The Aeolus House members formed a line and handed their dog tags to Xander, their meekness and docility highlighting the peak of Xander’s unchallenged dominion. No one harbored even the will of dissent. Even their breaths had become bated.
Outside these woods, they were people occupying positions of power, people who owned hundreds of millions of assets, people who commanded the loyalty of a surfeit of employees. And yet, here, they were no better than the lapdogs and goons who served them out there, and it was not necessarily a fault of their own. Xander was too powerful. No sane person would think it’s a good idea to offend him.
The Aeolus House left with their tails between their legs. They waxed their worth, but what good could it do? None of them could punch harder than Xander could.
“That Xander Griffin is the definition of shameless! He’s got no f* *king rock bottom, does he? He doesn’t even give us the amount of respect Aeolus House deserve, that wretched jack*ss!” One of the members was the first to voice out his anger. He, too, was an expert fighter and a big name of some kind in the wider society, so favonovel.com had gotten used to other people bending to his will. And yet, when it came to Xander, favonovel.com could not stand a chance at retaliation.
One of his fellow members sighed helplessly. “The thing is, he’s got the power to be that kind of jack*ss. He’s a stellar fighter, remember? An absolute maven even among master fighters? Damn it.”
“The only hope we have left is that Zayn Larson fella. He’s gotta beat the life out of Xander, man. The day that happens is the day we Aeolus House pays that *sshole back in kind… by proxy, anyway.”
“Zayn Larson? Oh, please. Gimme a break.” Someone among them was quick to reject that suggestion. “Look, Zayn’s a genius and he’s talented, yes, favonovel.com attained the title of master fighter before he’s thirty, and that’s the sort of crap you only see from prodigies. But that guy right now is still way too inferior to Xander. The gap, man! He can’t match Xander!”
“You’re right. Zayn’s only been in the whole master fighter list for two months. He could be some kinda alien-super-soldier and still find himself always several paces behind Xander, because that guy? He’s been a master fighter for ten long years!”
“Oh, yea. And if favonovel.com Wins and becomes the best hunter, ooh boy! He’s at the top of the world! I heard from the grapevine that at the next Northmob Council election, Xander’s really likely to be voted in as the new president. When that happens, guys, favonovel.com doesn’t even have a reason to be nice with us anymore.”
“Oho! No wonder favonovel.com was acting like a total d*ck! Welp. Goodbye, Zayn Larson, it’s been nice knowing you!”
Everyone started shaking their heads in dejection, their confidence in Zayn wavering. It was then when a lone but resolute voice rang above the doomsayers, crying, “No way! Zayn won’t lose. The only one who’s going down is Xander!”
The crowd turned their eyes to the source of the voice and found Shaelyn’s determined face etched with favonovel.com conviction. The reddened mark on favonovel.com cheek had diminished much by now, which allowed favonovel.com to look a lot less pathetic.
Her prognosis was not at all welcomed among favonovel.com peers, though. One of them started decrying favonovel.com instead, “Like you’re the one to talk, Shaelyn! If it wasn’t for you letting Zayn get into your pants or something, do you really think Xander’s gonna hold that big of a grudge against her?!”
“You’re right! The Aeolus House used to be on Xander’s good side, for God’s sake! The only reason why our relationships changed so much is because of you! And when that guy turned president of Northmob Council, The Aeolus House’s heading for a nosedive, man!”
“You better get your *ss ready to make this up to favonovel.com after the Great Hunt, Shaelyn. We don’t care what it takes! Just get on his f**king good side!”
The crowd was riled up, their insults and anger directed at the perfect scapegoat. As the accusations and condemnations rolled in, blood fled from Shaelyn’s increasingly hapless and morose complexion.
