Beneath the Dragoneye Moons
Chapter 635: The Treaty of Kazehara VI

I stood in front of Night and the rest of the High Council, next to [Healer] Silon. I could see that he was already wavering. I blinked.

Wow. Was the mere fact that Night was presenting me enough for him to consider dropping out entirely? Or was simply being contested enough to consider dropping out? Almost everyone on the High Council was old and high level, I assumed they knew what they were doing. Momentum and inertia was worth a lot.

If the Witch in White came up and said ‘I’m going to put my reputation on the line that I’ve found a more suitable candidate for the healing position than Elaine’, I very well might go ‘okay, you know what you’re talking about, I’ll go sit down.’ No need to make it public.

At the same time… my credentials still needed to be presented, why not stand up here while it was happening? Silon lost nothing by waiting. Night started talking, and he was more skilled at public oration than most people with skills in it.

“Elaine’s name is truly Elaine, with no modifications. This was the tradition of her people in the time she was born. If you will forgive me, I have some notes on etymology to begin Elaine’s introduction.”

Night got up and began to slowly pace along the stage.

“It is a well known fact that restriction skills can be passed down and passed along. Shared with one another. Should Lady Fable here take a solemn vow, on her own, unique to her circumstances, it would be known as [Fable’s Vow],perhaps with some modifications.” He pointed to the selkie on the High Council. “Should she pass it on, the next person would gain the skill [Fable’s Vow], and so on and so forth would it pass down, the name of the originator marked forever more in the System.”

He paused a moment, then continued, stepping down from the stage next to us.

“Yet, [Scholars] claim there are multiple exceptions to this rule, and point to several that are the case. One significant exception they point to is the famous [Healer’s Oath]. Or, as the words say… [Elaine’s Oath].”

“I met Elaine at the tender age of 16, before the year 5000, half a lifetime from when she created her own [Oath]. [Elaine’s Oath]. I believe reciting the [Oath] here would be fruitless, but the opening line everyone knows. Everyone can repeat off the cuff, with no need to delve deep into the font of memory. First, do no harm.”

Night let the words echo around. His hand was sturdy, and I felt a warmth going through my body.

“I am willing to attest that Elaine here is the original creator of the [Oath], and more than that, she is the first author of the Medical Manuscripts. The author was not a humble [Scribe] who simply wrote down his profession, no. Elaine proudly wrote her own name down at the twilight of the true first Remus Republic, shortly before it became the Remus Empire. I was there. I witnessed the events with my own eyes, and nearly 24,000 years, and countless Immortal cycles later, she has once again returned to us. The word ‘Elaine’ means ‘Healer’ in virtually every language, and it is all due to the remarkable impact of this lady. Thus ends my Etymology lesson.” It was neat how good the translation runes were. I could hear Night swapping between ‘Elaine’ and ‘Healer’ in Creation. Then again… he might be speaking Creation in the first place!

Silon’s jaw was on the floor, and he couldn’t look more star-struck if he tried. Some of the High Council looked like they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. The Witch in White stood up.

“Elaine had the fortune of attending the School of Sorcery and Spellcraft recently, where we confirmed the claims being made today.” She said, then sat back down. I nodded my thanks her way.

Did she look somewhat familiar? I’d been thinking of Remus, seeing her… was there a connection? Nah, couldn’t be.

“Onto more traditional qualifications. Elaine has healed millions. To skip a detailed analysis, it is not unfair to say that she has a divine blessing in the realm of medical knowledge, one that she has put to good use. For recent events that may currently be remembered, she single-handedly chose who would live and die during the sack of Ithil, preventing deaths over a gigantic radius. She infiltrated battles between the New Remus Empire and the Demon King, stopping all deaths until the contestants separated. She has consistently sought the frontlines of battles throughout her life. She has willingly walked into plague towns that were hostile to her presence, and resolved both the symptoms and causes of said plagues. Her exploits are not limited to elvenoids, for she has extended a helping hand to all species she has encountered, including a badly wounded dragon. She has spent time teaching, and is humble enough to learn more. Furthermore, Elaine is not a single note character. She is a fully qualified [Loremaster], and her endless pursuit of knowledge has led her to be well educated in a wide variety of fields.”

I preened under Night’s praise, brushing back a lock of hair.

“The reason Elaine is not well-known to every individual here is that she spent a number of millennia trapped in the realm of the fae. Additionally, she does not seek such accolades. Not only do I believe Elaine is qualified to have a seat as a delegate, but I daresay that she would be a viable candidate for a High Council position in a few cycles, if she does not manage to ascend before that time. Given that she has obtained more than 10 levels a year on average, I do believe she very well may join the pantheon before a seat opens up, perhaps even before our next meeting. That is all I have to say.”

Night patted my shoulder once, then dramatically stalked back to his seat. Silon put his hand up, and Verris acknowledged him.

“I’d like to withdraw my candidacy.” He said.

“Wise.” Verris said, continuing to study me with speculative eyes. “All those in favor of allowing Elaine a seat?”

Thirteen hands went up, and the scorecards went up to represent an uncontested landslide. Even Verris voted!

“Elaine, you may take your seat, and welcome.” He said.

Given that I could sit basically anywhere, I went over to where Susan was sitting, and beckoned Royal and Skye over to join us. Verris called up the next candidate, and the process continued. Skye shook her head, pointing to the coalition she was part of. Ah well, I guess they needed to talk a bunch and coordinate still.

“I noticed quite a few parts of what I’ve done got skipped.” I told Arachne. She snorted with amusement.

“Hello Elaine, how wonderful to see you again. I’ve missed you. I’d love to catch up over dinner. How’ve you been?” The vampire teased me, then lowered her voice. “And one doesn’t shout about espionage, theft, and working as a Sentinel in an open forum, it’s not classy.”

“I noticed some people got let in early, but they’re clearly moving things along at a good clip. Special invitation?” I guessed.

“Excellent observation.” Arachne praised. Royal finished making her way over, and I noticed a bit of movement in the Warden’s section.

“Hello! I am Royal.” Royal introduced herself, and a round of introductions were extended by Wally joining us, one of the only Wardens not sitting with his group.

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“Come to make nice with the famous healer?” Arachne teased the Warden.

“Absolutely and shamelessly.” Wally replied. “Under orders to, even.”

Oh wait! This could be a great reason why they brought most of the Wardens here, instead of one super-representative. Networking!

“Ooooh, does this mean I can get a mask?” If he was going to be shameless, I was going to match him. “And did you ever manage to fix that problem with divine blessings going straight through it?”

“Maybe.” He hedged. “How did you know divine blessings bypassed the protections? By the by, a few of my fellow Wardens were mentioning seeing you up in the North?”

Well, time to test just how serious the ‘bring no harm to fellow delegates’ part went.

“Yup! I’m companion bonded to a phoenix, we regularly visit the Phoenix Peaks. Oh, and my wife was the one who pointed out the problem with it. She’s blessed.”

Wally facepalmed, impressive with a mask on.

“Could you at least register?” He asked.

“Oh sure! I tried before, but got denied.” I frowned. “Then again, maybe I didn’t state what I was doing or why clearly enough… I mentioned I was going on a rescue mission, not casually visiting, and the Wardens weren’t too pleased at that.”

“That would do it.” Wally drily said.

Arachne was looking as smug as a bug the entire time. Errr… maybe I needed different phrasing with Royal around.

“Elaine has also gone by Sentinel Dawn now and then.” She said to Wally. “I appreciate your continued restraint in not causing us to lose a Sentinel.”

“Enough fuzz!” Royal said. “What’s the buzz with Elaine? You’ve got to have great stories, can you tell me some while we wait?”

I shrugged.

“Sure! Want to hear about the Formorians?”

Nods all around, and I started to tell the story while the rest of the delegates were seated. Goddess, there were a lot. Fortunately, hearty snacks and drinks came around, which was nice, because we were here all day. Also, I couldn’t access my vittles stashed in [Manor] - when I instinctively reached for it, I found my mana draining at a prodigious rate instead.

Ah right, [Cancelers].

“I was born under the shadow of their unceasing assault.” I began. “The war had raged for literal centuries, and…”

My mind wandered through the final devastating strike the god had delivered, which had me thinking of the pantheon, and of course, Ciriel. Thinking of Ciriel gave me an idea. I wasn’t a seated delegate for a god, but there was no reason I couldn’t help her out.

Hey Ciriel! I prayed to her. Do you need anything from me here? Can I help you at all?

Elaine! She answered. No, I’m all set, thank you for offering! What you’re planning on advocating for healing and medicine is enough for me. I’ve got my smites ready if anyone tries nonsense!

Okay… there were a lot of bloodthirsty gods up there. I paused my story for a moment.

“If any of you are planning on proposing a religious ban of any sort, let me know now so I can sit somewhere else.” I said. Wally shuddered.

“No, no, that’s a miserably bad idea.” He said as Arachne nodded hard.

“It’s not bees.” Royal said.

“Thanks. Moving onto the story…”

I told the story and half paid attention to the proceedings. The specialists took a while, and I was surprised at how many didn’t make the cut. They’d come up, one of the High Council would extoll their virtues and knowledge, then the votes would come down, often on a 6-6 split. Verris tended to vote against letting people in, and more of the crowd was shuffling out, looking dejected.

“A reminder. You were all invited here, and regardless of the outcome, you are entitled to stay here for the entire duration of the summit. While you may not be allowed to directly vote, you may still influence those who have votes. Those who are able to vote might want to consult your knowledge on topics.”

Ah, good point. Forget blindly voting on fishing policy, ask the [Fisherman].

Then again, the [Fisherman] had made it in, so…

I should probably talk with Silon, he had experience with this. Then again, he’d somehow managed to get [Healers] restricted last time around, so I wasn’t super impressed with his work. Then again, it very well could’ve been a ‘in spite of his best efforts’ sort of thing. Either way, I’d be an idiot not to talk with him for an hour or two. Plus, he looked utterly starstruck, and he was recognized as one of the strongest [Healers] in the world. I’d love to talk shop.

The proceedings were pretty boring at this point, but I suppose most political arenas were boring. The non-boring ones were the problem.

I liked politics that were able to lull me to sleep, it far beat the alternative which looked like ‘violent revolution.’ Sure, there was a big middle ground, but give me a snoozefest anyday.

There were two more interesting parts to the seating of the delegates. One of the dark-scaled dragons tried to interrupt things, and one of the quieter members of the High Council spoke up.

“If you keep that up, I’m going to need to talk with your mother.” He said. “Do I need to go have a discussion with your mother?”

To my great surprise and delight, the dragon shut up and drew his head back to his platform.

“Continuing on.” Verris said.

All of the specialists got seated, and we moved into the ‘other’ category. A few [Priests], a couple of ‘powerful’ and ‘influential’ people wanted in - I’d heard of a few of them, but not the rest - and other oddities.

The most fun part came at the end of the ‘other’ category. The [High Priest] Uriel of the Tabernacle - one of the giants leaning against the arena and looking in - was called to present. He raised his arms high and started to pray.

“O mighty ones, eternal in your glory, you who shape the threads of fate and reign over realms seen and unseen, heed our call. We, your humble servants, stand at the crossroads of destiny, and our need for your wisdom is great.

Great is your power, boundless is your grace, for you are the keepers of all that is and ever will be. You who hold the secrets of the heavens and the depths of the earth. You are the winds that sweep the stars into motion, the tides that whisper of forgotten shores, the flames that ignite the hearts of men. Your realms are myriad, your eyes infinite.

Today, we gather in solemn unity, for the summit that will dictate the shape of the world to come. The hearts of mortals and immortals alike are stirred by the winds of change, and we seek the counsel of those who have shaped this world. We, your children, call upon you to take your thrones among us, to guide our steps in this sacred hour.

O mighty gods, let your presence descend upon us like the light of dawn, as we open the gates of this sacred hall to you. May the air be filled with the song of your power, and may the earth tremble beneath the weight of your majesty. Let our hearts be open, our minds receptive, as we sit together in counsel.

Come, O Gods, descend from the heavens and take your seats among us. Let us deliberate on the matters of this world, that your divine will may shape the course of time once more.

We are ready. We are listening. We await your guidance.”

He paused for a minute after his prayer, and none of us dared break the silence.

Seven bolts of light came down from the sky, the arena warping as the gods and goddesses made their own platforms and own seating arrangements. No stadium seats for them, comfortable couches and grand thrones were the order of the day. Iona had been good for my religious education. All of them were minor tier three gods, probably looking out for their own domain and interests. I suppose there was an outside chance that all the other gods had pooled a bit of power together to let one be their mouthpiece… but then again, that was what the [High Priest] of Modu was for, wasn’t it?

It also helped reinforce the other gods not being too interested. There were over a thousand gods and goddesses, and only seven wanted to show up? Only seven had an agenda worth burning divine power on? They were interested and invested in the affairs of mortals.

English was a weird language. Mortal meant two different things. Most of the Pallos languages properly divided up the ‘won’t live forever’ mortal and ‘not a divine being’ mortal.

It took all day, and a good chunk of the night, but finally, finally, everyone was seated.

“The High Council needs to briefly confer to determine the weight of everyone’s votes.” Verris announced. Their table warped from a straight bench to a circle, and the thirteen members of the High Council started to move at ludicrous speeds. Less than a minute later the table warped back to normal.

Huh. Go go skills, when they said brief, they meant brief.

“The number of votes you have will be sent to you in a moment. You may share if you like, you may keep them hidden if you don’t want to tell. This is how many points your vote is worth every time you vote, they’re not a finite resource.”

Papers flew all over the room, and one landed neatly in my hand.

Elaine - 56.

Well, I suppose we were going to get large numbers. Susan shamelessly peered over my shoulder.

“Oooh, excellent!” She said. “I got 42.”

“Three.” Wally grouched. Susan patted the Warden on the back.

“There there, you know it’s because you all showed up in force. The Wardens have hundreds of votes in total.” Susan said.

“I have 15!” Royal buzzed.

There were a few more rounds of comparing notes before Verris stood up.

“The hour is late. Thank you all for your patience. We will resume tomorrow morning.”

With barely any further ceremony, the rest of the High Council started to leave. Susan eyed me.

“Normally I’d ask if you want to catch up, but I suspect you want to go home.” She said.

That sounded wonderful.

“Yup! Do you want me to pass along any messages?”

Arachne smiled.

“Give my best to everyone.” She said.

As anticlimactic as it was, I walked out of the arena, beating the crowd, then wrote a quick missive to Silon.

Healer Silon,

Hi! It’s Elaine Elaine. Given the implication that you were at the Treaty of Kyowa, I’d love to sit down and talk tomorrow evening, and get your perspective and learn from your experience.

I wrote a quick time and place to meet.

It’ll be my treat!

Cheers!

Elaine Elaine

It took me a few minutes to pick up his trail, discreetly hunt him down, and [Teleport] the letter into his pocket. I was too tired to do it now. Then I took off and flew back to Iona.

There was no place like home.

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