The Worn Out Carriage

The warrior lent me a room to stay upstairs. He told me it was an abandoned, yet spacious chamber that nobody wanted to lodge in for the night. I was frantic to find some place that I can call my own, so I accepted his offer and ascended the series of steps.

The warriors and the players will form a meeting tomorrow morning when the rooster crows the loudest. They planned on rallying everyone willing to breach Nirvana, the Elven Kingdom, and free the trapped players inside their dungeon.

I was one of those people to join in their cause and help the guild. I wanted to break my best friend free, Ryoshi, caged by the long-eared elves, and exit the game.

However, the event was more than that. The guild members sought revenge against these NPCs who killed the players throughout the game, thinking we had gone rogue and berserk after killing the king.

I brushed off these grim thoughts as I entered inside my humble home for tonight.

My bottom lounged on the mattress and fell flat on the rectangular bed. A soft splatting noise echoed inside the room, but I paid it no mind, thinking that it was not worth my time checking. 'The sound must have come from my pants,' I whispered, and resumed back to sleep. I snuggled my arms at the make-shift pillow offered by the warrior for me before and went to the dream world right after.

The morning came, and the sunshine woke me up from my soundless sleep. Coincidentally, a knock coming from the door alerted my senses, telling me I needed to work my way toward the ingress.

"Are you awake, wolf?" A voice called upon my name.

"Coming!"

I slapped my face and headed off towards the ingress. Sliding the door open, I saw the paladin from before with his two-handed weapon nestled at his hip. Beside him was a petite and bald man wearing an obsidian tunic and a pair of glasses. Gripped in his hand was a stave meant for mages in Code. It had an oval dark gem resting on top, which was the source of his magic.

"You have a pinkish mark on your face. Did you come prepared?" A four-eyed bloke asked as he fixed his glasses.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Nothing to worry about," I retorted, and dusted off my clothes.

"This lad here is my assistant for today's meeting! We cannot thank you enough for attending our assembly." the warrior expressed, and nodded.

I glanced at the assistant of the brawny man beside him. He jerked upwards like a nervous cat and returned my gaze. "I work for him."

"I see. Then, it is a pleasure to join your team!" I answered.

The two advanced to the hall, and I tagged along behind. The stomps from their heavy footwear resonated across the stairs, attracting the attention of the crowd below us. All their eyes tracked us three as we descended the stairs and arrived at the wooden board.

Hundreds of players gathered around the room, armed with different weapons and classes. Some of them had the thief, priest, and even tamer classes that were rare to find in Code. Placing those characters aside, I went with the crowd and positioned myself behind, leaving the two men who fetched me upstairs.

The warrior and his assistant parted ways with me and went to the middle of the pack. They waved their hands and summoned the monitor meant to accept and post requests coming from the guild.

The adventurer's guild was an international organisation created by various servers representing each country's playing Code. We also had one leading Japan, but I did not know where they were right now.

"I remember him now," I murmured to myself, and inspected the warrior and his companion.

Those two were leaders of a different faction, Western Country Guild. The paladin was the leader of the guild, with his assistant guiding the members. However, the club they handled was just a branch to the main one, which had been a silent group until now.

"What we're doing now is not a part of the regime that the government asked for, but a request that came from our group. The players trapped inside their cells sent this task for us to take. We will save our friends inside Nirvana and kill as many elves as we can. I, Captain Mer, founder of the second branch of the Western Guild, cannot promise our victory. But we will still give our all and lead you like we always did during our raids," Captain Mer announced, and raised his two-handed weapon with one hand.

"NOW, WHO'S WITH ME!"

Roaring applause reverberated inside the hall right after the speech. More players were listening to the announcement outside of the guild, wanting to support the benevolent cause. Everyone gave their perching ears to the leader and heeded the instructions laid on their screens.

They also sent me an invitation to join their organisation. But I refused the guild's offer to avoid sharing my identity. I did not want anyone to find out my name in public. It had always been that way for me. Fortunately, Mer's assistant understood my claim and gave me the note to an outsider. I will not receive any rewards regardless of the task's completion.

The plan was simple. All of us would surround the Elven Kingdom and burn the treehouses near the citadel. They knew that the Grandmother, La Finta, would save those long-eared civilians and order her knights to protect their land.

"That is the time we will strike! If the rangers take our bait, the veterans, us, will break inside and head inside the dungeon. My assistant and I can handle a few of those wardens with ease, so don't worry. Do what you think is best for the group and stay alive, you hear me?" Mer asked, and directed his gaze to the merry men and women.

The players lifted their blades once again and yelled out a battle cry. Everyone became eager for the events and could not wait for the war to happen. I, who had gone through the commands, shook my head.

I knew the elves were more than just NPC since I fought against them before. La Finta was an opponent that could stand toe to toe against me when she used the bow. She would precisely hit me from afar despite my second wolf form, which heightened all my senses and reflexes.

We would also engage in battle against the elves in their homeland, their territory. Some of these novice players were still unfamiliar with the environment, which would make our advance strenuous. If I'm honest to myself, I knew nothing about Nirvana, not until I read the article. Me butting heads against La Finta before was a mistake I made when I was still a troll.

Long story short, I made a bet with the elves from an in-game casino. The elf that played against me lost all of his belongings and gave me a fountain of life, one of the concocted potions made with the finest of sap.

I still had that brew with me in my main account, but I cannot access it now, not with this bigdaddywolf account.

"Did you find something wrong with the plan?" Mer asked, and leaned his head near my shoulders.

The azure screen showed the poorly drawn interior of Nirvana, and the forest surrounding its kingdom.

"Nothing. I just think that the elves would be stronger than we might have thought they could be?" I answered, and went away.

I did not want to hear any criticism coming from the crowd, so I slipped away from the mob. These people were free to believe whatever their guts told them to believe.

The night finally came as we charged forward to the forest, bringing with us one thousand players in total. It was smaller than an army, but enough to bring an empire down, or so they thought.

I travelled with the guild and followed the two leaders at the front lines. We headed forth to the forest and met the ocean of trees under the ruined viaduct. Mer split the group into two so we could travel both over the bridge and across the woodland below. His assistant volunteered, leading the other half down the forest, while Mer and I proceeded on the elevated road.

They equipped themselves with heavy plate armours and enchanted tools surrounding their bodies. The pair looked formidable, but I believe the elves were also powerful foes. The monsters reigning in the jungle were also a threat that we needed to look after.

The only light source we used was the moonlight shining upon us. We did not want to lure any attention from the elves and monsters or even peddlers by accident. All we had to do was to trust the people in front and follow their lead.

Mer signalled his hands to cease our walk. The assistant saw his gesture and ordered the players on the ground to stop in their tracks.

"What did you find?" A high-pitch sound rang in our ears as we saw the chat appearing on our monitors.

It was a public group chat we could use to communicate without using words. I excluded myself from the group so I did not receive any messages from the leaders or in the guild. However, because of my heightened senses as a Lycan, I could perceive their conversation.

"We saw remnants of broken wood that came from a carriage. Can you confirm it on the ground and tell me what you've found?" Mer asked, and sent the message.