"The worst has happened," Suri said as she, Nicole, Valerie, and a few mbers of the Sapphirine guild entered a common area that was usually used to discuss plans and strategies. Especially since the start of the Guild war.
Before their entry, linda and Hal were in the strategy room and discussing matters and there was no way they could ignore the sudden entry of the Sapphirine Guild mbers.
The mont Valerie saw Hal, she took a few steps towards him to point an angry finger at his chest and say,
"This is all your fault"
Hal's expression was completely neutral and he said nothing to the accusations but linda did speak as she asked,
"What is this all about?"
And so the explanations began...
After their defeat of the Golden crow Guild, Suri and quite a number of the mber of the Sapphirine guild, all of which were in the room at the mont had spent the last night trying to form alliances.
Yes, they had proven to themselves and others that they were capable but that never ant that they did not need or should not pursue alliances.
Even linda, before she beca occupied with Hal for the rest of the night had agreed on the forming of alliances with any Guild who would agree, and with their victory over one guild, they had shown other guilds that they were worthy of being considered for alliances...
But all that was over now.
They received ssages from all the guilds they approached and their offer had been rejected. Not just that, the Guilds announced war on them and stated emphatically that they would be coming for the Sapphirine Guild.
"Let's even assu for a mont that we had no interest in forming alliances, at least we were not focused targets of anyone other than the Golden Crow Guild and could smartly navigate the Guild war and co up with strategies.
But being targets takes away any privilege of careful planning we could have heard." Suri said.
"It's not just the Guilds we reached out to... We are getting official war announcents from all Guilds in the Royal Academy." Leila chid in.
"All was well until you just had to open your mouth at your hearing," Valerie said, and Hal, whose eyes had been directed at Suri, and Leila directed his eyes at Valerie.
There was no repentance in his gaze as he just listened and watched the Sapphirine guild mbers with neutral expressions and the occasional chuckle to himself.
'So this is how the Elders want to retaliate?' he thought to himself.
The mont they had gone out of the eting hall, they must have all contacted their disciples who were part of any of the opposing Guilds to give them a paraphrase of what had happened in the hall.
Hal was willing to bet that they emphasized a lot on his insulting the disciples and claiming that they were nothing compared to him.
"Oh yes, we heard about that. It is what has set every Guild on us. They see you as a mber of the Sapphirine Guild so I think the solution is fairly simple, we just need to announce that you are no longer a mber of the Guild" Valerie said.
"That's not possible. Once the Guild war begins, no one can switch Guilds or quit guilds. To do that, we will have to wait till the Guild way is over." Suri told her.
"So maybe we forfeit the war. If we forfeit every battle, we can probably avoid too much casualty"
In a case of focused attacks where every Guild is out to get the Sapphirine Guild, there is only so much protection that the 'No serious injury' rule could provide.
Even in the Guild against Guild battle that had happened between their Guild and the Golden Crow Guild, the officials were barely able to keep serious crippling injuries in check.
"We can't forfeit. We will fight" linda said.
"That is insane!" Suri said.
"I don't think it is. The entire Academy is out to get us, and instead of having a renewed zeal to bring them to their knees and prove the Sapphirine Guild's superiority, you all want to forfeit? You all cower?
I am disgusted by your words.
I thought I had been clear that a zeal to fight, is always what I want to see in the mbers of the Sapphirine Guild and here I see you all acting scared." linda said with a frown.
There were about two seconds of silence and then one of the mbers in the room said,
"Having honor without strength is stupid. The amount of damage we stand to suffer is insane. Also, he (points to Hal) caused this and you have not yet reprimanded him" she said.
Hal sighed but he remained silent.
He focussed on was the faces of so of the mbers of the Sapphirine Guild and he could tell from so of their expressions, that quite a lot of them were personal disciples of the Elders he had insulted.
It probably made them feel conflicted...
They could not leave the Guild and could not kick Hal out and they might even have to fight by his side in the future...
"I have not reprimanded him because there is nothing to reprimand. There was a hearing to punish him for superficial reasons and he stated his case.
It's the Elders who should be ashad that they are so petty, they would instigate the entirety of the Royal Academy against us because Hal spoke the truth." linda said.
"Superficial reasons? He was away from the Academy for a year" said a Sapphirine Guild mber.
"And he ca back with strength that none of you can hope to contend with. So I think the absence was more than worth it"
*BOOOOMMMMMM!!!!*
She had just finished speaking when an explosion rocked the Sapphirine Guild headquarters.
No one needed an announcent to know that the Guild was under attack.
They had just been ambushed by the Golden Crow sect the day before and they were already being ambushed again.
"Battle positions!" linda yelled and the mbers inside the room dashed out to join those already outside to form a resistance.
Valerie cast one last look at Hal before she turned away and left the room as well.
Soon, only linda, Hal, Nicole, and a quiet Sassy, who'd been in the corner since, were left in the room.
"You couldn't even chi in?" linda asked Hal with a frown as she made to walk out of the room and join up with the mbers of the Sapphirine Guild.
Hal shrugged,
"Why should I? You have their respect... Their obedience and they only see as a nuisance you made a mber of the Guild and has never actually contributed to the Guild.
Talking would have been pointless as there is only one thing that they will understand and that is strength.
Besides, they were expecting an apology, and I sure as hell was not going to give one. If I opened my mouth right there and then, it would have been to insult them all." he said as Sassy walked towards him until they were side by side.
"Master, can I fight?" the Familiar asked.
"Go nuts." Hal told her and even as he said that he knew his familiar had the good sense to know what she could use in a battle that was not to the death and she also knew what she could not use.
linda walked out of the room with Nicole and Hal followed after them with an excited Sassy ready to let loose at least a tad bit.
...
On the Outside...
It wasn't just one Guild that was attacking the Sapphirine Guild headquarters but rather an alliance of two Guilds and they wasted no ti causing destruction to call out the mbers of the Sapphirine Guild.
When the Sapphirine Guild mbers were out, the fighting began in earnest.
The leaders of the Guilds stood a few feet away from the battle and awaited the reportedly dominant leader of the Sapphirine Guild, linda Dane.
At the ti, linda was not yet out of the room and Suri was the one dishing out orders and mobilizing the mbers of the Sapphirine Guild.
The skill that had been used by certain mbers of the Guild during their battle against the Golden Crow guild was available for use again as linda had given them. another dose of divine energy for the use of the skill.
However, the numbers of their enemies were far more imposing than before and there was a chance that the enemies already knew that there was such a skill and would not be caught by surprise.
Anyway, there was a need to play smart and still not use the Skill, that could very well prove to be their trump card, so early in the battle.
Then linda walked out into the open with Nicole whose Cosmic Armant was out and ready to battle.
Hal walked out behind them and stretched his hand upwards where he released a large amount of Astral energy.
Enough to have Leila Crene the Runemaster look over at him with her eyes wide in surprise.
Right in the air above the battle, Hal's royal blue Astral energy ford into multiple Rune Circles that joined and ford an Array.
"Step back!" linda yelled to the mbers of the Sapphirine Guild who heard and wasted no ti moving away from the enemies at the sound of her order.
The enemies allowed themselves a look at the Array and made to follow after mbers of the Sapphirine Guild but the Array descended faster than they could run.
*BANG!*
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