For a moment there was silence.
It was a silence that was filled with bewilderment, as if the dog that had been eating scraps that fell from your table suddenly opened his mouth and spoke.
It wasn't something that happened often.
Added to the fact that Galthor had shown some kind of power earlier, it suddenly made all of them confused and wary, but they all turned to Karathra to see her reaction.
She reacted slowly, as if it was taking time for her to gather thoughts. But like the storm that gathered, her fury began to show in her eyes. "Unbecoming for a warrior that wished to serve you? I should shut up? I'll ask you once again, Galthor, do you know who you are talking to?"
The room was filled with tension and killing intent now.
Galthor took a step forward, his hand raised, palm shaped like a sword. His aura bellowed forth once again. "Of course I know who I am talking to. It is you, Karathra Bloodthorn. But do you know who you are talking to? It is I..."
This time instead of letting the divine aura fill the room, he compressed it and then he brought it down on her. "...Galthor Stronghide!"
The divine aura slammed into Karathra and her eyes widened with pure shock as she began to kneel. But then again, she would not be called the strongest of Stronghide master essence users for nothing because she began to resist.
She pushed against the pressure, her own rising up to clash with Galthor's. The room shook and trembled, the table in front of her cracked and the chair collapsed, folding into itself.
The ground she was standing on shattered, sending splinters flying.
And then, under the shocked gaze of everyone, Karathra Bloodthorn began to sink to her knees. In front of no other person than Galthor.
It was such an absurd thing that it seemed as if everyone present were in a dream, no, a nightmare. Even Karathra herself could not believe what was happening.
Galthor? The same Galthor that was a drunkard and a useless son that went around fooling everywhere? How? How was it possible for him to possess such might?
It just did not make sense.
But as Karathra looked up at him, she found him both familiar and unfamiliar. There was now a presence to Galthor, a kind of authority that was not there previously but now it filled his calm eyes and flashed in his muscles.
Meanwhile, Galthor was thinking of an entirely different thing that not even a hint of showed in his steely eyes.
"...what in the actual fuck is happening here? How is she so strong? It's taking everything in my divine core to keep her down. And this is even because she's a barbarian and since I'm their god, there's an Initiate power I have over them... she's indeed a monster..."
Fortunately Galthor had made his point and so he stopped, withdrawing his power.
At the same time he looked at her before she straightened. He struck the iron while it was still hot. "I have come to claim the right to the title of Chief of Stronghide. Do you dare oppose me?"
Karathra gave him a measured look, she was still breathing a little fast. "Answer my question first, son of Vorgul Stronghide. Will you be like your father?"
Her voice turned solemn and soft toward the end.
Galthor's answer came immediately. "I will be more than him."
Much more. Already he was more than him. He was a god. But he had just started clinging to godhood. So he would be much more.
Karathra shrugged. "Then I don't oppose you, but there are people that would oppose you. Either way, I will be watching you, Galthor Stronghide."
Galthor shrugged and then looked around the room, meeting the eyes of the other barbarians. All of them looked down before their eyes met, mumbling, "I do not oppose you."
They did not look happy but they saw his strength and even though they did not know how he got it, strength was strength. And for now, they would watch him.
Galthor nodded in satisfaction. He could work with that and he was glad that he had gotten that out of the way and had Karathra by his side, for now.
So he went around and placed a new chair at the head of the table and then sat down. Even with the hunger that was turning his stomach, there was simply a lot to do. "What do you mean that there are a lot that would oppose me?"
Karathra and Brakthar also sat down.
She sighed. "Well, I should probably start from the beginning and explain what's going on. As you know this Howling is made up of four banners.
"The Stronghide, the Xyrrh, the Kobolds, and the Winged people."
Galthor raised his brows. "I thought the banners are not supposed to be race represented?"
She shrugged. "They shouldn't, but the leaders of all the banners are from different races and their races hold the majority and important positions."
Galthor nodded.
She continued. "But here is where it gets complicated. The Stronghide have the weakest banner, and in the last few weeks, it's almost nonexistent."
Galthor frowned. "Why is it weak?"
"Because we, the Stronghide, are weak. They have the lowest number of Masters and even lower numbers of warriors that can use essence at all. Almost all of our numbers are made up of old and young."
Galthor's frown deepened.
The reason the Stronghide had such low numbers of warriors was because their overlords did not allow it. The former chief could only sneak, reporting people as dead so that they could be smuggled into the Revolutionary base.
It had been going on for years, decades even before Galthor's host body decided to spill. And that was the reason they had any master essence users at all or any essence users.
Karathra fixed him with a look. "Now that the chief is dead, the other banners are swallowing up what remained of the Stronghide, leaving the old and young to starve."