A tall, majestic castle with spires and ramparts loomed over the town below. Its' walls were made of sturdy stone, and its' doors were thick and secure.
The town of Starfein was located in a lush valley, and the castle's location allowed it to overlook the whole region.
The town was bustling with activity. The streets were lined with merchants and stalls, and there were inns and taverns to accommodate travelers and visitors.
In the castle, two important figures of the empire met.
A large, towering man with bulging muscles laid back in an eloquent chair. He was relaxed, sipping from his wine with a carefree expression. He smirked, putting down his glass of wine.
"Greetings, Sir Prefect. I do hope your journey went well."
The other man was dressed in a thick, dark blue coat of velvet that went down to his waist. It was embroidered with gold, and tightly wrapped around the man's body. Fancy blue gloves covered his hands. He stood with perfect posture, his hands clasped behind his back.
He gave a short bow. "Greetings, Lord Starfein."
Lord Starfein, head of the Starfein family, sighed. "Now, please tell me, what bullshit disaster is about to befall my lands?"
The Prefect nodded. "Of course. First, how much do you know about the recent influx of foreigners?"
Starfein frowned. "Are you referring to the talented warriors I recently employed?"
"That depends. Describe their circumstances."
Starfein leaned back, scratching idly at his cheek. "There has been a surge of monster attacks, recently. Apparently, some travelers saved a bunch of soldiers sent out to clear the road."
Starfein shrugged. "You would have to ask Lord Remo about that, I leave most military matters to him."
The Prefect grabbed a sheaf of papers that was strapped to his side. "Recently, thousands of these 'travelers' have appeared throughout the country. All of them have been talented, and observed learning skills at an exceptional rate."
The Prefect briefly glanced at his left hand. "Concerningly, not all of them have been as... helpful as the ones you described."
Starfein spun the wine around in his glass. "How strange. Now, what made you come talk to me, specifically?"
The Prefect shuffled through the papers. "The Praetorian Guard has so far identified several hundred of these foreign elements engaging in serious crimes. Rape, murder, theft..." The Prefect's composure briefly broke, his voice turning grim. "So far, two villages have been found completely eradicated. One of which is nearby."
Starfein whistled. "Damn. Good luck dealing with that, I guess. Now, could you answer my question?"
The Prefect finally found the paper he was looking for, handing it to Starfein. "These papers are a list of travelers classified as extraordinarily dangerous, and the information we have on them. The ones in front of you are all heading towards this town."
As he read the names and descriptions, Starfein's face grew cold.. "This... could be a problem."
The Prefect nodded. "Do not worry, my Lord, the Praetorian Guard has its' full attention directed towards this matter, and I personally will be stationed here. I am just letting you know the circumstances."
Starfein rubbed his temples. "Do not say 'I personally will be stationed here' like it is a good thing! Who the hell wants to deal with you..."
The Prefect grabbed back his papers, put them in the sheaf, and then bowed once more. "Thank you for your time, Lord Starfein. We shall be in contact as the investigation develops further. Please let me know if you come across any new information."
Then, the Praetorian Prefect left the room, as Lord Starfein grumbled and cursed at his terrible luck.
***
It had not been too difficult for Raven to discover the directions to the town of Starfein. He just had to walk along the road, and then kindly ask some travelers for directions.
Sadly, Raven had to actually ask kindly, because all the travelers he met were merchants with a retinue of mercenaries, and he decided not to gamble on being strong enough to wipe out an entire group of trained soldiers.
He had also discovered that players could make their own restpoints. When out in the wild, if a player made a camp, a temporary restpoint would be made, allowing them to leave the game.
Online, he had also discovered that trapped players would be granted a temporary restpoint.
Raven was currently at the top of a hill, and looking at the town of Starfein. The city was surrounded by a huge wall, and there were guard towers and patrolling soldiers visible.
'So, this is where I will find the Shadow Guild's battle royale. In one day, I will have to battle over twenty other players!'
Raven was not worried, however. He had spent the last several days testing out his powers, and training.
Raven now had immensely improved his physical strength, endurance, and flexibility. He had spent a lot of time specifically training his ability to suddenly move with explosive power.
With a thought, his daggers were in his hands. He spun them around, before quickly striking. He slashed downwards, then immediately reversed the strike. His right dagger whipped around, flying out with immense speed, penetrating deep into a nearby tree.
Raven smiled, enjoying the improved strength and speed he had achieved.
With his newly empowered body, he could put much more force behind his attacks. This, however, was not the most important skill he had been training.
Many groups of merchants and travelers congregated at the town of Starfein, which was one of the most populated towns in the country. So, Raven practiced his ability to stalk them.
Training his stealth on merchants with retinues of experienced guards proved to be incredibly effective, even if he had to occasionally run for his life after making a mistake.
Raven rubbed at a cut on his shoulder, grimacing.
'Yeah, that was an incredibly dangerous training method. That crossbow bolt came way too close to my neck!'
While Raven had greatly improved his combat abilities, he was not stupid enough to believe he would be the strongest there. There would certainly be players who had put all their TP into combat Disciplines, and had spent their time in game constantly fighting.
There skill and achievements had to be considerable, considering only a little over twenty players had been chosen.
With a starting TP of 10, players could raise two of their Disciplines to 4, or one of their Disciplines to 6, with one more TP left over. After a Discipline reaches 4, a player is then able to develop supernatural abilities, with each further level making developing those abilities easier.
Raven retrieved his dagger from the nearby tree, twirling it in his hands. 'I am going to assume many of the players participating will be even stronger than me, if only in pure combat ability. That means my only chance is playing smart.'
His [Blindside] ability would allow him to sense people's location based on eyesight, and also whether anyone could see him. It also allowed him to teleport, of course. Now that Raven had some Aura, he could constantly have his [Blindside] senses active in sphere of several meters diameter, with his passive Aura regeneration covering the cost.
The teleportation ability was much more draining, however. He could only manage a few of those before running dry, and the greater the distance the more it drained from him. After running out, he would need to spend a few minutes actively recovering his Aura.
That was not all, though. Raven had discovered another use for his Aura...
Raven turned towards the town of Starfein. Then, he brought up his new quest's information.
___________
Quest: Win Shadow Guild's Battle Royale
Expected difficulty: Immense
Reward: TP, variable amount. Loot from players. Apprenticeship with the Shadow Guild.
Start Date: 1 Day.
Players Left: 24
Players Killed: 0
___________
An intense feeling of excitement and tension rushed through Raven. Grinning, he walked towards the town of Starfein.