While Cain prepared for the arrival on the Southern Continent, word of the Challenge had spread through the Darklight Host, courtesy of a very excited Cyrene.
The girls were still asleep as much as they were awake, so listening in to the collective thoughts was one of her new favorite pastimes, and the news of someone brave enough to attack Master Cain was the most exciting thing that she had heard in a long time.
So, when she was asked about what had her worked up, she had made the mistake of telling her fellow Guild Members about the situation.
Most of them couldn't do anything but wait for updates, but the Guild had amassed a fairly large cohort of powerful followers, some of whom had also obtained a Mythic Awakening inside the towers.
As far as they knew, everyone who had been blessed in such a manner had already held a second advancement class, so the news of a possible impending Guild War had the Second Advancement fighters scrambling for the Towers in an attempt to push their limits and obtain a Mythic Quest reward.
Nowhere was that as obvious as on the Eastern Continent, where the transfers were already much more powerful, to begin with. The tower in Port Nefheim was completely full for the first time since the week it opened, and there was a lineup that encompassed almost all the Guards, and most of the strongest Outreach Workers in the area.
"Calm down everyone. Pushing and shoving won't make the others finish their battles any faster. They don't even know how big the lineup has gotten." Cixelcid shouted over the din of the crowd, drawing everyone's attention.
Today he had both of his Lieutenants, the Succubus Royal Guard maids with him for extra clout, since the outfits were so distinctive that everyone recognized them right away, even if they had no idea who Cid was.
The crowd began to calm down right away before things could go far enough that the big Vampire had to call in the Watchers to assist. They were much less forgiving and liked to throw malcontents into the ocean to calm down. The water was relatively warm, but the embarrassment was very real.
Plus, they would lose their spot in line if they were tossed.
"The upcoming fight isn't even on this continent, I don't know what they are all getting so worked up about," Lickity muttered, coming to join her husband in overseeing the chaos.
Her presence didn't really help though, as the beautiful Succubus was a well-known Tailor, and there was a lot of cloth armor using transfers in the line who were willing to pay top dollar today to get an upgrade that might let them conquer another level of the tower. The reward from the daily quest got better as you improved, especially when you beat a personal best by more than a floor, so any little bit could change things drastically for them.
The only one who Cid expected to be around that was conspicuously missing was his daughter, Neffie. Normally she would be front and center of the chaos, but the guards that were in line hadn't seen her near the tower today.
Even though she was growing at a rapid rate, her mentality was still very much that of a young child, and every parent knows that quiet isn't a relief, it is a suspicious activity. If she wasn't here where the excitement was, that meant that she found something that she thought was better, and her parents were afraid to find out what that might be.
Below the Keep, in the underground laboratory that the Watchers had claimed as their own, Neffie was proving that her parents were right to be concerned about her lack of presence at the tower.
"All I'm saying is, take me with you. You will be going to join Uncle Cain when things get messy, right? Just bring me with you. I am Mythic Awakened, so I'm durable. I can summon a Dino mount to get away if I'm in danger, so I won't be at serious risk, and to top it all off, I'm a bona fide Guild Member. If the Darklight Host goes to war, wouldn't it only be right that the Guild Members get to fight?" Neffie tried negotiating with the Watchers.
The two summoned Ancients smiled at the little Demon Queen before responding. "And I counter with this. Despite all your qualifications, you are still a minor, so we won't take you to another continent without permission. If you bring us a signed note from both of your parents, we will gladly bring you with us."
Neffie glared at the two Watchers while trying to come up with a new line of logic. She knew as well as anyone that asking her Mom to let her go to war beside the Guild Master was never going to happen. Even during attacks on the Port, she had a hard time convincing her mom to let her fight, and Neffie even had specific skills that helped her defend the city.
If she asked to go, her Mom would definitely say no, while her dad would hit her with a logic bomb about the Guardian of Port Nefheim being needed on location so that she could defend the city in case it became a target as well.
That's why she came to the Watchers. They were a much better chance to get to the front lines than anyone else that she could ask. She could try sneaking out, but there was a tracing spell on her, so her mom would know the instant that she left the city, and if she didn't have permission then someone would be sent to catch the runaway Neffie right away.
It was great to know how much everyone cared about her, but the overprotective thing was killing her sense of adventure. Why couldn't they understand that she had never been involved in a Guild War? They didn't happen to the Darklight Host very often, and if she missed this one, she might not get another chance for years, if ever.
The Guild got stronger every month. If they kept up like this, Neffie might never be more than a bystander watching other Guilds battle it out.
