Mighty Rentrasn’ar City

A harsh, militaristic atmosphere hung over the city. Heavily armored soldiers could be found ever few steps. Thick walls were equipped with mighty crossbows which could take out enemies in land and in the air. Judging from their posture one could guess that even civilians here knew how to fight.

However, the heavy mood was interrupted ever since the players arrived at this place.

"Sarah, come! Chaos Faction players have been spotted in Southern Light Kingdom! So many players are going there to surround them. If we don't hurry up there will only be crumbs left."

"Be careful. Last time they set a trap! When we arrived, Wave of Bones suddenly appeared and harvested us like wheat."

"It's alright. It has been confirmed that Wave of Bones is on a mission."

"Good. But he's not the only reputable player in the Chaos Faction. If you see the likes of Fatalistic End or TwoTimesTwo, you better run quickly!"

A smile unconsciously formed on Liam's lips. He remembered the times of messing with the opposing factions to hone his PvP skills. It didn't take long for people to fear him like they feared Wave of Bones now.

Liam was enjoying his memories while leaving the city between groups of players. Once outside he found himself in a mostly barren area.

Due to frequent attacks by the Chaotic faction no fields or forest could hold on around the city. An open view towards the Southern Chaotic Mountains, which separated the Central Plains from the Southern Wasteland, remained.

Liam separated from the main bunch of players, traveling towards the mountains. Soon, a few details could be made out.

Stubborn forests covered most of the mountains. They consisted of blood red trees with thick trunks, looking like a heavy carpet covering the mountains.

Only these Red Flaming Trees could survive within the high temperature emitted from the lava lakes below the mountains.

The forests spanned most of the mountain range and were difficult to harvest. Only some wide paths were laboriously cleared up, in order to build and support large fortresses.

However, many thin paths remained, allowing passage to smaller groups of infernals, who regularly used them to wreak havoc.

Many of those paths had already been found by the players. When it came to messing with others they were surprisingly fast. PvP seemed to develop faster than PvE.

Thus, Liam had to take a small detour, choosing a rather hidden path to cross the mountains. He wore the shadow cloak, pulling the hood deep into his face. Everything about his identity was hidden by the item.

However, this didn't protect him against attacks. On the contrary, in this PvP dominated area it would only make him look more suspicious.

Thus, Liam had no choice but to avoid players. He enjoyed a little hike up the mountains only accompanied by the sound of wild animals in the forest.

Naturally there also existed some monsters here. However, most of them weren't aggressive, letting the players pass as long as they didn't get to close. Maybe it was also because of the monsters' high levels, disregarding the fledgling players.

Liam couldn't help but sigh from time to time, though. He knew about many secrets, treasure chests, and infernal totems in the area. But all of them were protected by powerful monsters, inaccessible at the moment.

Well, it's not like I won't be coming back in the future…

Suddenly Liam looked towards the sky. A large shadow was falling over this patch of the forest.

Watching a large airship gliding above his head, Liam wore an admiring expression. It looked mostly similar to ships in the ocean except for the lack of sails. Those were substituted by special stones, densely packed with magical circles, levitating next to the ship, yet carrying the entire weight.

If only I could ride an airship, then I wouldn't have to walk up the mountain…

Liam let out a sigh. But he knew this wish of his would only be fulfilled far into the future. It took a massive guild to gather the resources to buy or even craft such an airship. It was almost impossible for a single player to do so.

Thus, Liam had no choice but to waste his time on the road. Although he used scrolls of swiftness, boosting his movement speed, reaching the top of the pass still took more than an hour.

From this place a barren landscape could be made out. The southern wasteland gained its name from the many battles happening there.

Even before hell opened a passage to this place, it was often used as a battleground for factions who didn't want to damage their own soil.

The bloodshed left behind mutated plants and beasts, most of them extremely bloodthirsty.

And the invasion of hell didn't improve the situation.

Entering this chaotic territory Liam raised his vigilance. On this side of the mountain there were less monsters, but all of them were aggressive.

Liam didn't dare to be presumptuous. He advanced carefully, taking detours if necessary.

Wasting even more time he finally arrived safely at the foot of the mountain. Many temporary war camps could be seen along the mountain range. They were teeming with battle-hungry undead, demons, and other infernals.

Many players were gathered as well.

Liam, donning his shadow cloak, didn't mix into the crowd but followed a large road. Soon he arrived at a large city.

Compared to human cities the infernal cities looked more like chaotic fortresses. A large palisade made of wooden stakes formed the outer wall. It was decorated with beast hides and skulls emitting a smell which should intimidate other beasts.

Traces of blood could be seen around the city. No one bothered to clean them up. It was seen as a sign of strength if your city was a place of frequent battles, boosting the reputation of the city lord.

When Liam arrived at a towering gate, the surrounding NPCs glanced at him but didn't speak up. In the infernal territory it was normal to see cloaked figures. Many infernals didn't enjoy the feeling of the sun on their skin.

The surrounding players were somewhat curious though, thinking Liam was a special NPC without his name floating above his head.

A few courageous players tried to probe him. However, when the veteran answered with cold silence, they lost interest quickly.

Thus, Liam made his way through the city relatively safely. He even had time to glance at the players' markets. The city wasn't much different from human cities expect for the less orderly houses and the tendency to decorate everything with all kinds of trophies ranging from skulls to blood.

Soon, Liam arrived in front of another huge wall. It was made from solid black stone, with large towers ending in evil-looking, sharp roofs.

Demonic soldiers with red skin and black armor patrolled the wall. It ended in an impressive castle, which was the residence of the city lord.

City Lord Rentrasn'ar, a black abyss demon of quite the renown.

Liam lingered around the city lord's residence for a few minutes. He hoped that Rentrasn'ar would come out for some random reason, saving him a lot of time.

But unfortunately, he didn't have much luck.

If you don't want to come out, I will have to find you a reason…

Liam sighed inwardly as he turned around and went back the way he came from.

At the outskirts of the city was a large compound. It was surrounded by a wall made of bones with thick chains hanging from it.

A faint green magic lingered in the air. Although it carried the vitality of wood magic one could feel an ominous aura when looking at it.

The wall had two entrances guarded by skeleton soldiers in black armor, with chains wrapped around their bodies.

It was nothing surprising for strong clans to have their own territories within large cities. It was a similar concept to an embassy only that the inhabitants weren't here to negotiate, and the territory could only be kept by showing enough power.

And exactly this power was what Liam needed at the moment.

Thus, he walked confidently into the compound of the Black Chain Rebellion. A few suspicious gazes followed him, but no one tried to stop him as he approached a large black and white stone house.

When he entered, Liam found himself in spacious room. To the left and right some soldiers were lined up, protecting a tall skeleton sitting on a throne at the other side of the room.

Someone well versed in medicine might be able to tell the skeleton's gender from its bones. But Liam could only base his judgement on the black robe it was wearing, which resembled a male mage's robe.

The green magic permeating the air concentrated around the skeleton. Liam had to suppress the unwell feeling in his chest as he bowed slightly:

"This humble adventurer Bleary Mirage greets the liberator."

Only now did the skeleton show any movement. He slowly lowered his head. Even with green flames replacing his eyes, Liam felt as if the skeleton watched him closely.