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AN: For this chapter, [ ] is for Dragon Tongue, and { } is for telepathy.
As the attention and pressure of every wyrm in the hall landed on me, I felt the invisible weight of their mana's intent press down on me, and through that weight of intent, I was somehow actually able to feel the type of intent focused on me.
Most of the intent I felt was curiosity, but mixed in was also pity, and even anger or outrage at my very presence, which I can safely assume that spectrum of intent belongs to the puritanical faction of dragons.
Under the pressure of the intent, as not to shame my mentor and family name, I firmed my resolve and kept a stiff upper lip. While doing so, I took the chance to truly take in the whole room. And as I did so, the one thing that caught my attention was a red dragon lying on a raised dais with no wyrms seated behind.
As we walked to the center, I sent mana into Professor Sageira's scale in my pocket to talk to her telepathically. {Besides the few dragons who are giving me the stink eye, who is the important-looking red dragon directly ahead of us?}
{That is the dragon king, Brakkh'zhaarn Vrothkhaal.} Professor Sageira explains while keeping her eyes forward.
If this Brak guy is the dragon king, that makes me somewhat worried because, besides the king, the only other red dragon in the place is one of the few that is giving me the stinkeye.
{Do I have to worry about the dragon king or red dragons in general, seeing that the other red dragon in the stands does not seem too happy to see me.} I asked worriedly.
She mentally chuckles at my question before answering, {There is nothing to worry about. That nasty old coot is just the representative for the red dragon bloodline. The fact that the king is from the same bloodline is merely a coincidence. Don't take the title of dragon king so seriously. He may be powerful, but his role is to keep peace and order in meetings like this and settle disputes between families. He merely drew the short straw and has to fulfill the role of dragon king for a quarter millennium.}
{So much for the "King" title. Maybe it is just a thing for those of a short-lived race like mine to put such emphasis and importance in the title.} I commented.
{It is not a bad thing, for the shorter-lived races that rush through their lives to find fulfillment or etch their names in the annals of history as a form of immortality, having a king in the mortal sense is a good thing. It sets the general direction for people to move forward, a goal to achieve, even if it means keeping the status quo in times of peace. All you need to do is to only speak when spoken to, and keep things respectful, like you are talking to an actual human king.} she advised me.
When we reached the center, Dragon King Brakkh'zhaarn Vrothkhaal's voice rolled out low and smooth, resonating through the meeting hall. [Sgaer'khathz Vruul'draggashk, I have not seen you since I was crowned king. And seeing that you called this meeting and brought a human along no less, I expect things to be interesting.] His voice was laced with good humor at the end.
Professor Sageira gave a polite nod and opened her mouth, about to give a reply, when a loud growl came from the side, [Interesting?! More like outrageous! How dare you bring a human into this most sacred of places?! Have you no shame?! Why I ought to burn him here and now to cleanse the mountain of his filth!]
And not to my surprise, and apparently nobody else's surprise, it was the only other red dragon in the hall that was making a fuss, and he was joined by four other dragons of different colors nodding in agreement at the suggestion of putting me to the torch.
Before the red dragon could continue with this tirade, the dragon king threw a huge golden planting pot (the equivalent of a teacup for a full-sized dragon) at the offending red dragon before shouting [Shut it, Gravaxthuur! If you do not have anything constructive to add, keep your trap shut!]
[You… You are a wyrmling compared to me! How dare you disrespect your eld-] Gravaxthuur sputtered in outrage before having to duck again as a metal shield Brakkh'zhaarn had been using as a saucer "teacup" came flying at his head.
[And if I had to listen to you every time we had to get something done, nothing would get done at all. Now shut it! Keep your opinions to yourself until after the meeting! And the same goes for the rest of you!] the dragon king said as he pointed to the head-nodders near Gravaxthuur.
He then turned to Professor Sageira, [Please continue.]
Professor Sageira nodded to the dragon king in thanks and continued. [Thank you, King Brakkh'zhaarn Vrothkhaal.] She then turned to the sides, [And greeting to all my fellow wyrms. Today, I have called this meeting to discuss and get ahead of a rather contentious subject that I have discovered. I could spend the next few hours explaining, but it would be better if I showed you. Luke, you're up.] she said softly to me, like I was a kid doing his first instrument recital in front of a live audience, but taking the situation into account, that was very much what I was doing.
I stepped forward and performed a polite bow in the four cardinal directions. [Greeting, honored elders. I am Luke Ironcrest, and I am here to demonstrate my ability as a human to perform Dragon Tongue magic.]