Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

Deep shock could be seen in those ogre like eyes of Gil-Garna which had been unfazed when facing all the other seven kings. It was not only him, Yverza, Shasurna, Gufardus and Vesgard all wore similar looks of shock and disbelief as they stared at their surrounding.

At this moment, the entire land was trembling gently as if a small earthquake was occurring. If one paid enough attention one could even hear the deep rumbling noise coming from the depth of the earth like an omen foreshadowing soemthing.

That was not all, As the Seven Kings watched in awe, the landscape began to transform before their very eyes. Flora and fauna across the entire black ogre territory, stirred in response to some unknown force, coming to life in a display of vibrant vitality.

From the earth, new life emerged, sprouting forth in a riot of colours and shapes. Flowers burst into bloom, their petals unfurling like delicate works of art. Trees swayed in a graceful dance, their branches reaching skyward as if reaching for the heavens.

The once-dormant land seemed to awaken with a newfound vigour, teeming with the promise of growth and renewal. The sounds of the forest shifted, as if harmonizing with the changing landscape.

Birds sang melodies of welcome, their songs echoing through the canopy in a symphony of greeting. Creatures of all shapes and sizes emerged from their hiding places, drawn by the magnetic pull of this unseen force as if coming forward to greet their king.

"Oi.. Oi… you can't be serious?" Shasurna spat, in his shock he almost fell down from his arching chair.

"I can't believe this. Is that person coming for real?" Yverza spoke out the words that were in all of their hearts.

"A change like this is something that only that person is capable of instigating" Vesgard mentioned. He was the most calm out of all the seven kings as he drank the drink prepared for him.

"He is here!!" Suddenly he put down his glass and stared at a tree not very far away from them.

At that moment, the tree began to visibly morph. Its branches twisted and contorted, weaving together to form a humanoid figure. The humanoid figure was covered in gnarled wood, and ancient bark etched in swirling patterns that resembled the forest.

His figure was tall and his eyes glowed with an otherworldly light, reflecting the wisdom of centuries past. Novel Fire - novelfire.net

"Haha, I hope I am not late, Gil-Garna?"

The figure spoke. As he took each step, he exuded an aura of primal power, his very essence intertwined with the natural world around him.

Who could the figure who was the very embodiment of the forest's might, a living testament to enduring strength and resilience be other than Aldebaran?

The seven kings stared in shock, a surge of reverence and deep fear involuntarily sprung into their bodies just by standing near him. No matter how mighty they acted amongst each other or called each other the Seven Kings; however, in front of this ancient monster, they might all just be children.

Although Aldebaran was also coined as one of the Seven Kings along with them, it didn't mean that he was in the same realm as them. Coining Aldebaran as one of the seven kings, it was something that was done by those stupid human adventurers who didn't know any better.

No matter how haughty or prideful they usually acted among themselves, they had to set aside all of that and act humbly in his presence. Aldebaran was not just the ruler of one of the king clans, the Ancient Treants but the guardian of the forest itself.

It was his presence that deterred the powerful foreign beings from coming into the Ghastly Winding Forest.

"For you to come here, does that mean that you are also interested in the Dungeon of the East?" Vesgard questioned.

Perhaps if there was anyone among the seven kings, who was not as deterred and fazed as the others, it would be him. Having a good relationship with Aldebaran, he didn't stand on ceremony as the others and continued to sip his drink.

"Haha, you all are here. How can I miss the fun? Gil-Garna you don't mind if I join uninvited right?"

Although he asked, he did not wait for the latter to reply and found a seat next to Vesgard to sit on.

The Ogre king who was called out, opened and closed his mouth, unable to say anything. His face twitched evidence that he was yet to come out of shock. It was indeed true that out of all the invites he sent to the seven kings, he didn't send any to Aldebaran.

The reason for that was because he thought that the latter wouldn't be interested in his plans. This was one of the reasons; however, the main reason was that if Aldebaran joined the mission, then he wouldn't be the leader anymore and won't be able to hoard the treasures of the dungeon for himself as he planned.

He was not worried about the other seven kings since they were in the same realm. Even if he couldn't defeat them, the other party wouldn't be able to stop him either when it came to making his moves.

And besides, he had prepared a trump card for this day, even if it was the demon, the queen of the harpies or the fellow seven kings he was against, he had the confidence to defeat them with this.

However, it was a whole different thing if you throw Aldebaran into the mix. Forget about defeating the other, it would already be a miracle if he could even hurt them. Naturally, the appearance of Aldebaran had completely derailed his plans.

That said, he was the king of the ogres and one of the seven kings not without reason. He quickly composed himself and sat down on his own seat.

With the arrival of Aldebaran, the already heavy pressure in the place intensified to the point where it became stifling. Some weak level black ogres and terraquake rhinos fainted unable to handle the pressure. They had to be rescued by their comrades and taken away.

"This feels quite good, isn't it? How long has it been that we gathered like this all together?" Aldebaran asked with a smile.

"The last time was more than twenty years ago when you ordered us all to assemble in the ancient treants territory to tell us about the changing times" Vesgard answered.

"Ah, that's right. It had been that long huh? How time passes that quickly. It feels like just yesterday when I sheltered you all in the forest. Now look at you all, becoming the seven kings of the forest and establishing your own reputation".

The seven king's faces twitched when they heard that. For them, the events mentioned by the king of the ancient treants was a long long time ago, more than seven hundred years.

At that time, they were just younglings filled with vigour and zest. It was only with time and protection from Aldebaran that they were able to temper themselves, learn about the importance of perseverance and establish themselves.

Seven hundred years, it might be long for them. However, for the guardian of this forest who had been alive since the ancient time, it might just as well be a couple of months.

"Oh? By the way, I don't see that lass here. Did she not come or is she running late?" he questioned.

"About that, I will be explaining in a while. Since Lord Aldebaran came here, does that mean you are also interested in our upcoming expedition?" Gil-Garna spoke.

The former looked at the ogre king, his empty eye sockets glowed with deep emerald green light at this moment.

"The alliance of the seven kings attacking the dungeon, such a big manoeuvre will have its impact felt all across the forest and even to lands beyond. It could very well change the forest forever. As the Guardian of this land, how could I not participate in this important meeting". Aldebaran explained his reasoning.

"Of course, I am not here to dissuade any of you. Feel free to discuss among yourselves about your upcoming expedition. Just think of me as an observer, an old man with too much time in his hand".

So that was the case, everyone nodded their head, feeling relieved inside. Since Aldebaran was non committal, it also removed all the pressure from them.

They wouldn't have known what to do if he suddenly showed his dissuasion against attacking the dungeon. Or worse shown interest in attacking the dungeon. Wouldn't they have to follow his commands?

As the guardian and most powerful being present in the forest, his words were the rule. As such, whatever he decided, would become the ultimate rule that all of them had to follow.

Many of them sighed in relief; however, the most relieved out of them all was Gil-Garna. Aldebaran's non commitance showed his non participation. This meant that he wouldn't be joining them for the upcoming attack. That was a great thing for him.

"Since that is lord Alder's intention then I shall continue with the briefing. As I have said earlier, the dungeon has been an increasing threat we can no longer avoid. What's more, it has become even more powerful recently" Gil-Garna carefully layered his words, attracting the attention of everyone.

"I know what you guys have been thinking about. Where is Melinda, the queen of the harpies and the master of the Evil Eyes? Well get that, a few days ago I was notified of something when I sent my subordinates with a message to the harpy's territory".