Midsummer Feast

Merie didn’t know what she wanted to think about the majority of the larger group. After a bunch of small groups had been formed, so had the larger group declared that they were about to attack the city from the front.

Merie hadn’t been the only one pointing out how unbelievably stupid that was, as the enemy might be waiting for them and giving them a far more difficult time than necessary. But to their defence, so could it mean the enemy would leave other openings the smaller groups could use to create a hell, which should be helping them in one way or another. “Do you think we’ll be able to do something inside the city?” Adu did seem hesitant about it. “I don’t think you need to be worried about it, Adu.” “Most players are suggesting everyone is carrying a teleport stone, if the battle arrives inside the city.” Opiom rapidly followed Lart up, seemingly more informed than the rest of them. “So… There are players not taking the attack seriously?” Merie couldn’t believe that there were players like that. She, herself, wouldn’t set her feet even close to the city after hearing about the planned attack. Especially not during the time it would occur. “Since they’ve teleport-stones, so do I think they take the attack seriously. But probably not to the extent as during former attacks. Which might be because there hasn’t been anything said about if they can get attacked by the assaulting party.” Lart could’ve a point. The update hadn’t said a single thing about that, and since there hadn’t been any other attacks like this, yet. “If the majority of players carry teleport-stones, so would I suggest we do the same.” “I agree with Adu. There’s a strength in blending into the masses.” Opiom rapidly followed up Adu’s idea, ending it all with a wide smile. But she surely had a point, there was a strength in that.

The openings, which weren’t attacked, were wide open for everyone to pass through. Surprisingly, so hadn’t even the city placed any guards there, which more or less invited all kinds of problems. “Where do we think we should head first?” Anlie could have suggested something instead of asking. Honestly, Merie didn’t know where they would head, as she couldn’t guess where they would be of greatest help. “I think we should head to the potion shop first and then to the marketplace. So can we look what the situation looks like.” Adu’s suggestion would make it look as if they weren’t up to anything. So it could maybe be a good thing, at least until they knew what they would do. “It sounds boring, but I guess that it’s better than doing nothing.” “And I don’t think we should talk too much about it while going along the others, as they surely will hear us and understand what we’re up to.” Anlie pointed out what they all should’ve thought about.

The other players in the city really didn’t seem to care the slightest about the battle outside. Walking without a care in the world, an almost depressing view. Sure, they all held a teleport-stone in their hand, but it wouldn’t save them if someone attacked, and it turned out that they could be killed. Honestly, Merie wouldn’t be the slightest surprised if it turned out that there was someone else in the other party carrying bombs. Which could be set off in the middle of the mess, like shortly after the update, an attack which had killed Merie. She could’ve done the very same thing, if it shouldn’t been that she would risk involving too many NPCs. Which maybe was the only difference between her and other PKs.

“How much screaming do you think it would be if someone would blow this place up?” Opiom had apparently been thinking about the same thing. “Considering the event in the real world, so do I think there would be quite some screaming about it.” Lart was probably right. Merie could think that there were many who still had too fresh memories of the terrorists’ attack. “Should we really take it this easy? I mean, they might reach inside the city.” Whoever the player was, so should he know how right he was. “We should be safe as long we’ve the other players fighting them, and the city still has their guards.” What made them think that they would be any safer with those two parties around? Just because the majority of attacks were attacking the front, so didn’t it mean everyone was. Merie and the others were a perfect example of that. “Where should we head if things go south, friends?” For whatever reason did Opiom ask that? And from which perspective did she mean the question? “If things go south and it’ll necessary to run, so should we just use the teleport-stones, Opiom.” Lart sounded far too serious, but he might’ve got a point. No matter from which angle the question was answered, so could they do the same thing. “Isn’t that why we’ve the stones? So we can get out of here as it gets too hot for comfort?” Anlie couldn’t have been thinking about that earlier, but she was right. Escaping was far better than losing a bunch of EXP, and even though it might look bad. So was it probably in their best interest.

They were quite some distance from the marketplace when an explosion was set off. Followed by cries and pained screams. “I guess they got into the city in the end.” Adu’s voice had a joyfilled tone, and even if she didn’t mean it so did it sound as if she was glad about their act. “I think they could’ve found a better place to blow up, than there. If they really needed to blow something up.” Lart followed his comment with a sigh, shaking his head before looking straight forward. “And do we wish to follow, Sir?” “Go ahead and create a mess, friends.” Anlie was the one answering Adu’s question. “Bowling!” Rapidly rolled up and straight ahead, launching every possible target in all kinds of directions.

Merie couldn’t be any worse, hastily running after Anlie, punching every player she could reach. She’d honestly not thought about it before, but she couldn’t deny that she was glad the players dressed very distinctive from the NPCs, which made it easier when she decided who to hit and not. “GO! MITTE N’ SKITTEN!” Opiom made it sound as if they’d agreed upon a name for the party, which wasn’t the slightest true. At least not as Merie had heard about.

“MORE SPELLS AND LESS NAMES, OPIOM!” Upon Lart’s call, so did Merie remember that they hadn’t said anything about using their fake-names or not. But since he started it, and that she couldn’t remember hearing anyone else using fake-names, so did she guess it was the way they were going. “KEEP YOUR EYES ON THOSE TWO, SO AM I WATCHING, SIR!” Even Adu was taking some charge, which could either be good or bad. Especially bad if she turns out to be like Marcus and Cleara.

“KILL THEM!” The players’ cry had a nostalgic feeling to it. Wonder how many times they did hear that, before things went sour. Before those fucking assholes started their slaughtering. Turning her body, avoiding a wide swing, sword, tiny and fluid steps towards him. Punching him in the face, at the same time grabbing one of his arms, pulling him closer. Straight into a well-delivered knee. Dropping him without a second thought and continuing chasing Anlie.

Merie had never expected everyone there to join, and they weren’t, but there were more people joining than she thought. “I THINK THEY’RE TRYING TO INJURE ME, DEAR!” Anlie honestly shouldn’t taunt them. Her health was draining rapidly, even though she’d been able to withstand so much shit earlier. “THEN, JUST DON’T TAKE IT!” Merie couldn’t believe that she needed to point it out, and even worse was that she didn’t have the time to help her friend. Surrounded herself, she knew she would get a headache, out of this world, only to make sure she survived. Jumping from side to side, turning, spinning and keeping her senses high.

“IF YOU’VE TO THROW THEM AROUND, PLEASE, MAKE SURE YOU AIN’T AIMING FOR ME!” Judging from Opiom’s cry, so were they also surrounded. Not that Merie had the time to check it, but she started to hesitate if it’d been a good idea to join the attack. “KEEP IT UP, GIRLS. THERE’S MORE OF THEM COMING OUR WAY!” And that was about how much Lart cared about her complaints.

Merie jumped to the side, avoiding a wide sword swing. Consider moving in for an attack, noticing one other asshole coming in, forced to move further from Anlie. “I THINK YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN, ANLIE!” She would love to do more to help her friend, but she knew she would get her ass handed to her if she tried. “I’LL HAUNT YOU FOREVER IF YOU’RE ABANDONING ME, DEAR!” Even if it was meant like a joke, so could Anlie have found a better way of expressing herself. But since it was a joke, so wouldn’t Merie put any more thoughts into it. Instead thinking more about how she would survive this steadily growing shitstorm. And even if she didn’t have too much time to watch the whole surrounding, so could she tell there were more players arriving now.

Rapidly pulling out a bomb as she dodged an attack, throwing it deeper into the masses and watching it explode. She’d spared the bombs, with poison, just for this sake. And she was hoping for her dear life that the poison would kill off some of the enemies, easing both her and the other’s burden. But if it would turn out that her hopes were in vain, so would she do whatever she could to destroy their defence, and then escape when the situation got dire. “SPLIT THE GROUP! THERE’S OTHER ATTACKING THE BARRACKS!” That was one of the best things Merie could hear in that situation. Even though the other groups were slow with attacking, with the exception from the one starting the shitstorm, so hadn’t they decided upon giving up, or something like that. Jumping back, trying to get an opening to leap closer, succeeded in hitting the enemy over the chest, but sure the armour took most of the damage. As the situation was looking slightly better, so did she suspect that she could amp up her offence, slightly.

–

Merie wasn’t sure for how long she’d been forced to jump around like a flea in a warm frying pan, but she’d been lucky this far. Somehow, so had she been able to avoid most of the attacks. And those which would have hit her, had mostly just graced her body. So she’d mostly got off with just losing a third of her life. Dodging some more attacks, dumping a new bomb and taking distance. She was glad that she had been thinking that far as creating quite a few extra bombs, as she was using them more intensely than she had thought she would.

An explosion, which wasn’t hers, echoed through the city. Merie was taken by surprise, but she didn’t let it show. Honestly, she was on high alert for any incoming attacks. “IT WEREN’T US!” Opiom didn’t need to scream that, as there probably were none even thinking about accusing them of being behind the explosion. At least so didn’t Merie even waste a second thinking it’d been them. Instead, so did she suspect it’d been from one of the other groups. Maybe one of those she shared her bombs with. “THE BARRACKS HAVE FALLEN! SO IT’S TIME TO PICK UP THE SLACKS, GUYS!” Whoever it was screaming, so shouldn’t be expressing it as if they hadn’t been serious earlier. As there’d been quite some players dying during the fight, and she was sure they already had given their all. Menacing that the screaming monkey more or less was minimising their effort, even if he hadn’t meant to do it.

“THE SAVAGE MONKEY IS LEAVING THE PARTY, SO SEE YOU, GUYS!” Adu should really make sure not to say things like that when there are other people around.  Sure, Merie didn’t like hearing things like that, but she could accept it since it just was who Adu was. But there was no way denying there were players not as acceptable as Merie, and it could give Adu quite a headache if she weren’t careful. “SEE YOU LATER, GIRL!” Lart was the only one answering Adu, but in Merie’s case so was that simply because she’d too much other things shoved up her rear.

“KEEP PUSHING THEIR TANK! SHE MIGHT GO DOWN SOON!” Were they thinking about giving Anlie hell? Merie didn’t like it, and even though she might risk her life so might she try to do something to help her friend. Sidestepping a downward swing, keeping an eye on her surroundings as she went in for an attack. Hitting the enemy across the face. She was sure that no matter what she would do, so would she go through hell. But as it was a part of the game, so didn’t she mind it too much, as long she didn’t die.