Codename: Freedom: Survive Week One

by Apollos Thorne

  No one argued. We had the group of goblins pinned in between houses. I was no stranger to the strategy Oliver had in mind. It was a tight fit for the five of us shoulder to shoulder, but for the seven of them, it was impossible. It was basic group strategy. Now the five of us could face off against five of them and not all seven at once.

  With only four warriors, who wisely took the front line, they were still harshly outmatched. Kline faced off against the Sneak-Thief and downed him in a few swings of his axe, which he was using one-handed for the fight. The rest of us squared off shield to shield.

  The cut on my arm was nearly healed already. Lowering my center of gravity, the goblin had no target to aim for if I ducked below my shield. It was almost a cheat item. I baited him by spitting at his head. He had to raise his shield to block it. His sword came in with a heavy blow, but I was able to block while nicking him on the knee. Kline dared to level an overhead chop at the same goblin from my flank. A dull thunk preceded its death.

  I dared a glance down the row. Oliver’s goblin was already down and he was helping Victoria, while Peter had somehow de-shielded his own.

  Feeling it was time to break formation, Kline bounded forward, crippling one Sneak-Thief at the knee. The remaining two started to run.

  Launching forward, I quickly caught Kline who tackled one from behind. Passing by, I stuck my spear between the fleeing goblin’s legs, slicing it at the ankle and tripping it up.

  When I glanced back, my group had already finished the job.

  “This is not good,” Victoria protested. “I can accept that the rogues can climb the walls, but the fully armored warriors?”

  This time everyone looted their own kills. I had gotten two of them.

  I took it back. I was feeling different, likely from my stat gains the last couple of days. The thrill made me forget everything I had been dealing with.

  “I’m afraid Willingham has been breached,” Peter replied, his brow furrowed as he watched Victoria.

  “We must hurry,” Oliver demanded. “The longer we rest the more people die.”

  We nodded as one and ran off banging our shields like a bunch of determined madmen.

  Chapter 18 – Flee

  So much blood. Over thirty players’ lifeless bodies lay scattered from one side of the street to the other. They weren’t just dead, they had been mutilated. It had happened so recently their bodies still hadn’t disappeared.

  Peter grabbed Victoria by the arm and pulled her to him, holding her by the shoulders at arm distance.

  “Look at me.” He demanded.

  Her eyes wandered, taking in the tragedy. Finally they met his.

  “It’s already over. There is nothing you can do to help.”

  She clenched her fist. The tension in her arms grew, rising up into her shoulders. The trembling started until she shook as if she was about to tear something apart. A muffled cry slipped between her clenched teeth.

  I wanted to return the favor and give her the same comfort she had given me. Instead, I stared dumbfounded.

  Just moments ago I had been concerned about what, mob drops? The pain these players had just experienced made playing a game sound worthless.

  Victoria’s head fell against Peter’s chest. She gripped his armor at the collar and sleeve. Her full-lunged sobs became the only noise in the immediate vicinity.

  “You okay?” Kline whispered at my side.

  “No,” I answered.

  “Me neither.”

  Looking to him, I saw a cold, hard glare. He was looking from body to body, not even letting himself blink. The veins in his temple throbbed.

  “There!” Oliver called. He pointed west, the opposite end of the city from the front gate, where twenty or more goblin warriors were marching our way.

  “Lucius.”

  I found Peter’s hand on my shoulder. When had he approached me?

  “Please take Victoria and get to the front gate. It looks safe that way, but be careful. Warn everyone. Send help as soon as you can.”

  At first, I didn’t respond. The bodies started to become translucent then disappeared in the order they had died.

  Everything in me wanted to charge headlong into the monsters and violate them with spear and blade. Death was too good for them. It was also an almost sure defeat if I stayed with Peter, Oliver, and Kline, but I was sure every goblin would regret waking up this morning.

  He nudged me.

  “Okay.”

  Inventorying my spear, I checked my sword at my side. Grabbing Victoria’s hand, I moved to leave, but she yanked her hand from mine. There were no words. The muscles of her neck flexed, then relaxed and flexed again. Tears had already soaked her face. If her bloodshot eyes could have cast a spell, the fires of hell would have risen up and devoured the goblins heading our way.

  Could I throw myself into a hopeless battle to satisfy my indignation? Yes. But I could not allow her to do the same.

  She tried to step around me but I stopped her. Grabbing her shoulders with both of my hands, I brought my forehead to hers, forcing her to acknowledge me.

  “What?!” she screamed.

  “We have people to save.”

  The tension went out of her shoulders like a deflated sail. Her eyes clenched shut.

  I waited for her to nod before grabbing her hand. We ran in the opposite direction of the coming battle.

  Looking back I saw Kline roll his shoulders while equipping his spear and taking his place at Oliver’s side. The three men stormed toward the coming invasion like a chainsaw to a pumpkin patch. A chill went up my neck and down again. Survive, guys. Help is coming soon.

  We were nearly a mile from the front gate so we began at a fast pace. After two hundred meters up a slight incline to a more elevated part of the city, we came to a sudden halt.

  What was responsible for bloodying the street with player bodies was dangerously close. Not one, but two hobgoblins strolled toward the front gate with a mob of goblin warriors surrounding them.

  Grabbing Victoria’s hand, I fled down a side street and took the alley where we could weave behind the rear buildings. It headed parallel to the main road and hopefully right past the hobgoblins.

  “Did you see that?” I asked, recognizing the now familiar itch in the middle of my back.

  “Yes. What do we do?”

  “Run as fast as we can and try to get around them. We have to beat them to the gate and warn everyone.”

  Victoria inventoried her shield and spear. I did the same, but drew my sword, holding it in an overhand grip, the blade running down along my forearm.

  If they kept to their slow pace, this just might work. We didn’t just need to make it past them, but to get far enough ahead that we could safely warn everyone.

  Any doubt I had of Victoria’s physical ability was squashed below our frantic feet. The pace I set was more than a jog, but not quite a sprint. We neared their position quickly, as my heart pounded against my chest and not because of exertion.

  Gritting my teeth, I saw we were about to cross a large side street. It would be close. There was the danger that we would be easily spotted by any goblins looking our way. There were only two options. Slow down, or go faster.

  “Can we speed up?” I asked.

  “I was wondering why you were going so slow. Don’t hold back on my account.”

  I didn’t know if I should take her dark humor as a good or bad sign of how she was doing.

  As we shot out from the alley into the open dirt road, I cranked it up to full stride and was happy to see Victoria sticking with me.

  Glancing up the side street, the goblins hadn’t reached us yet. We had already passed them.

  Skidding to a halt, Victoria passed me but slowed when she noticed.

  “Keep going,” I said. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  “Lucius, no.”

  “Trust me. They won’t be able to catch me. Besides, I bet I’ll still beat you to the front gate.”

  Her m
outh opened to say something, then closed. Finally, she said. “You’re on. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid again.”

  “Only if you promise me the same.”

  She shook her head, the side of her mouth twitching into a grin, then she turned and continued down the back road toward the gate.

  Sheathing my sword, I bent down finding a roundish rock that was about the size of the palm of my hand. Stepping behind the corner of the building out of sight, I waited for the goblins to move to where I would have a clear shot.

  Activating Enhanced Hearing, I struggled at first to hear anything besides Victoria running off. Her closeness amped up her sound. Still, I didn’t have to wait long.

  As the goblins neared, the sounds of each step assaulted my senses. It was incredible how much detail you could get just from listening. The nasally sound, with grunts mixed in, must have been their language. The rhythmic drop of chain came from the goblin warriors’ armor. Thunderous thuds drummed the hobgoblins’ march as they neared.

  There was no guesswork needed, nor did I have to peek out into the street to know where my target was.

  It became hard to breath as I realized I was about to throw a rock at a creature that had literally crushed me two nights before. The image of those slaughtered players came back to me. The wrongness of it all fed fuel to the flame inside me. But I remembered Victoria’s anger at seeing those bodies. Her tears. I had a job to do.

  Suddenly, I became very still. My breathing slowed.

  When the hobgoblins reached the middle of the intersection I stepped out onto the street. Pacing toward them, I picked up speed until I unleashed my stone. With all of my might, I heaved the rock with intent to kill.

  The hobgoblins were dead center in the middle of the goblin force. Dozens surrounded them.

  Black lightning struck. The rock hit the closest hobgoblin right in the neck. It stumbled back, feeling the rock’s sting.

  The goblins around the creature reacted as quickly to the attack as the hobgoblin himself. They were very in tune with the deadly beast.

  Within moments the entire goblin party was looking at me.

  My hand gripped the hilt of my sword to draw it out, but a sliver of sanity stayed my hand. If I drew my sword I was going to attack. If I attacked I would die. If I died… My friends. Victoria.

  As the first sling let loose, I released the hilt of my sword and ran.

  Passing the back road Victoria had taken, I led them away from her and the front gate.

  Part of me wanted them to catch me.

  Reaching full stride, I began to pump my arms to increase my speed even more. I didn’t care anymore. At my highest gear I flew, their bullets couldn’t reach me.

  After a couple hundred meters, I turned and saw their pace was pathetic. A few more bullets were thrown at me, but they were easy to dodge with night vision. I knew the hobgoblins were incredibly fast if the need arose, but for some reason, they were still wading in the middle of the goblin party.

  A few of the goblin warriors had taken it upon themselves to outpace the horde and were closer than the rest. I waited, daring them.

  Considering their pace, this was far enough. I took the next back road, quickly making it to full speed, quickly outdistancing the goblins that had rounded the corner to follow me.

  I set my sights on catching Victoria. In the world I was in now, it was clear I had to dedicate myself to physical training in the same way I did gaming. It was time I started to fully develop my talents.

  Keeping Enhanced Hearing activated and an eye on my Local Map, I soon found Victoria. She had obviously slowed but was still going at a strong pace.

  A few seconds later I started breathing easier when no goblins showed on my mini-map. The itch of my back didn’t let me relax. I had defied the hobgoblin despite it.

  My lungs were starting to burn as I slowed to a full stride. It was amazing I had as much stamina as I did. There was no way just a few additional points in endurance had helped so much. Had they? Was it the help of the developer’s cocktail?

  Turning up another alley I soon reached the one Victoria was using. In the distance, I saw her.

  Upping my pace, I was determined to catch her. When I said I would beat her to the gate, that was really just a taunt, but now I was determined to accomplish it.

  Using group chat, I messaged her and the entire party. “I’m right behind you!” I hoped it wouldn’t distract, but encourage the others, who were likely still in combat if they were still alive, that we were okay.

  Even though she was nearly a quarter of a mile ahead, I saw her turn her head to look behind her. When she stopped to wait for me, it squelched my plan of making a race out of catching her.

  After I caught her we didn’t stop. The alley bent back and forth, not nearly as even as the main road, but we found no one in our path. My lungs started to struggle even further. Victoria showed no signs of stopping. It was time to poke our heads out and see if we had made it in time.

  A side road was coming up. I took it, rounding the corner. Slowing to a stop on the side of a two-story merchant’s shop, I saw the hobgoblins in the distance. They were maybe a half mile away and had returned to the main road.

  “I think we made it,” I choked, spitting out the phlegm that had built up in the back of my throat.

  “Keep going.” Victoria nudged me, reminding me every second counted.

  Well, at least this exertion should be beneficial to my stat growth. I sighed. She obviously had impressive endurance.

  “Open the gate!” I cried, as we shot past the night merchants.

  A familiar stocky guy met us, spear lowered. He had an odd name… Gust. We slowed to a stop, panting.

  “You guys again?” He smirked. “Scared me to death.”

  “Might be a good idea to stay afraid,” I blurted out while trying to control my breath. “Open the gate. We’re being attacked.”

  “Of course we are...”

  “No! He means that they are in the city. Hurry. Two hobgoblins are coming this way. We need reinforcements!” Victoria pointed behind us.

  “Oh...”

  “Now!” I insisted.

  “Opening!” he screamed.

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded, as he unsheathed a mace and started barking commands to his sisters in the towers above.

  ***

  Wading through the player barricade was easy enough. Everyone was at their station already fighting. The peril of our situation became clear. An entire army of goblin warriors was making a full out assault. There were thousands of them already in combat with our defenders and thousands more were waiting as reinforcements at the tree line.

  At least a hundred players had joined Gust to defend the front gate from the internal attack when we left him. I doubted it would be enough.

  Thankfully it seemed that many of the players that had never participated in the defense had answered the call to help. I had no reliable way to number so many people, but I guessed at least five thousand players were spread out north to south to face the threat.

  We found Harrison right where we expected him at the heart of the conflict at the head of the barricade. The carts were no longer the front of the player defense. At least fifty rows of people stood between the fighting and the original defensive structure.

  Our friend stood on top of the center cart, examining the conflict and messaging his group. He had already reached level 19. Had we really missed so much?

  “Harrison!” Victoria yelled as we neared his cart.

  He turned, giving us a squinty narrow stare. His Iittle owl looked bigger than before.

  “You two. Must mean trouble. Out with it!”

  “Goblins have breached the city! Two hobgoblins are on their way to the gate!” I warned.

  He looked through me for a moment, calculating. After a quick message to his group, he hopped down and waved us to follow. It was surprising that such a sturdy man could bound about the obstacles of the playe
r camp as he did.

  We skirted toward the gate and headed south behind the player line by the city wall. A quarter of a mile later we cut into the player line.

  “Cornelius!” Harrison howled.

  The colossal man showed up a moment later wearing a burnt orange cloak, sweat drenching his neck and forehead below his full helm.

  “Harrison!” he bellowed.

  “The city has been breached! Hobgoblins are making their way to the city gate!”

  Without hesitation he replied, “My men will handle it! You’re in charge. Send me reinforcements as quickly as you can. A thousand men should do.”

  “Yes, sir!”

  It's wasn't surprising to see Cornelius taking charge, but hearing Harrison call him sir was just odd.

  “We're coming with you!” I bust in. “Our group is on the other side of town fighting. If they are still alive we can find them on our Local Map. They were fighting a large group when we left them.”

  Victoria squeezed my arm in encouragement.

  “Good. Stick by me.”

  Harrison had already run the other way, messaging his group. We found ourselves wading toward the front of the player line. Most of the players wore the same color as their leader.

  Cornelius spoke with a man wearing faded blue.

  The man looked down and said something we couldn't hear, messaging someone else.

  “This way.”

  We followed Cornelius back the way we came when a large shift happened behind us. I looked to see the men in orange retreating as blue took their place on the line.

  In less than two minutes we were jogging north toward the gate with over one hundred men at our backs. He took the time sensitivity of the matter seriously. How was the training required to pull off something like this even possible in only three days?

  We made it to the gate with little time to spare. The goblin warriors were entering the wide road where the merchants lined the area with their carts. Thankfully the night merchants had already fled, but our friend Gust was still standing his ground with a small army behind him. His sisters were already firing off arrows from the towers at the invaders.