Silence descended on the room, the children huddled together, their fearful gazes trained on the Hound Captains.
The woman raised her head sharply, and everyone except Azaroth and a few others flinched. "Yes! Yes, this is it! The smell of fear, see how it lingers in the air."
Then she laughed, short and cruel.
The bigger Hound Captain walked forward, his steps completely silent for such a big man.
He clapped, and it echoed loudly in the room. He didn't speak for a while and instead watched all of them, pinning them with a heavy gaze.
A lot of the children flinched and hunched backward, but Azaroth held his gaze through the dark mask the Captain wore.
Why were they intimidating us? Azaroth wondered. Then he saw as the other Captains' gazes zeroed in on them. Were they trying to see who got intimidated?
The people Azaroth had marked apart before all held the big Captain's gaze. Then the other Captains nodded subtly, their heads barely moving.
What does it mean? That they have sized them up? Azaroth narrowed his eyes.
The big Captain began to speak, his voice heavy, and the flickering light played with his mask, making it seem as if it was made of moving flames. "You have been chosen, but you haven't been tested. Not all of you are qualified for the title of a Hound. Some of you do not deserve that title. We must find out those that don't deserve it."
Just as he finished speaking, the door opened, and two Hounds walked in carrying a large wooden box between them.
They dropped the box at the feet of the big Captain, bowed, and left just as they had come.
The big Captain kicked the box, and the lid flew open, revealing glinting metals.
"Each of you will pick a weapon here. Choose wisely." He gestured, and the box lifted off the floor and poured its contents onto the stone floor. The box landed back with a heavy thud.
"Choose now." The Captain pointed, then joined his fellows on the dais.
Nobody moved for a few minutes until Azaroth roughly pushed the girl in front of him away and made his way to the weapons.
Different kinds of weapons glittered on the floor, from longswords, knives, heavy blades, sabers, bows, and chains to spears, and lots more he couldn't put a name to.
Azaroth ignored all of them as he crouched, his red eyes scanning the various weapons. He was looking for a particular one.
Others had joined him now, hesitantly picking weapons.
Then he saw it, a long, thick dagger with a wicked curve.
Azaroth held it and nodded in satisfaction at the sharpness of the metal. He had thought about it; he was not trained in any kind of weapon fighting, and he was not a heavy boy to inflict much damage. But he was quick on his feet, and he had fast reflexes.
He returned to his original place and held the dagger up to see his reflection. He wasn't surprised by the red eyes, and his white hair was long, an effect of the technique scroll he had eaten.
Azaroth stared at his own eyes; he barely recognized himself. His gaze was sharper somehow, and the red glinted when it caught the light. The white hair crowned his face. He looked like a wild beast.
Azaroth liked the sound of that as he brought the dagger closer to his neck. He had to be quick about this before whatever test they were doing began.
He began hacking away at his hair, cutting off everything below his neck. White strands fell around him, and all the while, Azaroth felt eyes on him, but he refused to look up until he was done.
Azaroth checked himself in the flat of the blade and nodded slowly. Now he was ready for the test.
When he looked up, the three Captains were staring at him, and so were the other children. Azaroth paid none of them any mind as he returned the gaze he was getting from the Captains.
He also took the chance to look at the other children.
Alex had chosen a sword and held it with enough casual confidence that Azaroth guessed he must have had some kind of training.
The twins, one held a short sword in his right hand and the other a spear in his left, they were still holding hands.
The tall boy with short dark hair had chains wrapped around his two hands, each ending in a spiked metal ball.
The blue-eyed girl held a saber in her hand, and the pink bushy-haired girl was holding a short sword.
The other children also held some kind of weapons.
"You've all chosen weapons. Good. Now, the rule is simple..." Whatever the big Captain was about to say was lost as the door banged open.
Commander Apex strolled in, and he wasn't alone. A man cloaked in black walked at the front, and Commander Apex followed behind.
Whoever the cloaked man was, he was powerful, far above Apex, and the way the Captains shifted nervously on the dais before coming down told Azaroth that it was unusual for such a man to be there.
Azaroth trained his red eyes on the cloaked man, and the man stopped, then swung his head toward Azaroth. The darkness inside the cloak was so deep that Azaroth didn't see anything.
Azaroth stumbled back as the cloaked man came closer before turning and continuing to walk forward.
Azaroth released the breath he hadn't known he was holding. He looked at his right hand and wasn't surprised to see it trembling slightly.
Whoever was in that cloak was powerful, and it wasn't Commander Apex's kind of power. He must be in a league of his own.
Azaroth clenched his hand on the dagger handle, embarrassed by his fear. He scowled. Whoever that was, Azaroth vowed to surpass him one day and pay him or her back.
The Captains had begun to fall to their knees until the black-robed man gestured sharply, and they bowed deeply instead.
The Captains bowed to Commander Apex, who nodded. "You can continue. We are here to observe due to the occasion."
Azaroth knew he was lying. Something important must be happening here today, but he didn't know what.
The big Captain turned to them, and Azaroth steeled himself.