"W-what?" the man closest to her asked. He gulped as he also realized he was placing his life on the knife's edge by speaking.
"Join us."
In a strange act, Aleia removed her black gloves and extended her fair hand to the man. It was soft and dainty with hardened scars from who-knows-what. One could tell she was not a weak woman like one would expect.
"Can I?" the man asked, gulping again. This time, he felt an odd fascination. He wanted to know what lay beneath the black fabric that wrapped this woman's face and obscured her features from view.
It was a strange feeling that came from his primal instincts. It was curiosity towards the opposite sex and to someone who displays so much more power compared to him. Her charisma was unlike the mayor's.
"Do you want to?" Aleia asked, her words chilly yet sweet.
"Yes!" Without a thought of hesitation, the man answered.
"H-hey, don't you have a family?" the guy beside him asked.
"Shut up!" he responded. "I respect her because she's powerful, and I have no plans to woo miss."
He made it clear for all what he was after. He was in it for the mysticism under this woman. Why was she so strong and cold? And why was she serving this evil man?
"Heh. I would only offer myself to our leader. A wise answer!" Smiling brightly, Aleia lightly kicked the guy's liver.
"Ough…!"
He crouched down on the ground. He couldn't grasp his liver because his hands were tied behind his back. Thus, he fell onto the ground face first.
"What about you?" Aleia asked the next guy.
"I'm in!"
They immediately realized that the kick on his liver was a passive threat to the rest of them. They were the best of the best as they managed to become the mayor's agents for assassination, espionage, etc.
They could all read the subtlest of hints.
"And the two of you?"
"W-we're in!"
"I will serve miss!"
"Good enough for now." Aleia rolled her eyes. She didn't like that the guy wanted to serve her instead of Revelon, but she relented since that could be corrected later with training.
Seeing that everyone knew what to do, Revelon walked forward. He scanned the faces of the four of them.
"I will personally train the four of you."
Those words sent a chill down the four's spines. They recalled how Revelon managed to escape their ambush the other night, especially after seeing he was the leader of this group.
"Cut him loose," Revelon ordered as he pointed at the man with a crush on Aleia.
With a swift motion, a blade flew through the air and neatly cut the rope that bound the man's hand behind his back.
He freed his hands whilst a chill ran down his spine. If that blade was a tiny bit closer, it would have sliced his wrists and severed his hands.
"What is your name?" Revelon asked.
"My name? Uh… Cleo."
Still stunned by the development so far, Cleo stood up. He was a pretty tall man with some well-defined muscles only visible if he flexed them. It would be easy to mistake him for an average person.
"Cleo, if you can dodge these four bamboo sticks in-between my fingers," Revelon flipped his hand and bamboo sticks were held in-between the web of his fingers. In actuality, these "sticks" were crude chopsticks. "I will give you the chance to see Aleia's face."
"Wha–" Cleo widened his eyes in disbelief.
He didn't know how this person in front of him found out he wanted to see Aleia's face.
That didn't matter because the measly thought of seeing Aleia's face drove him insane. He was like a lion smelling the odor of meat from afar.
"Ready?"
"Y-Yes!" Cleo answered as he placed his foot firmly on the ground. He made himself well-balanced and agile.
Wind brushed against his skin.
Before he realized it, a bamboo stick hit him on the temple. It forced his head backward.
It continued and the next bamboo stick hit him on the chest right where his heart was.
"Wait!"
Revelon wasn't about to show mercy.
"Spies must always be ready for anything."
The third bamboo stick flew. It whistled in the air and hit Cleo's ankle. He immediately lost balance.
"I said, wait!"
Cleo repositioned himself and within the next instant he had already lifted his other foot in anticipation of Revelon's next attack.
"Ow!"
Against his expectation, a bamboo stick hit him in his crotch.
"You dodged too early," Revelon casually explained. He didn't look a tiny bit exhausted.
Cleo fell on his butt. He held his crotch, wincing, and cursing at himself.
"Sir Revelon…" Aleia called out shyly.
"We can't afford romance in this group, understand?" Revelon spoke word-for-word.
"Yes, sir!" the group of shadows around him responded in unison, including Aleia.
The other three newly joined recruits gulped several times. They couldn't help glancing at each other and finding fear within the other's eyes.
They didn't know what they had joined, and it was too late to back out, or it meant certain death.
"You, next. What is your name?"
"Euste, sir!" the man responded while trying to sound like a trained soldier.
"If you can dodge a bamboo stick, I will order my officers to go easy on you later."
"Huh?"
Euste was still trying to process those words when a bamboo stick whistled towards him.
"Ah!"
It hit him squarely on the forehead. Just like Cleo, he fell back on his butt. He rubbed the red spot on his forehead that seemingly made him look like he had a gigantic pimple.
Revelon ignored him and turned his focus to the next guy.
"I'm Justin, sir!" he answered almost instantly.
"Do you know the rules?"
"Yes!"
As Justin answered, a bamboo stick hurtled through the air. He was prepared for it from the example of Cleo and Euste, but he was no match for Revelon's tricks.
The bamboo stick flew at a certain angle that made it appear darker under the moonlight.
It hit him squarely on his forehead.
"Shit!"
"And you?"
"I-I'm Geppe, sir!"
The last guy shook in fear. He widened his eyes as much as he could.
"Right?" Revelon said, not explaining himself, and at the same time, he threw the last bamboo stick he held in his other hand.
It whistled through the air.
After seeing all three of the men before him get hit on the forehead, Geppe dodged to his right. He swung his head as fast as he could knowing that Revelon threw them the instant he finished speaking.
"Argh!"
He cried out in pain.
The location he moved his head to… was where the bamboo stick was aimed at! Revelon had managed to predict his dodge and precisely where he would stop.
That was the day when Cleo, Euste, Justin, and Geppe realized why Revelon was the leader of this group.
It was also the start of their suffering and… metamorphosis.
Since then on, they became a part of the Shadow Brokers.