As he read Leonel's message, Ren couldn't help the rise of his anger. A guild never changed. They said that teamwork and helping each other was the core of their guild, but behind all that was greed that could never be seated.
Rare equipment and standing were all the guild cared about, second to themselves.
And even though he expected that Mike and Saya would only think of themselves, Ren was still angered that they left Leonel on his own when they were the ones who invited him to party in the first place.
Ren somehow guessed what had happened from what little Leonel told him. He had to admit that he felt relieved that Leonel didn't go along with the raid and risk of being wiped out. And he would ensure that Mike and Saya would regret leaving Leonel behind.
[Ren: If you finish with whatever you're doing there, you can join me in Kartacol. It's south in the Land of the Dwarves. Go to Igor Village and just ride a Caravan there to come here]
[Leonel: Sure2x! I'll ask Mike and Saya too! Is that alright?]
Ren grumbled, but he knew that Mike would never agree since he had a grudge against him, and he was stubborn as hell, the same as him. And Leonel was stuck between the crossfire. He was the mediator. The bandage that tried to keep the dead friendship alive.
Ren sighed.
[Ren: Suit yourself]
He then closed the chat box before he thought of something.
[Ren: Evie, an in-game conversion is bound to happen. Be sure to save as much gil as you can]
Ren then closed the message screen and directed his attention at the sky. He wondered if she had already ventured into Illusion Forest.
A slight smile tickled Ren's lips. Knowing her, Evie would surely become the Illusion Queen. He was confident that she could do it.
It was going to be dark soon, and the landscape was still blanketed by nothing but desert, shadowed by twinkling stars peeking at the dark grey horizon.
"We will take a short break around here," announced Hoggy when they reached a small oasis.
The Hog stopped, and the crew set up tents for the players.
Even though Ren and the others weren't sleepy or tired, they still got off the Hog and went to the crew, who were about to set a bonfire.
"Come, everyone. Let's eat! We have fresh boar skewed and roasted to perfection. Only fifty gil each!" Hoggy exclaimed though the food was just put on the grill.
Ren saw the other players huddled around the fire and those group of five that were planning to go to Salty Pink Dessert. He was the only loner in the group with a pet on his neck, and some players readily noticed him because of it.
Five logs surrounded the fire, and Ren sat on an empty one. He was the only one who was silent while the others were chatting merely.
At the side, Ren noticed a group of three men sitting not far away whose eyes were looking at the two pretty girls in the group of five that were going to Salty Pink Dessert. They were grinning and whispering with each other.
And like making a bet with one another, one of those men approached the girl with golden hair and said, "Hello, Miss beautiful. My name is Edgar. Do you want to sit with us real men rather than with a bunch of kids? We will show you a great time."
Ren sighed and slightly shook his head. Even this early in the game, there were such scenes already happening.
"Buzz off," the girl with dark skin growled while the three boys in their group all stood and protected the girl with golden hair like a princess.
Ren wasn't interested in the squabbles since the Caravan would take care of that until one of the three men said in a condescending voice.
"Don't you know who I am, kid?" he told them with a loud snarl. His spiky hair was as domineering as his face. "I'm Edgar, a core member of Sleeping Dragon! The best guild in the game."
At the mention of Sleeping Dragon, it felt like Ren's entire world blackened, and his head was ringing with the name, veins pounding hard against his skin.
Ren didn't know if this Edgar was telling the truth or not since he couldn't recognize his face. Edgar must have been an early member, or he was simply lying, but Ren wouldn't just let it go.
Anyone who was on the side of that guild would suffer in his hands.
"So what? Go away before we call the cops," the girl with dark skin said.
Edgar looked over at his friends before they all bent over with laughter. "You hear that?! Cops, she said! These kids think that this is still the real world."
The girl with dark skin looked embarrassed, while the three boys really wanted to wrestle Edgar to the ground even if the man was bigger than them.
"Hey. Stop that. They're just kids," another player said, and the other players also shot to their feet, glaring at the three men in Sleeping Dragon.
However, Edgar didn't flinch even though all the players were against him. Everyone didn't know where he got the courage to be a hooligan in front of them until a man with black hair and crescent eyes went to Edgar and grinned at everyone.
"My name is Cal Lu. And you probably heard of my father Cang Lu, right?"
Ren's brain suddenly took a turn. There were indeed rich families backing every guild, and one of them was supporting Sleeping Dragon, which was the Lu's.
Ren only had a glimpse of Cal Lu in the past, and this early in time, he almost didn't recognize him since the man was still in his early twenties. What's more, the shadows from the dancing fire hid some of his features, so Ren didn't recognize him upon a brief glance.
The others looked at each other before they whispered.
"Cang Lu?"
"That's one of the real estate tycoons in Zone B."
"He is bluffing."
"No, he is not. No wonder that man is so familiar. I saw him on the news sometimes."
"So it's true?"
"Look at his player name on top of his head."
"It's just Cal. There are thousand with the same name as him."
"Unless he had the same face with the Cal on TV that I saw."
At the mention of Cal Lu, every player suddenly clamped their mouth tight and took their sit while their eyes pretended to look at their friends and chat with each other.
The three men's smiles widened. It was no secret that whoever messed with the Lu would face bankruptcy the next day.
No one wanted to be implicated, so everyone kept one eye closed when the three men all pestered the teenagers.
"Come on. What's your name?" Edgar said at the girl with golden hair. Based on its persistence, it seemed that he had no intentions of backing off.
The three boys all pushed Edgar away when the latter was about to grab the girl's arm when she still ignored the man.
And after that, a riot ensued.
Edgar summoned his weapon and raised it against the three boys. Since Edgar was a big man, one swung from his sword, and the three teenagers were flung to the side.
"AaArRgGh!"
The others shot from their sit and were about to help the boys when Cal raised his finger.
"Anyone who help those brats, I will remember your faces and names."
The others stopped and looked at each other before looking away with gritted teeth.
Edgar cracked his knuckles and looked down at the boys. "You boys be good and stay dead on the ground. You're lucky that I'm in a good mood today, or else you brat–Ughk!"
Edgar hadn't finished his sentence when four rows of water balls shot in his direction. Edgar was sent flying from the force, and his back smacked against the ground when he fell.
His whole body drenched, Edgar coughed the water from his mouth, and another slipped from his nose.
"The fuck?!" Edgar growled and shook the water from his hair and face.
Every eye went to a player with a hood and a pet flying on his shoulder
Ren was now on his feet with the long staff in his hand.
"While I'm still in a good mood, you three better scram the fuck off." If PvP were already introduced, Ren wouldn't have second thoughts at challenging the three of them all at once and kill them over and over.
"Who are you?!" Cal snarled at Ren, prying at his face from his hood. "Don't you know who––Ugh!"
Cal didn't get to finish his sentence when other rounds of water balls hit him straight on his face. And his fate was the same as Edgar's, back hugging the ground while water dripped from his orifices.
Ren didn't care if it was the Lu or a core member of the Sleeping Dragon –– all of them would pay. He would crash that guild to the ground and all its members.
"You Fucker!" the remaining of the three dashed at Ren with a staff in his hand and he was about to swung it hard on Ren's head. Based on his equipment, he was a Mage in the group. A Dark mage.
And Ren didn't have to waste any spell on the guy. With his AGI, he quickly went to the side and slipped his toes. The man tripped and fell, face first on the dirt.
The guy immediately shot to his feet, face full of dirt and grass peeking at his nostrils. He growled at Ren before he attempted to wrestle the latter.
Ren merely stepped to the side and pushed the guy towards Edgar and Cal, who were now on their feet and was about to fight Ren with their fists when their friend toppled them away.
Rain of curses filled the area, and after getting their bearing back, they were about to storm Ren again when Hoggy and his two bodyguards went between them.
"My dear clients. Please take note that there is no fighting in this Caravan. This is your first warning."
