The Mountain King and the Volcano Hero

The upcoming summit was between the Submariner Kingdom of Yonaguni and the Mountain Region of Scandalvia was to be held at the Yonaguni Embassy along the Western Coast. The castle was fairly normal looking, albeit with the front door done in ornate depictions of mermaids and ancient sea-gods.

There were various water-dwelling demihumans from the kingdom and its various vassal states letting themselves in. The demihumans that couldn't walk on land like the mermaids and mersharks and eel-folk used elemental magic to make globs of water that provided locomotion, kind of like the opposite of Kaito's breathing bubbles. It was practically a party on the courtroom floor with fish-people of varying breeds conversing.

Being the legendary Ocean Hero, Kaito got a lot of attention, lots of eager or curious people wanting a good look at him. He blushed a little when a group of rather attractive mermaids gave him a few rather eager looks, followed by a different group of mermaids giving the first group jealous looks.

"So uh... where's the other Kingdom?" Asked Kaito.

"We will be meeting with them at the lower most levels. Some of the delegates from this Kingdom do no do very well on the surface," said the Queen.

Kaito gave her a confused look. He turned to the two other mermaids by their side -- Heir-Princess Johanna and Precautionary-Heir Joanne -- and they said nothing. Johanna averted her gaze to him while Joanne hugged Kaito's arm.

The younger princess was one of many mermaids at the Royal Palace that let herself into the Ocean Hero's bed. He didn't know she was the princess at the time and was certain the Queen would chop his head off or something, but she admitted that not only did she know about it, but that he was welcome to it again. Apparently she liked the idea of having gran-kids and thought that having the Ocean Hero give them to her was icing on the cake.

Johanna on the other hand didn't like him at all. No one likes it when some guy sleeps with your baby sister, after all.

As the entourage made their way into the bowels of the castle, they all heard chanting, chanting that became louder. As he listened, Kaito recognized the tune as an old orchestral melody from his world.

"Is that... Wagner?"

"That's their national anthem. What's a 'Wagner'?" Asked Johanna

"Uh, never mind."

Turns out the basement wasn't a basement so much as an underground Colosseum, decorated with massive statues that lined the walls, and half of the grounds were populated by demihumans.

They were nothing like the demihumans that populated Yonaguna. They were all humanoid, and while they all came in varying shapes and sizes, they were all endowed with massively large noses. Some had long matted hair and beards, pointed ears, tails with tufts of hair at the end.

Then Kaito remembered one of nights of study back at the castle and happened upon a chapter in a biology book they gave him. He recognized these creatures from the book: trolls. They were trolls. There were also dwarves and gnomes and a golem or two. All demihumans that lived underground or in mountainous regions.

One troll -- a skinny one with long, greasy hair and dark trousers -- unrolled a scroll.

"Introducing his serene highness", his voice like gravel, "Gustav VIII, the Mountain King."

The troll rolled the scroll back up and started climbing one of the massive statues. The more Kaito watched him scale the robes of the seated statue, the more he came to a stunned realization: that wasn't a statue.

Sitting in a throne that reach up to the ceiling was a giant. Elderly, with a white beard and a gold crown that hid his balding head. The "statue" started moving, taking a fist to his mouth as he coughed what looked like sand into it, as though he hadn't spoken in so very long.

As the troll perched onto his left shoulder like a parrot, the Mountain King leaned over in his seat to get a better look at the Sea-Queen and her party.

"Further more," said a dwarf, his ratty hair woven with gold and gemstones, his beard so long that it touched the ground, "accompanying his serene highness to this summit between the Kingdoms Sea and Mountain, the Volcano Hero Isla."

The grouping of trolls and other demihumans roared with approval as some of them parted, revealing a woman with her arms raised as she breathed in the approval of her comrades. Her hair was bright red, its untamed curls tied back into a ponytail. She was dressed in practical armor made of equal parts leather and steel. Despite the fact that she was a head and a half taller than Kaito, whatever curves or musculature she had was obscured by the armor, making her look more dwarvish than human. Kaito looked down at himself and suddenly felt underdressed.

One of the mermaids of their party -- a Sea Bishop -- floated up on her personal track of ocean water and brought out her own scroll and read from it.

"Introducing her majesty, ruling monarch of the Submariner Kingdom of Yonaguni and associated vassal states, Queen Fijima. Accompanying her is Crowned Princess Johanna, Precautionary Heir Joanne and Kaito the Ocean Hero."

The Mountain King cocked an eyebrow as he leaned back into his throne.

"Dessa fiskar i en tunna är de jag också ska prata? Allvarligt? Bah. De måste spela något slags skämt."

Kaito picked at his ear with a pinky finger, unaccustomed to the language the giant was speaking.

"His serene highness wishes you well for the hospitality you bring," said the troll on his shoulder.

"Och det här måste vara deras Ocean Hero. Han ser ut som en benfri, torr kyckling."

Kaito had the distinct impression that the giant didn't approve of him for whatever reason. Probably because the various underground demihumans, as well as the Volcano Hero, in the crowd burst out in raucous laughter.

He looked to the rest of his party for clarity. Joanne shrugged. Johanna put a hand to her lips with a smile, in on whatever joke they were making. The guards and Queen said and did nothing.