Chapter 196: Tanaka’s Mediation 2

Garrath finally spoke. "I agree with the investigation." Tavren looked over at him. "Of course you do." "I want to find out who killed Darrok but if we attack the Wolves we will be fighting against those who can help us find out who it was." A few Lions nodded. Queen Elowen stepped forwards. "The Rabbit Kingdom agree with the investigation. We have lost one of our own already and I will not let anyone else die as an excuse."

The Bearfolk leader agreed. As did the Hawkfolk representative. However, several minor rulers disagreed. They believed that the Wolf Crown had already shown they couldn’t keep the peace. Some wanted Lynessa executed straight away and others wanted the Tigers to investigate her. The Foxfolk were split. Caelis wanted to investigate but several of his people wanted to do something about their Matriarch’s death. They didn’t want to put another prisoner in the hands of the Wolf Crown when Veyra had died inside their walls.

Tanaka listened to their objections. He offered to have more impartial investigators, have all parties watch the investigation and if any deals had been done with Mereth through Eldoris then they would have access to their records. He even offered to let Tavren personally interrogate Lynessa, as long as she wasn’t threatened or harmed. Nothing worked. The Tigers refused. Several minor rulers refused. The warriors were getting impatient.

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"ENOUGH!" Tavren roared and fell silent. He stepped forwards, his aura expanding across the battlefield. "We will not let another ruler decide our fate. We gave the Wolf Crown a chance to sort this out and they failed. We gave the council a chance to give justice and they voted to execute her. Now we are listening to some slime telling us to wait whilst our people lay dead." Tanaka frowned. "I have offered you more than one solution." "And I have refused." "So what do you want?" "Lynessa." "No." Tavren’s eyes narrowed. "There is nothing more to talk about." He turned to his warriors. "Get ready!" The Tigers sprang into action. They raised their weapons and released their mana. The mages began finishing their incantations and several battle formations formed up behind Tavren. The Wolf Crown guards stepped forwards and the Lions began to gather around Garrath.

Aldren tried one last time. "Tavren! Please don’t start a conflict that you can’t easily stop!" Tavren turned his head. "Maybe you should have thought about that before protecting my sister’s murderer." Tanaka closed his eyes for a moment. He had tried. He had offered investigations, promises, impartial imprisonment and time. He had even allowed Tavren to interrogate Lynessa, knowing how dangerous it could get. However there comes a point where mediation turns into begging and he wouldn’t do that. However he wasn’t giving up. "Everyone, lower your weapons! Think! Some of you have spent years keeping trade deals and boundaries with each other. Your people have families living in areas owned by different clans. Once this has started you won’t be able to decide how many of them die!"

A few warriors paused. Something flew through the air. A small dark orb. It was spinning fast as it flew towards Tanaka, glowing with complex magical circles. His Mana Sense picked up on the sudden burst of energy and he turned just in time to see it fly into his face. He didn’t have time to move Lynessa. The bomb exploded.

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Tanaka was engulfed in a bright flash of white. The explosion blasted out with a powerful burst of condensed mana. A huge sphere of heat and pressure blew through the assembly grounds. The initial flash destroyed everything nearby and a loud shockwave blasted through the ground. Rocks, weapons and unlucky warriors flew into the various formations. The buildings lining the grounds crumbled as the explosion expanded.

Everything the rulers were in was now covered in fire and smoke. Several warriors flew through the air and others were buried under falling debris. The Wolf Crown formation was scattered and the ground where they had been standing was now a large crater. The explosion had been way more than a simple fire spell and the condensed mana had caused even more destruction. Everyone was blinded for a few seconds.

A deep growl echoed through the smoke. A dark blue figure appeared from the centre of the crater. Tanaka had one arm wrapped around Lynessa to protect her from the explosion. His clothes were destroyed and his exposed skin was severely damaged. However his wounds were already healing thanks to him being slime. One side of his face was burnt and several scales had pierced through his skin. Lynessa was shaking.

However she was still alive. Tanaka looked down at her. "Are you ok?" She shook her head. He slowly let go of her and looked around at the smoke. His expression was no longer calm. Somebody had thrown a bomb into a group of rulers. They had intentionally put Lynessa in harms way. He looked up. "Who threw that?" No-one replied.

A weapon hit a shield. One of the Tigers thought the Wolf Crown had attacked them and charged at the nearest group of guards. A Lion retaliated by firing a blast of fire magic. The Tigers retaliated instantly. The Foxfolk raised their spirit barriers as several projectiles flew from somewhere in the smoke. The Wolf Crown guards moved to protect their king and injured rulers. Aldren shouted for everyone to stop. Garrath told his Lions to hold their ground.

Tavren told his Tigers to charge. No-one listened. The first wave of attacks flew across the ground. Suspicion had turned to violence. Spears flew through the air, magical circles glowed and warriors from different tribes fought each other. Some were angry, some were scared and a few had obviously been waiting for an excuse.

Tanaka watched the battlefield form. He had tried. He had given them every chance. However somebody had decided that peace wasn’t profitable anymore. Raizen appeared from the smoke, his fur bristling as he stood by Tanaka’s side. Shortly after Sora and Raishin appeared and moved to protect the injured. "Lord Tanaka!" Raishin shouted.

"What shall we do?" Tanaka looked at the warriors fighting each other. His eyes darkened. "Just protect our people. Make sure Lynessa is safe and don’t kill anyone unless you have to." Raizen growled. "And what about the others?" Tanaka looked around the battlefield. "We need to stop this from happening."

The Tiger Clans had drawn their weapons. The Lions had retaliated. The Foxfolk were fighting to protect themselves and the Wolf Crown had finally had to use their power to protect their authority. The Beastfolk War had begun. And at the centre of it all was Tanaka Eldoris.