My stomach rolled. “Let me guess, you hobbled after him, wrestled him to the ground and won the fight in seconds.”
“Nah. The guy tried to kick me, so the ref ran up and pushed us back. I fell and wiggled around on the ground like a breakdancing chicken.”
I grinned and winced at the same time.
“With modern medicine, I was physically ready to go again in less than a week. After that happened though I didn’t show up at the gym for an entire month. When I did show up it was a year before I could kick someone again without freaking out. Once your body experiences something like that its sense of danger is heightened even if you find the courage to face it. To protect itself your body naturally goes into flight mode. The best thing to do to get past it is to get out there and fight. We need to find you a hobgoblin and kick its butt.”
My heart beat pounded a warning at nothing more than the thought.
Noticing my response he shook up and down like a giggling jackrabbit. A very buff giggling jackrabbit.
Chapter 13 – Overwhelmed
I lay awake, my mind at war with itself over whether to get up and do what Kline had recommended. By getting out there and fighting he probably didn’t mean tonight, but my reasons to do so were piling up.
The chest of my friend rose steadily on a couch caddy-corner from my own. We slept in the living room which was well furnished with a coffee table and a dining set splitting the room in two. Not bad for two freeloaders. The padding of my makeshift bed was stuffed cotton, almost as good as the cots in the inn. Peter and Oliver took the master bedroom, and Victoria had the guest room all to herself. They were down the hall to the rear of the house. The hall split the living room and the kitchen, leading straight to the door. I could see the hall and into the kitchen due to moonlight flooding into windows in both rooms.
Despite the chaos, I was still a gamer. My goal here had not changed. With over 50 million followers the most difficult part of my job had been accomplished. I now had more than enough followers to go pro. All the work I had put in outside of this game, or experiment, had given me minuscule results in comparison.
Now that I had the fans necessary my role was about to change. I was always trying to gain followers, but now that I had them it was time for full-throttle maintenance mode. They deserved my thanks. Besides uploading images, I couldn’t comment or share anything with them. The one thing I could do was fight.
The more I considered the events from the last two days the pattern was beyond just fighting the enemy. If I was honest my skills were severely lacking. The one thing all the events had in common was that I had thrown myself into absurdly dangerous situations and somehow pulled off a victory. I needed to find a way to continue that pattern in the safest way possible.
I rose silently from the couch. Standing there, I equipped the long-sleeved undershirt and all my armor, which had been inventoried while I slept. It helped fight the chill, but I’d soon be facing a bigger enemy than the temperature.
There was no need to worry about Wink. She woke with me. Making her invisible to the others also made her silent to the world.
The door creaked as I opened it and shut it behind us. Everyone had been given security access to the house, so the lock wouldn’t be a problem. It would recognize my voice.
Checking my local map, I saw three dots that remained still on the map behind me. One grew brighter than the rest because Peter and Oliver were in the same room. The rest of the houses nearby didn’t register anyone in them. It wasn’t because they were empty. I was only able to see my group because we were grouped together. Anyone else would have to be in my line of sight or heard by me to show up on the map.
I drew my sword and swung it, cutting the air. Visualizing a goblin, I had no qualms with parting it from its head. Easy enough with an imagined enemy. Remembering the hobgoblin didn’t go so well. The same spot where its club had left a crater in my back began to itch. Licking my lips wasn’t enough to satisfy my dry mouth.
Forcing myself to relive the hobgoblin’s death only proved to remind me it had taken our entire group to kill it after it was already down.
Timur hadn’t had such difficulty. He was also naturally inclined to such fighting in both body and spirit.
Sheathing my sword, I gritted my teeth. Blah. Enough. Let’s just do this.
My legs didn’t move.
The dam that I had built up mentally to deal with my injury was rended in that moment from top to bottom.
A quivering sob escaped my mouth, driven by tremors from my chest. My legs went weak. I had to step forward to keep myself from falling.
Peter and Kline had both warned me that it could take a long time to recover from a serious injury. How had I managed to act fine today if the very thought of a hobgoblin overthrew my nerves?
Simple. I hadn’t been thinking about my fear but helping.
Victoria. Perhaps having Destiny appear as an attractive girl had its drawbacks. With Destiny gone was I drawn to Victoria for reasons other than her looks and kindness? Was she Destiny’s replacement because I missed my friend?
Still willing to move forward, my legs simply wouldn’t respond. There was so much I had to do.
What if I didn’t recover? Or it took months? My future had been won, but if I couldn’t continue it would be stripped from me as quickly as it came.
What scared me more? Getting hurt again or having my dream within my grasp and gradually watching it die?
Something Destiny had ingrained in me came to mind.
“Courage isn’t the lack of fear, but doing what must be done in spite of it.”
Without letting myself think on it any further, I slapped my cheek as hard as I dared. It was loud enough to reverberate off the buildings surrounding me.
“What are you doing?” came a whisper from behind.
The door to the house closed with the soft release of a spring handle. I looked at my local map. The guest room was empty. Victoria.
She was suited up, her grey-green cloak hanging over her armor, the hood hiding her face.
“I…” I didn’t know what to say.
As she approached, I realized she was about to see fresh tears.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked.
“The same as you. I don’t want to miss any of the action.” She removed her hood, her eyes gleaming.
It was unfair, but I was tired. There was so much she wasn’t saying. Something was obviously bothering her and there was no way she had just ended up here as a charity case without a bigger goal in mind.
“Why are you really here? I overheard your conversation with Peter.”
“Shh. Keep your voice down.” She hugged her arms to her chest and looked off to the side.
Her silence I combated with a silence of my own.
“Fine. What I told you about getting accepted into Freedom is true. My parents pulled some strings. What I didn’t say is that I’m here to build up my resume.”
To say I was dumbfounded was an understatement. “You’re here for a resume?”
“You’re here for the same reason, aren’t you?”
That was actually a valid point.
“Do you remember the tutorial where the lady said that the gaming systems are based on real world military technology?”
“You want to join the military?”
“Not exactly. And it’s much more than they say. That’s easy enough without going to all this trouble. Besides, my parents wouldn’t let me just join without approving of my job and status. I want to be a combat general.”
Was it the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard? No, but probably the second or third. Combat generals were plugged into the highest levels of the military’s version of the Metaverse with the ability to watch a war from the eyes of any of their troops and every drone. They watched over the battlefield and ultimately directed their armies. They were the all-seeing voice in the head of every soldier. It was like the game of chess with a billion different pieces
, each with their own capabilities.
“Does that mean the falcon will give you those abilities?” I asked.
“That’s exactly what it means.”
“How do you know?”
“Being a political charity case has its advantages. As we upgrade out abilities they become more and more like real military tech.”
“Why a combat general?”
“Will you laugh?”
“Only if it’s funny.”
Her mouth twitched up at the corners.
“I was raised knowing that one day my actions might affect millions of people. War is all around us. In this world and throughout the galaxy… If I’m to best lead, I need experience even in the worse situations. Here I can practice what I’ve learned. Also, with the entire world watching I can impress the right people and get the position I want; one my parents would approve of.”
Admittedly, her goal dwarfed mine considerably. Her background certainly explained things though. My goal was to entertain millions of people. She wanted to protect them.
“Who are you anyways?”
“Not someone you would have heard of. My sister is the real deal. I’m just trying to be of help to my family.”
It was a subject to pursue another time.
“What now?” I asked.
“We go to find some trouble.” She stood uncomfortably close, looked up at me like a pleading kitten. Evil cat demon.
Peter was going to kill me if Oliver didn’t get to me first.
“Fine. But if fighting starts, follow my lead. I’m clumsy in this world, but I have a lot of experience on the battlefield.”
“Deal.”
We were both quiet as we navigated the village’s dirt roads. Her pace was furious. I had to walk at full stride to keep up with her. It was impossible to shake the feeling we were sneaking about. The hoods had a lot to do with that—as did the fact that we were.
The smell of fresh bread whetted my appetite when nothing else had. It grew as we neared the front gate. Even half a mile away the aroma drifted down the street enticing all to come.
As the gate came into view we could see that half a dozen merchants were still awake, lamps glowing orange from paper wrapping. The lamps stood high on wooden poles that had been speared into the ground. Their carts were with them, full of goods, but the shoppers were few. Two merchants had a monopoly on most of the customers.
The obvious draw was the bread vendor. A line of at least ten players was waiting anxiously, conversing in hushed tones.
A second line, twice as long, was for buying mugs, bottles, and jugs of refreshments. The appeal didn’t become clear until I saw a wooden sign that had Wine and Spirits carved into its face.
Victoria’s hand found my wrist and pulled me into the back of the longer line.
She wasn’t going to… Was she?
Thankfully she answered my concern before I could ask.
“Oliver has all the alcohol. If anyone gets injured we better get ready.”
“And I thought you were going to try and get me drunk.”
“Very funny. You’re not my type.”
“It’s nice to know you’re picky about who you booze up to use as a meat shield.”
“Oh. Sorry. I thought you meant…”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
She turned her head like a confused puppy. “You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”
“Oh wait. You were thinking…”
She bowed her head so that I couldn’t see her face. “Not nice.”
“Couldn’t be helped.”
She grabbed my wrist. I straightened like a board.
Destiny had always included a fair supply of back and forth to make me comfortable in situations like these. Even her touch shouldn’t have been a problem if we were competitors. But Victoria wasn’t the competition. I considered her a friend, which left me scrambling uncomfortably.
Her other hand moved up my arm sending tingles down my back. I inhaled a deep breath.
The tips of her fingers brushed over my bicep, reaching just below my shoulder. And then, she pinched me.
I pulled away in a gasp, grabbing at my arm.
“That’s what you deserve.”
“Probably.” I squinted in mock suspicion.
“And here Peter thought you might be struggling to recover.”
I forced a smile, but the comment turned my mind back to that very issue.
It didn’t fool her. “I’m sorry, Lucius. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
To circumnavigate her armor from behind, I grabbed at the armor around her armpits. Two jerks from my fingers sent her bounding a foot in the air
Spinning from my grip, her elbows were pulled in tight, her hands out like a wrestler.
My next attack had already sprung. I grabbed at the back of her knee, but she kicked out before I could find purchase.
“I can’t believe you!”
“You dare question a guy’s manhood?”
“Would you two stop it!” A middle-aged woman with short curly hair had turned and was glaring at us.
Three players between us and the woman politely stepped to the side without daring to look.
“Sorry,” Victoria said.
“Sorry,” I echoed, removing my hood so she could see it was true.
“Oh.” The woman’s hand shot to her mouth. “You poor boy. I saw what happened last night.”
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 m
aking 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.
Codename: Freedom: Survive Week One Page 16
