Cyclone and Balm stood on top of a tower, overlooking the slope of the hill. The tower couldn't compare to what they had during the territory war. It was smaller and with a roof over their heads. The guild didn't have enough points at the start to install siege weapons like ballistae.
Instead, they spent their money on thicker walls and built roofs to cover as much space as possible. This was the decision they came to after Liam's reminder that the biggest threat came from the other guilds. He expected them to use their points to attack Dream Avenue from all sides, even from above.
Thus, the core members decided to build a stronghold fortified like a turtle shell. Even the profession players had stable workshops with roofs over their heads. It would be their job to produce consumables non-stop with the materials that Dream Avenue bought with their points. This was more cost effective than buying the consumables directly.
When Dream Avenue's members watched as the stronghold formed out of thin air, the melee members felt their stomachs sink. They recalled the territory war, during which they couldn't really utilize their strengths.
However, this time it was different. Liam suggested the placement of multiple gates in the stronghold. According to his guess the NPC enemies would not be powerful, mainly serving as a source of points. Thus, there wasn't too much danger in opening the gates and allowing the melee fighters to harvest the enemies outside.
As this information spread among the guild members, the melee fighters sighed in relief and their motivation rose sharply. They were raring to go, eager to contribute their skills.
Impatient chatter spread through the guild.
"What's taking so long? Shouldn't 30 minutes be over already?"
"Finally, the big war begins! It's time for us to amaze the server!"
"I wonder what formats the other guilds pulled…"
"Hmpf. I was looking forward to a straightforward face-to-face battle! It would be best if it were against Galaxy. Every time I meet one of those bastards they start a fight."
"Haha, Grog, that's not what I heard. I think it's you who's always starting fights."
"Hm? Are you saying I'm lying? Come here, you…"
"Guys, spare your energy for the guild war. We only have 30 seconds left. Can you be patient until then?!"
Liam stood not far away from the group of players. He was glad that the mood was that good. After the federation tournament the guild had recovered quickly, turning the loss into motivation. Out of the one thousand members no one was there just for the paycheck. At least that's what it felt like. Of course, not all members received wages yet, but the guild was working on changing that fact.
Just as Liam's thoughts began to trail off, C's voice finally sounded throughout the entire battlefield.
"Competing guilds, prepare yourselves! The guild war… starts… now!"
Suddenly the atmosphere among all the guilds turned tense. Everyone had constructed their own strongholds, standing on the walls and solemnly watching the hills.
For a moment it seemed like there was no movement. But then the first players gradually noticed how the wind picked up. A strange, off-putting smell spread through the air. The temperature dropped by another degree or two. Goosebumps formed on some bodies.
Another second or two passed in the tense atmosphere when finally signs of enemies appeared. At the bottom of all the hills the soil began to move slightly. Suddenly something broke out of the floor! Those were thin, deceptively frail arms, their skin dry and of an unhealthy, grey colour.
The hands pushed against the ground and slowly bodies rose from the ground. Instantly everyone recognized the zombies wearing ragged clothes and walking on unsteady legs. Incoherent groans came out of their dry throats.
Watching the scene many players shivered unconsciously. Of course, they had been confronted with zombies before due to the game. But there was a difference between cutting down a dozen of them and being surrounded by hundreds.
[Bleary Mirage: Everyone, get ready! Melee fighters, don't go too far from the stronghold.]
As Liam gave the command all the melee fighters became excited. They gathered around the stronghold's gates. Showing great discipline, they only left in groups, ready to swap with those behind them should their HP drop dangerously low.
Finally, the first zombies began their difficult walk up the hill's slope. With their rigid movements they didn't look like a powerful army. Only in vast numbers might they stand a chance of threatening the guilds.
[Cyclone: Go!]
Cyclone waved her hands, signalling all the ranged fighters to attack. Arrows and magic flew out of the stronghold, targeting the zombies below. As the crowd of enemies was too dense it was difficult to miss even if one wanted to.
Cyclone herself also threw some normal attacks, trying to gauge the threat of the enemies.
[-4174!]
[-4622!]
[-5120!]
[-3938!]
The strength of the zombies varied greatly but in general they were all common monsters below level 30. Out of four attacks form Cyclone, two were enough to kill their targets in one hit, earning the guild one point.
Of course, Cyclone alone couldn't gather a substantial number of points but as the enemies came from all sides it didn't take too long until Dream Avenue received their first 50 points.
The zombies fell in droves, but this didn't stop more from coming. The soil was overturned constantly, and new zombies arrived each second, seemingly never ending.
And yet the melee fighters waiting on top of the hill felt exasperated as the zombies were dying too quickly, unable to reach the top of the hill. A few people turned towards Liam with pleading expression:
"Mirage! Please let us attack. Don't you see all the fun we are missing out on…"
"Exactly! Here, look at my great sword! It's made to mow down zombie hoards! Isn't this the ultimate dream of every real warrior?"
"Please, Mirage…"
Glancing at all the warriors rearing to go, Liam pondered for a moment. He knew it wouldn't be good for the guild if the melee fighters kept feeling stifled. Looking at the other strongholds it was apparent that the other guilds had also poured most of their points into building fortifications. They shouldn't have enough points left to attack Dream Avenue for a while. Thus, the danger was minimal…
Thinking about all this Liam finally nodded, delighting the players around him. He immediately gave the order.
[Bleary Mirage: All melee players, leave the stronghold and cut down the zombies! Don't forget to return on my command!]
"Haha, our time has finally come!"
"Nice, watch me cut down the zombie hoard!"
"Let's go!"
Listening to the excited voices Liam felt that he had made the right decision. He ran in the middle of a large crowd, ready to kill a few zombies as well.
As most of the melee players left there were only the profession players staying within the confines of the stronghold. The first points were trickling in and the guild directly exchanged them for materials. Although their enemies were not strong, this would be a prolonged battle. The guild needed potions and food prioritizing mana recovery.
Meanwhile the blacksmiths were stockpiling up on throwing weapons just in case, should the zombies manage to push up to the walls.
At this point Liam regretted not having a tinkerer or a scribe. Those were the professions capable of producing bombs and magic scrolls. However, these were rather advanced professions, and it was uncertain if there was currently any player who had learned one of the two professions. It would be up to Liam to guide some interested guild members later.
For now, the guild had to do without bombs and scrolls. However, against the weak zombies they could rely on their own strength. As the melee fighters clashed with the undead, it was like weed meeting a scythe. The zombies were cut down relentlessly but were impossible to get rid of.
Like this the first few minutes of the war passed with no guild facing any difficulties. It was then that C's voice echoed through the battlefield, drowning out all other noise:
"Guilds. The first challenge begins. Choose a single candidate to participate in: The floor is lava!"
Cyclone and Balm perked up as a message appeared in front of their eyes asking them to choose a candidate. At the same time their attention was attracted by a change suddenly happening in the arenas at the bottom of the valley.
In the blink on an eye the dusty floor was replaced by boiling hot lava, which affected the temperature of the entire battlefield. A few scattered rocks were swimming within the lava. The distance between those was too far for anyone to jump from one to another. For this reason, there was a metal structure above the arena from which all kinds of objects hung. There were fire resistance ropes, various bars, rotating beams and more.
"An obstacle path?!"
Staring at the arena, Cyclone's mouth gaped open. This was not at all what she had expected from the challenge…