“I am freaking out!” Van shouted. “I’m freaking out internally, but right now I’m trying to focus on what’s in front of us. Losing my mind is not a luxury at the moment. I’m sure that, after this is all over, they’re going to have to lock me in the psyche ward for a few months, but at this point, I’m trying to focus as hard as I can on saving the world.”
“Oh God, oh God,” Kenwar mumbled.
A loud dinging noise announced the arrival of Kylian. Van let out a sigh of relief upon seeing his friend.
“Kylian!” Van said as he walked up to the man and clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you.”
“Likewise,” Kylian said. “I see I’m the first to get here. What’s the plan?”
“Well,” Van said, “we’re gonna wait for everyone, but don’t worry, it’s going to be one of the most daring things we’ve ever done.”
“Looking forward to it,” Kylian said. “You know, Van, I’ve got to say, I admire your strength as a leader. I’ve never met anyone who so effortlessly puts people together and has the utmost confidence in telling them what to do. I mean, I’ve never worried a single time about what our plans are. You might not always have the best ideas, but you’re courageous enough to say, ‘let’s go.’ Most other people just wait around, hoping for opportunity.”
“Thanks,” Van said, feeling a little guilty about the fact that he couldn’t fill Kylian in on the full story just yet. Eventually, he was hoping that he’d be able to fill the entire crew in on what was really going on, but without any kind of definitive, newsworthy proof, his story would most likely be met with derision. “It’s just fun to organize people, really.”
As Van and Kylian talked, more players began to arrive to the scene. After about twenty minutes, the entire guild was logged in and ready to play.
“Hey,” Sahara said as she searched through the crowds of players, “has anyone seen Bidane or Dolly?”
“They aren’t available to play,” Van said. “Sorry.”
“Lame!” Sahara replied. “Bidane always gave me the best advice on how to use my magic.”
Van waited for the army of loosely one hundred and fifty players to settle down before he took his position. He climbed atop one of the boulders and stood firmly before them.
“Good morning, team!” he boldly declared as he raised his fist high. “Today is the start of an exciting new campaign! As many of you know, we were dispatched here to wage war against the Kyrissian forces who seek to earn favor with King Lemuel of the Ceren Kingdom. Fortunately for us, we have spotted their camp. They are indeed alongside Castle Ceren and they seek favor with the king. Now, it is up to us to move forward and lay siege to their camp!”
There was a cheer from the players at Van’s declaration. Most of them had gotten bored with travelling, and it wouldn’t take much to convince them to commit acts of wanton violence against their enemies at this point. Few of the players would have time to do the math until it was far too late. Of course, Van didn’t want any of them to have to lose their hard-earned experience, but at the same time, the cost was justified. They would have plenty of time to grind once the world was saved.
“Now, the operation is going to be very simple,” Van explained. “We’re going to march down there at once and begin to fight against the Kyrissian army. Once we have defeated them, we shall march through the walls of the castle and demand that King Lemuel grant the Melvanian army favor!”
There were more cheers, this time from the group of players who had been a part of the Melvanian army.
“Worst case scenario, we cease working for Melvania and begin a relationship with the Kingdom of Ceren, one of the most powerful kingdoms in the realm!”
This really set off the team as they cheered with even greater enthusiasm. Van grinned. Motivating players was easily one of his best skills.
“So, arm up and get ready for the fight of your life! Today, we make history! The Iron Dragons are going to be on the map after this day! Onward!” Van shouted as he gestured toward the path leading to enemy territory. The players quickly began to pack up their gear and move into formation.
“Kylian, a word?” Van asked as he hopped down from the rock.
“What’s up, boss?” Kylian replied as he placed his iron helmet on his head.
“Here’s the deal,” Van said, “Sang and I have found an access point that will help us turn the tide in this battle.”
“Really?” Kylian asked. “Where?”
“It’s in the forest that’s next to the castle. Now, this army is meant to be moving as a distraction. Sang and I will move through the woods and, when the time is right, signal to you to lead the troops through the walls.”
“So, I take it we’re not here to make friend with Lemuel?” Kylian asked.
“Probably not,” Van replied. “But no one can know I’m missing. So, you’ll need to cover for me.”
“I love me some espionage,” Kylian replied. “Reminds me of the time I went undercover for a year. Good stuff. I’ll make sure everyone stays on target. If anyone asks, I’ll just say you’re observing from behind.”
“Perfect,” Van said as he watched the rest of the army move out. “If everything goes according to plan, we’re going to pull off an incredible victory.”
“Cheers to that,” Kylian said as he drew his sword and marched after the rest of the men, barking out orders and assigning separate players to different details.
“Kenwar,” Van said. “Let’s go.”
“Are you sure I shouldn’t stay with them? To keep up the illusion that we’re fighting down there?” Kenwar asked.
“I’m not letting you out of my sight for a minute,” Van said. “And we need to get going, and quickly. It’s only a matter of time before Draco catches on.”
“Fine, whatever. But when we get killed down there, my blood is on your hands,” Kenwar complained.
“Gee, how will I sleep at night, knowing that a weasel who tried to play both sides ended up dying?” Van replied. “You know, had you decided not to betray your race, you wouldn’t be in this mess at all.”
“I’m just trying to survive, Van. Mark my words: right before you die, in the moment that you realize the end is rushing toward you, you will know that I was right. This isn’t worth dying over.”
“I have no intention of dying,” Van replied. “Now shut up and move.”
Sang tensed up as she heard the sounds of trumpets blaring in the distance. The cries of men echoed throughout the forest. It sounded as if a massive battle were underway.
“Sang!” Van hissed as he crept through the woods.
“There you are!” Sang replied, waving him over. “I thought you’d forgotten about me.”
“The team took forever to log in,” he explained. “What’s up?”
“Well, from the looks of it, everything is clear,” Sang said. “Draumed’s… not in the area; he left earlier, but I was able to get some information from him.”
“Really?” Van asked. “What a lucky break! What’d you learn?”
“The summary is that the ship has access to the kind of information we’ve been looking for. But I’m gonna have to hack into it, which will take some time. This means that when we storm into that place, we’re gonna have to fight off anyone who comes in.”
“Did we figure out if this place is lethal or not?” Van asked.
Sang grimaced. The memory of Draumed flashed back to her mind. “Yeah—yeah, it is. The good news is that this might help us. Draco pros, if you haven’t noticed, tend to be complete cowards. We might be able to scare them into submission.”
“That strategy worked on Kenwar,” Van said.
“Ha ha,” Kenwar groaned. “But let’s be serious. If the pros catch us, they’ll try to kill us. But…” he paused and took a deep breath. “These areas are different. All of the muscle memory that we’ve learned from the game will still remain, but things like skills, percentages, spells, and magic don’t work. So, when you fight, it’s not based on numeric values, but rather on how well you’ve played the game.”