ALL NOVEL Chapter 680: Deceit
"Guildmaster, which one is the real Boss? I can notice at least a dozen of them already?" a mage with [Thermal Vision] on asked in confusion.
"What are your orders? Which exact clone should we focus on?" asked a swordsman class player, as the common players seeked guidance from their supervisors on what to do next.
The initial orders that they had received were to spread out throughout the city and remain vigilant, so that when 'TheBoss' finally did enter, they could all converge towards his location, ensuring that he did not escape the perimeter alive.
However, with the righteous faction players now unable to determine which one of the clones was actually the real Boss, they found themselves in a turmoil.
With their initial plan no longer feasible, they had to quickly come up with a new one, however, with them unable to use the public global channel to relay new commands, the time taken for them to come up with a new strategy and propagate it to every guild, was significantly long.
The decision makers consisted mostly of the topmost rankers that had gathered near the town square, who began to fervently remake the existing battle plans, to better respond to this new unexpected situation.
[ Don't converge! All players must try and take-out all the clones, while keeping a special eye out for any presence of the frog monster, as the individual following the frog, is most likely to be the real Boss ]
After a short discussion, this was the message that the rankers decided to circulate amongst all, as the new order was to engage with each and every boss clone, treating them all as if they were real, while keeping an eye out for Dumpy, as the highest ranking rankers believed that the clone fighting alongside Dumpy was the one that was most likely to be the real body.
Hence, a city-wide manhunt began, not only for the real body of Leo, but also for Dumpy, whose presence was to be reported immediately.
However, despite the best efforts of the righteous faction players to locate both the real bodies of Leo and Dumpy, all of them came short, with the duo seeming impossible to find.
**********
( Meanwhile Leo )
As things stood, it turned out that while the righteous faction players frantically scrambled to locate and eliminate the clones, Leo executed his diversionary plan flawlessly.
Moments before the clones leapt from the walls and entered the city, the real Leo, diverted his focus to a precise section of the StrongHaven City wall, that seemed to be slightly more damp and moist compared to the rest, while being covered in green moss.
"Dumpy, melt this whole section of the wall" Leo instructed, as he pointed towards the floor, with Dumpy immediately executing his instructions using his highly corrosive poison.
*Sizzle*
*Sizzle*
With a single spittle from Dumpy, the entire section of the wall that Leo wanted to melt, started to disintegrate as if it were a thin sheet of paper set on fire, revealing the main sewer line underneath, that ran from the heart of StrongHaven City, all the way to the nearby Evergreen river, where it was dumped untreated.
Usually, it was impossible to enter the city from beyond the wall, however, with Leo having already studied the layout of the underground sewer system extensively, he knew the exact spot where the main sewer lines intersected with the main wall, and he used that knowledge to enter the city today.
Hence, while the righteous faction players madly hunted his clones like rabid dogs, his real body already descended into the underground, past their set-up detection points.
"Follow me–" Leo said, once the trio descended into the stinky and rat infested sewers of StrongHaven City, as although both Ben and Dumpy felt uncomfortable traveling via such unhygienic pathways, Leo felt no such reservations.
Having previously worked as a literal sewage worker, shoveling human shit, he could now tolerate the pungent stench and the sticky air around him relatively well, as although it repulsed him, it did not impair him like the others.
The sewer system itself was essentially a labyrinth of interconnected tunnels that all opened to the main line.
After descending underground, Leo found some of these tunnels to be dry, while the others seemed flooded with foul-smelling water.
It was the perfect place to disappear, as a start, as if navigated properly, it led straight to the heart of the city, providing a risk-free exit near a prominent bakery situated in a tight and dark alley, which was the trio's eventual destination.
*******
(Meanwhile above ground)
Meanwhile as Leo and others navigated the sewers, the surface turned into a picture of pure chaos.
StrongHaven City, once a bastion of order and safety, now felt more like a war zone, as the clones of Leo had transformed the city into a battlefield.
Each clone acted independently, drawing from Leo's own fighting style and strategy to sow confusion.
They darted through alleyways, scaling rooftops, and leaping from balconies to keep the righteous players chasing shadows.
Some clones ran in plain sight, deliberately taunting their pursuers, while others engaged in hit-and-run tactics, taking out individual players before vanishing into the crowd. Continue your adventure at m|v-l'e m,p| y- r
In the narrow streets of the merchant district, a group of players surrounded a clone, thinking they had cornered the real 'TheBoss.'
However, the clone only smirked at those players, tossing a smoke bomb to obscure their vision before unleashing a flurry of shadowy chains.
The players screamed as the chains wrapped around their legs, pulling them to the ground, only for the clone to vanish as reinforcements arrived.
Near the government granary, another clone created havoc by setting fire to a row of market stalls. Flames roared into the evening as players tried to douse the inferno while also chasing the elusive figure, who seemed to disappear the moment they got close.
From above, the city looked like a hive of activity. Players raced through the streets like ants, their movements disjointed and erratic as they chased after fleeting glimpses of hooded figures.
Mages with [Thermal Vision] spells were overwhelmed, their spells showing multiple heat signatures moving simultaneously across the city, as despite their best efforts, they couldn't determine which heat signature belonged to the real 'TheBoss.'
"What kind of madness is this?" a knight ranker shouted, his voice echoing through the chaos. "He's everywhere and nowhere at the same time!"
In every district, confusion reigned.
Players shouted conflicting orders, guildmasters barked frantic commands, and alliances crumbled under the strain of disorganized mayhem.
The righteous faction's once-meticulous plans unraveled as their forces began to be stretched thin, chasing nothing but illusions
******
Meanwhile, below the surface, Leo could hear faint echoes of the commotion above, the sound of explosions and distant shouting reverberating through the sewer walls.
"Sounds like they're having fun up there," Ben said with a chuckle, adjusting his gear, as he felt that Leo's plan was going smoothly at least up-till now.
Ben could not understand how Leo was sustaining the strain of maintaining so many clones at once, however, with Leo having to drink a max MP potion bottle every other minute, Ben understood that the strain placed on his body was surely not small.
Despite this, Leo showed no emotion on his face, and only spoke when they reached a particularly large cross-section within the sewer system, that seemed to be infested by at least a hundred thousand snakes.
*HISSS*
*HISS*
The snakes hissed, the moment the group reached the area, as for a second, both Dumpy and Ben were taken aback, just by the sight of how many snakes had gathered in that one small area.
"What the hell? Just how many snakes are here?" Ben wondered, as Leo let out a big grin when he saw the scene before him.
In the past three months, one of the jobs that he had given ChaosBringer, was to transport the snakes that he had trained over the past year, to the underground sewer system in StrongHaven, and although, the rebel demarcation had made it difficult for ChaosBringer to complete the project, it seemed like he had pulled through brilliantly at the end.
"Don't be scared, master…. This is all a part of my plan" Leo said, as he brought out the [Snake Gem] from his inventory, whose mere presence caused all the snakes in his surroundings to turn calm and obedient.
"Go…Kill" Leo instructed, as he directed them to one of the narrowest sewer streams in the intersection, which was barely a feet wide, as it was only this particular stream that opened into the royal palace.
With the stream being only half a feet tall and a feet wide, it was not large enough for Leo to fit through, which was the only reason behind him not using it to infiltrate the palace himself.
The StrongHaven palace was constructed in a way that it was not vulnerable to underground attacks by humans, however, it was still wide enough for snakes to slither through.
For days now, these snakes had been waiting for Leo to show up, while surviving by hunting on sewer rats, however, now that Leo was finally here, the snakes finally received their orders to attack the palace, starting Leo's attack on StrongHaven palace in essence.
"54 minutes till the players are forced to log-out" Leo muttered under his breath, checking his watch, as he began making his way towards the nearest exit point.
As after guiding the snakes to start with their mission. Leo finally felt ready to start his own.
45 minutes. That was the time frame that Leo had decided to fight against the common players in, as with Dumpy and Ben by his side, he was confident to hold our for that long.
*Snap*
With a simple snap of his fingers, he ended the [Mirror World] spell, with his clones across the city turning to smoke, as he took a few minutes to catch his breath and drink a few more bottles of stamina and mana potion.
Then, as he felt prepared, with precisely 45 minutes left on the clock, he exited to the surface, with Ben and Dumpy following, as he finally unsheathed the daggers on his belt.
"Righteous faction players…..Here I come!"