Blage's face immediately softened with relief. Vanity's recommendation had given him a straightforward way to de-escalate the situation.
With his wit and years as the tribe chief, he had long come to understand the value of wisdom. So he knew that he was between a rock and a hard place.
If he had just let go of Savannah and Treko after being pressured to do so, then his untouchable prestige would be gone even if the tribe understood that this was the right move.
It wouldn't stop them in the future from using the other tribe members to help disagree with his decisions. They will always recall this moment.
On the other hand, if he stopped Savannah and Treko from going, it would make him seem unreasonable. Casting doubt on his decision-making abilities.
There was only one solution.
"Challenge Savannah and Treko to a fight. If they can beat me, they can go, but… hmph! That's not possible!" Blage thought to himself, filled with fighting spirit.
He wanted to use that chance to build back his reputation and prestige as the tribe chief. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it was the best he could think of.
"A task?" Blage thought.
"Why didn't I think of that?" Blage's eyes glinting.
"As long as they fail the task, I can easily maintain my reputation without making the tribe uneasy. I need to make it impossible to complete."
Vanity glanced at Blage, who was deeply thinking, and guessed what he was thinking. But why should he be concerned?
No matter what task Blage threw at them, they could accomplish it. Instead, he wanted to use this chance to build his reputation and solidify his hero perception.
Unlike Life and Stable, his power comes from perception. What others believed he could do, he would. However, it was dependent on how much perception was believed.
Right now, his power is too unstable.
He wanted to make use of this opportunity.
Unaware that both Blage and Vanity weren't paying attention to them. Savannah and Treko felt a lot of pressure. Anxiety filled them well, and they waited for Blage to respond.
"Why is he taking so long?" Savannah thought with worry. A bead of sweat appeared on her forehead from the stress.
Treko was just as worried as his eyebrows were tightly scrunched up to the point they looked like they would fall off. He waited silently as his heart was pounding.
Seconds passed by in silence as Blage let the tension grow.
Feeling that the timing was just right, he opened his mouth. He maintained his stern and deep voice that made every feel like every word carried a mountain worth of weight.
"Okay,"
A single word brought great relief to Savannah and Treko, who sighed and felt the weight on their shoulders melt away.
"Three tasks. If you can complete these three divine tasks, I will permit you to go with Life." Blage said slowly as he stuck up three fingers.
"Three!?" Treko blurted out.
"Chief, isn't that too much!"
"Not at all." Blage shook his head and made himself look stern.
"Three is too little. But granted the urgency, I settled with three divine tasks."
"Each will test a portion of your skills. Complete all three, the tribe, and I can have peace of mind." Blage said with righteousness, which improved everyone's impression of him.
Fully convinced that he was doing this with their safety in mind.
"Not bad. Three Divine Tasks is a good name. It has some charm to it."
"He is almost one percent as good as me. Unfortunately, he isn't even close to being as handsome, beautiful, charming…. and noble. He should be proud." Vanity thought with some acknowledgment of Blage's skill.
"Three is reasonable. Chief, what are the tasks?" Savannah said with fiery eyes. With a goal now to prove herself worthy, she was motivated.
"The tasks…" Blage stroked his scruffy chin.
"The first divine task is to find a chicken that I had lost and bring it back. As for the rest, complete this one first before I give you the others." Blage said after blanking on what the next divine tasks should be.
Luckily, no one pushed him to ask.
"Finding a chicken that's easy." Treko breathed a sigh of relief. He placed his hand on his heart and was thankful the first task wasn't too crazy.
"A chicken?" Vanity's lips twitched.
"How will finding a chicken build up my reputation?" Vanity thought with displeasure.
He spoke up, "Chief, are you sure? I'm afraid it won't be enough to prove anything even if we complete the task."
Savannah and Treko jumped after hearing Vanity trying to make things harder for them.
"What are you doing? The Chief is being nice, so we should accept it." Savannah said.
"She is right. We shouldn't make it too hard." Treko joined in.
"Chief don't listen to him. He is crazy." Savannah and Treko both said to Blage. Scared that he would give them a more arduous task.
Luckily, they were worried for nothing.
"Hahaha," Blage laughed softly before answering.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to make this harder. But don't underestimate this: it's harder than it looks." Blage said with a steady, even tone while smirking in his head.
"I would like to see if finding this chicken is possible."
Savannah and Treko nodded their heads vigorously. Their eyes were filled with gratitude towards Blage.
"Thank you, Chief!"
"You're the best!"
Savannah and Treko said with energy. They couldn't wait to get started.
Seeing that no one was objecting, Blage slammed his chest three times.
"As everyone witnessed to prove their worthiness, Savannah, Life, and Treko will complete three divine tasks! If they fail, Savannah and Treko will stay in the tribe's care! I hereby promise to let them go if they are worthy!"
Following the tribe's tradition, everyone slammed their chest with gusto, sealing this promise in stone. Excitement filled the air as Blage guided the tribe to return. Leaving Savannah, Vanity, and Treko behind.
Once they were alone. Treko hunched over, seemingly aging several years from all the stress that unexpectedly fell from the sky.
"I'm so tired," Treko complained. He cracked his back like an old man before surging with energy.
"Vanity us what you said about Savannah and I being half-heroes true. I never thought I had such a grand future ahead of me." Treko said with sparkling eyes.
Vanity rolled his eyes and looked arrogant to burst Treko's bubble.
"Of course not."
"There is only one hero of this new era, and that's me! Slaughtering those dirty, otherworldly invaders is the only way not to erode my glory." Vanity answered bluntly.
"But, what about the three Heavenly Wills," Treko asked with shock.
"They are Stable, Life, and I maintain forms. We are their incarnations in some forms. Getting our blessings is something far too much for you." Vanity smirked.
Just then, Vanity suddenly changed. He seemed to become smaller and broader. His charming features appeared to lose some of their edge and became more bland, as if they were smoothed out to become more stable, composed, and steady.
Savannah and Treko immediately recognized Vanity's transformation and smiled.
Who else could it be other than Stable?
"Stable, you're out. It's good to see you out." Treko said and patted Stable's rock-hard chest.
"It's good to be out, too," Stable said calmly, fixing his clothes and hair. The small changes gave him a more mature feeling that was not present in Life or Vanity.
"Savannah, your form is excellent. I can see you have not let up your training one bit." Stable turned to praise Savannah, seeing how much stronger she was than the last time he came out.
"Thanks, your training regime is perfect. I find myself improving every day, bit by bit. There is never a time when I feel like I'm going too fast or too slow." Savannah said with a bright smile.
Having a reliable sibling was the best thing.
Life was unreliable from the start, but now even Vanity seems not to be too reliable either.
"That's how it is. Following the concept of Stability leads to prosperity. Don't fall for Vanity's schemes. They only grant proper power when you have a solid foundation underneath." Stable said with composure, ignoring Vanity's complaints about being forcefully booted from the driver's seat.
"Now, let's discuss completing the first task."