Scratching the side of his head, Nilbog kept surveying the city as he limped forward.

Blood of all colors sprayed the overturned stone blocks. Some buildings were missing chunks of their walls—something no normal Ghoul could do. Those that were outside fought something different, and from the looks of it, something much more powerful. The smell of corpses filled the air with the ravens and flies already feasting upon the never-ending pile of food.

It wasn’t the most pleasant scene Nilbog has seen.

Find a Disaster. No problem. Nilbog didn’t have any doubts about her information—she was too prideful to lie to someone as weak as him. There was just one issue with that, of course. Never mind convincing them to do his bidding, just how was he going to find one? Those things don’t exactly lay around in the open. As far as he was aware Disastor's were a rarity. The Games have just begun, and people will get stronger faster thanks to the experience boosters and skills, making them more common, but NIlbog wasn't familiar with how fast. Plus, even if he did find one later, Lady Ovalia will probably have her own. It was now or never.

At first, Nilbog thought the United Ranked guild would be the best option, but considering he had no evidence, he'll probably get the same reaction he got everyone. You're a lier. They are great people. It was sickening how well they got everyone fooled.

Then again, I was no different until I saw them put that sword through Jack's back. It was understandable that they doubted him.

Iris was the second option. She seemed to have a trek of being used for one purpose or another, and Nilbog wasn’t about to add his name to that list. It just felt wrong to take advantage of someone so clueless—even if he could that is. That being the most likely to succeed was relative to his other improbable options. Still, unlikely wasn’t the same thing as impossible.

He knew his options---now he needed to survive long enough to execute one of them. That should be his priority.

Which brought him to the Games itself. If today was the First Phase, then when was the second?

Things were not good. Not only his HP was low, but his STM wasn’t doing well either. Endurance worked in two ways—STM and Overall STM. It takes STM to move in a short period of time, and those points were siphoned from his Overall STM bar. His body won’t recover after that, as his STM leeches off it in a 1 to 1 ratio. Even though his STM was recovering at a decent rate, his muscles were still sore and his body still battered. He walked with a limp, putting most of his weight on his left side.

It wasn't a zero or nothing. The lower STM and HP bars went down, the worse Nilbog felt. His Shapeshifter skills negated the effects of organ damage, allowing him to fight at full capacity even at his last few HP, but being mentally fit was a whole different subject. He was stressed, anxious, and scared. Whenever that happened Nilbog noticed his decision became a bit more irrational.

The city itself was in chaos. Most handled it in two distinct ways; there, near the entrance to a different store, Nilbog could see a group of men and women, as well as a few kids, huddle together as they left their dungeons.

They were lead by fully equipped humans. Having armor and weapons made all the difference. Having an experienced group among them made things easier. The Phases called with levels, not Danger Tiers, which meant a low level but trained human would perform better than a higher level, but less trained human. It looked like the group was competent enough to protect everyone else as well. There were 4 Wolves and 1 Tiger.

The Tiger, in particular, wore a full set. His armor was a smooth dark blue made of some type of turtle shell-like material. It covered every bit of skin, from his fingers to his shoulders, where it was curved up to protect the back of his neck. His helm had a single, half-moon slit to see through.

It had to be Soul Equipment, otherwise, it would have been impossible to wear. All the pieces were welded together, leaving not a single conjunction. It was virtually waterproof from the neck down. It was slightly stretchable as well, something typical metal armor can’t do. It must have been crafted from a high-ranking monster.

That type of equipment did not drop on death, could be equipped in a few seconds, and took up residence inside a person’s Soul in the allocated spot. A person could only have one Torso equipment stored inside.

The difference between a full set and a mismatch of equipment was enormous. A typical full set could grant a variety of unique and powerful buffs when wearing the same kind for five spots—Head, Torso, Arms, Legs, and Boots. They can only be crafted from the material of high ranked monsters, or be won from the most dangerous Phases or Missions.

“Citizens of Dlar!” he yelled, smashing the bottom of his shield on the ground. The half hundred people among the streets snapped from their daze. “Do not panic! Once the Phase finishes, we will be taking action to protect everyone!” he yelled, his voice breaking at the end. He took a deep breath and started again, this time his voice a bit clearer. “Follow us to Balk Square!” He said and marched on, stragglers joining him as he walked. Even as he crossed the block, Nilbog could still hear his bellows ring across the city.

Nilbog did not join them. Maybe it was the smarter choice, as sometimes Phases occurred in closed-off spaces, scaling with the number of people bound together, but he did it mostly because he grew tired of human interaction. He wanted some alone time. His nose was ready to call it quits. Those people took too many showers, preventing the dirt from concealing their stench.

As he walked through the streets aimlessly, Nilbog noticed how others reacted to The Game. They were the less fortunate who were looting the more fortunate stores in preparation for the next Phase.

Nilbog noticed a slightly tall man enter a jewelry store that four others had already entered. After a racket, one of them crawled out.

Seeing that convinced him to make haste. Thus, he limped with extra speed. He needed a small room to sleep in that could be easily defended. The alleyways, if not safe before, were not an option anymore. Losing so much HP in such a short time certainly hurt him, but he’ll be fine as long as he could stay out of trouble for a day or two. By then, calm will return to the kingdom. He’ll figure things out then.

The Second Phase Begins!

Hue and cry, a riot astir, a revolt afoot!

Patriotic citizens of Dlar, take up arms, for a civil war is nigh!

The two royal factions battle over the throne. Pick your side, swear your allegiance, and ready your weapons.

Anima

The Anima is the public administration of Dlar, consisting of traders and warriors.

They pledge to train, protect, heal, and pay those that fight for Dlar. Military servitude is required. Non-combat citizens will be allocated to their respective professions.

Faction Leader: Barlom, The Guardian Of Dlair.

Animus

The Animus is the royal bloodline of Dlar, consisting of nobles and Mages.

They pledge the freedom to pursue your own goals.

Faction Leader: Ovalia The Iron-Eyed

First Law

The city will remain locked for the duration of the Phase.

Second Law

You possess one hidden contribution bar with the two factions on each end. The more you contribute towards a faction, the more difficult it will become to gain a positive rating with the other. Betraying your home faction will mark you in purple. Those that kill purples will earn additional rewards.

Third Law

You may gain experience for killing Sentients. Damage done to anything 30 levels lower than your own will not provide any rewards or experience. Instead of red, those will be shown in gray. Capturing grays will allocate rewards but at a reduced rate that decreases with the more grays you capture. This rule does not apply to those who turned Purple.

Fourth Law

The death or surrender of a faction leader will cause the immediate victory of the other faction.

Fifth Law

The Event will end if neither factions lose within a seven day period with, the victory going towards the faction that controls the most territory. Each member of the winning faction will receive a skill with the most powerful skills going to the highest contributors.

Ah, Nilbog stopped dead in his feet, his face crumpling. Of course. He was already haggard and beat. It would have been unreasonable if something didn’t try to kill him for a day or two.