The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2
Chapter 161

Part 24

"The aquatic races are behind us all, and are still in the initial stages of militarizing and preparing for war. While most of our populations are now soldiers training to fight in the void, and the other established races of The Just Alliance are now soldiers and militia who are training to be wizards, the aquatics are still training civilians to be soldiers as they expand from fairly small peacetime levels of military participation. Of them the Kag are most ready, being a predatory and aggressive race that have had many conflicts, both among themselves and with other races. The Southernmost are the other extreme; while they are also a predatory race who have as much potential for warfare in their nature as any other, they have been so isolated and so civilized throughout their entire existence that they have never had a

war.

"When the time-bubbles end, those within them will emerge expecting only minor changes in the world over the two months of real time that they missed, but they will face a surprisingly different Kellaran. "At any rate, because of the results of Mark and his family's actions, military training was accelerated in Serminak, and we in Xervia have chosen to match them in that.

"The time has now come for The Just Alliance to re-assert control over our world's militaries again, since the gods have decided that exercises involving all of Kellaran's nations are the next reasonable step in our military development, and I agree.

"We are making great strides in a short time, and even if the gods had not requested their inclusion, I fear that the nations of Debivin, Kletiuk, Felion, Oceania, and the undersea peoples are falling too far behind us. Though they may not be able to bring all of their forces to bear in our next exercise, we should ask them to bring what they can.

"I therefore ask that we meet with their rulers and commanders who remain available, tomorrow at the twentieth hour, Standard Time, in The Hall of The Just Alliance.

"Are we agreed?"

He took a quick accounting of the responses, and nodded. "We are agreed. I will take responsibility for briefing the aquatic rulers and commanders on what has transpired, and asking them to the meeting. Prince Mark, will you speak with the humanoids?"

"Certainly." Mark nodded.

"Thank you.

"Do we have any more business here for today?"

None spoke, so the ancient white dragon nodded again and finished with; "Until tomorrow then, farewell."

With that, all the Xervians except a few of the unicorns Translocated out.

Mark and his commanders did so a moment later, appearing in The Lair of The Dragon Lord Regent in Serminak. All but Mark's family were dismissed and left by various means.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable. Our home is your home." Povon said as she and Kragorram reclined, and she started giving him a full-body scratch massage with her claws, starting from the tip of his nose and working to the tip of his tail. She considerately cast a quick automated spell that collected the millions of spent crimson scales she was dislodging and stowed them in a huge stone cask she had handy. Kragorram rumbled a groan of pleasure so low it was more felt than heard.

"Thanks, I think I will." Fire giggled, and assumed the fiery-looking dragon Simulacrum she'd used when they'd visited Zarkog.

They sensed somehow that it was a big moment for her; that visit with Zarkog was the only time she'd assumed dragon form with anyone but Karz, and she'd never done it with their parents. She noted what Povon was doing and pushed Karz to the floor with playful roughness, and started giving him what Kragorram was getting.

"Aww, that's sweet." Talia smiled as she lounged on the floor, a large section of which was covered with a thirteen centimeter deep red velvet quilted pad.

Val appeared and stretched luxuriously as she said; "Good, I'm glad you're done. I'm so ready for a break, but I was holding out until you were finished."

She flopped down on the padded floor beside Talia as she Linked with her siblings to see how the exercise had gone.

"You know, you dragons have altered your size and appearance so many times to be accommodating and comfortable in our homes, and it looks like this is the occasion to return the courtesy." Six chuckled as he, then Val, then Alilia, assumed Simulacrums with roughly the same bulk as average adult dragons, about thirty meters tall.

They lounged on the floor near the dragons, and Alilia commented; "You know, this was a good idea. This place does seem much more comfortable this way. Not overwhelmingly huge."

"You don't mind if I talk to some rulers while you're all relaxing?" Mark asked.

"I don't mind if they don't." Kragorram said with a rumbling chuckle. "Or you can use the conference room if you want."

"Nah, not my style." Mark chuckled.

"Whatever." Kragorram muttered contentedly. "Just so you realize that nothing short of a real attack by the demons is going to get me to move before Povon's finished."

As Mark started psionicly contacting the humanoid rulers, Fire asked; "What should I do with the scales?"

"For now, I have a jar you can have." Povon stated as she Retrieved another four hundred litre stone cask. "When you have time you can sell them."

"Oh? What are they worth? And who would I sell them to?"

"About a quarter of the value of ivory, by weight." Povon told her. "And almost any major market will have buyers for them. Small, shiny, colorful ones like ours are valued for jewelry, mosaics, embroidery, and the gnomes and elves have used them in scale-mail armor. Billigog the blue has the biggest ones, some of her scales are over two meters wide, and she has a contract with a shipyard in Felion that buys all of them for armor plating and spell-proofing on Shiganzhu warships.

"They're one of the few things that dragons have sold to other races for a long time. If we don't, we end up with great piles of them, and the piles are soon infested with scale salvagers from most of the smaller races. I find it ironic that the other races have always pictured dragons as resting on huge piles of treasures. Now they truly are treasures, because they're widely coveted and the traders that buy them are well-established everywhere, but they were always just piles of discarded scales. Along with a few claw-filings and shed teeth of course, which are also valuable among the smaller races."

Emperor Osbald of Thon and his military staff were the first to arrive.

"On my word!" he exclaimed on seeing the colossal Simulacrums.

"Don't mind them, they're trying to fit in with dragons." Mark laughed as the two shook hands.

Osbald gave his head a shake, and tried to recover his composure. "I don't know which is stranger; their immense size, or that Alilia is the same size as the children. That just doesn't look right." "On the other hand, you look just fine, Emperor Osbald!" Fire laughed.

"Fire?!" Osbald gaped on recognizing her voice. "I see you are truly fitting in with dragons!"

Overlord Senchak arrived with his large staff of dwarves then, and Empress Emeroth was only a moment behind him. Within a minute the huge room was feeling less spacious after the arrivals of the rest of the monarchs and general staffs of the humans, elves, giants, and gnomes.

Their reactions on what they saw when they arrived were as amazed as Osbald's, though only from such a surprising and unexpected sight. Such Simulacrums and the techniques for casting them had been well-known for weeks.

"I'll just fill you in the fast way." Mark said as he Linked with all the new arrivals and gave them a Reading of the training and exercises he'd engaged in since the last meeting of The Assembly, including the meetings and evaluations with the leaders of Xervia and with the operators of the exercises.

"All right, now you know where we stand, and that you're invited to a military meeting of The Assembly tomorrow. As was said, we know you can't bring many of your forces, but every one of your nations should be represented by at least a few of your best officers, so they can be kept up to speed and be ready to bring the rest of you up to speed as soon as it's practical."☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐

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