Sol's Shine and the Kingdom of Metal

Chapter 12 Split Decision

 After the sun went down and everyone got enough rest, the three kingdoms that were visiting the Kingdom of Metal were finally being taken to see King Balmer as scheduled. Sol, Crystal, Brook, Aria, and Drakiel were being escorted by several orc soldiers. They carried their torched lights into the night until they reached the large, heavy metal gate to the palace in which Balmer resided. After the rustic doors slammed shut behind them all, rows of flame on torches lit up one by one down the hall on both sides to guide their way, giving them more light then what was seen outside in the dark.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that Mr. Balmer is trying to show off. Agh!" Brook commented. Crystal elbowed him and shook her head in disapproval of his comment, as if she was telling him to be respectful. They all continued with the same tension as they had before, although it was now more visible on their faces. It was just one hall down and to the left. Getting to the dining hall didn't take them all that long. Of course Crystal took charge in opening the door first. Its creaking gave way to everyone's attention in the room that was already waiting on them.

Sitting by themselves at the long table was Krissy Hark near the far end, trying her best to avoid eye contact with the five of them entering the room. The table had plenty of food and something to drink. A sprawled out feast was waiting for them and the guards that stood by opened up each of their chairs so they could all take a seat. At the very end of the table was the king himself, lost in thought. It took him about ten seconds before he acknowledged their existence. "So you all finally arrived. Go ahead, dig in. There's plenty to go around." King Balmer insisted. Of course Brook didn't hesitate to follow the king's orders and went for the first piece of meat that was presented on his plate.

"We didn't come here to stuff our faces, we came here for a discussion." Crystal said to him. "You all came this way in order to work with me and the wielder of Altem's Axe. We can discuss how we're going to do that without skipping dinner." Balmer suggested. "Ha. Fat chance." Krissy muttered under her breath as if the idea of working together again was preposterous now. Aria couldn't exactly handle the amount of tension that was built up in the room. "Well we're here to discuss how to handle Mithra and Ra right? Why don't we start with that." Aria said. "Oh look. Suddenly the princess wants to stop having fun and actually be involved with the important work again. Bravo." Krissy immediately shut her down.

"Hey look, Aria may be less uptight about her role now but she's still here with us trying to do her best." Brook said to Krissy. "It's fine. We don't have to derail the conversation by trying to look into my personality and actions." Aria said with a soft tone, playing with her food. "She's right. We have all four wielders in this room. If we're going to make any efficient plans, it's now." Crystal suggested, holding out the Shining Giant. The light that reflected off of the blade managed to catch Balmer's attention and the orc took a sudden interest in what Crystal had to say. "I see the Shining Giant has found itself a new home. For the longest time I thought the blonde one was its carrier." King Balmer said.

Krissy didn't look surprised upon hearing this, just fed up and couldn't even look at Sol to begin with. "Well things have changed. Elgria allowed Sol to give me the authority to wield the sword." Crystal told him. "I see she has... anyhow, on to the two star demons that've been causing us trouble. Ra and Mithra. How do we find them and how do we stop them?" Balmer got the ball rolling. "We kill them obviously." Krissy said with a harsh voice. Despite his own sister suggesting to Sol that he didn't have to say a word, he felt inclined to immediately speak up about this. "I'm sorry, can we stop calling Amon, Ra? That's his real name." Sol said to them. "I don't care what his name is. You know fully well what he did and what he's capable of!" Krissy snapped at Sol, looking at him for the first time since entering the room.

"He's just a kid being manipulated. He's no more a victim than anyone else being affected by Sinnel." Sol said to her, almost getting up from his seat. "That 'kid' is a demon, like you! He's killed hundreds, like you! There's no redemption for anyone who doesn't want to be saved while we're trying to protect ourselves!" Krissy slammed her fist on the table, spilling her glass of wine over and splitting the wood. "You don't know that." Brook spoke up. Now all eyes were on him. "Amon spoke to me personally. He told me his story. No other star demon would have done that. Mithra is the one pulling his strings. Everything he's doing is because of her and ever since he lost his mom, Mithra has been taking advantage of him." Brook said, desperately wanting to change a few minds in the room.

"That doesn't change anything." Drakiel said to him. "Even if what you said was true and he is a victim, that doesn't change the fact that each of us need to make a decision to protect our kingdoms at all cost. Any one person that's affiliated with Sinnel, especially one being called a demon, needs to face punishment. When it comes down to it, if I had to choose between my kingdom or this child, the choice becomes fairly obvious." Drakiel was upfront and honest. "Seriously?!" That was Sol's immediate response. "Well it seems that the dwarves made a decision. If my champion here also feels the same way about this Ra or Amon person, then I'll be more inclined to agree with her. I'm just here to protect my kingdom as well. What about you Princess Crystal?" King Balmer wanted to hear her opinion, just as the others have already stated theirs.

"I promised my brother that we would at least talk to Amon first and get him on our side. But I also told him that if we were to fail, that he would have to be killed just as the other star demons were." Sol still wasn't used to hearing Crystal say that. This whole conversation about potentially killing his lost friend made him feel sick inside. "Oh? Are you more concerned about your brother's feelings than protecting your kingdom?" Balmer asked her. Crystal was silent for a moment before answering. "That's only partially true. If we do get Amon on our side, we'll have a better chance at defeating Sinnel because of how strong he is as a star demon." "No!" Sol said immediately after hearing what his sister had to say. "He's just a kid. He doesn't need to fight anymore. I don't want him getting pulled into another war." This time Sol really did get up from his chair. "Sol I... I'm sorry." Crystal ended up regretting what she said.

"Not sure what other plans we can make since it seems straightforward. We don't currently know where these two are but if we see them, kill them. Right?" Drakiel asked the king. "Correct. It seems we've reached a dead end regarding one of these demons though." King Balmer took a glance at all of the humans and atheras in the room. "It seems we're divided. However, don't forget whose kingdom this is. We're on my grounds. If we see this albino athera, we're eliminating him." Balmer said, leaving no remorse. "That athera is one of ours. We should have the chance to at least get him back." Aria protested. "He stopped being one of the Kingdom of Water's citizens a long time ago the moment he joined Sinnel. You should recognize that." Krissy said to her. "You mean forced to join?" Brook snapped back at her.

Krissy gave Brook an intimidating look and kept her hand on the axe she now had. Normally Brook would have backed down by such a fierce look but his blood was boiling. He kept his wing on his trident. "Enough! Both of you!" Crystal shouted before the tension in the room turned into an all out brawl. "We'll just investigate where we last saw Mithra or Amon or at least search anywhere besides bickering with each other at a dinner table." Crystal told them. "That's an excellent idea. However, I would like all of the humans and atheras to stick close to the dwarves and my people. It's clear with your opinions that you want to keep one of these demons alive in my kingdom. We'll have to keep a close eye on you both." King Balmer said.

With one swing of his hand, King Balmer suggested to one of his men to open the door to the room from which they entered. "I believe I've lost my appetite. The humans and atheras can leave now. This meeting is over." King Balmer said. "But I haven't finished my-" Brook looked at his unfinished plate and was interrupted by Aria moving him along. "Let's just go. We don't need to stick around here." Brook and Aria were escorted out of the room. Crystal shoved herself from her seat and marched right out as well. Just before Sol could leave, he had the nerve to look back at Krissy, Drakiel, and Balmer. "Remember this boy. If you get in our way, we'll strike you down." Balmer reminded him. "Wouldn't that start a war with my kingdom?" He asked him. "HAHA! A war?! Don't forget kid, you're a demon." Balmer laughed at him and all Sol could do was follow his sister out of the palace.