A series of slow claps welcome the demons' absolute ruler. Emperor Iffir turns to Alcia. "Unreasonable demands topped with blatant intimidation. Is this how a monarch acts, Councilor?" He then scowls at his political peer, prompting the golem Mara to make a cute scowl of its own. Hmm?

The demon king laughs at the dwarf's outcry. "I was invited here, wasn't I, Master Iffir?" The mockery twists the emperor's scowl into barely restrained anger.

Demon King Xyll then approaches his chair and takes a seat, his body turned toward Alcia and me. He rests his head on his left hand, intent on disregarding his opposition. Long black hair, tied loosely behind his back. Dark red eyes. An ordinary black shirt, partially unbuttoned, and some well-fitted black pants. His skin is a dark blue, bordering on purple. Two short, pointy horns, the white contrasting with his hair. Nearly the opposite of the opulent dwarf.

Alcia completely ignores the two, choosing to just continue on, "May we begin?" The emperor nods reluctantly, while the demon king smiles confidently at her. "As a reminder, I will only be acting as a mediator today. Your future actions will determine our response." She turns slightly behind, glancing at me. "This is Ilis. He will be taking notes for me."

Now, how do we play this? Ooh, I know. Initiate Attendant Ania mode. I plaster on one of her signature smiles, turning to the demon king, and then to the emperor. Without really thinking about it, I regard Mara too. The golem meets my eyes and cocks its head slightly to the side. It then turns toward Demon King Xyll again. That's... Interesting... Well, let's just adjust the plan a bit. After that, I pull out a pen and a little notepad, flicking it open to the first page. I tore off most of the pages, so there's only like five left. Both rulers definitely noticed.

Alcia continues, "As the one that first raised these concerns, why don't you begin, Demon King Ghillion."

Emperor Iffir does not let him begin. "Concerns! I would appreciate not downplaying what is clearly unprompted aggression."

The demon defends himself, "Aggression? From me? You are one duplicitous man, Iffir. Accusing me of exactly what you are doing."

Alcia slightly raises her voice, "Please behave, or I will be forced to leave." Emperor Iffir huffs angrily.

Demon King Xyll shoots her an apologetic look. "Apologies, Councilor. My"—he emphasis the next word—"concerns are that His Imperial Majesty and his cohorts are mismanaging the dungeon right under our feet." He points down.

The emperor shouts out, "Preposterous! You dare imply that my forces have become too weak to manage a dungeon that has been a resource of my empire for centuries?"

"Become too weak? No. Their insufficiency has just now caught up to them. That's all." The emperor is stewing in his seat but chooses to suppress his next outburst. With a cocky grin, the demon king continues, "What I propose is simple—let me conquer this little thorn in your side, so I can ensure my people's safety."

Emperor Iffir begins to laugh, a rumbling that fills the room. When he stops, his voice is flat. "Do you take me for a fool? First, you'd risk delving The Endless Plains, challenging its champion. And second, you'd have me believe that you will conquer my dungeon and just go on your merry way?"

Alcia takes over, "Perhaps another inspection of the gate can solve this? One done by you personally, Demon King Ghillion."

Iffir turns to her with an unamused expression. "Do you doubt my people's senses? Even if I were to entertain such a notion, an inspection would not be performed by him. Why would I share the gate's location, and furthermore, why would I even allow him anywhere near it?"

Xyll scoffs. "We all know how unpredictable dungeons can be when they pass the threshold. An inspection is useless." He then regards the emperor with a devilish—pardon me, demonic—smirk. "Not like you'd share either way."

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"Of course you'd say that when you can't influence the results." It is somewhat true, though. Once a 'threshold' is passed, you cannot be certain exactly when a dungeon will break, only that it is a possibility fast approaching.

Alcia tries again, "Why are you opposed to Demon King Ghillion's suggestion, Emperor Iffirsson?"

He momentarily looks at her with some anger, but then calms down and begins, "Because I do not trust him. And no amount of reassurances can change that. It is obvious he wishes to weaken my empire by destroying my dungeon. I don't even know why I am entertaining this unabashed attempt at manipulation."

Xyll chuckles, turning to look at Iffir, gazing directly into his eyes. "Yes, that is well put. But answer me this, if your precious dungeon were to pop, who would face its unleashed wrath?" While the location of this stronghold is far away from any dwarven settlements, it is near the border of the Dwarven Empire and the Demon Kingdom. And right over the border are quite a few cities, filled with quite a few demons. "It won't be the first time your kind has done something like this against us, Iffir." The playfulness in his behavior momentarily takes a step back, as something real surfaces for the first time.

Iffir slams his fist on the table, splitting the wood. "Don't you dare imply I would ever do what those savages did! I spill my own blood."

Xyll shrugs and his lips pull back into a smile. "You do not trust me, I do not trust you. Will you argue that as well?" Iffir growls but acquiesces for now.

"Let's take a step back," Alcia says. "Demon King Ghillion, is this an assumption of yours, or do you have proof of this mismanagement you are alleging?"

"They try to hide it, but I know how many golems and fighters you are constantly throwing at the dungeon. And how many come back," Xyll says.

"Lies!" Iffir shouts again. "Lie after lie. Show me proof, fiend."

Xyll mockingly gasps. "You wound me so." His tone gains a touch of fake sadness. "There's no need for insults."

"Bah." Iffir crosses his arms.

Alcia pushes for clarification, "How did you determine this, Demon King Ghillion? Is there proof you can present?"

A small shadow slinks from below the table and near Alcia, sliding over the top, leaving behind a stack of papers. "Observations from my scouts," Xyll explains.

"Scouts? Spies more like," Iffir says and turns to Alcia. "Obvious fabrications."

Xyll asks, "Am I not allowed to observe a military installation in throwing distance of our borders?"

Iffir grumbles out in response, "Lots to see from over there, huh..."

Alcia picks up the papers and starts reading through. The observations are inconclusive but introduce some doubt. Smartly done. Not like he can prove any of them are actually correct. But I can. They're not.

Alcia comes to the same conclusion, "I can certainly see some cause for concern. If these are genuine, that is."

Iffir has another outburst, "Of course they're not! And I'm not going to confirm any sensitive information to him of all people." He points at the demon king with some disdain. Xyll does one of those 'why I never' poses in response.

Alcia tries again, "Would you be inclined to discuss them with me?"

Iffir answers, much more amiably, "Yes, I can do that."

Xyll stands up. "Fine. I see the picture." And then promptly leaves the room.

I extend my arm to Alcia's side. She gives me the papers, and I walk them over to the emperor. I somehow manage to complete the arduous expedition to his side of the titanic table. Before turning back, my gaze lingers on Mara. They look back at me.

Emperor Iffir takes his time reading over the reports, reluctantly confirming some things while vehemently denying others, attaching a flimsy excuse each time. Mercifully, his animated antics come to an end. The decision—inconclusive with a pinch of doubt. How surprising.

The dwarf flicks his hand, opening the door. On the other side is the demon king, the side of his head pushed against where the door just was, his hands cupped around his ear. For maximum sound amplification, of course. The theatrics fail to get a rise out of Iffir this time. Every surface of the room is enchanted too much for an intrusion to be undetected. The demon king shrugs his shoulders and walks back to his seat.

"Well?" Xyll asks.

Alcia answers, "Emperor Iffirsson has confirmed some of these observations as truthful." She prepares herself, and then continues, "Could there be a compromise we can reach?"

"Like what?" Iffir asks. "I am not letting the Demon Kingdom's head of state into a dwarven dungeon. What happens if he is hurt or dies?" Xyll scoffs at the implication. Iffir answers his own question, "Total war. That is not something I am keen on participating in."

"What about conquering the dungeon yourself?" Alcia asks.

"I am not risking my warriors to appease some paranoid whelp," Iffir says, and then adds under his breath, "Not that he actually cares about any of that."

The shadows in the room darken, causing all four golems to start glowing with power. Xyll's voice is a whisper. "Do not insult me again."

The dwarf waves his hand at the golems. "He's nothing but bark." The golems follow the command, powering down. The shadows are much slower to disperse. "If you want to dictate how my dungeon is ran, take it."

Alcia sighs, showing actual emotions for the first time. "Why don't we take a short break."

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