Is this really a Game?!

Chapter 1058: The Night's Fury

"The lords will … avenge us, kill you … all of you."

"Yeah, yeah, just go ahead and die, I don't need to hear anything from a person who betrayed their own race," Shadow said as he swung his dagger, decapitating the Tier VI combatant who was present in the seventh and last outpost he and the others took over.

"What do we do now, we just wait?" Tank asked Reign who nodded his head.

"The faction will soon notice what happened, the loss of two Tier VI combatants is not something they can ignore, not to mention the way we killed everybody guarding the outposts."

"They will naturally realize that they are dealing with powerful Tier VI combatants and will definitely be on guard against us, not even knowing who we are or how strong we are."

"Agreed," Shadow said, wiping his blade clean. "We've sent a clear message, but now we need to be prepared for their retaliation."

The team regrouped at the fortified base of Amelia's faction. The successful capture of the outposts had boosted morale, but everyone knew the real test was yet to come. Reign gathered his team and Amelia's leaders in the war room to discuss their next steps.

"We've weakened the Shadow Serpents' hold, but they will strike back," Reign said, pointing to the map.

"They will most likely take over and try to fortify at least 3 of the outposts as we have left them empty, and they can't just leave them be as that will be a sign of weakness from them."

"We won't stop them from doing so, but we will have to do something, attacking the outposts again won't be a good thing, we should go around them and hit some other places where they are present."

"That will confuse them, make them think again of what we are trying to do."

Amelia nodded, her eyes scanning the map. "The Shadow Serpents have a few supply routes and smaller bases scattered around. If we hit those, we can disrupt their operations further and force them to spread their defenses thin."

"Exactly," Reign said. "By attacking their supply lines and smaller bases, we can keep them off-balance and prevent them from concentrating their forces."

"We need to keep the pressure on and make it difficult for them to regroup."

Shadow pointed to several locations on the map. "These are the key supply routes and smaller bases we've identified."

"If we can take them out, we'll cripple their logistics and limit their ability to reinforce their main positions."

"Why do they even have supply routes, wouldn't it be easier to just create portals and transport the supplies that way?" Laura asked as Amelia nodded her head.

"It is easier, definitely, but don't forget, they are people who have turned their backs on humanity, they are no longer considered 'players' by the system, and because of that, they have to face certain restrictions, like not being able to create many portals, from what I know, they only have 2 portals, one that leads to the main base of the vampires, and another for their secondary base."

"Betraying your own race can give many benefits, like a quick way to become stronger without a lot of danger, but the system is quite fair, not allowing them to do some things that we can do because of their choices."

Reign and the others smirked upon hearing Amelia's words as they realized that the enemy will have to work very hard in order to get to them.

The team spent the next few hours refining their strategy and planning their attacks. They knew that timing and coordination would be crucial to their success. Each team member was assigned specific tasks and targets, ensuring that they could strike quickly and efficiently.

They were not planning on wiping the serpents out as that might cause the vampires to truly get angry and even attack the factions, which was something Reign and the others did not wish to see happen.

They would only go against the vampires later, once they reached Tier VII and had the factions safe and secure in Doncaster or Wilkashere.

As night fell, they moved out once again, their movements swift and silent. The first target was a supply convoy that was scheduled to pass through a narrow part of New York. The team set up an ambush, positioning themselves along the high ground where they could rain down attacks on the convoy.

The convoy approached, unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows. Reign gave the signal, and the team sprang into action. Shadow and Beast launched the initial attack, their arrows and daggers striking with deadly precision. The guards were caught off-guard, their confusion allowing Laura to unleash her spells, creating chaos and disarray.

Reign, Wolf, and Tank charged forward, their weapons cutting through the remaining guards with swift, powerful strikes. The battle was brief but intense, the team's coordinated assault leaving the convoy in ruins.

They were attacking them this way so that the enemy wouldn't be able to even send a message to the rest of the serpent, leaving them in the dark over what happened and how they were all killed so quickly and easily.

"Secure the supplies," Reign ordered, his voice calm despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins. "We need to take what we can use and destroy the rest."

The team quickly went through the convoy, gathering any valuable supplies and setting fire to the remaining goods. The flames illuminated the night, a signal to the Shadow Serpents that their supply lines were vulnerable.

"We need to move quickly," Reign said as they finished. "The smoke will attract attention, let's get to the next target before they can react."

They moved swiftly, their training and experience allowing them to cover ground quickly and efficiently. The next target was a smaller base used by the Shadow Serpents as a staging area for their operations. It was lightly guarded, but the team knew that they couldn't afford to be complacent.

As they approached, Reign signaled for Shadow to scout ahead. Shadow's eyes gleamed in the darkness as he disappeared into the shadows. Moments later, he returned with a report.

"There are a dozen guards, most of them are just lounging around, not expecting any trouble, we can take them out quietly easily, no signs of anyone troublesome."

Reign nodded. "We'll use the same tactics as before, take out the sentries first, then move in on the main camp."

"Keep it quick and quiet."

The team moved into position, their movements silent and precise. Shadow led the way, his daggers flashing in the moonlight as he took down the sentries one by one. The rest of the team followed, their attacks coordinated and lethal.

Within minutes, the base was secured. The guards were either dead or incapacitated, and the team quickly went through the supplies, taking what they needed and destroying the rest.

"This will disrupt their operations," Amelia said, her eyes reflecting the flickering flames of the burning supplies. "They won't be able to launch any significant attacks without these resources, not to mention that they will be on guard against you."

"Good," Reign replied. "But we can't stop here, we need to keep the pressure on, but not for tonight, we have done enough right now, we let things continue and see how they react."

As morning came, inside the main base of the Shadow Serpents, their leaders were currently in a meeting.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was tense as the leaders of the Shadow Serpents gathered to discuss the recent attacks on their supply lines and outposts. The news of the losses had spread quickly, and the leaders were keen to devise a plan to retaliate.

"We cannot let these attacks go unpunished," one of the leaders, a tall, imposing figure with a serpent tattoo snaking up his arm, growled. "They think they can strike at us with impunity, but they will soon learn the price of their arrogance."

"We must increase our patrols and fortify our remaining outposts," another leader suggested. "We cannot afford any more surprises."

"We also need to send a message," a third leader added. "Show them that we are not to be trifled with, perhaps a show of force against one of their bases."

The leaders nodded in agreement, their expressions grim. They knew that they needed to strike back swiftly and decisively to restore their reputation and deter further attacks.

"We wait, we reinforce our convoys and outposts, but nothing else." The man who stood at the head of the table said in a low voice as he stared at the map of the city, as well as the reports that were given to them.

"But sir-"

"They destroyed all of this in one night, they left the outposts empty in order for us to know they don't care about them, and they managed to kill everybody without them being able to even send a message or alarm us."

"That means the enemy is strong, probably multiple Tier VI combatants, not a force that can be looked down upon."

"And worst of all, we know it wasn't the factions who had done this, the men we have planted inside of the factions told us that their leaders were all in their bases last night, none have made a move, which means this is a new faction that has appeared, one we have zero information on."

"We proceed carefully, that is all." Explore stories on ???