Leon leapt out of bed like a mad man and rushed to the window. Peering out, he immediately spotted a giant fire at the gates of the fortress city. The wyverns that rested at the barracks by the gates were taking off into the air with their riders on them.
‘Something big is going on.’ He thought to himself before spinning around nd bolting out of the room. It only took a few seconds for him to find himself back down in the bustling tavern where warriors and mages were preparing themselves for a battle. Everyone knew that such explosions were just signals for bad news.
“Leon!” Nedra hurried over with Curtis’ group right behind her.
“The city is under attack.” Leon said simply, “I saw a fire at the city gates.”
“Let’s check it out.” Curtis proposed.
“No, young master. We must not get involved in any of these petty feuds.” Benny immediately tried to dissuade him.
“Fort Bender is neutral territory. If we can get the lord of this city to be indebted to us, then that would be great. Even if not, then we can at least hope for some favors by helping out his soldiers.” Curtis said firmly.
“I don’t think there is need for that.” Leon shook his head.
“What? Why?” Curtis was surprised.
“Because there are many strong figures in this city already, including many A ranked people. They will outshine us so we won’t be able to get any of the spotlight. We will most likely be pushed to the side if anything happens.” Leon explained. He already knew that Richard and Kevin were here. Who knew if there were any other A rank beings hiding through the city.
“Oh…” Curtis’ mouth formed an ‘O’ shape as he took in those words.
Boom!
Another explosion sent vibrations through the ground. It meant that whatever battle was going on was rising in intensity.
Leon casually strode out of the Green Gate with the others behind him. He was curious as to what was going on, but chose to take a back seat and avoid the battlefront. He could not use his summoning powers, as the whole hype around the Necromancer from Divinity’s Bout was still high. Plus, most people would recognize his summons. He needed to wait for a while before coming out in a fury once again!
“Oi, where are you going?” Before Leon could go far, he heard Richard’s voice calling out to him.
“Richard.” Leon turned around with a sigh. He saw Richard coming over to him with a wide grin on his face. Beside him were Kevin and a petite woman that had a head full of white, glimmering hair. She looked a lot like Richard. One look at her was enough for Leon to connect the man’s earlier wish to her appearance. She must have been Richard’s mother!
“Aren’t you heading to see what’s wrong? Maybe you can make a pretty penny.” Richard laughed.
“Money matters little to me at this point, you of all people should know that.” Leon gave Richard a knowing look.
“Hold on, are you the Silver Tooth?” Curtis stepped forward with a surprised expression on his face.
“Yes, that’s me. And who might you be? Another one of Leon’s friends?” Richard scratched his cheek with a grin. A lot of people were recognizing him now. Over ten people had already stopped him on the streets now. He was already popular before, but this was a whole different thing. Divinity’s Bout had really sent his name hurtling to the top!
Before the group could speak any more, another explosion shook the ground and a pillar of fire rose into the sky. People were already hiding within their houses at this point, and the only ones who remained on the streets were those who were confident enough to look after themselves.
Richard turned back to the white haired woman beside him with a concerned look. “Mom, are you sure you want to come with me? It will be dangerous.” He sounded concerned, but his mother simply ignored his concern for the most part.
“Of course, I’m coming with you! I want to see what my boy has been up to all these years!” She exclaimed, throwing away the lady like demeanor that she had been putting up. She then raised her arms and flexed her impressive looking muscles! “Look at these two! Your mother isn’t a harmless old woman!” She grinned, displaying the same wolfish grin that Richard often showed off. Richard could only sigh in defeat. He turned to Leon with a sigh.
“Come along. Someone with strength like yours will be able to make a difference.” He told Leon.
“Hmm, alright.” Leon eventually decided to go along with the silver haired man.
“Wait, you’re going? Are you sure, you will be okay, Sir Leon?” Curtis was surprised that this powerful person seemed to be so casual when speaking with Leon.
“I’ll be fine.” Leon smiled at Curtis then turned to leave with Richard. Curtis could only stare at Leon’s departing back because he knew that his companions would never allow him to go ahead to the site of the battle.
Meanwhile, on the walls of Fort Bender, an increasing number of mages and warriors were gathering. They were all soldiers that were in the service of the city guards, and they had rallied in response to the sudden threat at the city’s gates. In front of them stood a tall man with a white goatee. His eyes were sharp as he stared down the woman who stood on the ground outside the gates. Behind the woman was an army that numbered five thousand!
“Amelia Heartsword. Please call of your troops and cease this needless attack on Fort Bender.” The man who was known as Gustavo Darion, said. He was a powerful mage who had served the lord of Fort Bender for many years.
“I have already stated the conditions for my retreat, Sir Darion. It is up to you to decide whether to agree or not. I want the Necromancer.” Amelia stated with cold eyes.