Chương 158: Chapter 154.5: Knights versus Ravens part 1 (INTERLUDE)

The stand-off at the Northern Highlands of Ravencrown had gathered quite an audience: independent players, smaller guilds, even NPC companies looking to benefit from it one way or another were scattered along the mountain edge, within sight of the two opposing factions, and the massive ruin in-between their armies. The ruin was once a magnificent stronghold of the Kingdom of Ravenloft, built to keep the unruly nobles of the North in check, but it had long since fallen into decay.

And as of yesterday, something claimed it as its own. The Blackfeather Queen Level 30 Field Boss Enhanced The massive, black avian could be seen from hundreds of meters away, towering above the walls of the ruined fort. It was the first enhanced level 30 field boss in the Ravencrown region, and naturally, multiple factions wanted a piece of the loot. Still, there were only two guilds in the Crownlands with enough firepower to bring the boss down, and both would do anything to keep the other away from it.

South-west to the fort, the banners of the Knights of Avalon swayed in the strong, highlander wind. The crossed white sword and lance on the deep blue background mirrored the cloaks, armbands, and other accessories worn by the two-hundred players gathered under the flagpoles. Avalon had brought almost everyone capable of fighting a boss of this caliber. On the other side of the field, House of the Raven was setting up camp. About a hundred and fifty players with matching capes, neatly organized into platoons.

Their leader, Aela, stood at the front, her silver armor reflecting the afternoon sun as she was observing the opposing force. The players behind looked at her with awe. Clearly, they put a lot of trust in their guild leader, and for good reason. Aela was like a star in the night sky, always leading her followers to success. The players of the Ravencrown region considered her one of the few people who could go against the menace that was Zero, chief Guardian of Avalon.

Nicknamed the Frost Knight, it was almost certain that the man had already advanced from his basic class, which was unheard of — according to rumors, Tier II class advancements would only be available after level 30, and even then it would just be upgrades for the starter ones. Meanwhile, Zero had shown remarkable skill for weeks. Crownlander experts had started speculating a while ago, and came to the conclusion that he must have obtained a hidden class another way.

Of course, this wasn't an isolated incident in the world. Ever since NWE opened up the information channels, videos have been popping up from various kingdoms, both from Cindaar and Yaetra. There were talented individuals all around the world who seemed to defy the game's logic. Still, Zero was one of the few who had displayed an obvious hidden class — it just wasn't clear what it was. Ryder was standing in front of Avalon's battalions, a golden longspear resting lazily against one shoulder.

His blonde hair, which usually framed a composed face and a firm jaw, now fell in front of his eyes in scattered bangs. The player who was closest to becoming an official noble of the Kingdom of Ravenloft was now worried.

"We have the numbers advantage." A Rogue appeared next to the Lancer, coming back from a scouting trip.

"I'm not worried about the fight," Ryder said.

"You should know that, Killian." Killian Shore, or rather, Lowkey, was Avalon's number one Rogue, and Ryder's most trusted aide.

"So why the sulking?" The guild leader sighed.

"After we beat them, we won't have enough left for the Field Boss. This whole fight is a waste of time, and I'm sure Aela knows it, too."

"Why not just agree to a retreat then? We both withdraw, and go do our thing elsewhere."

"The entire kingdom is watching. Neither of us can afford to show weakness in front of the other. And I reckon Aela doesn't trust us to leave if they do." Ryder smirked.

"Honestly, same. That woman is a snake."

"That almost sounded like a compliment."

"Oh, it was." In fact, Ryder was very impressed with House of the Raven in general. He wanted Avalon to dominate the Crownlands, and yet, Aela's guild could almost stand against them as an equal. Of course, their Valhalla history had helped them get a head start, too. At that moment, Aela and two of her most trusted aides started walking towards Avalon lines.

"Ugh, diplomacy," Lowkey said, earning an eye-roll from his guild leader.

"Just leave the talking to me." Ryder nodded to another man standing a couple meters from him. It was Zero. Officially only a Guild Elder in Avalon, everyone knew his word was pretty much absolute. Even Ryder listened to any rare occasion the Guardian decided to speak. The three of them detached from Avalon's formation and walked toward the middle, where they met House of the Raven's envoy.

"This is a waste of time," Ryder said the same thing as before the moment they got within earshot.

"Withdraw, Aela, let me deal with the boss. You can have it next time."

"There's no guarantee it will be Enhanced next time, and you know it," the Guardian replied.

"But if you think your offer is fair, why don't you withdraw first?"

"Fair?" Ryder let out a laugh.

"My offer was basic courtesy. Withdraw, or get massacred. I don't give a rat's ass about being fair."

"Just leave the talking to me…" Lowkey muttered.

"Yeah, right." Ryder ignored him.

"Look. We have the numbers, the strength, and the position to win this fight," he said.

"But there's no guarantee we can challenge the boss after a full-blown battle."

"There's no way in hell you can," Aela corrected him.

"Maybe so." Despite Ryder's explosive attitude, he was looking for a solution as well.

"What about working together?" He asked after a while, to Lowkey's surprise. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"What?" Aela looked at Ryder in complete silence for a minute.

"No," she said after a while.

"I don't think that would solve our real problem. Besides, I don't trust you." She was right. The issue wasn't just the Enhanced Field Boss. It was reputation. Acknowledgement. Hierarchy. The one submitting to the other in this moment would suffer a blow way worse than losing a Field Boss. Ryder laughed.

"I guess you're right. That would be no good."

"I guess we're in a bit of a stand-off then."

"Not for long," Zero said, to everyone's surprise. He didn't elaborate either. The man just turned, and walked back to Avalon's position alone.

"He's giving me the creeps," Aela said, looking at the back of Avalon's Guardian. Ryder would never have said it out loud, but he was inclined to agree with her.

"So, you're not giving up your position?" he asked instead. Aela looked at the surrounding tree-lines. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of players and NPCs were scattered all around, waiting for the events to unfold.

"We're in the same position," she said after a while.

"Walking away would hurt both morale and reputation. I know it's the same with you." Ryder nodded.

"I really wish you hadn't found the Enhanced boss so fast." If Avalon had gotten there five minutes earlier, they would have had a legitimate claim to the boss. He knew Aela would even let them have it — despite being rivals, both guilds usually respected the 'first-come-first-serve' rule of the game. The problem was that the two guilds came at exactly the same time, and neither could afford to lose face."'Tis war then?" Lowkey asked with shining eyes. Ryder looked at Aela, and the woman nodded.

"Let's use this opportunity to show the rest of the kingdom how strong our guilds are," she said.

"Maybe try improving in the meantime." Avalon's guild leader gripped his spear.

"And what of the boss?" The Blackfeather Queen's massive head was towering over the walls of the ruins as they spoke.

"I don't think there is any reasonable way either of us could raid it," Aela said.

"Not if we want to keep our position."

"Graveguard or the Blades will swoop in and take it after we leave."

"The Blades can't raid a level 30 Enhanced boss without sacrificing way too many resources," Aela said.

"And even if Graveguard succeeds, they'll still be far behind." There was another problem from Avalon's perspective. HotR's base of operations was closer to the ruin. They could theoretically get back to the boss faster than Avalon.

"I know what you're thinking," the Guardian said.

"But there's no reason for us to return just for you to do the same and stab us in the back while fighting the Blackfeather Queen." Ryder didn't like the situation. They were stronger, they should hunt the boss. Simple as that. Except it wasn't. This was not Valhalla, where the stronger team won. In Godsrealm, there were variables, consequences, and unseen twists behind every decision he made.

And now that he was slowly getting intertwined with the kingdom's politics, he couldn't just rush ahead and take whatever he wanted.

"We fight then," he finally said.

"But God is my witness, Aela. If you return after the battle is over, I will burn House of the Raven to the ground."

"Don't need to be so dramatic, Ryder," Aela said. The Lancer let out a short laugh before he and Lowkey went back to their camp. By the time they reached Avalon's lines, word had already spread. Nobody needed the details. The way both delegations returned to their respective formations without agreement was enough, and the mood among the two hundred players shifted almost immediately.

Weapons came out, helmets were fastened, consumables were moved to easier inventory slots, and party leaders started checking formations for the third time. Lowkey looked over the field and grinned.

"You know," he said, "I was hoping diplomacy would fail."

"I know."

"Would've been disappointing otherwise." Ryder ignored him and opened the guild command channel.

"Officers, final assignments. Nobody touches the boss. I don't care if House of the Raven pulls it accidentally, intentionally, or if the damn bird comes down here itself. The priority is their players." Acknowledgements came back one after another. Guardians and Swordsmen moved toward the front, healers grouped behind them, and ranged players spread into several loose lines to avoid giving House of the Raven an easy target for area attacks.

Rogues disappeared from sight almost entirely, peeling toward the flanks and nearby ruins. Ryder looked toward Zero. The Guardian had already equipped his shield, and ice had started forming beneath his boots.

"Center with me," Ryder said. Zero nodded once. That was as much confirmation as anyone usually got from him. Behind them, Jessica was organizing her own corner of the battlefield with significantly more noise.

"Move those tanks farther left," Queen of Thousands snapped.

"You're blocking my summon lanes." One of the Guardians looked back.

"Your what?"

"My summon lanes. Do you want a six-ton monster spawning on top of you?" The Guardian moved.

"Thought so." Three creatures already surrounded her: a black-furred feline with antlers growing from its skull, a plated lizard large enough to carry two people, and a bird circling overhead. Jessica smiled toward House of the Raven.

"They brought a lot of pretty capes." Mordred, standing nearby, sighed.

"Please don't make that your reason for killing them."

"I don't need a reason." Unlike most of Avalon's leading players, Mordred did not look particularly excited. He adjusted the grip on his longsword and watched the opposing formation carefully. House of the Raven was moving as well. Aela had returned to the front, shield already raised. Her officers were passing orders down the lines rather than shouting them over open channels, and the entire guild rearranged with considerably less noise than Avalon. Lowkey noticed the difference too.

"They're disciplined."

"They should be," Ryder said.

"Half their officers were competitive players before Godsrealm." One particular figure caught Lowkey's attention. A man in grey-black leather stood several rows behind Aela. He carried no obvious guild insignia beyond a small raven feather tied around one wrist, and unlike the players around him, he did not seem interested in formation. Ashe looked bored. Lowkey smiled.

"There he is." Mordred followed his gaze.

"Don't underestimate him."

"I don't underestimate anyone." Mordred looked at him. Lowkey rolled his eyes.

"Fine. I underestimate most people. He's supposed to be good."

"He is good."

"Then I'll have fun." Ryder turned toward him.

"You're not here for a duel."

"Obviously."

"If Ashe pulls you away from the objective, ignore him." Lowkey's smile remained.

"Sure." Ryder knew he was lying. Across the field, Aela finished speaking to her officers, and the two armies settled into position. The Blackfeather Queen moved atop the ruined fortress, spreading one enormous wing before folding it back against its body. A deep, irritated croak rolled across the highlands, loud enough to silence several of the spectators watching from the mountain slopes. The independent players had moved farther away now.

Even the NPC mercenary companies that had been hovering near the roads were retreating toward safer ground. They knew what was coming. Ryder could feel it too. Aela raised her sword. Ryder lowered his spear from his shoulder. Then a single arrow flew across the field. Ryder never saw who fired it. It struck one of House of the Raven's front-line Guardians and removed barely a sliver of health. For half a second, nobody reacted, then Aela pointed her sword forward.

"Advance!" Ryder's spear snapped toward the enemy formation.

"Avalon!" Two armies surged across the highlands at once.