier as a fifth presence came in, stronger than the forest lords and unable to be hidden.
The moment this presence came, Aris looked at Ren and spoke.
"I told you that you’ll be meeting someone. Well, the person has arrived."