As Astrid and Chegyaeyi continued to question Olga about the conspiracy that plagued the great forest of Mier, they were interrupted upon hearing explosions and yelling nearby. The explosions shook the floor and the building they were in, startling them.

"What the hell was that?" Astrid questioned frantically, looking around.

"I'm not sure," Chegyaeyi muttered. "But it doesn't sound good."

The lizardfolk marched over to the exit, leaving Astrid and the prisoners behind.

"I'll go see what's going on while you stay here."

Astrid nodded. "Got it."

Chegyaeyi nodded but with a grim expression. Neither of them knew what was happening, but they were certain that it was something bad. The lizardfolk warrior left the room, leaving the dark elf with Olga and the other two prisoners.

After she was gone, Astrid glanced over at her former dark elf companion, immediately catching the smug grin on her face.

"Why are you smiling, Olga?" She questioned, anger filling her.

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself, lady Astrid," the blindfolded dark elf said, not bothering to elaborate any further.

Astrid narrowed her eyes in annoyance. It was obvious that the treacherous dark elf knew something. Then it hit her.

The secret rescue. One of Olga's allies was trying to get her out of the guild. But why were they causing so much of a disturbance? Surely, they didn't need to make so much noise for a simple rescue mission.

Then what...oh, no.

Astrid soon reached a grim conclusion. One that went far beyond what she or Hazel could've expected Dolk even to try to rescue one of their own.

That disturbance was part of the rescue mission...just not the one that Astrid believed would happen. Just then, Chegyaeyi soon returned to the room with bated breath.

"We have trouble!" She shouted. "There's a small army of players attacking the building! All of them are located southwest of here!"

Astrid stood there in brief shock, realizing what Dolk was planning. Instead of a quiet rescue mission where they would attempt to sneak Olga out, that treacherous psychopath decided to invade the building as a distraction to get to Olga.

She frantically looked back at her former companion, noticing the same smug expression on her face. Olga then looked up and faced her, without even needing to see.

"Have you figured it out yet, Lady Astrid?"

Astrid clenched her hands into fists, feeling a boiling rage swelling within her. "You..." She wanted to swear at the dark elf ranger, but soon realized that there were pressing issues at the moment.

She turned her gaze back to Chegyaeyi, who was still at the entrance.

"We need to move," Astrid declared. "That small army is likely a distraction to keep other players from getting to Olga and preventing her from escaping."

The lizardfolk nodded before marching over to the other two prisoners. "I'll take these two somewhere else, while you take Olga."

"Yeah," She firmly nodded.

The dark elf then grabbed Olga and pulled her up from the floor. She looked over at Chegyaeyi and watched her grab the other two prisoners. Once all three captives were present and accounted for, all of them left the room and marched down a hall. All the while, they could still hear the sounds of battle occurring nearby.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

There were even players rushing past them so they could get to the fight and aid their comrades who were already there. However, Chegyaeyi and Astrid headed in the opposite direction instead.

While their assistance would aid the players in the battle against the invaders, Astrid knew that bringing Olga to the front lines would only increase her chances of escaping. After all, this disturbance was all so her allies could come in and get her out while everything was so chaotic. It was the perfect plan. Not only that, but aside from rescuing Olga, Dolk also gained the opportunity to weaken Zoe's guild by attacking her base while she was away dealing with her own issue with the meeting and Dolk's ambush at the hospital.

As the group marched further away from the battle, Olga let out a soft chuckle.

"Getting me away from the chaos will only make things easier for my allies to come and rescue me, you know?"

"You're right about that," Astrid muttered. "And that's what I'm hoping for."

This silenced Olga real quick as the dark elf's smug grin shifted to a grim frown. She knew what Astrid meant by this. It meant she was ready for a fight and was eager to confront the ones rescuing Olga. And it was because she knew that the ones who were likely planning to save her were also former members of the Greyvolk tribe. Which meant the people Astrid was trying to get revenge on were coming right toward her on a silver platter.

After a bit of walking, Chegyaeyi suddenly stopped, forcing Astrid to halt her movement as well.

"What's wrong?" The dark elf questioned hastily.

"John and Evelyn are going to need all the help they can get," The lizardfolk explained, feeling hesitant. "I need to head back and aid them as much as possible. At least to avoid having the players completely swarm the building."

Astrid wanted to protest and tell her that she was better off helping her transport the prisoners out of there, but she knew that wasn't the case. She knew that Chegyaeyi was right and that aiding in the defense was just as important as keeping Olga from getting taken away from Dolk's allies. The problem was that she was torn between her grudge and the state of the guild during the invasion.

In the end, she hung her head low in acceptance. "Yes, you're right. John and Evelyn need as much help as possible." She then raised her head and directly faced the lizardfolk. "You go and help them out as best you can. I'll stay here and keep an eye on Olga and the other two prisoners."

Chegyaeyi met Astrid's gaze, confirming her intentions. "Are you certain about this?"

The dark elf hesitated for a moment before answering with a firm nod. "Yeah, I'm certain." She gestured for her to go. "Get moving. The faster you get to the fight, the better it will be for them."

The lizardfolk said nothing and simply turned around and ran over to the sound of battle. She gave one last look over at Astrid before turning back and rushing ahead. Once she ran off, Astrid spared a glance at Olga and the human prisoners. She narrowed her eyes at them with disdain and let out an annoyed sigh.

"Well, this is going to be fun, huh?" She muttered irritably.

She needed to tell Hazel about what was happening. Now that the secret rescue mission wasn't exactly all that secret, her companion needed to know that things had changed, and she needed to get back here as soon as possible.

Astrid hastily pulled up her chat room panel to send a message to Hazel. However, she stopped for a moment as her ears picked up a strange noise nearby. Her eyes tore away from the panel and scanned her surroundings, trying to locate the source of the sound. They frantically darted from the ceiling to the walls, to even the floor and doors around her.

Just when she thought there was nothing around her, she spotted a bolt of light zipping right toward her at blinding speed. Letting her instincts take hold, she immediately ducked and rolled across the floor, letting the bolt of light pierce a nearby wall she was in front.

Her eyes snapped in the direction from which the bolt came from, immediately spotting a lone figure at the other end of the hall before them. The figure wore a pristine white cloak with a metal chest plate and shoulder pads worn over it. In their right hand was a long staff used by a mage or someone capable of using magic differently, like a cleric.

But what really caught Astrid's attention was the figure's appearance. The person had gray skin, pointed ears, and short silver-white hair. All common features of a Dark Elf. Not only that, but Astrid knew who this particular dark elf was. But just in case, as the figure walked toward her, she hastily appraised her.

[Dagny, Class: Crusader, Level 31]

Astrid clicked her tongue, realizing who she was dealing with. It was one of her former companions who stabbed her in the back, along with Dolk and Olga.

Dagny took a couple more steps closer to Astrid and the prisoners before stopping. Her eyes glanced from Olga to Astrid. Then, a small yet sly smile formed on her face, giving the chief's daughter chills.

"Hello, Lady Astrid," The dark elf traitor crusader greeted her. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Astrid remained silent, cautiously watching the crusader dark elf. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but regret letting Chegyaeyi leave in such a hurry. Why did it have to be this one of all the dark elves she had to face?

Pulling her attention away from the crusader, she quickly pulled up the chat room and messaged Hazel as fast as possible.

[Astrid Skogr: There's trouble at the base. They aren't trying to sneak Olga out. They're attacking the base and getting her out during the chaos. The base is being invaded.]

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