"So, how do you think this meeting will play out?" Kane asked as he and the other players, including Zoe, Anais, Nick, and his other two companions, sat in the cargo truck while they were on their way to the Meeting Location.

"What do you mean exactly, Kane?" Anais inquired, turning her cold yet neutral gaze toward her brawling companion.

"Well, I mean, do you think we'll come to some kind of agreement with the Battle Breakers guild?"

"Considering that we both want the same thing, I would hope so," Zoe chimed in, crossing her arms. "We have a common enemy after us, so the guild leader should understand the situation and attempt to cooperate with us."

The reason Zoe established this meeting with the Guild Leader of the Battle Breakers was to try and form a sort of partnership or alliance with one another. Through this alliance, they would work together to try and take down their common enemy, that being the mastermind who planted spies in both their guilds.

After that, they would attempt to try and bring order to the city they were in, so that they could get control of the situation while they still had a chance.

"Our guild leader will listen," Nick declared to the group. "After what I told her about Simon and Matthew, along with what we learned about how they lured out other players to kill them, she's more than willing to form some kind of alliance with your guild."

Zoe nodded. "Well, that's good. Then our little meeting with the Battle Breaker Guild Master will go smoothly."

Hearing this, both Anais and Kane looked at their guild leader, knowing the truth regarding the matter of the meeting. All three of them knew about the ambush that the guild leader of Black Exiles was planning to spring on them. However, this was only known to the few members of the Valiant Guild, like Zoe, Kane, Anais, and John. The others who knew were Hazel, Astrid, and Chegyaeyi.

All of them knew this fact because they were the only ones who could be trusted with this secret. At least for the moment. Neither Nick nor his two companions were aware of the ambush. This was because while they were betrayed by Simon and Matthew, their former companions, there was no telling if any of them could also be a traitor as well.

And it was because of this fear that Zoe and the other players remained cautious of whom to tell the truth to regarding the matter. At least until they knew who they could trust. Or at least until they could deal with the Leader, who was planning an ambush at the meeting and a secret rescue to break out one of their prisoners who belonged to the guild.

Hazel and Zoe hoped that through the ambush and secret rescue, they could capture the leader and his other companions while their enemies were unaware of their knowledge of their plans. That was the plan, anyway. There was no telling what exactly could happen during the whole ordeal.

However, for all of their sakes, they hoped that the plan would go as smoothly as possible, just as Zoe had insinuated before.

The group continued to ride through the street, slowly making their way over to the meeting place, that being the hospital. Because they were in a truck with drapes hanging over them, none of the players could look outside and watch the passing buildings and the like as they rode along. So, all they did for the moment was simply stare off into space, or their status windows, or even sit back and rest while they could.

A little while passed until the cargo truck finally stopped. When it did, Zoe and the others quickly hopped off, finding themselves in front of the Maine Hospital building, where Hazel's group was attempting to find medical supplies inside.

Standing in front of the building, Zoe looked around, seeing if the other guild was already here. Surprisingly enough, they were alone for the moment.

"Looks like we're the first ones here,' Kane noted, looking around as well before turning to Nick. "How long until your Guild Master shows up?"

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"According to her, around five minutes. They left a little later than us because they were sorting out everything for their departure."

Thankfully, they didn't have to wait too long. For now, Zoe believed that it would be wise to do some reconnaissance to inspect the area and make sure that there were no enemies nearby. Enemies they weren't expecting, anyway.

"Anais, could you and Kane investigate the surrounding area and see if there are any lingering monsters roaming the area?"

The sorceress nodded. "Of course. Let's go, Kane." She told the brawler while walking away.

"Right behind you," Kane said as he followed her.

While the two players went off to fulfill their orders, Zoe stayed behind with Nick's group and waited for their guild leader to finally arrive.

"So, you never told me what your guild leader was like. What can I expect from her?"

"Not much, honestly. I know that she's from your world. In fact, you have a lot in common, I believe," Nick explained. "She's a former knight from a Kingdom south of this continent."

Hearing this, Zoe became more invested. The reason why was that the only kingdom south of Briarhart was none other than the Ruinvia Empire. And unfortunately, Briarhart and Ruinvia were not on good terms. While the Great Forest of Mier stayed neutral and kept to themselves, the two other kingdoms were, at times, at each other's throats.

Zoe was even involved in some of the conflicts with the Ruinvia Empire. Nothing that erupted into war, but there were times when the Knights of Briarhart and Ruinvia butted heads against one another when it came to territorial disputes, jurisdiction and the like.

The fact that Zoe didn't bother learning anything about the guild leader was a blunder on her part. She didn't expect the guild leader to be someone from the Ruinvia Empire. Of course, that didn't excuse her from not learning more about the person she was meeting.

A little while passed before Anais and Kane finally made it back from their investigation of the area. According to them, there were no enemies anywhere nearby, making the Hospital safe. For now, at least.

Once Zoe was told about this, everyone then noticed that a similar-looking military cargo truck was approaching them. At first, they were alarmed and on edge, but one word from Nick managed to ease their nerve, if only a bit.

"That's our Guild Master," He told them with a wide grin as he and his companions watched the cargo truck make its way toward them.

After driving a bit closer to the group, the cargo truck finally stopped, allowing the members inside to get out. A total of five players emerged from the cargo hold before walking over to Zoe's group.

Leading the group was a woman player donning jet black armor and what appeared to be a bastard sword strapped around her back. She had fair white skin and white hair to go with it, contrasting the dark theme of her armor entirely, as if to say, despite looking dark and menacing, there was a hint of purity within the darkness.

Zoe immediately recognized who this person was, and her face contorted with dread.

"Lady Zoe," Anais whispered to Zoe. "Isn't that...?"

"It is," the Knight grimly nodded. "It's Mara Grisel...the Black Knight of the Grisel family."

Zoe knew this person well. It was because there were a few instances where she and the Black Knight crossed swords. And while the encounters weren't life-threatening, they also weren't exactly friendly bouts either.

Mara marched over to Zoe's group before stopping a few feet before her. She then locked eyes with the Valiant Guild's leader, her menacing red eyes staring right at her. The black knight scanned Zoe for a moment before letting out a scoff.

"Well, if it isn't Zoe Callahan," She smirked. "I didn't expect to find you here."

Zoe tilted her head with a mixture of confusion and irritation written on her face. "You didn't expect me to reside in the territory of the Briarhart Kingdom? The very place I was born and raised?"

Hearing this from the Callahan Knight, Anais, Kane, and the others watched with widened eyes, fearful of how the Battle Breaker Guild master would respond. A moment later, Mara expelled a loud laugh that echoed around them.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you still have the same fight in you," The red-eyed dark knight grinned menacingly. "And here I thought you would be devastated about the total collapse of your kingdom."

Zoe clenched her hand tightly, feeling her irritation get the best of her. However, to avoid ruining this opportunity, the knight pushed down her pride and anger and tried to remain as calm as possible. As she did, Mara continued to speak.

"So, I heard from one of my people that you wished to have a meeting with me, yes?"

Zoe hesitated to answer, not sure if she was certain that allying with a Knight of Ruinvia was the right move. However, she ignored her bias and focused on the mission. "That's right," She said while nodding. "I believe we have a common enemy that needs our attention. Do you agree?"

Mara's wicked smile widened, slightly disturbing Zoe and the others. It reminded them of the menacing grin of the Veiled Witch, Hazel Thatcher. Something told the knight that if these two ever encountered one another, they would become very good friends.

"I do agree," She said while gesturing toward the hospital. "Shall we go inside?"

Zoe took a moment to reply, still hesitant about her choice. "Yes." She nodded. "Let's go inside."

Upon their agreement, both Zoe and Mara then led their respective groups inside the hospital. And now the meeting of the two guilds would soon begin.

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