Chp.5: Approval by the Council

"So let me get this straight: all this time there has been a people under us unknown to the whole world and we didn't know it!?"

Haku had expected that the Council wouldn't react to the news of the existence of the arachnes in a peaceful, calm and rational way, but that more than one of them would probably fall off their chairs upon learning of this, which indeed they did (literally). He couldn't blame him completely: just like him, the Council was also worried about the consequences that the presence of the arachnes would have for them, with the difference that Haku was a dragon and therefore had kept his nerve much easier. After all, the beastmen had come to that remote corner of the world precisely to have the chance to rebuild their lives from scratch without external interference: anywhere else they would have gone they would have had to bow down to another people more powerful than them, at least until they would not rebuild their strength. And nothing would guarantee them that such a more powerful people would not enslave and subject them even worse than that of Carrion. In the desert, however, there was no one who could pose a threat... at least until now. If indeed there was an entire underground civilization, then it was likely that they too possessed powerful weapons and warriors, perhaps enough to make a fearsome army. Not to mention that, technically, this was also their territory, since the arachnes had lived here for thousands of years and knew all its strengths and weaknesses. Sure, they had dragons and their fighting prowess on their side, but it was still dangerous to risk open warfare. If the arachnes wanted to subdue the beastmen, they would be in serious trouble.

Haku had obviously ordered Arethar not to talk about the prophecy in any way, nor to convey his veneration of dragons: he believed that the members of the Council were already shaken enough just by the news of the existence of the arachnes, he didn't need to add further confusion in their minds. And then he doubted that they would take well the fact that there was an entire people who worshiped dragons as if they were divine entities: Haku was quite sure that this would cause more harm than good. He had therefore told Arethar to pretend to be there exclusively to get to know their new 'neighbours', since technically this they were now, and to make sure of their intentions and possibly forge relationships of various kinds with them; a more than normal behavior for any people who found a large number of immigrants near their homes and which therefore would not have generated suspicions. The plan had apparently succeeded: Arethar had been able to play convincingly enough and no one seemed to be in any doubt as to his intentions.

Despite the situation, Haku would still have liked to have one of those devices capable of recording images with him: the faces of certain members of the Council were in fact stupendous at that moment, some (including Zamor too) seemed to have even received a blow to the head . If it hadn't been that he wanted to maintain a certain composure and that he was busy observing every movement, expression or even breath of his 'guest', he would have laughed. He was a little disappointed that he could only remember those expressions in his head and not be able to show them to anyone.

Arethar raised his arms, gesturing for all the Council members to calm down. "Gentlemen, I know how surprised you must be right now, because my people were surprised too when we learned of your presence. But I can assure you that we have no ill intentions towards you: we have no interest in this oasis, and even if did you occupy a few caves underground… well, there are enough of them that there is room for everyone. I came here to make friends; we could live well ignoring each other, but I'm sure if we worked together we could all benefit"

As Arethar spoke, Haku seemed to be looking at the Council, but that was just an illusion he had created using the invisibility rune: in reality, his eyes were on the arachne, watching everything she did. So far she hadn't noticed any signs of hyperventilation, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, blinkered eyes, stiff posture, or any other sign that could prove he was lying. This led to two conclusions: either Arethar had excellent control of body language, or he was telling the truth. In fact, this wasn't so impossible to believe: since Arethar considered the beastmen other 'servants' of the dragons, just like him, it was natural that he didn't mind working with them. After all, servants could please their master better if they worked together and completed their tasks more quickly. Haku had the feeling that as long as the beastmen were his allies the arachnes would be happy to collaborate to allow them to grow in strength and resources... and in the same way if the relations between them deteriorated the arachnes would end all relations with the beastmen or even wage war against them as compensation for their 'betrayal' to the dragons. Haku still didn't have a clear idea of ​​how deep the worship of dragons was in the arachnes, but having dealt with dudes blinded by their fanaticism before, that scenario didn't seem all that unlikely to him.

In a way this would have been good for him and his family; if what Arethar was saying turned out to be true, no matter what the prophecy said, they would have a whole people to rely on who could raise a mighty army for them. Haku wouldn't have minded at all having thousands of potential warriors under his command: the beastmen were on his side, sure, but they were only allies, not loyal soldiers. Haku had no doubts that in case of a desperate situation they would abandon him, because he would do the same towards them: after all, a mere ally wasn't worth his life or those of his family. Conversely, if all arachnes were like Arethar, they would have been content to fight alongside him or even shield and sacrifice themselves to enable him to escape. They could have been a very profitable resource; Haku already had the means and power to fight against a legendary level, but against an entire army he was still powerless. While it was unlikely he'd be fighting a war in the middle of the desert, it was still nice to know he was prepared for that, too. And the arachnes could have been used even after he and his siblings had grown to adulthood: seventeen dragons and a whole army of deeply loyal newcomers would have been a force to be reckoned with, allowing him to overwhelm even the bravest foe. Even an entire empire should have thought twice before bothering them. Of course, there was always the other side of that situation, which was that a great fear would arise towards them that would lead many powerful nations of newcomers to unite to face them... but Haku could think about that when the time came. For the moment he was more focused on thinking about the benefits and advantages he could get immediately. In fact, that situation was extremely positive for him (if it turned out to be true): if it weren't for the matter of the prophecy, Haku probably would have liked everything that was happening very much.

"We don't have negative intentions either" Zamor said taking the floor. Even if like everyone else he was rather confused, he had been quick to recover and had immediately begun to evaluate how to act, quickly reaching the conclusion that at the moment the best choice was to appear compliant and avoid annoying what was in all respects the ambassador of an unknown people. Until they knew exactly how strong these people were and what resources they had on their side, it was far better to avoid showing any signs of hostility. Besides, keeping the peace wasn't certainly a bad thing. "If you really just want to assure you that we will let you live in peace, then we can promise you that here and now. And we too will be happy to work with you if you are willing, so we wouldn't mind getting to know your people and sign an alliance between us"

In fact, having more allies wouldn't have hurt the beastmen either. The fact that Carrion had pursued them had shown that there were people who wouldn't even let the desert stop them, so why shouldn't some other fanatic try to do the same? Even if that was very unlikely and they still had the protection of dragons, they would like having one more ally. "We'd be happy for it" Arethar said with a smile. "As a sign of friendship, therefore, I would like to invite some of you to our most important city, Tigu-chtu-tal, so you can get to know my people and my culture in person, and we can find out how we can help and support each other"

Haku continued to stare at the arachne closely. He hadn't shown any alteration in his body language again, as he should have done if what he was talking about was actually a well-conceived trap. It therefore seemed that he really believed that what awaited them was just a simple visit to the underground and a peaceful meeting. Indeed, judging by his expression, he seemed almost excited at the thought, which is normal given that, unbeknownst to the members of the Council, his real intention was to bring dragons with him to admire the ancient scriptures, and therefore he probably felt that by inviting the their 'servants' was inadvertently inviting their masters as well.

Haku decided that he had observed Arethar enough: by now believing that he had an evil intent in mind had become really very difficult. However, he wanted to test him one last time, so he took the floor and said: "I support this proposal. There is nothing wrong with visiting the city of people with whom we intend to become friends. After all, they have sent someone here first. If you'll allow me, I'd like to go"

This was an important test: how would Arethar react to the knowledge that he had achieved what he came for? The arachne turned to him and smiled as his eyes glittered; it looked like he was barely holding back from jumping on the table and screaming with glee. But in his eyes Haku didn't read any kind of malice, of sneaky intent, of malicious satisfaction; he was unlikely to be pleased that a trap had succeeded, but he was genuinely over the moon to have been able to convince dragons to visit his people. Haku thought that was enough: it was now evident that Arethar truly believed in everything he said. Of course, that didn't guarantee that the other arachnes would believe it… but it certainly was likely to be the case. At this point, a quick visit to that strange people was a must: it was necessary to get to the bottom of the mystery of the prophecy, and if the arachnes didn't represent a danger Haku had no reason to wait any longer. Sure, he'd take precautions for his safety… but at least he would go.

Haku's words were received well by the rest of the Council. Sending other ambassadors to a people that had already sent one was a normal thing, indeed it was almost considered good manners. If you wanted to maintain good relations with the aforementioned people it was practically a duty. "I agree" Zamor said. "If Haku wishes to go, I support him. And I would like to go too"

Haku had expected it: Zamor didn't trust him and was smart enough to understand that if he wanted to go underground to meet an unknown people it was surely because he had an ulterior motive. The other members of the Council must have thought so too, and indeed they supported Zamor's proposal. "Yes, two ambassadors will definitely be better than one" Leuce said.

"He's right"

"I agree"

"Yes"

In the end all the members of the Council were in favor of that proposal, and it was thus decided that Zamor and Haku would leave the next day, so that both could prepare and recruit any other companions. Arethar wasn't disappointed to have to wait: as long as it pleased the dragons, he would also be willing to wait until the sun and moon went out and the world was plunged into darkness.