Chapter 25: Deal

" It would be a waste to further erase what remains of mankind. I'm not here for trouble or to start a fight. All I seek is guidance. I need to know what happened to my family." Huey readily admitted.

"Your family...?" Professor Hathaway interjected, appearing particularly confused by this statement. However, before he could say anything else, the Head's voice cut in.

"Is that so?" the Head remarked casually, choosing to overlook the arrogance in the former half of his guest's statement. Despite their rocky start, he couldn't deny that he was slowly growing fond of the man. He was fearless, and the thought of crushing Huey's arrogance spurred him on, though he didn't let it show. Despite the urge to assert dominance, the Head maintained his composed demeanor, masking his inner drive with a calm exterior.

"So that's what this is all about." The Head voiced his realization and took Huey's silence as affirmation. He immediately understood Huey's circumstances of being here. 

"And how exactly does that concern us?" One of the Elders said who Huey chose to deliberately ignore and spoke instead to the Head causing the Elder to gripe.

"I possess only the minimum knowledge and understanding of what transpired in this world after I was transported. Borders lost their significance following a cataclysmic displacement of landmasses. In essence, I have no starting point for locating my home, or whatever may remain of it," he calmly admitted, before elucidating his purpose for being there. He explained how the Outsiders, having endured beyond the Domes, might hold forgotten or lost knowledge, including information pertinent to his current whereabouts, or indeed, anything at all.

"Oh. If that's the issue, I believe I can be of assistance," Professor Hathaway chimed in, catching Huey's attention.

"Are you serious?" Huey's voice betrayed a hint of emotion, though he kept it subdued.

"Mhm," nodded Professor Hathaway, turning to address the Elders and the Village Chief.

"Hathaway, what on earth are you doing?" The Village Chief's voice carried a tone of disapproval, his gaze piercing.

"Your Majesty... No, old friend, based on all we've heard thus far, I believe there's little to lose..."

"Yet much to risk and nothing to gain," the Village Chief's voice interrupted with authority.

"I've said it before: do you truly expect me to trust the words of a surface dweller? One who claims to hail from a Dimensional Rift? Even for a scheme, it seems the Fortresses are running short on plausible ideas," he turned to Huey, adding, "And even if by some remote chance it's true, I stand by my previous decision to eliminate such a threat."

"Do you believe it or not?" Huey snorted, his patience waning with the ongoing exchange.

"Fine then," he stepped forward, resolving, "You don't have to believe me or anything. But I'm willing to offer your tribe something in return if you assist me."

'Well, I didn't expect it to be that straightforward,' he conceded silently to himself.

The Chief quelled his council's potential outburst with a single glare, refocusing on Huey.

Taking this as an opportunity to press on, Huey continued, "I've heard there's a particularly malevolent Elder God plaguing your people. If you aid me, not only will I swiftly deal with it, but I'll also share some knowledge about the 'other side' with all of you."

Huey reminisced about the encounter with Lyra and Addy in the desolate wasteland. He recalled how the young girl had mentioned seeking help regarding a looming threat, referred to as the 'big bad'. Upon discovering the existence of the Outsiders, Huey had already contemplated meeting them for his own agenda. However, he also became aware of the hostility from the natives. In light of this, he saw the information provided by the little girl as a potential bargaining tool.

Uncertain if her words were merely the ramblings of a lonely child or grounded in reality, Huey decided to leverage them in hopes of establishing neutral, if not positive, relations with the Natives. Despite realizing he was clutching at straws, Huey remained undeterred. When his group encountered Barak's, he actively sought a resolution to prevent further conflict before it escalated beyond control.

"How do you know that?" The Chief's voice carried a weight of suspicion, his eyes illuminated with intensity. Huey responded with a deliberate glance towards Barak, who remained on his knees beside the throne. Huey had cross-verified the information from Addy with Barak, and now he stood before the Chief, hoping the card he held would prove beneficial.

As the tension in the chamber thickened, Huey braced himself, ready to execute plan B if necessary. A silence enveloped the room as the Chief deliberated, his expression inscrutable. Finally, he broke the silence with a simple yet decisive statement: "Very well."

***

Huey had never liked being held for a favor, almost as much as being held for a promise. 

He hated owning one 'big time', and would do beyond his best to never make promises.

That was one of the reason why...he felt like shit right now.

The discussion with the Council had gone on longer than he expected. Many times across, Huey heavily contemplated just blowing up the whole place and ruling as the new head instead.

Surely that would have been preferable to enduring the incessant complaints and demands of the Council, which coerced him into revealing more than he was comfortable with. 

Having played his final card in trying to salvage a neutral relationship with the Ntuli Tribe, the meeting stretched on for what felt like an eternity, with every minute etching itself into Huey's memory like a scar. What lingered most vividly were the grating voices of the elderly council members, berating him and his futile attempts.

The only thing preventing them from outright disposing of him or escorting him out was their lack of authority; that power rested solely with the Chief as long as he remained in power. Instead, they chose to extract every last ounce of leverage from him, leaving him feeling drained and exploited.

"All for asking for a damn direction," Huey muttered bitterly to himself, frustration simmering beneath the surface.

Under the guise of verifying his claims, the council bombarded Huey with a barrage of questions, each one aimed at testing the veracity of his story. Reluctantly, Huey acknowledged that in order to garner their assistance, he had no choice but to divulge certain details about himself and the alternate world he hailed from. Failure to do so would have left him at their mercy regardless.

Seeking to avoid owing them a favor, Huey proposed an exchange of services instead. However, ever the opportunist, he skillfully negotiated additional terms amidst the bargaining. Not only did he secure their agreement to seeing to Lyra and her injuries, but he also ensured that Professor Hathaway would personally oversee her care, a concession that provided him with a measure of reassurance amid the precarious negotiations.

[A/N: please vote]