No Need For Anger
Back at the inn, Richard had just finished the last stroke of his rune. He suddenly raised his head, looking out the window. Only a moment ago, he had felt an intense throb in the bottom of his heart. A strong warning was blaring out from Medium Rare.
“Something happened?”
The slave contract only allowed him to know his slaves’ approximate location. If they were too far apart, his party could only send vague emotions over. He had an intense feeling of danger, but couldn’t tell what exactly had happened to Medium Rare. On top of that, he had only sensed a fighting will as well as a warning. There was no sign of any request for help.
He immediately sealed the rune he had just crafted, changing into robes that were equipped with a defensive spell formation. He then took out a sealed box, removing an assortment of scrolls and placing them in the pocket.
A loud shout woke Flowsand up, getting her to prepare for battle as quickly as possible. He also stirred everyone connected to his soul, ordering them to get ready for a fight.
He was now certain that something had gone wrong. More fuzzy warnings were coming from Olar and Phaser. However, the two were too weak; given the distance, the information transmitted was a lot fainter than what came from Rare.
Richard went about his preparations like this was any other war, finishing up within a single minute. He then made his way downstairs to the inn’s ground floor.
The entire inn was bustling. Richard’s personal guard had rushed out from their rooms, throwers flooding out from the basement. Humongous bats flew out of the attic, hovering high in the night sky. They used their powerful hearing and the sharp vision that came from being the broodmother’s drones, scouring the entire city for any suspicious activity.
In the army camp nearby, Tiramisu abruptly woke up from his dreams. His head was splitting with pain, and he howled as he cradled it in his arms.
Thunderous roars rang out as Gangdor drove the sleeping soldiers out of their tents, grabbing their weapons and armour before gathering at the plaza to await orders.
Hundreds of desert warriors rushed into the stables. The leaders and elites were all veterans who had followed Richard through more than a dozen major battles, making them both loyal and powerful. These valiant soldiers only needed a falchion and a horse to become elite cavalrymen.
The cavalry had gathered up by the three-minute mark. Gangdor led them in a charge towards the inn; the infantry would be taken care of by the two novice knights.
Within a few minutes, Richard’s troops had been mobilised. The elites were already in formation, able to enter battle at any time. However, this information did not overwhelm him; his gift of wisdom was being used to the fullest. Although the information coming from the trio of Olar, Medium Rare, and Phaser was growing more ominous as time went by, he still maintained absolute calm. This was a part of his fundamentals as a mage of the Deepblue.
Just as he walked past a row of windows in the corridor leading downstairs, Richard suddenly grew alert. He dropped to the ground without thinking, instantly casting a range barrier.
A light buzz sounded out, the magical shield flickering out of existence. It had been shattered practically the moment it appeared, a long silver arrow soundlessly flitting through Richard’s original position. The arrow then plunged into the darkness, flying off towards the unknown.
Richard leapt up. This was another brush with death, but he was no longer afraid. In fact, there were no fluctuations in his emotions as he stood in front of the window, looking outside.
It was already late into the night, everything shrouded in pitch-black darkness. Richard couldn’t see the archer with his naked eye, only knowing that someone in the depths of the darkness was definitely watching him. He merely stood in front of the window, natural and calm as he looked at the unknown opponent. There was no provocation or wrath, instead an inexplicable calmness that made it seem like nothing had happened just then.
Standing in front of the window made Richard a good target once more. However, there was no second arrow shooting towards him. He certainly wouldn’t continue to wait, merely standing in front of the window for a while before turning to head downstairs. He then took command of his personal guard and the throwers.
A slender figure was stood atop a wooden building a few hundred metres away. A longbow that was even larger than his body was put down, before he shook his head and turned to fly to the outskirts of the city.
Richard finally felt an intense fluctuation in his consciousness, coming from the node that belonged to Olar. It was clear that the elf was much closer now, but he didn’t rush towards the inn. As a bard, he quickly made his way to the barracks so he could join the troops. His abilities could only be used to their fullest when amidst an army.
On the other hand, Phaser had crossed half the city at an extraordinary speed to return to his side. She was injured as well, but the damage was not fatal. The assassin had assumed she was human and attacked accordingly, but her internal structure was completely different. This was another of the broodmother’s deceptions.
Stood at the inn’s plaza, Richard watched the strong barbarians and throwers gather together. The troops were almost ready in the time it had taken him to walk here from his room. However, just as he was about to issue orders Richard’s face suddenly fell. The node belonging to Medium Rare had dimmed completely, disappearing to his mind’s eye.
Still, he only stopped for a moment before he mounted his horse. He then led his troops on a charge towards the tavern the troll had been attacked in. Everyone who hadn’t slept yet was left stunned, none having the guts to stand in their way.
At that moment, a majestic aura rose up from a corner of the city. “Who dares wreak havoc in Bluewater?” a dignified voice resounded throughout the city.
This was the aura of a powerhouse. The Sword Saint Rolf had already risen into the sky, energy swirling around his longsword to emit a bright radiance that was extremely striking in the night. All of the starlight in the sky seemed dim in comparison.
However, more than ten black shadows had already left the city by this time, quickly escaping into the depths of the Bloodstained Lands. A few of them were the assassins who had disguised themselves as bounty hunters in the tavern, the level 15 assassin among them as well.
One of them suddenly raised his head, speaking to the level 15 assassin, “Sir, something’s wrong. That bat in the sky has been following us ever since we left the city!”
“Don’t bother. Someone will take care of it,” the assassin replied calmly.
A long arrow flew out from nowhere, nailing the bat’s body like a lightning bolt. The creature struggled for a little while after the arrow penetrated its body, but it wasn’t long before it suddenly burst into a cloud of bloody mist!