Note: Change of POV... Omniscient view
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In a grand assembly hall, prestigious officials and noble lords filled their seats with an air of unease palpable among them. They exchanged nervous greetings, their expressions betraying tension and uncertainty. They all were gathered here on short notice after all.
At the center stage stood two young men, distinguished by a striking purple scarf draped around their necks.
One of them, a cheerful blonde with a mischievous glint in his eyes, surveyed the room with a smile. "Looks like everyone's here. Hal, would you like to take the stage today?"
His companion, cloaked and serious, rolled his eyes. "You know I'm not the best with words, especially with these pompous nobles."
"I would've asked Damien, but he's knee-deep in the mission to rescue that new recruit. Hopefully, this time they actually manage to fill in the 10th seat for real," the blonde replied.
Hal sighed irritably. "Well, setting aside that sadistic bastard, I just hope Vex doesn't mess up this mission like last time. His thirst for battle has derailed us before."
"Don't worry, I've made arrangements for them to infiltrate the fortress and plan an escape route this time. If all goes well, they'll slip in, rescue the lad, and vanish like ghosts," the blonde assured.
Hal regarded him with a mix of skepticism and trust. "If you say so. Your plans have a way of surprising us."
"Well, my worries are after they rescue the lad, will they manage to cure him? Our lord has high hopes for the kid but I don't think the curse can be broken yet," the blonde admitted with a sigh.
"Well, that's the hard part- we'll be using another substitute, I guess,"
"Even before the curse could kill him, Damien's bizarre surgery itself might kill the poor lad. Sure Damien's a genius and even has a working theory to fix the curse. His bad personality is also why I fear the mission might flop. Ultimately, it's up to the lad to survive Damien's torture, if he can even make it out alive," the blonde conceded.
"If only the leader were here," Hal mused quietly.
"I have no idea where the hell he's disappeared to. I just hope he returns soon and takes this responsibility off my shoulders," the blonde said with a wry smile.
Interrupting their conversation, a noble stood up impatiently. "Excuse me? Everyone's here. Please begin."
The blonde grinned and approached the center stage confidently.
"It seems everyone's here! Thank you all for gathering on such short notice!"
An agitated noble retorted from his seat,
"If you weren't blackmailing us, we wouldn't be here! Just tell us what you want."
The other nobles stared at the blonde man on stage, waiting for their response.
Undeterred, the blonde maintained his smile,
"All will be explained, but first..."
He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, sheets of paper appeared before each seated noble.
"Before you is a blood oath contract. Sign it, and everything discussed here remains confidential. Utter a word to anyone and your heart and brain will pop like a balloon, killing you instantly. So as long as you keep the secret, you're safe," the blonde declared.
Outrage erupted among the nobles.
"A blood oath contract? You never mentioned this!"
"I'm not signing!"
"This is some joke? I am leaving!"
The blonde rolled his eyes. "Do you want me to leak the evidence detailing how you stole from the church? How did you eliminate their clergy and buy those nuns as your slaves for your plaything? Then how do you write off those people killed by looters? What do you think the church will do when they find out?"
Silence fell across the room.
"That's right. You wouldn't want the Church's army wiping out your little kingdom off the map, would you?" the blonde said pointedly.
Finally, the nobles gulped down their complaints down their throats. Each noble begrudgingly signed the contract, placing the documents on their tables. They knew fate much worse remained if they hadn't complied.
"Excellent!" the blonde exclaimed. "Now, onto the important matters..."
He clapped his hands, and the contracts transformed into small, floating paper silkworms. The nobles were surprised but before they could react the silkworms darted into the nostrils of each signer. The voice of their whimper echoed in the hall as the paper silkworm rushed inside their bodies.
"Apologies for that. The contract is sealed," the blonde stated matter-of-factly.
Finally, the nobles came to their senses!
"How dare you!"
"What is the meaning of this?"
Angry protests filled the hall.
"Sorry about the discomfort, but that's how our blood oath contracts work. Now, let's get to the heart of the matter as to why you're all here," the blonde redirected, capturing everyone's attention once more.
Turning to Hal, he gestured subtly,
"The barrier, please."
Hal raised his hand, conjuring a translucent barrier around the hall. He then steps back to a corner letting the blonde once again take the stage.
"Now, no one can eavesdrop," the blonde announced. "Before I begin, let me show you this..."
A box appeared before the blonde man, drawing all eyes with magnetic curiosity. He slowly lifted the lid, revealing a severed head, its visage frozen in an expression of agony.
Gasps and murmurs swept through the room.
"What is the meaning of this?" one of the nobles demanded, visibly shaken.
"This," the blonde explained calmly, "is the severed head of Vulpix the Soaring Beast, also known as the former Virtue of Magnanimity."
The room erupted in shock and disbelief.
"That can't be! Lord Vulpix fell in battle against the Giant Kraken while saving the city of Hedalf in the east! It has already been decades since his death!"
"No, it's his face alright!" an elderly noble interjected, his voice trembling. "I saw him up close once. That's definitely his face. But it's easy to forge a face," he added skeptically.
"That's the official story," the blonde continued, unperturbed. "In truth, three of our former members challenged Vulpix and managed to sever his head. Unfortunately, it cost two of them their lives, but one survived and kept this as a memento."
"You're lying! Vulpix fought the Kraken and fell with the beast, making the sea its grave," another noble protested.
The blonde smiled coolly. "I could lie, but if you examine the head, you'll find traces of divine ethereal energy that powered Vulpix's body. Only Virtues use ethereal energy."
His words sparked a flurry of murmurs and discussions among the nobles, disbelief mingling with curiosity as they processed the shocking revelation.
"Calm down, everyone. We are short on time here," the blonde announced, raising his voice. "Let me introduce myself. I am Milo, and this is my introverted pal, Hal. We are two of the ten high seats representing Havoc, a dark guild."
"Dark guild?"
"Never heard about this guild."
"Neither have I."
Muttered the officials.
"Of course, it's a secret organization for a reason," Milo continued. "Anyway, I am here to propose a secret alliance between the Riyaz Kingdom and Havoc Guild."
The officials were quite intrigued, but many were also skeptical. They exchanged glances, still doubtful about the whole thing.
"What exactly is your goal?" one of the nobles queried, his voice laden with suspicion.
Milo spread his arms with a charismatic smile, "The same as everyone's! To rid ourselves of the Heavenly Virtues and establish a true order ruled by the mortals of this realm!"
There was a moment of silence before the room erupted in cheers.
"Yes! We should be the ones in charge!" "Screw the Virtues! They think they can order us nobles around like we are some dogs!" "Yeah! We should get rid of them, forever!" "This realm doesn't belong to those arrogant bastards!"
"Alright then, I guess we are on the same page," Milo continued a satisfied grin on his face. "So let's discuss how to bring those Virtues to their knees, shall we?"
The room quieted, all eyes turning to Milo, eager for the details of their plan.