Sitting upon bloodstone chairs at a bloodstone table, in a bloodstone hall, were the 7 Chiefs who ruled the 7 tribes which made up the demon lands. The mood in the hall was frigid and gloomy. Word of the death of joc Zalera had finally reached them. It took four long months though and in that time strange events have been happening in the borderlands.
At the head of the table sat a noble looking demon that had S-shaped horns and a slight noble like air to him. His silver hair was long and flowing, his eyes as well as the skin was the color of Crimson and his frame was slightly tall and lean but clearly toned. He also wore finely designed textile pants and jacket. This almost aristocratic looking demon carefully looked around the Council before finally speaking
"so….you all should know why the Council was called… But I will explain anyways so they'll be no misunderstandings. As some of you have experience there is been tension at the borders again… The peace that has been holding for the past 10 years has been broken and recently we have learned of the reason why…. Anzluof's butcher… The human who bested our King… has been killed and by no less his own kin as far as we can tell.
From what can be gleamed from what little information we have, the butcher's death was planned. We don't know the scale of who was involved, nor do we know the motivation, but… it is my personal belief that it was most likely a power struggle. The butcher held quite a bit of power and was known to have an ambitious streak to him. I've come to conclusion that the butcher was playing with fire and got burned.
But that is just my personal conclusion we don't actually have enough evidence to confirm such a thing. What is known is that the person who replaced the butcher's position as ruler over the roughlands doesn't seem to hold the same notions as the butcher.
You all know of the butcher's exploits… His many expeditions… In fact the majority of you wouldn't be on this council if it were not for his expeditions. But those tribes who do not border the human lands…." "CAN YE GET TO DA F'ING POINT!" A large bulky demon yelled out as he pounded the table with his fists. He was becoming inpatient with the noble-ish demon's droning. This large demon had an appearance which was akin to that of like a muscular bull, his horns were large and straight, His silver hair was short and shaggy. His frame and build was large and packed on with copious amounts of dense tough muscle. His crimson skin marred with many a scar. All of this being clearly shown off due to the fact that he wasn't wearing anything but a pair of baggy pants.
The demon with S-shaped horns just glared at the shirtless brute but… Even though he didn't want to acquiesced, all the other members of the Council bore the same look of impatience as well. "…. Gray-fist I was getting to the point… That was before you interrupted, but… If you want to take the lead, then be my guest." The aristocratic demon's voice was full of mockery and venom
Gray-fist looked at the other members of the Council for approval and seeing that none seem to reject he stood from his chair and began to speak. " WELL I WILL TAK YE'S OFFER ZAL…SO DIS IS HOW ITS IS, DA PURPLE EYD F'ER WAS KILLED BY HIS KIN AND DA F'ER WHO REPLACED DA FUKER, IS SEEMS TO BE ONE OF DA GOD FUKERS…OR IS A BITCH TO DA GOD FUKERS AND DA GOD FUKERS DO LOV KILLING AND SLAVE'EN US. BUT CUZ DA PURPLE EYD F'ER F'ING CLEANED DA LOT OF OUR GOOD WARRIORS AN CHIEFS WE'R FUKED IF DA GOD FUKERS MOVE IN FORCE!" Gray-fist's loud voice had a particularly thick accent which was grading on the ears to anyone who wasn't accustomed to it… And even to some who were accustomed to it still was extremely grading.
The majority of the members of the Council had a look of confusion on their face… They couldn't make heads or tails of what Gray-fist had said. Seeing this Zal had a smug look on his face, he full well knew that the majority of the new Council members would be unable to understand Gray-fist… Most will have never had dealings with Gray-fist's brutish tribe. whom had, at least in his opinion, the most horrific dialect out of all the tribes. In the end the only good thing that came out of Gray-fist's explanation was the breaking of the gloomy tension
Zal stood from his chair and began to speak yet again but this time his tone filled with smug satisfaction "allow me to translate; essentially our problem is that the butcher has died and his replacement is directly aiding or is complacent with those fanatical so-called holy men. Whom have a very strong desire to kill or enslave us and because the butcher well… Butchered many of the old chiefs as well as a great deal of our warriors.
Also not to mention the fact that he destroyed many of our mines and forges that is…was used to produce war gear. Ah and we can't forget the many forts as well. Simply put the butcher castrated our ability to fight but didn't seem to have the same bloodthirsty ancestral grunge like his predecessors.
He was in fact quite content with just leaving us alone as long as we didn't prod him. But it seems his successor doesn't seem to hold the same beliefs going by the fact that he isn't blocking these fanatics, which the butcher did.
So if the fanatics or the butcher successor choose to attack in force we in our weakened state will not be able to sustain such an onslaught." After Zal finished his 'translation' the mood yet again turned frigid and gloomy, the tension that was not so long ago broken reappeared. In all of this the smug tone of voice that zal took was particularly jarring considering the mood and the contents of his words.
A particularly old demon that barely had any hair left, whose appearance was gaunt and fragile. Shakily stood up from his chair and then glared at Zal before he finally spoke his voice weak with age. " You damn city liver, do you not know how to read a mood! And are you so truly petty to take pleasure in mocking your fellow! We came here to discuss the very survival of our people and you fill up your words with smug satisfaction and useless pomp!
Your words when you speak of the butcher do not even hold of malice but of indifference! Do you truly understand what that DAMN human did! He killed our King butchered our greatest warriors, our most revered leaders!
Do you understand how many of our people have died by the humans hands! Men, women, children, and the elderly, everyone the humans slaughtered us all! They are vile horrible things which seek to enslave or desire to wipe us from the face of these lands!
The only reason the butcher stopped in his tracks was because we our people, our King mutilated his disgusting pink flesh and instilled the fear of our strength! You should not speak as if the butcher simply chose to leave us alone! No he feared us, he feared our strength!" The old demon pointed his clawed finger accusingly at Zal as he berated him. Zal's eye twitched with irritation as he took the old demon's barrading, when the old man finally finished Zal took a careful look around the room before finally staring down the old demon
"That coming from someone the butcher didn't even bother going after is laughable! Do you know why Mel HMMMM? It's because you are a senile old fool, who was not even worth the butcher's time! Do you know why I speak of the butcher with indifference and not malice it is because he was right plain and simple! I will now quote the butcher quote 'I had to fucking chop off your fucking steel balls, I needed to castrate you fucking bastards. If I didn't when I'm dead and gone, my people will be once again at you cuntish demons mercy' aaaannd end quote.
If he did not butcher our leaders, who were much like you in fact and gutted our ability to fight. We would be doing what you say the humans do. We would be slaughtering their men, women and children it would be indiscriminate a complete and utter massacre! Do you know of our shared history with the humans we have been slaughtering each other before even the times of written history and the butcher finally had obtained the upper hand!
If he wanted to he could've massacred our entire people, we didn't instill any feared him! He may have been mutilated by our people's hands yet that should've enraged him not be made a craven, he had already killed every one of importance, he had already neutered us …SO why should've he feared us!
…What's more you speak of the King but you do not know of what he believed in, he held onto views like that of the butcher. He didn't want the mutual slaughter which entangled our two peoples to continue on… He wanted the cycle to be broken… Didn't want to kill anyone …didn't want to hurt anyone…. My uncle it.... It tore at his very being to kill….. The only reason he chose to fight was because…. he thought there was no choice...…..and the butcher I cannot say he had the same kind heart…. As my uncle… As the King….. But he too wanted the end of the cycle of violence…. He was not a murderer….. In all honesty from the way my uncle spoke of him….. He was more of a belligerent bastion…. Bastion against people like you Mal…" Near the end of zal's tirade his voice had started to turn somber and had weakened, the true tragedy of the situation starting to bear down on him. All of his pomp and energy drained from his body as he slowly slumped down into his chair.
Although mal was indignant, the mood among the Council was even gloomier. They all understood that all this infighting was pointless; they also understood zal's words. All the members of the Council except for Mal, Gray-fist and Zal were new; many of them were young a new generation. They had replaced the Chiefs that had fallen by the butcher's blade, in truth many of them weren't really the most qualified for the position and they full well knew it.
They didn't know how to handle this crisis nor did they have the same energy as Mal, the death of the King and the battles with the butcher had traumatized them. This trauma left them in a state of fear and uncertainty. Compounding upon this fear was the fact that the man that instilled this trauma was killed. What hope is if the butcher a being that instilled utter terror in them, was killed and replaced. What utter monstrosity can kill such a being…..