Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Rain had anticipated the formation of a force aimed at hunting him down, given the risks he had taken and the hostile actions he had done. However, what puzzled him was the choice to dispatch the elite King\'s Blade on this mission. Joanis had left Rain with lingering questions.

While the King\'s Blade was renowned for its unwavering loyalty to the monarch and their formidable combat skills. Even a small team of them had the potential to sway the balance of power in Rain\'s favor if they chose to ally with him. Their mere presence introduced a complex element into the situation.

Rain contemplated the possible outcomes of this encounter. If he could convince even a fraction of the King\'s Blade to join his cause, it could bolster his own forces and sow division among his pursuers. Such an unexpected turn of events might trigger a chain reaction, reshaping the course of their conflict.

Yet, he couldn\'t ignore the inherent risks. The success in recruiting them might escalate the conflict, drawing even more formidable foes into the fray.

"I have to tell them not to fight those guys… they came for me, and the king is in the opposite direction, so it will be better if the sea folk don\'t get involved," Rain said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose the king sent the king\'s Blade because they were our former friends, and that would cause problems between us."

"It sounds more like something Joanis would do," Esmeralda said. "I tried to convince the father to stop while he had the chance, but he didn\'t listen to me. but he listened to Joanis when he told me to leave me behind with some of the royal guard since he would need to focus on the war."

"Oh yeah… what do you learn that we don\'t know?" Rain asked.

"My position about father\'s choice was clear from the very beginning, so he put me on the sidelines and ignored my opinions all the time, so…" Esmeralda said while showing a difficult expression.

"I see…" Rain said and then began to plan what they should do. "At least an army will be impossible to miss, but this army won\'t have the best soldiers since they are on another campaign… it will be easy to deal with them. However, their movement speed is concerning, and those guys that Joanis sent are also worrisome."

"Their army will have my soldiers and mainly civilians… Joanis is probably thinking of getting rid of those that could join our side or convince others to do the same," Orcis said while massaging his forehead. "If possible, it will be better to just defeat and disarm them and then give us the chance to talk with them."

"We can\'t let them join our side," Rain declared.

"What? Why not?" Terra asked while frowning in surprise.

"... Joanis probably considered such a thing happening, and among the soldiers that once worked for Orcis and the civilians, he might have put someone that could be dangerous to us," Branden explained while showing a complicated expression. "... He is too astute."

The situation they faced was anything but straightforward. Rain and his group found themselves ensnared in a web of intricate decisions and their ensuing repercussions. On one hand, failing to split the enemies from allies meant exposing themselves to increased risks, depleting precious time and resources, and constantly living on the edge.

The never-ending worries would take a toll on them physically, mentally, and materially.

At the same time, resorting to lethal measures against their adversaries carried its own set of complexities. It would inevitably create fresh foes, as acts of violence often sowed the seeds of vengeance and vendettas.

Furthermore, the act of killing, particularly when it involved elite forces such as the King\'s Blade, risked invoking the wrath of the kingdom and plunging them into an even deeper peril.

Another alternative was to attempt to sway their enemies into becoming allies, though this path was fraught with danger. Success might yield potent allies, but it was fraught with peril. Trust would remain a constant challenge, and the group would constantly need to watch their backs, unsure of who might ultimately betray them.

The larger the army they sought to win over, the more challenging it would be to maintain control and secure unwavering loyalty.

In this complex maze of choices, there were no simple solutions. Rain and his friends were navigating a treacherous journey where every step carried far-reaching consequences, and the results of their actions remained uncertain. The sole certainty was that they were embarking on a demanding and perilous path forward.

"Our best course of action is to keep buying time, I guess," Asche said while she was sharpening some of her arrows. "And then try to interfere with the barrel between the main human army and the magic people, right?"

"That seems to be the case, but they can last more than one month?" Roan asked. "Based on what Rain said, they are more hot-blooded than I thought… I would assume that this battle is to only make sure that we won\'t interfere in that war. Or at least until they can solidify  their power in the region that they already took over."

"We can still cause trouble to them even here," Rain said while massaging his neck. "They are counting that we won\'t cause trouble to civilians because that will only harm our reputation further, but there are some ways that we can avoid that kind of outcome."

"How exactly?" Branden asked.