"Just so you know, Edward, Dan has been spreading rumors about you," Leila said as the group left the tavern. Markus's ears perked upon hearing her speak. He quickly became curious and leaned forward.
"Who's Dan?" He asked. Brandon also turned to participate in the conversation. The group began heading to the nearest gate— where a forest lay only a few hundred meters out. Their plan today was to get Leila to a higher level before searching for difficult enemies. The forest was considered a beginner's area because the strongest enemy there was only level three.
"An annoying asshole from an old party of mine. Edward killed him earlier, so he's trying to convince a group of players to hunt you down," Leila said. Edward turned to Leila, surprised, "One of my roommates just messaged me about it. She thinks we might be ambushed as we leave the city."
"I suppose I deserve it," Edward laughed, "I did destroy his equipment. Did she say how many of them there were?"
Leila shook her head.
"I suspect he won't gather less than five, though," Leila told him, "He seems more focused on killing you than taking your XP. We should— oh, she just got a number. Including Dan, there are a total of thirteen."
"Thirteen people to grief one person?" Brandon gasped. He turned to his brother with gaping eyes, "What the hell did you do to this person?"
Edward snickered before he was able to answer. The thought of Dan's enraged face, as he gathered thirteen players, was amusing to him.
"Should we split up, hope we can deal with smaller groups on our own?" Markus suggested. Edward considered his suggestion for a moment before ultimately denying it.
"If they were after our whole group, it might work. If we split up, I suspect all thirteen people would look for me, first," Edward said. He looked to Markus and Brandon, "He might want to kill Leila, but he doesn't know either of you. Let's act as if we don't know anything, but stay alert. By the time they ambush us, Markus should use provoke to gather their attention."
"They're players, though. Will that skill even work?" Leila asked.
"It does. I've used it in duels to make my opponents more predictable," Markus nodded as he answered Leila's question. He turned back to Edward, "Alright, I'll be prepared."
"Good. Afterward, we should concentrate on their heaviest hitters. I suspect they'll be expecting an easy fight. They won't be getting one."
—
On an uneventful— save for the morning— day in Pathe, a group of players were waiting in a darkened alleyway not far from the southern gate. There were thirteen of them in total— most of them older men with scruffy beards and wild eyes. Dan Butler was among these men, though he wasn't proud to admit it. When he first asked players to help him kill the annoying masked player, he was expecting more than just thirteen. After all, so many people were talking about him. Whether they hated him or admired his strength, everybody knew him. Yet when he asked for a group to target the man, everybody backed away in fear. Nobody wanted to fight him— other than the crazy and deranged.
Of the thirteen he gathered, none of them were very reliable. One of the men even had a reputation for teamkilling. Had any of them been weaker than level five, Dan wouldn't have even considered using them as cannon fodder.
"I see them," a voice echoed through the alley. The source of the voice came from above— from a player named Eugene. The only reason Eugene was involved in the group was because he had a skill useful for scouting. Without even needing to see the target, he would be able to tell where they were. The only weakness of his skill was that it blocked all other senses.
As he heard this, Dan and a few others snickered in anticipation.
'Soon,' Dan thought to himself. He looked up at Eugene and asked, "How far away?"
"Ten meters. They should cross the alleyway any second now," Eugene answered, "They don't seem aware we've been hunting them. Gods, they're so casual about this— they'll be killed in an instant."
"Good. Are there any others?" Dan asked. He wanted to be sure there wasn't anybody unaccounted for. However, Eugene's answer disappointed him.
"Yeah, there are two new players you didn't tell us about. The man in armor looks strong, but the other one is weak," Eugene answered. Dan nodded in approval, then turned to the rest of the group.
"Target the dragon first. If it's still alive by the time they can counterattack, we'll all lose," Dan ordered. A few of his 'recruits' gave him a cold glare. They all listened, though. Dan turned away from his group and looked back to the road.
—
"They're just in front of us," Brandon whispered with a smile. Brandon was utilizing his Luck stat to affect his instincts, much to Edward's surprise. Because of this, Brandon had a gut feeling whenever he sensed danger— one that was completely accurate, "In the alleyway on our left."
"They didn't even choose a spot outside the city?" Edward muttered, disappointed. This battle would be over very quickly, "If they're all crowded together like that, it'll be impossible to miss."
"Ikarus might be the only one that can make it past their armor, though," Markus said, "How is the XP distribution going to go for this battle?"
"We'll give all of it to Leila," Edward answered. Leila's ears turned pink, perhaps she was feeling guilty about needing to be carried, "On top of the XP she'll get herself, all of our XP will be given to her, as well. That should level her up pretty quickly, I hope."
"Sounds good," Markus smiled.
"It's time," Brandon whispered. The group stopped talking all at once as they looked forward. Then, on cue, an arrow emerged from the alleyway on their left. The arrow missed its target— rather badly— and hit the building behind them.
"Now!" A voice shouted. Edward turned to his left and found himself facing a large group of players. Most of them were wearing leather armor— though one wore plate armor. As the players revealed themselves, a familiar figure wearing leather armor smiled from the back of the group, "It's time to die! Prep-"
"[Greater Provoke]!"