MoP: Ch. 170

---Third POV---

The leaders present exchanged stunned looks. The one whose face looked the worst was the officer in charge of ground security.

He shouted angrily, "You think exaggerating the facts will get you out of responsibility?"

Most of the others seemed to agree, glaring suspiciously at the few who had fled there.

The head guard tried to defend himself in panic.

"Absolutely not! The total number might still be unclear, but the first wave, that hundred-man squad, they were all mages!"

A vanguard force made up of a hundred mages... that revealed a great deal.

Claude, the representative of the Scarlet Casino, spoke up at the right moment.

"To infiltrate the city so silently, setting up that many hidden agents. The possibility of Watchers being involved is very real."

Before the guard said that last line, none of them had truly believed the so-called "Watchers." Every day brought rumors of Watcher activity from all across the land. Even they themselves had used the name "Watchers" as cover for a few shady operations.

The name was convenient, but seeing an actual Watcher in person? That was a different matter entirely.

Bang!

A burly man with crimson skin and a scar across his chest slammed his fist down on the table around which they all sat.

"How many times have I told you, stop being greedy over that 100 sol entry fee. But no, you wouldn't listen! Now look what's happened! The entire city's been turned into a damn beehive of spies. At this point, even if one of you turned out to be compromised, I wouldn't be surprised!"

Abel frowned and cut him off.

"That's enough, Oliver. Things are chaotic enough already."

Oliver's chest heaved as he turned his head away and sat back down.

Claude closed his eyes briefly, forcing his scattered thoughts back into order.

"No matter how many reinforcements they have behind them, ordinary people can't change the outcome of this battle."

At that, the guard's eyes lit up.

"That's right. Ordinary people are nothing to fear."

If the reports about the Watchers nearby were true, then the earlier news that a priest from the Radiant Church had severely injured and killed the Butcher in Nary Town was also true.

Without their leader, and with the Watchers in decline for nearly a century, they might not even be a real threat.

The guard looked up cautiously. "Then we should...?"

"Not yet," Abel interrupted. "There's a bigger problem to deal with first."

He lifted his gaze to the image projected above the table. The battle within had momentarily quieted. Blood and corpses were strewn everywhere, sirens and humans fighting on opposing sides.

The guard suddenly realized what he was seeing and gasped.

"White Dove's sirens? And William?"

Judging by the scene, the two sides had reached a point of no return.

How could that be?

Had they really fallen out with White Dove's sirens?

And Magus William was helping them?

No, did the mayor actually outmaneuver a Magus?!

He felt his scalp crawl and his limbs go cold.

If even one person in that room made it out alive... none of them would escape the fallout. Compared to the gunpowder that could explode in the underground city at any moment, the elusive Watchers really weren't that urgent a concern.

He looked to Abel for help with his eyes.

The portly noble merely pressed a finger to his lips and said calmly, "When things inside are settled, we'll naturally have a chance to deal with the rats outside. Until then, someone needs to buy us time."

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"Nary Town has fallen. The ones who'll suffer for it won't be nobles. You know that, don't you?"

The head guard's heart tightened.

"Yes, sir! They'll never set foot in here!"

Clenching his fists as if making a firm decision, he left with his soldiers without hesitation. Once that line of men was gone, the personal guards shut the door. The moment it closed, everyone inside dropped their pretense.

Oliver slammed the table again and shot to his feet.

"This is all your fault! You gathered almost all our forces underground. No wonder the surface fell!"

Abel sneered.

"I warned you not to mess with the sirens. Ever heard of the Redstone Auction House? We captured a fallen siren and made enemies of White Dove. You think we can rest easy without getting rid of them?"

The two glared at each other, neither backing down.

Claude rubbed his temples.

"Enough! Arguing won't fix anything. We need a plan, now."

He spoke in support of the head guard, implying the man hadn't lied. At least, from what he'd seen and understood, there wasn't a shred of falsehood in it.

The situation on the surface had changed completely in the blink of an eye, before any of them could react.

Abel's expression turned grim.

"What other choice do we have? We finish off the sirens and William first, then send troops to retake the surface."

The others looked uneasy, each with different thoughts.

Oliver frowned deeply.

"Abel, be honest. Can the situation on the surface really be fixed?"

"Of course," Abel said confidently.

"Even if it is the Watchers, their goal is nothing more than rescuing the fallen siren. They wouldn't risk lingering."

He pulled a small folded paper bird from his coat.

"I've already sent out word about the Watchers' appearance. As long as we eliminate the threats inside and hold on for one more hour, reinforcements will arrive for sure."

Everyone applauded and praised him.

"So that's how it is!"

"Right. Did they really think they could seize Nary Town with their reputation?"

"Just a bunch of rats being hunted from place to place!"

Abel smiled faintly.

"The original plan was to let the two sides inside fight to exhaustion, then send troops to crush the winner. But to end this faster, we'll have to wrong White Dove a little."

Everyone nodded in agreement. If they had to pick a winner inside, it was much easier to handle their own kind, humans with weaknesses.

"I'll go call for reinforcements right away."

"Count me in!"

"For Nary Town's sake, how could I sit this out?"

They all laughed and chatted as they left the room, parting ways cheerfully at the door. While walking, they ordered their personal guards to head to the third underground level to give support.

Once no one could be seen behind them anymore, Abel's smile instantly vanished. His pace quickened.

"Everyone except the few I sent away earlier, call them back. Prepare the carriage. We're leaving the city."

His guards escorted him swiftly toward a hidden passage leading out of his estate. As he glanced back at the receding auction house, Abel let out a cold snort.

"Just a shabby little town. Who'd care to keep it?"

He'd been troubled by the coming winter's magic tide for a long time.

Now that the Watchers' name had appeared, it was the perfect excuse to dump the mess on someone else.

Resist the Watchers and wait for reinforcements?

Just a bunch of fools to clean up after him and buy him time.

---

[We've already taken the barracks! How's the situation elsewhere?]

[We still need a bit more time at the mayor's manor.]

[What? Not enough reinforcements on your side? Want us to come help?]

Bored glanced down the hallway, at the soldiers constantly rushing toward them.

He made a puzzled sound.

"Strange... why did their resistance suddenly get so fierce?"

Back at the outer wall of the manor, where there were natural defensive covers, the enemy's resistance wasn't nearly this intense.

Could something have triggered them?

He typed into the forum with one hand.

[Bored]: No need. We have plenty of people here. Taking it down is just a matter of time!

"If it's a contest of who's more desperate, come on then. Let's see!"

With that, he activated Windwalking and charged forward with the others.

---

The barracks being taken meant a breach had been made in the dungeon.

Booze wiped the blood off his forehead and entered the dungeon from the barracks' entrance.

The exit below had already been quietly secured by NeverShowOff and Hedgehog. The three met up with a high-five. Looking at the elegantly decorated walls, he clicked his tongue in amazement.

"So this is the dungeon? Way more luxurious than our starter village."

"Once we take it, you'll have plenty of time to look around!" Hedgehog chuckled.

NeverShowOff nodded in agreement.

"It's not over yet. Word from the gate is that a bunch of level 20+ mages are trying to force their way out. We need to stop them."

"Don't worry. As soon as the barracks were done, more than half the players rushed over," Booze said confidently. "The ones who came down here with us are just a small group. We're specifically here to rescue the sirens. By the way, what's the situation in the dungeon? Where are the sirens?"

NeverShowOff sighed.

"We thought the sirens were on the third underground floor, but it turned out to be a trap."

"But NineTails hasn't disconnected yet, and Garble is bringing the three sirens back. Things might still turn around."

"Let's wait for Garble to return first."

Thankfully players could communicate in real time. Otherwise this group battle would be utter chaos.

---

Although NineTails hadn't disconnected, her situation wasn't any better than if she had.

William was a Magus, the high siren was one major tier above her, and on top of that he had a group of at least advanced mage guards. The sirens were few in number and under-leveled, but they had both physical and magical combat training.

When they fought head-on, neither side could gain the upper hand.

Instead, the entire third level had been torn into shambles. Candlesticks shattered, tables and chairs scattered, walls twisted. Even the hiding spot she had been using was destroyed, forcing her into an even smaller crack to play dead.

Up ahead, all four sirens had revealed their true forms. Scales and blood, no longer distinguishable by owner, covered the floor.

The blue-haired siren suddenly leapt up, charging toward the formation of mages. His tail fin swept out, stirring up a fierce gust like a crashing wave, surging toward the mages.

William's expression sharpened. He immediately swung his staff and shouted, "Light Shield!"

A blinding radiance burst forth. A shield materialized to block the impact and then reflected it back.

"Urk!"

Both sides spat blood simultaneously and collapsed to the ground.

At this point, no one was still standing.

Each side occupied a corner, staring at the other from afar, as though they might lunge again at any moment.

William's face was terribly grim. It was the first time he had ever been outsmarted to this degree.

Abel Collins. He would remember that name.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more he felt things were turning against him. Though he could continuously use magic to heal himself and the expendable prisoners that had been imprisoned with the sirens, preventing the sirens from getting close to him...

If this continued, the final winner would be him.

But aside from the sirens, there was also a group outside waiting for him to be seriously injured so they could swoop in and reap the benefits. He had no intention of letting them take advantage of him for free.

William's chest rose and fell rapidly. Staring at the fallen sirens on the opposite side, he took the initiative to speak.

"Continuing this fight benefits neither of us. Why don't we work together to get out of here first, eliminate the true culprit, and then deal with the issues between us?"

Blood dripped from his body. Josef flexed his grotesquely twisted right hand. The last time he had suffered such an injury was back before he became an adult, when he was ambushed while hunting a sea shark.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"You didn't say that at the start. How do we know you're not in league with those people outside?"

Tina let out a disdainful laugh.

"Josef, don't believe the lies of humans. Don't forget why we ended up like this in the first place!"

From the beginning, they should never have made any agreements with humans.

"Of course," Josef snarled, glaring viciously across the room. "I haven't forgotten how he looked at us not long ago. Didn't you plan to turn us into slaves? Now that your incense isn't working, now you want to negotiate?"

William froze, struck directly in his weak spot.

"Of course that's not it."

He tried his hardest to persuade them.

"We do need to resolve our issues, but if we keep fighting, the only ones who benefit will be the rats hiding in the shadows! Think about it. There's no advantage in me lying to you right now!"

The four sirens exchanged glances, their fury gradually cooling as rationality returned. The opponent was tougher than they expected. The incense from the inner chamber still lingered in the sealed room.

Continuing the fight was indeed disadvantageous for them.

Josef turned his head.

"We can cooperate, but we need to know where the Fallen Sirens are!"

William grimaced.

"That... I only know they captured sirens belonging to the Song of the Dead, but I don't know the exact location."

Seeing the four sirens' faces darken, he rushed to add, "Abel definitely knows. We can sign a contract first, guaranteeing that none of us attack before we get out."

The four sirens still looked suspicious.

But they had no better option.

William hurriedly took out a contract scroll from his storage, bit his finger, wrote the contract, and had someone deliver it to the center of the room. The unlucky soldier chosen trembled as four murderous siren gazes pinned him in place, but he forced himself to step forward, dropped off the contract, and scrambled back in a panic.

Josef retrieved the contract and checked it. Nothing seemed wrong.

Just as they were about to sign, the previously closed door silently opened. A sphere of magic shot toward the blue-haired siren.

Someone shouted, "Master William, we're here to assist you!"

Josef reacted instantly, dropping the contract and dodging aside.

He looked up, directly facing a twenty-man reinforcement squad.

His eyes flared with rage. So the humans had been stalling for time, waiting for reinforcements.

William froze, stunned by the sudden turn of events, and hurried to explain.

"No! They're not with me!"

"No need to explain, Master William. Quickly, come behind us!"

The incoming soldiers shouted as they rushed toward William, taking up a protective stance.

What more did the four sirens need to understand?

"Humans!!!"

Four simultaneous, piercing shrieks ripped through the air, forcing everyone to clutch their ears.

The temperature plummeted, a chilling aura spreading outward.

William's heart lurched. "Protect your entire body!"

A brilliant beam of light shot from the tip of his staff, just as it collided with a thick, inky blue-black lightning bolt.

The violent impact unleashed a storm-like shockwave, flinging everyone into the walls.

Crash!

The floor, unable to withstand the impact, finally shattered, revealing a hidden space beneath...