The Voranth's voice sounded slightly distorted, unnatural. It was as if two voices were overlapping each other, fighting to gain the upper hand.
"We made a deal; I expect you to respect it," the Fourth Elder said, the sigil in his mask shining slightly brighter.
"Of course, we're not humans; we don't go back on our word," the Voranth said. Its crimson eyes stared at the Fourth Elder. It was as if it were assessing him, judging him.
The Fourth Elder simply stood there without caring about the Voranth's stare.
"What exactly are you looking for?" the Elder asked as he turned around and started walking towards the exit of the chamber, his hands behind his back.
"Ah… curious, aren't you?" the Voranth answered with its head tilted slightly left and a grin plastered on its face.
It moved to follow the elder, as it was clear he wanted it to follow him.
"Unfortunately, our deal only consisted of securing the safety of your people and resources, in exchange for all the information your organization has on that particular institution," the Voranth stated with a shrug, dismissing the elder's question.
"Unless, of course, you want to adjust our deal…" the Voranth continued with a mad expression on its face as it walked next to the elder; its grin never disappearing.
The elder's head simply turned slightly in its direction, not fully, but enough to notice that the Voranth was mocking him.
He released a quiet breath as he shook his head. This Voranth seemed to enjoy messing with him.
Soon, they reached another chamber, this one smaller than the one where the meeting took place. A massive desk of black metal and tempered glass occupied the center of the room, its surface almost perfectly clean except for several physical files, a holographic terminal, and a single bright lamp that cast a pool of light across the documents.
Behind the desk stood an enormous wall of screens. Maps, surveillance feeds, personnel records, and constantly updating data filled the displays. Most of them showed locations across each of the settlements under the Fourth Elder's control.
A bookshelf occupied one wall, filled with military history, scientific journals, classified reports, and old books whose pages had yellowed with age. A few personal objects could be seen among them—a framed photograph of what seemed to be a happy family of three, an old watch with a cracked glass, and a small wooden carving of an eagle—small reminders that the person occupying the room had existed before becoming an Elder.
Before being exiled.
The Voranth simply followed the Elder to the massive desk. As they both reached it, the Elder opened one of its drawers, taking what seemed to be a small USB drive.
The Voranth took the small device the Elder offered it, not fully knowing what to do with it. It held the USB drive between its index finger and thumb, turning it around as it inspected the weird device, and without a word, the Voranth crushed it.
The Elder raised an eyebrow underneath his mask, not expecting it to do that.
As the Voranth crushed the device, a small, almost undetectable energy passed through its hand and traveled to its head. Its eyes widened slightly as it absorbed the energy, and a light of comprehension could be seen in its crimson eyes.
"Ah, yes, this will be useful…" the Voranth said after a few seconds of absentmindedly staring at a single point on the wall of screens. "Impressive, to be honest; we weren't expecting you to have such detailed information about a building built inside a major city…seeing as how you were cast out by your own people many years ago," it continued with a small smile on its face, the last part of its sentence sounding a bit condescending.
"We were exiled, yes, but that does not mean that we should be blind to what happens on the inside," the Elder responded with a frustrated tone. Clearly done with the creature's attitude and passive-aggressive remarks.
"With this, the deal is done…so keep your word and ensure that whatever you are planning does not spill into our lands."
"Do not mistake our status of exiles for weakness; if anything happens to any of our people because of your plan, then we'll respond in kind and hunt you down," the Elder said with a threatening tone.
He wanted to make it clear that, yes, they had made a deal today, but that did not mean that harming his people would go unpunished.
His aura flared slightly as he said those words, making the pressure inside his personal chamber heavy. Cracks appeared beneath his feet, and the screens behind him started flickering.
The Voranth tilted its head slightly left with a mad grin on its face as it felt the pressure climb since the Elder released a portion of his aura. Not wanting to be outdone, the Voranth also responded in kind and released its own aura, creating a balance that stabilized the chamber.
Both were staring at each other, seemingly ready should the other make a move. One stared up with an emotionless expression hidden behind a dark mask, while the other looked down with a mad grin and an excited expression painted on its face.
In the end, neither one made a move.
"What do humans say in a situation like this? Ah! Yes," the Voranth exclaimed, raising its right index finger. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you…until next time." It said as the creature retreated into a dark corner of the chamber. Its crimson eyes shone brighter as it moved into the darkness, closing its eyes as it disappeared from the underground facility entirely.