New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Astaroth didn't fly into the foliage of the tree. Instead, he razed close under it, giving himself and Phoenix a good view of the base from above.

From their vantage point, Astaroth could see many things that hadn't been there previously. On the top of the stone walls, he could see platforms made of wood that slightly went over the edges.

He guessed these would be used to fend off people climbing the walls or trying to fly into the base. There were also buckets on the platforms, but he couldn't see what was in them.

He noticed the gate to enter the wall had been reinforced, to the point where it almost looked like an entirely different gate. He imagined it would take a lot more to break through it now, than before.

But that wasn't the only thing he saw. Astaroth caught something in the corner of his eye.

Above him, in the branches of the tree, he could see elves running around, bows on their backs.

"Did you ask Athena to ask for help from the Wild Elves?"

"I didn't. Apparently, the wild elves offered their help when they noticed we were preparing for some kind of battle. They are scared that new tenants might push them out of here."

"Huh. Makes sense. But I'm still surprised they didn't just hide. They will fight against pseudo-immortal players, after all. This would be enough to scare many NPCs."

"Athena told me that these elves frequently hunt in the woods around the Bastion, where level forty to fifty monsters live. Not much scares them."

Astaroth could guess they would make good allies, if that was the case. They would act as an unseen repellant to flying enemies.

Which he expected to see much of. There was no way he and Khalor were some of the only players that could fly.

Phoenix could also fly a bit when she used her Avatar of Flames form, which, he was certain, would have reached a higher degree of power now.

So there was no way there wouldn't be foes that could do similar things, or had other ways of making themselves take flight. Plus, he had a nagging feeling that flying wouldn't be the only way enemies would try to break in with.

Astaroth noticed another thing next. On the ground below him, were some buildings which had been in ruins that now seemed to be in an almost pristine state.

He couldn't see what they were used for, from where he was, but the woman with him was less oblivious. Phoenix could see the curiosity sparkle in Astaroth's eyes.

She pointed to one building that had a plume of smoke coming out of its chimney.

"That one is our newly rebuilt forge. Some players found the furnaces inside still in good shape and rebuilt it. We have a few crafter classes that were quite happy with this building being up again."

"Do we already have some blacksmiths?"

"We have more than that. We have Weapon Smiths, Armor Smiths, Tanners, Seamsters, and many more. Surprisingly, when the word went out that we had a fortress, and that we were recruiting, many crafter players applied to join."

"Hm. And Morticia vetted most of them?"

"Actually, the crafter classes are almost all instantly accepted. When you said you wanted to make a city out of the Bastion, I thought getting the trade up and running was a priority."

"That is a good idea. If we get some market power already, it'll make it easier to build up this place. You really are smarter than me."

"Oh please. Flattery will lead you everywhere," Phoenix said flirtatiously.

"Anyway! We have other buildings that we rebuilt quickly, too. We found some barracks, which we prioritized, for the new players joining that want to stay here. There were also some stables, but we have nothing to put in them yet, so we have not touched it for now."

Astaroth flew around the base, Phoenix pointing out each rebuilt structure, and explaining what it was used for. She was like his portable tour guide.

As they finished their full circle around the center tree, Astaroth noticed something in the distance. He rapidly veered to the right, as he saw something glint in the sunlight.

As he did, an arrow whizzed past his chest, missing him by a hair. Astaroth was shocked for a second, since he couldn't see the shooter.

He was high above the ground, and the closest cover for an archer would be in the woods, which were hundreds of meters away from the Bastion's walls.

Phoenix had gripped him tight when he suddenly veered. But seeing his now focused gaze, she understood what was happening.

She rapidly tapped into the guild chat.

'The enemies have reached our lands. Everyone get ready for combat.'

Across the entire Bastion, Astaroth could hear cheers.

"It seems like they were getting impatient. I guess they will now get to release that pent-up aggression. Let's just hope we didn't recruit players that are just super aggressive, but can't think during a fight."

Phoenix giggled.

"I doubt we got many players that can't think on our side. Those players will mostly be on the other side of the wall."

"Let's hope you're right."

Astaroth had already dived, making his way back inside the palace. He would need to meet with the core members of the guild there before they headed to the battlefield.

Phoenix had already decided on roles for everyone, and the meeting would mainly be about reconfirming those, as well as touching up the plans.

She swiped open her guild interface, authorizing every core member into the palace. Otherwise, they would have to hold the meeting outside.

Phoenix took a mental note to finish organizing the guild ranks and permissions after this battle. Their structure lacked work, and it bothered her.

But for now, they had bigger fish to fry.

Reaching the throne room, where an enormous table had been brought, Astaroth and Phoenix sat down. Soon, all the others started arriving.

Once everyone was here, Phoenix got back up.

"Alright, let's begin this meeting."