Shortly after Qar began to answer Zamonth's question, he resumed drinking his wine. He appreciated that Qar did not mince his words or shy back from his doubts in Amen. Seeing Aperel and others grovel around Amen's status was sickening. If they respected him for what he had actually displayed, he may see things differently. But they knew nothing of Amen and likely thought very lowly of him. All they did was for the advancement of themselves, not the people. He knew there would be many with similar intentions to come, many to keep him busy with. Qar on the other hand, was actually seeing Amen and desiring to fulfill his role, to help Amen be a good ruler.
Zamonth simply chuckled when Qar mentioned the incident with the slave traders.
"Is that so?" This came as no surprise to him.
"I told you guys. Amen is not going to be like any Pharaoh you had before. That may cause him a lot of trouble down the line . . . but it's not like his life was easy to begin with. Despite being of royal blood, he's a person like anyone else. And the life he's lived has left more for him to deal with than any kid ever should have to." Though Amen was Pharaoh and his Viziers were to help him accomplish his goals, Zamonth found it interesting that Qar actually believed slavery could be abolished and was actually willing to do so. Surely his job would be easier without it, and everyone here seemed desensitized to slavery.
When Qar raised his cup, the corner of Zamonth's lips curled into a barely noticable grin for the first time. He joined Qar and quickly downed his sixth serving of wine. Though Zamonth was assertive and would do whatever he needed to get what he wanted, he could relate to Qar's comments on leadership.
"We're not all meant to stand before a crowd and look good. Some of us need to hang behind, make decisions and give advice without being seen. And then, some of us need to be courageous and brutal; be rough and look dirty." Shrugging, Zamonth started on his seventh drink of wine.
"I obviously don't care if you tell the Crypt Keeper or not. There will be much more to deal with in our time together. But as you said, for now, we eat and drink." Setting down his now half full cup, Zamonth grabs a large fruit slice and brings it close to his lips. Before he can take a bite however, there is a bright purple flash behind him and the sound of metal pieces hitting the floor. Zamonth's expression immediately changed from extremely content to one more calm and yet oddly forbearing. His eyes became frigid, sending invisible waves out that would chill any who caught a glimpse.
"Surely you must have a death wish."The moment Zamonth finished his sentence, his body rose without warning-sending his chair flailing to the side as he whirled around and swung his right arm in a large arc that ended with his fist smashing straight into the face of the server behind him. In what would seem like a flash to everyone else around, the server was launched back with incredible force as blood sprayed in all directions. The server's limp body flew through the air, several meters before crashing into a group of barrels that fell over as easily as a bundle of hay. Zamonth did not even bother walking over to him.
Anyone with a skillful eye would notice that as the dagger approached Zamonth it entered the range of his essence, which was already active in shielding his body and detecting incoming damage from the start, in fact, had been the entire time Zamonth was feasting. The moment the dagger approached his skin Zamonth was alerted and his essence increased even further, destroying the simple weapon with ease before it even had the opportunity to graze him. They would also have noticed that the server who had attacked Zamonth was hit by a powerful blow, one infused with so much essence that it was equivalent to being hit by a horse galloping at full speed. His face was crushed instantly, nose caving in while his eyes were rendered useless even should he had survived. The punch was so hard the server's neck had also snapped, and his skull suffered so much damage that his head was now misshapen. A close enough view would confirm to anyone that the man was without a doubt lifeless. Zamonth was born in a very different world; there was never time to lower one's guard in such an open space. Especially not when eating.
