This guy's voice was as lazy as he looked and carried a hint of condescension within it. He was probably Ophelia's age at twenty-three, but seemed older with those dark, heavy bags under his eyes. He simply looked us up and down with those bored, gray eyes.
Then, looking around the wreckage as if piecing together the series of events that had just occurred in the way he thought it had happened, he said to us, "Curious that I find the Black Wolves Leader, Vice Captain, and an Executive at a hideout we've been tracking to snuff out some illegal Black Wolves activity," again that slow, condescending tone ever present.
"It wasn't us!" Havoc yelled, but was stopped by Code as he stuck out a hand in front of him.
"I heard some destructive sounds coming from this way and then saw some Black Wolves fleeing this place before I came here. A falling out, perhaps? Or maybe you came here to assert dominance over your own Guild? Either way, you're busted now."
Was this guy just making up any scenario that benefited him? Either way, it looked bad on us, no matter how you put it.
This guy was at the Kingdom's Guild meeting earlier, Henza—Vice Captain of the Blue Phoenix Knights. He was the one who put the half Zion Orb in the middle of the meeting room.
What was he doing here? Guild meetings were normally three to four hours, and we were only gone for what felt like an hour and a half, maybe two hours. If anything, the meeting should still be in progress. How did he make it all the way out here, wherever we were, so quickly if that was still going on?
"Thing is… I am just not in the mood today. So if you would be so kind and not fight back, that would make this that much easier." He was serious. His tone seemed lazy, but there was hostility I sensed within it.
Code gestured to me in a panic, trying to warn me of something, but then…
Henza gestured a simple hand wave, and in an instant, we were all bonded, frozen in place from our last movement. A yellow aura in the shape of rings hovered around each of us, still conscious as we could still move our eyes, but could not move an inch—we couldn't even speak. Henza sighed to himself. The whole situation seemed like a drag to him.
"Alright, time for you all to come with me—"
As he said this, he felt one of his bonds crack… and it was the bond on me…
What? How? he thought as he adjusted his eyes to face me as I held a haunting glare right back at him. Is he using—
But before he could get in another thought, a gun clicked from behind him, and the barrel of it touched the back of his head gently.
"Actually, they're coming with me, and you're leaving," the male holding the gun said, his voice monotone and serious. "Unless you want me to blow you."
Silence…
"Ah, fuck. That's not what I meant. Whatever, you get it, right Henza?" the male retorted, completely opposite from his serious tone just a second ago. His gun unshaken from where it was on the back of Henza's head, however. He might have been a goof, but his hand was unwavering.
"Oh, Rex… If it was a different day, you'd be doing me a favor. I'm tired," Henza responded, actually really sounding like he wanted to die. Just not right now.
Rex made a disgusted look, twitching his top lip as he responded, "Dude. Gross. Why are you so depressing? Keeper. How'd you even make it this far in life with an attitude like that?"
When I saw Rex, if I could have smirked, I would have. Thank the Keeper, I said to myself.
Rex was another one of the five like me, Ryo, Snow, and one other, who were novice mages together back in our early days.
He wore an olive hooded poncho and bore the resemblance of a hunter, sporting brown leather underneath with dark olive boots. His clothes were fairly tattered along with his thick black headband, which had seen better days—his messy medium-length black hair peeking over and under it, half covering his eyes. His headband also had a yellow pattern on it that wrapped around the entirety of it as well, matching the yellow hue around those distinctive black star-shaped pupils of his. He was a part of the Green Owl Knights, and he was their Vice Captain.
"So what's it gonna be, partner?" Rex questioned, another completely different tone from the last one, this one almost like a joke. He really struggled to keep the same tone in any serious situation. He wasn't bipolar or anything; he just thought about things too much. I'm genuinely shocked he became a Vice Captain with that personality handicap, but maybe not too shocked. His magic ability and battle prowess made up for it.
"You know if you shoot me, that will be considered an act of treason and disturbance of mission conduct against a fellow Kingdom Guild, right?" Henza slyly responded to him, ignoring Rex's quirks.
"You know it's also an act of treason and disturbance of mission conduct if you falsely accuse another Guild of an action they didn't do?" Rex countered confidently this time.
"Didn't you see the other Black Wolves running from this place? This is obviously their hideout for transporting illegal drugs, and we found it. Look, their Captain, Vice Captain, and an Executive are here. What more proof do you need?" Henza said, attempting to convince Rex.
"Release your bond on Greed. I'll ask him myself," Rex demanded.
Henza chuckled but obliged. He flicked a finger, and I was free immediately. As he released me, he studied the crack of the yellow bonding ring I had "supposedly" made before it disappeared.
I opened and closed my palms a few times before relaxing and putting my hands in my pockets. Then took a good look at Henza once more and matched his lazy glare with my own.
"So, Greed. Is this your hideout?" Rex shouted to me from the distance he was at, still holding Henza at gunpoint.
"No," I said sternly, still staring directly at Henza, holding our own lazy-eye staring contest.
"Good. That's all I need to know. As you can see, Henza, the Black Wolves have pleaded not guilty to your claims. You may leave now."
"Really, Rex? Is that really all it's going to take to convince you that they are not the culprits we are seeking? You could very well be releasing our prime suspects," Henza snapped.
"Yes. That's exactly all they are. 'Suspects.' Just like I have no proof that they are not guilty, you also have no proof that they are," Rex replied academically.
"That's precisely why I am going to take them in for further questioning once we are back in the Kingdom. So we can verify those claims," Henza calmly argued.
"Weren't you supposed to be attending the Kingdom's Guild Meeting? Correct me if I'm wrong, but as a Vice Captain, shouldn't you be present there as we speak? The only reason you wouldn't be is if you were pardoned like I was due to overlapping missions. That is why I could not attend and why I am here. But you are from the Blue Phoenix Knights, correct? You're a fairly new Guild and have only been a part of the Valley for a total of four months. There should be no reason you are taking missions that hinder your attendance at your first Guild Meeting," Rex said cunningly. He was surprisingly good with negotiations for someone who struggled to read the room at times. "That being said, I do know it is mandatory for Vice Captains of a new Guild to be present for those… Or shall I report you for being out of post so far away from the Valley and within Forest jurisdiction—which is Green Owl territory?"
Henza chuckled, knowing that he had been outmatched and outclassed here. He shrugged, then said, "Very well, Rex. You got me there. Truth is, when the Black Wolves here got kicked out of the meeting, I was worried about what actions they might take while all the Guilds were stuck in that meeting. So I decided to investigate on my own. I will take my leave," he said as he released the bonds on the rest of my crew.
At this time, Rex clicked the safety on his gun and pointed his gun away from the back of Henza's head, moving aside as he turned around and headed for the double doors of the ruined church he had entered from earlier.
"Just know one thing, Rex. You're making a big mistake here. Luckily for you, I don't feel like doing any of this today. You all better be careful," he said, speaking to all of us toward the end as he casually walked away from Rex, throwing his hands in his pockets.
"That a threat?" I asked, still glowering at him as he turned his back to us.
"A warning," he replied, looking back with his dark gray eyes. "You may very well be picking a fight you cannot fathom to win." Those were his last words before he proceeded to exit the abandoned church.
We all watched him leave in silence. It was then and only then that Rex began to banter. He whipped his head, locking eyes with mine from where he stood.
"Long time no see, old friend!"