The other players, nonchalantly as possible, turned to look.
“Really I’m fine. Sorry that we were being rude.”
“No. I’m just on edge like everyone else after today’s attack. I thought you were just some kids not taking the situation seriously.”
She was more right than she knew.
“We all deal with things differently. It’s good to see you aren’t losing heart,” she said.
“Thank you.”
With a nod, she turned back to the front of the line. It was almost her turn to buy.
Another sharp pain nipped at my bicep.
“Promise me you will never do that again.”
“Why would I promise such a thing?”
She huffed, hiding under her green canopy.
After a full minute of silence, I feared I really had crossed the line with her. When she grabbed my arm again, I feared another pinch, but I’d let her do what she must. A prick of pain came, but it seemed half-hearted this time.
“She’s right you know. I’m glad you are here.”
“So am I.”
Chapter 14 – Long Night
Reaching the closed gate, a husky guy held a paper lamp before us. He looked familiar.
“Let me see your faces,” he asked.
Once unhooded his eyes lit up.
“It’s you guys. Thought I might see you. Ready for the rules?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Victoria said. “We must wait until the top of each hour before the gate will be open, right?”
“You got it. We have a few minutes til one. Feel free to shop while you wait. I’ll call out when it’s time.”
“Thank you…” Victoria trailed off.
“Gust.”
“Thank you, Gust. Your group was a great help today during the attack.”
He turned red as an apple.
“Eh. It wasn’t much. I’ll let the sisters know you said as much.” He motioned up with his chin.
Both of the blonde twins looked out of either tower, a bow in hand.
“You won’t find many better at archery.”
Minutes later the gate opened. Most of the players that had been shopping joined us to leave the village. Twice as many passed us to enter.
An unbelievable sight was waiting for us. Over a thousand players were camping far beyond the barricade. They hugged the wall 100 meters deep as far as the eye could see in the dark before they disappeared behind the curve of the wall.
For such a crowd, the murmur was light. An aroma of alcohol drenched the senses making all other smells mute. It was rather depressing to know so many were trying to drink their fears away. That wasn’t the only intention people had.
One howl answered another from separate sides of the camp. Some were desperate for action and were spending their excess energy with a party.
“Drool is waiting for us.”
My chest deflated.
We carefully made our way between the campfires with huddles of players, and others sprawled out randomly, sleeping wherever they found room.
Drool met us, sitting on a crate, a clay jug in hand. Vector and Treetop had one as well and their own seats. She wasn’t kidding when she had said they were waiting for us. Two empty crates were waiting for us.
Why were there two? Had Victoria been expecting my company all along?
“Here. Have a drink.” Treetop held out a full jug.
Victoria’s hand touched mine. She was holding a jug herself.
“Thank you. We brought our own,” she replied.
I grabbed it from her and took my seat. Catching a scent of the liquid as I took a small sip, it was apple cider. Smart girl. I noticed she kept her hood on, so I did the same.
“Ah. You’re prepared! We doubt we will see any goblins tonight with all of these people. Might as well enjoy ourselves while we are here,” Treetop said.
The conversation quickly turned to the sacred gamers versus athletes debate. Usually, I would jump at a chance like this. To have a front row seat as three pro gamers talked shop. Now that I had more than enough followers, it was like listening to fellow employees complain about work.
Victoria, on the other hand, was very interested. Not in the debate, but how to get followers and to manage a channel.
I did join in on the conversation but also took the chance to mess around with night vision. I didn’t want to make the mistake of being rude twice in one night.
The question came up so I explained the pet system and as much as I knew about night vision. It was a lot like what common MR headsets were capable of, so the questions didn’t last long.
By three AM, Drool and Vector were snuggling up together against the cart asleep. Treetop was draining his jug of the last drops. He had been quiet and laughing randomly at the jokes in his own head.
We remained silent, not wanting the entertainment to stop.
Treetop rocked to his left, but caught himself, becoming perfectly still. He must have feared any movement would send him falling from his seat.
With a sudden jerk, he looked behind him. His arms were outstretched to brace himself in the case of a fall.
He sat that way for over a minute before he slowly turned around. His eyes went wide when facing us. The pupils of his eyes wandered, unable to focus on anything for more than a few seconds.
Leaning to one side then the other, he shimmied back onto his crate. Reaching the edge, he threw his arms back, forcing himself to tumble. He landed on the grass behind him, his two long legs sticking up in the air.
Victoria squealed when he fell, covering her mouth to suppress the sound.
I just shook my head, unable to believe what he had just done.
“Thank you for the cider,” I said.
She shook, still holding her hand over her mouth. In a muffled whisper, she replied, “You’re very welcome.”
I got up and moved the crate that Treetop’s legs rested on. It looked funny, but he was too long for the edge to keep from cutting off his circulation.
“Are you ready to leave?” I asked.
“I’m afraid we can’t for another hour.”
“I’m going to have to give the person that came up with these rules a piece of my mind,” I teased.
She removed her hood so I could see her roll her eyes. “Another hour could be what it takes.”
I removed my hood too, the air combing through my matted hair. Reaching to the sky, my back popped in multiple places. “Go ahead and lay down if you like. I’ll keep watch.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I'm used to late nights.” Gamers are creatures of the night. Looking to Treetop, Vector and Drool, I snorted. Or not.
“Okay. Wake me ten minutes before the gate opens.”
“Sure.”
It was only an act of will for night vision to activate. With a thought, the world changed before me. I couldn’t see farther and things didn’t brighten. Instead, the contrast of blacks and grays deepened. There were more shades of black than I had ever realized. With the half-moon’s light, nothing was completely black. Movement I was especially sensitive to. Streaks of the blackest black trailed behind all motion. Only the darkest shadow could hide motion from me now.
For twenty minutes I was thoroughly entertained, trying to spot creatures at the tree line. Small things, mostly birds of prey, switched branches every few minutes. There weren’t any squirrels out, but I did see a possum nearly 200 meters out climb a tree and swing from its tail until it hung still.
Below the possum, I saw movement. A black streak moved from one tree trunk to another. More streaks moved close by, then another and many more. Not all of the streaks hid behind trees. Large heads with the flappy ears to match gathered closer and multiplied. The goblins had arrived. This time without torches.
I nudged Victoria’s boot carefully with my own. She groggily sat up. A nod toward the forest was all it took.
Before we could react, hundreds of small black streaks filled the air flying at the player camp.
“Duck!” I said, while leaping, landing hunched over her, my back to the incoming projectiles.