"So, we are sure this advisor is Canter, aren't we?"
"Yeah. Definitely."
"So how are we to proceed from this point on?"
"Can't we just use their own means against them? We know Canter made use of the void, even worse than the chaos faction. If we show evidence of that, the order faction's guardians will act."
"Not a bad idea."
Just as the friends were discussing, they felt an abrupt shift in the atmosphere. The lady owning the market stand turned pale and without a word turned around, fleeing for her life. Orderly footsteps rang through the rainy marketplace.
"What's going on?"
As Silver Blade asked this question and looked around, she was shocked. At some point in time dozens of guards had swarmed the market, blocking all directions. All citizens had already fled. A group of five guards came to the centre of the square, their blue-silver armours ringing dangerously with every step on the cobblestone floor.
"Adventurers! Come with us!"
The friends froze. Surely, they couldn't follow the guards after they produced such a display. Should they jump on their flying mounts and flee?
Just as this thought was born, mages appeared on the surrounding roofs. They weaved a vast spell, conjuring a dark net in the sky, making escape impossible.
"I won't ask again!"
The voice of the leading guard was deep, almost growling. He slowly reached for his sword.
"We will fight our way out!"
"Got it!"
The order came from Liam, and everyone instantly acted upon it. Silver Blade and Radiant Shield took the lead, attracting the guards' aggro. The group of guards facing them were five common enemies of level 61. For Silver Blade and Radiant Shield those were barely worth mentioning. However, the group was somewhat lacking in damage.
Liam strolled leisurely, attacking the guards from behind. His swords moved in a wide arc and three enemies were hit simultaneously, suffering more than 5500 points of damage from the two hits. Yet, at least ten such attacks were needed to kill a single guard. And Liam was careful, deciding to conserve his skills considering there were still many guards surrounding them.
Thus, the battle was rather slow, even somewhat dull. Radiant Shield and Silver Blade were stable as mountains, almost completely ignoring the attacks of the guards. They didn't even block any attacks. It was not worth wasting stance against this bit of damage.
It took a while but eventually the group of five guards succumbed to the party.
"How dare you, adventurers?!"
"Are you resisting arrest?!"
"You dare to kill someone?! Adventurers, you will be sentenced to death!"
Only after the group of five guards fell to the floor, did the surrounding NPCs begin to shout harshly. The commotion also attracted nearby players. Balduk, the guild leader of The Big Circle, was still around. Suddenly his eyes lit up as he saw the perfect chance to leave a favourable impression on Hotpot. He called upon his guild members, praying that they would gather quick enough.
Balduk didn't dare to act alone. He saw how some fans of Dream Avenue caused a ruckus, attacking the guards blocking the way. However, these guards understood how to work together. They received blessings from their healers and buffs from mages, forming an impenetrable wall. It would take quite a while until the players could open a way for Hotpot. Thus, Balduk would rather overwhelm the enemy with numbers. Impatient, he walked up and down, praying for Hotpot to hold on.
Liam and his friends noticed the efforts of their fans and felt touched but also amused. Everyone could tell that this was part of a quest. Did the players think they could alter the quest? Well, theoretically it was possible but the strength of those present was not sufficient.
However, the group didn't think they needed help from outside. With a thought everyone summoned their basilisks. While flying mounts were blocked, land-bound mounts could still be used. Seated on their basilisks the friends were quite confident. They chose a path where the guards appeared to be weaker and rushed over.
"Think you can leave?!"
"We will never allow you to flee!"
"Pay for your crimes!"
The guards shouted in anger, tensing their bodies, determined to keep the audacious adventurers behind. Yet just before the two groups collided, loud shouts could be heard. A gale stormed through the market. A tremor ran through the ground.
"Look! In the air!"
"What's this?!"
Those present where barely able to react as a gorgeous eagle appeared above the market, the rain running down its feathers. Five figures jumped from the eagle's back. Without anything to break their fall they dropped to the ground. Their heavy, black and red armours gave them an incredibly intimidating look. A second later they crashed into the ground, cracking the stone under their feet, causing tremors to roll in all directions.
Liam and his friends stared at the warriors who had just landed in front of them. Thick armour, helmets hiding their faces. The symbol of an eagle adorned their chests. Either carrying straight, unadorned swords and heavy shields, or brutal spears, these newcomers radiated an invisible might which momentarily silenced the entire place.
"Gale Army…"
Liam identified the newly arrived soldiers. His friends stared at him in surprise. Wasn't it said that the Gale Army was basically independent? How did they suddenly appear here? Knowing his friends' thought, Liam offered an explanation:
"The army is independent because the leadership can't be controlled by the duke or other nobles. But these nobles have many family members or confidants within the lower officers, spreading their influence like this. This is difficult for the higher ups to prevent. They need soldiers, after all."
The others nodded lightly. Ultimately the reason didn't really matter. All that mattered was the fact that the soldiers had appeared to bar their way, turning them into enemies.
"Kill!"
The Gale Army was not known for talking much. When they appeared, they would shed blood. Five soldier instantly advanced like ferocious beast, ready to tear their enemies apart. Silver Blade and Radiant Shield readied themselves. Securing aggro, the battle could begin.
A spear suddenly struck like a pouncing viper. Piercing through the gap between the two shield-bearing soldiers in front, this spear was difficult to spot. But Radiant Shield was a professional. He felt his chest tighten and isntantly hid his body behind the shield. A scraping noise followed.
[Stance -7]
"Huh? Still no damage?"
Only at this point did the tank find the time to check the enemy's status. They were level 65 common enemies, still not much of a threat. Especially now that the friends had their mounts to help them.
This battle didn't go much differently than the first one. Silver Blade and Radiant Shield leisurely tanked the enemies while Liam attacked from behind. Balm had nothing to do, twiddling her thumbs.
With tirelessly flashing swords Liam assaulted the soldiers, chipping away at their HP. However, just before the first enemy was about to fall, a raging shout stirred the air.
"Stop!"
The voice carried an invisible might. Everyone received an impact to their chests. The smell of blood rose, wafting in everyone's noses.
And with the voice a figure appeared, jumping from the majestic eagle in the sky. Liam felt his scalp tingle. He instantly used [Dash] to get away.
Boom!
A terrifying force shattered the ground, creating a small crater. Where Liam had just been there was not the gleaming blade of a black glaive embedded into the earth. The thick weapon must contain an unbelievable weight. Who was the person able to wield such a weapon?
Everyone's eyes fell on the newcomer. It was a tall, intimidating woman with a muscular body. Wearing the armour of the Gale Army with additional armour plates, her figure could even rival an orc. She didn't have a helmet, her long, black hair shaven on one side, the other billowing freely in the wind. Wet from the rain it added to her warlike appearance.
"The Slayer of Mount Zvren!"
"Eva Evrenour! What is she doing here?!"
"Why is the Gale Army arriving with such force?!"
At this point even the guards were shocked. Their expressions were a mix of emotions. Respect, awe, but most of all… fear. The Slayer of Mount Zvren was known for eradicating her enemies to the last, never leaving loose ends. Uncompromising and ferocious. A frighteningly powerful warrior. However, she should be stationed in the Southern Chaotic Mountains. Why would she appear in the city?
Eva, this vicious slayer, didn't care for anyone's thoughts. She raised her glaive with one hand in a threatening posture, staring at Liam with poisonous eyes.
"Adventurers, even daring to resist the Gale Army?! Are you rebelling? Good, good. Let me personally deliver judgement! Haha!"
Eva licked her lips red as blood. Her glaive twirled. She clutched it below her arm, poised to strike at a moment's notice.
The other soldiers knew that with their boss around there was nothing left to do for them. They escaped to the side, looking forward to watching Eva in battle.