Chapter 569 - Book 5, Chapter 74 (1/2)
Book 5, Chapter 74 – Negotiations
Cloudhaas struck by a fundadom, or the vast wastelands, humans were similar everywhere they existed In even the reed and violence Man stood for himself, even in the face of condemnation The idea of a pure utopia was a fallacy Such a place could not exist if ht, there always existed darkness
However, it was obvious that one's environht cultivation, even those dark habits with the deepest roots could be dug out Faith, the rule of law, military force, culture and morality were all ways to impose constraints on the inherent wild nature of humans
Cloudhawk understood that It's why he established Greenland, in search of an unrealistic ideal But it was better to try and fail to create one, then to leave mankind toin squalor The pursuit of this ideal inspired Cloudhawk to keep seeking his purpose in life, to look for happiness where there was none It was the first ti well
There came a moment in everyone's life when they woke up, when the life they led to up this point becae arises They hope for so to devote their lives to, a cause that beconorant, pure Life propelled hi a tempestuous current where he experienced corruption, confusion and reckless disregard Through it he discovered what it was he wanted He saw it begin to be realized in Greenland And with every new change the city underwent, Cloudhawk felt a sort of joy and satisfaction he'd never known before
He wanted desperately to go back He wanted to return to his home, his friends He couldn't die out here in the cold, alone It didn'thi He needed to survive, get the blood of the De and control that enormous power When he returned to his people he would do it as a new man, reborn more powerful than ever before!
And the diledoht now He would deal with that proble hidom was protected by powerful people and enchantments So powerful even the elder demon couldn't overcome them
He had to find a way to insert hiitimate way to enter the Imperia He was confident that once he was inside, he would have no trouble retrieving the De's blood
For himself and for the people who took him in, Cloudhawk decided to stick around for a little while
The next day
Redleaf Tea House It was practically empty in and around the facility but for a cadre of burly men who stood before the doors like a human shi+eld
In contrast, there were only three representatives fros Sun and out of place As they approached the towering men, Sus trembled
Red Banner was not an organization topresence it had! The four eth that shook the foundations of the city
Summer had only a handful of years on this earth, he'd never met people like this He didn't knohat to expect once they walked inside What could he do? What? Why did this have to happen! He felt so afraid and helpless
Summer's eyes darted to his sister's stoic expression, then to Cloudhawk's calm one He felt shame rise up from within
He was always talking about what a man should do but at the end of the day he was the one as al htened could hehis dream?
Autuht They were about to face the biggest threat since their small company's inception
If Red Banner wanted to crush Su an ant beneath their boot heel She was painfully aware that all her hopes had been pinned on aabout
She even questioned whether Cloudhaas genuine in his offer to help…
He had killed Python easily, that at least proved that Cloudhawk had so Red Banner's Chosen He didn't even rank a their top ten Did Cloudhawk have the ability to protect them from Red Banner's four e names in this area
Cloudhawk approached the large arded theh they were hardly more than air
As he neared the thugs sought to call hiht flickered to life in his eyes that flooded them with an unassailable will They were frozen stiff, too terrified to h they were s inside
Only one of the many tables in the establishment was occupied Cloudhawk took a seat opposite his hosts without asking for leave “You lot are from Red Banner, or whatever it's called?”
“You are the outsider who killed Python?” The first to speak was an olderdirectly opposite Cloudhawk The gray in his hair marked hiant vest of with swirling patterns of white and yellow and draped around his shoulders was a luxurious mantle of deep red, stitched with leaf patterns
Four men stood on either side of elder; one was tall, one was short, one was fat, one was thin
Outwardly they were very different, but there was a unifor aura that they all bore By Cloudhawk's estimation they were equivalent to standard demonhunters
Not bad, but hardly elite material His own people – Claudia and Barb for example – could beat them to a pulp without much effort All in all he was a little disappointed It was too easy
Su behind Cloudhawk That was the measure of their confrontation, one which was dramatically stilted in one side's favor So vast was the difference that Red Banner's emissaries couldn't even sense how far out of their depth they were
“This is the president of Red Banner, Elder Beck Roth He is one of the most important men in Redleaf” Su before a ave his new friend whispered introductions “The est eth Be careful, they aren't pushovers”
“President Roth, we've cootiate with Red Banner” Autuards to the matter with Python, we are prepared to adated the conflict Our co as we -”
“The nerve!” The skinny elared at Cloudhaith incredulous eyes, co Autumn “Did the president tell you to sit? Who the hell do you think you are? You think you deserve to sit with Mr Roth?”
He and his three coedy outsider But Beck waved a hand, and the h to silence his subordinates
Cloudhawk could sense the company's president was also a demonhunter – Chosen, he supposed they were called here He eaker than the other four, but they listened to him with deference Obviously, he kne to command people
Beck Roth spoke “I can see you're young Not from around here In fact, I have contacts in several of the nearby cities and I've never heard of a man like you from any of them”
Cloudhawk offered an unenthusiastic response “Where I'm from is not important What is, is hoe plan to settle this et to the point I don't want to waste too much time here”
The skinny one's face darkened considerably “You worthless nobody with no backing What makes you so confident that you can stoives you the right to speak to Mr Roth like that?!”
Summer and Autumn were equally stunned Cloudhawk, however, almost looked bored Did he really not fear these men at all?
For a stranger he really was bold, but whether it was arrogance or madness it really didn't matter Whatever the root of his attitude, it did not reflect well for Suonize Red Banner, would their small business ever know another day of peace? This was their hoes!
A small smile remained on Beck's face, but the lines at the corners of his eyes had deepened and a dangerous glint lived inside them Red Banner's president was a h Cloudhaas a nobody in this town, Beck did not underestimate him
“You have slain a do face or the laws of our nation, this is not a ine you understand why this needs to be addressed today”