by Thad Ward
This time, when the spotlight fell on Ike, he was ready for it. He walked up on stage, pet the songbird to establish a link, and let it amplify his voice. “Okay, here’s the deal,” he said, trying to add confidence and seriousness to his tone. “From what we know, there are a few hundred goblins headed this way. Assuming it’s just what we saw, they should be coming from the west. I can’t say you’ll be any safer running than hiding inside the city walls, but if you decide to run, your best option is to head east. If you’re going, go now while you have time.”
There was a murmur of uncertain voices. A handful of people headed for the door. “Not exactly the stirring call to arms I was expecting,” Dusty whispered.
Ike waved off her concern. “Okay. Those were the people who wanted to run. I’m sure some of you want to stay here. There’s safety in numbers, after all. Even if you’re not fighting, though, we’ll need other kinds of help rounding up townsfolk and tending the wounded. If you don’t want to fight, you don’t have to, but everyone who stays helps. If you’re not on board with that, leave now.”
One or two more people exited the front door, but most of the remainder stayed. Ike estimated maybe fifty heads. He nodded. “Okay. That means everyone here is in this together. Welcome to the raid group. I wish we had time for introductions and pleasantries, but we need to get organized and we need to do it fast. If you’re willing to go out and fight these green assholes, I want you to form up around Clay and Ada by the front door. If you’re supporting the effort from here, gather on this side of the tavern with Dusty.”
You have formed a raid.
Raid Members: 54
Clay and Ada raised their hands and started directing people on their side where the largest group seemed to be forming. About ten people stepped forward toward the stage. “How do you want me to do this?” Dusty asked.
“Familiarize yourself with their details,” Ike said. “Name, level, class, and the general focus of their abilities, plus any relevant soft skills they have from real life. We’ll need people who can recover health and mana, improve morale, fortify entrances, and repair gear. If anybody has skills to gather information or communicate at a distance, let me know.”
Dusty nodded and got to work talking to her group. Ike strode across the tavern. There already seemed to be two groups forming there, with Clay attracting the attention of the more heavily armored melee types and Ada getting the lightly-armored sneaky players. As Ike walked up, Ada and Clay went to join him at the heads of their respective groups.
“We were thinking,” Ada said. “One group to do reconnaissance and another to back up the guards to hold the gate.”
Ike nodded. “I like it. Simpler is better. The only problem is that the walls might not matter. Remember how that small band of goblins I helped fight off was already inside the walls? And how Ibril talked about the ‘stone circle’? They know about Weir. I’m willing to bet they have another way in.”
“What, like a tunnel?” Clay said.
Ike shook his head. “Maybe, but it doesn’t matter. We should assume they’re already inside the city. Ada, I want you to split your group. Start with the best scouts. Anybody with movement- or perception-related abilities, preferably ranged attacks. Get them out collecting information and reporting back. We’ll figure out what to do with the rest after that.”
“What about my guys?” Clay said. “Are we not going to help the guards at all?”
Ike took a quick headcount of Clay’s group. “Make four even teams of five. Have one team reinforce the guards at the western gate. Leave one here to defend the Weir Crest. Send the other two through town. We need to let the townspeople know what’s happening and be ready to counterattack wherever the goblins pop up.”
You have learned the skill: Leadership
You have gained experience.
Ike blinked to see the notification pop up. It was the first time he’d gained a skill without someone else training him first. Ada had mentioned it was possible to pick up a skill without instruction. Could he have been gaining it bit by bit as he had played? Or was it something specific to the current situation, like a bonus granted to the raid leader at the start of the event?
Ike was still lost in thought when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked behind him to see Milly standing close, her shoulders down and her eyes on the floor. “I... I want to help, too.”
Ike gave Milly an assessing look. “We need all the help we can get. I’m not familiar with your class, though. What is a jongleur?”
Milly held her arms across her chest as if she were cold and spoke softly. “Songs, poetry, juggling, that sort of thing.”
Ike nodded. Part of him knew he should be focusing on other things right now, but there was something about Milly he couldn’t quite put his finger on. “So you’re an entertainer. Makes sense. You’ve got real skill. The game wasn’t helping you play that song, was it?”
Milly looked up from under the edge of her hood. Her glasses caught the light, giving her an owl-like appearance. “How did you know?”
“Just a hunch,” Ike admitted. “You were so focused while you were playing. It was like you were somewhere else.” He smiled. “I’m no musician, but I’ve been in the zone like that before. Only when I was… well, when I was doing something I’m good at for real.”
“Thank you,” Milly said, looking back down. “I don’t think it’s very useful right now, though.”
Ike felt sympathy for Milly. Everything about her seemed small and scared, but here she was offering to help. And Ike couldn’t shake the idea that she’d been led here, that there was something important for her to do. Was it the hand of fate in the game’s design, or was he seeing something that wasn’t there?
Ike stooped down so he could look Milly in the eyes. “I think you may be the most important person in this room tonight,” he said. “I need you with the group at the gate.”
“How?” Milly said, shaking her head. “Why?”
“Because the gates need to hold,” Ike said. “The goblins may be sneaking in, but they probably can’t sneak in that many at once. Otherwise, there would’ve been a lot more the other night. They’re not very smart. I’m guessing they’ll send most of their force to attack head-on.”
“But why me?” Milly said. Ike heard a tremble in her voice. “I don’t know how to fight.”
Ike smiled warmly. “Sure you do. You just have a different way of fighting, that’s all. Look around you. What do you see?”
Milly hesitated, then looked at each of the groups. “Adventurers?”
“People,” Ike said. “Scared people putting on brave faces. The guards at the wall are the same. An army of monsters is coming for them. They’re desperate and filled with doubt and ashamed that they don’t feel like the heroes they’re pretending to be.”
“I don’t understand,” Milly said.
“They need something to focus on,” Ike said. “Just like when you were playing earlier. They need to hear something that drowns out all the fear.” Ike had been afraid to touch Milly. Everything about her demeanor said she would shrink away, but he took a chance. He reached out and touched her shoulder gently. “Milly, you can make them heroes for real. That’s how you fight. That’s how we win. The concert’s not over. Can you hold the line?”
Milly wiped away tears under her glasses, then lifted her head and gave Ike a firm nod.
“We’re just about ready,” Clay said, walking up next to the two of them.
“Good,” Ike said. “Do me a favor and add Milly here to the group headed to the wall.”
Clay gave Milly the briefest of uncertain looks, then nodded. “Whatever you say,” he told Ike, then gestured to Milly. “Come on, little miss. You’re with me.” Ike couldn’t be sure, but Milly seemed to stand a bit taller and stride a bit farther as she followed Clay back to the front of the tavern.
“Ike,” Fu said, passing by Clay and Milly as he walked up to Ike. There was tension in the imugi’s shoulders. “What
do you need me to do?”
Ike paused to think, then turned toward the bar. “Maisy? Angus?”
Angus was behind the bar hugging Maisy and whispering gently to her. Maisy was trembling gently. They both looked up and Ike could see the worry written on Maisy’s face.
“We’re going to defend the town, but we need to use the Weir Crest as a base of operations,” Ike said. He tried to strike a balanced tone; he wasn’t asking, but he didn’t want to seem insensitive to their rights as the tavern’s owners. “I’m sorry to impose, but lives are at stake. We’ll have refugees and wounded coming in, and there may be fighting.”
“Oh no!” Maisy said, holding a hand to her mouth. “Master Ike! What do we do?”
Ike gave Maisy a steady look. “You do exactly what you do best. Open your doors. Show your hospitality. That’s your job. Trust the ones fighting to do theirs and we’ll all get through this.” He looked over his shoulder at Fu and tilted his head in an almost imperceptible gesture toward Maisy and Angus.
Fu’s whiskers fluttered in acknowledgment. He stepped up next to Ike. “You’ve both been so kind to let me sell to your patrons,” he said, then offered a bow. “Please allow me to help you serve them in this crisis.”
Maisy whispered something to Angus, who nodded down to her. He released Maisy and turned to Fu. “Let me show you the storeroom.”
“I’m counting on you,” Ike said as Fu went to follow Angus.
Fu gave Ike a salute. “Never give up and good luck will find you,” he said before hurrying after Angus.
As Ike turned back to the groups of adventurers, Ada walked over to him. “I’ve got the scouts sorted out. A falconer with telescopic sight, an edge lord who can see in the dark, a creepy mage who can summon floating eyeballs, and a girl with good stealth who can run across rooftops. She called herself a kunoichi, whatever that is.”
Ike nodded. “It’s a female ninja. Good choices. Where did you send them?”
Ada shrugged. “I figured fast was better than well-thought-out. I just told them to fan out in different directions and come back as soon as they find anything. What do you want to do with the rest?”
“We need some flexibility,” Ike said. “Lightly armored combat classes tend to have better damage and mobility. We’ll send them out when the scouts confirm an infiltration or the gate is having trouble. They’re the cavalry, so keep them on standby.”
“Will do,” Ada said. “Do you want me with them?” There was a pleading look in her eyes.
“They could use a leader, and I can’t think of anyone better,” Ike said. “That said, your abilities work best when you can set up for a fight. And there’s value in existing teamwork.”
“Sounds like I’m with you, then,” Ada said, doing nothing to conceal her happiness.
Dusty rolled her eyes as she walked up next to Ike. “I’m all for flirting, but you two need to work on your timing.”
Ike turned to ask Dusty how things were going, but his words died on his lips. In place of the gown she had been wearing minutes earlier, Dusty was wearing a form-fitting leather chest piece trimmed in fur along with a matching skirt, leggings, and bracers. She rested a two-handed battle ax nonchalantly on her shoulder. It looked heavy, but the weight didn’t seem to be an issue for her. Dusty’s lips curled up into a grin as she noticed Ike’s reaction. “When did you get a chance to change?” Ike said.
“Oh, you know, while I was talking to everyone,” Dusty said, gesturing back to the group of supporters. “I had this set aside for my second act. Didn’t figure I’d get to use it for real, though.”
Ike glanced over toward the stage and saw Dusty’s old costume laying on the floor. He could swear some of the adventurers were still blushing. “Of course you changed in front of them,” Ike said, laughing. “You’d think I would’ve learned to expect that sort of thing from you by now. What’s the situation?”
“They’re a bit of a hodgepodge, but they’ll do,” Dusty said. “We’ve got a sculptor who works as a charge nurse in real life who’ll be running triage, a masseuse with a few healing abilities, and a few others who picked up the healing arts skill to help them out. There’s also a carpenter who can set up barricades and fix wooden gear. And a harlot who may be able to offer players some gentle encouragement, assuming they’re the right age and persuasion.”
Ada snickered. “Must be the one who’s always dancing in the town square.”
“What about communication and information gathering?” Ike asked.
“I was saving the best for last,” Dusty said. “Do you remember that London fella that came in the other day? One of his friends, the shorter one, says he has an ability to copy items.”
Ike raised an eyebrow, thought for a second, then nodded. “That could come in handy. Let me go talk to him.”
The trio returned to the support group by the stage. Ike spotted a middle-aged woman in an artist’s smock handing out instructions and a heavyset man fashioning crude wooden spears. Dusty led him past the group to the corner where the short, pudgy man was sitting away from the group.
As Ike examined Porter’s character sheet, it seemed to shift, with one set of stats much higher than the other. “Not bad,” he said as he approached the man. “You’re better at choosing fake stats than London is. These are believable, at least. I’d bet I can see through it since my Identification skill is higher, though. Mind if I ask what that skill’s called?”
The short man’s eyes widened in surprise, then he squirmed a bit in his chair. “It’s, uh… it’s called Guile.”
Ike held up a hand in a mollifying gesture. “Don’t take it the wrong way. I wasn’t judging, just curious. I came over here to ask about your ability. Dusty says you can copy items. Is that something from your fence class?”
Porter nodded. “Anything I touch, with some restrictions on size and value. Enchanted items, too, as long as it’s not a powerful enchantment. The copies disappear after an hour.”
“Seems like an easy way to turn a quick profit,” Dusty said to Ike, then gave a disapproving look to Porter. “Assuming you don’t mind skipping town right after.”
Ike sat at the table across from Porter. “All sorts of people play this game. Some people just have fun in different ways. It’s all a game, after all, so there’s no real harm done, right?”
Porter scowled a bit at Dusty but gave Ike a conspiratorial smirk. “You got it. There’s nothing quite like pulling off a good scam.”
Ike nodded. “I get it. Not my thing, but I get it. I hope you understand our hesitation in trusting you, though. You’re not trying to scam us right now, are you?”
Porter shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t want to die tonight. If helping you means some other people die instead of me, I’ll do it.”
Ada put a hand on Ike’s shoulder. “He’s telling the truth,” she said, then narrowed her eyes. “Maybe not all of it, though.”
“Trust me or don’t,” Porter said. He leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the table. “Makes no difference to me. Either way, I’m staying put where it’s safe.”
Ike took a deep breath. “Any port in a storm,” he said, reaching up to take off his ear cuff. “See what you can do with this.”
Somewhere in town, a bell began to toll. Conversations stopped as every head raised to listen.
The battle was beginning.
Chapter 26
Player versus player
“W
hat is this blasted thing?” came Adger’s voice over the ear cuff. “I don’t have time for this nonsense! I have a gate to defend!”
“Hello?” came another man’s voice. “This is Sky. Am I doing this right? This is… what was that?” It sounded as if the speaker was talking to someone nearby. “City Team A? Right. City Team A. Can anyone hear me?”
“This is Tavern Team,” came Dusty’s voice. “I hear you loud and clear, City Team A.”
“Eh, I hear people?” Adger said. “Tavern Team? City Team? What
’s this all about?”
“This is Strike Team,” Ike said. “Don’t worry, Adger. Just some concerned citizens trying to help out.”
“Mr. Fennell? I wondered if I’d be seeing you tonight,” Adger said. The tone in his voice was stern but had a playful undertone. “Are all these people at my gate your doing?”
“That’s right,” Ike said. “Clay, Milly, and the rest are there to help hold off the goblins. They’re the Gate Team. Please use them as you see fit. The rest of the teams are helping out elsewhere in town. We’re using these magic items to coordinate.”
“I said get inside, dumbass!” came a woman’s voice Ike didn’t recognize. He winced at the volume, feeling sorry for whoever was on the receiving end. “Sorry about that. This is Boudica with City Team B. We’re near the smithy getting folks indoors.”
Ike stood in front of the Weir Crest. Armed and armored players were fanned out on the street around him while the doors and windows behind him were being hammered shut, slowly reducing the light flowing out over the cobblestones.
Ada stood next to him, speaking into her ear cuff. “This is Ada. Nothing from Recon Team yet.”
“All’s quiet on the cheap side of the river,” came Sky’s voice. “What’s the plan here?”
“Okay, here’s the deal,” Ike said. “You’re all in charge of your respective groups. Handle your objectives as best you can. If you see something everyone needs to know, report it. If you need help, call for it. If you need to retreat, let everyone know and head back to the Weir Crest. Otherwise, try to keep the lines of communication clear. We’ve all got things to focus on and people to manage, so keep it short and sweet.”
“Giving me the orders now, eh boy?” Adger said. “Fine then. Something you’ll all want to know. I’m looking at a line of goblins with torches and ladders about a hundred meters from the wall of my city. I’ve never seen so many in all my years, and I’ve never known them to wait if they have the numbers.”
“Must be that leader you mentioned,” Ike said. “Let me know if you see him. Everyone else, be on the lookout for a signal. They’re waiting for something, after all.”
