Doluo Civil War

The battle with Nuoba was an outcome that Ye Ci had expected, but how it happened was something that even she could not foresee.

She knew that Nuoba had all the warrios of the Doluo tribe on his side, but she did not expect him to attempt his coup so soon.

Dalufar showed no fear as he stood before Nuoba's warriors. Ye Ci stared at the lvl 240 BOSS-tier NPC, and the godly artifact that he held. He remained calm and rational, and it was as if nothing in this world could faze the NPC.

"Why have you gathered so many of your men in front of my tent, Nuoba?" Dalufar's gaze swept across the warriors gathered before him before finally resting on Nuoba. There was no unease nor arrogance in his voice. He was just like an old man who was conversing with an unruly youngster.

Greed and hatred were present in Nuobas eyes as he stared at Dalufar and Ye Ci could sense the defiance from the man as he bowed at his chieftain.

Nuoba then smiled at Dalufar, "Honorable Lord Dalufar, I'm here to pay you the highest of respect."

"Oh really? Then I shall receive it with thanks. You can leave with your men now." Dalufar remained unfazed by Nuoba's words.

"I would gladly do so, Lord Dalufar, but it is not the will of my men." Nuoba gestured at the Doluo warriors surrounding the tent.

"Is that so? Why do they refuse to leave?" Dalufar's face remained a mask of serenity even as he gazed upon Nuoba's men.

Ye Ci could tell that they were the elites of the Doluo tribe. The tribe itself had a population of 6,000, and the vast majority of the tribe members were women, children, the elderly, and those who were injured in battle. Men who were fit to fight were all in the tribe's military, and were under Nuoba's command. At this point, Nuoba's intention was very clear.

There's no way Dalufar is unaware of this. Thought Ye Ci to herself. Why has he done nothing? There's no way he has overlooked something like this. Ye Ci had no access to Fate's systems. She could not tell what was going on in Dalufar's head. The only thing she could do was to stand by Dalufar, and wait for the inevitable quest that would be given to her.

Players experience the stories of NPCs in the game in their own way, and there were times when how they felt or what they thought could change the outcome of a quest or even an entire battle. There were also times, however, when the system merely required the presence of players as an observer and a listener to a story that was about to unfold.

And this is one such situation.

"Because they've been treated unfairly!" a cold sneer appeared on Nuoba's face as he pointed at Alaunar. "Lord Dalufar, I've never doubted your wisdom. In fact, I've thought that you're perhaps the wisest person in this world even when I was a child. That is, of course, until the appearance of this mongrel!"

"Alaunar? What about him?" Dalufar's expression remained unchanged. His calm expression was a sharp contrast to the mask of rage on Nuoba's face.

Ye Ci cast Detection on Nuoba, and found that he was a lvl180 NPC. Even if he was a BOSS, the disparity in strength between Nuoba and Dalufar was very immense. The outcome of a battle between the two NPCs was apparent, but…

Nuoba's men that numbered at least a thousand were still a fighting force that could not be ignored. If a fight broke out between Nuoba and Dalufar, the chieftain with his divine artifact might still be overwhelmed by the sheer number of Nuoba's men. After all, even ants could kill an elephant if they had the numbers.

She knew that the standoff would result in a battle, and her success of bringing Aluanar away with her depended on the course of action she chose to take.

So what should I do when the battle starts? Ye Ci began surveying her surroundings, and remembered the two remaining bombs in her inventory, should I use these…

Ye Ci stole a glance at Dalufar and sighed. Will I offend him by using these? Those are his people… She looked up into the sky, Ah, whatever, we'll see how it goes…

"You assigned the mongrel to my militia, and that is something that I am willing to overlook. But Lord Dalufar, why are you teaching him the way of the Shaman in secret? Don't you know that he does not have the birthright to do so?" Nuoba's eyes were filled with jealousy. It was apparent that he knew about the boy's secret.

"No, it's not Lord Dalufar's fault…" Alaunar immediately jumped to Dalufar's defence. The old Shaman was a noble and holy figure in the boy's eyes. He was a figure that Alaunar would not allow to be questioned and even vilified.

Dalufar immediately blocked Alaunar's path with his staff, "Back down, Alaunar."

"But…" Alaunar stared at Dalufar.

"I told you to back down" Dalufar's gaze was still fixed on Nuoba as Alaunar retreated silently behind the Shaman.

"Birthright? What is that?" a smile appeared on Dalufar's face, "My brother Khu'tak and I were also from a family of low-borns. We're not nobles, and yet we've learned the way of the Shaman and become Shaman's ourselves."

Disdain immediately appeared on Nuoba's face, "And this is why our tribe has been declining after you became chieftain! How can the offspring of low-born scums be equals with the children of nobles? You've robbed us nobles of our power! Are you looking down on our tribe's tradition?"

Dalufar was unfazed, "What's so bad about it?"

"There's nothing good about it!" Nuoba was enraged by the indifference displayed by Dalufar.

"I'm a noble of the Doluo tribe, but I have to listen to orders from a low-born like you! You put me in charge of the guards while you hold the highest authority for yourself! How is this fair?"

Ye Ci pursed her lips. Nuoba had finally cast away his pretense. His nobility was nothing but a mask to hide his jealousy. A person could not hide the fact that he was rotten to the core no matter how hard he tried.

"We're all fighting to protect our tribe. Don't you think that nobles and commoners alike share the same responsibility to keep the tribe safe? Do you think you deserve special privileges when the livelihood of our tribe is at stake?"

"Hmph! What does the life and death of the low-born scums have to do with us nobles? We're born to rule, and they're born to serve! Why must we fight to keep them safe? That's ridiculous!"

"And?" despite the lack of change in the Shaman's expression, Ye Ci could sense his displeasure.

"And this is why you should not be allowed to remain in power! Doom awaits our tribe with you on the helm! I shall lead our tribe to glory, and only I alone am capable of such a feat!" madness replaced the jealousy and anger in Nuoba's eyes. He had coveted the position of Chieftain for far long. His men still follow him despite his madness? As expected of a system generated event.

Anger finally replaced the air of serenity around Dalufar, "Where are you leading them? Into the depths of hell itself? To be sacrificed to the demons?" and he slammed his staff onto the ground.

Nuoba's expression changed. He cast a glance at his men, and some of them immediately shook their heads. Those were faces that were familiar to Ye Ci. Aren't they the ones in the cave? Nuoba then sneered at Dalufar, "So you knew. Don't you know that being in possession of knowledge that you're not supposed to have is dangerous? It seems that you're tired of living."

"Oh? If you can do such a thing, surely I am allowed to expose the truth." Dalufar responded with a sneer of his own.

"Heh, you could've lived for longer, but since you wish to court death, I will send you on your way…" Nuoba waved his hand, and his men immediately raised their weapons, "Kill him! Kill him!"

Ye Ci was shocked by the madness displayed by Nuoba's men. They're the elites of the tribe, but not all of them are nobles. A normal NPC should show some degree of response to Nuoba's words, but why are they unaffected? And she noticed the eyes of the NPCs. They were red, just like the eyes of Ciss.

Flames began to appear on Ye Ci's ring, dancing in the dark with the night breeze. Ye Ci immediately put on a pair of gloves to cover the flames. I have no idea how this thing works, might as well cover it up first. Of course, her action went unnoticed due to the tense atmosphere surrounding the tent.

One thing is for sure though, the appearance of these black flames meant that demons are present. Thought Ye Ci to herself, The black flames… Red eyes… Have these soldiers been demonized?

"Lord Dalufar! These men… There's something wrong with them. Their eyes are red, they're demons!"

Dalufar was shocked by revelation, and his composure was completely shattered. His emotion was not replaced with panic, but with grief, "Nuoba! What have you done?"

A smile appeared on Nuoba's face, "What have I done? I gave them power! Unlimited power!" and he shot a venomous look at Ye Ci and Alaunar.

A lvl180 Nuoba was not a cause for concern. As a melee class, he would suffer at the hands of a ranged attacker like Dalufar. But fighting against a demonic Nuoba was an entirely different scenario.

"You've sold your soul to the demons!" shouted Dalufar as Nuoba's eyes began to glow sickly red and his body began to grow. Oh no! Thought Ye Ci as Nuoba's body continued growing larger and his muscles began to bulge.

"So what if I did?" Nuoba's clothing were torn apart as his body became even larger, and a pair of black wings erupted from his back while horns appeared on his head, "You know too much, Dalufar! You must die!"

"Nuoba!" Dalufar was greatly shaken by Nuoba's transformation. The NPC has not only sold his soul to the demons. He had become on himself! He then cast a glance at Nuoba's men and shouted at Ye Ci, "I leave the safety of Alaunar and his family in your hands, Elf. Take them away! Bring them to safety!"

Ye Ci knew that it was next to impossible to complete such a task. If things are that simple, then I won't be trapped in this mess, "I'm afraid that I can't fulfill your request, Lord Dalufar." Ye Ci shook her head, "I'm a warrior fighting for peace and justice. I flee when my friends are in danger. I shall remain and fight by your side!"

Alaunar, who was worried that Ye Ci would act according to Dalufar's instruction, was encouraged by her words. "As will I!" The boy stood beside Dalufar with determination in his eyes.

Dalufar glanced at Ye Ci, then at Alaunar. Calmness had returned to his expression, but Ye Ci could see the gratitude in his eyes. It seems that my decision is correct. I don't know how this will end, but I've definitely earned his respect.

"Very well. Leave Nuoba to me, Elf. I'll leave his men to you and Alaunar!" Dalufar nodded at the duo and spoke in a firm voice.

Ye Ci pursed her lips as she stared at the overwhelming number of Nuoba's men. You've got to be kidding me! We're supposed to deal with them? I'm only lvl60! They can literally just trample me to death! Wait, I still have two of the Scarlet Bombs left, but am I even allowed to use those?

"Lord Dalufar, do you need me to keep them alive?" asked Ye Ci, it'll be bad if I piss him off by using the bombs on them.

Dalufar was shaken by Ye Ci's words, and at that very moment, he looked like a frail old man, "They've sold their souls to the demons. They are beyond redemption. Even if I wish to save them, they are not coming back."

The indirect answer was an indicator to Ye Ci that she was free to act as she saw fit. Well, since the boss has spoken, I'll do my best!

"Deploy your lightning totems. Paralyse them when I draw them into your attack range." said Ye Ci to Alaunar.

"What are you trying to do, Mistress?" Alaunar was confused for the briefest of moments before realisation dawned upon him, "Oh, you're going to deal with them like what you did to the dullahans!"

"Yup."

Hesitation appeared in Alaunar's eyes, but the boy nodded when he saw Dalufar who was locked in combat with Nuoba, "Alright, leave it to me."

Ye Ci nocked an arrow, and began sprinting around Nuoba's, dodging and weaving as she went. Nuoba's men, who were provoked by her actions, raised their weapons and charged. Ye Ci was able to attract the aggro of Nuoba's men, and clumped them up together to maximize the effect of her Rain of Arrows.

She fired an arrow into the air after making several laps, and arrows rained down upon Nuoba's men. Red damage indicators appeared on the sentries' heads. Ye Ci was unable to deal any significant amount of damage to Nuoba's men due to the level penalty in the game, but it was still a satisfying sight.

Even with the attention of the bulk of Nuoba's men on Ye Ci, Alaunar was still kept busy by stragglers as he struggled to deploy his totems. As they were all melee fighters, it was still relatively easy to deal with them as long as they did not get close.

In an attempt to buy more time for Alaunar, Ye Ci continued kiting Nuoba's men around the village while harassing them with arrows. She was not able to take them down, but she was able to dish out a significant amount of damage. Of course, Ye Ci's success was due to the fact that the demonized sentries, with their level of intelligence greatly reduced, had been following Ye Ci around in circles. They followed her around the village, and eventually into the area filled with Alaunar's totems.

The village itself was in a state of disarray. No buildings and tents were left untouched as Nuoba's men scrambled to catch up to Ye Ci. Have the NPCs fled? Mused Ye Ci. Whatever, this is not the time to worry about that.

I'm lucky that these sentries do not have a Priest among them. If I'm hit by a crowd control skill, I'm as good as dead.

"I've completed the preparations, Mistress." Alaunar's voice finally rang out in Ye Ci's ears, and she immediately led Nuoba's men in the direction of the boy. Alaunar began channeling his spells. While weaker than the spells cast by Dalufar, Alaunar's Chain Lightning was more than enough to paralyze Nuoba's men.

Dalufar was locked in combat with the demonized Nuoba. Despite Nuoba's disadvantage in level, the NPC had gained a huge boost in his stats by becoming a demon, as well as the ability to fly, which made him a formidable opponent for even Dalufar himself. But the Shaman was still able to cast Blessing on Ye Ci and Alaunar even when he was busy dealing with the demonized Nuoba.

Tears began rolling down Ye Ci's cheeks when she noticed the effects of Dalufar's Blessing. So this is a Blessing by a godly artifact wielding, high level NPC. If I can bring him to the mainland with me, we can crack every dungeon with his Blessing alone.

The crackling of electricity filled the cold night air along with the howls of Nuoba's men.

Ye Ci intended to throw out one of her bombs, but out of the thousand of Nuoba's men, only 300 were paralyzed by Alaunar's spell. The rest of the demonized sentries were still close on her heels. It seems that Alaunar has to fend for himself for a short while. "Alaunar, I'm not in a good position to throw the bombs, can you deal with them on your own?"

"Don't worry about me. I should be able to take care of them with my totems quite easily."

Alaunar's words brought relief to Ye Ci, and she continued kiting Nuoba's men around the ruined village. Even Ye Ci herself had lost count of the laps she made around the village when the red damage indicators in her screen were replaced by the golden numbers of experience points gained. Wow, that was quick! Thought Ye Ci as she cast a quick glance at Alaunar. The boy had managed to dispatch most of his foes. The few remaining stragglers chased after Alaunar, who avoided their attacks with astonishing agility, and before long even the stragglers laid dead on the ground.

The boy immediately began redeploying his totems in preparation for the next wave of Nuoba's men that Ye Ci would bring into his trap.

Ye Ci was quick to lead the demonized sentries into Alaunar's attack range. With their prior experience, the duo was able to spring their trap at the right time, trapping 500 more of Nuoba's men within the range of Alaunar's totems. The remainder of the sentries, though unaffected by Alaunar's lightning, could not make their way to Ye Ci as their comrades were blocking their way.

Now is the chance! They're so tightly packed. If I don't use the bombs now, I might not get another chance! Ye Ci tossed her bombs into the crowd without even the slightest hesitation, and threw herself and Alaunar onto the ground.

"Watch out, Lord Dalufar!" Ye Ci shouted at the Shaman. If he's somehow killed by the explosion, there's no way Alaunar and I can deal with Nuoba.

Dalufar did not know what Ye Ci and Alaunar were planning, but immediately cast a shield on himself when he received the warning. A golden shield with lightning crackling on its surface enveloped the Shaman. Isn't that a Lightning Shield? Ye Ci was quick to recognize the skill that was used by Dalufar.

Just then, Nuoba launched his attack against Dalufar with renewed vigor. He flapped his wings, summoning strong gusts in the cold night sky.

"BOOM!" a loud explosion shook the ground, throwing dust, debris, and pieces of armor into the air.

Despite their relative safety, Ye Ci and Alaunar were still affected by the concussive force and debris from the explosion. Ye Ci immediately produced a Health Potion from her inventory as her health plummeted, but to her amazement, her health bar was instantly refilled along with Alaunar's before her lips could even touch the mouth of the bottle. Dalufar! He's casting a healing spell on us, Alaunar, and himself while maintaining his shield.

Motherfluffer! As expected of a lvl240 BOSS-tier NPC!

He's literally immortal!

Dalufar himself was of course not safe from the effects of the explosion, but a Shaman is the jack of all trades, which meant that he could easily heal himself up. Nuoba, on the other hand, had no such luck.

The NPC had absorbed the full brunt of the explosion with his giant form. One of his wings were shredded into bloody ribbons by the debris and fragments caused by the explosion. As Nuoba bellowed in pain, Dalufar sprung into action. With his ability to fly, which gave him an edge in his fight against Dalufar lost, Nuoba was helpless against the onslaught of spells that rained down upon him.

Despite the marvelous spectacle of the fight between the two NPCs, Ye Ci herself was still in combat. Many of Nuoba's men were dead, but there were still stragglers trapped in the crater created by the large explosion. They struggled to regain their footing, and continue their attack on Ye Ci. This is the moment. If I die here, all my efforts will be wasted. Ye Ci forced herself back on her feet, and began launching attacks against the trapped sentries, completely disregarding the state of her equipment.

Alaunar shook away the disorientation and was able to recover from the effects of the explosion. He immediately began redeploying his totems and aid Ye Ci in her fight against the last of Nuoba's men.

With only so few of their numbers left and nearly dead, Nuoba's men were no longer a threat to the duo. Ye Ci summoned Ol' Four and was able to easily defeat the sentries with Alaunar's aid.

The fight between Nuoba and Dalufar was coming to an end as well.

With a few more attacks from Ye Ci, Alaunar, and Ol' Four, Nuoba collapsed after howling in rage. The NPCs death filled their experience gauge with a huge amount of experience points. Alaunar himself was able to reach lvl90 after the battle.

Dalufar released his grip on his staff and stared at the mountains of corpses. He closed his eyes, and returned to his tent.

"Lord Dalufar!" shouted Aluanar, with the intention of following after the Shaman into the tent. He was stopped by Ye Ci, who shook her head at the boy. She knew that Dalufar did not wish to be distrubed, even by Alaunar.

"What is it, mistress?" Alaunar was confused.

Ye Ci let out a sigh. She could understand Dalufar's grief. The ones who had lost their lives were his tribesmen.

"My son! Why did you sell your soul to the demons? Why did you turn your blade against our tribesman?" a voice filled with woe rang out in the silent night. A Doluo woman was howling in anguish as she clutched Nuoba's corpse in her embrace. More women, children, and the old began appearing all around the village. They knelt beside the corpses of their loved ones and wept.

The entire village was filled with grief and sorrow. Despair was spread into every corner of the village like a plague.

Alaunar himself was weeping in silence as he stood beside Ye Ci. A thought appeared in Ye Ci's mind as she stared at the members of the Doluo tribe.

Wait, there's so many of them? Where have they been during the fight?