Aaron stared at the towering Talos king, his brow furrowed in disbelief. "I thought you were smaller?" he asked, his gaze fixed on the fifty-meter giant. "And made of flesh." he added, a hint of confusion in his voice.
The rocky Talos king chuckled, his gaze amused as he looked down at Aaron. "I am impressed, Kid. So, instead of further conflict, I offer you an alliance."
"Alliance?" Aaron repeated, his tone skeptical. "And what makes you think I'd accept that? Especially after what you did to my mother."
"I am truly sorry for that," the Talos king said, his massive form beginning to shrink until he stood at the height of a grown man. He offered a respectful bow to Aaron. "I was consumed by rage back then... and I wrongly directed that anger towards you. Please accept my sincere apologies."
"Aren't we fighting anymore?" Protean asked, his wolfen form shifting slightly in mild confusion.
The Talos king turned his attention to Protean, then back to Aaron. "Your actions these past weeks have garnered the attention of all the Rulers within this forest."
"Rulers?" Aaron turned to Protean. "Do you know anything about any rulers?"
Protean simply shrugged. "I have no idea."
"Are you both serious?" The Talos king sighed, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "You slew the Griffin Ruler, and now Protean can assume his form, making him their new ruler. You killed a Blood Raven, the prince of the Raven kingdom, making them your sworn enemies. You eliminated the Poisonous Serpent, the queen of the Snakes' Kingdom, thus earning their eternal hatred. And you defeated an Alpha Undead, which by their nature, now makes Protean their king... Young man, you now indirectly control roughly fifteen percent of this forest. Were you truly unaware of this?"
Aaron and Protean exchanged bewildered glances, utter confusion etched on their faces. "Confused" was a massive understatement.
"Own fifteen percent of the forest? Why the hell didn't I know that?" Aaron exclaimed.
"Not you, but he does," the king clarified, gesturing towards Protean. "When you take the form of the Griffin King and the Alpha Undead, didn't you feel any connection to their respective races?"
"Now that you mention it..." Protean nodded slowly. To demonstrate the Talos king's claims, he shifted into the form of the Alpha Undead – a towering figure of eight feet, with piercing green eyes and obsidian skin.
After a few tense seconds, Protean turned to Aaron. "They're coming."
DA DA DA DA DA DA!!
Every head, including the Talos king's, snapped towards the edge of the forest. A seemingly endless wave of undead, a mix of human corpses and animated skeletons, surged towards them.
"Did you call them here?" Aaron asked Protean, his voice laced with disbelief.
"Yes, but I didn't expect there to be so many," Protean admitted sheepishly.
"You have this entire army, and we still have to fight?!" Aaron yelled, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
"Calm down, Master. I truly didn't realize I could do this," Protean said, a thoughtful expression on his undead face. He concentrated and transformed into the majestic Griffin King.
The instant he changed form, the undead went berserk. The connection Protean had unknowingly forged with them shattered, and the horde lunged towards the Talos, initiating a chaotic battle.
"Stop this madness!" the Talos king roared, watching in dismay as skeletons cut down his people.
Protean quickly shifted back into the form of the Alpha Undead, and with a mental command, the entire undead army froze in their tracks.
"Sorry, King. I thought I could control two races simultaneously," Protean said with an apologetic laugh.
"So..." Aaron began, his gaze sharp as he looked at the Talos king. "If I spare you and agree to an alliance, what exactly will I gain?"
'At the moment, countless monsters are likely hunting me. Having an established alliance within the forest wouldn't be such a bad idea,' he mused.
"As you can see, we are not residents within the forest itself, but rather in the valley and mountains," the king explained. "However, if we become allies, we will be able to move freely through our respective territories. As for enemies... had we been allies, my people wouldn't have rained boulders upon you, and the undead wouldn't have just attacked my people." He continued, "The other kings are convening for a meeting tomorrow night at the forest's center. It's usually only for the rulers of each race. We are not currently allied, but your recent actions have inadvertently forced them to unite. If we form an alliance, they will be far less likely to oppose you, knowing they would also have to contend with me."
Aaron remained silent for a moment, considering the proposition. 'A Demon-stage monster offering his support is definitely advantageous, but...' He fixed his gaze on the king. "What if I were to kill you now and have my friend absorb your core? Wouldn't he then gain control over your people?"
"Hahaha!" the king chuckled. "That is precisely why I seek this alliance! While absorbing my core might grant temporary power, such control only works on monsters lacking the intelligence to think for themselves. If you were to kill me, my people would simply choose another king."
"Okay..." Aaron said slowly. "I've heard that the forest is teeming with even more powerful monsters. Are these the 'kings' you mentioned earlier?"
"No," the king clarified. "The strongest of the true kings is currently at the Great Demon-stage. The creatures you're likely referring to are what we call 'Abominations.' These monsters are exceptionally powerful, capable of even challenging a Supreme Realm being... but do not fret, they reside far from here, at the deepest reaches of the forest."
"I thought this was the deepest part?" Protean said, looking around in confusion.
"No, not at all... Please, you two have been standing for quite some time. Allow me to escort you inside, where we can have something to eat and discuss this further."
Aaron considered for a moment before speaking. "Tell your people to stand down. Leave twenty of those skeleton warriors here."
Protean nodded and, with a mental command, the undead horde turned and marched back into the forest, leaving twenty imposing, Omega-stage skeletons standing guard.
"Thank you for your trust. As fellow rulers, allow me to personally show you around my kingdom," the Talos king offered.
__
The Talos kingdom was surprisingly vast and vibrant, filled with homes, families, and even children playing. The valley possessed an unexpected beauty, and the fresh air and lively atmosphere caught both Aaron and Protean off guard.
"I have always strived to care for my kingdom and my people, unlike some other rulers who treat their subjects as mere fodder," the Talos king said, a hint of pride in his voice. He then turned to Aaron. "What is your name, young man?"
"I'm Aaron," he replied. "And this is Protean."
"Emperor Aaron and King Protean, it is an honor to meet you both... My name is Talon."
"I have a question, Talon," Aaron said, his gaze serious. "It's about the other kings."
"Yes, Emperor Aaron?"
"How many of them are there?" Aaron asked, seemingly unfazed by his newfound title. After all, who would object to being called an Emperor?
"Hmm, I would estimate around twenty," Talon replied.
"Twenty? That's more than I expected," Protean commented, still in his imposing Alpha Undead form, which was certainly drawing curious glances from the Talos citizens as they walked through the valley.
"Yes, please come with me to my home. I will show you a map of the forest," Talon said, leading the way. Aaron and Protean nodded and followed.
_
[Talon's Home]
"Here we are," Talon announced, unfurling a large, detailed map on a sturdy wooden table. "This is our current location," he said, pointing to a cluster of mountains.
Aaron and Protean stood opposite him, their eyes scanning the intricate markings. They noticed numerous locations marked in red, some in blue, others in green and yellow.
"Why so many different colors?" Aaron inquired.
"The locations marked in red represent the territories of the Beast Rulers, the most powerful Abominations I mentioned earlier. The blue markings indicate those we maintain peaceful, though not friendly, relations with. Yellow signifies territories with whom we have mutual agreements, and green denotes those we are currently at war with."
"..."
"Are you surprised, Emperor Aaron?" Talon asked, noticing Aaron's silence.
"It's nothing. I just assumed the green ones would be allies. So, where are my territories?" Aaron asked, his attention now focused on the map.
"Here, and here," Talon said, pointing to a large, ancient-looking tree and a massive skull etched onto the map. The tree was marked in yellow, while the skull was marked in green. "Once we solidify our alliance, these two locations will be marked in gold... Would you like a copy of this map?"
"No, I've already memorized everything," Aaron replied confidently.
"Hahaha! As expected of the youngest Emperor!" Talon let out a hearty laugh. He then continued, "You asked what you would gain from our alliance." He gestured towards a guard who stood silently in the corner of the room.
The guard nodded and exited, returning moments later with a small wooden box. He presented it to Talon.
"Here you are."
Talon took the box and handed it to Aaron, who carefully opened the lid. Inside lay a smooth, obsidian stone.
"That is an invisibility stone," Talon explained. "If you infuse it into any non-living object, it will grant that object the power of invisibility. However, a living creature cannot directly utilize its power."
{All Seeing Eyes.}
{Name: Invisibility Stone. Class: Elite. Info: Possesses the power to render any non-living object invisible for 10 minutes. Benefit: If you absorb it, your light resistance will increase by 20%, and you will gain the skill: Invisibility.}
Before Talon or Protean could react, Aaron reached into the box and absorbed the stone, causing Talon to freeze in astonishment.
"How did you...? Aren't you...?"
"How do we proceed with the alliance bond?" Aaron asked, cutting him off.
"Oh... right."
Talon began to draw an intricate magic circle in the air. Once completed, he placed his palm upon it. "You simply need to place your palm on the circle as well," he instructed as the glowing circle floated towards Aaron, who readily placed his hand upon it, followed by Protean.
"If that is all, we will be taking our leave now..." Aaron said.
"Allow me to escort Emperor Aaron out," Talon offered.
"That won't be necessary," Aaron replied, walking towards the door. He paused, turning back to Talon. "I will see you at the center of the forest tomorrow night... Perhaps we can eliminate all of your enemies and further expand our combined influence over the forest." With that, he exited the room.
"What a remarkable youth," Talon thought with a genuine smile. "This is undoubtedly one of my wisest decisions in centuries."
__
"What is your plan?" Protean asked as they walked out of the Talos kingdom's gate.
"I learned a valuable lesson today," Aaron said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "We shouldn't solely focus on increasing our individual power... but also on forging alliances. If we can bring the entire forest under our banner, we will become an unstoppable force in this world." A confident grin spread across his face.