Varunai Summons

Chapter 2 - Mari Meeting

Zuria Arx Conference Room (9:00AM 20 January, 1639)

Two days following the arrival of the Visitor's fleet, all of Mari's council members and their allied representatives finally gathered at the conference room at Zuria Arx. Representatives from Zarautz and Estella are baffled about the absurd news, but they were amazed to see an entire foreign fleet at the Eastern horizon. Just like the prince, they are intrigued in meeting with the Visitors themselves, but they are stuck in this meeting listening to everybody opinions regarding this event before they could agree to a decision in responding to the Visitors' proposals.

The council feel silent with all eyes to the doors with the guards welcomes the main guests; Gurutz and Saores and their wyvern rider cohorts stepped into the room and settled at the table centre of the conference room. Prince Inaki stood up prepared his meeting announcement.

"Everyone, I welcome you all today regarding an occurrence that happen two days ago, which an unidentified fleet has trespassed Mari's maritime borders. Fortunately, both sides exercised discipline with no armaments fired upon each other. According to first-hand reports from Gurtuz and Admiral Saores, both commanders have met the Visitor's envoy, who was of royal descent onboard of the Visitor's flagship. They have no hostile intentions against our nation and have demanded to open diplomatic dialogue. The Visitors came from an island nation named Negara Varunai and they claimed to be a transferred country in the Kumari Sea between Vestal and Rhodenius"

The room hummed with chanters before it grew to howls of laughter that ringed among the council members. Prince Inaki raised his hand to silence them.

"Transferred country? Did their ears validate the same words coming from the mouths of the Visitors themselves?" howled a member of the council.

"Indeed, this is the personal words from the Visitor's envoy; Prince Zafuan, who said that their country has suddenly disappear from their own world and appeared just between between Vestal and Rhodenius" Gurutz replied.

"There is hardly anything in the Kumari Sea! How could a civilization just suddenly have raised up from the ocean? Unless they were from the bottom of the ocean themselves."

There was a second round of laughter among the crowd. Saores grew impatient by the crowd's ridicule on his comrade. He immediately rose from his seat.

"Listen to me, you damned god-forsaken lots! The Visitors have allowed my request for a tour in their flagship which is known as a 'aircraft carrier' powered not by magic but through a complex machination the power of air and oil. Besides their ships, the Visitors has masterless iron dragons called 'unmanned drones' that was reported from one of our captains. Their technology far surpasses the civilized areas probably on part with the Holy Milishial Empire themselves! We could no longer rely on Suarra or Parpaldia on anything!"

The council grew silent, some tried to cough awkward laughter before the room erupted with shouts and brawl.

"Some upstart backwater landless civilization in this part of the world could be compared to the world powers!? Just because they possess the largest warship we've have ever seen, there is doubt it wouldn't last long against nations that has monopoly of the world in their fingertips. Military hotheads like you always try to flip the status of quo by becoming independent power hardly comes with meaningful outcomes on a long term."

"Quiet everyone! Admiral Saores, behave yourself in the council" said Inaki, the Dwarf grunted in response. The atmosphere stalled until a beastmen councilor raised his hand; Ossas the Captain of Ertzana (People's Guard) and the representative from the fort city of Zarautz stood up from his seat.

"If Saores' hypothesis was true. We finally have a powerful ally that rivals Parpaldia or at least provide an ally that could safeguard our independence from Suarra. "