There was a giant gold and black throne sitting against a wall, a man with white hair and gold eyes sat in it. He looked impatient. Three hooded figures kneeled in front of him.
He then spoke, "Xi, go find Ki."
Xi looked like she wanted to object but simply said, "Yes, Master Thalor." She disappeared and seconds later reappeared, holding a man with heterochromatic eyes, one red and one blue. He also had white hair.
"Ki, this behavior is unacceptable," Thalor said. Once Xi released Ki, he fell to the floor, trying to get up but slipping on nothing.
"Drunk as usual," said a larger man. Thalor looked at him and said, "Mi, I understand you may not like what Ki does in his free time, but with the new mission, all of you will have to get along. Xi, can you remove his drunkenness? I need him to understand what I'm saying."
Ki then spoke up, "I cAN UndersTand wHat yoUr sayIng."
Xi stepped over to Ki, shook her head, placed her hand on Ki's shoulder, and a small golden light radiated from her hand. Ki then said, "Where am I?"
Mi snorted, "At the meeting."
Ki quickly began kneeling. "Master Thalor, please forgive me for coming to the meeting drunk. It wasn't my intention."
Thalor’s face showed no care. "Ki, I think I understand why. Is it because you were there when Lyra died, or is it something else I haven't been informed about?"
Ki didn’t speak, just lowered his head close to the ground.
Thalor continued, "That isn’t why I've called this meeting. I've called it because I'm sending the four of you to take revenge against Lyra's killers. I'm now going to assign you into teams of two to ensure you don't die. Group one is Ki and Zi. Group two is Mi and Xi." He stopped for a second to hear any objections, but no one had any except Ki.
"Master Thalor, may I ask why I've been grouped with Zi? She is someone I've never met before, and I don’t know how well I'll be able to work with her."
Thalor looked at the pair. "She is new to being alive, so I think pairing her with you could be helpful to her continued growth. You were once a great person. If this mission is a success, I’ll let you leave, Ki. As for everyone else, you will also be rewarded in some way."
No one raised their heads. "I don’t care how you kill them, but just kill them, and make sure nothing like this happens again." Everyone nodded. "Meeting dismissed. You'll be leaving tomorrow. If you have any questions, ask Fiz."
Everyone stood up and began to walk out of the hall when Thalor added, "There will be a feast tonight. Make sure to wear your best clothing."
Ki tried to make conversation with Zi, but she didn’t talk at all, just looked at Ki with slight disgust. "Okay, I guess don’t talk to me," he muttered. They walked their separate ways. Ki stepped into his room and looked through his closet, finding a black and pink suit. "Looks good enough."
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Zi was putting on a beautiful blue dress.
Mi didn’t care and was sleeping.
Thalor was sitting at a desk writing something resembling a speech. He slammed his hand down, seeing the past. "God dammit, why must I be cursed? I haven’t done anything."
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Hours later, everyone sat at different circular tables, but the four who were going on the mission sat together. The room was loud with jokes and laughter when Thalor stepped onto the stage. He wore a suit of black metal armor with silver underlines. The room went silent out of respect.
"Thank you for coming. Today we are sending some of the best into the world to enact revenge against the humans who threw our home into chaos. That is what this feast is for, so let’s have a cheer for the four who will be sent out: Ki, Zi, Mi, and Xi." There was a lot of clapping, but some people questioned why Ki was being sent, as he was notorious for messing up quests. No one voiced their opinions.
Thalor continued, "Today is also the day I introduce you to the closest thing I have to a successor." Zi stood up and walked to the stage, joining Thalor. "This is Zi. Well, I’ll let her explain."
Zi was shocked, as she was only meant to stand on the stage. She activated voice enhancement magic and spoke, "As Lord Thalor stated, my name is Zi. I’m a half-dragon and have lived with Lord Thalor my entire life. He has taught me many things."
People clapped, then Thalor spoke again. "Now, the rest of you who are going on the mission, come to the stage. Not that any of you need to explain who you are." Ki, Xi, and Mi all walked to the stage in silence.
Thalor loudly announced, "Let the feast begin." A table appeared on the stage, and Ki, Zi, Xi, and Mi all sat at it without speaking to each other until Xi broke the silence. "So, what’s everyone’s preferred weapon?" They sat in awkward silence, not wanting to talk.
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After a while, people started to leave. Once everyone else was gone, those on the stage finally got up. They went to relax in various areas since they wouldn’t see the vault for a while. Ki, unsurprisingly, went to the bar while Zi and Xi went to the hot springs on the 7th floor. Mi also went to the 7th floor to train in a more humid environment.
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The next day, they sat in a carriage, fully geared up with weapons and armor. Xi said, "I’ll ask again: what is everyone’s favorite weapon? And don’t act like you didn’t hear me. If we are to work as a group and succeed, we need to know each other and what everyone specializes in." She paused for a few seconds and then sighed. "Fine, I’ll go first. I specialize in most types of magic except darkness and lightning, and I prefer to use a staff, but I’m also proficient with a rapier."
It seemed like no one else was going to speak until Ki finally did. "Before I state what I specialize in, we should also come up with new names. Our current names aren’t common in the human world, and I doubt you want to fight through millions of humans to kill seven people. I already have a name and story for myself. In the human world, I am Kilion, the Gold-ranked Assassin-class adventurer known for killing the Abyssal Demon. I specialize in darkness, fire, light, lightning, and poison, and I generally use daggers or shortswords." He stopped there, not saying anything else.
Xi spoke up again. "Since we need a code name, I’ll choose Xiora." She stopped, and they sat in silence. The other two didn’t say anything. Ki said, "I recommend hiding your monstrous features while in the human world or coming up with a story. Even then, I would still hide them." They all nodded in acknowledgment.
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Suddenly, Mi said, "My name could be Mia."
Ki looked at him. "That is a female name for humans."
Mi shrugged, and his form changed with a blinding crimson light. Mi suddenly looked female. "Okay, that works then, I guess."
Everyone looked at Zi expectantly, but she sat there in silence.
"Zilara. Greatswords, fire, and space," she finally said.
Ki chuckled. "The princess finally speaks." Everyone else looked at Ki with annoyance. He looked out of the tiny window. "Make sure to remember these names in public. I don’t care if you don’t in private."
Xi looked at Ki, her face saying, "Obviously, you idiot."