Ruler Of Iron And Flesh

Inian crashed into the open monster lands. He was heaving and wretching as he hit the ground. He had been flying for three days straight without a single break or stop.

Inian wiped his eyes and walked to a nearby oasis. He reached into the pool of water and took out massive gulps of the cold liquid.

Several low-tier monsters were around the pool of water as well, but they kept their distance from Inian, not daring to bother him.

Inian couldn't believe that Marc would d.e.s.i.r.e to take over the whole world. 'What changed him in these last few months?'

He stood up on his shaky legs and went to sit under a lone tree. He wanted to take a break, but sleep overwhelmed him, and he was soon in a deep dream.

There in his dream, a black wolf that stood his height greeted him. "Are you the old king?" Inian asked.

"Yes, I am," replied the old king.

The wolf sat down next to Inian, and they looked at the location where the old king and the dragon fought one another.

"Marc doesn't have the wrong idea. Humanity needs to unite, one way or another."

Inian shook his head, "it would be nice if humanity could unite under the same banner, but that is for sure not the way. There must be another way."

The wolf king looked at Inian, "I don't believe you understand. Humanity MUST unite, and soon. You may not have time for another solution. I sense that the dragon's offspring will come back, and somehow, they are stronger than the dragon himself. Humanity will be annihilated if they cannot unite soon."

The wolf looked at the sky, and small meteors began falling all over the land. They reached as far as the eye could see. Inian's eyes reflected his fear as meteorites came crashing down around the whole country.

"This is the power of a behemoth level monster. You are still far too weak to fight against a behemoth level monster, let alone the offspring of the dragon. You will need allies in the upcoming fight against the opposing monster forces."

Inian gave a great shuddering sigh, "how can humanity fight against something like that? Even at our strongest, we would fail to match our enemies."

The wolf replied, "Marc is working on becoming stronger. He is making humanity stronger. You say that Marc is going about it wrong, but I say, he has the right idea. He is sacrificing the few for the many. It is the responsibility of the king to think of the whole rather than the parts."

Inian stood up, "I can't agree with that. I'm not just an animal; I'm human. That means we take care of one another. I can't just leave Marc to his plan. Too many lives will be lost."

The wolf king shrugged the best he could, "many lives will be lost either way. In the end, you will have to go against Marc, and that will decide the fate of humanity. As much as Marc is ambitious, he does not have the power to defend the world. Only you have that power as the king. It is your birthright and your responsibility."

With that, the wolf faded into the wind. A meteorite came crashing down on Inian, and he was jolted awake.

He was sweating; his mind was racing. One way or another, it was inevitable that Marc and he had to fight. But it is himself that needs to come out on top.

Inian looked down, at his feet were several large pieces of fruit. He looked up, and the low-tier monsters were observing him. He smiled at them and greedily ate the fruit.

Feeling refreshed, he thought about where he needed to go. He needed to unite the remaining nations against the Empire if he wants to fight against Marc.

The Ranid Kingdom was the largest, but it was so disjointed, and its power separated that it was useless as far as uniting goes.

Irigia would be an excellent choice to gain as an ally, so he will probably go there first.

The Predo Dynasty had the best airsh.i.p.s in the world, and would likely compliment Irigia's ground mechs well. The issue is that a vast sea separates them.

Inian doesn't have the strength to fly straight across the sea, and there are numerous sea monsters if you take a boat across. Unless it's a unique airship, they can't fly straight across the ocean either.

Inian bit his lip while thinking, then finally decided. 'I'll go to Irigia first; then I'll go to the Predo Dynasty.'

Inian got up and extended his wings, leaping into the air.

He spent a week flying to Irigia and landed in Preah in the dead of night. He dropped to the streets, looking around to make sure nobody saw him.

Looking at the building in front of him, he smiled, because this was where Janae stayed.

He inside to knock on her room door. He knocked three times them heard a yell from the other side, "I'm coming!"

Janae opened the door. Her hair was all over the place, and she was in her nightgown.

As soon as she saw Inian, her face lit up with a smile. "Inian!" She yelled as she hugged him.

Inian hugged her back, "It's great to see you again, Janae."

Janae stepped back, "It's great to see you too Inian, but where are my manners? Come in!"

He stepped inside, and she closed the door behind her. "So, Inian, what happened? Why are you back here instead of with Marc?"

Inian's look dropped, and a tired feeling seeped into his arms and legs, "some things happened, and Marc isn't going on the right path. He's changed so much since I've last seen him. He was so cheery and full of hope. He always knew what to say, and would always take care of those around him, no matter who they were. Who I saw was an entirely different person, cold, and hellbent on taking over the world."

Janae gasped, "I'm so sorry, Inian." She grabbed his hand, "I can't imagine what that must be like for you."

Inian nodded, "It's hard because I know that I'll eventually have to go up against him. That's why I'm here. I need Irigia and the Predo Dynasty to unite to have a chance of fighting the Empire."

Janae thought for a moment, "ya know, I happened to meet an advisor for the ruler here. Perhaps they can get an audience for you. They wouldn't let anybody normal go in but give them a show with your powers, and I think that'll change in a second."

Inian laughed, "haha! Yeah, I bet they would. I need them to join me peacefully, so I can't be making a show of force too much."

Janae shrugged, "ya do what ya need to do. Tomorrow I'll introduce you to the advisor, so get some rest for now."

Inian plopped down on the sofa in her room, "thanks, Janae." He then fell into a deep sleep.