The Banquet

It's the day after Halloween night.

The mundane celebrates it quite differently from our kind. The followers tend to pray for the recent departing souls or those who still linger around since their death; teenagers still have their cosplay event for a week.

There's a verse from Vassonia:

"Demons dance on the day of souls and blind the guardian at Ying Palace.

I purify my bow with the sacred moon, to pierce the heart of the four Circle.

Hellfire leads where the light is untouched, now goblins held it to walk the night."

The Nine Rune takes it much more serious than the mundane. They feel neither sorrow nor empathy. The weak feel the fear.

Alene, on the other hand, felt extremely curious about the tradition they had in the West. She wonders how different it could be. The lords and goblins were more casual in the East but she doubts the Western lords would do the same.

As far as she knows, the monsters and elves here are less powerful in ranks. The powerful ones were called demons, also known as the abandoned and exiled of heaven. They are not under full control of the magical realm but they do have a contract to keep the world safe enough for the mundane.

These dark magic practitioners and dark hunters fall under an organization, named after the Nine Verse of Vassonia. They have proper rankings like all royal families, but it is far less than the demigods that are repeatedly born in this land. Not many have seen them in person, which makes them rather mysterious than the Nine Rune.

"Hey, we might be able to see Lord Tauren today! I heard that Lord Georgie met him on his way back from Florence."

"That's so cool!"

Alene walked slowly in the woods while listening to the whispering and gossip from goblins.

The 'Tauren' was the same creature the mundane read on the page from mythology studies, which was a little different from the "Impermanent Brothers" from the East. According to legend, Tauren stayed alone in the labyrinth of Knossos to repay the favour of King Minos. It consumes all the enemies that invaded, so it became stronger and stronger.

Some believe he is the Minotaur. However said, these demon lords are of a higher status.

"Geez, guys! Lord Krios is here today." a goblin came running from the other side of the forest. These creatures usually look dull in their eyes, but not for this one.

"Eh? The descendant with the blood of Sethos?" one of them looked surprised and almost dropped his barbeque salamander on the fire. "Oh my, oh my, nearly got it burned!"

"It seems so. Lord Nileas hit the club downtown for hours and you know he usually sticks around Lord Krios."

"Why, they are still together after so many years? How sweet!"

Now we are talking, finally some juicy gossip from the West, Alene thought. She tried to get closer but was afraid they would find out.

"The Nileas and Sethos are family friends, so I suppose they grew up in the same town. Oh, the fluttering romance... what a mix of miracles and fate!"

"Lovestruck on a demon, you have the guts to that. He does swallow you whole when he's hungry. You know what they say about Lord Krios, he consumes the dark!" the old goblin took a bite of the salamander, pull it out with his teeth and swallow it whole.

The others gulp and remained silent until one of the elderly slaps his thigh and stood up. "Gibberish and nonsense, fellows! I would never die contented if I haven't seen him in person."

Alene followed those goblins to a medium-sized pavilion that looked like Stonehenge. There is a round stone table in the middle of the pavilion, which is now full of platters and wine glasses. The food served comes in variations of taste from different regions. The smell of grilled meat, raw seafood, alcohol, and a mix of herbs... makes a clash of bold aroma in the air.

It smells like a strong experiment within a radius, Alene thought herself.

Five men are sitting in the pavilion. They could be part of the nobles from the West, judging by how the fairies are serving them.

The two young chaps dress in medieval ruffle shirts were the only visible faces to Alene. One with ginger hair wore a black corset sewed with satin lining, whom the fairies refer to as Lord Georgie. The other was a blonde-haired chap in a red corset, named Alois, who is quite the loud person among the five.

Alene is hiding behind the bush with all the uninvited, feeling curious.

It's rare to find demons with high status at their age. The younger ones who inherited their family's nobility only get a title when they received the baptism from the Nine Verse. That means these two chaps are no ordinary noble.

There is another man next to them as well, but he is perfectly hidden in the blind spot. All Alene could see was a pair of well-polished boots with silver studs. They looked genuine indeed, which confirms that he is neither a vampire nor a wizard.

"I told you guys I hated the outdoor. See what we are dealing with?" said Alois. If you can look close enough, you will find his eyes flickering like a ruby in shades of light.

"Chill, my friend, just chill! There's nothing wrong with some admiration. Even I would have gone over the mountains myself just to take a glance at one I adore." said the man sitting opposite Alois, giving an elbow nudge to the gentleman with a tailcoat that sat right next to him. "Don't you think so, Kony?"

He wore a dark green long sleeve shirt, casual enough to make you forget he is one of the high lords from Nine Verse. The mild curly brown hair makes him look rather warm and friendly. Alene lean forward, hoping to take a closer look at him, then she heard the fairy beside her giggle the name "Nileas".

So this man must be Nileas Nathaniel, Alene thought. He is well known for his spontaneous and playful character back in Zenthor. He used to trick the higher-ups of Nine Rune annually, without fail.

If this man is Nileas Nathaniel, then the gentleman next to him must be Krios Sethos. Unlike the welcoming vibes let out by Nileas, Krios looked rather cold despite showing only his back. He just sat there without a word, and drink a few sips of whiskey while he enjoy the starter served just minutes ago.

"I recommend that we get to the point. The air is rather stale tonight," said Krios.

"Well, then let me start with some enlightenment of the day. There is a commotion in the east. It is said that the holy book has been lost. The headquarters also sent their top guards and a reward notice for this." said Alois.

"Oh, right. You're talking about the scroll of Ethos?" Nileas asked casually. You could sense that he doesn't care about it.

Alene's heart skipped a beat, only able to feel tense in the fist she held so tight. How do they know about the Scroll of Ethos? Do they want it too? As she was thinking, she felt a shiver running down her spine.

"Why, yes. It seems that Gong Vun is gone, otherwise, it wouldn't be so chaotic. Anything fancy you hear from the North Sea, Georgie?" said Alois.

"I am not paying much attention to the East, you see," said Georgie with a faint smile on his pale-looking face. He sounded humble and he has an elegant posture. People are often fooled by his ginger hair but he is part of the de la Fuente family from the North Sea region.

"Alive or not is not my concern, it never excites me. What I want is the Scroll of Ethos. Everyone knows it has always belonged to us," Alois smiled and said.

"You mean it belongs to Vassonia." Georgie corrected him.

Then, there is a moment of silence. All that could be heard are the clanking sound made from the wine glasses and china bone, occasionally the sizzling sound from oil drops on the burning charcoal.

Krios finished the last bit of whiskey he had in his glass and started tapping his finger on the stone table top. "The reward notice. The person on the hunt list must be related to Gong Vun?"

Alois looked surprised as Krios shows his interest in this topic. He never expects Krios to ever join their conversation from the very beginning. He gets Nileas to join him, so Krios would tag along. "Well, indeed. It's strange to say that the person they wanted is a hunter from the east. A woman." he added.