Fate Online: Shadow

Both Shadow and Solitary Tempest appeared inside Sonya's cabin.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

The first thing that they heard was the loud rumbling sound happening around them when they appeared.

Michael and Solitary Tempest quickly dashed out of the cabin and hurriedly made their way on top of the wall.

"C-chief! You're finally here!"

Carter almost jumped and swung his sword towards Michael when he and Solitary Tempest suddenly appeared beside him.

Michael didn't mind as he just nodded at him and looked at the scene before them with narrowed eyes, and at the same time, he was feeling anxious.

Dylan who already spotted them earlier jump up on top of the wall and arrived beside Michael.

"What do you think is happening? Why aren't they attacking us and are instead moving around the village, clearly avoiding us?"

Before all the players and villagers who are currently standing at the wall is a horde of Grey Orcs!

Michae looked at Dyan then shook his head as he didn't want to answer his question, but Dylan misinterpreted it as Michael not having a clue about it.

Of course, Michael knows why the Grey Orcs are avoiding them, and it has to do with the statue that has been safeguarding the village, but Michael knows that it mostly has to do with Sonya who had been staying here at the village for a long time now.

After all, Michael had already realized that the Ice and Fire statue only has the ability to ward off anything evil, like spells related to curses or similar spells, but it doesn't have the ability to ward off attacks coming for the village, and this conjecture was proven fact when a group of Ice Trolls attacked the village just after a day that Sonya had left.

Michael looked around him and saw the worried and terrified looks of the villagers around him.

"Everyone, it's fine! Just don't bother them and refrain from attacking them, do you understand!? Especially you players!"

Some of the players who were eager for a fight suddenly became deflated balloons when Michael scolded them, and they didn't dare to defy his orders as they knew that he was the highest leveled player out of all of them.

And at the same time, they are also afraid of infuriating his friends, especially Solitary Tempest, and also out of their respect towards Dylan.

After all, these players are actually people who work for Minerva, and no one among them dares to question her, lest they get reprimanded for not obeying orders.

Michael jumped down from the wall and made his way towards where the Old Chief is.

Anri and Gus who are anxiously talking to Old Buck quickly noticed Michael heading towards them, so they stopped talking to the old man and focused their attention on Michael and the group behind him.

"Chief, you're finally back! Have you seen what is happening outside?" Anri said.

"I tell you its another war, and this time, the Grey Orcs are taking the initiative to attack the Ice Trolls!" Gus said, his eyes shining in excitement and anxiousness.

While Anri looked at Michael and shaking his head to not listen to what Gus is blabbering about.

And Old Buck on the other hand just smiled and nodded at Michael with his hand shaking while holding his cane, and the latter returned the gesture with a nod.

But what Gus said made Michael's ears perked up as he wondered why the former said that.

"And how did you come to that conclusion Gus?" Michael smiled.

Because if what Gus said is right that the Grey Orcs are really taking the initiative to attack the Ice Trolls, then this time would be the best time for them to make their way towards the Wildlands by passing through the territories of the Grey Orc Tribe, where their security around their territory would certainly loosen with their lack of Orcish personnel.

"Yes, I'll explain it to you Chief! Please follow me!"

Gus's eyes lit up when he heard Michael's question that he hurriedly gestured for Michael to follow him.

Michael looked at Storm Moonlight and Chakram, and the two nodded at him, and then they followed behind Michael.

While Anri just sighed looking at their backs.

"Gus.."

Michael followed Gus all the way to the top of the village wall, where every villager that they passed by greeted him with smiles on their faces even though they are feeling anxious inside.

"Chief, can you see that mountain that they're heading to?"

Gus excitedly pointed towards a towering mountain in the distance whose color have turned white because of the weather, and Michael and the others could clearly see that that's the direction of where the horde is heading to.

"Yes, why? Don't tell me there's a tribe of Ice Trolls on that mountain?"

Michael raised an eyebrow, it was because he clearly remembers that Carter and the Old Buck had told him before that the Ice Trolls lives like nomadic tribes, where they don't have permanent land they had settled in.

"Yes, chief!" Gus nodded like a chicken pecking food from the ground.

"Gus, shut up! The Ice Trolls don't live in one place! Stop with your nonsense!" Carter angrily yelled at Gus while hurriedly walking up the stairs leading to the top of the wall.

"You should be the one shutting your mouth, Carter! I'm not talking nonsense, what I'm telling the Chief is the truth!" Gus angrily pointed his fingers at Carter.

The commotion happening between the two men quickly attracted the attention of the others, and luckily for them, the horde is already far away from the village, else it could have attracted some unwanted attention.

But the other villagers didn't care less as they quickly went back to their duties for the day, leaving Michael and the others to their own matters.

Carter was about to argue back when he suddenly saw Chakram eyeing him from behind Michael, so he just shut his mouth and smiled bitterly while scratching the back of his head, but he didn't forget to throw an angry glare towards Gus.

"I know that our knowledge about the Ice Trolls is that they are.."