“You really sure we shouldn’t be joining them?”
Tsubasa glanced up from his meal, scowling at the interruption. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what his sister was on about. But, following her gaze, he saw the crowd of figures gathering down in the street below. From their vantage point on the balcony, they had a good viewpoint of most of the city, particularly of the high street that ran directly down the center of Dawnbreak City. This house could have been a palace if they were inclined to entertain such fantasies.
The tip of his tail twitched in a noncommittal gesture that his sister couldn’t see, and therefore wouldn’t be able to understand. He didn’t offer a verbal reply. He never did. That had been, after all, his style. He didn’t speak in this game, just as he couldn’t in real life. He’d gotten rather good at expressing his intentions without the spoken word. And she, after being his sister for so long in real life and now in this game, could pretty much understand exactly what he was thinking.
For a moment, the dark memories of their earlier life surfaced, but she pushed them away with a willful effort. It wasn’t necessarily suppression, because she and her brother had grown accustomed to the horrors that had been their childhood. That life had left its marks upon them, yes. But it had also given them the strength, skills, and mindset that had made them so successful in later years. And those skills had proven useful in this game, hadn’t they? Yes, in a way, she was grateful for those early years.
With a scowl to match her brother’s, she realized she’d allowed her thoughts to drift away from the subject at hand. A smile curled across her lips as she thought of the red-haired girl. She’d come to the city at the head of an army. Asami wasn’t fooled. She knew the girl wasn’t the commander of that force. But she had an authority nonetheless, one born of trust and experience. The others clearly respected her. She was, if anything, a secondary leader. But more importantly, she interested Asami.
Not many of her toys got away. Even fewer of them managed to claim some kind of victory over her in a fight. Not that the girl had won, of course. It had simply been… less important to fight that battle to its completion. The girl and her companions had clearly won the larger battle that had taken place there, and she deserved the chance to celebrate it. It wouldn’t be the first time they would clash if Asami had her way. And she was quite used to getting her way.
So this situation presented an interesting choice for Asami. For down below, gathering in the street and growing by the minute, was a rather large crowd of armed players. Their reason for gathering was no mystery. They were angry at the invasion that had happened just over a month ago, and now they were getting ready to take their revenge. The only delay had been in an attempt to recover the gear they’d lost in the last encounter, especially that free-for-all in the market. Even from several yards away, she could hear several people mentioning ‘the slayer’.
She could warn The Progenitors, she thought. She had a point of contact in Silver Village that she could talk to, to warn them that this army was approaching. Technically, she had no real reason to help them, just as she had no real reason to join this army and lay siege to the village. But she had a reason to be there. She could tell that history was going to be made there. It would be an even bigger fight than what had taken place in the market. It would probably be the biggest battle the game would ever see. Nothing would be the same after this, no matter who won. Of course, she had to be there.
“So,” she said, breaking the silence after nearly half an hour of thinking it through. The crowd below was nearly four hundred strong now and still growing. “Should we give them a heads up?”
Tsubasa, not at all pleased that his soup had been interrupted yet again, gave a short grunt. He could manage that at least. Asami looked away from the window for the first time, looking at him in some surprise. It wasn’t like him at all. Curious, she pressed him. “Well? What do you think?”
One ear twitched, but he looked mildly curious. His tail swished silently through the air, then flicked in the direction of a worn-looking bow that leaned against a shelf in their living space. The gesture was clear. We already beat them, it said. Why does it matter what happens to them now? Asami could appreciate that sentiment, even if she didn’t necessarily agree. “Oh, come on. You’re not the least bit curious? If they win that fight, that will mean a lot.”
This time, she actually got a shrug. She let out a snort of laughter. “Fine, then. You won’t say yes or no, so I’ll just make up my mind for myself. As usual.”
She added the last two in a quiet grumble but knew he still heard them. He pretended he didn’t, picking up his bowl and slurping down the last of the soup so he didn’t have to look at her. Rolling her eyes, Asami cast the Contact spell. As usual, Anasuya answered at once. “Hey, I need a favor.”
“A favor, or a job?” Anasuya’s smooth, emotionless voice said. “If it’s a favor, it had better be small. I can’t work with an empty purse, you know.”
Asami snickered. It had been worth a shot. “A job. I want you to get a message to that Slayer girl. Tell them an army of over five hundred is getting ready to march on Silver Village.”
“It’s not like you to show concern,” Anasuya said. Asami could never tell if her occasional work companion was male or female. They’d perfectly embodied a neutral appearance, even wearing a mask. As far as she knew, nobody knew what details lay under that mask. The only time she showed defining features was when she worked. But her skills were excellent, and, as far as Asami knew, unique in this game.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“It’s hardly concern,” she said dryly. “I just want to see how it all plays out.”
“Very well,” the voice came back. “I’m assuming you will show your face here at some point. I’ll expect my payment then.”
The Contact spell dropped them. No mention of the amount had been stated. Asami knew the operative would charge her a hefty fee, but it was usually worth it. Besides, if it cost too much, she could always recoup the coin by doing some more work. Even in the Silver Village, there were those with coin looking to make sure others met their end - even if only temporarily - at her hands.
“Go get your stuff,” Asami told her brother. She already knew he’d come with her. They had always stuck together, and always would. That smile curled across her face once again. “We’re going hunting.”
----------------------------------------
“What,” the enraged officer snarled, his temper mere inches from snapping out of control and unleashing a tirade of fury upon the soldiers before him, “is the point of setting a screen of sentries if they don’t give us warning of an incoming attack!”
Three members of his guard were cowering near the entrance of the command tent, unnerved by the officer’s boiling anger. The fourth showed no sign of misgiving or fear, but that was to be expected. He was the longest-standing member of the group, and thus was familiar with the man’s wild swings in temperament. And, of course, he was the first to come up with an answer.
“It seems those adventurers from the village staged a sneak attack first,” he reported. “I received a Contact from one of the sentries before he was killed. He saw another of the sentries get taken down by a figure with a knife.”
“So we did have advanced warning!” The bandit officer shouted. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me about it straight away?”
“I was about to, sir,” the man replied, his expression still cool and collected. He knew he wasn’t in any danger, because his officer’s anger wasn’t directed at him. Yet. “But the second attack, the one on our camp, happened seconds after the sentry fell. There wasn’t time to warn you, because I was obligated to raise the primary alarm.”
He held his officer’s gaze for a moment, then reminded him, “That is the procedure, sir.”
With a supreme effort, the officer reigned in his temper. Such emotions wouldn’t help them in the current situation. Those damned adventurers had already torn through over half of his force. “How many have we lost so far?”
His guard nodded, recognizing the effort his officer had put into controlling his emotions. He may have been known for his temper, but he also had a keen military mind. That was the reason Matlin had promoted him to his second-in-command. He had enough sense to remain calm here and calculate their chances.
“So far, they’ve wiped out half of our auxiliary forces, those men we’ve taken from the nearby villages and settlements. They got about a quarter of our supplies, but we managed to get the supports away in time. The vanguard is almost untouched, and the mage platoon kept the adventurers at bay. We’re now grouped along the river. It’s too wide and deep to allow flanking, so for now we’re at a standstill.”
The officer grumbled thoughtfully to himself as he surveyed the scene. The two groups - his own men and the adventurers - were clearly visible. Even now, there was some skirmishing, but the two forces seemed to be kept apart by some feat. The true heat of the battle had died away, and now they seemed to be dueling each other in single and small groups. Occasionally, a mage or archer would take a chance shot across the gap, but nearly every such attempt was blocked. As it stood, the forces were relatively equal. With his mages’ position reinforced and protected, they were keeping the adventurers at bay.
“Why aren’t they moving to attack in earnest again?”
“We think they are waiting for reinforcements to arrive,” his man stated. “As you know, they can respawn. In a few hours, those who died in the first attack will be back to fight again.”
The officer cursed. The very idea that his enemies could come back to life after being slain was already a problem. And to make matters worse, their plan to intimidate and suppress Silver Village before that battalion-sized force could return had failed. Now their odds were nearly equal, and Captain Matlin had been able to do nothing more grand than destroy a few bases built by the adventurers. Now, they were confronted with a new problem.
“We cannot be held up here for long,” he said. “We have to break free, or else the Captain will be raiding the village alone.”
“At least,” the soldier said, “the numbers there will also be equal. With so many adventurers here, they can’t muster that many fighters to defend the village. Captain Matlin should be able to sweep their defenses this time, and raze the village to the ground. The adventurers have no magic, and our mages are immune to the field.”
That was certainly true. The adventurers hadn’t known until this day that the bandit mages could still cast spells. Being the only ones with the ability to use magic had proven very effective, and stopped them from being wiped out completely.
“Where is the enemy’s commander?” The officer asked. He knew of the man in blue armor, even if he’d yet to see him. He scanned the enemy force now, but could see no sign of anyone that met the description.
“He has yet to show himself,” the soldier answered. “We think he may still be in the village, overseeing its defense. The raid is tomorrow, after all.”
The officer nodded. Good. All things were going according to Matlin’s plans. One more raid on the village to wipe it out. Then they would march on Dawnbreak, with much greater forces. The time in which the Felarians ruled this continent would come again. Once they were in control of the southern capital, they would have control over all of Centralia. Then their forces in Easterly could come to reinforce their position, and they could begin conquering the rest of the world. Eventually, they would find the false god Marcine and put an end to that metal specter that the Terrians worshipped.
“Send a messenger to Matlin,” he said. “If the adventurers’ plan is to hold us here to weaken the raid, then they’ve made a grave mistake. Ask him to approach from behind. We’ll crush this force, then overrun the village before they can recover their equipment.”