Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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/Chatter…/

Within the Guild, the chattering of voices echoed throughout as the sounds of a heated exchange between many reached Dale's ears as they threw words at each other furiously.

And they didn't seem well intended.

"... That's ridiculous, do you think that's proper in any way?!" Barme said as he slammed his hand on the counter

/Nod…/

Two groups of people stood on opposite sides, one close to the center of the hall where the counter stood, consisting of all of Resko's ordinary Elders.

On the other side, a group of various people, some he had never seen before but could somewhat infer who they were.

Likely the representatives of the Survivors, or better put, refugees.

Because now, they were strangers in a land they did not belong to, fleeing from a place they did not wish to stay.

And by the looks of it, they were trying their hardest to change that.

Mayhaps a bit too much…

Still, something felt off… Where was their leader, Sarferato?

From what he knew of him, their thoughts were pretty similar and their discussion would've gone smoothly.

Above all why did their expressions look so… Superior?

Just looking at them made Dale's mood sour, but it wasn't like they were all like that.

About half of their group had mixed expressions, and those he recognized, they were some of the Raiders he saw back at the Bunker, including Retero, one of the last surviving Master Raiders, the people that went deep into the forest and ruins to hunt for supplies.

Different from their companions, he and the people next to him seemed on the defensive about whatever was being discussed.

What could they be talking about exactly?

"Have I said anything wrong? Given our circumstances, we must establish a strong…"

"It seems we have a newcomer." An old man replied as he turned to Dale

The moment his eyes fell on Dale, his expression turned into one of displeasure, but within the same moment, his eyes changed as he seemed to recognize who he was.

But Dale himself did not miss that change in his expression.

For a moment, he looked down on him, and who was he to have that kind of expression in someone else's home?

It pissed him off, severely.

"If it's not the talk of the Village, it's great that you're here." He replied as he crossed his arms

"I heard you were from a cultured background, maybe you can put some sense into their heads."

"Kid… Sigh, I can't say if it's good or not for you to be here, you would've been better off forgetting about this and sparring yourself the headache." Barme replied as he shook his head

"Barme… Everyone, are you all okay? I haven't lost much, have I?" Dale asked as he approached them

'I don't think there is aggression between them, but there seemed to be a lack of understanding between both parties.'

'While the Raiders seem to be acting as a neutral group.'

/Nod…/

He gave Retero and the others a nod, at least in them, he could see the gratitude, respect, and even a bit of embarrassment in their gazes.

Why would they feel that? Something was wrong with this discussion.

"Have you rested well?" Edimund asked on the side as he tapped Barme's shoulder

"My body still aches somewhat, but give it a few days and I'll be back on track." He replied with a warm smile as Ophelia approached him, touching his hand in concern

He smiled back at her, telling her that he was okay.

Meanwhile, he gave Tina and Testros and silent nod and they replied in unison.

There was much for them to discuss but now wasn't the time...

/Clears throat!/

"..."

Before he had the time to greet the others, however, the old man from before cleared his throat in a loud manner, interrupting them in a rather rude way.

"I know that after the intense exchange you had with the… Demon, deep in the forest, you must be filled with the desire to commemorate your victory." The man said as he waved his right hand around

"You are not alone, we all wish to sit down and enjoy this moment of respite we haven't had in years..."

"Devil, not Demon." Tina interjected in a snarky tone

"Demons are unintelligent and animalistic in nature…"

But before Tina could complete her phrase, the old man cut her again.

"Does it matter? It's dead, Devils, Demons, they're all in the same, abhorrent creatures that should be slain at sight."

"Those that dwell on such Dark forms of Magic have no place amidst people." He said as he shook his head

""...""

This comment had a double meaning, one Dale didn't know if the man himself was aware of the implications of what he had just said.

As he turned to Tina, he realized her expression was extremely tense, and likely by now, she had thrown this human being to the top of her list of people she hated.

It would be best to avoid leaving the two together from now on.

This included the Raiders who understood the importance of a Witch like Tina, and also due to the fact his words not only offended her and the people that were welcoming them but even some of their own companions, including their leader, Sarferato.

If this old man knew what he was talking about, then he definitely had balls of steel to say it so bluntly in the face of all these people.

"What I was trying to say is… We can commemorate all we want later, but for now, we must unravel ourselves from our current predicament." .

"..."

Despite everything he was feeling right now, Dale chose to first understand the situation, the man in front of him, and everything else before making hasty decisions.

He could easily solve this through violence, punch the man in the face and knock him out before talking with the people that really cared for him, but this wouldn't work every time.

There were times when it was for the best to use violence, and he was weighing this possibility right now.

"... And that would be?" Dale asked as he crossed his arms

'From the silence of the others, they must be trying to leave this to me.'

'They must've been talking for quite a long time, maybe this isn't even their first discussion... I have to put an end to this so we can move on.'

"The matter of allocation of space, future development, and community relations."

As he said that, he realized that he had yet to introduce himself, so he quickly added:

"Also, pardon my lack of formalities, you speak with Winthrope Campbell Kahler." The old man said as he bowed slightly

"?...!"

As he heard his name, Dale's expression went from confusion to one of understanding.

'I think I'm starting to understand why this conversation is so awkward.' Dale thought silently as he looked at the old man

Out of everyone he expected to meet out of the Survivors, he didn't expect this relic of a man to appear in front of him, and he wasn't pleased for that to be the case.

His name may not trigger any bells in any of the current residents of Resko, but for the Elders and the people who studied the old texts related to Resko's creation, the name Kahler is one mentioned more than once, together with Campbell and a few others.

Those are the names of some of the Families that financed Resko's initial construction before the Church took over its construction with their big pockets.

Those were some of the names that ruled the South, albeit not for long, and that still technically do, as, despite the Church's takeover, a Religious organization cannot rule a territory apart from what they deem "A Sacred Land" under Imperial Law, as such, they chose one the families to act as the ruling house and the other ones to become something akin to Parliament.

The Kahler family used to be a mere Chelovier household, the lowest form of Nobility, or in other words, a family that was knighted due to the outstanding/meritorious deeds of one of their ancestors.

One thing was for the individual to be knighted and for his following generations to receive the same Title, whoever Kahler the First was, he should've been a rather outstanding person.

However, the flourishing of Resko's economy and power caused them and all others who invested in their initial prospects to collect big time, leading their position in the Social circles to reach an all-time high, with the Kahler family being elevated to the position of a Count.

In short, the man in front of him was the ruler of these lands by right of Imperial Law, or at the very least, the one who should be given the title of Mayor following the Kahler Bloodline as things have been for hundreds of years.

Whoever was the Mayor 90+ years ago before the fall of the Wall had unsurprisingly died, and given how inconclusive that was, Dale could imagine there was likely some bothersome procedure to choose the next to rule this city.

As for those next to him... They were either members of his family, servants, or the descendants of the other families.

What was curious, however, was the fact their line somewhat survived the brutal wilds and they were now here in front of his face causing trouble.

Or that was how it looked under his eyes.

How did they have the time to think about all of this when their people were starving? They certainly don't look sickly.

Dale was starting to find this all very odd.

"... I see, my parents call me Dale and our family name is Houston." Dale replied with a smirk

'Well... I can already somewhat imagine where this conversation will lead, but being hasty will only deprive me of information, although it might deprive me of a future headache...'

'At least these people don't seem extremely bad intentioned, this attitude of theirs and the expressions of the Elders have greatly increased their likelihood of leaving this place with their noses intact.'

'Now I listen.'

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Notes

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