[Recruitment confirmed]
[Summoning successful]
As the blur at the end of the table sharpened, a young man appeared. Short, black hair sat atop a cold face. His chilly black eyes cut through the atmosphere, like a knife destined to stop right at their throats. You could hear a chorus of people swallowing as the fear set in. The aura of death swirled around the pure black outfit the assassin had put on. The icy blue eyes scanned the table of people pausing on Jack and Scarlet but finally settling on Alex. Alex being a prideful man did not shirk from the eye contact. While he felt the aura of death from the assassin, he mostly saw curiosity and interest deep in his eyes. Summoning his courage, Alex finally questioned the new addition.
"Do you understand your situation?"
"Completely."
"Do you accept the proposition to become my subordinate?"
"I was originally hesitant, but your eyes show a surprising determination. I accept."
Clicking [YES], the assassin was surprised at the pop up in front of him. Alex was just as surprised once he checked out the system provided information.
[Name: A'shasa D'Ortennien]
[Class: Nightwalker]
[Class Skills:
- Nightwalk
As a nightwalker, the night is your best friend. Maximum stealth during the night. Even within buildings, you will be practically invisible during the night.
- Execution
If a target does not see you coming, the chance of death drastically increases. Execution method up to your choice.
- Lockpick
No lock can stop a good assassin.]
"For the benefit of the others here, would you please introduce yourself?"
"I am A'shasa D'Ortennien. I was the most successful, and the only S-rated assassin within the assassin's guild of Nuea Federation. I have successfully completed 250 assassinations of high-profile targets, including reigning monarchs. Known as the Phantom, I had an extremely steep price."
"Alright, everyone introduce yourself and your position within Styx to get him up and running as fast as possible."
"Hi, I'm Elizabeth Morrigan, I handle finance and business."
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After the introductions and a general introduction to Styx's current situation, A'shasa was feeling much more comfortable. Sitting at the opposite end of the table, he was finally very content at the group he had joined. Although he already had gained another life, a comfortable second life will always be better than one spent slaving away. Alex broke through the reverie and amicable atmosphere with his aura, silencing the conversations.
"This leaves two things left on my itinerary. Let's start with the first. I would like to propose a formal organisation of our forces. Scarlet has already come up with the general outline. Feel free to voice any problems. She has also suggested that we take on codenames so that our illegal actions do not get tied to our real-life identities."
"Thank you, Mr Night. I had proposed splitting the syndicate into five divisions. The first division would be the Night Division, specialising in controlling the criminal underworld, the second would be the Financial Division, third would be the Information Division, fourth would be the Law Division and finally we would have the Governmental Division. Miss Morrigan, Mr Lancaster, Mr Di Veriza, and Miss Wright would become Underbosses each leading the division that suits their classes. I, as the Consigliere, would take charge of the Night Division, under the supervision of Mr Night to take over the dark underbelly of Stockton. The current assignment of personnel not mentioned so far would be with Jerome to the financial division, Jack to the information division, and A'Shasa to the Night Division. If you have any comments, feel free to make them. As for the codenames I will let you decide your own, however I would like you to inform me as soon as possible so that I can compile a central document with all the names."
"I think this is good for now. There's very few true members for now so nothing needs to be optimised."
"I concur, all the information currently is stored in my head so it is pointless to discuss further organisational distribution."
"I have some comments."
Everyone silently looked towards Alex, surprised that he had an opinion on something so rudimentary and simple. It all looked so straightforward and logical, what could he have a problem with?
"A'Shasa will not join the Night Division. I will establish a central division belonging solely to me. You can view it as the internal auditors of this syndicate, or the janitors taking out the trash. A'Shasa will join me as a knife to remove tumours. I shall call it the Shadow Pavilion."
A'Shasa looked at Alex with wide open eyes, surprised at his sudden instatement. It seemed that Alex had high hopes for the assassin as his personal underling. Everyone else was also taken aback, cold sweat forming on their backs made them extremely conscious of the spontaneously formed chilly breeze blowing across the rooftop. They had all taken Alex as a friend for granted, rather than realising that he is first and foremost the leader of a syndicate. While they were extremely close to Alex, they understood finally that traitors will not be dealt with leniently. By pulling the assassin that had made them all feel a knife at their throats over to his side, he had permanently hung a sword above their heads.
"With my instatement of the Shadow Pavilion, I will also permit the enlistment of more members. You can add whosoever you wish to the syndicate, however I urge you to be careful with your selection. If I find a traitor, they will be tortured until dead, and whoever is the direct superior will lose a finger. The second time a subordinate of theirs causes problems they lose a hand, then an arm, and finally their head. So be wary of the knife at your neck."
The silence was all encompassing on the rooftop, it was so thick you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was silently contemplating the death sentence that a bad decision could bring them. Scarlet, having dealt with the criminal underworld her whole life was the first to recover.
"If Mr Night is planning on the expansion of the syndicate by departmental recruitment, may I suggest creating a ranking system for members, so that there is an obvious hierarchy?"
"Sure, use a ten level system like the military. Level 10 will be the boss, me. Level 9 will be the underbosses. Level 8 will be the vice leaders of the divisions, and anything below will be individual based on the divisions choice and preference."
"I agree with your proposition, we can decide the benefits, responsibilities and restrictions based on level once we have enough people for it to matter."
Having established the organisation of the syndicate completely, everyone felt a new connection to Styx. They finally knew their position exactly, along with the responsibilities they would have in the coming days. The underbosses will be busy forming their divisions, the divisional structure, as well as recruiting new members. Alex was satisfied with everyone's scared reactions; he truly believes that both the carrot and the stick must be used. Leaving one out would cause big problems in the management of subordinates.
"Alright, let us move onto the final topic on today's meeting, just before we open up the bar. The final topic I would like to bring up is the establishment of a formal base."
With his words, Alex reached into thin air and pulled out a basic wooden token engraved with the word 'BASE'. All the members gathered around the table felt the clack that it made touching the table deep within their hearts. For some reason, they could not shake the thought that this was an important moment.