( The next day, Leo's POV )
Leo reunited with Ben the next day after going back to the tavern that was supposed to be their base of operations.
"Where the hell were you?, I have been killing night guild members left and right since yesterday for you-" Ben asked Leo, as Leo blinked twice, feeling confused.
"Where the hell was I? Where the hell were you? I got attacked yesterday by a swarm of night guild members and you were nowhere to be found-" Leo said as now Ben blinked his eyes in confusion.
"What?"
"What?"
Both said together, sounding surprised, as they recounted each other's experiences in detail.
"A flying Griffin for a mount, your boyfriend is sure resourceful" Ben commented, as Leo's face twitched at his choice of words.
"Boyfriend? He's my brother…. Bound by blood" Leo clarified, as Ben took in a big breath of relief.
"Oh thank god, I was worried you were playing both sides…" Ben said, sighing in relief as Leo opened and closed his mouth several times, but could not find any words to retort.
In the first place, he had no idea how Ben even received such an impression as the misunderstanding was just so far from the truth.
"Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I don't swing that way…" Leo further clarified as Ben slapped his shoulders in joy.
"That's my boy! Hahaha, the girl was clearly more pretty, but even if you love her, I hardly classify going on a date with her as an emergency!
Boy, for you right now, survival should be your only priority-" Ben said, as he expressed his disapproval of Leo for heading out on a date yesterday when he was being actively hunted by the biggest Assassin organization in the entire Empire.
"Well…. You're not wrong master, I'll keep that in mind going forward" Leo admitted his mistake as he decided to not take any more of such dates in the future.
He really had no choice this time around, however, now that he had met both Luke and Amanda within the game once, he could avoid such meetings in the future without arousing too much suspicion.
"Since we still have one day before the Grand Tournament opening ceremony tomorrow, let's go on a light hunting spree today.
Nothing too dangerous, just enough to sharpen your skills for the tournament-" Ben said as Leo smiled rather evilly.
Putting on his Assassin robes, and equipping his mask, Leo shifted to 'TheBoss' character once more as he headed out alongside Ben to hunt his prey and level up before the Grand tournament began.
***********
( Meanwhile Cervantez )
Cervantez was having mixed feelings as he glanced at the global forums.
On one hand, captivating attention worldwide, a photograph captured a man adorned in the distinctive robes of the 'DarkSky' guild, soaring through the skies atop a majestic Griffin mount.
This remarkable image generated an immense buzz and elevated the guild's mystique and allure.
However, on the other hand, Tor was involved in a bad PR scandal on the global forums as he engaged in a comments war against trolls that called him 'too mid to be a part of DarkSky guild'.
While anyone with half a brain could see that Tor was an exceptional warrior.
Someone purposefully created a narrative and compared him with 'TheBoss', launching clips of their encounter during the open round qualifying in such a way that Tor looked like a loudmouth and a weakling.
A sensible man would have avoided this mess, however, Tor openly debated with his haters on the forums, calling them slurs that turned into a PR nightmare for the guild.
Cervantez sighed as he scrolled through the comment section, witnessing the unfolding disaster. Tor, ever impulsive, had leaped into the fray without a second thought.
---
[ Tor ] : "Seems like some people can only feel tall when they stand on their pile of lies. Watch me in the upcoming Grand Tournament. You haters will all eat your words."
[ Hater1 ] : "Loud as a lion but fights like a kitten. 'TheBoss' wiped the floor with you in the open round, Tor, he will most likely finish you off in seconds if you meet him. While it's okay to be arrogant, know when to kneel in front of mount Tai."
[ Tor ] : "A kitten? At least I don't hide behind a screen. 'TheBoss' got lucky in the preliminaries. Next time, I'll show what a real fight looks like."
[ Hater2 ] : "Real fight? You don't mean running your mouth do you? Cause that's the only thing you're good at."
[ Tor ] : "Running my mouth? The only thing I'm running towards is the top. Keep watching, hater."
[ Hater3 ] : "Top of what? The most delusional player rankings?"
[ Tor ] : "Jealousy's a curse. Stay cursed, my friend."
[ Hater4 ]: "Curse? The only curse here is your gameplay. Go back to training wheels. The global chat is your people with brains, not barbarians like you- "
[ Tor ] : "Are you implying I'm dumb? I can school you all about the English language."
[ Hater5 ]: "Only thing you're schooling us in is how not to play. #TorFails"
[ Tor ]: "Hashtag this, #VictoryComing. Bookmark it."
[ Hater6 ]: "Bookmarking for when you fall flat again. Can't wait."
[ Tor ] : "Keep waiting. I'll be busy winning."
[ Hater7 ] : "Winning at being the worst? Yeah, you're acing that."
[ Tor ]: "At least I'm acing something. What have you done lately?"
---
Despite his attempts to defend himself, Tor's comments came across as arrogant and shortsighted, further tarnishing his and by extension, the DarkSky guild's reputation. Cervantez realized that damage control was not just necessary—it was urgent.
It was only a matter of time before someone connected Tor's behavior to that of the guild and that would be a serious problem for Cervantez's future plans.
He needed to attract the best talents towards his guild and the only way to do so was to project a classy and strong image. An image that Tor and his haters were hell bent on destroying.
What Cervantez did not know however was that all of Tor's haters were members of the uprising who were solid 'TheBoss' fanboys and that winning a war of words with them on the forums was impossible.
—-----
/// A/N - This bonus chapter is sponsored by patron Haiiko, please thank him in the comments for the same. ///