Grimhowl Tribe...
Gundar was currently in a eting with the Chieftain of the Grimhowl Tribe, Hagen, and the chieftain’s two sons, Marcus and Elias.
Four Elders of the tribe were also present. They were discussing the upcoming tribal gathering, which would be held in five months.
Suddenly, a knock was heard on the door of the room.
"Great Shaman, I have news from one of our spies in the Darkmane Tribe."
"Enter and give your report," Gundar commanded.
"Yes, Sir." A man who seed to be in his early thirties entered the room and knelt in front of the high-ranking officials of the Grimhowl Tribe. "A day ago, our spy heard the news that the representative from the Bloodtusk Tribe had died after heading to Grimjaw Mountain."
"Pwaaah!"
Gundar spat out the tea that he was drinking, which landed on the face of his Great Chieftain.
Yet, instead of apologizing to Hagen, the old man stood up and grabbed the collar of his subordinate, lifting him up.
"Tell what happened. And don’t skip anything!" Hagen looked at his subordinate with bloodshot eyes, which made the latter tremble in shock.
"I... I..."
Due to the pressure the old man was giving off, the pitiful ssenger was unable to form any coherent words, which made Gundar realize what was happening.
"I’m sorry." Gundar gently lowered his subordinate, and took a step back. "Calm yourself, and report to what happened."
"It is you who should calm down, you fool!" Hagen complained before looking at his son, Marcus. "Give the man so water to drink."
"Yes, Father." Marcus obeyed and poured water on a cup before handing it to the trembling man who had lost his composure earlier. "Please drink it."
"T-Thank you," the man replied and drank the water given to him.
Hagen and the Elders were very curious because Gundar reacted so strongly after hearing that a representative of the Bloodtusk Tribe died.
For a brief mont, they thought the old man shared a friendship with the Bloodtusk Tribe. Though, they later tossed this idea aside.
The Bloodtusk Tribe was an arrogant tribe because they had the backing of the Darkmane Tribe, which was one of the high-ranking tribes.
And it just so happened that Gundar and the Darkmane Tribe had a dark history.
The old shaman once massacred a quarter of their warriors when he went on a rampage due to sothing that the Darkmane Tribe had done.
It was an event that shook the Borderlands because a single man declared war on a high-ranking tribe... and won by himself!
Not only that, but he also made the Chieftain of the Darkmane Tribe kneel in front of him and beg for his forgiveness, slapping himself in the face every ti he said sorry.
In the end, Gundar crushed that chieftain’s head, killing him in front of his people.
That was the reason why the Darkmane Tribe hated Gundar with a vengeance. However, they were too afraid to annoy him because a repeat of what had happened in the past might co to pass.
When the ssenger had finally regained his composure, he began his report.
"The na of the representative from the Bloodtusk Tribe is Varus," the man reported. "When they arrived at Grimjaw Mountain, he said that their tribute wasn’t enough and demanded more from them."
"What did he demand?" Gundar asked calmly.
"Their won," the man replied. "The Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe then asked if the other representatives had the sa thoughts as Varus. In response, Ronan of the Redmaw Tribe declared that the tribute was enough in his eyes.
"Theron of the Grimfang Tribe didn’t agree with Ronan, instead proposing that each tribe be given one of the monsters that the Aslan Tribe used as mounts, which are called Raptors.
"Silas of the Ironhide Tribe supported Varus that the Raptors were not enough, and that they should give them a dozen ladies for their tribute to be accepted."
These kinds of things were very common in the Borderlands, so Hagen, his sons, and the Elders didn’t bat an eye at the man’s report.
However, Gundar didn’t think the sa way as them.
"Did those bastards demand that Yuni be given to them?" Gundar asked, his voice cold, tinged with killing intent.
Yuni was Ulric’s daughter, and could also be considered his niece. If those bastards tried to have their way with Yuni, he wouldn’t hesitate to snap their necks.
"It was ntioned that Varus only looked at her. But, thinking that Ulric might react, he chose another lady instead. That is when the chieftain of the Aslan Tribe intervened. However, Varus attacked him."
That was the mont everyone in the room gasped in shock.
"Varus attacked a chieftain?" Marcus asked in disbelief. "That lowly grunt?"
"Yes. He attacked the Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe and was imdiately attacked by his people in return," the man reported. "The Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe also ordered one of his n to cut off Varus’ tongue in the process. In the end, the chieftain repeatedly stabbed Varus with a spear until he died."
The man also reported that the Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe also killed a warrior of the Ashclaw Tribe, and the reason behind it was that the latter tried to take Yuni away, which the chieftain referred to as his woman.
"Did the Aslan Tribe refuse to give tribute?" Gundar asked calmly.
"They gave it, including a Raptor for each tribe," the man reported. "He even asked the representatives to tell everyone what truly happened, making sure that the story will not be twisted by others.
"Everyone in the Darkmane Tribe is talking about this right now, which led to our spy sending a ssage through our secret channels."
Gundar stood still for an entire minute before heaving a long and deep sigh.
"Damn it..." Gundar muttered. "Those bastards..."
The old shaman then shook his head helplessly before asking his subordinate if he had other things to report.
"Sir, the Bloodtusk Tribe is planning to rally all the middle-ranked tribes. They also plan to seek help from the Darkmane Tribe to annihilate the Aslan Tribe," the man reported.
"On what grounds?" Gundar asked. "Because they were stupid enough to send an idiot who thought he was above the law?"
"I-I don’t know, Great Shaman," the man replied. "But the eting will take place tomorrow, and the son of the Chieftain of the Darkmane Tribe will be present as well."
Gundar clicked his tongue in annoyance. He was very tempted to leave and head to Grimjaw Mountain right now.
But, he understood that if he did that, things would beco very complicated.
Since he was too preoccupied about the danger that Leone would be facing, he didn’t notice that everyone in the room was looking at him weirdly.
In the end, Hagen wiped his face with a clean cloth before coughing lightly.
"This is a dispute between the middle-ranked tribes and the Aslan Tribe," Hagen said firmly. "Let them handle this issue themselves. Don’t even think about going there to cause trouble."
"If this is only a dispute between the middle-ranked tribes and the Aslan Tribe, then I won’t give a damn," Gundar replied. "But if a high-ranking tribe joins this war, then that changes things."
"What do you an, Great Shaman?" one of the Elders asked.
"Not only did the Bloodtusk Tribe violate the law, but a high-ranking tribe is even supporting them," Gundar answered. "That is what’s wrong here. If the Darkmane Tribe really joins this squabble... I guess I’ll pay their chieftain a visit and smash his head open."
"O-Oi! What are you thinking?!" Hagen glared at the old man. "Are you out of your mind? Are you trying to drag the Grimhowl Tribe into this ss?"
"What are you talking about?" Gundar asked. "I don’t need the help of the tribe. This is my business. Since they’re fine with breaking the laws, I’ll show them what happens when they ignore it."
"Y-You!" Hagen pinched the bridge of his nose in order to calm himself down. "Don’t tell you’re going to that eting tomorrow on your own?"
"Of course I will," Gundar replied. "What? Do you think you can stop ?"
The two n glared at each other, making everyone in the room feel anxious.
"There are other ways to handle this matter, you know?" Hagen stated. "We can use our influence to pressure the Darkmane Tribe to stand down."
"We can do that, yes." Gundar nodded. "But will they listen?"
"I hope they do," Hagen replied. "Because if they don’t, their chieftain is going to get killed by you."
Gundar smiled evilly because he and the Darkmane Tribe hated each other. It had been years since he had done sothing that made others fear him, so this might be a good ti to remind them of what he could do on his own.
Leone wasn’t aware that the storm that he caused had far reaching consequences than he originally believed.
The high-ranking tribes were now aware that a new tribe called the Aslan Tribe had appeared to challenge the middle-ranked tribes.
But, even with their information network, none of them were able to figure out the na of its chieftain.
Only the higher ups of the Grimhowl Tribe were privy to this information, and none of them had any intention of sharing it with anyone.
One by one, the scouts of the high-ranking tribes were ordered to monitor this event.
They wanted to see how this dispute would unfold, as well as whether or not the newly established tribe that challenged the authority of the middle-ranked tribes would be able to survive the storm that was headed their way.
—-----
User Comments
0 comments from readers