Midsummer Feast

“We do apologise for the unbearable silence up till now. Sadly so we can’t say we’ve found a solution to the problem, which only has grown since it turned out the terrorists once was a part of our innocent and loving community. But we know, and think, it’s wrong to keep you away from Rocking World. So we’ll open the servers soon, but with a bunch of restrictions (Honestly not that many, but it’s still too many for our ideal view of Rocking World.), we sadly have to force you to follow.

PK: We’ll continue to allow it to certain amounts. BUT, because of the active witch-hunt, so will the possibility be locked and only opened for a day, after a player/party/Guild have requested it. The forms is found at our homepage under forms!

PK-HUNTING: This has become a massive problem as it’s the same as normal PKing, but for another purpose, and because we can’t allow one, so can’t we allow the other. But as a solution to this, so have we added a special group (that everyone can take part in) where you can leave evidence and tips about suspected PKs. They’ll handle the information, and dig something up themselves, before approving or rejecting the request. If it’s accepted, so will all members get the information and you’re free to hunt them down.

ATTACKS: Because of the terrorists’ act, so is this the part we have to put the harshest restrictions on. We know you’ve your reasons for deciding to attack each other and the NPCs, but we can’t allow it to the same degree as before. Once again so will we ask you to send in a form (Found together with the form for PK) to even get the slightest possibility of attacking. Sadly so it is only one step before you’re allowed to attack, as we also will open a dialogue to get a better understanding of your reasons. If we can find a justification for your decision, so will we allow the attack, which will be allowed to continue for two days. PLEASE OBSERVE: This restriction also includes attacks inside your own territory!

–

As Merie read the news, so couldn’t she deny that it wasn’t many restrictions the developers had put on them. Still, she also wanted to agree with them at the point when they expressed that it was too many to fully enjoy Rocking World. And couldn’t they’ve found another way to get permissions than forcing them to fill out a form, and then wait for a response?

Not that Merie would complain too much, as the game was up and running again. But she still thought it was too much for a game meant for relaxing. And if it hadn’t been because she’d played it for too long, and that Anlie also was playing, so would there have been a risk she could’ve left for another game.

Dropping a sigh, turning her attention toward another window on the computer screen. There were many players lurking on the forum, including Merie and Anlie. The news had broke about the time she came home from school, yet so were there already a bunch of posts about it on the forum. And even though they had been split into two sides, PK and not, so did they seem to get along when talking about this. Most of them agreed that it was a bother to fill out forms to even be allowed to attack villages and NPCs inside their own territory. “I don’t know, but I think they might be asking for the forms because they want to be able to see if someone is going a little too far when it comes to attacks and PKing.” Whoever the writer was, so might he, or she, have a point. Which some more could agree with this, but even though that so didn’t there seem to be anyone thinking that it justified their decision. “You guys can think whatever you want. But please consider the other option, that we might get another set of terrorists if they don’t keep their eyes open.” Whoever that was, so might he or she need to think it through again. It was maybe one in a billion who might get triggered to violence from a game and do terrible acts. But the way that person expressed it, so did it almost sounded as if there were tons more people like that, just waiting to get exposed. 

Closing the post and looking for another one, knowing she only would get annoyed if she continued to read the last one. Luckily, soon finding another one with a far more interesting name. “FREEDOM THROUGH REBELLION!”

“They might’ve a point that they need to keep an eye on us to avoid something like the incident will happening again. And they’re playing along with the media’s boring games. BUT! If they decide to build their game along the media’s game, so will we play along their game. They are asking us to fill a form for attacks, and give them a reason why. So I’ve sent them a declaration of war they can’t refuse. THEY HAVE TO ACCEPT IT! And WE will gather a party to play out an attack to attack their headquarter (the main capital in the game) and show them what we want. WE WANT FREEDOM! WE WANT TO DO AS WE WANT! AND WE’LL TAKE IT AS WE RUIN THEIR RULING! SO JOIN ME, BROTHER AND SISTERS! TOGETHER WE CAN TAKE BACK WHAT’S OURS! OBS: I’ll be back when we’ve set a date on the attack!“

Merie was sure the developers weren’t playing the media’s game, otherwise so should they surely have closed the game permanently. But she could agree with the author that they maybe should show the developers their displeasure with the restrictions. Even though the one about PK-hunters was good, but otherwise so was it overall bad. As she clicked the post, so could she see there were many others going along with the idea. Some because they hated the restrictions, while others just were joining because it could be fun. Merie had to ask the others in the party if they also would join the attack, and even if it turned out that none would join, so did Merie decided that she would join. She couldn’t say that she was a fan of the restrictions, but as it was their game so did she accept they did what they found necessary for Rocking World to survive. Instead, so would she join because of the pure hell out of it. Not to mention that this was the only time she’d heard about an event when the players would gang up, in a game, against the system to make their voices heard. And she wanted to be a part of it.

–

The sky was cloudy and didn’t let the slightest ray of light through. It was unusual weather in the game, but the developers had expressed the weather as it was a way for them to honour the people dying in the terrorist attack, and to remind everyone that the horrible event still was ongoing as the police worked hard to find out if those two had any connections to the slaying. Merie hadn’t minded it, until she’d gone in at the party chat to tell the others about the event. Where she directly was met by the horrifying news about the terrorists’ identities. Marcus and Cleara. Lart had been the one sharing the information, as he was the first one finding out about it since he’d some slight contact with those two in the real life. “I don’t like the fact that they’ve been a part of this party, and I will contact the support team about the news, if they somehow have missed it.” Did Anlie somehow think they would’ve any information in the police hadn’t thought of? “But before that, so would I suggest that we share our in-game contact information, so we can stay in contact if things would go from bad to worse and I’ll be forced to shut down the party.” Why did Anlie think the developers would force her to do something like that? Merie could honestly not see any reason why Anli would be forced to do it. “So you don’t think it can be a selling point that we’ve hosted terrorists and possible serial killers? But I’ve saved everyone’s information now.” How Opiom even could think that was impressive, but she was most possibly not even the slightest serious about it. Otherwise so might she been more than slightly strange. “I can’t speak for them, but if I would’ve been them, so would I’ve deleted everything that slightly might’ve the slightest connections to them.” Lart was probably right. And wasn’t that simple human behaviour, thinking about exterminating everything uncomfortable.

“Since things did turn dark, Adu, at a second. Don’t anyone of us have something fun to share?” Opiom’s answer was rapidly followed by a laughing comment from Adu, but after that so did the chat went silent. Merie didn’t know if it was something fun, “I read, on the forum, that quite some players are thinking about launching an assault on the main capital to show what they think about the restrictions. I’m thinking about joining them, and was curious about it anyone of you also was thinking about joining?” But she could at least give it a shot. And even if it wouldn’t turn into anything, so maybe it could result in some talk. “I didn’t know that, but it sounds like a fun idea.” Opiom did seem to be along with the idea, which wasn’t surprising. “I read about that, and thought about joining. But it’ll all depend on when they set the date. And I think it can be a good chance for us to get some hunting done and ignore the world’s problems. For a day or two.” Adu wasn’t wrong, as it could be good with some hunting. Merie hadn’t about it, but was even more along with the idea now. “I’ll think about it, but I think I might join. I might need something else to think about after contacting them. And I suggest you do the same, Lart. I can think that you might spend too much about those two assholes.” Anlie was probably right to suggest Lart come along with them. “I was already thinking about joining. Slaughtering enemies as I try to convince myself that I’m killing Marcus and Cleara.” Lart sounded very violent for being an adult. But it maybe was a good way to work through the problem standing in his way. “I’m sorry to say it, Sir. But you might lose some enemies to me and Merie. We’ll be in your way, and I think we’ll use poison. So there’ll be quite some dying on you.” They hadn’t talked anything about joining forces during the assault, but Merie wouldn’t mind joining forces with Adu. Which maybe could turn out to be important, especially if it turned out the enemies were stronger than the bears they fought a while ago.

Merie was glad the mood in the chat had turned for the positive just as fast as the other way around. Closing the menu and heading toward the forest again, thinking about preparing for the assault. Just because Adu had suggested it, so would she try to use as much poison as she could. But not only that. Since she should use poison, so could she as well use the bombs to spread it. Maybe getting lucky and levelling her ability, which would make the whole situation so much better.

The new restrictions were the talk in the town, as she heard it everywhere. Merie was sure she both heard players praising and cursing it. All the while the NPCs didn’t seem the slightest wiser. So they were probably not knowing about it, not that it would change anything. And thinking about it, it was a thing for Wanderers, which was the same as sent by the gods, so wasn’t it anything they should know to uphold the illusion. Without paying it any more attention, Merie reached the edge of the town and walked straight into the forest. Which was stained by far more newbies than she had seen before. Many of them running around solo, taking advantage of the fact they couldn’t be targeted by PKs. Which was a belief they might question when the PKs started to fill out the forms, which could be made new fun. And if course so did she also know the risks of being a target herself, if she would end up at the wrong place at the wrong time. But it wasn’t as if that even mattered. It was a fair game as long as it wasn’t a systematic hunting, like the one by the PK-hunters, which even killed innocent players in their hunt for PKs.