Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location...
The Lion: Be seated, everyone. We have finally pinpointed their whereabouts.
A man with a grey lion mask spoke from the center of what resembled a legislative chamber, built entirely of black and white marble. The room was lit by several torches, which emanated a grey flame.
Everybody inside wore black and white robes, and each had a unique grey mask resembling some animal [https://img.wattpad.com/9a59ce8d873f01154602a18507d7418ecee723ea/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f2d6f4748307650745a50537355673d3d2d313330393831323632342e313734333064613131326331343763633535373238313832333433382e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
Everybody inside wore black and white robes, and each had a unique grey mask resembling some animal.
The Lion: All but the Leopard, that is.
A man with a Leopard mask remained standing.
The Lion: You may tell the others what you know...
The Leopard nods.
The Leopard: Colleagues... I have learned from a local slum lord in the city under my jurisdiction, that he has recently rented one of his homes to an infamous family... The wife and child of the recently-deceased Charles von Virtus.
The room was silent. Everyone listened attentively.
The Leopard: To those whose memory escapes them, it would be worthwhile to recall that Charles had once sought one of the seven deadly weapons, the sword of greed... After failing to pass the sword's trials, he and his bloodline were cursed by the blade. After his death, the oldest of his descendants will hear the curse's call until the day they die. This call will entice them to seek the weapon and claim it for themselves. It will keep spreading from generation to generation... Until either the bloodline dies out, or the sword is freed.
The Lion: You may sit now...
The Leopard sits back down.
The Lion: ... With all of this in mind, we are gathered here today because we must decide what to do with Charles' boy. He is his only son, and as such, it is only a matter of time before the curse manifests itself. He will hear its call soon if he hasn't already. Should the boy seek the blade, and actually manage to claim it... It could spell disaster for the balance of our world.
Some members bicker among themselves.
The Lion: I request that you save whatever insight you may have for your respective turn to speak...
Most of them quiet down, but one with an owl mask is still chatting.
The Lion sighs.
The Lion: Elder... It would seem you are especially eager to speak your mind. I take it you would like to start the discussion...?
A man with an owl mask and a curved back stands up.
The Owl: Well yes I would...! I thought you'd never ask.
The Lion shakes his head as the Owl clears his throat.
The Owl: Prestigious members of our organization, I believe this is the chance we have been waiting for! We should enlist the boy in our very ranks, and help him claim the blade. With the wielder of one of the deadly weapons by our side, we would have an indispensable edge in the upcoming war!
Someone with a snake mask stands up.
The Snake: You are especially overly optimistic today, Owl... You speak of it as if it were a simple task. However, the bearers of such weapons have been known to be untrustworthy and to serve their own interests first and foremost. To put blind trust in the boy's allegiance to our cause would be a terrible mistake...
The Owl: Of course, but-
The dragon mask stands up.
The Dragon: I agree with the snake, for once. If someone is to claim the blade, then let it be one of us! I'd much sooner trust one of our own than some child...
The Owl: I understand, howev-
The Snake: No! The blade must remain dormant, it is much too dangerous!
The Lion interrupts.
The Lion: Settle down! Let the Owl speak his mind.
Everyone but the Owl sits down.
The Owl: Thank you... I understand your views and concerns, dear colleagues. But it is perhaps most relevant to start by highlighting the fact that whoever seeks the blade is likely to suffer drastic and irreversible psychological damage... As was the case for Charles von Virtus himself. That is a fate that I wish upon none of you.
A man with an octopus mask stands up.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The Octopus: Owl, if you are attempting to suggest that Charles' suicide was somehow caused by this "irreversible psychological damage" theory of yours, I must refute it. Charles killed himself because his embezzlement schemes were found out, as I had previously explained in one of the council's gatherings...
The Owl shakes his head.
The Owl: You are too young to have met Charles in his youth to know... I do not mean that his suicide was caused by the psychological damage directly, but you should know that it was only after he sought the blade that he began his involvement with the criminal world. The trials, even though he failed them, were enough to warp his personality and morals to that degree. They forever changed him. That is why I strongly discourage any of us in seeking the blade... As we would most likely suffer a similar fate. Our minds are much too old.
The Octopus sits back down.
The Owl: The boy is young, however... His mind is still malleable. I believe we can control him, and direct him to oppose our enemies. I understand the bearers of these weapons are unreliable... But I also understand that without the weapons on our side, we stand no chance against our foes.
The Snake stands up once more.
The Snake: Colleagues, I urge you to consider the likelihood that both our enemies will slaughter each other in the upcoming war. All we need is lay low and wait for the dust to settle, then strike at the surviving force with all our might. We should let our foes do our work for us, and wipe out whichever one of them remains after the war. We need not risk awakening the deadly weapons.
The Owl laughs.
The Owl: And yet you call me overly optimistic...! Fellows, do not kid yourselves. You know how outnumbered we are. Even if we adopted that strategy, the chances that we would be able to defeat the surviving opponent by ourselves would be next to none!
The Dragon joins the Owl.
The Dragon: The Owl is right. Snake... Why do you act so cowardly? It seems clear that we must claim the weapons if we are to emerge victorious!
The Snake slams his fist down.
The Snake: Those weapons could very well bring our own undoing!
The Dragon: Well, sitting on our asses waiting for our enemies to do everything for us will spell our undoing surely! The path we must tread is obvious...
The Lion: SILENCE!
Everybody quiets down.
The Lion: Sit down... Everyone except the Snake.
They do as he commands.
The Lion: So what would you have us do in regards to the child, Snake? What if he attempts to claim the sword?
The Snake gulps.
The Snake: The safest option... Would be to kill the child. The odds of someone like his father showing up and attempting to spontaneously claim the blade in the next centuries are very slim. You all know how long the weapons have laid dormant, after all... I know it sounds drastic, but killing the child could give us centuries of peace!
The Fawn immediately stands up.
The Fawn: Never! We shall not rob the child of his life!
The Lion: Fawn, si-
The Snake: Yet you're fine with manipulating him and scarring him forever to fulfill our goals?! Please! We're obviously far past the time for moralities...!
The Fawn: But at least he's alive! What you suggest is-
The Lion: QUIET DOWN!
Everybody sits down instantly.
The Lion: I have heard more than enough. You have made your points... Now, we vote. Those in favour of killing the child, make yourselves known.
The Snake shoots a beam of grey light from the tip of his index finger into the roof of the chamber. He is joined only by the Rat.
The Lion: Two. Very well. Those in favour of doing nothing at all, make yourselves known.
The Sloth shoots a beam upwards.
The Lion: One... And lastly, those in favour of aiding the boy to claim the sword, make yourselves known.
About a dozen beams shoot up into the roof. The Lion creates a large ball of energy above his head, and explodes it. The sound of the explosion resembles that of some kind of gong.
The Lion: It has been decided... We shall aid Virno von Virtus to acquire the sword of greed!
Most members in the room applaud the decision.
The Lion: Which means that we must now decide which one of us will be charged with the task... I put forward the Leopard. It only makes sense, since the boy is in the city under his jurisdiction.
The Elephant stands up.
The Elephant: With all due respect, Lion, I do not trust the best friend of Pharisee to carry out such an important task...
The room gasps. The Elephant immediately justifies his stance.
The Elephant: What?! He can no longer be considered a member of this group, so I shall address him by his name!
The Lion stands up.
The Lion: SIT.
The Elephant instantly sits down.
The Lion: You do not get to choose who is or is not a part of us. Is this understood?
The Elephant nods. The Bull stands up.
The Bull: He merely said what most of us are thinking... The Puma was a traitor, the Leopard is his closest friend. It stands to reason that we should not trust him with a task of this relevance, if we have other members to choose from!
The Lion: Do not test me, Bull...!
The Bull: It is no test, Lion! This is much too important to be left to the Leopard...
The Lion leaves the centre of the chamber, and walks toward the Bull. The room is incredibly silent.
The Bull: Please, Lion, I mean no disrespect towards you... You must understand our position!
The Lion keeps walking and stops in front of the Bull's seat. The air was tense.
The Lion: You mean no disrespect towards me...?
He bends his torso, getting close to the seated Bull.
The Lion: Do you not disrespect a fellow member, by insinuating he may be traitorous in nature? Do you not disrespect this organization and what it stands for, by voicing such a claim?! You do disrespect ME, Bull... Make no mistake...
The Bull was sweating nervously. The Lion stands upright once more.
The Lion: I want everyone to listen to me as clearly as possible. I will say this once, and only once.
He walks back to the centre of the chamber.
The Lion: Eclipse lives for as long as we trust our fellow brothers and sisters. We are gathered here today because you can entrust the people sitting next to you with the future of our world. We may not be as numerous or as battle-tested as our opponents, but by combining our intellect we will achieve our goals despite those shortcomings. The moment we start doubting those who stand beside us, is the moment we crumble. The moment we opt not to act a certain way or share certain information, out of fear one of us may be a spy... Is the moment we could be dooming us all to be destroyed. I want everyone to remember this.
All are quiet.
The Lion: Has the Puma betrayed us? Most likely... Should that shake your trust in other members? Never! We may be few, but we are resourceful. It is in our unity that we shall overcome all threats, inner or outer. We have already sent one of us to Mortmundus, to stop the Puma. He will be punished, and his mission will be fulfilled, whether he has betrayed us or not. You can trust me, you can trust Eclipse, that it will be so. Is this understood?
The other members either nod, say yes, or both.
The Lion: Good. Leopard, find this boy and help him. Do your best to ensure that he his ready to claim the blade... That is your mission.
The Leopard stands up.
The Leopard: It shall be done.
The Lion nods.
The Lion: You are all dismissed... This session is over.
The doors of the chamber open, as the Lion utters his last words. With a clap of his hands, the chamber's torches put themselves out. People leave, with the Lion being the last one to abandon the room.