The Overlord felt a sort of bitter triumph when Shukra knelt. It was an embarrassment to have to even suffer such insolence from one of his minions in the first place, yet at the same time it was pleasing to dominate his minion and put him back into his place. The groveling, quick apology, and explanation on Shukra's part would spare the warlord from much further embarrassment or punishment. Just as the warlock was about to summon That Which Consumes Peace, the demon having already left the meeting with eight captives, That Which Consumes Peace returned on his own volition.
Having apparently heard or otherwise sensed the accusation, the Master sensed the shadowy demon's form traveling through the dim tunnels of the dungeon with unnatural ease. That one was comfortable in the shadows, it would seem. A few moments later, That Which Consumes Peace made a sudden appearance, and a rather violent and dramatic one at that as he proceeded to strike Shukra without warning. The Dungeon Keeper half listened to his minion's tirade whilst trying to process all of this sudden information and decide what in hell's name he was going to do about this wretched situation.
When Narza's name came up, he did shoot her a glance. It was quick enough so that some might miss it, but she would not; it was impossible to not feel his burning gaze, even on your back. Narza would be aware of the fact that her Master knew.
However, before he could decide upon a course of action or what he would say, That Which Consumed Peace suddenly finished his spiel. Everyone, minion and human slave alike, were staring at the warlock and waiting for his response, while the Master could only freeze, at a loss for words. This was a rare glimpse at the Master's weakness and poor leadership; it was evil's nature to quarrel and fight amongst themselves, and this Keeper was more often than not content to simply allow infighting to occur. He didn't know how to mediate or create stability. After a few moments, he bought time by casting a look in the humans' direction.
"These prisoners have both heard and seen far too much," the warlock suddenly declared. Gesturing at the chained humans one by one, he cast spells upon them. The shadows in every dark crevice suddenly were animated to life and began crawling across the cavernous floor over to the helpless humans, encasing and smothering them in an impenetrable layer of darkness. Like a cocoon of spider's silk, the darkness would restrict their motion and speech. It would also prevent them from hearing even their own muted screams. The living darkness would allow them barely enough air to breathe in order to stay conscious, thus ensuring that they would stay calm and cease struggling, or else pass out. While he did that the warlock noticed Narza's feasting, though he was far too preoccupied with the current dispute to react to it.
After that long pause to the conversation, the Dungeon Keeper at last spoke, "Yes. I witnessed the rampage of That Which Consumes Peace. Yet that does excuse your spiriting off captives without so much as bringing them here and staking your claim before us. You are to return the humans that you stole to me. The imp taskmasters need more hands to do their work here, and so those humans will be their slaves. It will spare me the effort of summoning more imps, and spare you from being stabbed in the dark or hunting down deserters."
The Master scoffed before explaining his last comment, "Did you really intend to bring a meager dozen humans into your army of orcs, and expect them to serve well as replacements? Such foolishness, to give them weapons and expect them to meld right into your army. At best your orcs would slay them, at worst the treacherous humans would have fled your camp in the hills to warn the other villages, or tried some other treachery."
Then he turned to That Which Consumes Peace. Scowling, he growled in a low tone, "It is strange for you to speak of treason, for I find that such thoughts only cross the minds of traitors themselves. In any case, your actions have created a mess; an attack on a mere hamlet should have been easy and yielded no casualties. We were worse off for your presence. This," the Keeper said as he gestured to the room, referring to the spectacle of the petty argument, "is an embarrassment." A sickly glow began to emanate from one of the warlock's hands as he conjured forth his vile black magic. In not even a second, that glow of light suddenly turned into a whip of fire as green as envy. Without warning, he lashed that whip at That Which Consumes Peace.
The soulfire, as the whip was made of, burned with an unnatural heat that not even Torrens could have matched. Rather than consume any tangible items like normal fire, this magical flame consumed one's very soul. Brief contact from the whip's lash would not harm the physical form of That Which Consumes Peace, but it would strike the demon at its very core and inflict an indescribably tortuous amount of pain, if only for a few moments. After the whip flashed forward and cracked, lighting the entire room with its blindingly bright glow, it vanished.
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, the Master spoke, "You would do well to redeem yourself with future success. Those in my services are expected to pull their own weight."
Despite the pain that he inflicted and the harsh punishment, the Overlord notably did not have That Which Consumes Peace return the captives that he had earlier claimed. They, along with many other things, would be taken away if the demon continued to be a disappointment. Shukra had only had his meager dozen humans confiscated as a statement against his deception; while others might see it different, the Master saw it as a slap on the wrist. What were a few worthless humans, anyways?
Silence still pervading the room, the Master said, "Let us resume. Is there anything else that must be said, any more spoils that you lot would lay claim to?"
Member
Lord Zee
Vec
JFK
Fetzen
Thayr
BingTheWing
