Cruel Fate

"PandaHero is dooooown!" the dramatic PandaHero never fails to make noise even when he dies. Back at their base, only Snowman, Blue Elf and a Healer were still surviving.

"Healers, we need more of 'em back here or we're dead. Anyone who's revived come back this instance and stop fighting out there!" Snowman yelled.

"We..we can't! We're trying! Every time we revive, they'd just kill us again!"

In the middle of the arena, PandaHero and the others were stuck in a cruel routine of reviving, running, and getting killed again. The moment they revived, their enemies would stun or freeze them and slay them before they could launch any form of attack.

"Bloody Speed buff, we can't outrun them!" PandaHero wasn't spared from this cruel fate. They had been through tough battles and emerged the winner. There must be a way to counter their enemies.

"Ash Knight, where are you when you're most needed! What's your strategy!" PandaHero screamed as he died again after reviving.

"We can't depend on him now, can we? I'm going over to help them." Blue Elf darted off after finishing his words, leaving Snowman in a daze.

"No, no. Wait, what are you doing? We're outnumbered here!" a very confused Snowman screamed after him.

"And we'll continue to be if we don't do something to get reinforcements!" it seemed like he had thought of a plan to turn things over.

"Listen! I don't know if this will work but it's worth a try. Whoever revives just run back to base and don't bother about fighting. I'll cast spells to stun the enemies and buy you guys some time. So shout into the channel when you're about to revive and I'll try to time my attacks."

Snowman was too engrossed in fighting his share of enemies to try and comprehend what he just said. Whatever it was, it sounded like it made sense.

"I have 6 seconds till I revive."

"Me 8."

"I'll revive in 3 seconds!"

Everyone revived at different timings so this was the challenge. Blue Elf may be able to save some but not all of his clan members. Not to mention his spells had CD too and he cannot risk getting too close to his enemies. Good thing he was a mage who could cast long-range spells and attacks.

When the first few players revived, Blue Elf threw a freezing spell that prevent nearby enemies from moving. No matter what speed buff they had, they were as good as useless being frozen. His spell would only freeze them for three seconds so a lot had to depend on luck and chance. Blue Elf's plan seemed to be going well. Several players had escaped from the cruel routine and were making their way back.

Snowman was panicking. The only Healer left fighting with him was about to die. He'd be the next one to die and then there would be no one left to defend their tower. A terrible thought crossed his mind - was this the day they see defeat? They needed reinforcements quickly.

"Whoever has your Ultimate skill when you revive, cast it to keep you immune from attacks! Then make a run back to base! I'm running out of skills to cast soon!"

A few more players managed to escape but Dream Heroes were not easy to deal with. They knew what Blue Elf was trying to do and were trying to take him down.

"I'll stay behind and help you!" a few mages who had revived joined Blue Elf in executing his plan.

Yes, Knights of Freedom, this is who you truly are! Lucas beamed with delight seeing that his clan was working together. He had teamed up with Blue Elf before and knew he was a smart kid. He had a lot to thank him for if he ever gets the chance to.

"Healer, anyone? Seeing red here!"

The Healer cast his last spell before getting slain. Dream Heroes continued to attack the tower and Snowman's defense was futile. He was down to 20% HP.

15%...10%....5%...…

In the nick of time, the first batch of reinforcements arrived! Swordsmen, mages, and healers began driving enemies away from the tower. Snowman saw his HP replenish to 80%, then 100%. They had a chance to turn things over now.

They were still outnumbered but it was better than before. They managed to kill some of their enemies and drive them further back. The Health Bar of their tower had dropped to 50%. He didn't dare think of what would happen if they didn't return in time.

A few more players were running back, amongst them were PandaHero and Blue Elf. Seemed like that had managed to break free from the nasty revive-and-get-killed-again routine.

"Prepare for battle! We're bringing the party over!" PandaHero warned everyone.

By "party", he meant the entire squad from Dream Heroes who were hot on their heels. A bloody battle was about to happen back at their base.

"We need to clear them fast and make sure no one attacks our tower!" Blue Elf reminded everybody. "We can do this, c'mon!"

Morale was high. They were Knights of Freedom, the best of the best. They were not gonna die today!

[Public Chat Channel]

"Looks like Knights of Freedom is back!"

"Whoa, this was quite a roller coaster ride."

"I thought RavenX could win for the first time!"

Seeing that Knights of Freedom were fighting stronger than before, RavenX was agitated and threw his tantrums as usual, "What kind of strategy is this? Who said it'd work? Space Warriors you guys are shit!"

That comment drew lots of anger from DemonicJ, Hobohobo, StingRay, and "the rest" who shared with him their tactics for winning clan wars.

"Oh, I see," DemonicJ said calmly. He stopped fighting and stood there doing nothing. Hobohobo, StingRay, and "the rest" followed.

RavenX suffered a blow and saw his HP drop to 30%.

"What the heck you guys doing?" he noticed DemonicJ and his gang using their "eye power" to watch the fight instead of doing any real fighting.

"Showing you how shitty we are."

The old members in Dream Heroes were used to RavenX's nonsense but the newcomers didn't take it very well. They had made the sacrifice to leave Space Warriors to join him but this was the welcome they got. Since he didn't like their plan, they decided to stop fighting to spite him. They'd get slain, revive, do nothing, and repeat.

With DemonicJ and his gang refusing the participate in battle, Knights of Freedom had it easier. They took out everyone at their base and managed to keep their tower from receiving further damage.

"Okay, we can't keep staying here. Some of us need to go attack their tower. The rest of you, give them a taste of what we've just had." Blue Elf took over Snowman and started giving commands. He gathered a team of ten players and headed for the tower.

Dream Heroes made the mistake of leaving no one to guard their tower. All their players were now lying at their enemies' base, experiencing the cruel routine that Knights of Freedom had gone through: revive, run, and get killed again.

"I'm roasting a raven here, anyone wants a taste of raven meat?" PandaHero joked. He made sure RavenX died the moment he tried to stand up after reviving.

[Public Chat]

"Roasted raven, LOL."

"I wouldn't want to eat it…"

"Another day of disgrace for Dream Warriors!"

"Even without Ash Knight, Knights of Freedom are still strong!"

The chat was full of ridicule. RavenX was boiling with rage. He had thought this new tactic would work and the new recruits from Space Warriors would help them defeat Knights of Freedom. Damn, this wasn't what he wanted!

[Knights of Freedom has made the first attack on their opponent's tower!]

The Health Bar of Dream Heroes' tower dropped, dropped, and dropped…to zero.

[Victory goes to Knights of Freedom!]

The name of the MVP for this battle popped out: Blue Elf.

[Public Chat]

"Alright, I can't sleep now after watching this exciting battle!"

"Who is Blue Elf, he deserves a fan club!"

"I can't wait for more drama between Dream Heroes and Space Warriors."

"Someone tell me where my darling Ash Knight is?"

Smiling to himself, Lucas felt a sense of relief. He was glad his clan had won but at the same time, he saw the flaws in the members. It was a matter of time before other problems would arise and cause turmoil. For one, they would soon realize Ash Knight has disappeared entirely, meaning a new leader will have to be elected. Blue Elf had proven his worth in this battle but he won't be the only person vying to be the leader of top clan in DOJ.

Change was the only constant thing, even in the gaming world. Knights of Freedom could continue to remain the strongest with a new leader bring them to greater heights, split up, or get disbanded. He hoped the virtual blessings he wished for his clan would continue to be effective.

With the clan wars coming to an end, Lucas could concentrate back on leveling up. There was no time to lose if he wants any chance to regain his former glory.