25 October 2023
Horizon's Edge guild base, 30th Floor
There was one obvious thing I instantly noticed about the group of players when they entered the front yard.
They seemed to favour action more than words in expressing themselves.
As the members of Horizon's Edge flowed out of the front doors, Misuko, being the player who has control over the guild base, opened the front gates using her menu. Ever reluctant as she was, she couldn't ignore the players' aggressive appearances and fronts.
She didn't want to find out how sturdy those gates would be before they fell under the strength of those guys either, assuming that would ever happen.
The gang of players at the gate entered the front yard, their walking styles were likened to how gangsters would move when they see an enemy gang eye-to-eye. The armour that they wore varied, but they had something in common: they all had a curved fang or two hung around their bodies, as if they were from a cult or something. Their weapons were brandished out without a care in the world, with some of them even holding theirs in a way that would activate their weapon skills if they wanted to.
Irokei appeared beside me, just taking in the sight of the intruders in the front yard. As silent as she was, I could still sense her curiosity in the commotion. Her hands were slightly trembling, probably because of the atmosphere of intimidation that the intruders have around them.
The leader of the gang was obviously the player at the front, with a look that meant serious business. His clothes stand out among those who were following behind him, sporting more curved fangs stuck around his body, and shoulder pads which resembled bigger curved fangs, both of which were white and polished. His hands were unusually gloved with curved fangs as well, clearly showing the theme in his get up.
His face openly expressed his anger; sharp eyes and a mouth which was curved like a smile, but with teeth showing on one side. No matter how I saw him, he was definitely the most aggressive out of the group.
Misuko stepped forward in front of her guild, her face showing no expression against the aggressor. It was then that I noticed the weapon strapped behind her back, which was an axe. An axe, in which its blade shared the colour of her hair, ready to be used in any situation that might escalate from now on.
It wasn't just Misuko who had realized the possibility of having to fight the intruders, either.
My guild members were also reaching for their weapons, although they didn't show it. It was hard to realize that meeting such a vulgar bunch of players would result in a peaceful exchange.
".......What do you want?" Misuko's voice rang loud and clear as she addressed the intruders.
She sounded like she knew them, with her tone having a tinge of annoyance as she spoke. I had a good idea of who they were as well, but it should already be common knowledge for everyone else to instantly recognize them based on their appearances.
"Is that......?" Irokei asked in a soft tone. Her right hand trembled towards her dagger sheathe.
"The orange guild, Lycan Mark...."
Narnia's whisper came from behind us, as the vice commander quietly made her way in front of us, all while watching Misuko dealing with the group.
"Thought so." I whispered back in certainty. "No one else would wear those fangs."
The Lycan Mark. An orange guild known for conducting their less-than-good activities under the 35th Floor. Although, unlike other orange guilds, they were particularly ruthless (and specialized) in ambushing unsuspecting parties, making them one of the few orange guilds to actually look out for and stay away from.
Directly approaching victims in the open shouldn't be the Lycan Mark's method of attacking them, according to whatever limited knowledge I have about the orange guild.
"Where we bite at is none of your business, girl. Move." The fang-clad player spat, as he started to walk towards the crowd of Horizon's Edge guild members behind her.
SWUN.
The dull swing of an axe could be heard, as Misuko's green axe cut itself in between the fang-clad player and her fellow guildmates.
"I'm the guild leader here. What. Do. You. Want." Misuko separated her words as far as her patience could take her.
SHHINK...!
It was instant. The way Misuko took that immediate response, and the blur of the fang-clad player's weapon aimed at her stomach. They all happened at the same time. Her eyes looked like they were about to bulge, as she froze in place, staring at the guy in shock. Her mouth hung open, halfway ready to scream, but was cut short by the curved blade practically touching her abdomen.
Wait.....a curved blade?
A scimitar.
The fang-clad guy was a goddamn scimitar user.
The weapon which was on his back a second ago had vanished. I couldn't tell what that weapon was, but now I knew, as me and a few other guild mates quickly materialized our weapons in shock. Narnia got her hands on her long sword first, as she brandished it against him, panting breath after breath with mixed anxiety and fear.
The fang-clad player closed in on Misuko at eye-level.
"Whimper off."
He swung his scimitar away just as fast as he did on his first swing, leaving a still-frozen Misuko--with her axe still stretched out--silent. A mixture of fear and anger showed on her face, her breath cut short as she tried to turn to the fang-clad player walking on in front of her guild mates.
He raised his scimitar and then pointed straight at the crowd. "Which one of you is Zenalyth? Come out now!"
He probably didn't realize that he was pointing straight at me, in the middle of the crowd. It was a coincidence, sure, but I stepped straight forward, standing half a metre away from the tip of his scimitar.
I was lying if I said I wasn't scared about the blade being pointed that close at me.
"So, you're the one who bit Hallow and Val to death, huh." the fang-clad guy said.
My eyes widened at the mention of that name.
"How did you know that.....incident?"
The scimitar user broke into a brief giggle, before returning to his glare from before.
"YOUR birdie told me."
"My......." My voice trailed off, as I slowly began to realize who he was talking about. My clients, in that party on that day, in that incident. The ones who I talked to and told not to reveal the incident to anyone. Only they could have told him about it.
"They instantly told me ALL about it, for not getting on their asses." He continued. "The easiest questioning ever."
Clenching my left hand into a fist, I looked over the pointed blade, directly at his face. My right hand had stretched to my spear on my back, ready to grab at any moment.
"You're jumping to conclusions. I never killed them." I replied as calmly as possible.
The scimitar inched closer to my chest, its tip barely touching my clothes, just as it did with Misuko. The wielder leaned close to me, face-to-face.
"Don't you dare lie to me, bitch."
A silent glare was all I could manage back at the fang-clad player. My defiance against him was clear; Hallow and Val had ended their own lives with their own blades. Intentionally made their HP decrease to zero. I wanted to say that, but with a scimitar at my chest, I didn't want to take any chances.
This guy could pressure his dominance onto others. No wonder he was the leader of a well-known orange guild.
His scimitar drew back from my body, though I felt like my throat was stuck with seizure. I didn't even realize the open ground around me, my guild mates surrounding me from a distance. They had stepped back due to the brandished scimitar, and I couldn't say that I blame them for doing that.
"You were the one who hunted Hallow in a duel. It's freaking clear as hell that you took the final bite at him."
The fang-clad player's words probably didn't make sense at face value, but I got the main idea of it. My body started to relax a little, as I struggled to catch my breath from the shock I had just experienced. My arms were shaking quite uncontrollably, and for the first time, I had momentarily lost the will to reach for my treasured weapon to fight back.
"But I can't kill you yet." The fang-clad player's sharp eyes turned to me as he added.
Wanting to respond to that statement, I coughed out to break free from my silent trance.
"......W-Why?"
He finally put his scimitar back on his back as he replied simply.
"You're a wanted man now."
The ruthless player turned back to his gang, and as he passed Misuko, who had long already recovered from her shock, shot a ruthless glare down at her. Misuko, who was still holding her axe, didn't say another word, but her face said it all for her: she was pissed, but her eyes were flickering between her anger and her fear.
As the gang exited through the front gate, the fang-clad player turned back to me for a brief moment, and broke the silence and tension once again. He pointed an index finger at himself, in a way that might as well be treated as the middle one.
His words echoed through the front yard, as if announcing his presence in this small safe zone.
"Don't you dare forget the name, Fangras. The Lycan Mark is gonna make sure that you pay for what you've done to our members. We will bite soon."
He slammed the gate shut, which reverberated throughout the guild base. As the footsteps faded away, I stood standing, finally panting hard in the still silence of the front yard.
Holding up my right hand, which was still twitching a bit, I took a brief look at it. It was the representation of my courage; shaken and about to break apart at every second. Closing my eyes as hard as I could, my mind formed a word that described my situation perfectly.
Shit.
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