Zoe and Mara's group entered the hospital and climbed the stairs, making it up to a random floor, which, in this case, was the third floor. Arriving on the floor, the two groups used the nurse station as their meeting spot. Not only was it stationed in the center of the floor, but it also gave them plenty of space to face one another without being too close.

On Zoe's side, she had Kane and Anais. And on Mara's side, there were two players with her as well. One was a male wearing a brown cloak and ranger clothing underneath, with a rather intricate, yet powerful crossbow strapped around his back. The other was a woman who possessed a similar attire to Anais, but instead of a blue sorceress robe, it was a black robe with gold designs etched on the cloth, and she wielded a long white staff with a gold gem positioned between a V-shaped tip.

According to their status windows, as Zoe appraised them, they were a Hunter and an Arcane Scholar. Both of their levels were in the thirties, like almost everyone else within the room.

As for Nick and his two companions, they stood in the middle, as if acting as mediators between the two guild leaders. For a moment, the two leaders stared at one another in silence, neither of them uttering a word, and simply maintained an intense staring contest. Their two companions remained silent as well, as if not wanting to interrupt whatever they were doing.

Nick and his companions were a bit nervous, not sure if this meeting was going to end well. They could practically feel the tension in the air between the leaders. The atmosphere became so suffocating that it was difficult for anyone to let out a single word.

But after a few more seconds of the intense staring and smothering atmosphere, Mara was the first one to speak up.

"So, I heard from my people that you wished to have a meeting with me. Something about another guild having spies in both our bases."

"And using those spies to lure out players to kill them, thus weakening our guild altogether," Zoe finished, keeping her eyes trained on the white-haired knight.

"Yes," Mara smiled, which disturbed Zoe. "I heard from Nick that Simon and Matthew were the spies. They even tried to kill Nick and his other two guildmates if your guild members hadn't shown up and stopped them. I guess I should thank you for that."

"My team was simply there at the right time, and only did what they thought was right."

The black knight snickered. "Ah, the Callahan Modesty. I forgot how humble you guys were. Regardless, considering that Simon and Matthew were part of my guild, if only as spies, I'm curious if I could retrieve them."

"You want us to give you custody of them?"

Mara shrugged. "Pretty much. Before being exposed as spies, there were a couple of dungeon trips that those two went through...and ended in tragedy. We lost a lot of people during those little expeditions, and with what we know now..."

"You suspect that those two were behind their deaths, I assume?"

She nodded. "My guild has a strict rule on loyalty and betrayal. And considering what those two have been doing...well, let's just say that they are going to pay for what they've done."

Zoe could tell from her fierce gaze that Mara meant every word about making Simon and Matthew suffer from the consequences of their actions. She knew this because she had heard stories regarding what the Grisel family did to traitors or spies. The Grisels were known for their strong bonds with their members, essentially seeing employees and the like as family rather than co-workers or servants.

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And if someone were to harm a member of the Grisel family, even if they were knights, maids, servants, and the like, such actions were not to be tolerated. And if a member of the Grisel family betrayed them, then that was even worse. Zoe heard that the Grisels did heinous things to traitors, from torture to having them getting eaten alive by monsters while the Grisel family watched with cold gazes.

Although the Grisels were known for their cruelty and savage nature, the one thing that mattered to them more than anything was their family. And they would do anything to protect or avenge them. It was even said that if the King of Ruinvia ever betrayed the family, they would raze the kingdom to the ground without a second thought. That was how seriously they took matters involving their family.

Which was why Zoe had no desire to get in the way of the Grisel motto. There was no mercy toward those who crossed the Grisels. Even if it was only Mara Grisel that she was confronting at the moment, she wasn't going to do anything to get on her bad side. Not with the kind of reputation she possessed back in Ruinvia.

"Once this meeting is over, we will work out a way to transfer the two traitors over to your guild," Zoe declared with a calm expression.

Mara's eyes arched in slight surprise. "Just like that? No resisting?"

Zoe shrugged. "It's like you said. Simon and Matthew were from your guild. They were the ones who betrayed you and attacked your members, so you have the right to dish out the appropriate punishment."

Surprised by this, Mara let out a slight chuckle. "Well, I didn't expect this. I honestly thought I was going to fight over their possession."

Zoe's lips curled into a small grin. "Sorry to disappoint you. On another note, while we are giving you your treacherous guild members, the dark elf that was also involved in the whole ordeal will be staying with us."

Upon hearing this, Mara's grin suddenly vanished, replaced with a frown instead. Kane and Anais were immediately alarmed by her change in demeanor, but Zoe remained calm.

"And why is that?" The black knight questioned in a cold tone. "From what I heard, that dark elf attacked my people as well, so I should have the right to punish her as well, don't you think?"

Zoe understood her frustration. She certainly did possess the right to get revenge on the dark elf. The only problem was...she needed to wait in line.

"There is already someone else who claimed the dark elf."

Mara's eyebrow twitched irritably. "And who might that be?"

Zoe simply smiled. "Someone who was even more wronged by the enemy than your group was."

Mara looked confused as her brow arched in response. However, after a moment to process Zoe's words, a familiar grin appeared on her face.

"Alright, you win this one, Callahan," She admitted. "I'll give you that. Aside from the custody business, I think it's about time we talked about our little partnership you suggested earlier, don't you think?"

Zoe nodded. "That's right. As you know, there is a guild sending in spies to infiltrate other guilds and take them down from the inside. My suggestion is for us to work together and try and take down this enemy guild."

"And after the fact?" Mara urged.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," She declared. "Whether we want to maintain our partnership or simply go on our separate ways while staying out of each other's businesses will be determined after the bigger threat is taken care of."

Zoe originally wanted to sustain their partnership after this whole ordeal with Dolk and his spies was over with. But after discovering that the Battle Breaker's guild leader was a member of the Grisel family from the Ruinvia empire, she was hesitant to follow through with her plan.

So, she decided to put her plans on hold until Dolk was apprehended. Though if Hazel's assumption was right, it wouldn't be long until such an event would happen. Especially when the dark elf was planning an ambush during this mission.

All Zoe needed to do until that moment arrived was wait for the attack to commence. And something told her that it was happening soon. Very soon.

...

Dolk was perched on the edge of a building located right next to the hospital, he was keeping an eye on it. Earlier, he watched several players, two of them being guild leaders according to his spies, enter the hospital building. That was because they were having a meeting inside.

A meeting that he planned to crash at a moment's notice. Moving away from the edge, he turned around and faced his small army of players currently behind him. Standing at the front of Egil, acting as the second in command.

"Alright, everyone," Dolk spoke up to his people. "It's time to get into position. And once our other group is ready...we will attack."

Egil and the other players let out a small "Yes!" in unison, letting their voices fill the area around them. Dolk then took one last look at the hospital, knowing that in the next few minutes, they were going to attack it and take down the guild leaders.

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