Chapter 619: Deep Winter War: Operative Valenzi (1/2)

[This NPC may not be resurrected.]

Pinky stared at the hud message for several seconds before stepping away from the Fir'Dhassi woman. The normally cheerful cleric had tears running down her face. ”Who do I tell this to?”

/Alliance: Jun Li: All members converge on Alpha team's location. Confirmed engagement of Valenzi.

[Whisper: Sajana to Jun Li] I can't rez Raine Xai or any of the fallen NPCs.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Sajana] We figured as much. The deaths in the last Realm Boss came with a three-day penalty.

[Whisper: Sajana to Jun Li] I know; I got that message when I tried to rez one of the players from the 12 Pillars. The NPC deaths here are permanent; Raine can't be rezzed.

Jun Li unsummoned her Bone Crow, her eyes straying toward the ongoing battle. ”Not Raine... Why did it have to be her?”

/Inferno: Jun Li: Disengage Valenzi and return to camp. This means everyone.

/Inferno: Semmi: Huh?

/Inferno: Nix: We can finish this guy now, Junie!

/Inferno: Jun Li: I know it. Return at once.

Nix shared a glance with Pon before morphing into his Hotter form. ”You heard her.”

/Alpha: Pon: We can take him without the rest of Inferno.

/Alpha: Nix: It doesn't matter. Junie is the Raid Leader; I'm not going to undermine her authority.

/Alpha: Semmi: Agreed. Let's find out what is going on.

/Alpha: Wind: This sucks ass.

/Alpha: Fajii: We'll find him again.

Instead of summoning her mount like the other Alpha members, Fajii gripped the Hotter's soft fur and slid easily onto his back. ”This okay?”

”Of course.” The Hotter took off at an easy trot, its glowing eyes picking out their camp even through the winter storm.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the camp's perimeter, only to be stopped by a familiar figure.

Shae held up a hand, blocking their path until Fajii dismounted and Nix changed back to his human form. Unexpectedly, she gripped both of their hands. ”I'm sorry, Nix...”

***************

”How long has it been?” Semmi glanced over her shoulder at the makeshift medical tent where Raine and her group had been taken. ”Go check on him, Pon.”

The old mage shook his head slightly. ”No way.” After the news was broken to the rest of the guild, he peeked into the tent to check on them. The sight of Fajii sobbing over Raine's corpse rattled him. Despite the battles Inferno had been fighting for the last year, it was the first time they lost someone. Nix was just sitting there, holding Raine's cold hand while staring at her pale face.

/Inferno: Semmi: What are we going to do?

/Inferno: Jun Li: The way I see it, most of the Rogues have been dealt with.

/Inferno: Semmi: So we push ahead? What about our friends? We could send our NPC friends back to Haven and finish off Valenzi ourselves.

/Inferno: Pon: We could also cut our losses. Abandon this quest temporarily while shoring up the 12 Pillar Alliance. Come back in a few months with no NPCs.

/Inferno: Wind: True. We've already cleared Colonial. That means that Glory can be repopulated. Gear ourselves up while putting together another raid.

/Inferno: Nix: No. We continue the raid and kill Valenzi. Listen up. All NPCs may return to Haven and wait for news of our victory. Whether or not you choose to finish this raid and continue to Everspire with us is entirely up to you.

Fajii exited the tent with Nix and Shae. Although she didn't feel like speaking, she tugged his arm until he stopped. ”I'm going to stay.”

Nix shook his head slightly. ”I want you and Shae to return to Haven.”

The redhead grabbed his free hand. ”We will stay and fight it out. You gave us the option. Remember?”

”You two don't get a choice.” Nix shook their hands loose and continued walking toward the center of camp.

/Alliance: Nix: Open a breach for the NPCs to return to Haven. I want our casualties transported to Haven immediately. Contact War Leader Mortimus and let him know about this development.

/Alliance: Breach Commander Mtui: Understood.

Nearly an hour later, the fallen dhassi were brought to Haven, and Inferno was ready to continue the hunt for Valenzi. Despite the adamant protests of Nix, both Fajii and Shae refused to leave the raid. Eventually, he was forced to comply with their demands.

[Whisper: Vooni to Nix] Moving Shae to my group. You don't have to worry. I won't let anything happen to her.

Nix nodded to himself, glancing at the Scorched Earth Aquarion walking beside him. ”Stay close to me.”

/Alpha: Rabi: Rabi has found Del!

/Alpha: Sasi: We found her! Quit trying to take the credit! Updating the hud map with their location.

Nix brought up his hud, immediately spotting the x'ed location. ”Not too far from Izzin. They must have retreated before taking cover.”

[Summons: Raven]

Nix mounted quickly, waiting until the rest of Alpha was ready to go. ”The rest of our raid is searching for Valenzi. Our priority is Del.”

Wind extended his arm palm-up toward Fajii. ”The King's going to take good care of you.” Demon King Lubo and stepped onto the Aquarion's hand when she reached out.

Fajii smiled slightly, her mood still somber. ”I'll be sure to return him after we are done.” The tiny gecko disappeared behind her collar, content to rest until he was needed once more.

Despite having near-zero visibility, Alpha team continued to gain altitude as they headed toward Del's location. Nix scanned the horizon with [Dragon Eyes], scowling when he spotting several red images circling in the distance.

/Alpha: Nix: Group of four rogues in the air near our destination.