As the fight went on Hotpot consistently put the enemies under great pressure. While their own ranged fighters managed to get away from assassination attempts, Liam and Bloody Edge wreaked havoc among the enemies' mages.
When another mage died and dropped his weapon, a shock ran through the chaos faction players. They were initially only a loose group without strong cohesion coming from multiple guilds. Realizing that they were at risk of losing valuable equipment, they soon lost the will to fight. It was actually one of the healers who began to escape first, which was a terrible setback for the chaos faction players.
Their morale sank to rock bottom. At this point the fight tilted more and more in Hotpot's favour. A short while later the chaos faction players broke apart. Under D3ath's lead some people tried to hold on but with their comrades escaping they stood no chance. They died honourable deaths under Hotpot's blades.
"That was great!", cheered Silent Acacia as he shot one last arrow at an escaping enemy.
"Should we chase?"
"No, we are pressed for time already. Let's go."
The friends didn't linger much longer. They picked up some of the dropped equipment. Although they couldn't use it, it could be exchanged for rewards at certain NPCs. Afterwards they hurried up, leaving the forest. On the way the others could clearly feel Silent Acacia's excitement as the party got some PvP action outside of tournaments or the arena.
Although the friends found it amusing, they didn't tease Silent Acacia for it. They know this was the part of the game he enjoyed the most.
Soon the friends returned to Tority, exchanging the chaos items for some gold. Some players spotted them, jokingly asking if Hotpot raided the Southern Wasteland. The party answered offhandedly, explaining that they had been attacked.
When Liam and his friends left, they didn't think much about it. But their remark spread quickly, riling up their fans. In no time at all a hunt was started. The poor chaos players who managed to escape suddenly became the targets of a huge crowd.
However, the party only learned of this later. They had already used the teleporter, arriving in the City of Life. Stepping off the platform they were close to the edge of the city, taking in the overwhelming scenery.
The City of Life was extremely prosperous. It had no walls, welcoming to all races. The people walking around all appeared peaceful and content. The houses were built from smooth stone and plants were striving everywhere. Large trees sheltered the streets with their shadows, blocking the bright sun. The air was filled with a pure sense of vitality and each breath gave a revitalising feeling. It was not surprising that the City of Life was the target of many old people, who endured long pilgrimages in order to settle down in the city.
But the most famous part about the City of Life was clearly the Great Cathedral of Hevriolae. Even from afar one could see its two gorgeous towers reaching towards the sky. Along their walls colourful plants were planted, being meticulously cared for. Many people swore that the light from the sun shines even brighter above the cathedral.
"It's so gorgeous…"
Fortune was amazed as she took in the sight, recording everything. The friends walked through the streets. They would have loved to enjoy the city a bit more but thanks to the earlier attack they were now quite short on time. Thus, they hurriedly came to the main street, which led directly to the cathedral. Everyone coming here for the first time couldn't help but stare at the famous building's impressive front and the friends were no exception.
As the friends came closer to the cathedral, they noticed smaller groups of priests wearing the symbol of Hevriolae. They considered asking them for solutions against the void, but Liam shook his head. Being pressed for time he decided to shorten process. After all, he had promised his friends to improve their equipment today and he didn't plan on breaking the promise.
Liam took the lead, entering the great cathedral with his friends. Passing the heavy wooden doors, they were immediately welcomed by a comfortable, cool air and a fragrant smell of various herbs.
In front of the friends was a vast hall with towering pillars and long benches, providing enough seats to fit at least two thousand people. Some plants grew in pots along the walls, their incredible rarity only obvious to real experts. A few paintings decorated the walls. They showed instances where Hevriolae gave her blessings, elevating the goddess's glory.
At the front was a majestic altar. A few priests were kneeling in front of it, their low murmurs echoing through the entire cathedral, adding to the atmosphere. While a few players could be seen approaching these priests for quests, Liam led his friends to the side. They entered a small side corridor and soon arrived in a sparsely furnished, small prayer room.
Within the room was a smaller altar and a short figure was standing in front of it with a lowered head, wearing white priest robes. Liam coughed lightly as he addressed them:
"Forgive me. Are you Archbishop Devres?"
The priest slowly turned around, revealing her face. It was an older dwarven woman with kind eyes and a gentle smile, giving off an almost motherly feeling.
"Adventurers? What brings you here?"
"We were sent by the Alliance of the Deer of Life. They have found a Deer of Life which is being corrupted by void energy and are unable to cleanse it. We hoped you would have a solution."
"Ah, even a Deer of Life has been affected this badly?! This is a worrying trend. The void has gotten increasingly difficult to deal with. A while ago some simple spells could still combat it, but now even protective items start to falter… worrying, worrying…"
Devres revealed a troubled expression. The players could feel how this issue affected her. Liam's voice sounded a hint gentler as he asked the dwarf:
"So, do you have a solution?"
"Oh, well… Our church has indeed been working on ways to combat the void. We have developed spells and items but with more and more occurrences of the void, we are stretched thin.
I can't perform the spells alone and my brothers and sisters are occupied, fighting the void elsewhere. Thus, I would love to offer you a void-quelling potion, but we are out of stuck."
"Is the potion difficult to concoct?"
"It is not easy. However, I would be able to do it. The problem is that we are missing one of the main materials. The elves should have long delivered us some stalks of Red Esssenya, but so far nothing arrived."
"Do you think the delivery got attacked?"
"I'm afraid this might be the case. Perhaps you could investigate, adventurer? I will tell you the route they would usually take."
"Of course. Leave it to us!"
Liam received a notification and accepted it quickly. A new quest was generated for the party. They bid farewell to the archbishop and left the cathedral. Soon, they could be seen leaving the City of Life on their mounts.
As the city was located in the north-west of the Central Plains, it wasn't that far from elven territory. In fact, the route they players were following lead towards Luphenour City, the elven city devoted to the goddess of the moon.
However, Liam and his friends didn't have to travel that far. After about 10 minutes they heard sounds of fighting. They made their way through a path in the forest, noticing broken branches and overturned earth.
A few seconds later they came across a heavily injured soldier leaning against a tree. Hearing something the man struggled to open his eyes. Hope was on his face when he spotted the players.
"Adventu…"
Before the soldier could say a single word, a health potion was thrown towards him, but the players didn't stop for even a moment. The soldier was confused as he watched the players riding away.
"Expert? I think that guy wanted to tell us something…", said Cyclone.
"What's the use of him telling us that his comrades are fighting in front. We can already hear it. Isn't every second precious?"
"Well… you're not wrong…"
"I could have at least healed him.", complained Balm.
"I gave him a health potion. He will be fine."
The friends chuckled as they followed Liam. Soon, the battle came into view. On one side was a mixed group of a dozen soldiers. They protected a cart which had obviously been chased into a dead end by their enemies. Although there was only a small hill, the horses pulling the cart had been killed, immobilizing the vehicle.
On the other side were about twenty infernals. All of them were various kinds of demons, tall and ferocious. They swung crude weapons but their pure physical strength was difficult to content with for the soldiers. The situation looked to be incredibly delicate. The soldiers wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.