"Are we going to fight?" Life asked with a voice that sounded too excited.
"The Chief is so powerful. His life force is overflowing with a bit of a push. He can reach new heights! Let's break one arm and a leg that will give him motivation!" Life laughed maniacally in Vanity's head.
"Too risky. We can't risk losing our gains for your pleasure." Stable retorted calmly.
"Why waste my time? He isn't going to cause me that much trouble. Let me deal with this little guy." Vanity radded arrogantly.
Not knowing Vanity looked down upon him, Blage quickly thought of countermeasures.
"Savannah and Treko are such good workers. I can't let them go." Blage thought.
"Reminding them of the danger should do the trick. Life seems to have finally regained sanity, so he should realize that he should leave them behind." Thinking Vanity would cooperate with him to get Savannah and Treko to stay with the tribe, Blage felt a surge of confidence.
He raised his arm and made his face darken as his eyes became stern.
"I can't let you do that," Blage said with a deep, composed voice filled with severity.
"Chief? What's the matter?" Savannah frowned.
"Savannah, Treko, I understand you can't bear to let your brother go off alone on this journey. However!" Blage paused to raise the tension in the air.
"As your chief, it is my responsibility to take care of all tribe members of the Lopococo tribe. I can't sit back and watch you send yourself to your deaths."
Savannah and Treko's eyes widen from shock. They didn't think that Blage would stop them either.
Panicking, Savannah stepped forward and tried to convince Blage.
"Chief, I have to go. I can't let him go alone." Savannah paused.
"No, you don't." Blage shook his head.
"None of you have traveled alone from the tribe, so you don't know how dangerous it is. Death is as easy to come by as a rock."
"Tell me with confidence that you can survive, and with certainty that you won't end up dragging him down."
"Can you protect yourself? What about Life's feelings? Have you thought about the despair he will feel if he sees you die right in front of him?"
"The burden of saving the world already rests on his shoulders. The Three Heavenly Wills blesses him, but you are not. It will take only one bad move for you and Treko to end up dead."
"I can't risk it. You and Treko will stay." Blage said without pause.
Savannah and Treko both fell silent. They felt their brains becoming numb as they couldn't retort. It all made sense.
After experiencing the apocalypse, where the entire world was shrouded by darkness, Savannah and Treko understood that the threats that would face them would be unimaginable if even Vanity, Life, and Stable were worried.
"But…" Savannah bit her lip. She had a difficult expression on her face before suddenly resolving herself.
She turned to Treko, who shared the same difficulty.
"Treko, Chief is right. It's too dangerous."
"Savannah, you can't be saying that we're staying," Treko said with shock.
Savannah slowly nodded and sighed.
"I will go, but you will stay. As the eldest, I am responsible for taking care of you two in our parents' stead. As the youngest, you have an entire life to experience. I can't let you come along without worrying." Savannah patted Treko's shoulder, and before Treko could react, she pushed him towards Blage.
Blage quickly understood that she wanted him to help stop Treko from coming along. Although he wanted both of them not to go, having Treko with him first would make the second part easier.
But before he could grab him, Treko recovered and jumped out of reach.
"Savannah, what are you doing?" Treko gritted his teeth from anger.
"I can defend myself just fine. I might be younger, but I'm as good as you with Stable's training. So if you're going, I'm going!" Treko said and pointed his thumb to himself.
"Treko, don't be stubborn," Savannah said.
"This is for your good."
Treko shook his head and crossed his arms over his well-defined chest. Even though he had fewer muscles than Vanity, he didn't lack any.
"Vanity, back me up," Treko called out.
Feeling that now was a good time to jump in, Vanity said, "Chief Blage, I understand your concerns. I share them, too."
"But I sensed that Savannah and Treko must follow me on this journey. Only with them by myself side will the world be saved." Vanity said with a stern face full of heroism. With the help of his new prestige as a hero, he radiated an aura of trust that made the other tribe members believe him.
Before long, the first tribe member came in to help convince Blage.
"Chief, Life said it himself. Savannah and Treko have to go. Why fight it?"
"Yeah, Chief, with Life's current strength, he should be unbeatable. It should be safe for Savannah and Treko to go."
"They are siblings so Savannah and Treko might be half-heroes."
"Chief, Savannah, and Treko are very strong. I fought them once and lost. They are dependable."
The voices trying to convince Blage only grew, increasing the pressure on him. But this little pressure wasn't enough to move Blage. What he was worried about was that this confirmed that his prestige in the tribe was being questioned now.
Blage's eyes darkened as he secretly clenched his fists.
"Am I so easily questioned now?" Blage thought to himself and felt sick to his stomach. He felt like he was getting weaker and smaller while Vanity was getting bigger and stronger.
It irritates him like no other. He hadn't felt this way since the tribe first formed. How long ago was that?
"Chief, the final decision is yours since you know best. But can you allow us to prove ourselves?"
"Give us a task, and if we finish it, it will prove that we can make the journey together," Vanity said righteously and slammed his fist on his chest, causing another ray of golden heroic light to spray out.
However, underneath the surface of righteous aura, Vanity schemed.
"I gave you an off-ramp that you have to take. I wonder if you will bite." Vanity thought to himself.
"Why!?" Life complained.
"Vanity, I could sense that Blage had a fighting spirit. Now that you suggested that all his fighting spirit went away."
"What a terrible waste of his potential." Life cursed.
"Fighting Blage gives us nothing. This move is the best way to avoid conflict while completing our goal." Stable retorted calmly and felt good about Vanity's scheme.
Out of the three of them, Vanity was the best schemer. As the Heavenly Wills of Vanity, he had to be.