Master Of None

There was a noticeable twitch in the woman's eye who was resting on the hammock of vines. Su managed to notice this due to her skill, this confirmed that the woman was not asleep but in some form of listening meditations. 

The enforcers felt the ice take their bodies over and start to decrease their body temperature. They were shivering in mere moments since they were not prepared for the chill of ice. "Is this the only punishment you wish to dole out?" The elven elder was afraid that the human party would push form more. They had always been wary of those from other kingdoms. 

"No, that is all. We weren't badly hurt. I am sure Midnight might want to cause a little trouble and drag them around but she is a dragon. Dragons are better than that, right Midnight?"

Walker played to Midnight like a professional. She raised her head and puffed up her chest showing off her stature. She was going to make sure every elders saw how upstanding she was. 

"It is a breath of fresh air to see the young of another kingdom being so fair." Another elder wearing gold stood up and took over the conversation. They had a few green lines on their cloak which radiated a mixture of earth and water elemental mana. Walker was keen to understand why this was but had the sneaking suspicion that the elder had a system that dealt with plants. 

"Now that we have taken care of the unfortunate meeting we hope that you would be willing to share your reasoning for being here. As you already have gathered your party has strayed pretty far in to the forest. Not many are allowed in this city." The elder had become much more serious and his face showed it. 

"As you know, the decaying purple slimes are causing huge harm to the forest. We also know you should have heard of the yellow slimes wreaking havoc in the dwarven mines. Our kingdom believes they are connected by a demon causing trouble. So here we are, researching." Walker held firm in his resolve and reasoning. 

"We are aware of the two problems. The problem in the forest began small and has become a little larger. The problem for the dwarves started more recently and seems to be escalating exponentially. We should be able to combat the problem here easily." The elder looked calm and unaffected by what Walker had said. It was clear the elves did not want any assistance. 

"Well, it is good to know that it is all covered. I am very interested in how you plan to deal with the massive slime heading for the city. We were able to collect some slime cores and slime bodies that split from it as it carved a path in the forest." This froze the elder's face in to a calm smile. This was obviously news to them. 

Su gave a slight nudge to Walker prompting him to continue since they had some momentum. "My party happened to come across some goblins and grey haired spiders. This may sound off topic but follow me for a moment." The confusion on the elder's face was clear. They did not attempt to hide it since showing it would be their way to tell the party that they did not see the connection. 

"We did not decide to hunt them like most of you would. Instead, we joined them in battle and took care of the purple slimes that were about to cause the forest goblins to extinction." The looks of confusion were changed to surprise and anger. Some even showed disgust. 

"The elven people have long had a distaste for goblins, we know this. They were once minions of demons but are now scattered monsters. Since they are no longer minions we saw no reason to just let them all die, especially since one of them was a rare breed with a rare system. The goblin spider rider greeted us like a respected friend and took us to their camps. After some events, we were able to gain an understanding. My younger brother Onyx was able to have a nice conversation, we even slept there." 

Su saw the woman's eye twitch a few times and even a small smirk form. To anyone else she had made no movements at all and had just been resting there listening, but to Su, she saw it all. Su leaned forward to Walker, "Address the queen, she's listening." The whisper was only loud enough for Walker to hear with his enhanced hearing. No one else would be able to pick up on it. 

Onyx was curling around Walker's shoulders wanting to join the conversation when ready. "Onyx please translate for me and the elven queen please, or should I say," Walker used his all around appraisal skill in the hope that he could gather the name of the woman in front of them. 

' User is blocked by incredible mana'

'User is blocked by incredible mana'

'User is blocked by incredible mana'

Walker gave it one more shot.

'User has been partially blocked. The user has been allowed a portion of the appraisal.

Title: Queen of the elven spirit forest.'

"Title holder of the elven spirit forest? My party and I greet you officially. Now Onyx, you're up." The name queen of e elven forest was widely known, but the addition of spirit was the true name of the title never shared with any but the elders.

While the elders struggled over their own moral dilemmas in calling in enforcers to deal with the human party that had just called out their queen's title Walker had Onyx translate a direct conversation in the privacy of their minds. No elder interruptions and purely business between title holders. 

"As you may have heard my party and I have titles as well. I have the true hero title and recently gained the friend of the goblins title. They would not lie to us. The massive slime they spotted is coming for the city and we would like to help. Just let us know how we can help. We have some personal ties to the future of the forest." 

The words went from Walker to the queen with Onyx's help. Walker was able to see the vines of the hammock stop completely as Onyx spoke to her. The elders all became silent knowing that this could be one of the very rare moments the queen spoke. "Brother, she will speak out loud." This was exactly what Waker wanted to hear. 

The vine hammock started to twist and turn slowly taking the shape of a solid vine throne. The queen sat within it still with her eyes closed. There was no movement yet, the only real change was that the elders all stood tall with their hands clasped behind their backs. 

The queen of the elves' eyes shot open and looked upon the party. They were a fierce emerald green color that radiated multiple forms of natural mana. Walker was having a hard time with all of the different elemental manas overwhelming his sense. 

"I have heard the information you have gathered. I respect the protection of two species on the brink of extinction in our homeland. The grey haired spider is not the same as the one you believe it to be. They have been evolving recently and have shown new characteristics. The children of the spiders you encountered will most likely be a breed we call, moss spiders. They are a unique species that use moss as a cover for hunting. The goblins are hated, yes. But they are necessary for the forest cycle to spin. Tha k you for befriending them." This was an honor for them and the elders could not believe their ears. 

The queen did not stop there and continued her speech. "My eyes can see much more now that I know what to look for. I have had my enforcers out looking for the root of the problem. This massive slime has finally been narrowed down. I can also see more humans on their way to your goblin friends. I will promise you three things. The goblins will survive and the elves in this forest will learn from the past. The humans on their way will be allowed to go to the goblins but no further, my enforcers will make sure of this. The massive purple slime that is currently consuming a fairy deer will have its core torn from its body and its creator slain." 

The final promise from the queen held an air of pure rage. Her words made the vines shift again and Walker was finally able to see that the vines were connected to the queen. She was not just an elf but she was one with the forest completely. The amount of mana that overwhelmed Walker was coming directly from the forest itself. The entire hall was silent seeing and hearing these things. This was a declaration made by the queen of the elves, it would be followed.

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