The Dragon's Wrath: Shadows in the Flame

by Brent Roth

  “Mhm, as a public figure there’s a lot of positive support but sometimes there’s a lot of negativity out there,” she said while staring up at the sky absent-mindedly. “So I don’t read anything and stay away from the forums.”

  “And how does this relate to your changing viewpoint?” I asked, unable to connect the dots between her words. “Were you able to find something to help clear your mind?”

  “You could say that. Hahhhh,” she said with a drawn out laugh that was more of a sigh. “Might be easier if you watch the videos, I was completely unaware… I mentioned how he had been attacked and involved in some player dispute, yeah?”

  “You did,” I confirmed with a nod.

  “Well turns out there’s kind of a firestorm on the forums about it all and we kind of walked in during the middle of it,” she articulated with another sigh following. “Here, watch the videos and maybe you’ll understand, better than me trying to explain.”

  Sending the link to me through a message, I clicked and opened it on a small floating window that hovered around the middle of my visual field. Sliding it back so as to have some distance, Em then invited me to watch it simultaneously with her so as to compare thoughts after. She had already seen this video and I was curious as to why it was important to watch it, but if it had an impact… then perhaps it was special.

  The video opens with a panoramic view of a small brown village split down the middle by a small dark blue river while surrounded in stark contrast by large open fields of pure white snow. As the camera begins to pan outwards the environment shifts to one of darkness as the light of the sun retreats in a time lapse and is replaced with the light of the moon. A composition of battle drums fill in as the sounds begin to grow progressively louder and faster. The beat continues to grow as nothing happens.

  Stillness in action as the music builds our anticipation.

  And then the point of view changes to that of a player as the music suddenly stops, a person looking up at the sky as fire rains down against the purple backdrop of the night sky. More and more flaming arrows continue to rain down as buildings begin to burn. Men, women, and children are seen running throughout the village, first attempting to put out the fires but then abandoning such hope as they flee to the other side.

  The protagonist turns his face to show us the scene from his or her eyes, witnessing the village erupting into a sea of flames as one cottage after another is hit with a strange methodical precision. The silent film then shows people mouthing words that cannot be heard as the music begins to return. Sounds of drums once more.

  As the drum beat picks up and the protagonist begins to run towards the village’s gate, countless other individuals join in as a small child is seen in the crowd. The small child is directly in front of a man as they rush out into the field and spot fourteen flames hovering in the distance. A movement is seen as flames shoot through the sky and fourteen flames continue to burn in the distance.

  The charge resuming, the crowd rushes forth as the flames disappear and the shadows in the darkness retreat towards the forest behind them. The accompanying music increases in volume once again and then suddenly everything is cut as a flash of white fills the screen and the cracks of thunder are heard. Dozens of bolts of lightning streak through the sky and impact directly into the centre of the pack as men and women collapse to the floor without any further movement.

  Two hits of the drum hammer in the point of the dead as the camera focuses on them for a second, then another two hits are heard as the camera tilts up and focuses on a single man with red glowing eyes. A man covered in a large wolf fur that completely conceals him. He begins his charge as magic and arrows continue to bombard the defenders.

  Men and women continue to fall as the child is forced to duck and retreat under the falling bodies, panic and fear stricken on his face. The wide-eyed child then turns to watch as a woman is dismembered before him. Horrified the child then runs to the nearest adult as the crowd begins to run towards the forest, leaving the red-eyed monster behind.

  As the camera looks forward towards the trees, the protagonist turns back once to witness a lone player falling to his knees as the red-eyed monster had slit his throat. Turning back to the forest that is filled with the enemy combatants, the bewildered group of defenders runs with all of their might until a flash is seen once again.

  A flash far greater than any seen before it with a deafening crack that leaves the ears ringing. The ringing noise having replaced the drums, the aftermath is that of dead bodies strewn all over the burnt ground and melted snow as the red-eyed man appears from behind, raising his hands once more.

  A piano accompaniment follows as a depressing theme is played out, then the camera turns to the child crying in the middle of the circle of the dead as other players struggle to get up or have already given up. Then with the focus residing on the child’s face, the bawling little boy hardly of age is then engulfed in white as the sound of thunder splits the screen. The screen fades white and then remains white for some time as the piano track continues on, finishing with its sad end.

  And then it ends.

  “What did you think?” asked Emily as soon as it was over.

  “The red-eyed man comes off as a monster devoid of restraint and remorse,” I replied without hesitation. “It’s such a sad video, the defenders stood no chance and the child, the poor child caught up in the whole mess.”

  “Well the red-eyed man is the one we met yesterday,” she said with a shrug.

  “Mm. Is that so…” I mumbled as I tried to think over the video.

  “It looks pretty bad doesn’t it?” she followed up.

  “Quite,” I replied. “Though… it has been edited obviously for dramatic effect and it is only one side of the story… am I missing something, shouldn’t this make you madder with him then less? He’s already proven to be a major ass.”

  “That’s what you would think,” she explained with a shake of her head and a small smile that was out of place. “It’s what I thought too the first time, until I read a few posts in the thread and saw the video that was uploaded yesterday in response.”

  “Another video uploaded yesterday?” I questioned, as the timing was peculiar.

  “Interestingly enough, it was posted shortly before we ran into him,” Emily said with a restrained laugh. “It seems we had the best of timing, really.”

  “So he made a video to counter the one we saw?” I inquired, wanting to be sure.

  “Yup, let’s watch that one next, it explains everything,” she said.

  Still a little upset after watching the last video, thankfully I wasn’t too invested in either side to truly care either way. My friendship with Em was the only thing of importance, not two sides fighting a war. If she believed that the next video was the answer to our questions and concerns, then I would give it an objective look.

  The title of this video was “The First of the North: To the End of a Kraken” and appeared to have more views in a shorter period of time than the previous video that was titled, “Death of an Innocence.” The aptly named video of the child scarred by scenes of brutality really helped to hone in the point. This second video that mentions a kraken in the title appears to be disconnected from the child’s video but according to Em, they were directly targeted at each other. A strange situation.

  The opening scene of the video was accompanied by the very same music that was used during the character creation process, filled with drums and horns that grew louder as one selected their starting location. And as if on cue, the exact same scene was displayed on the screen as the man was shown selecting the Northern Triangle with a 0.5/10 starter rating and was brought down with a golden beam of light.

  Nearly naked and kneeling in the snow, the man spawned in a desolate village more akin to a shanty town than an actual village and is greeted by an old homeless-looking man. Words appear on screen denoting what is said, as the title is referenced immediately.

  “The First of the No
rth,” it reads across the bottom of the screen.

  The destitute residents then greet the man as well, as he begins his journey through the forests with nothing more than briefs equipped. Shown from a third-person perspective as we are left to watch the man’s back, he continues through the forest while shivering due to the cold, clearly suffering from the adverse weather conditions and lack of proper equipment. Snowstorms and blizzards follow as the man continues on.

  As the music begins to play quietly in the background, a piano track that is light-hearted in nature brings a feeling of calm to the atmosphere despite the contradictory scenes of hardship being showcased at every turn.

  And then the music stops.

  The man is surrounded by two wolves with nothing more than a knife. The snapping of branches can be heard as he is surrounded and finds himself unable to escape. Then the wolves attack, barring their fangs and lunging at him while he rolls in the snow and tangles with the two beasts. Viciously stabbing and killing one wolf only to be knocked down and killed by the remaining wolf as it tears out his throat. His blood pouring out from the wound, the scene fades to gray.

  And then the cheerful music resumes.

  The overly graphic scene is ignored as if it had never occurred and a short time lapse follows, with the scene speeding up as the man is gradually seen walking with more equipment. Time continues to accelerate as the man accumulates more gear and is then seen traveling through the forest in search of something unknown.

  Then he comes to a halt in front of a clearing as the video slows down to a normal speed, with the man dropping his gear, setting a fire, and bringing forth a shovel. He begins to dig at the location, as another short subtitle appears.

  “This is where it all begins,” it reads.

  Fast forwarding as the day and night cycles continue to repeat, the man works the land with a determined patience as he tirelessly goes on. Trees are cut, hauled, and modified as the man begins to build a cabin by his lonesome. After thirty seconds had passed, the cabin turned into a small village as people began to appear.

  All of it built with his own hands.

  Scenes of happiness are shown with men and women enjoying themselves around a table, food and laughter in the middle of a desolate region filled only with an abundance of snow. But then the seasons change and with it brings life as the forests around him change into one of activity, filled with creatures and colours of all types as the man resumes his adventures with two women and a wolf at his side.

  Then in a complete shift of narrative, the Call to Arms is displayed on screen as the man takes one look back at his village and sets out on a trip. The scene turns to one of familiarity as the aurora fades out and the dark dank dungeon of the Outcast Goblins replaces it, with scenes of combat played in a blur as every sub-boss fight is dealt with along with a ticker along the bottom detailing the days spent inside.

  With every few seconds of footage, another game-day went by.

  And then there was the Goblin Chief’s dead body on the floor as five men concealed by the shadows stood over it. No celebration is seen as the man moves on and the scene transitions to the NPC quest givers. Standing at the table, he receives his reward.

  “The First Conqueror of the Goblin Outcasts,” is displayed on screen.

  With little fanfare the man moves on and is seen walking along the riverbank with cattle in tow. Curious little kittens are perched on the back of the cows as he continues the long journey back to his home. The subtitles provide small snippets of information, about how the man wishes to create a small haven for himself.

  “A place that will have no shortage of food,” read one subtitle.

  “Far away from civilization where peace and quiet reign.”

  As more scenes of adventure are displayed in quick succession, it becomes apparent that there is a close bond shared between the inhabitants of the village as one woman appears closer than the rest. But then the music begins to trail off and the cheerful track ends in silence as the man is seen in the forest, surprised by the appearance of a player.

  “A lost player, seeking help.”

  Agreeing to help her, she follows him back as they travel for a week through the forest, detailed by the passing days displayed on the subtitles, only to finally arrive at the village he calls home. Shortly after her arrival, a boat is seen leaving with a number of men and when he wakes up along the riverbank, he learns that the player has left as one female explains what she saw.

  “She left unseen and through the forest,” reads the subtitle.

  Then the video cut to him sitting at the top of the mountain shortly after waking and discovering the odd event. Staring out into the distance, the first-person perspective allows us to see the appearance of glimmers in the distance. Realizing something is wrong, the man alerts his people. The village becomes filled with activity as men, women, and children run about, trying to prepare for what is to come. Then as he moves to the walls, a horde of players is seen approaching.

  “Warning was given, of trespassing and of military action without declaration,” explained the subtitles. “But no response was heard from them, as the horde fifty-some strong continued to advance without reason, unprovoked and unknown to us.”

  The battle ensues as the chaos is focused around the man and his efforts to repel an advance while outnumbered two-to-one. They fight valiantly but men continue to fall left and right, as flashbacks cut in between the scenes, showing off-colour moments spent with each of the fallen. After over twenty such scenes were rapidly shown the video slowed down once again, focusing on the player in question.

  The man was on his knees with the female that appeared to be close to him, as she lay dying in his arms with their pet wolf dead in the background. The entire village on fire as the second woman is seen crying next to them. As she dies, he is hit by magical flames that burn and melt off a portion of his face but he ignores the pain and charges back into the fray, wanting revenge on the players that attacked him.

  Disfigured and severely wounded, he rampages through the remaining players as they begin to retreat, only for the scene to stop as the lost player is seen amongst the crowd. The player he attempted to help was standing there with weapon drawn.

  “For no good deed goes unpunished,” read the subtitle.

  Strangling the girl and then hunting down the remaining players, the video goes over the remains of the village as everything had been burnt to the ground. A funeral is then shown, with the bodies being burnt so only their ashes would remain. The man, stricken with grief as a dark composition of the violin plays in the background, then goes on a rampage through a cave. Slaughtering possibly a hundred humanoid rats as his eyes begin to burn red. Anger, rage… displayed for all to see.

  All manner of beasts are slaughtered afterwards as the footage transitions to one in the middle of the night out on the open ocean. Only the sounds of the ocean and wildlife are heard as the ship pulls up into a village in relative silence and the troops disembark.

  A man is killed instantly, stabbed with mouth covered without a sound escaping, then fire and shouts are heard as the noise is blocked out by the returning sounds of the violin. The somber music shadows the fight as the town is burned down to the ground and the same girl is seen again at the center. She finds herself scared and can hardly protect herself as the man leaves her alone and returns to his ship.

  Sailing off into the distance, another subtitle appears.

  “This was only the beginning.”

  A second raid where nothing occurs is showed, as he sails through the village unharmed with onlookers baffled by the events. Then scenes of hunting, camping, and interrogating players is shown. More subtitles fill in the blanks as details emerge from the aggressor’s side that they only did what they were told.

  “It’s only a game.”

  And then the last raid, the one shown by the other video is replayed from this player’s perspective as the child appears, crying on the ground in the middle of a pac
k of adult players. The man sheathes his weapon and kneels down, asking the child if he is hurt and how old he is. After receiving his answers he then calmly asks the child to log out.

  The child runs off and after exiting the field of battle, blue rings appear and transport him out of the game as he logs out, physically unharmed. The man then turns to the players, asking them about the child, to which the players show no interest or care.

  Anger resumes as the man’s eyes flash a bright red, far brighter than before.

  Discussion follows as the guild members show a complete lack of interest and insult him, as if everything had been his fault. After hearing enough, he walks off and with a quick wave of his hands, a lightning strike hits the ground behind him and obliterates the players that remained. The subtitles that were running throughout the entire event explained what couldn’t be inferred.

  And then the man departed by ship as the next scene had him inside an inn, an inn located within Bergenheim as he discusses the Kraken with a few sailors at the docks. References are made to how the economy and populace are suffering and are in need of help. His decision is made.

  Departing from the port, two ships brave the high seas as dangerous swells nearly roll them over but after a short time lapse, they find themselves in still water as the shadow of the kraken appears from underneath. In an instant the arms of the kraken wrap the ship up and the characters in the scene begin to wildly attack as men are stabbed by the claws and hooks and some are knocked overboard. A hectic fight with weapons and magic flying in every direction, the protagonist then jumps into the water as the kraken appears to retreat, having suffered enough damage.

  Underwater while in third-person, we watch as the man swims up to the gigantic black eye of the monster and then latches on. Switching to first-person, the blurry recording then shows him stab the center of the eye with his knife as he tears into it and slashes it open. The scene then fades to black as a piano begins to play and two independent subtitles are showcased, one after the other.