by Wormgod » Sat Sep 19, 2015 4:32 am
The crowd around the gaggle of guild leaders and second-in-commands quickly filled the small park. Ashirah was glad she found this meeting early; she earned her place in the front. It had it's downsides, though; a shove from the far back almost knocked her into the guy next to her. She was met with a milk white face and painted black eyes staring directly into her.
Holy...! What the heck is that!? A mask? No one wears masks like that anymore!
The painted eyes narrowed: all three of them. It-he?-disappeared into the crowd. The meeting had begun.
As Ashirah expected, this was an outdoors meeting for a reason. The guild master of the largest guild on the North American server started, welcoming every guild and every onlooker. They quickly announced their reasons for inviting so many. One of their strategists has counted the days since the last "Return of the Goblin King" quest, the annual quest that takes place on every server. It lasts one full week, giving players time to gear up and take on the Goblin King before his coronation. When Elder Tale was a game, the full raid was high level, but not the maximum level of 90. This allowed many players to come together and enjoy real raid that promised phantasm level gear. Nearly every year, the Goblin King was defeated before he could be crowned. Ashirah remembered one year he wasn't. It was her first year, and she was barely level 20. She did not feel the effects of the event, but she remembered a lot of high level players complaining about the large amounts of goblins in areas they usually did not spawn. There were new quests too: defending the smaller villages, guarding the People of the Land, investigating pillaged farms...
When this was a game, the cooronation was nothing to fear. But now...This was serious business. The guild master of the largest North American guild fell silent and let their speech fester. They had listed many of Ashirah's fears. After a very pregnant pause, they announced they would be sending their top players. The crowd of other guilds seemed to all jump at once and share looks with their second in commands.
"Er...we're a crafting guild, not a combat guild..."
"This is a full raid quest. Leave it to the raid guilds..."
"Our guild has no concern for the People of the Land. They are NPCs incapable of suffering. My guild does not wish to get involved."
Of course. They're afraid, afraid of death, afraid of dungeons, of raids, of the unknown. Cowards. Ashirah thought. But...I am afraid too, of all those things. I...
Another player from the crowd had stepped up and held onto one of the cowardly guild leaders shoulder. Ashirah barely registered him as she stepped forward, "I'll go."
The words fell out of her mouth with no input from her brain, "I shall go. I am a holy monk of the Sun. Sol teaches me to let no emotion overwhelm, especially fear. I am afraid, but I will not let fear prevent me from fulfilling my duty. As a monk, it is my duty to protect the people, and I will."
A thousand eyes pierced her skin. Ashirah realized what she had just said. She closed her eyes, counted to five, and open them again. Some of the anxiety expelled, just enough to breathe again. Finally she bowed to the guilds and the speaker.