War Grounds

"Three A . M . is the witching hour . A time when supernatural and terrifying events mysteriously occur . " It was what Marina always told Al when the latter was still younger to make him go to bed as he stubbornly played games until morning .

Al remembered his mother"s words upon seeing the time displayed in his interface . He suddenly felt a premonition that something terrible was indeed about to happen .

"Can you identify these six figures?" Al immediately asked SARS as he tried to calm himself .

There were almost a thousand players that were ready to defend Alistor . All of them were strategically stationed into the four gates of the city .

Fifty of the main combatants were from the top guild and current overlord of Alistor - t.i.tans . Another 350 came from the Seven Heavens, and the rest were their other subordinate guilds .

The minimum level in the army was fifty and Gold for the lowest rank . One could say that this group of players was more than capable of defending a city against six players .

"Movements!" Tripod Sunset was the Top Ranger a.s.signed in the Southern Gate, and she finally noticed the rus.h.i.+ng six figures from afar .

"How many?" Lidar asked right away as he sent commands and queries in their guild chat, checking the situation on the other gates .

"Just six," Tripod Sunset"s face soured; she was a bit hesitant and confused .

"Six?" Lidar"s face remained composed as he shot an expectant look towards his guild leader .

"We"ll see when they get near . Everyone remain in your positions and wait for Lidar"s signal . " DumbleBell sent a message in their guild chat .

"No movements here in the North . " ForbiddenFruit, one of t.i.tans" guild vice-leaders, sent an update . After Nisha and the other trainees joined Lidar in the Southern Gate, he immediately transferred from the Western Gate .

"Same . "

"Same . "

Tupac, who guarded the Eastern Gate and MidasHeart, who remained in the Western Gate, reported .

"I can see them now! These six are . . . the guild leaders of the Six Purgatories!" Tripod Sunset was alarmed as she shared what she saw .

It did not take long before Lidar, and the others saw what Tripod Sunset reported . The Six Figures has now slowed their pace as they casually approached the Southern Gate .

The unsheathing of weapons immediately resounded from the army of Alistor . Their breathing was heavy as the appearances of the six figures became more apparent .

[ Thriller Bark has declared a war against t.i.tans . Prepare to defend your territory . ]

A global announcement immediately appeared in the interface of every player of War Grounds as a black slimy skinned Murloc wearing a red straw hat and black leather coat planted a black flag with a jolly roger in the shape of a shark"s head on the ground before Alistor . He was the first to arrive among the six figures .

Lidar did not yet signal an attack as he surveyed the enemies before them . "Everyone, move to the Southern Gates! Now!" He immediately sent a message in their chat .

Everyone was immediately confused by Lidar"s command . However, they"ve trusted their tactician, so they moved before asking .

"Coming . What"s the situation over there?" Tupac asked as he and the other two vice guild leaders moved . They left at least twenty players to guard the other gates .

[ Frozen Occident has declared a war against t.i.tans . Prepare to defend your territory . ]

The second figure arrived after the first one . He was eight feet high with a body made from Aegean-blue ice; his ma.s.sive bones could be seen through the dark frost frame . A navy blue banner with a logo of a red snowflake was planted on the ground before him .

[ Jura.s.sic Cataclysm has declared a war against t.i.tans . Prepare to defend your territory . ]

The third figure was a st.u.r.dy humanoid dinosaur with the skin and built of a Tyrannosaurus Rex . His facial features were that of a man, but his skin was made from red and black stripes of reptilian scales . He was wielding a giant battle-axe made from fossils . A red banner with a black logo of a raptor"s footprint was planted before him .

[ Black Osiris has declared a war against t.i.tans . Prepare to defend your territory . ]

The fourth to arrive was a female goblin dressed in red and orange bead ornaments . She looked like a walking firework with her huge bright, ruffle dress . Wooden staff with dangling golden and red chains was held in her hands . A red banner with the logo of a coiling black dragon was planted before her .

[ ThirteenFridays has declared a war against t.i.tans . Prepare to defend your territory . ]

The second to the last to arrive planted a black banner with a white logo of a tomb with an engraved number "13" on it . He was a dark-skinned orc wielding two flaming spears in his large hands . Monstrous skulls were hung on his neck, and numerous red runes covered his body .

[ Eternal Vespers has declared a war against t.i.tans . Prepare to defend your territory . ]

A lithe figure wearing a skull mask covered in a brown cloak was the last one to arrive . He planted a purple banner with the logo of a cloaked skull holding an almost snuffed out white candle .

Lidar"s drastic call to rally all of the troops to the Southern Gate was no stupid decision . He finally understood why the deployed scouts were not able to see major movements from the Six Purgatories .

The Human Warrior helplessly chuckled as he shot a look at the six figures, two hundred meters away from the Southern Gate .

"They"re really underestimating us . " Tripod Sunset gritted her teeth as her crossbow was aimed against the six figures .

"No . They"re taking us seriously . " DumbleBell corrected .

"Is this all their troops?" The female green-skinned goblin asked with a playful tone as she surveyed the hundreds of players stationed on the Southern Gate .

"They must be expecting a huge army from us . Haha! Let"s wait for their other soldiers to come here . " The dark-skinned orc amusingly answered .

"I should be sleeping at this time . Why did we not send our armies instead? I"m already tired . " The slimy black Murloc grumbled with a sleepy tone .

"It"s time to show them the capabilities of the Six Purgatories . Stop grumbling, Styx . " The one with the ice-skin scolded the Murloc .

"What"s your say, leader?" The humanoid dinosaur asked the one with a skull mask named 666666 .