War Grounds

"Wait. We're waging war with the Six Purgatories already?" Al halted Sol from calling out the nearest waiter.

"Yup. Don't worry, you and the others will just have to sit back and enjoy the show. Me, Sophia and Fred will do the grind." Sol winked as he waved his hand to catch the attention of the waiter, two tables behind him.

Al looked at the figure in front of him. He had never thought that he and Sol shared a lot of common things, especially the tragedy of their fathers. 'What secrets are you still hiding, Sol?'

He was not yet convinced about Sol's claim regarding Samhida's involvement in his father's accident. If there's one thing that he had learned from War Grounds, you can't trust a smiling face.

Sol paid the bill, and the two of them went out of Sitting Duck with many thoughts running in their mind. Will these two be able to discover the truth about their fathers?

...

[ You have received a friend request from Stanine Crown. ]

A notification popped on Papa Bear's screen just in time after he had successfully slain the last Ash-Fur Wolf. The attributes from his high-grade equipment mitigated the level gap between him and the monsters. He immediately accepted the friend request.

[ Master Bertran, I have arrived. I'm on the western end of the mountain. ] The courier messaged.

Papa Bear was delighted with the speedy delivery. He licked his lips like the devil as he dashed towards the western direction while replying to the message.

[ I'm coming. Have you brought the four pieces of Capes of Anolis? ] Bertran replied.

[ Yes, Master. I've also brought you a complete set of armor for you to wear once you've reached Level 10. ]

[ Good. Wait for me. ]

It took five minutes for Papa Bear to reach the edge of the northern side that connected to the western end of Ur's Smokey Mountain. Unfortunately, on this side of the map, numerous Level 12 Ash-Fur Spiders littered the grey gravel.

[ Dang! I can't pass through. There are spiders! ] Papa Bear immediately requested the courier's help.

[ Forgive me, Master Bertran. Silly me. How could I forget that you're not pleased with spiders? ]

[ It's okay Crown. Take your time. Can you see me now? ] Couriers were usually Assassins or Scouts, and they're always in an invisible state to avoid any trouble.

[ Found you. I'll be there in a minute. ]

"Master Bertran, greetings." A green-skinned Level 200 Orc Scout named Stanine Crown bowed upon revealing herself from the stealth mode. She wore a headdress made from brown coconut husks decorated with sapphire gems and on the center of the cone-shaped hat, one would find a golden emblem of a burning hammer with orc fangs in its handle - the symbol of the Guild, Warhead.

"Thank you for coming over Stanine. Please don't bow before me. I'm not a big-shot MVP yet." Papa Bear grinned as he signalled the female orc to stand up. He also gestured a 'where are the goods' with his huge right hand.

Stanine Crowd smiled as thanks and took out four yellow capes made from rubber that looked like raincoats from a magical pouch in her purple vest. She also revealed a blue box as big as her hand.

"Four pieces of Capes of Anolis, and inside the box is a Rare Set for you once you've reached Level 10. Your brother has warned that you should be careful in using these things. If shit happens, you are to not reveal at all costs that these items came from Warhead. Do you understand this, Master Bertran?"

"Of course, of course. We'll just need these items to prepare for the Rookie Challenge." Papa Bear reassured with a wink.

"I wish you well, Master Bertran. We'll be taking these items back a day before the Rookie Challenge. Anyway, if your team and Warhead's representatives meet, I'm afraid that I'll be cheering for our guild. Do you need anything else?"

"Hehe. You're cheering on the losing side. Do you have a town portal? I'll be needing one, you see travelling to, and fro would take some time."

"I have an extra here. But these are rare items. Why don't you just come with me back to Maghar City?" Stanine Crown offered as she shot a look through the transparent view from the barrier. She was staring at the city littered with red-roofed round buildings made from colossal bones from the far west of the mountain - Maghar City.

"Nah, I'm going somewhere else." Papa Bear refused.

"Oh, is that so. Be careful then." Stanine Crown hesitantly handed a rolled white parchment sealed by black wax before disappearing back to stealth. The Secret Room also vanished as Papa Bear was left alone.

Bertran quickly ran on the opposite end of the mountain, heading towards Alistor, little did he know that Stanine Crown was following him. Papa Bear looked around for a minute. He assumed that the Orc Scout was already gone before logging off.

"Damn! I lost him," Stanine Crown cursed. She was tasked by Ogni to keep watch of Bertran in order to avoid any mishaps. Now, she was stuck in that place until Papa Bear returns to the Open World.

...

The rest of the day went into a blur. WisDOOM's initial preparation for their plans was a success. Bertran has successfully received the Capes of Anolis, sending the three items to Sol and secretly keeping one for himself.

Jack has reached Quagmire City and was just waiting for Alistor City's town portal to be opened. It won't be until six in the morning tomorrow, that the city would be back to function.

Nisha has also arrived and was briefed about the workshop rules. He was received with a warm welcome, especially from Bertran who acted like a senior. Two second-hand battle station units were also added to the gaming floor.

After having a team dinner and small talk, the team huddled for their day-ender meeting at the long wooden table in their bunker. All of them were listening to Sol regarding their plans except for Al, whose thoughts were lost in space.

He was pondering about the things that Sol had told him. Al looked at his teammates; his eyes were burdened with the responsibility that he had just accepted from Sophia's brother.

'Little did they know that we're going to hell.' He mumbled to himself.

Little did WisDOOM's member know that their captain, Al Gentrix, has a sentient robot named SARS that helps him fight his battles.

Little did they know.