They were players looking for fun, looking to get a kick out of raiding my village while I was offline. Maybe they would have stolen some goods, killed some NPCs, and been on their way.
If I wasn't on, they would have probably escaped into the night.
Unknown and undiscovered.
This was my reality now.
I was a target.
Yeah, it was time to announce myself to the world.
Chapter 72: A State of War
(Wednesday, November 10th Game Day / Thursday, April 15th Real Day)
The game was no longer innocent.
What started as an adventure game, filled with immersion and world discovery was now a series of conflicts. The innocence was long gone and even I had realized that. A part of me wanted to believe some of it remained.
That, maybe, things could go back to being peaceful.
I realized that was foolhardy though.
The Central Kingdoms had been warring for at least a month now. The North and South had both experienced their share of blood too. War, had spilled across the continent. We were all at war now, with each other.
This was essentially the beginning of the first war of The Dragon's Wrath.
Whether it became a Great War or one that fizzles out shortly, was yet to be seen.
I expected it, somewhat welcomed it, but I didn't think it would come quite so soon. My village was still developing, players were still learning the system, and over half of the continent had yet to be explored.
Yet, already, guilds were waging war.
They wanted to claim territory and solidify themselves for the future.
It was reasonable.
That was what the game was for.
Simulated Fantasy Warfare.
Whether that was warfare against the Environment or against Players didn't matter. Monsters or creatures or humans, didn't matter. There was a singular goal in a lot of games, and this one was no different.
Everyone wanted to live their dreams.
To be the best.
[FWB] thought the same way.
They wanted to eliminate the competition.
I, was the competition.
Now, they would pay the price for their transgressions.
War had come to The North.
War, was not something I would shy away from.
No, not at all.
"Set out, Eindride," I said calmly to the man next to me.
"All hands, row!" he yelled to the men.
Our Longship was departing now.
Filled with twenty of my strongest warriors, mages, and priests along with Katherine and I plus two sailors. All of them equipped with the best weapons and armor I could produce and acquire. All of them highly trained in group tactics and coordination. Yeah, they were all developed as well.
A priest, two mages, and two warriors per group.
They learned how to train together, they learned how to hunt together, and then they learned how to fight together. Now, they would get the chance to test their mettle.
Some, would get the chance for revenge.
Vengeance was on our minds.
A long time coming.
It would be swift.
It would be deadly.
It would be… remorseless.
I was a monster after all.
Chapter 73: The Raid
(Saturday, November 13th Game Day / Friday, April 16th Real Day)
Once we had reached the open water, a strong tailwind had taken us on course. A calm night with a good breeze, the waves that crashed against the walls of the ship were small and harmless. The ice cold froth hitting our faces was nothing more than a reminder of what it felt like to be alive.
The stars were out, guiding us on our voyage if by chance we lost sight of the mainland. That wasn't a worry though, for the clouds had parted and let the full moon illuminate the way. A beam of light, pointing us in the direction that we needed to go.
The heavens and the Gods of the North were on our side tonight.
Men and women alike were waiting, eager and ready in the silence.
The rolling of the ship did little to dull the mood as the waves had started to pick up. Coming closer to the shore, a village had appeared on the horizon. It wouldn't be long now. The voyage had been a long one, some two-hundred miles by sea but it was a peaceful one. The calm before the storm had eased our hearts and minds.
Seagulls squawking in the distance gave the coast away.
As if the moon hadn't done enough.
And then the moment came when we knew we were blessed.
As the clouds closed and focused the moonlight onto a single opening. The mouth of the river that we needed to take. Riding the waves into outgoing freshwater, the sudden change in tidal forces rocked the boat slightly but it was nothing to worry over.
Gliding over the turbulence, we were soon sailing up the river and towards our destination. The village in the distance, completely fortified with wooden walls all the way around and torches burning every twenty feet was easy to spot.
We knew what it looked like.
There was no mistaking it.
Men and women were now preparing for the beaching.
Hot pitch had been prepared for every individual onboard, as all had learned the basics of the magical lighter specifically for this event.
We were less than a few minutes out, now.
Now, it was time to begin.
"Five minutes," I said quietly but clearly for all to hear. "Once we land, you have five minutes. We start from the far side, light the buildings and cut back to the ship. Stick to your unit, stay tight. Cut down those who are in your way, ignore the rest."
This had been drilled into them for days.
It was verbatim.
But I repeated it anyways.
The Longship continued to sail up the river as the buildings had taken shape. The village's wooden walls stopped precipitously at the water's edge as if they were inviting us in. The walls were easily ten feet high if not more and would have posed a problem.
Of course, we didn't need to go through or over those walls.
We went through the river.
Sailing into the western edge of the village we beached the ship and immediately hopped overboard and into the waist deep water with soft splashes no louder than the lapping water hitting the river bank. We remained silent as we filed out along the walls and behind the thatch buildings that had been shoddily assembled.
Men, women, and children occupied those buildings.
Enemies, all of them.
Signaling the units to move, they fanned out three to the left and two to the right. I would occupy the middle alone while Katherine watched the boat. Sneaking through the village, the occasional wandering NPC or Player was found and quickly silenced.
Standing behind a corner, I waited as a man was pacing by.
Drunk, he was oblivious to his surroundings.
Silencing my breathing and honing my senses, I could hear every footstep as it started to close the distance. Soft footsteps in the night, hardly discernible from the river waves and the squawking gulls. I waited, patiently for the man to come.
And then, as he passed within my range, I struck.
Shooting forth with an arm stretched out, I clasped my hand around his mouth as I ran my knife into his throat. The man's legs and arms jumped in shock and horror as his eyes screamed for all of two seconds. Then, turning the man around, I dragged his body around the corner and laid it down in the shadows.
The process was repeated, silently.
Two minutes had gone by as we had finally reached the eastern edge of the village. A total of ten NPCs killed with no Players yet alerted. Giving the signal, the hot pitch that every man and woman had on their company was lit aflame and tossed onto the roof of a building.
In an instant, the village had started to smoke.
After seconds, the village had woken.
By the third minute of our visit, half the town had been engulfed in flame as raiders hastily ran through the village and lit every non-burning building on fire. Shouts had filled the air as people screamed out.