She looked up, nodding. “I do.”
“I don’t…”
“Attention all falconers!” Cornelius echoed through group chat. “Head to your stations. Repeat! Attention all falconers! Head to your stations.”
We had joined his personal group, becoming part of the leadership team and group chat was saved for only necessary announcements like this. With a limit of 99 people in a group, it was just like being a part of a temporary guild. The issue was you couldn’t be a part of two groups at once, so we had to get creative with the communication channels.
“It’s time,” Victoria said, breathing deeply to calm her emotions.
The sun was just starting to peek over the city wall behind us. It cast a wide net of light above the battlefield, not yet reaching the ground. The rest of our group joined us as we walked toward the tower. It was more of a platform of stacked up carts and crates, but the craftsmen had stabilized it by hammering it into submission. They had even added a wooden crown around the top of the structure that came up to Victoria’s waist to help protect against projectiles.
This was one of three platforms that had been built. The main one was in the middle of the player defense and the other two were on either flank, giving more than one point of view of the battle that was destined to take place. Though it reached ten feet in the air, Victoria scrambled around to the tower’s rear and scaled it with ease.
She was joined by another player, this one with an owl on his shoulder. The rest of us took our places among the groups charged with guarding the makeshift tower. She didn’t let her falcon become visible for fear that it might be targeted.
“In position,” she said to the command group.
Looking back, I saw Victoria standing on high, her arms clasped behind her as she stared out across the field, seeing only what those with enhanced vision could see. A large part of me felt relief that she wouldn’t be a part of the immediate conflict. Not having to worry about her was a weight off my shoulders. But that didn’t mean she was safe. From her position, if the goblins were smart enough, she could easily become a target. Taking out the enemy’s eyes was a very smart move.
“Victoria, report,” Cornelius commanded.
“There is a mix of goblin spearmen and those with one-handed weapons and shields. I’d say the spearmen make up 25% of the army. Another 5% are slingers. They are gathered at the rear of the army. There are approximately 2,200 goblins and one hobgoblin near the rear. This one looks different. He’s wearing fur armor.”
“Jeffery, confirm.”
“I second Victoria’s assessment.”
Suddenly, a horn sounded with the dawn. It blew repeatedly as the trees of the horizon were lit like torches with daylight. The light came from behind, climbing over the tops of the wooden posts that made up the city wall. The battlefield was a failing shadow under the sun’s arrival. Without delay, the goblins came. This time every one of the monsters with sword and spear came at once.
Chapter 21 – Unleashed
The bullets from a multitude of slings reached us first. They shone brightly as they peeked in the sky, then tumbled toward us from the heavens. By now most people had decent armor to survive a direct hit, but I cringed at the memory of the damage one of the bullets had done to my iron helm. The dull thud, splintering of wood, and gong off shields drummed about the player encampment.
Even though we didn’t start out on the front line, a charging goblin burrowed its way through the army of players. As one, Kline and I leveled all our weight behind our shields and pummeled the goblin to the earth. Without its momentum six or more spears found it lying helpless.
Kline struck my shield with his fist, pumping his eyebrows in adrenaline-fueled celebration. His motivation was contagious, but there was more. I couldn’t deny I was progressing. Seeing my stats increase over the last couple of days and knowing it was my own strength that rose with them was invigorating. Just days before I could hardly hold my spear for 15 minutes, but now, through the trials of the goblin threat, it had become a trusty companion. It was intriguing, but it wasn’t enough. How many dozens, if not hundreds of players had already died in the fighting overnight?
The bellow of a massive hobgoblin seemed to rumble the very ground I stood upon. I saw him from where I stood behind the player line and the goblin army, heads above everything else. The fur armor looked like the pelt of a giant wolf of gray and white.
He had left the rear of the goblin army, leaving the slingers alone, and was strutting forward toward the middle of the player line. More players were about to die.
The familiar itch of my back and heavy breathing overtook me. I looked to my friends who stared forward toward the goblins they were about to face when it was our turn to take our place on the front line.
Commanding my menu open, it was time to check my followers. I flicked it to my fan page to see what the damage had been after I hadn’t run to help my friends. Curious, my followers had only gone down by four million. That wasn’t the whole story though. The detailed stats said more. After I hadn’t run to help over eight million people had unfollowed me in a mass exodus. There was a common theme to their comments, all summed up in one word: coward. The gain in supporters had come because of the drama between Victoria and me. They wanted to see me prove myself and earn her trust. They wanted to see us together.
Another volley of stone bullets rose up in the sky, gaining altitude as they looked for their victims. They obviously could have cared less if their own were hit by the stones just as we were.
Raising my shield as the stones came, I heard a woman’s scream, as if it had been right in my ear. Victoria!
Turning, I looked up to the platform behind me, not seeing her.
“Victoria!” Peter shouted so loud next to me I had to cringe.
“I’m okay. Jeffery has a broken arm. It’s shattered. He’ll be out for at least an hour,” Victoria replied.
“Keep me posted with his condition,” Cornelius said. “Grab someone to guard you with a good shield.”
I knew both Peter and Oliver likely had me in mind, but if they said anything I missed every word of it.
When Victoria finally stood, showing herself to be okay, I turned back to the front and watched the hobgoblin as it came.
The memory of the molten rock that had filled my veins, causing me the worst pain I had felt in my life, stirred the pit of my stomach to boiling. How many people would it break, maim and kill? What of the stone bullets, or the spears and blades that would shatter, pierce and separate skin and bone? Could all of their pain even be measured?
This wasn’t a game. Becoming a pro gamer had to take a back seat to something more primal, something more desperate.
“Kline.”
I felt his eyes on me.
“If I get hurt, you have permission to kill me.”
“Eh? What are you about to do?”
What was worth getting hurt for? I didn’t hesitate.
Stomping forward and squeezing between the two players in front of me, I waded through my fellow players until I stood right behind the front line. No one said anything to me. Was it the anger or insanity that radiated off me that stopped their mouths? All of my focus was on one thing.
The players before me fought side by side, dancing to and fro between defense and attack. The enemy line was just as thick as ours, but not as organized. I would not fail here.
Feigning twice before lunging, the player on my right had a pattern to his attacks. The player to his left remained in one place regardless of the action he was taking. If I could just time it right this opening would do.
He leaned forward, immediately popping back to his defensive stance. A second time he lunged with his shoulders only, causing the goblin in front of him to flinch. On the third go, he committed.
I shot out from the player line, using the gap and the defending goblin as my opening. With both hands bracing behind my shield, I ducked low and drove my legs into the dirt with all my might.