The operation began

The long, grueling night finally passed, minute by minute. By the time a sliver of milky white appeared in the eastern sky, the moon had already sunk low in the west, while the smaller moon flickered in and out of sight in the faint light of dawn.

It was exactly three thirty in the morning. Felix finally yawned and forced himself to stand.

He glanced at Baros, who was sleeping soundly beside him. Fortunately, the fellow had caused no trouble all night and had stayed obediently here, looking utterly harmless.

"The operation is about to begin," he muttered to himself. Then, carrying a sword, he walked over to a foul drain, trying to use its overpowering smell to dispel the exhaustion that gripped his body and mind.

No matter how sleepy he was, one sniff of the stench here would soon leave him feeling refreshed.

Half an hour later, all the brothers of the Stonemasons' Guild were ready in the main sewer pipe nearby. Some held daggers, some carried swords, and others raised muskets.

To say they were "ready" was, of course, a lie. In truth, apart from Second War veterans like Bazil Thredd, everyone's face was full of inexperience and tension. Yet even in their fear and unease, their eyes were filled with trust as they looked at Felix.

Aside from their status as rioters, most of them were young boys.

On Earth, boys their age should have been studying at university, receiving higher education or vocational training, or, at the very least, riding electric scooters to deliver takeout. Here, however, they had no choice but to play the part of rebels, about to follow Felix and the others onto the streets of Old Town and engage in the bloodiest fighting with the nobles and their lackeys who were sleeping soundly there.

Could I really lead them well? Could I really keep most of them alive and safe? Could we really overthrow Stormwind City's rule and make Onyxia and those filthy nobles repay every blood debt?

Looking at those young faces filled with trust in him, Felix instead lost some confidence in that moment. He was unsure whether he could live up to the trust others had placed in him.

But once an arrow was loosed, there was no calling it back.

Felix kept convincing himself that they no longer had any choice. From the moment Marcus Jonathan led Stormwind City's defense forces in turning their blades on the crowd in Cathedral Square, there had been no room for compromise between them and the city's rulers.

Perhaps Varian Wrynn was a good king, but his throne was far too high for him to notice at all how many poor people struggled painfully to survive in its shadow.

Since Varian Wrynn could not bring Stormwind City's insatiably greedy, despicable, shameless nobles to account, the guild would have to do it, even though that meant countless people would pay in blood.

"Brothers, I know you're exhausted, but Stormwind City's lackeys are even more exhausted right now!" Felix gave a brief speech to rally them before the battle. "Just yesterday, our brothers, our families, our friends, and innocent civilians who sympathized with us all shed their blood in front of Cathedral Square. But at this very moment, the shameless scum who plotted this conspiracy are lying comfortably in the great beds of their mansions, sleeping soundly without a care!"

"Now, make them pay in blood!"

On the streets of Old Town, guards were patrolling in twos and threes. All of them yawned as they strolled sluggishly along. One soldier even found the weather too hot and his armor too cumbersome, and simply walked around with his upper body bare.

"Hey, Lando, why do you think the higher-ups sent us out on patrol today too?" a soldier asked, turning his head. The full-face helmet he wore made the movement look somewhat awkward.

"Haven't you heard the Stonemasons' Guild is going to rebel?" the bare-chested soldier replied listlessly. "But so what? Those unarmed rioters can't stand up to our army."

"True. We broke their lines easily yesterday afternoon. Even their leader, VanCleef, was thrown in prison." Another soldier yawned. "I really don't know why the higher-ups are acting as if we're facing some formidable enemy, even assigning us extra patrol duty at short notice."

"Hey, do you know when we're getting paid this month?"

"I'm not sure about that. The sergeant major said it should be at the end of the month." The soldier thought for a moment, then teased him. "Erich, what are you worried about? Don't tell me you think they'll withhold our wages like they did with those guild rioters? Don't worry, they won't. Major Samuelson promised we'd receive our pay in full. Besides, whoever else those lords might owe money to, they won't leave us unpaid-"

Before he could finish, a dagger sliced precisely through his throat.

"Parvi, what's wrong-" Erich hurriedly raised his sword to defend himself, but several stonemasons who had climbed out of the sewer had already pinned him to the ground from behind. Thuros Lightfinger took the opportunity to snatch the sword from his hand and thrust it into his throat.

"Stop the last one! Don't let him sound the alarm!" Felix shouted, and several workers hurried to surround the remaining bare-chested soldier.

Although Lando shouted and screamed, trying to fight his way out, the guild members hacked wildly at his naked body with their swords for quite some time, until he breathed his last and could no longer make a sound.

Felix quickly assessed the fight that had taken place here. Without a doubt, Thuros Lightfinger's combat skills were entirely adequate. His Backstab and throat-slitting were both perfectly executed, worthy of his reputation as a Second War veteran. But the other brothers, including Felix himself, were far worse. Apart from relying on superior numbers to defeat their enemies, they were essentially good for nothing.

In the future, I'd have to have all the brothers receive training as Stealth Users or warriors, and have the veterans teach the newcomers. Only then could we quickly develop fighting strength and make the guild stronger.

He carefully examined the surrounding terrain, then called urgently, "Lightfinger, take a few experienced brothers and position several muskets, bows, and crossbows on top of this tavern. Take these Goblin bombs too. That way, when the city defense forces charge over, we can block this street and keep them from passing through. You must hold the barricades so you can buy enough time for us and for Bazil's prison break."

Seeing Soros nod, he shouted, "Everyone else, let's go! Before the command headquarters and SI:7 can react, hurry toward those dukes' mansions and take their lives!"