The mist continued to glide along the vice warden's shadow, following him quietly to the dungeon where the apostle was being held captive. As they moved deeper into the citadel, they passed numerous guards stationed on the upper levels. Each guard saluted the vice warden and stepped aside, though they found his presence at this hour unusual. Security had been tightened since the arrival of the apostle, adding an air of tension to the normally quiet halls.
Finally, the vice warden reached the lower floor. The heavy gates creaked open, and he entered the dimly lit cellar area. New guards stationed there greeted him ceremoniously.
"Vice warden? Why are you here so late?" one of the guards asked, sounding surprised.
The vice warden smiled reassuringly. "Yes, I'm here to check on our new recruit. Just making sure every one of you is settling in well. Any issues?"
The guards looked slightly puzzled but quickly responded, eager to please.
"No issues, sir! We're actually glad to see you. This place isn't as bad as my last posting in the prison," one guard replied.
"Indeed, the prisoners here are well-behaved. Except for one who keeps muttering and transforming into a wooden figure," another guard added. "He's stopped eating and just lies there motionless."
The vice warden nodded thoughtfully. "I see. The transformation should be complete soon. Take me to him, let me give him some final words."
The guards led the vice warden down the narrow corridors to the cell where the apostle was confined, the recruits hidden within the mist shadow following closely behind, their hearts pounding with anticipation of the mission ahead.
As they stopped before the apostle's cell. There was Benjamin, mumbling something while staring at the ceiling. Half of his face and one of his arms had transformed into wood and sprouting leaves as well.
As the vice warden observed the apostle lying motionless on his bed, muttering unintelligibly and staring at the ceiling, he muttered under his breath, "So there he is."
At that moment, the mist that had concealed the hidden warriors swiftly detached from the vice warden's shadow and dispersed into the surrounding darkness. The vice warden turned to the guards and spoke decisively, "He seems to have truly lost his sanity. There's no point in speaking with him in this state. I'll be returning to my quarters."
The guards exchanged uncertain glances but acquiesced. "But you wanted to talk to him, sir..."
"It's alright," the vice warden assured them, already moving towards the exit. "I trust you to maintain order here."
With that, the vice warden swiftly departed from the cellar, leaving the guards puzzled and somewhat relieved by his departure.
"That was strange," one guard remarked.
"Yeah, he seemed nice though. I hope he gets some rest," the other guard replied.
In the next instant, a blade appeared, piercing through the neck of the guard. Fresh blood sprouted from the wound. Before the other guard could react, another black-suited warrior muffled his mouth and slit his throat. The two guards quickly perished without even understanding what happened.
"See that! That's clean work!" shouted one of the fresh recruit warriors.
"Piercing is a much better way to kill, in my opinion," another recruit added, wiping his blade.
The two new recruits were young but stone-cold murderers, recruited by the Viper Fangs. They didn't even feel a tiny guilt of killing the two guards.
The other two recruits looked at their fellow freshers in astonishment.
"You guys have no honor. A real death should be imparted via a duel," said the knight-aspiring recruit, "While betting your own life and winning, now that's how one actually counts as a real kill."
"You guys really enjoy killing humans, don't you," said the knowledgeable recruit.
"Well, one should enjoy when you are at work. Dad always told me that," one of the recruits responded with a grin.
"Seeing the light go away is fun! I'm glad I joined the Viper Fangs," responded another recruit, almost gleefully.
"Everyone of you here has lost their marbles." responded the knowledgeable recruit.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's nothing."
Meanwhile, the other veteran warriors rounded up the rest of the guards and hunted them one by one. They ruthlessly killed the new guards leaping from the shadows and dragging them into the dark corners. Without much of a squeal, the guards were taken care of.
The high-class nobles watching this were not one bit surprised by this occurrence. Instead, they were just laying on their couch and enjoying this.
"Who are they going to exterminate this time, I wonder," muttered one of the prisoners, watching the whole scene.
"I bet it's one of those Vamian dogs. Karma's getting back to him after all!" the other cellmate responded.
The leader of the Viper Fangs led his gang toward their target's cell. The entire squad assembled in front of the apostle's cell. As they approached, Benjamin Almond, the apostle, finally looked at his visiting guests, his eyes widening with recognition.
"I know you jokers. You're the ones who attacked us before," he snarled. Anger flared in his eyes as he leaped onto the fence, grabbing the bars. "Are you here to finish the job? And what did you do to my parents?"
The warriors looked at him with surprise. "This is the first time a prey is acting like he's some hot shit instead of begging for his life. This kid needs a good lesson before dying," one of the members remarked.
The recruits snickered, readying their blades, eager for the confrontation.
The leader of the Viper Fangs stepped forward, "Listen, kid, I know you're scared. I even have a son almost your age. So I'll give you a quick and painless death to end your suffering at once. After that, I'll send your parents next so your family can reunite."
"Screw this! I ain't scared of you guys! If I die, I'll be sure to take some of you with me! It's still better than becoming some fucking tree and croaking," Benjamin shouted, bracing himself for the confrontation.
The leader took out the keys, a smirk on his face. "Oh, looks like someone's eager to die. Don't worry, kid, I'll personally send you up—after fixing that lousy mouth of yours." He inserted the key into the lock.
Suddenly, a hand pierced through the leader's chest like a stake. Fresh blood gushed out from the wound, splattering everywhere, even staining Benjamin's face.
The leader's eyes widened in shock. "Who is it—"
As the leader turned around, he saw one of his own black-suited men standing behind him—the knowledgeable fresher recruit, staring straight into his eyes.
The leader tried to conjure a spell, but the traitor quickly cleaved the leader's body in half using his morphed, muscular arm. The leader fell to the ground, his body split in two.
"What a group of idiots! A so-called elite mage can't even recognize another elite mage in his own team. Pathetic!" muttered the traitorous recruit.
The rest of the Viper Fangs stared in disbelief at the traitor's transformed arm.
"Time to take out the trash," said the traitor, turning to face the remaining members.
The veterans of Viper Fangs quickly took action, scattering around to surround the traitor.
"Earth Spears!"
"Fire Lances!"
"Star Shurikens!"
"Dimension Blades!"
They launched a barrage of quick spell attacks. A loud blast erupted where the traitor had been standing.
"Well, the mission is a bust! We should quickly retreat," commanded one of the veteran mages.
In the next instant, the traitor appeared almost instantly behind the mage, crushing the man's head like a grape and killing him instantly.
"No one's leaving alive from here," declared the recruit.
The Viper Fangs clashed with the traitor, but he ruthlessly slaughtered everyone with his overgrown muscular abilities. It was a one-sided massacre; the Viper Fangs were pounded into a pulp of mashed flesh, staining the entire corridor. The veterans, the fresh recruits—everyone was ground into pieces.
The high-class prisoners, once cocky and detached, began to feel fear as they watched the brutal massacre unfold.
The traitor, after making sure everyone was dead, returned to the apostle's cell, blood dripping from his hands and staining his once-black suit dark red.
"Fear not, little Apostle! I am here to rescue you," he declared.
Benjamin stayed wary in the back of his cell, unwilling to trust a man who had just turned his comrades into a bloody mess.
"There's no way I'm going to trust a guy who just stomped his own comrades into pulp," Benjamin retorted.
"I know it might seem harsh, but they were just assassins. You shouldn't mourn them," the traitor replied casually. "I had to use them to get to you."
Still uncertain, Benjamin pressed on, "Who are you? And why are you trying to rescue me?"
The traitor paused, then tore off his suit and removed his mask, revealing a deflated young teen's body frame. In the next instant, he took a deep breath, and his body started morphing and inflating. Muscles and bones shifted visibly under his skin, transforming him into a tall, pale-skinned man with a chiseled physique. He casually reached into his pocket and put on a pair of glasses.
"Hello, Apostle. I am Damien of the Havoc Guild, and I am here to be your rightful savior," he announced with a sly smile.