It didn't take the guild long to gather, given that most of the members had been keeping an eye on the situation with Demorotha anyway, and once a decision was made and the attack plans were finalized, it was only a matter of time before a familiar 'ping' indicated that a new quest had been unlocked:
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Quest: Attack on Demorotha
(Quest Level: B+)
War is imminent and you have been ordered to join your guild in the defense of Seradeihn.
Warning: Player will not be able to leave the quest area once it has been entered. Please ensure that you have access to basic services (blacksmith, vendor, inn), or stock up beforehand to ensure your survival.
Reward: Pending… (Will be calculated based on player's contribution)
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Kurai read the quest details before turning to Guildmaster Zane, "Will we have access to basic services? Or should we stock up?"
The Guildmaster gave him a knowing look before indicating behind them, "Given that we are a guild dedicated exclusively to discovering the truth of the Missing Eons and we often spend weeks in undisclosed locations, it is required that most members become proficient in at least two jobs in the utility and trade categories."
Kurai gave him a look and the man smiled innocently, "Don't worry. We will test your proficiency with the jobs to see where you would be able to help out. It wouldn't do to have a cook that burns the food or a blacksmith that breaks weapons after all."
It was a good idea if Kurai had to be honest. One that also had the potential to save on a lot of expenses.
His thoughts were interrupted when the Guilmaster called out to one of the members that had just arrived, "Satoru!"
A tall black-haired man in ruqun clothing walked over and Kurai was surprised at the power that the man seemed to radiate with every step.
The man was a head or so taller than him, but even though he simply seemed to be walking over to them, it was clear that he was ready for an attack at any moment.
The Grandmaster turned toward Kurai with a large grin as the man reached them, "This is Satoru. His family has been practicing the cultivation arts for generations. Rin mentioned that the potential new heir had chosen the path of cultivation so if you can show Satoru what you know then maybe he can help refine your basic skills."
Kurai sheepishly scratched his head, "I-eh, don't know any basic skills."
Satoru and the Guildmaster froze, but then Satoru looked him up and down in thought, "Then maybe you have an intermediate skill that you can show me?"
The Guildmaster stayed quiet as he waited for an answer and Kurai tried to subtly find Hozumi, but she was still out gathering supplies so he sighed, "I have three intermediate abilities that I can use, although I still need to improve on my use for them."
Satoru nodded before pointing toward the edge of a forest, "Do you have an offensive attack that you can use on those trees?"
Kurai nodded. Theoretically, he could now use the offensive form of 'Seraph's Blessing' without giving away the fact that he had access to 'Seraph's Form' due to the shinobi headgear.
Much like the first time he'd created it, Kurai focused on the feeling of blood flowing from his hands into the attack, but this time he had to throw it himself, which caused the attack to go wider than he'd intended.
Luckily it still hit close to the mark and he could feel both Zane and Satoru's gazes on him as he waited for it to hit.
He knew they wanted to say something when nothing happened at first, but before they could a cracking sound filled the air and the two men watched, almost slack-jawed, as about twenty trees decayed right in front of them.
Kurai didn't immediately acknowledge them as he flexed his hands, trying to figure out why the area of the attack was so much bigger than the previous time.
Satoru lightly grasped his arm and Kurai found that both men looked troubled as he fully turned towards them, "What's wrong? Did I do something I shouldn't have?"
Both men shook their heads, but both were still frowning as Satoru spoke, "I heard about how you gained 'Seraph's Blessing' from Lady Hozumi, but how did you get close enough to an abyss for it to become corrupted?"
Kurai frowned, "I never did. It healed the first time I used it, but when I tried to use it after that I struggled to use normal energy to activate it, so I remembered the way it previously felt and concentrated on that."
Neither of the men seemed to want to believe him and Kurai wasn't about to do something as crazy as cutting open his own arm just to prove that he could use the ability either, so he settled for a question instead, "Why would 'Seraph's Blessing become corrupted by an abyss?"
Satoru's eyes seemed to darken in anger for a moment, "Because an abyss is made from demonic energy and anything connected to it must be destroyed before it can infect everything around it."
Something in Kurai stilled in apprehension and he quickly decided to change the subject, "I see. So how do you start cultivating correctly? I tried meditating as they described in the book, but it doesn't seem to work for me."
An excited glint entered Satoru's eyes and the anger from earlier seemed to disappear, "Then maybe you are the type that would meditate better by doing something. Not all people can sit still and sense the energy around them, some need to create a 'flow of movement' so to speak, where their minds become focused on their movements, and through that they can draw energy."
Kurai didn't understand it at all, "Wouldn't that make it harder?"
Satoru shrugged, "It takes a while to learn, but can be achieved through martial arts."
This piqued Kurai's interest.
Although he'd never really gotten into a fight, he'd always enjoyed kung fu movies and he'd always been envious of the people when they achieved seemingly impossible feats.
Which unfortunately brings him back to square one.
Satoru amusedly shook his head at Kurai's obvious skepticism and motioned for them to stand a bit further away.
Once they did so, the raven-haired man took a deep breath and the air around him seemed to change in an instant.
For a moment, nothing happened, but then he started moving in complicated steps that flowed to such an extent that it looked like a dance, even though there were quite a few obvious attacks to reveal what it truly was.
It was mesmerizing, but not enough to distract Kurai from sensing the energy that had gathered around Satoru and a stray thought had him absorbing a bit of the energy into himself.
They didn't have much time to enjoy it though because the sound of hooves sounded up and everyone stopped what they were doing in favor of watching the cavalry ride out of the city toward them
Most of the other guilds had already assembled, but no one seemed to even glance in their direction unless it was to wonder out loud why the king would summon a scholarly guild to go to war.
Everyone grew quiet as a royal carriage came to a stop before them and Kurai quickly followed their lead as everyone bowed.
The king stepped onto a small podium that had been placed down and Kurai was surprised to note that it seemed to be a young man, instead of the old, bearded man he'd imagined when the messenger relayed his message.
The king looked grim as he spoke, "Today, we find ourselves on the brink of war as a tenuous peace shatters. Those that knew about the situation concerning Demorotha have been hoping against it, but it was expected nonetheless. Two days ago we received news that the king of Demorotha has breathed his last and in his place, a warmongering whelp now resides."
Urgent whispering started up, but it died down as the king raised his hand to continue, "Any effort to put a new treaty in place has been met with hostility, and so we must prepare ourselves for the worst."
The king scanned his eyes over everyone though his eyes seemed to linger on Abyssal Apocalypse's guild members and a few other groups, "Ten hours ago, intel arrived in the city that the border towns have been scorched and that they are making their way here. We cannot allow this to happen and so I am calling everyone in. The Mortvira will remain to guard those that cannot fight and the city will be locked down until we return."
A war cry rang out and Kurai looked at Hozumi with wide eyes.
'War?! I don't even know how to fight!'