War Grounds

WisDOOM's workshop became lively at the candid claim of Bertran.

"MVP! MVP!" Everyone cheered on Mr. Godofrodo, which the latter shamelessly accepted. He loved being worshipped.

"Boys, we have some good news." Sophia's voice suddenly halted the party as the room was filled with silence.

"What's the good news?" Jack curiously asked.

"There's now an available Shrine Portal in Alistor City." Sophia shared, but her face seemed to be a bit serious, an irony of the should-be-good-news.

"What's the bad news?" Sol, Sophia's brother, immediately read the hidden message.

"It's guarded by Borascca and his men. That abominable Demon Sorcerer!" Sophia dropped the corresponding bad news.

"They're really something, huh?" Nisha spoke out. "They did not go all out in attacking the city and still managed to annihilate our alliance. How powerful is this Borascca?"

"He's one of Eternal Vespers' Vice-Guild Leader, so he's strong but I can kill him a hundred times without losing." Sophia smiled. "However..."

"However, what?" Jack continued the trailing voice of Sophia.

"We're not allowed to make a scene. According to my source, the Six Purgatories have already suspected me as one of the perpetrators of the explosion." Sophia explained the reason behind her hesitation.

"I can ask my brother to help. He'll surely come over." Bertran volunteered.

"Ogni?" Sol seemed to have given it a thought as he looked at his sister with a meaningful look.

"Warhead has stayed neutral so far, and your brother is an upper echelon of his guild." Sophia reminded.

"Nah. I mean, he has this item that could alter one's name and face. They have plenty of those headgears!" Bertran revealed.

"A headgear that could change one's feature and name display? I have thought of crafting that item before, but that Bronwyn Godsent has outsmarted me! He has already mass-produced that item!" Sol chuckled in admiration.

"Who's Bronwyn Godsent?" Jack asked.

"The Chief Forger of Warhead." Sol grinned. "Can I trust you to get at least three of these items from your brother, Bert?"

"Leave it to me." Bertran grinned as he excitedly made his way towards his Battle Station.

"Good. Everyone, time to prepare. Jack, you'll travel to Quagmire City, and Patrick will wait for you there. Don't forget that the two of you should grind some EXP along the way. We only have a week and a half left to prepare for the Rookie Challenge, and it won't be until tomorrow that Alistor will be open to the city. So we must make the most out of every precious moment," Sol instructed.

"Got it. Let's go!" Jack energetically dragged Patrick towards the Battle Stations.

"Harvy, the same, grind some EXP for now and wait for Alistor City to be open again. I'll send you an equipment-locker in a while so we could keep safe your black-labeled weapon if worse comes to worst." Sol continued.

Harvy immediately stood up after cleaning his plate and moved towards his Battle Station, leaving Al, Osho, Nisha, Sophia, and Sol at the table.

"Alright, Osho, any thoughts? WisDOOM is open for you too." Sol smiled.

"Oh, I would love too, Sol." Osho smiled as he looked around. "But, my fealty is with Sakuretso-Sensei."

"That Panda Samurai really got you for good, huh? It looks like we have to recruit the Keyboard Warriors too. Haha!" Sol joked.

"Hehe." Osho did not know what to reply, so he tried a half-hearted laugh out of respect for Sol.

"Nisha, you are free to stay in this place. Based on what happened, I assume that your workshop has been temporarily closed?" Sol continued.

"It's been permanently closed. Teacher Lidar's not answering our calls nor queries." Nisha was dejected as he responded.

"I see. That man needs some time to think after all." Sol comforted. "Is it okay if you help us with our dungeon raids and sparring sessions?"

"I'm okay with that, and I'm willing to camp here in WisDOOM." Nisha suddenly smiled as he stood up. "I'll be back in an hour. I'll just pack my things." The boy excitedly said.

"Great! Just like what Bertran had said, 'Advance Welcome' to WisDOOM, Nisha." Sol smiled as he too stood up and offered a handshake to both Nisha and Osho.

After the handshake and well-wishes, the rest of the gang escorted Nisha and Osho outside the man-gate. When the two brothers were already quite a distance, Sol suddenly spoke to Al with a serious tone. "Al, we need to talk."

...

Meanwhile, in Alistor City, more Demon and Hostile Races for the Human Race appeared out of the Shrine Portal.

"Damn. Why were we sent here?" One of the figures grumbled upon surveying the ongoing construction of Alistor City.

"We'll have to make a stand for the next two days, Titans and their alliance would surely retaliate after the construction period."

The grey barrier that replaced the yellowish transparent one was a dense collection of smoke, blinding everyone who was spectating outside of the city from getting a glimpse of what's happening inside Alistor. Little did they know, over a thousand Demon Players and other hostile races ranging from Level 50 to 90 were now stationed inside.

...

Smokey Mountain of Ur.

Fortunately, Bertran and the rest of the group had already secured their daily pass for the Open World early on, so they did not need to win two more rank games for entry.

Papa Bear immediately found himself back on the mountains of Ur. Surrounding him were grey smoke billowing from the gravel on the ground. He immediately opened the contact icon in his interface and messaged his brother, Ogni.

"Brother, I need a favor. Can I borrow four Capes of Anolis? We'll be needing it for our preparation in the coming Rookie Challenge." Papa Bear casually requested as if the items were not that rare and he even asked for an extra one as Sol only asked him for three pieces.

"Are you crazy?! This is the guild's top-secret equipment, Bert! How many times have I told you not to reveal your trump cards, especially my secrets?! You're helpless." Ogni replied with a rolling-eyes emoticon.

"Pleaseeeee." Papa Bear pleaded with a cute-eyed emoji.

"Fine. Where are you? I'll have it delivered. Make sure that it remains between you and your teammates, and don't try anything crazy!" Ogni helplessly agreed to his little brother's pleading.

"Smokey Mountain of Ur. Thanks, brother! You're the best!" Papa Bear replied with a blushing emoji.

"The courier will be there in five minutes. He'll send you the coordinates once he has arrived. Stay safe, and keep on becoming stronger. I have more equipment reserved here for you." Ogni replied before changing into a Do Not Disturb status.