BOOK 1:THE BEGINNING:CHAPTER LVI: TASK FORCE

On the last day of the week the acolyte as well as the lower ranked trainees of the sect were summoned to carry out their usual training at the spacious courtyard of the hideout, Azgaz with the help of Perez, had ordered the acolytes to assemble themselves before them. Surprisingly, Melizzar wasn't around to handpicked the warriors instead of Azgaz like he did last time for the previous battle and the acolytes were expecting something different when te advocates and his helper appeared before the gathering of the senior elites of their sect. Each of them stood at ease as they arrayed themselves in a rows of three lines totaling forty trained adults boys and girls, excluding the lower ranked members who were asked to positioned themselves aside from the elites of their squad, with each acolyte holding a long wooden stick which had been the weapon they had to use for the training before the training activity was cut short.
Collins in particular, hadn't expected that Melizzar wouldn't appear on such an important day and wasn't too pleased to be staring at Azgaz's blunt face, from where he was at the front row, including the advocates brown tunic that was strapped against his waist by a girdle covering the waist line of his leather trousers as well as his brown knee high boots while he stood in front the gathering under the bright morning sunshine where neither cloud nor wind was able to blotch out the light that was descended upon him from above.
He had kept quiet ever since the acolytes obeyed his command to position themselves uniformly before him and it wasn't until Perez arrived with a larger bowl containing knapsacks numbered seventeen, Azgaz decided to let them know the reason for dismantling their training though a few amongst them already had the feeling of what the advocates had install for them notably Anusara who was standing in between Collins and Marcus but she watched silently at Perez as he walked up to Azgaz at the front with the bowl like the rest of her comrades who were feeling the same thing.
Some of them had misconceived what Azgaz had in mind when he took a knapsack out of the bowl and ordered Perez to drop it off on the ground.
They stared motionless at Azgaz, trying to figure out what he was going to do with the knapsack he held.
He knew this and briefly lifted it up before the assembly to get a better glimpse of the item he wanted to discuss about with them.
"As you can see, here with me is a knapsack but it's content will be made known to you all including those that will be using it for our next mission. This knapsack contains some toxic herbs which will help us greatly though it would only serve as a backup in case the situation gets beyond our control like what happened last time. I needn't remind you how to use it when face to face with a werewolf because you have already been taught.....",
He said as he walked from the left to the right and back again continuously. He continued when he felt he has already arrested the attention of his audience. "As for the herbs, the council has given permission for us to use three herbs which are Wolfsbane, Algroot, and Rybrak....",
He was about to continue when an acolyte named Shemack raised his hand to indicate that he had an intending question for the advocate.
"Yes, Shemack, what do you have to tell us?",
"Master, I thought we were told that we could barely control the toxicity of the other two herbs other than Wolfsbane....",
"So?",
"How come those selected are going to use it for mission considering how deadly it is?",
"Use your head, boy. I wouldn't have brought it out if Perez and the old friar haven't tackled the poisons of these two herbs. Besides, the council ensured we controlled the poisons before approving it to be used by those selected for the mission which I and Mellizzar will lead just as before",
"But Master Mellizzar isn't here",
Another voice from behind Shemack commented.
"He took a short trip to town before daybreak and he'll be back shortly when he's done with an assignment. Now, listen closely. Apart from your swords, these herbs are good use for us but be warned. The dangerous poisons of Algroot and Rybrak still remains. These two herbs can kill a single werewolf in no less than three minutes but for a human, it is instantaneously once inhaled since right here, they are in a powder state and can be very lethal once discharged into the air in from gaseous dust",
Azgaz replied listening to their murmurings which rippled around the assembly.
Bella from the left side of the second crowd, heard two of her mates whispering behind her but she didn't joined them till Azgaz beckoned on every one to remain calm. Then he signal Perez to take a little bowl inside the larger one and the assembly could clearly see wooden tags of the same shape and size inside being conveyed to the front of assembly. There were quite many and greatly surpasses the crowd.
"So, Now for those that will be selected. Everyone of you is required to pick a tag from the bowl. Perez will bring the little bowl to you right where you are standing right now so make up your mind for this because once you are selected, there's no going back. Obviously, these tags will pick those for the next mission and how it will do that will be made known to you after you pick one but be warned. Don't turn the other side until I tell you to . Better still, you can close your eyes and pick the tags if you can't keep your curiosity in check",
He said gesturing at Perez to present the bowl to each of the acolytes. Perez obeyed and moved from one acolyte to another as they picked the tag their fingers came across randomly beginning with the trainees by the rear instead of the front. He was careful enough not to derail to the second group of acolytes where Bella and her lower ranked teammates watched spellbound in silence since they were not eligible to participate in the mission.
It took him over thirty minutes to walk in and out of the assembly whilst carrying the bowl to each acolytes and for the acolytes themselves to completely pick up the tags leaving out a pile of leftovers.
Perez returned back to the front with his brown cassock covering every part of his body and stood by Azgaz who was satisfied with what he had done so far. Some of them had closed their eyes to avoid peeking on it since they knew it would attract severe punishment if they did look at the tag because they knew that they weren't too confident in resisting the temptation to break the rules.
Taking a deep breath after all the acolytes had taken a wooden tag, Azgaz stalled for a brief second and resumed his speech after glancing at the junior acolytes. Then he fixed his gaze squarely on those standing before him.
"Without any further delay, I am going to select the task force for this mission using the tag in your hand. If you look correctly at the other face of the tag made of wood, there's a red character carved on it and if yours doesn't have one, then you aren't selected as one of those to join the mission, the opposite applies for those that have picked the carvings on the wood",
He said waiting to see their reaction. Anusara wa the first to discover that she had picked the wooden tag with a single carved character in Hindi which meant chosen.
She was aghast and held her mouth in surprise as did the others who found out that they were going for a dangerous mission in a day or two particularly Shemack but she quickly composed herself the moment she saw Azgaz staring at her. She had chosen randomly and failed the last time but this time it was clear to her that she is partaking for a mission that she had no hope of surviving just like the rest of those that were now part of the task force. It was no doubt that Bella had known that she was joining the mission judging by her reaction as well as the bluntness written in the faces of those randomly chosen which soon followed after they including Anusara realized that she was joining for the trip to Greaves city.
Too bad for Collins, he had picked up the blank tag not just once but twice in a row and he received the revelation with mixed feelings of exclusion and irritation of being left behind. Maybe it's not his fate yet for a real fight out there, so he thought as he clenched the wooden tag with his right fist in bitter pain of not being selected.
There were twenty six acolytes that picked up the tag labeled red and Azgaz beckoned on them to leave the assembly to form a queue at the front. The advocate noticed Shemack coming out first and wasn't too happy about it since his brother had been killed in the last battle and he didn't want Shemack to join but his hands were tied by the rules of selection and there was nothing he could do about it but watchedas Shemack took his place in between his fellow comrade.
Assisted by Perez once again, Azgaz quickly gave each of them a knapsack from the bowl till they were all equipped with the materials required for their mission.
As soon as he was done, he turned to Perez.
"Perez, Dismiss the rest of them and second group before you keep the two bowls in the infirmary",
"Alright, I'll do so",
"You also can tell a few of them you know can help, to assist you carry the bowl inside if you want",
"I'll keep that in mind",
Perez said and carried out his instructions. Those that weren't picked left with the lower ranked trainees that were disassembled but Bella only left the training grounds after she had assisted Perez to carry the bowls to the infirmary and had heard from Azgaz last instructions to the selected task force that the trainees were to carefully keep the knapsacks at a separate in the infirmary after putting a name tag on it which they were required to do themselves until the final day of they would be leaving the hideout.