Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Chapter 704 One Step Further

The world around them seemed to freeze the moment Kaizen decided to join Fryft and the demons.

The air was charged with frustration, and the rest of Kaizen's group watched in amazement as he slowly walked away, losing himself in the distance alongside the nine demons, his figure dwindling until he disappeared between the buildings surrounding the canal.

Cephal was at first paralyzed by Kaizen's surprise and apparent betrayal. He was not his friend, but a partner of the Bloody Lily. His eyes filled with rage and then a furious roar erupted from his chest.

Cephal's roar reverberated down the narrow alley, echoing off the tall stone buildings that surrounded the group.

"Shit, that son of a bitch!" Cephal shouted and smashed a nearby rock with a punch in frustration.

But that was all he could do, he was no longer a fraction of what he once was.

Eraskan clenched his fist, closing his hand, and his face became a mask of contained rage, his jaw clenched tightly.

Bloody Lily remained silent, her fist clenching the hilt of her sword. Her heart was racing, while her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, the main one being:

'Why?

However, surprisingly, the young bard and also the weakest player of all those present, Jayaa, proved to be the most rational, frowning in confusion. He put a hand to his chin and asked aloud:

"But why would Kaizen do that?" His voice sounded more like a question than a lament. "He's one of us, my leader, and he knows better than anyone the plans of The Eye of Hermodr, so why would he agree to go with the very people who are helping the villains?"

Eraskan let out a frustrated sigh. "Loyalty is a volatile currency, Jayaa. Sometimes people make unexpected choices when faced with power. And demons have a peculiar way of persuading unwary minds, let alone an Evolved. Fryft managed to persuade even Cephal, let alone Kaizen."

Cephal, still furious, agreed with a snarl. "Humph... I hate to admit it, but that woman is persuasive and that flashy outfit she's wearing doesn't help a man think much."

"Showy outfit?" Bloody Lily asked unconsciously out loud, making all three players look at her immediately. "I mean, not that I care."

Jayaa let out a lopsided smile and continued the previous subject, to free Bloody Lily from embarrassment. "I think Eraskan is wrong, because as much as she fooled Cephal, look at him..."

Then everyone looked at Cephal and saw how he looked more like a monster than a human in certain respects.

Cephal noticed the stares judging him from head to toe and shouted:

"HEY! What do you mean? Are you trying to say that I'm easier to fool just because of my more uninhibited appearance? That's part of the armor set for my class boost. The fewer clothes I wear, the stronger I am." Cephal explained.

"That means that if you go naked, you're... You know what? I'd better not even finish asking." Eraskan said.

"Anyway, I think Jayaa is right, no matter how influential Fryft is, Kaizen wouldn't fall for her easily." Said Bloody Lily. "He knows that many of them fear him and as much as what Linus said isn't completely true, that the great goal of the chaos is to wipe out the Psyker, but rather a story told to convince Linus to do what he did, the Eyes of Hermodr and demons themselves must fear Kaizen, otherwise why would they come to confront or recruit him?"

A few seconds of silence followed for everyone to think about it.

"All right, Kaizen may not have betrayed you, but why would he go with Fryft and the demons? He could end up dead." Cephal said.

Jayaa raised her hand to speak. "Maybe he thought it would be best for us. He knows that Fryft is an evolved one and still had nine demons with her. In a fight, we wouldn't stand a chance, even with him and the Bloody Lily on our side."

"Still, now that we've discovered that the portal in the cave isn't true, we only have two options: we follow Kaizen and the demons or we retreat to wait for reinforcements and lay siege to the city." Eraskan said, looking in the direction Kaizen had gone. "Before, we had no information, no idea how prepared they are for an attack, but now that we have the minimum to make a decision, we can't afford to hesitate."

Blood Lily raised her head, her eyes shining with a flame of resolution. "We have to follow Kaizen. He may have his reasons for acting like this, but we know him. We know his intelligence and his ability to make difficult decisions. If he's decided to go with Fryft, there must be a reason behind it."

Eraskan nodded, his expression still hardened by anger, but now tinged with a glimmer of hope. "I agree. If Fryft and the demons are planning something big, we can't stand idly by. Kaizen could be guiding us to an opportunity we haven't seen yet."

Jayaa added in a measured voice. "And if we go after Kaizen, we can convince him to come back to us if he really has betrayed us. He may have joined them temporarily to obtain crucial information or perhaps to protect us from some unknown threat."

Cephal, still burning with rage, lowered his gaze for a moment, thoughtful. Finally, he raised his face and looked at the other players. "It's decided then. We'll follow Kaizen and find out what he's up to. But let's be prepared for anything. Fryft is cunning, and demons are treacherous and we don't know what else we might find."

The group then left the canal and began to move cautiously through the dark streets of the city. The dim lights of the street lamps in the early evening were unsettling because of the palpable silence, only interrupted by the occasional howl of the icy wind.

For the most part, the city streets were shrouded in an eerie darkness. The group of players advanced with silent, cautious steps, their eyes attentive to any movement around them. The wind howled between the buildings, echoing a gloomy omen as they followed in Kaizen's footsteps. The buildings stretched much higher than the buildings of the Tretidian Capital, creating a labyrinth of shadows where any danger could lurk.

Bloody Lily walked at the front of the group, her grip firm on her sword, her eyes shining with determination. She was determined to find Kaizen, whether it was to bring him back or to discover the truth behind his apparent betrayal.

Jayaa walked beside her, his penetrating gaze scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger.

Eraskan followed close behind, with Cephal who, despite his intimidating appearance, remained alert, his yellow eyes shining in the dim light. He was still angry about the situation, but determination burned in his gaze, mixed with a hint of curiosity about what they might find.

As they made their way through the deserted streets, the silence was deafening. The group could only hear the echo of their own footsteps and heavy breathing, until suddenly, a noise echoed through the narrow streets. It was a soft sound, almost imperceptible, but enough to make everyone stop in their tracks.

"Was that the sound of the wind?" Jayaa asked.

Cephal put a hand in front of his lips, asking everyone to be quiet, while he looked up. In this way, his eyes found a figure on the roof of a building across the street. The figure was looking down at them and was in no way a humanoid figure.

The figure on top of the building was a slender, shadowy creature with glowing eyes that flickered in the darkness. Its body was covered in scaly skin and its fingers ended in sharp claws. It was neither human nor demonic, but something that seemed to emerge from the deepest nightmares. A tense silence hung in the air as the group watched the creature watching them. Blood Lily's eyes were fixed on it, her hand clenched around the hilt of her sword.

"What the hell is that?" muttered Eraskan, his hand resting on the handle of the dagger hidden at his waist.

Cephal, while keeping his expression impassive, spoke in a low whisper: "It's a Harbinger. A creature created by alchemy. Certainly not a good sign."

The figure of the Harbinger stood motionless on top of the building. For the players, it was as if they were staring at an abomination from a nightmare.

Blood Lily stepped forward, sword still firmly in hand. His eyes were fixed on the Harbinger. "Whatever it is, it can't stop us from finding Kaizen. We're going after him, whatever challenge we face."

Eraskan looked around, searching for an escape route should the situation deteriorate. His sharp mind was always calculating strategies, even in tense moments. "We have to be careful. We don't know how many more of these Harbingers are out there. Maybe we should run and move on."

This time, it was Cephal who stepped forward and he said:

"Back off because of a mere Harbinger? Of course not." Then a huge smile crossed his face.