As people stared at each other, a voice resounded in the air.
"I saw the White Iron guild master and Motavu fighting before the dust covered my sight, and now, we can't find the snake!"
Things took a turn at this moment and the surroundings became quiet.
Everyone suddenly held their tongues while their minds stirred.
The meaning of the said words were clear.
The two guild leaders had been the ones nearest to the body, and they were also the ones who caused the dust to erupt.
Now, after said dust vanished, the body was nowhere to be seen!
So, it was no surprise that all eyes searched fervently for the two in question.
At the same time, the woman clad in silver and a few others took notice of the slight increase of mana in the atmosphere.
It was then.
Bam!
"What are you trying to say?!"
The Red Wolf guild master appeared in front of the man who spoke and pulled him up by his head.
"My comrade has just died, yet you have the guts to sully his memory! SPEAK!"
The death of a comrade who was the closest thing he had to a brother had hit the guild master deeply.
His heart was already burning in anger as he swore to find the one who did it and to make them pay!
In such a situation, it was easy to figure out what he would do to someone speaking ill of Motavu.
Killing intent permeated the air, as the onlookers felt their blood run cold.
So no one spoke. Heck, most looked away like it was none of their business.
The man who had spoken up was pulled off the ground, so he could now see the body of Motavu with the sword having been pulled out.
'Sh*t'
Rage filled his heart when he saw the others looking to the sides. He was on his own.
As such, he quickly understood that he was in a very volatile situation where his death would come swiftly if he didn't pick his words well.
He tried to calm himself, but quickly realized that he couldn't.
So he splurged out what he knew in a way that could save his skin.
The best move to save himself was to cast the blame on someone else.
"While we were fighting the snakes, Motavu and Ilyon were fighting. We didn't know why, but it seemed Motavu was trying to stop Ilyon from doing something"
Which was exactly what he did.
"Then something happened and dust was all over the place, and well, you know the rest"
The guild master stared him straight in the eye for a few seconds, when suddenly, he was flung away like trash.
Those standing at the side had their eyes follow the man's figure as he landed with a sound that made them wince.
The culprit couldn't be bothered to care as his eyes darted about trying to find Ilyon, before quickly noticing that he wasn't there.
Without any words, he snatched up a White Iron guilder and pulled him towards himself.
"Where is your guild master?!"
The person in question was already dead tired from fighting, like most of the White Iron guilders.
So, not all of them had taken notice of the guild master's absence.
Obviously, the man who suddenly found himself being questioned out of the blue panicked and spoke loudly.
"I don't know where he is!"
But the Red Wolf guild master didn't budge, but instead tightened his grip, slowly choking the man.
The man could only try unsuccessfully to pull off the hand on neck.
Other White Iron guilders were on their feet watching cautiously, but none dared to attack or even reveal their hostility.
The reason why was simple. None of them was strong enough to face the Red Wolf guild master.
Especially when the remaining guilders rallied behind him.
It meant showing hostility would only have them end up like the man they were spectating.
Each White Iron guilder felt stifled at the scene, at their powerlessness, at their hopelessness. Some directed the blame towards Ilyon, who was nowhere to be seen.
The independent or unaffiliated adventurers, but best known as mercenaries, had moved away from the White Iron guilders to avoid the brewing scuffle between the two guilds.
As for the snakes, most had dispersed once the culling began.
The snake lover potion, even after being enhanced by mana, was almost completely spent.
At least, it was nowhere as potent as before.
The moment the threat of death grew apparent, they were able to snap out of their frenzied state and make the most logical choice, run.
Tension was filling the air once more, when someone spoke up.
"Davin! What are you doing?!"
Without caring for formalities, the man, clad in ragged white armor, spat out the guild master's name and appeared in front of him.
The guild master, or Davin, paused at the sound of his name as he turned his head to face the one who called out and dropped the poor guilder in his hands to the ground.
"Haaaaa….Haaaaa….Haaaa"
The knight exhaled audibly while touching his neck. From a glance, one would know the man had already begun to suffocate.
But most didn't pay attention to him, but at the confrontation between the two men of similar heights.
Davin was the first to speak. His tone thick and buoyant.
"Do you want your tongue ripped out, Sunny boy? Because I can very well fulfill those wishes"
But the other knight, Sunny, answered with a tone just as fierce.
"You can try, but within a week, you'll understand the difference between our guilds when your boys are lying six feet under"
Tension levels rose even higher as both sides stared at each other, when surprisingly-
"I need to hold someone accountable! Where is your guild master?"
-Davin relented first. And it wasn't because he was suddenly feeling merciful.
'They might care not for others, but this is different'
It was because he knew what kind of power Sunny was talking about.
It had been proved once before how terrifying White Iron could be, and it was also how the man in front of him had become famous.
The other knight, Sunny, promptly spoke without change in expression.
"The guild master is dead"
Davin furrowed his brows, but before he could speak, Sunny continued.
"Or do you think I'm lying? You have to be joking if you think I'll be afraid of you"
It was a statement that made Davin feel humiliated.
Nevertheless, it was the truth, the bitter truth, and Davin knew it.
But it only made him more frustrated, because now, he had no one to hold accountable.
Sunny couldn't care less as he continued…
"Your friend dealt him a blow that had all of us pushed back from the force alone. So I can say with certainty that there's no way our guild master survived"
This statement soothed Davin a bit.
"Though…I guess he paid for the attack with his life"
Such a statement got Sunny a sharp glare from Davin.
But before they could continue their bickering.
"Unbelievable!"
A voice of ecstasy pulled everybody's attention as they quickly traced back the voice and found that it was coming from within the mountain.
