Ryker thought about it some more. Yet, even after thinking for more than 2 hours, he still couldn't figure out the reason why the bandits would agree to such a thing.
He let out a sigh, ready to sleep for the night. Maybe he could get some answers tomorrow.
-x-
After he woke, he headed towards a nearby cafe. He was one of the few patrons, the others likely wanted to save money for more important things than eating out.
He sighs, war truly is a horrid thing. He then began his trek to the inns, wanting to see if he could finish reading the rest of the information.
-x-
Ryker headed towards a nearby tavern. While the information is good and all, it didn't contain all the details, as it is mostly based on assumptions and what the authorities told them.
The Adventure Guild does have an information network but it was likely in tatters, or at least it couldn't do its job like before with the war ongoing. So his best bet for some good information is from the ones that fight in the front line themselves.
As he opened the door of the tavern, he could see it was crowded, most of the patrons were soldiers who had fought near the city, their stained clothing and dented armor showing how intense the fighting was.
They seemed to fixate on him for a short while before continuing their discussion, not caring for the new addition inside the tavern. He took an empty spot, thankfully being near one of the soldiers, his better armor indicated his higher rank.
Ordering a drink, he began to listen to the little tidbit about the man talking with his men, or at least that is what he assumed.
"Looks like today is going to be another hard day, isn't it," the leader said, before chugging down his drink in a matter of seconds.
"True to that, we lost some of the men, but thanks to the captain, we got out of there alive!" the other man stood up and threw his glass into the air, making the rest of the soldiers follow suit, cheering their leader.
"Yeah," another man chimed in, "Who knew that a Genesis Lake bandit is so near? And so beautiful too," he laughed loudly, before returning to his drink.
"Yeah, too bad she is a Genesis Lake expert, that way beyond our league," a big soldier said, while another soldier cut him off, "and she is a bandit to boot, which makes things even worse,"
The soldiers nodded in agreement, while Ryker quickly thought of another female bandit he had met before.
It couldn't be her, right?
-x-
"So, is the preparation ready?" the same female bandit that chased Ryker before asked, looking at another bandit, his large nose would make him easily mistaken for an elephant.
"One last thing, and done!" the man said, before stepping back, gazing at the object he just finished.
"It's glorious, and it's our way to get that city!" the man tackled madly, the woman rolled her eyes before walking away, though not before reminding the man,
"The rest are going to attack in three hours, make sure your part is done," was the last thing she said before she walked out of his hearing range.
"Hahaha! Soon, the city will be ours!"
-x-
As Ryker listened to them, he began to believe the bandit they saw was the one that chased after him when he took the mission. He almost let out a curse, the fact he was still far away from the capital and yet he had met someone he saw around it made it seem like he was cursed.
However, he is still inside the safety of the capital, and the chances of bandit atta-
"DING!DING!"
"WOOOOH!"
When two distinctive noises were heard, the soldiers all stood up, their eyes wide from shock, "The bandits are actually attacking the city?" one of the soldiers whispered in shock.
Ryker wanted to curse, why did such a thing have to happen while he was inside the city!?
The captain did not take long before he organized his men, "All of you! Head towards the wall! NOW!!" he roared, the soldiers all scrambled after the man, following his order.
Ryker gave it a thought before deciding to see if he could join in the battle. He had some grievance with the bandit leader and the fact he found her here means a lot.
He followed after them, walking right behind them, hoping no one strong enough to see through his concealment technique.
-x-
Ryker followed them until they reached the south section of the wall. The higher-up of the wall section, a Genesis Lake expert, observes the massive forces that are heading in his direction.
The man let out a grimace, his forces likely couldn't even hope to block the powerful army without any help from the other three sides.
Unfortunately, the other sides also had their own trouble, namely some Genesis Lake experts that appeared near the wall, their goals likely to stop the movement of reinforcement joining in with the southern defenders.
The man grimaced, the superior numbers of his opponent meaning they would likely forced to abandon the city, which is something he didn't want to do when they still had a lot of civilians remaining inside the city.
The reputation of the bandits didn't seem to be exaggerated, so the chances of the population of the city being allowed to live their lives would be impossible.
The man turned his gaze towards one of the bandits, his likely foe for the night. However, as he observed the bandits, along with several other Genesis Lake experts of the city, they missed several people, moving under the cover of the trees, their presence undetected by anyone due to the special cloak they wore.
It was this group that came close enough to the walls of the city before planting several spherical objects, and running away as fast as possible. Only then did the experts defending the city sense them, before they could also sense the object.
Their eyes widened, as they began to order their men to get away from the wall, yet, the warning came too late, as the walls soon exploded into thousand pieces, the defenders sent flying, sometimes in pieces too.
Only the Genesis Core and above managed to escape, though the weaker ones were not unscathed. The bandits laughed at the pitiful defender, before yelling out loud,
"Attack!"
The bandits followed the orders, heading towards the disorganized defenders, their weapons raised as they were ready to kill all that stood in their way and claim the spoil of battle.