Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Seven days later.

It finally happened!

Within the first half of this seven-day stretch of time, the announcement was finally made as to what the final decision was pertaining to the discussions between the Pelian Royal Family and the Sif High Family.

A notice was plastered in every major city mentioning that henceforth, Opungale was in a close-knit relationship with Pelian, grand ties which would lead to great things already in motion!

This news rocked the entirety of Feinheath in many diffident ways.

Shock, rage, sadness, joy and anxiety.

From here on out, the Sif could move into Pelian and establish their own permanent settlements while bringing with them their culture and knowledge. The same was true for the citizens of Pelian but most didn't see this as a possibility worth mentioning.

Granted, there had always been peace between Feinheath and Opungale with visits from Sif merchants and others from different lines of work but nothing too obvious. This move by the Pelian Royal Family, however, was about to change this.

To some, seeing their home flooded with long-eared humanoids was a huge blow while to some it wasn't all that bad.

A certain community concurred.

Debates were had between many groups on this topic as each had their own opinions.

The talks for this had concluded way before the long wait that many had to endure but the timing for the release of this news was probably strategic.

It was no secret that the Pelian Royal Family were an unorthodox ruling party who preferred to stay hidden and have little to no interaction with their kingdom, but they were no fools. At least logically speaking

They probably wanted to delay the chaos as best as they could, probably long enough for their backup strategies against the repercussions that would inevitably follow were settled.

A common sentiment among the masses was that the Royal Family should have brought to light how demeaning the Sif were even in the discussions.

Word somehow got around that it was not someone of equal status to the King and Queen who came to discuss the terms, but rather one of the daughters of the High Family, the ruling entity in Opungale!

Such disrespect!

It enraged the masses, but the Pelian Royal Family had not even considered or responded to this any way, shape or form.

What was agreed upon in these diplomatic talks? No one knew.

What would the benefits for the humans in Pelian be? No one knew.

Yet, people found their minds shifting to other perilous consequences of this bold action.

Those who had heard Erlton the Reader's ballad were now turning to the hills beyond the horizon, where a fearsome nation stood.

A nation that believed in upholding racial honour and detaching from the dependence on other races.

What would be their next move?

War.

This was everyone's first thought.

That was the most likely thing to rise from this.

And worse yet, what of Emeradis. How would they respond?

They were a relatively silent nation that rarely did anything that could be pegged as impactful, keeping to themselves if matters concerning trade were not involved.

It was possible for all the services and goods Pelian enjoyed to be cut off instantly by these two nations as a first portion of the torment that would ensue.

However, no one knew for sure.

As if this wasn't news enough, another shocking reveal rocked the continent of Feinheath a day later.

Clusters.

They appeared en masse in all three of the countries, much of them being the lower ranked ones but higher and more dangerous versions popping up from time to time!

Village heads, Town leaders, City Lords and Governors gathered around to discuss the best courses of action in protecting the lives under their jurisdictions and dealing with the stronger Clusters.

The world seemed too busy for a time as despaired thoughts occupied the minds of the most common of civilians to the strongest of warriors.

Smaller stories plagued the ears of the lot, including those of the incidents in the Isise and the one in Eofel which were tracked to be caused by the same notorious group that many had dismissed over the years.

The Green Neolists.

When had they become a threat? What motivated them to go from being a side project for the Capital Service to deal with, to a national threat that even the Purity had to respond to as the news of the defeat and kidnapping of one of the top five Paladin Champions was released.

So many stories.

So much to wrap the head around.

What in the world was going on in this continent?

***

Maqi.

A thin man stood still while taking in relaxed breaths as he enjoyed the scene around him.

Thousands of corpses lay around him in a vast space that spanned on for miles, yet each spot of the reddish ground was covered by the body of a dead beast that still dripped of fresh blood.

Giant monsters with a flabby flesh covered by a greenish, rough layer of skin, four thick limbs being located under their bulk lay sprawled in silent death, their four meter tall carcasses laying lifelessly on the ground.

A large one had just breathed its last, its thirty meter tall body not doing anything to allow it to last more than five seconds against the thin man before it.

This man donned nothing on his upper body but below, a pair of dark pants with furry edges that tickled his toned abs denoting their design fashioned from a rather hairy creature along with a small painted skull as some kind of buckle at the centre top part covered him with a tight fit.

His robust muscles showed despite his stature being thin and over his skin, continuous pulses of rings made of illusory light ran underneath. It looked like his skin was akin to that of a chameleon as one could get lost in this constant whir of rings that originated from the skin on his chest and outwards.

The sheer might being released from these rings that glowed in his skin made the ground underneath him quake and shatter with each pulse, cracking noises plaguing the entire place that looked like a dessert.

As it did, a swarm of colours emerged, representing the destruction of the edge of the Cluster to which the man moved away.

"I've had enough for today. 391 cleared isn't too bad," he said before he exited the Cluster.

The scenery before him pleased his eyes, bringing a smile to his youthful face.

This was his nation after all. A land rich in vegetation and wildlife, all sacred but free for the taking to the strongest of them all.

"Ode of the First Horn. I have news of the relations in Pelian," a woman at his side with a height and stature that surpassed his said as she bowed. Her muscles bulged from the revealing clothing which she wore which supported her movement.

"Let me render a guess. Those fools took up the deal?" the man said as a grin etched itself over his face.

"It is as you say, Ode."

"Great! It seems a visit to our neighbour is in order. Let's go and have a chat with father about this."