Chapter 193 - 192

"We did it boys, not even a lick of resistance, just like I told you. They all left the city, and by tomorrow morning, their Guild House will be ours and we'll rule Montauk with an Iron Fist. There's no way they'll return in time, they were headed to Assah to the beach. Even if they get the notification, we will hold the city before they get back." One of the home intruders tells his companions. 

"Are you sure you brought enough members to hold the city?" Cain asks from the stairwell. 

"Of course, we brought a full hundred, all first advancement." The braggart of a transfer, a human Shadow Assassin barely 160cm tall declares, before realizing that question wasn't from one of his men. 

"How did you get here? You haven't been in the city for weeks." He snarls, pulling his daggers. 

Cain calmly looks him over, realizing he is barely level 100, before selecting him with his interface and declaring war on the Montauk Exiles Guild that he belongs to. Most likely remnants of the old Guardians, but there might be mercenaries and sympathizers in the Guild too.

[Area Notification: Guild Master Cain of Darklight Host has declared war on the Montauk Exiles Guild. War will continue for 24 hours.]

The notification causes chaos in the city, the last time this happened they were very nearly all killed. Doors slam, window shutters are locked and the streets empty in seconds. 

Cain calls for all 12 of his Supporters as Kone clones and gives the day's orders. "Call your full compliment of Turtles and Bonded Forces. Find and Kill every member of the Montauk Exiles, and someone find me the Mayor. If they're attacking me, he's likely in trouble."

Two dozen Dragons take to the air in pairs, half of them carrying a spirit folk girl, with each group surrounded by sixteen Drakes. 

Nearly two hundred Legendary Snapping Turtle Kin fill the streets around the Guild House, fanning out in a search and destroy pattern. 

Cain's Dread Spider Bodyguards appear at his side, along with a quartet of Fire Elementals. This is enough to make the invaders panic, even before the webs wrap them up from toes to neck. 

"Tell me what's going on and this can be quick." Cain says with a smile, making the Oath Breaker in his mind give an evil laugh. 

"The city will fall. You messed with the wrong people." The braggart laughs. 

[There are transfers here from Something called a Port Rattle Trade Alliance, fighting alongside the Exiles.] One of the Kone Clones sends updated information to Cain. 

[Make them all disappear. I'm not going to declare war on them, but I don't want to see one left in the city.] Cain responds and the Snapping Turtles get to work. 

They must have been in town all day, making merchants offers they couldn't refuse, because from the sounds of smashed buildings, the summons are finding a lot of targets hiding indoors. 

This is why Cain didn't want the others to accompany him. Politics are always messy, especially here. He didn't expect the Port Rattle members to come all this way, but since they did, he's not going to spare them from their stupidity. 

As the sounds of fighting grower more distant, Cain returns his attention to his hostages. "Care to explain why you thought you could win this time?"

"You will lose. The trade alliance sent us thirty fighters, all over level two hundred. Even you, the much feared Guild Master Cain, aren't within fifty levels of that. Kill me if you want, but you won't live to see the morning if you do."

Cain wonders if this is payback for the idiots he ran out of Assah, and they just couldn't take revenge easily there with Earl RhickJaymz around. It seems like a plausible idea, though they might have been looking to expand here anyhow and were simply enticed by the prospect of taking over the city at the exit to the Beginner's Zone. They are a trade alliance after all, and that's an untapped market. 

[Thanks for the Rescue. Your Dragons are here with some giant Turtles. They broke the enchantments locking me in my manor.] The mayor of Montauk sends Cain in friend chat. 

[What about the council?]

[All with me. We were having a dinner party, discussing trade deals with the Port Rattle Trade Alliance when they turned on us.]

That's actually pretty smooth. Get everyone important together with a legitimate looking deal, and you can trap them all in one spot while you take over the city. Cain might have to remember that tactic. If he hadn't shown up, they would have taken the city without anyone getting hurt.

[Wait there, I'll be by in just a moment. Tell the Turtles to keep the leaders alive if they can.] Cain gives them just that instruction before turning to the Montauk Exiles members. 

"I hate to cut our chat short, but I've got business to deal with. Elementals, try not to scorch the decor while you deal with them. Spiders, with me."

With that Cain leaps of the front door, equipping his finest black Dark Elven Suit with matching cap and shoes, before activating Cloud Dancing to speed to the Mayor's house, only a few short blocks away. 

Five very battered transfers, all over level 200, with their hands behind their heads, are on the front lawn, surrounded by sixteen Turtles, with a Kone and a pair of Su twins in attendance. It looks like the Dragon accepted their surrender, as they're facing one of the two in an organized row. 

"Greetings everyone. I am Cain, Guild Master of the Darklight Host, and the target of the terrorist forces you were unfortunate enough to have allied with tonight." Cain introduces himself with a graceful flourish. 

"Giamatti, ambassador of the Port Rattle Trade Alliance. We've been looking forward to meeting you." One of the hostages says with dignity. 

"Care to explain? Because I do get upset when people attack my Guild Houses. Especially after what those particular ones did to the residents of this fine city."

"It's just business, friend. A hostile takeover if you will. There is no group controlling trade in and out of the Beginner Valley here in the central continent, so we decided to make a play for it. Our informants didn't mention a thing about it being under protection, so imagine our shock when the Guild who disrupted our shop in Assah just happened to be here." The man says in a polite tone with a diplomatic smile. 

"It was a good theory. Unfortunately, the area self regulates the flow of fake goods. The shopkeeper in Assah ran into the same problem." Cain responds in kind and the man laughs. 

"Pair of idiots those ones were. They're supposed to mix them in, one for every ten real items they sell, but they saw nothing but gold coins and thought they'd never get caught."

"Yeah, they had imprisoned an Incubus with a calming ability and were using him to deceive visitors. The Earl will likely want to talk to your alliance about that the next time you're in town." Cain informs him and the man nods solemnly. 

"So what's next?" He asks. 

"You can take your men and leave if you like. I won't stop you. But the Montauk Exiles are forfeit. Call it mutually beneficial, an intercontinental Guild War sounds like a lot of trouble to me." Cain directs the Summons to hold off on the Trade Alliance members while he negotiates, an easy task as they haven't found any of the high level ones yet only smashing up a few shops that had agreed to join them. 

The city has unfortunately taken heavy damage this time, the self titled Montauk Exiles think nothing of using the citizens that banished them as human shields, and the Summons don't care about property damage, only about avoiding seriously injuring the wrong people. 

"Deal, I'll call off my men and inform home base that this city is claimed. If a tenth of your forces can capture the five of us like this, any actual battle would be a serious loss." Spoken life a true politician, a truce because the other option doesn't pass the cost benefit analysis. 

"Deal. I'll instruct my forces not to kill Trade Alliance members unless they're attacked." Cain agrees and the group stands up, giving the Mayor a nod before jogging out of the compound and towards the north side of the city. 

"How did they arrive? Through a portal?" Cain asks the shocked mayor. 

"With a caravan on enchanted camels." The mayor says absently and Cain mentally imagines the map between here and Assah.

If they follow the usual trade route, the flattest and easiest route with multiple oasis, they'll return well clear of the castle. Even a straight line misses their new fortress. Both are good news for Cain. Uninvited visitors versus Oath Breakers would create a huge mess. 

"Looks like everyone has got some renovations to do, and I've got a party to return to, so I'll see you again tomorrow, when I come by with a security specialist to get the house set up to avoid another incident like this." Cain says his goodbyes to the Mayor and asks all the summons to check in. 

Seven possible members with the Montauk Exiles Guild tag remain unaccounted for, but the other ninety three have been found and dealt with. Annoying, but likely the best they'll manage. 

"You lot, watch the house. But I think we're done here." Cain informs the group at the Mayor's house and dismisses the other summons. 

He should still have plenty of time left for cake tonight.