Inner circle

Vlad stared at the young man, and although he could see the fear in his eyes, he did not think any less of him for it. After all, true courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it.

"Good, come."

Frank walked forward and grabbed one of the ropes. A moment later, two other soldiers stepped forward, one a massive muscular man without hair on his head and the other who could only be described as a pretty boy.

"Private Clasius, reporting, Sir Vlad."

"Private Roman, reporting, Sir Vlad."

Vlad nodded to the duo and signaled for them to take a rope. Before a third soldier could step forward, he turned towards Lieutenant Mitchell.

"You are not willing."

The young Lieutenant had remained silent this entire time, not stopping the soldiers, but he showed no sign of moving either. When he heard Vlad's words, his eyes were sharp and decisive.

"I am with General Anglius, always!"

When Vlad heard that and saw the man refuse, he did not get angry; instead, a smile appeared on his face. It was not fear stopping the young Lieutenant but loyalty.

"I respect that."

Silence reigned for a moment after that until another soldier stepped forward.

"Private Amara, reporting, sir Vlad."

The final person to rise was a young woman. She was one of the few female soldiers in the group but was also a very powerful Warrior.

Vlad glanced at the woman and nodded, signaling a rope for her, before taking the one connected to Maron.

"Please, no!"

"I am begging you!"

"I did nothing wrong!"

"It was they who enticed me!"

The group continued screaming and crying, begging for mercy, but Vlad showed no emotion as he tightened the rope around his arm before shouting.

"Pull!"

Immediately, Vlad, Mirena, Cazan, Frank, Clasius, Roman, and Amara pulled with all their strength, making the rope around the necks of Maron and the rest of his friends raise them into the air. It was only then that their screams stopped, but they had yet to die as they were slowly suffocating.

Vlad glanced around the group, ensuring they kept a tight grip on the ropes and would not let go until it was over.

Lieutenant Mitchell, the soldiers, and the rest of the civilians watched in silence as Maron and his friends twitched in the air, their eyes and tongues bulging as they suffocated and went through a horrible and slow death.

Vlad made sure the nooses pressed the right points on their necks, so after less than three minutes, Maron and his friends stopped twitching. Only then did Vlad tie the rope to a nearby metal pipe and allow the others to do the same.

"Let them rot. People like them do not deserve dignity even in death."

Vlad did not say anything else as he walked away with Jormungandr on his shoulder, soon followed by those who had executed the group.

Lieutenant Mitchell glanced at Vlad's group before turning to the hanged and simply shook his head. He knew that this had to be done and was not against it, but he was sad that the world had fallen to this state. Despite everything, the young man soon regained his focus as he shouted.

"Everybody back to your rooms. We will march at first light, so try to rest."

The civilians only glanced at each other as they heard those words and nodded, but it was clear none could truly sleep after all this.

...

Vlad, Jormungandr, Mirena, Cazan, Frank, Clasius, Roman, and Amara were all in the same room. The young man glanced at the group and saw that these would be the ones that would form his first inner circle.

"A small cat, four men, and two women. Oh, and a small dog."

Mirena and Cazan had obviously brought Oro with them, and Vlad did not really mind the dog listening to their conversations.

"Since there are many of us, we should all introduce ourselves. You say your name and Level and briefly describe your battle styles. I will start.

My name is Vlad Xaos. I am a Level 1 Warrior with a Guardian Tier Bloodline. I specialize in melee fighting and the use of swords."

A flash of shock appeared in the eyes of the people present as they heard that Vlad was only a Level 1 Warrior and a confused expression appeared in their minds as they heard 'Guardian Tier Bloodline.'

Vlad did not leave them with any doubt; using Asmael's knowledge, he gave them a short description.

"Bloodlines are a cornerstone of individual strength and identity within this new world. There are strong and weak ones. Some focused on physical might, and others on magic mastery. According to their power, there are Mortal, Champion, and Guardian Tier Bloodlines. The ones I and Jormungandr have are Guardian Tier Bloodlines."