Leo's return to Briarhelm was nothing short of legendary.
From the second that the guards at the gates spotted him, the news of his return spread through the city like wildfire, with droves of rebels crowding the streets to watch him pass.
With his mask broken, Leo wore a thin black cloth over his face to cover some of his features, adorning a different look to his usual staple of a rigid mask and cold eyes.
He walked in a leisurely manner, with both his hands tucked behind his back, not trying to do anything special. However, to the onlookers, he seemed regal, his stride effortlessly captivating, as if he walked on the wind, his feet barely touching the ground.
The streets of Briarhelm were eerily silent despite the massive crowd that had gathered.
Every pair of eyes seemed to remain locked onto him as he walked, some filled with admiration, others with disbelief, but all bearing a reverence that words could not describe.
No one dared to obstruct his path as he walked, as they instinctively parted like the sea before him, creating a perfectly clear walkway for the man who had single-handedly toppled an empire's foundation.
Murmurs of awe rippled through the crowd as Leo passed by.
"It's him!… It's the King-Slayer."
"Did you see his walk? It's like he's floating!"
"I can't believe I'm this close to TheBoss. This is a moment I'll tell my grandchildren about."
But it wasn't just words. The crowd's reverence was visible in their actions.
As Leo walked by, his presence left an almost ethereal stillness in the air for the cult members of his church.
The dirt beneath his feet became sacred ground the moment he stepped past it, as church members scrambled to get some.
Once he had moved a few steps ahead, a frenzy erupted behind him as many scrambled to scoop up handfuls of the dirt he had walked on.
"It's the dirt where he walked! It has to bring good fortune in battles!" one player exclaimed, holding a fistful of soil as if it were a priceless treasure.
Another shouted, "Don't you dare sell it for money or trade it with others for puny monetary gains! That's not just dirt—that's a relic!"
Even the NPCs, though programmed to follow their routines, halted their activities, standing in rapt attention, captivated by Leo's presence, as the crowd and their reverence towards him made them curious about his stature.
Around him, some church members stood frozen, tears glistening in their eyes as they felt overwhelmed by the sheer gravity of being in his proximity, with the most devout believers showing the most exaggerated reactions.
However, while the cultists cried like babies, the moderate ones captured the moment in-game, as screenshots and recordings of his return to Briarhelm flooded the Terra Nova forums within seconds, each post glorifying the encounter.
"TheBoss is back in town! Suck on these nuts righteous faction–"
"All of you together couldn't stop him from returning where he belongs"
"Look at his eyes…. TheBoss doesn't even care for his own fame, he doesn't even acknowledge the crowd, he's… SO DAMN COOL"
Despite the grandeur of the moment, Leo paid no attention to the crowd. His gaze remained forward, his posture calm but unyielding, as though the chaos surrounding him was nothing more than a distant hum.
And yet, every movement, every slight tilt of his head, was analyzed and dissected by the crowd as if it held the secret to his power.
By the time he reached his apartment, the crowd had swelled to an overwhelming size, with players and NPCs alike craning their necks to get one last glimpse of him before he vanished into his abode.
With ChaosBringer having deployed guards to keep the crowd away from his house already, they could unfortunately not follow him as he walked into his quarters, however, while the crowd was barred entry, ChaosBringer himself waited patiently in TheBoss's garden, just outside the entrance to his home.
"Welcome back, my liege, your return to Briarhelm has been eagerly awaited by us lowly one's for weeks now, but now that you're here, we are truly humbled by your presence" ChaosBringer said, as he bowed almost 90° to greet Leo.
Up till now, Leo had a perfectly calm face on, however, the moment he saw ChaosBringer, the hands that were comfortably behind his back, suddenly came to the front as he covered his nether regions with them in a groin guard posture.
"Rise—" he said nervously, as although he knew that he could not avoid this meeting with ChaosBringer, Leo still wished to carry it out with as much distance between them as possible.
"Thank You my merciful lord for allowing this lowly one to stand. Your kindness truly knows no bounds…" ChaosBringer began, as he gazed towards Leo with the most loving of eyes, the passionate kind that was usually reserved only for lovers, making Leo immediately feel increasingly uncomfortable.
"Does the Lord wish to rest? This humble one has been learning the art of massaging and has recently acquired [Intermediate] proficiency for the same.
If the Lord gives me a chance, I can help you melt away all the stress of your journey and can even impart a temporary physical recovery boost to you–" ChaosBringer suggested, rubbing his hands that had long pointy nails eagerly.
"No, not tired… not at all" Leo replied, fumbling as his left eye began to twitch constantly.
"I see…. Then if the Lord does have stamina, may I suggest stepping into your quarters and conversing about the war? There are some urgent matters that I must bring to your attention—" ChaosBringer suggested, as Leo instantly shot down the idea.
"No need to be alone in my quarters, we are alone enough here. You may say whatever you want to say" Leo urged, as he absolutely refused to allow ChaosBringer to be alone with him in an enclosed room.
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/// A/N - Mass Release Counter 360/2500.
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