The town guards were split into two groups. The crossbowmen were tasked with guarding the walls and manning the watch towers while the ones armed with swords and spears were sent on patrol duty.As the night drew its dark blanket over the skies of Aranor, the moon disappeared behind a veil of oppressive gray clouds, and the stars dimmed like dying fireflies.Lester was initially averse to the idea of sending his adventurers out at this late hour, but on Lord Wilhelm’s request, he made an exception, allowing the new recruits to carry out the task.The amateur adventurers had joined the guild with high hopes, but apart from participating in a few dungeon raids, they had never been permitted to do anything worth commending. Thus, when Lester ordered them to go on a scouting mission, they accepted without hesitation.The southern borders of Aranor were protected by the lofty green mountains, and the town’s eastern borders were guarded by the Soreta River. This left only the western and nor

Lord Sebastian inhaled sharply and held his breath. He waited for the Slasher leading the charge to get close, and as soon as it was within range, he fired his weapon.Crack! Shriek!A plume of red smoke escaped from the enchanted musket’s muzzle as a burning phoenix screeched out of the gun and struck the Slasher, setting it ablaze. As the flames ravaged its body, it burned down to a lumpy mass of flesh and bones.“Mark! Pick your targets!” Lord Sebastian yelled out his command before reloading his rifle.Jasenki and Iraka obeyed at once, pulling back their triggers.Bang! Bang!The two enchanted bullets fired from their blunderbuss rifles struck the ground, exploding upon impact. Each blast took out over a dozen ghouls, ripping them to pieces and scattering their bloody limbs all over the road.Lord Sebastian noticed two more Slashers advancing down the road and quickly reloaded his gun with a different enchanted bullet. This time, he flew even higher into the sky before aiming for

The situation looked dire for Ezra, but he wasn’t the same boy Ramel had tried to kill inside the training dungeon. He was a D-level Gunner now and had plenty of tricks up his sleeves.“Kill him!” Ramel commanded, pointing at Ezra.The Corrupted Spiderlings scampered across the road, but Ezra held his ground.“Let’s hope crafting you was worth the trouble.” Ezra pointed his weapon’s nozzle toward the enemy and pulled the trigger. The dragon’s eyes lit up as Ezra held the trigger down. Then suddenly, a torrent of searing red flames gushed out of the steel nozzle and flooded the road, setting the spiderlings ablaze.“I think I am in love with you!” Ezra moved forward, pushing the enemy back. The spiderlings tried to flank him from the sides, but he quickly turned his weapon around, re-directing the flame to cleanse his path.Ramel’s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched Ezra exterminate the swarm of Corrupted Spiderlings. It was all too easy for him since the cleansing flames spread a

Ezra stood there all alone against an army of undead led by Ramel. But he knew he could obliterate the skeletal horde in the blink of an eye. The only thing that stopped him from attacking was the gun pointed at his father.Lord Wilhelm and his son were holding Lord Sebastian hostage, and Lester and his adventurers had their guns and crossbows pointed straight at Ezra.The only one Ezra could count on in such a situation was his sister. But she had been led far away from Aranor by the Headless Horsemen. Lord Wilhelm had carefully planned every single step, and now his deceptive schemes had finally come to fruition.“Give up now, brother,” Ramel spoke again, his lips curving into a sly grin and his eyes gleaming with a malicious delight. “There is no way you can win. Aranor’s fate has been sealed, but there is still time to save father.”“He is your father as well!” Ezra snapped back, turning the Shadow Cannon toward his brother. “Is this how you intend to repay him for raising you and

In the blink of an eye, Ezra’s life had turned upside down. He had everything he ever wanted in this world: a loving family, a life of comfort, and a special talent that he could be proud of. After having overcome all the taunts and mockeries, Ezra had proved his worth by joining Dragon Claw. His life-long dream of becoming an Ace Gunner felt almost within his grasp, but Lord Wilhelm had snatched everything he held dear in one fell swoop.Even the one whom he had called his brother had betrayed him. The Romanov family now lay in ruins, and Aranor had been overrun with the undead. Things looked dismal from every angle, and here he was rotting inside a dark dungeon.“Damn you. Damn you all…”Ezra slumped down on the ground, his back pressed into the cold, damp wall behind him. He wanted to scream at someone, but he knew no one would hear him inside this dark prison.“Why didn’t you fight back, dad? How could they just overpower you so easily?” Ezra kept questioning, his mind clouded wit