The mighty NPC army exuded a subtle pressure. Many players stared at their shining uniforms in awe, subconsciously falling silent. Although so many excited players were gathered here, the atmosphere was coloured with a certain gravity. It was then that C's voice finally rang in the ears of all the players.
[Players of the order faction, welcome to the 'War on the Void'!]
[You have been transported to one of seven major defence lines of the Southern Chaotic Mountain Range. You will now be given two minutes to form parties or reject your participation in the event. Players belonging to a party will be assigned to the same battlefield.]
With this announcement the players instantly forgot about the atmosphere. They reached out to their friends, hastily forming parties. Flashes of light could be seen continuously as players were teleported among the various defensive lines. Of course, Liam and his friends were the same. They formed a party and were all brought to the same fortress.
"You're here! You all came to me!"
Cyclone chuckled as she welcomed her friends. Liam raised his brows as he took in the sight. He realised that they were assigned to one of the main fortresses of the order faction, called Chaos Quelling Eye. Its name came from a prominent tower in the centre of the fortress. It was endowed with magical capabilities, able to observe a large part of the mountain range, sensing powerful members of the chaos faction.
There was a world of difference between the fortress and the defensive line Liam had just come from. Chaos Quelling Eye was heavily fortified with majestic walls sprawling along the mountain pass. A large number of troops was stationed all year around. And now that a major war was just about to break out it was one of the main gathering points. The NPC army alone had more than 80.000 soldiers from all races. Additionally, there were around 8000 players making even the powerful fortress quite crowded. Liam knew that being assigned to Chaos Quelling Eye meant participating in the most intense battles. Whether this was bad or good depended on one's preference.
Two minutes passed quickly, and C's voice returned.
[Players, you have now been assigned to various armies. You have been given the choice to reject. From this point on deserting will lead to banishment from the event.]
This announcement immediately led to much discussion. Deserting lead to banishment? Would they always have to stick around the army? For many carefree players this was undoubtedly bad news. Only Liam knew that the rules were not that strict. One had to seriously mess up to be counted as a deserter.
[Now, to the rules of this event: There will be large-scale war between the order and the chaos faction. The goal of your order faction is to free the imprisoned devils which condemn a cooperation between devils and the void. The goal of the chaos faction will be to stop you.]
[At the top of your vision you will see two progress bars. The blue bar indicates the order faction's progress in marching through the Southern Wasteland and invading hell. Should the blue bar be entirely filled, it indicates that the order faction has almost achieved its goal and the final battle will begin.]
[Below the blue bar is a red bar. It indicates the resources of your order faction, namely soldiers and supplies. Attacks of the chaos faction will aim to deplete the red bar. Should the red bar be entirely depleted the order faction will be unable to proceed and the chaos faction wins this war.]
"So it will really be a full-scale war between both factions?"
"Good, those chaos idiots still owe me one. I wanted to scout yesterday and was actually killed by a group of chaos faction players. Those cowards outnumbered me ten to one. Hmpf. Today I will get my revenge!"
"Yeah, yeah. That story is nice and all. But what can we get out of it?"
C's words immediately elicited various reactions from the players. Not everyone was interested in the event's story. Rather, they were eager for something more practical. Luckily, C soon continued.
[During the event you have two ways to earn points. One, by following the orders of your commander you will slowly accumulate points. Two, by taking on special tasks you will be generously rewarded with points. At the end of the event, no matter whether you emerge victorious or not, you will be able to trade in your points for rewards. However, be careful: During the event you will only be able to revive once. Should you die a second time or should the army you belong to be eliminated, you will not be able to participate in the event any longer!]
"So fierce? Only one revive?!"
"Hehe, there we go. I hope the rewards are worth a lot."
"Where can I see my points?"
When C fell silent, the players digested her words, forming plans. The most important aspect was understanding the points clearly. How much could they get for accomplishing tasks? Was it worth the risk? The players swiftly found out how to check their points, whereupon they were hit with a surprise. The points they gathered during the first part of the event actually carried over!
Liam and his friends suddenly felt many covert eyes glancing at them. It was no secret that Hotpot were the ones who initiated the event. With this advantage they were surely among the group with the most points.
However, even if this was the case, what could others do about that? Points couldn't be stolen. Thus, the friends only smiled as they admired their precious points. With 2725 points they were probably leading the field. Only Radiant Shield and Bloody Edge were somewhat disappointed. Since they were separated from their friends during the first part of the event, their points couldn't keep up. The two men had only managed to gather around 2300 points. This was already a lot but unfortunately their ambitions were even higher.
"Don't worry about that now. You will be able to earn a lot in the upcoming campaign."
Liam patted Bloody Edge's shoulder as he offered some encouragement. The thief took a deep breath and nodded with a determined expression.
Similar scenes could be seen everywhere. Groups of friends compared their points, either laughing at or consoling their friends. However, the merry atmosphere was soon suppressed when a few people appeared on top of the central tower. Their solemn eyes scanned the adventurers as well as the armies below. They emitted a silent authority which slowly drew everyone's attention. Only a few players still dared to whisper.
"Chilling! Are those strong NPCs?"
"Of course. Look, the one in the front is the guardian of the Southern Light Kingdom, Therim Riverbell, a powerful mage."
"Who is that elf in blue armor? Such a gorgeous appearance. Why isn't she listed on the beauty list?"
"That's Second Princess Oniarohl, a high elf from the royal elf clan. She usually resides in the palace and only a few players were able to meet her so far."
"How do you know?"
"Hehe, of course because I once accomplished a task for her as part of a quest!"
"Really? Damn, so lucky!"
"Tsk. Ignorant! Appearance is not everything, ok? Look at that orc. Green skin, bare chest, and a black club the size of a tree trunk on his back. That should be Chieftain Ogruz. He is one of the strongest warlords among all orcs. A beast in an orc's body!"
As the players kept whispering one could clearly see how Ogruz's expression turned more and more impatient. Suddenly he let out a thundering snort which rang in everyone's ears, causing all the players to tremble.
"I knew we shouldn't have invited adventurers…", grumbled the orc. Therim looked at him and shook his head with a gentle smile. The black-robed mage took a step forward, hovering in the air. He began to speak, his voice spreading through the entire fortress:
"Righteous warriors of our order faction! I am Therim Riverbell, guardian of the Southern Light Kingdom. I have guarded against the chaos faction for many years and personally witnessed how they turned increasingly ruthless and brutal. Devils have aimed to cause chaos to increase their own might since time immemorial. But since the intrusion of the void into hell it has gotten out of hand. Degenerated demons don't hesitate to unleash void dwellers into our blessed Crunaboul. Void energy destroys the very essence of our world. This is clearly crossing a line.
Thus, I call upon you, fearless soldiers. Are you willing to fight the chaos faction, fight the void, and punish those threatening to destroy Crunaboul?!"
Instantly resounding roars came from the army below. Even some players became invested, shouting loudly as if they couldn't wait to punish the devils with their own hands.
"Are you willing to fight side by side with the righteous races of Crunaboul? Lay aside your differences and follow a common goal?"
"AHH!"
"Are you willing to follow me into battle and trust me as your commander?"
Therim floated in the air, surrounded by a magical golden glow, resembling a paragon of righteousness. The soldier all stared at him with fervent eyes. They knew that this war was a war deciding the fate of Crunaboul. No one cowered! No one retreated! Everyone was ready for battle!
"Then, set off!!!"