Codename: Freedom: Survive Week One

by Apollos Thorne

  He held out his spear, expecting me to respond.

  Not sure what he was looking for, I nudged the spear with my shield.

  Replying with a grin, it seemed he meant this as a celebratory fist bump or handshake. It wasn’t the customary fist over heart greeting common to combat gamers, but it worked just the same.

  We played around with the cameras for a few minutes, taking a break. He laid out all his gems and coins on the ground in a small pile. I copied him. He had a good eye.

  I didn’t let up after that. Exhaustion was a very small thing in light of the success we were having.

  Since the goblins were so quick, I also had issues with my sword. Instead of swinging, I had more luck lunging in like a fencer. Even then it was, at best, a clean hit maybe 50% of the time.

  My shield became Flimsy the Goblin Smoocher. Quick or not, I could level them in the mouth every time. It was many thanks to their big heads and small legs! The shield was about ten pounds of solid wood.

  I ended up knocking most of the goblins down, then Kline and I would race to finish them off. He was sneaky like that. Was he personally trying to take my kills just to push me harder? As an experienced fighter of a lot of years, I suspected he was helping me train. Either he guessed at my personality or had assumed I was competitive because it was pushing me to fight harder. Sly old man.

  I got a few more scratches, but nothing compared to the first bite I received. It took about ten minutes for the pain to go away and thirty minutes for the wound to fully heal if it was a small one.

  Level 4

  You have reached Level 4!

  Ability Point +1!

  Your Creature Indicator range has increased by 2 to 14 meters!

  With the additional ability point, I unlocked the Local Map. Kline followed my lead.

  Local Map unlocked!

  Grabbing the Local Map and stretching it will give you a close-up view of the mini-map.

  Seeing the people in your group will depend on their distance from your Local Map, not the range of your Creature Indicator. It is approximately a 5x larger proximity than your Creature Indicator.

  Level 5

  You have reached Level 5!

  Your Creature Indicator range has increased by 2 to 16 meters!

  “Now the fun really begins!” I said.

  “Oh?”

  “So here’s the plan.”

  We were now at least forty meters from one another and easily able to keep track of each other’s location through the Local Map. Since it didn’t rely on the Creature Indicator’s range, we now had a large number of new tactics available to us.

  I could move the small window to any part of my field of view. It went translucent when I didn’t look directly at it. Choosing the upper right-hand corner, I sized it to where I could comfortable look back and forth at it. It currently had an 80-meter perimeter.

  It was late morning when we had first entered Freedom. After a full afternoon of hunting the sun was starting to set. We were probably a couple miles from the village, so we started to head back as we tested our new strategy.

  A group of four weak looking goblins huddled together next to a tree about twenty meters out. They didn’t show up on the local map, but a silver dot representing Kline was close by. As agreed, we both stopped when we spotted them. It was his turn to attack first.

  The silver dot started toward the goblins. As it picked up speed, I began to move.

  With a cry, I called the goblin’s attention to me. The timing couldn’t have been better.

  Kline cranked his ax back and unleashed it on the first goblin. He killed a second one while it was still seeking out where my battle cry had come from.

  The two remaining goblins turned to meet Kline. Since they were kind enough to give me their backs, I chose that time to attack. My spear completely impaled one through the back and out the chest. The last one joined the others in death.

  “Beautiful!” Kline declared.

  “You think dead goblins are…”

  “Ha! No. That was a good plan. Too bad it’s getting late. These things don’t come with torches or anything right?”

  “No. I’m afraid not,” I chuckled.

  “Too bad. We were just getting started.”

  “Tomorrow then we will make a full day of it.”

  “Deal!”

  It had been a good hunt. Our inventories were half full with numerous odd pieces of clothing, a number of knives, two or three silver richer. Goblin undies… I was totally exhausted but had no desire to stop. Kline was right. We had really just got to the place where we could really roll through these groups like teeth through stuffed mushrooms.

  “I’m getting hungry,” I added.

  Now that I thought about it, nearly an hour had passed since we had seen another player. Perhaps we had gone too far out. We had been clearing out every group we saw.

  It had come to the point where I could pretty much confirm that there was no respawning of the goblins. This place seemed pretty empty. There was the possible danger of harder enemies coming out at night. It was a game cliche, but still, something to keep an eye out for.

  When we finally left the tree line, the stars were starting to outshine the remaining ray of sunlight on the horizon. Eyeing the village, the sight before us was like a punch to the gut.

  The entrance to the village had been closed.

  Looking to Kline, we ran toward the city gate.

  There were over a hundred players already congregated there. A commotion was coming from the crowd.

  As we arrived, two arrows flew from either tower, landing in the path of a player who was about to try and scale the gate.

  Everyone stepped back slowly. The player was not someone I would have wanted to mess with. He was taller than me with a solid physique, yet he had been halted and was fuming as he stared up at the guards above.

  It was then that I realized none of the players had a bow, nor had I seen any ranged weapons at all except in the hands of the guards. How convenient.

  After some threats were tossed up at the guards, everyone started to settle it in their minds that we would be here all night.

  “Newbs,” I said under my breath. Didn't they realize a gift had just been handed to us?

  “What’s that?” Kline asked.

  “Newb is a term that means newbie, or new players. What I was referring to is that it's silly to complain. If we are locked out of the city tonight, it is by no accident. Normally it means there is about to be a special event.”

  “That’s a good thing, right?”

  “It's a great thing! Events normally give rare or unique items and possibly quests.”

  “So what you're saying is we will probably be up all night, but it's going to be worth it.”

  “Yeah. That sums it up.”

  Day 1 event sweetness! Please just let me have something to eat before everything starts.

  Chapter 6 – Ruin

  Snacking on biscuits and nuts, I had inventoried my spear and shield, leaving my sword sheathed as the only weapon I had easy access to. Not holding anything was like singing softly to a half-asleep baby.

  A few players had run around the village and found no way in. Scaling the wall was nearly impossible because of the smoothness of the twenty-foot wall even away from the sight of the guards. There was only one in each tower. I hadn’t seen many guards walking the streets earlier, so I didn’t think there were many. It didn’t seem like a very smart move for them to give us a hard time. Unless they were hiding big numbers of guards, they might come to regret tonight.

  There were large torch lamps showering down light from the gate towers. Everyone set up the best camp they could in the lighted area, despite being close to the trigger happy archers.

  Unpacking my bundle, I found a thick tarp-like fabric five feet wide and about seven feet long. I suspected it was to act like a windbreaker or propped up to shelter you from the rain. Instead, I simply laid it out so Kline and I could lie down
without getting wet from dew in the morning. It was nice enough out that you really didn't need a blanket. The rest of my pack was actually a sleeping bag. There was no zipper, but it was warm.

  Kline and I sat down to fill our bellies the best we could and I showed him the basics of running his channel. He already had over 70,000 followers.

  Since there was no way to respond to comments, I got a feel for what people were thinking through the comments. There were a large number of people that were going to monitor my channel all night in anticipation of the event.

  I saved the best for last and watched my daily action highlights. Though it was subpar to the superhuman action that other games provided, it didn't seem to dissuade my fans. The sense of realism wasn’t lost on them. Extra squirming with 100% pain must have been entertaining. My shield bashing was also well received.

  After I had finished, my exhaustion caught up with me. I quickly drifted to sleep.

  ***

  Stirring in the middle of the night, I found Kline sleeping on the tarp next to me. Most others were also asleep except for a few groups that were still gathered around different campfires. Scanning the mounds of sleeping bodies, I estimated that close to three hundred people had ended up being trapped outside of the gate. Was the same event happening elsewhere?

  I was still groggy, but the intense exhaustion I had felt earlier had been replaced with soreness.

  Yesterday had been physically intense and considering I was only in fair shape I was regretting not working out more often.

  Looking up at the stars in the perfectly clear night sky, the moon was full and nearly directly above us. There really was an awe to this virtual world. Even after feeling the pain from getting bitten by the goblin, I was thoroughly enjoying it.

  Since virtual reality began, there had always been the dream of creating a truly realistic virtual world. Looking back at the last couple hundred years of history, it seemed every decade a new technology would come out that promised just that. It would be a breakthrough in comparison to the old, but I knew nothing had ever compared to this.

  Deep diving, or neuro-linking, where a device hijacked your senses and tricked your mind into thinking you were in a virtual world had been the standard for the last century or so. Nearly all other forms of virtual reality had been tossed out. But here I was, six feet in the air, in a mostly mysterious giant cube that surpassed deep diving by involving my body in the input and output processes. I could honestly say I believed that someone had finally done it.

  I knew that the clothing I was wearing, the warmth of the sleeping bag, and the slight breeze on my cheeks was all simulation. It wasn’t real. The only reason I knew this was because I had the memory of entering Freedom. Besides that, I couldn’t tell the difference.

  My eyes wandered to the tree line of the moonlit forest. Before me stood possibility.

  Spying a flicker of light stole my attention. There was not just one, but three or four, no dozens! Someone or something was out there.

  “Kline! Wake up!”

  Standing, I saw I wasn’t the only one that had noticed what was coming from the forest. The whole camp started to stir. I realized we might be attacked and people just weren’t moving fast enough.

  I made to yell, but a high pitched scream beat me to it. “We are under attack!”

  Instead of bothering to roll up my tarp and sleeping bag, I threw them in my inventory and joined Kline. He had approached a growing crowd.

  Immediately there was a problem. Half a dozen people stepped up to make suggestions and were arguing about what should be done. The crowd grew, just adding to the noise.

  “Stop it!” It was the same female voice that had screamed moments before.

  Many of the men who were trying to take the lead seemed annoyed. I saw one roll his eyes.

  She stood arms crossed and held her ground. In the darkness of night, not all was clear to the eye, but her dark hair had a glossy frame and her light olive skin shone. Her green eyes were vivid with streaks of silver brought out in the low light. She was taller than average, but I couldn’t place whether she was a gamer or athlete. The cotton clothing, or pajamas as Kline called them, was deceiving.

  I sighed to myself.

  Having to deal with attractive girls was typical in the gaming world. I didn’t recognize her, but most gamer chicks would love the opportunity to make another Male Fail video. To keep from getting stabbed in the back I would keep my distance.

  “She’s right!” A man stepped forward. Shadows hid all but his forehead.

  “We don’t have time to fight each other. Look!”

  He pointed to the woods and everyone’s eyes followed. There was now three times the number of torches and more popping up every second.

  “Break up into your groups and do the best you can. We don’t have time for an extravagant plan.”

  A few protests were flung, but everyone followed the advice.

  Kline and I found ourselves standing together near the end of the defense line. I observed we were one of the groups with the least number of people. There were a few groups with three members, but most had four members or more. The groups to either side of us had five and seven. They were lining up shoulder to shoulder, but gaps were left between us and them.

  “This might be bad,” Kline said. “With all these holes in the line, they will most likely get behind and surround us.”

  “Be ready to run to get a better position?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  “If we get surrounded, back to back?”

  “You got it!” he replied. “Do you think I should yell Pajama Power?”

  Drawing back wide eyed, I replied, “If you have to ask, then definitely not.”

  He roared in laughter.

  Without any more delay, torchlight rushed toward us from the forest.

  As the monsters appeared in the clearing they were obviously similar to the goblins. They had the same twisted pointy ears and large heads and potbellies. These weren’t exactly the same ones we had faced earlier today though. As they approached the difference became clear. They were at least a head taller than the goblins we had faced before. Some of them even had short swords, clubs and axes, and wore armor. This must have been the goblin warrior class. Were they here for revenge for all the goblins we had killed today?

  Regardless of the numerous battles I had fought in VR games, my heart was pounding like an overexcited newb. The memory of pain reminded me this was far more real than anything I had ever faced before. I was terrified with a huge grin on my face.

  My muscles ached, I needed sleep and I only had nuts and biscuits for dinner. Regardless, the adrenaline and fresh night air made me feel alive. Standing there with my spear in one hand and shield in the other, I shifted stances holding my shield between me and the coming assault. My spear rested butt to the ground, to give my sore shoulder time to relax before the action began.

  Beacons indicated the coming mobs better at night than in the day. Its range seemed to be shorter than before. I had a feeling this had something to do with not being able to see as well at night.

  I flung my spear forward, piercing a large five-foot goblin directly in the center of the chest. He had worn some kind of studded leather armor, but the spear point easily pierced his chest and went out his back.

  One down.

  Leaving my spear sticking up from the dead goblin I unsheathed my sword.

  I leaned hard against my shield as another goblin collided with me. It was harsh enough that the goblin’s momentum sent it crumbling to the ground. These goblins may have been bigger than the earlier goblins, but they were still smaller than the average human.

  My sword quickly found its mark on the dazed goblin, but there was no time to take a breather.

  The approach of the next goblin had slowed. I faced a shorter one that wielded dual knives. Because of its speed, I knew I was at a disadvantage trying to fence with it.

  Taking the lesson from earlier today, I
threw a halfhearted thrust with my sword, which my opponent easily parried and countered.

  My shield blocked the knife thrust and overwhelmed the attack, smashing it in the face. It was then easily finished with a slash to the neck.

  And then they were gone, at least from our section of the line. Most of the goblins had rushed toward the center of the line where most of the players were.

  Turning to Kline, I nodded in their direction.

  Finding Kline ready, he had also noticed the opening and we took it.

  I quickly wrenched my spear from the chest of the fallen goblin. Kline and I rushed forward, turning toward the rear of the goblins closest to us. A few of the player groups flanking us were still facing off with their share.

  We went down the line, killing or disrupting as quickly as we could. After a few snorted in death, their neighbors started to catch on, and soon we had about five goblins facing us.

  “Keep going!” Kline yelled.

  I speared one through, I left my spear behind and knocked another over. Instead of finishing them off, we ran past them and headed for the main horde where the heat of the battle was.

  We continued jogging around the outskirts picking off the odd goblin. Kline led and I bashed or cut down any goblin that came after him or didn’t immediately fall under his heavy blows.

  By the time we made it to the far end of the heart of the battle, it was nearly over and we had leveled up twice.

  Level 6

  You have reached Level 6!

  Ability Point +1!

  Your Creature Indicator range has increased by 2 to 18 meters!

  Level 7

  You have reached Level 7!

  Your Creature Indicator range has increased by 2 to 20 meters!

  The small battle was over in less than fifteen minutes. That didn’t mean that everyone went without injury. Over twenty people had been wounded. Only one man had died.

  I reminded Kline to use his ability point.

  Group chat has been unlocked.