A subtle tension took over the field. Cyclone felt her heart beat increasingly strong. She changed positions, carefully moving to the back of the guild.
Silver Blade stared towards Force of Nature, her eyes finding Immortal Boulder whose body was rearing to go like a bull pawing with its hooves.
The mountain of an orc was what one would think of when hearing the word tank.
Right next to him stood Earthquake, his heavy sword looking like it could sever mountains and seas.
Callida deliberately didn't continue speaking to put pressure on the enemy. Realizing her strategy Liam frowned, glancing at his fellow guild members.
He noticed how some of them began to fidget while others remained unperturbed. He came up with an idea.
[Bleary Mirage: Hey, Final Fend, can you break their momentum?]
[Final Fend: Haha, you came to the right person!]
Final Fend's eyes lit up with a feeling of getting acknowledged. He took a few steps forward, facing Force of Nature with his chin raised high.
He deliberately remained silent for a few seconds, enjoying everyone's attention before addressing Earthquake:
"What is this? You called us here and now you don't dare to attack? If you're afraid just say it. We accept your surrender!"
Immediately the atmosphere changed. Final Fend felt a chill run down his back as several dangerous pairs of eyes stared at him, their rage almost becoming visible.
Final Fend almost took a step back before forcefully stopping himself, keeping his haughty, defying attitude.
Earthquake stared at the annoying warrior. Taking a deep breath, he shouted, deafening:
"Brothers! For Force of Nature!"
"Force of Nature! Force of Nature! Force of Nature!"
The violent chant shook the entire battlefield, causing the fog to churn, almost as if attracting an invisible power to gather.
Silver Blade glanced between the enemies and her brother, rolling her eyes thinking he had aroused Force of Nature's spirit.
In the back Cyclone gritted her teeth feeling the soundwaves wash over her attempting to suppress her heart. She moved her head, her eyes searching for Balm. The two women nodded at each other, suddenly screaming like never before:
"Dream Avenue! Dream Avenue! Dream Avenue!"
Their voices fought against the ubiquitous shouts of 'Force of Nature' reaching the ears of their fellow guild members. One by one the latter chimed in.
The shouts grew louder, both sides colliding in an invisible struggle. When some players had an illusion of the air distorting between the two guilds, Earthquake suddenly gave a signal, prompting Force of Nature to rush at the enemy. The fight officially began!
Bloody Edge and the other thieves immediately entered stealth. While most of them ran towards the enemy's backline, Bloody Edge took a few thieves to protect their own mages.
Bloody Edge adjusted his mind blending out all the sound, concentrating on his surroundings. It didn't take long before he felt someone approaching. From the direction it looked like they were aiming for Cyclone.
No chance!
Bloody Edge remained careful, approaching the thief from behind. He found it extremely difficult, only spotting the faintest movements of grass, realizing that his opponent was indeed skilled.
Suddenly the movement stopped entirely, causing Bloody Edge to frown. He could only guess that the enemy stood still waiting for an opportunity.
Bloody Edge knew that he had to act now. He couldn't allow such a skilled thief to get closer. He took a few more steps carefully before suddenly slashing his daggers.
His body revealed from thin air, Bloody Edge startled the nearby mages. His daggers moved with a murderous intent, aiming at seemingly empty air.
Suddenly another black cloaked figure appeared. They rolled to the side, escaping Bloody Edge's attack. The latter grinned faintly. He expected the skilled opponent to evade his first attack.
Judging from the enemy's movement he guessed where they would stop. Four brightly shining daggers appeared in the air around him, aiming for this exact spot, flashing through the air.
"Damn!"
The thief let out a startled shout as four daggers nailed him in place, restricting his movements.
[-1080!]
Bloody Edge didn't hesitate, his daggers alternating between normal attacks and skills. After a full rotation the enemy thief dropped to the floor, an indignant expression on his face.
Seeing this, Bloody Edge let out a breath he had been holding, inwardly praising himself. But right then he felt a sensation of enormous danger as if the grim reaper was aiming for his neck.
The order to move came too slow from his relaxing mind. A dagger instantly stabbed into his back, violently draining his HP.
[-980!]
Bloody Edge found himself ensnare, unable to move. A chill ran down his back. If no one managed to help him in time the guild war might end here for him.
More sharp edges cut into his skin, the slight pain accompanied by massive damage. Bloody Edge's HP fell freely looking like nothing could stop it.
Just then a single angelic tone reached his ears. A green note glided through the air fusing into his head.
[+824!]
Bloody Edge threw his lute-wielding saviour a thankful glance as he finally regained the ability to move. He only had less than 500 HP remaining, his instincts still full of tension.
Perceiving faint movement behind his back Bloody Edge knew that the enemy hadn't given up yet. His body moved on its own, diving forward. He felt relieved noticing two bloody daggers missing him closely but the enormous waste of stance showed how hasty his escape was.
[Stance -32]
Bloody Edge turned around only to see a figure in green-black leather armor being bombarded by magic. Meeting their eyes Bloody Edge could only saw a poisonous green before the figure got enveloped in a black smoke, disappearing mysteriously.
Trembling Bloody Edge recalled the feeling just now as if a poisonous snake ambushed him.
[-165!]
As his HP decreased again, Bloody Edge returned to reality, realizing that he had been poisoned. He hastily took out some antidote downing it quickly.
Unfortunately, the basic antidote wasn't enough to combat the multiple stacks of poison. Since potions also had a cooldown, Bloody Edge couldn't drink more. He stared at his dangerously low HP, barely suppressing his panic, frantically browsing through his inventory.
Finally, a green pufferfish caused his eyes to light up. He hastily took a large bite, sending his thanks to Serena.
Is this considered fighting poison with poison?
Bloody Edge tried to distract himself with a joke, but in his head he still felt dread after barely escaping death. He knew that this time he had met a real top thief. But he couldn't deny his anticipation as he imagined battling the latter again.
This exchange was only a small occurrence at the edge of the fierce battle. The most heated place was where the warriors of both guilds clashed with each other.
Dream Avenue held the advantage since they outnumbered the enemy, but Force of Nature showed the power of a top guild. Immortal Boulder stood out the most, holding back three enemies by himself.
But attracting too much attention proved detrimental as Dream Avenue's mages began to target him. Immortal Boulder's stats focused on physical defence. Thus, another tank had to assist him in blocking the magical attacks.
Elsewhere a massive whirlwind suddenly erupted. Quickstep didn't hesitate to use her ultimate skill, driving back a few tanks and opening a passage towards Force of Nature's backline.
How could Force of Nature not retaliate seeing this? One of their warriors let out a forceful roar resembling an enraged dragon, leaving a dozen enemies in a daze.
Powerful magic was unleashed one after another. Cyclone finished her cast for [Bindings of Lightning], connecting her and Earthquake, making both guild leaders stand out on the battlefield.
And in the midst of it all Melodious Edelweiss's angelic voice sounded out. However, this time Force of Nature didn't underestimate her. All kinds of attacks were aimed at the bard, interrupting her songs.
Fortune noticed the struggling bard, feeling indignant on her behalf, like a big sister. She wielded her staff, conjuring a massive magical sphere. This was a rare occasion where Fortune made use of her passive, which allowed her to prolong a skill's cast time to increase its damage.
The [Magical Sphere] continued growing, the concentrated magic sending a wave of oppression through the battlefield.
Fortune looked excited. This was exactly what she wanted from her class. Powerful, destructive magic which would look impressive in her videos.
But watching Melodious Edelweiss's struggle she felt it was time to give the enemy a surprise. She aimed in the direction of the ranged fighters aiming at Melodious Edelweiss and sent out her magical sphere.
The enormous, bluish ball immediately became the focus of the entire battlefield. Since the spell was difficult to control, Fortune only intended to let it advance in a straight line. The people it targeted turned pale immediately hurrying to get out of the way.
But how could it be so easy to move amidst the cramped Battlefield? Only a few mages close to the edges managed to leave the sphere's influence before it arrived.
[-291!]x2
[-447!]x3
[-351!]x4
Force of Nature watched in horror as their mages received decimating damage. The tanks reacted swiftly, using whatever skills they had to protect their backline.