BOOK 1:THE BEGINNING:CHAPTER LV: AT THE COUNCIL CHAMBER

The large doors leading into the Magistrum's chamber was opened widely by the guards even before Melizzar got to where they were standing beside the two corners of the open doors. He walked in and plodded towards where Azgaz stood at center of the broad chamber with his cloak covering his inner garment under the close watch of the Elders who had already taken their respective seats long before he was allowed into the chamber.
His arrival had unintentionally interrupted the conversation between Azgaz and the elders. He knew why he was summoned to appear before the council and quickly paid his respect by taking a slight bow before the elder.
Mavdon stared at him transfixed as he crossed his fingers against his chin. He hadn't been too happy about the outcome of the last battle and was hoping that Melizzar could provide a better option for the next assignment.
The last battle had gone far worse than what he had expected and he felt reluctant to organize another attack than ever before. He hadn't expected that they would suffered a lot of losses and hated himself from underestimating their sworn enemies.
As for the other elders, they had been debating among themselves if it would be in their best interest to suspend the mission or to pull out from any futuristic plans to attack the Sao clan who had proven to be stronger than they expected and Azgaz had been here in the council chamber since the hot afternoon to hear his opinions about what they had in mind. And it was his idea to have Melizzar summoned just to listen to his own opinions of what would be the best thing to do.
"Greetings, Elders and to you Mavdon",
"It's good to have you here with us. Let me get straight to the point, I'm sure you must be aware of the reason why we summoned you here",
Mavdon replied dropping off the formalities. He eagerly wanted to hear what Melizzar had to say before making a final verdict on the matter at hand.
"Yes, I am thanks to the guard that delivered your message",
"So, what do you suggest we do at this point?",
Mavdon inquired and all attention was brought to Melizzar at once.
"From what I witnessed at the last mission in Greaves, I could tell that we grossly overlooked their ferocity which cost us a lot of lives in the process and it looked like we were no match for them but if we can learn from our mistakes and get ourselves prepared, we have a chance to put up a good challenge against them",
"So, what you're trying to say is that we should go ahead with the next mission as planned?",
It was Tezmon who asked from where he sat down looking at the two advocates from his colossal seat.
"Yes unless we're too scared to fight them",
Melizzar boldly replied.
"Mind your language, advocate. We are just being cautious that's all",
"It would do us no good if we allow our brothers to get slaughtered in vain just to satisfy our desire to unleash bloodshed upon the Sao clan",
"The lesser the casualties in our warfare, the better for us",
Another Elder advised.
"I understand clearly what you mean but for a good cause to be achieved, we must be ready to sacrifice a lot which includes the lives of our brothers. If we keep thinking about their lives, then it is needless to fight those werewolves"
Melizzar said as he stepped forward to continue his appeal fervently.
He wasn't convinced of the skeptical minds of the Elders and wanted them to reconsider their unsettled decision to stop all war preparations.
"Your compelling words seem rather to harsh for my liking but you may have a point there. I'm sure you must have heard what happened in the city recently which explains why you are upset about our reluctance in taking the laws into our own hands",
"My words are purely out of concern for what we are fighting for and not entirely because of the two victims that were attacked in cold blood",
"Alright. We've heard how you feel about this. Therefore, we are going to put it to a test. We are assigning both of you to a task force of fourteen acolytes that will carry out this next expedition in two full moons and we will be waiting for the outcome of the battle which will decide if we continue or not",
"That's fine with us and we'll not fail this time around",
Azgaz replied and placed his hands on Melizzar's left shoulder.
"Easy as it may seem. Failure is not an option for you two",
"We know that, Tezmon. That's why I humbly seek permission to use the third toxic herbal plant in this fight",
"You mean the Alssaric root?",
"Of course",
"Why not take a whole lot of Wolfsbane with you? We have them many in the storehouse here in hideout",
"I'm aware of that we have them pile up inside the granary but it's best if we don't rely too much on Wolfsbane rather, the Alssaric root will come in handy as a lethal weapon when the need arises",
"Judging by the way you sound, you must already have a plan for the next assignment",
"Maybe you can say that",
"Do what pleases you but remember to apply caution when using its toxins",
"We will"
"And one more thing before we leave",
"What might that be?",
Pinx questioned.
"I really want to know if we can use the secret weapon we've been making all this years",
"As for that, we can't allow it not until it has undergone successive trials before it could be included as one of the weapons we use for combat",
"Hmm, fine. We'll be going back to our duties if there's no further discussion on this matter",
"For now, you can return to your quarters and don't forget to select those that will join you once you get back",
"We won't. Thanks for the remindar, Elder Pinx",
Melizzar appreciated with a bow and turned to leave with Azgaz who also bowed before heading to the doors which had been waiting wide open for them to pass through.