The number of bandits on the slopes of the Shadowcrag Mountains had multiplied.
The scattered patrols that once dotted the mountainside were now organized into proper squads. There were five-man teams, ten-man squadrons, and even twenty-man mobs.
The five-man teams were each led by an Elite. The ten-man squadrons had a Captain and operated either a heavy-duty ballista or a catapult. The twenty-man mobs were commanded by a Boss and manned both a ballista and a catapult.
Aside from the Captains and Bosses, who ranged from level 20 to 25, the rest of the grunts were all level 20. The regular members of the Blackwind Brotherhood were slightly higher, between levels 21 and 24, putting them on par with the Elites. On top of that, there were ten level 25 Captains and Bosses, plus the level 25 Steward Malcolm.
Surveying this formidable defense, Kael felt a surge of confidence. The players massing outside were level sixteen, seventeen at best. There was no way they could break through this. If they had another week or two, maybe, once they all hit level 20. Then he’d be in trouble.
Unless…
One possibility gnawed at him, a scenario he truly feared.
Just then, his friends list pinged. It was Lila.
“We’re here. There’s an instance barrier blocking the way; we can’t get in. Can you come down and get us?”
Snapping out of his thoughts, Kael hurried down the mountain. He was currently using the persona of "Ullr" and couldn't switch out of it. It was, after all, this identity that held the title of Fourth Chieftain of the Blackwind Brotherhood.
“Fourth Chieftain!”
“Carry on.”
“Victory will be ours.”
“I’m counting on you. Stay sharp.”
All along the path, NPCs saluted him with grim respect, and Kael returned each greeting.
Looking down from the mountainside, Kael saw that the base of the mountain was completely swarmed with players, all held back by the shimmering barrier. It was the system’s way of preventing cheating, enforcing a separation between the attackers and defenders before the event officially began.
As Kael got closer to the base, players below began to spot him.
“Hey, someone’s coming down from the mountain. Is it starting?”
“Is that a bandit or one of the good guys?”
“Doesn’t look like either.”
“It’s Ullr! That’s Ullr!” one player shouted, having recognized the avatar.
“Yeah, he’s a player! I’ve seen him around a few times!”
“How the hell did he get in there?”
“He’s a cheater!”
“That’s not fair!”
A furious murmur rippled through the crowd of players at the bottom of the mountain.
Standing at the very front, Lila watched Ullr approach, still finding it hard to believe. If Kael hadn't told her beforehand, she never would have guessed it was him.
While she was still processing it, a system notification popped up.
[System]: Ullr has issued a temporary Recruit order to you and your party to serve as [Defenders of Blackwind]. Do you accept?
“Confirm.”
[System]: You have temporarily become a [Defender of Blackwind]. Assist the warriors of the Brotherhood in repelling the agents of the Crown.
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In an instant, all one hundred members of Lila’s party were enveloped in a column of white light. A moment later, they vanished and reappeared on the other side of the barrier, inside the Shadowcrag Mountains instance.
The players watching were stunned.
“Whoa, how did that group of girls get in?”
“What the hell just happened?”
“Let me in! I need to kill bandits and rack up points!”
“Wait, look at their titles.”
A player zoomed in, his voice filled with disbelief. “[Blackwind Brotherhood · Lila]?”
“What the fuck? They’re on the other side!”
“Kill them! Don’t let them get up the mountain!”
A storm of spells erupted from the crowd. Arrows, fireballs, lightning bolts, water jets, cyclones, swarms of insects—a chaotic barrage of every attack imaginable slammed into the invisible wall, dissipating harmlessly.
Their attacks useless, they resorted to verbal assaults.
“Fucking traitors!”
“Have fun siding with the villains, you sellout scumbags!”
“A whole guild of bandit bitches and griefers!”
“If it weren’t for this barrier, I’d strip the gear from your corpses!”
The tirade of toxic chat was endless. They had no idea that if the barrier hadn't been there, Kael would have already silenced the most vulgar of them with a few well-placed arrows.
Ignoring the impotent rage of the players, Kael led Lila and her group up the mountain.
The crowd below watched, their emotions a mix of envy and disgust as Ullr led a hundred formidable-looking female players into the bandit fortress.
“You know… I’m suddenly thinking about helping the bandits.”
“Yeah, I mean, look at those poor NPCs, trapped up there by all of us.”
“Exactly. They clearly need our help.”
“Oh, shut up! We all know what you pervs are thinking!”
“God, men are disgusting.”
On the way up, Lila’s guild members chattered nervously.
“Lila, who is that guy leading us?”
“Are we the only ones defending? Just a hundred of us?”
“There have to be thousands of players down there!”
Amidst the noise, Kael brought them inside the Blackwind Brotherhood’s main encampment. He looked up, noticing the fortifications had changed dramatically.
The west side of the stronghold was protected by a sheer, impassable cliff. Walls had only been needed for the east, south, and north approaches. Inside these walls, numerous bunkers and watchtowers had been erected. Three towers, each nearly twenty yards high, stood out, dominating the skyline.
Steward Malcolm, waiting at the main gate, strode forward to greet them. “Fourth Chieftain,” he said, nodding at the women behind Kael. “Are these the righteous warriors who have come to help us fend off the Crown’s dogs?”
Kael nodded. “That’s right. I’m going to show them around the defenses. You can get back to your duties.”
“Very good!” Malcolm said with a slight bow.
He started to leave, but Kael stopped him. “Wait. Any word from the First Chieftain and the others?”
Malcolm turned back. “None, sir. But I’ve already sent word of the situation here.”
“Good. You’re dismissed,” Kael waved a hand.
Once the Steward was out of earshot, Lila leaned in close. “What’s going on?” she whispered. “You’re the Fourth Chieftain here?”
Kael smirked. “What can I say? I racked up a PKer score that was too high and got a recruitment offer I couldn’t refuse.”
Lila giggled, then her expression sobered as she thought about the army at the base of the mountain.
“There are ten thousand players on the assault team. Don’t you think we need more people?”
He shook his head. “The system capped the defender player slots at a hundred. It’s out of my hands. But…” He gestured to the bandits patrolling the mountain and the stronghold. “We have a ton of mobs, and their levels are higher than the players. It shouldn’t be too hard to hold the line.”
But Lila’s face remained grim. “On my way over here, I saw a lot of high-level NPCs arriving to join the attackers. They looked to be around level 25, and I even saw a few level 30s.”
“What?” Kael froze. This was the exact scenario he had feared. It wasn't just players; Stonehaven and even Crescent City were sending their own elite NPC forces.
Before Kael could process that, Lila dropped another bomb.
“And that’s not all. There were about a dozen level 25 NPCs carrying a massive bell. It looked like something special.”
“A bell?” A chill ran down Kael’s spine. He suddenly gripped Lila’s shoulders. “What color was it? Did you see the markings on it?”
Lila thought for a moment. “The color was a kind of violet-gold, I think. As for the markings… I couldn’t see them clearly. Maybe a three-headed chimera or something like it?”
“Violet-gold… a three-headed chimera…” Kael stared into the distance, his mind racing. The Sky-Titan's Chime? No, that was etched with a kraken. The Blood-Iron Toll? Wrong, that one was deep crimson. Could it be… the Sunfire Bell? Yes. It has to be the Sunfire Bell.
“The Sunfire Bell?” Lila was completely lost. “What does it do? Is it some powerful piece of gear?”
Kael took a deep breath, steadying himself. “It’s not equipment. It’s far more terrifying.”
He collected his thoughts. “The Sunfire Bell is a Saint Relic, left over from an ancient battlefield. To put it simply, its purpose is to amplify the power of an entire army.”
“So it’s like a massive AoE buff for their side?” Lila asked.
“An undispellable one,” Kael corrected her.
“How big of a buff are we talking about?”
Kael turned and met her eyes. His expression was dead serious as he spoke slowly and clearly.
“It’s the equivalent of giving every single person on their side an extra piece of legendary-grade gear.”
“What!?”
In that single sentence, the pressure Lila felt multiplied tenfold. They were facing an army of ten thousand enemies, each one of them effectively wearing an extra legendary item.
