Trevor eyed the people that sat at the tables, waiting for anyone to protest. The quiet was already hard enough for the leader to grasp, since he had the expectations of someone disagreeing. But when it was becoming long enough, Trevor sighed. “If nothing, then you all--“
A hand slammed on the table as a draconic elf stood up. This one had blackened scales on his face compared to Trevor’s pale ones. Heterochromia eyes that consist of yellow and orange flared brightly in the dim room. His hair was of a similar color to charcoal, which complimented the tanned skin. The leader, who was familiar with the warrior’s skills, narrowed his eyes and was surprised when the warrior took longer to speak than expected. But perhaps he was trying to articulate them...
“And how, good ol’ leader of us, are they gonna actually fucking accumulate to us? We have our ways, and for damn sure, they are not going to catch up. I, for one, am not waiting for the weaklings to even get to the same power level as us.”
“Did you genuinely engage in combat with them, or are you basing your conclusions on assumptions?” Trevor responded, “I, for one, can actually give you examples of each ‘person’ who holds power within their race. I recently engaged in a battle with one human; Stungalm’s his name. He actually gave me more of a workout than most of the warriors here. I would actually suggest some of you fight him and see how you fare if it took a lot of strength at my end.
“As for the Hellhounds, their leader is of the strongest. Aralt, if I hadn’t said his name yet, is their strongest. And considering the hellhounds managed to trek this far from distant lands, it is safe to assume they possess the fortitude to handle our ways. So I would say that there is nothing to worry about in terms of strength... but I assume this is not merely about that, is it?” Trevor raised an eyebrow, knowing his argument was to be more complex than must ‘muscle.’ There’s plenty, but he knew... he was aware that there was more to it.
“What about the competition, then? The space? What about our supplies?”
And there it is, Trevor thought, ready for that argument.
“You do realize they possess the knowledge to cultivate their own food, correct?”
“But it won’t simply appear!”
“Did you forget my wife’s a druid? Who is making sure our food is growing no matter the condition? While yes, it will not simply appear willy-nilly, but it will make sure they it will go steady. Besides, some hellhounds brought seeds from their old homeland to grow food once they settled in. Once grown, it will make extra food for us. Besides, we are mostly fishermen. So even with the gardens facing elevated pressure, our fish has been abundant as of late.”
The leader’s cheek rested against his own hand, eyeing the warrior for any more possible rebuttals. Taking care of them now was good to leave, no doubt. The warrior’s clenched teeth showed his desperate search for something to point out. He spoke once more. “What about the humans? They lived underground right with all those rats and putrid cavern creatures? They can bring disease.”
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“True, they can.” Trevor admitted, “And we can do some precautions to make sure that if they do inhibit them, then we can nip it in the bud. On the other hand, their duration of living here surpasses ours. Thousands of years longer than us. If anyone were to bring diseases, it might as well be us, since we haven’t remained here for more than a century, right?” The leader pointed out, shuffling himself to a more comfortable sitting position. If true, humans have medicinal information that we can gather. From what my son had found, they had plenty of medical books for certain situations. So if they did bring disease, there is knowledge on how to curb it.”
“Ok...” the warrior growled, “and what about the Pencari? Weren’t we in their ‘good forsaken grace’ because he stayed out of their shit? What now, since we are taking in people they are after?”
Trevor pondered deeply... he will admit that by doing this, he was going to get the ire of the masked elves. It’s time to employ emotions. “Boy, how old are you?”
“What?”
“How old are you? Simple question. Nothing nefarious.”
That question took aback the warrior, seeing no relation to his concerns. “Twenty-one sir.”
“Twenty-one. So you weren’t alive when the dragons tried to kill us all, and how we all fled through our longships through the unforgiving seas to strange lands. You weren’t obligated to travel hundreds upon hundreds of miles to get to where we are currently. You never had to worry about building a whole new settlement, a whole new village... a whole new home from the ground up. No, you were born when the biggest hardships were out of the way. When we had a distinct set of challenges, when you didn’t have to worry about the unknown and the secrets the forests might or might not keep.” His elbows pressed against his knees, leaning forward to stare straight at the boy. Your perspective comes from a man whose home was already there, without worrying about the safety of the food underfoot. Because your mother had to figure it out herself before you were born.
“So, isn’t it odd how the humans and hellhounds are going through the same situation as us? Killed by whatever adversary wanted to take them, forcing them to flee from their homes to find a sanctuary. Having to trek miles upon miles because if they didn’t, their people would be hunted down. How they will be required to build a new home from the ground up. How fucking similar they turn out to be, eh?”
He exhaled, a long lecture of comparing three different races...in situations almost too eerily similar. Almost as if fate orchestrated it on purpose. “And you are fully aware that the Pencari would find an excuse, eventually. If the humans became truly extinct, who were they going to turn to? You know, the elves see us as impure, just like the dragons. Making them our enemies sooner is preferable, from my perspective. So that we are better equipped, and possess additional warriors who share the common adversary, and who can provide us with the advantage they seek.
“So... anymore arguments boy?” He encouraged, tensely staring at the man who had looked down, fists clenched in his search for more words.
But there was none.
“If there is no other reason, you all are dismissed. If there are more questions, you would like to ask, you know where to find me.” Trevor stood up, prepared to make his exit. “Warriors assemble at the gate. We are going to update our borders, and it’s going to be a monumental task. Don’t be surprised. It’s going to take days. Now go, I will meet with you soon.”