Chapter 49 – Discussion of the Warprinces

Silence fell in the room, before it was eventually broken.

"We can try expanding the tunnel networks and move more livestock underground."

Der'Kar shook his head. "I am in the process of doing that. However, any large usage of energy has a high chance of being detected by the powerhouses of the other races, so I have been progressing slowly in expanding the cavern networks. It's not that I can't do more, but that I don't dare to. The caverns are nearly carrying as much creatures as it can hold. Also, the patrols that move above ground have to be careful not to be caught entering and exiting the tunnel networks. Too many Gredidine lately have been encountering humans and dying as the humans have swarmed further into our lands aboveground."

"We can kill off the humans encroaching our lands and set up an ambush. When that strong human eventually comes to investigate, we can try kill her. After her fall, the humans will at least stop hunting our race down, and invading our territory above ground and killing or capturing any Gredidine they find.."

Der'Kar paused in thought, before eventually shaking his head. "I doubt it will work. They have at least thirteen other entities at her level, from what I have gathered from some captured humans. That's even if we can pull it off and kill her. That beast of hers that she used to ambush former Warprince Hal'Zur at Gladrock City makes that task near impossible."

"They also have to deal with portals opening on Hanet weekly."

"The Humans are mostly forming alliances with the lifeforms in the portals. We would be taking a gamble to do so. Other powerful humans might not be able to retaliate. On the other hand, more then one of the entities known as City Guardians might take action, sweeping this continent until they find us, exterminating our race in retaliation. Do any of you have evidence that indicates the humans can't spare the manpower?"

"They haven't done so thus far."

Der'Kar shook his head. "That isn't evidence that they can't. They might simply choose not to do so because they believe they managed to kill the entirety of the strongest members of our race, and they are letting the weaker members of their race gain battle practice. Again, I ask, does anyone have any have evidence that indicates the humans can't spare the manpower?"

Silence filled the room.

"Then I would rather lead us back to Okeopis then take that option."

Two hisses broke in the air. Yer'Zhul glared at Der'Kar, his scales turning red. "We were enslaved on that continent. Why would you...."

"Being enslaved is better then being exterminated."

"Our tradition demands...."

Der'Kar grunted. "Our tradition was formed by our captors, to mold us to be their perfect slave warriors. Hardly a compelling argument."

Silence broke in the room, before Yer'Zhul broke it. "I have a captured female human who was part of a group that was planning to attack other humans. Maybe we could take advantage of that internal conflict?"

"Which group did the human claim to be a part of?"

"H-Supreme."

Der'Kar scales turned yellow, and he started laughing, thumping his tail against the floor, making the temple shake. When he was done, he eventually broke the silence.

"I know of that group. They don't have the power to do anything."

"They tried to capture a Sherot youngling, killing it's parents."

Der'Kar's gaze narrowed. "You wish to provoke conflict between the Humans and the Sherot?"

"Yes."

Silence fell for a moment, before Der'Kar eventually answered.

"It could be a viable option. At least, we have nothing to lose by doing it. Even if such a plan was discovered, it shouldn't cause the City Guardian and the powerhouses of the other races to take more actions then they already have. However..." Der'Kar's gaze turned pensive. "How did you capture the human, and what is her situation now? Somehow, I doubt she has been treated well under your care."

Yer'Zhul's gaze lowered. Yer'Zhul opened his mouth to speak, before Der'Kar growled out "I want the truth. And be thorough."

Yer'Zhul gulped. "I encountered her group while trying to recapture the Zaututor my father helped me find after they fled. They caused me to flee to my troops with my honorguard before I could reverse the situation, costing two of my honorguard and fifteen troops before I managed knock one unconscious, and kill the others. Once I returned to look for my Zaututor, I noticed that a large group of humans had been in the area, and had to stay away. I may have.....taken my anger out on her, for our races situation, for losing members of my honor guard, and for the loss of the Zaututor, as I tried to get information out of her, to track the thieves. I was planning to subject her to so much torment she broke mentally."

Der'Kar hissed. Yer'Zhul hastily continued. "I'm sure that I can convince her to help. They were tracking a human bonded to a suspected Quad Element Lifeform, to try and grab it for there group. If I help her group do that, and offer them assistance to grab some Sherot, she and her group should be willing to accept."

"Why wouldn't she just lash out at you and kill or capture you when she gets the chance to do so?"

"I can convince her otherwise."

"Somehow I doubt that. Does she know you are a Warprince?"

Yer'Zhul lowered his head. "Yes."

Der'Kar shook his head. "Then forget about it. Forget about your captured Zaututor, and kill the human."

Yer'Zhul hissed, scales turning red. "Why?"

"Because she knows you are a Warprince. Once word of that spreads, humans would certainly try to capture you and try to find out where the other Gredidine groups you know about that are hiding, and you know about this caverns existence. It's not worth the risk, especially as this human would hate your guts after your heart thumping hospitality."

"But I...."

"This is an order.. Disobey it, and I will have you killed."

Yer'Zhul hissed, but lowered his head.

>>>>

Two hours later. Yer'Zhul marched down the front stairs of the temple angrily. The Highest Warprince Der'Kar had eventually settled on the idea of creating another large cavern at a separate location, and relocating the Gredidine remaining on the surface to that location, along with as many other creatures they could bring, in the hopes of breeding them for more food. It was to be overlooked by another Warprince, while keeping the inhabitants of that cavern ignorant about the existence of this cavern, and vice versa, to all except a select few.

In the end, all the Highest Warprince wanted to do was to hide. Yer'Zhul didn't want to hide, he wanted to take action. He wanted to tear apart the hateful humans that had drove his glorious race to such a miserable existence. He wanted to inflict misery upon the Sherot, Kretret, and Goxuboon for turning on his race. He wanted to fight.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he found his Honorguard was nowhere to be found. Seeing him looking around, one of the temple guards bowed their heads and spoke. "Warprince, your Honorguard decided to look at the arena for the younglings to the right of the temple, and teach them a few techniques."

Yer'Zhul dipped his large, scaly head in acknowledgment, and walked towards the arena that was mentioned by the temple guards. As he walked, he looked around at the at the clustered areas around the temple as he passed, observing the members of his race as they sat in makeshift, small stone huts, gathering energy, chiseling stone, and sitting about about, snarling, hissing and grunting as they communicated with each other, some not even able to move their tails about freely, for fear of it hitting another Gredidine.

He shook his head in disparagement as he passed, disgusted at the very idea that Gredidine would have to take shelter in such primitive housing for Uarok knows how long, in such cramp conditions where they weren't properly able to run and move freely about. However, he had to acknowledge that the Highest Warprince was doing better then him. He wasn't even able to properly feed his warriors, and he occasionally had to keep them in cramp locations to remain hidden, all done in the fear that with too much activity in any area, the humans and their allies would notice and come searching.

As a result, his Zaututor and some of the pets of his warriors would go underfed, and contained in an area, not giving them the room they were needed to move about, to which force was sometimes used to enforce this. This eventually caused his Zaututor to flee. In the end, it all came down to those cunning, conniving, humans, and their backstabbing allies suppressing him and his race.

Yer'Zhul reached the small, primitive, arena, carved out of grey rock. The primitive 'fence' around the area, was made of chiseled grey rock, and was half his height, and inside, 8 young Gredidine stood around the sides of the arena, along with Jur'Jar, and an adult Gredidine with a red tipped tail, watching two young Gredidine as they faced of against each other in the center of the arena, one with a brown horn, and the other with a black horn. Tur'Jar was acting as a referee, standing between them with his hand raised. Yer'Zhul stood quietly outside the arena as he watched.