“Wow, this is such a mess… I like it.” Hou Nao Zhong, the leading captain for the Royal Zodiac Monkey Clan that came under the orders of their Head to try out the raid instance, saw the mess that the Pandarens were in.
“It’s really noisy.” Yang Mian Ling, the leading captain for the Royal Zodiac Sheep Clan, could not fathom the realism of the raid instance and tried to adjust her earpiece to muffle the sounds a little more. Both the captains and their teams had arrived at the Outer Camp Walls with the Royal Zodiac Snake’s Sergeant Rocher greeting them at the sidelines.
“Ah, you two must be the captains that my captain had talked about. Apologies for the mess.” Sergeant Rocher saluted as the rest of the team came down from the train carriages. Nao Zhong noticed that the snakes were wearing their uniform along with someone that was different from them.
The Royal Zodiac Tigers and someone he recognised as well.
“Hu Chun Hua? I did not expect you to be here. Last I heard, it was the Sheeps and Us.” Nao Zhong said and Chun Hua laughed. As she turned, Nao Zhong also saw Chun Hua’s uniform and her rank, realising that she had already been promoted to Major. “Oh, I should call you Mdm now.”
“Stop teasing me already. The Tiger General dispatched me because they believed it would be a good chance to get more experience for war type situations.” Hu Chun Hua said and Rochor smiled widely. She was not wrong, the Royal Zodiac Snake Army was merely average in terms of strength but the consistent exposure to Jin’s dungeons had allowed them to push themselves to the limit. He noticed that his lackeys were more intuitive with better combat awareness compared to the year before.
“One thing though, why are you all wearing your uniforms? I thought this was just a raid instance. You guys are taking it too seriously.” Nao Zhong said even though he too had been instructed to bring their uniforms with them.
“It’s easier for the rest of the customers to identify us plus for apparent reasons, the Demon Rats attack us more than the Pandarens when we are in uniform,” Rocher said and the rest understood the meaning behind it. More danger means more opportunities for them to learn since this was the main reason why they were all here. Especially when their higher ups purposely selected the team in the shortest time possible and even wasted scrolls to teleport them from various provinces to meet at the Tree Mall. Not to mention, they were given an unreasonable amount of budget to spend in this particular raid instance. The captains even heard that the money personally came from the pockets of their Royal Zodiac Heads which made them feel the pressure even more.
But as they conversed, they realised the rest of the team members were waiting around and that was enough to be a source of target by the Demon Rats as they sent out a few fire large balls towards them.
And as the teams who saw the incoming attack began to prepare their defensive spells, Sergeant Rocher told them to calm down. “Don’t worry, you all are safe. We have a magical barrier that protects this particular camp but the Demon Rats are always doing this to test our defences whenever a train arrives…as if they were testing their luck.” Sergeant Rocher said and they saw the fireballs fall flat onto the barriers. Even though the barrier was strong enough to withstand the attack, a few inexperienced team members shuddered at the realism of the dungeon instance especially when they were first timers in Jin’s instances.
“Ah, the barrier fluttered a little from the attack, guess it’s time to buy the upgrades.” Rocher thought to himself as he was partially in charge of the Outer Wall Camp’s defences. He quickly showed the team to their temporary quarters where they could store their items but Mian Ling stopped Rocher.
“We are under the orders to create a new camp. I do not know the exact details of the current raid instance but I had been following the forums for quite a bit.” Mian Ling said and Rocher smiled seeing that there was a fellow forum lurker like him before he was tasked to enter the raid instance.
And for Mian Ling, it was true that she had been lurking in the Pandamonium Forums for the longest time ever. In fact, she was especially elated by the fact that the Royal Zodiac Sheeps had been tasked to enter it and even more when she heard that the team was going in as a support role, something that they were specialised in.
She was unable to go to visit despite the vested interest mainly because she was stationed in the Qing Hai province and needed at least a week of leave as well as clearance from her officers. So, unlike Nao Zhong who did not know anything much about dungeon instances, Mian Ling was a closet fanatic and amazed by every single thing ever since she stepped into Jin’s instance. The only relief she had from embarrassing the rest with her actions was that she was wearing her signature customised surgical mask to hide her delights from experiencing everything. However, when it comes to work, she is extremely focused on the task at hand.
“The reports are not out yet but as you might have known the news came only when Pandarens who were out of this raid instance, aka killed by the stuff from the raid instances. Or when Mr Know It All comes online and gives extra hidden information. So, right now, the Pandarens as well as my fellow comrades have managed to move to the 3rd layer of the Inner Wall but the resistance there is enormous. The situation is not looking good but the Royal Zodiac Tigers had already begun reinforcing the frontlines. So it’s your choice if you wish to rush there first though I feel establishing your support here is the most ideal.” Rocher said and asked if he could continue sending them to the temporary quarters or whether they wanted to see the current battlefield themselves.
But both the Sheep and Monkey simultaneously said that establishing the support nearer to the frontlines would be the best.
