While Jack disembarked and had the meeting, the sun rose high in the sky over Xena's new forest territory.
Empharus and many of his giants had temporary postponed their own work to help Xena beneath the mountains.
Hundreds of giants helped uprooting the trees all along the outer edge of the forest.
They stacked them in a wide line enclosing the entire forest territory.
It took the better part of the day and soon many trees lay where Xena intended the outer large wall to be made. The trees there were simply uprooted and still had all their branches and leaves, but it was a comforting obstacle for now.
The reptilians were led by a major to help the giants in the north section, while Gunnar and the centaurs went to patrol and help the giants in the south part.
Xena's main army of the common human troops were in the center were the main camp rose.
The trees branches were being cut from the many trees here, and the trunks piled into higher and higher piles in many places.
It would take many days to create what she wanted in this territory. Months even, to properly finalise without Jack. And the civilians with wagons of resources had yet to arrive so the work could properly begin.
So Xena had no choice but to simply wait.
--
'So this is what my father's armies looks like!'
Goran was hiding in high bush as he looked over General Williams army, spread out with wooden fortifications beneath the Bloodfall Mountains.
He was truly excited! He had always dreamt to see armies like this! And his eyes shone with desire to be the one leading it!
He couldn't remember much from his time with his mother anymore.
His extreme growth spurts had made his memories foggy.
He could remember his mother's dead face, but everything around him at the time was a daze. The armies clashing, his uncontrollable ability splitting human bodies like butter. It was all gone.
If it had not been for Dex's education and stories, he would know about it at all anymore.
So sitting in the bushes and watching the professionally and highly outfitted army patrol and drill, truly made his young-man heart beat with excitement.
'Next time! Right now I need to find those drakes and somehow make them join my father! After such a feat, he won't have a choice but to let me join the family publicly! He will proudly grant me an army and let me conquer the mainland as his greatest son and general!'
Goran truly didn't exaggerate. This was truly his feelings and beliefs.
He wanted nothing more in the world, than seeing his father proudly lift him up for all to see!
But first he had to get to the mountains, a d currently the army was camped before the only real place to begin climbing it.
'I will wait untill nightfall. Then sneak past the guards!'
Goran ate a bite of the addicting chocolate bar as he settled in to wait for the night.
--
Vance was furious as he and the other leaders entered his own tent.
"Who does he think he is! That 'Emperor' Jack!.."
He almost spat the words out.
"Does he think he can threaten us without repurcussion?? We should called the already gathered army! Every lord sent 500 men in advance to our fight! That's around a million troops just waiting to be called in!"
The exotic beauty twins, Alexia and Filipa, we're proud young women, and they agreed with Vance.
"Truly we should call them. He dare to threaten us just because he is the strongest one here. But with a million troop army at our backs, WE will be the ones to make the threats!"
Rango, the strong, athletic and defined black specimen of the human race, was neutral.
"Call them if you must, but I don't think we should attack before the next meeting is completed".
The only one against it was Do-yun.
"I think it might be a mistake. If we attack like this, it might turn many of the free cities against us as many of their traders will be caught in the crossfire. And this Jack... There is too many uncertainties around him. I don't think he was making empty threats."
This made Vance stop his angry pace for a while and truly consider it.
Technicality, Do-yun, had been a boasting idiot who took complete advantage of other lords starvation, demanding ridiculous prices for his abundance of food early on.
However Vance, after meeting him in the plains, had come to respect him.
The small trembling boy actually had a sense for profit and danger. And he didn't think twice about exploiting it. This factor had won Vance over immediately.
"Send word to the army, tell them to begin approaching around midnight. That should give us enough time to conclude the meeting."
Vance actually, despite his annoying personality, wasn't all stupid.
He didn't want a war if it could be avoided, but only if the terms was to his advantage. He could loose everything in a war if they lost...
But after that Jack had made him look small Infront of all the leaders! He just couldn't let it be as it was!
--
'So embarrassing! How could I suddenly loose my cool out of nowhere? Angelica must be some kind of witch!'
Jack suddenly stopped in his tracks.
'That's it! She must have an ability that makes people around her attracted to her!' Jack chuckled as he continued walking.
'There is absolutely no way that I'm just That attracted to her! She's just an extremely fair asian woman... Her propertions aren't even... Well okay they're actually amazing now that I think about it... Even legs are straight, long and smooth.. I mean there is no way my body and soul could possibly just crave someone like her. Even her perfect eyes that completely seduces you in their galaxy deep depts.. no it's not possible! She MUST be a witch!'
Jack continued to have an inner monologue with himself as he zigzagged away from the longhouse.
Angelica stood in the doorway and looked after him.
'No he couldn't have been flirting with me. Impossible!' She giggled slightly as she watched him walk away.
'I mean look at him! He is clearly very drunk!' She smiled a last time and secretly wished that he had been flirting.
She was 26 years old, and remembered only a single former boyfriend in her life. But that was in her teenage years and they barely even lasted for a year.
When the moon was high and the thousands of people were dancing, singing and feasting throughout the town and between countless bonfires at the beach, the meeting finally resumed.
"So, we've been thinking hard, and we propose this." Ramises began.
"The entire eastern side, from the unknowns in the south, all along the marches and to the jungle territories, including half of the way along the jungle, towards the ocean, will be Slayers territory. The beaches from the peninsula and up to the jungles, including halfway of the jungle edge, will belong to the trade alliance. The large center territories will belong to the free cities, and stands as a neutral area between out two alliances!".
Jack though this sounded reasonable.
They essentially split the know territories into two halves, where the alliances borders only touched ad the jungles edges in the north.
It would leave plenty of wild territories for everyone to explore and claim.
There shouldn't be any objections. At least in Jacks mind.
"It sounds almost fair. We will agree only, if you give us the the entire jungle edge!"
Vance was immediately up in his high tones. Demanding more than the reasonable.
"That doesn't seem particularly fair does it, Vance? Many of our lords already occupy many territories in the north-west areas of the jungle edge."
Ramises tried, again, to reason with Vance.
"You talk about fair... The marshes is at out back, the free cities neutrality in our front. Where are we to expand to? The south? That could be possible, but noone knows who lives there, we could be starting a war with a whole other race! And the north? You give us a stretch of a thousand kilometres of dense jungle! Meanwhile you have the entire Ocean to explore! The only way this is fair, is if we get the entire north!"
Vance actually had a point. The trade alliance could sail the seas and explore endlessly. Where as the slayers had to gamble in the south, or fight for control over pure and dense jungle territory in the north.
'Even though... He's asking too much, and he knows it.' Jack remained silent.
Ramises and all the other lords were silent. Thinking about this for a while.
"On behalf of the free cities. We agree to Ramises proposal on two conditions."
The old lady, Helga, spoke from her seat.
"First condition is that both alliances help the scattered free lords inside your territories to relocate and claim a territory in the center areas. The second is that the trade alliance concede half of the proposed jungle edge territory to the slayers. It is a just and reasonable demand that Vance voices here."
Noone could speak against Helgas logic and Jack was the one to eventually speak.
"I can't speak for the entire trade alliance. But my personal opinion is that Helga is right. If the other lords will accept and concede those lands in the north to the Slayers, then I will provide what help I can to the free cities."
Jack had essentially cleared the way for peaceful negotiations to conclude.
By agreeing to Helga's proposal, he had tried to make friendly relations to the slayer lords, and by promising to help the free lords, he could gain their friendly acknowledgement as well.
"Jack is right." Brutus looked at Ramises who nodded.
"The north west corner of the jungle edges will remain with the trade alliance and the many lords who already live there. The rest of the Northern territory will go to the Slayers alliance. Is all in agreement of this peaceful settlement?"
Every lord accepted this, even the lord's from the islands, though still remaining silent, they nodded in approval.
However...
Vance had a furious expression. He still wanted the entire northern territories. He wanted Jack to be put in his place. The million man army camped out of sight gave him confidence.
But before he could speak, a system announcement suddenly appeared before every lord on Prime.
[Lord System: The first year has ended! Congratulations to those who survived and thrive! A new year means new opportunities!]
[A new lord event will take place shortly! For every troop in every lord's command, an identical hostile troop will appear. Win the battle. Survive and you will find out what the new opportunities bring!]
[A new ranking system will be set in place for every lord who survives. Rewards will be sent accordingly.]
[Good luck!]