Night of Macabre

Great changes were taking place around the Musclewood Tribe. Winter has arrived and as a result, many barbarians stayed at the village, sharpening their tools, and taking a rest from the hunting season. A few even started showing some interest in the forging techniques of the Black Iron Tribe. Many still went to the dungeon every day but the barbarians were showing restraint; not sending everyone to the dungeon at once.

Instead of letting the men take it easy and relax, the Musclewood Tribe started their largest project yet. They wanted to build a palisade around the village, making it easier to defend and turning it into a more defensible place.

They were surrounded by enemies; although licensing the access to dungeon reduced the animosity directed at them for monopolizing the resources, many tribes still had the intention of taking over the dungeon. It was especially true since a few days ago, the barbarians learned of the events that took place at the Swift Gazelle Tribe; their dungeon mysteriously disappeared and they lost more five hundred tribesmen who were still inside.

The Musclewood Tribe suspected it was something done by Five. They noticed the sudden movement of the players to the Swift Gazelle Tribe right after exploring the dungeon and this coincided with the disappearance of the other dungeon.

The barbarians dreaded another battle. They have lost many tribesmen during the last battle but fortunately, the Swift Gazelle Tribe did not make any move against them. Nevertheless, they still decided to prepare themselves in case something happened. The village was larger, making it difficult to defend from all sides.

The Musclewood Tribe divided its available men into two groups. The first group was in charge of cutting down the trees, providing the logs for the palisade. At the same time, they would create a path, making it easier for their tribesmen to go to the dungeon.

The second group was tasked with digging a large trench for the palisade and gathering the necessary binding materials. The palisade project was going very smoothly. After just a few days, the trench had already been build and the logs were ready to be placed.

Achi stood at a reasonable distance, watching the barbarians at work. "At the rate, this is going, the palisade should be fully built by next week. It is the fastest we've ever built such a large structure. When we all work together, we can accomplish great things!"

"Yeah. But there are a few tribesmen who are complaining about the palisade. They are saying that we are becoming like the townsmen. We no longer hunt and now, we are even closing ourselves within walls," said Ganya with a worried expression.

Wesh shook his head. "Are they from my tribe? They still have that conservative mindset. Forget about them, no matter what we do, they will always complain. And even if we do nothing, they will still complain. Instead of hunting in the forest, we now hunt at the dungeon. Is that a big deal? I remember they kept complaining about having to go too far to hunt and spend a few days without seeing their wives. Now, they are complaining because we are not going far enough?"

"One thing we can agree is that the quality of life improved considerably since we started exploring the dungeon," said Ganya with a faint smile as he listened to his friend ranting.

The three ex-chiefs sat together as they supervised the construction project. It was not just the barbarians who were lifting the heavy logs; the players were also actively participating in the construction of the palisade.

"It was a good idea to ask the townsmen for help, right? They are ready to do anything if we just increase the number of adventurers they can send into the dungeon," commented Wesh.

There were more than two thousand players currently staying in the outskirts of the village. Half belong to Vultex and the rest were members of Blue Lagoon. Both guilds were only allowed to send in one hundred people inside the dungeon at a time but were ready to do anything to increase that number. They wanted to monopolize the dungeon and kick the other out.

Naturally, the two large guilds also started exploring the rest of the barbarian territory and had quite a bit of success. This resulted in the guilds spreading their forces in the area. They were still at odds with each other and battles were quite frequent when they were out of the villages and the dungeons.

The players were willing to do anything to extend their influence in the region and the construction project of the barbarians came in at the perfect time. When the players expressed their desire to help, they received several quests and the rewards of those quests were an increase in the slots they had to explore the dungeon.

"The Swift Gazelle Tribe is showing no signs of attacking us. It is possible that they are plotting something and will strike at the end of winter when our rations will be lower."

"It does not matter. Building the palisade will be very useful. It will set up a boundary for our village; it will remind us that we cannot absorb the other tribes and will help maintain our stability. But more importantly, it might be very useful for the Night of Macabre!" explained Achi.

"The Night of Macabre? D*mn... With all the fighting going on, I forgot about this. When will it happen?"

"We don't know exactly when but it should happen at some point next week. The Shamans are still looking into it but they have yet to obtain any tangible results. But remember, this time, our tribe is much larger than any other tribes in the region. This should be the hardest Night of Macabre we wil have to face yet," said Achi with a heavy expression.

The Night of Macabre was a dreaded annual phenomenon. Once per year, after winter has settled on the continent, for the duration of one night, the land will be roamed by millions of Undead. That particular night was called the Night of Macabre.

They were the restless souls of the courageous soldiers who perished during the previous wars. The actual cause of the phenomenon was lost in history but once per year, the Undead would rise from the ground and actively hunt all living things. It did not matter if an Undead was killed, it would come back and join the fray the next year.

During that particular night, all the barbarians would remain at their village to protect it. With the arrays and runic formations around the village, the Undead were unable to appear directly inside the village. They could only appear at a reasonable distance from it but would instantly converge there due to the village being the only source of life in the area.

The Undead were quite sensitive to life force and would be naturally attracted to settlements. Living beings were like a candle in the middle of darkness. The more were gathered together, the brighter they would appear and attract more Undead.

The barbarian tribes usually only had an average population of five hundred tribesmen. But the Musclewood Tribe was an exception; it was a combination of four tribes and had more than two thousand tribesmen.

The ex-chiefs were naturally aware of this detail. The upcoming Night of Macabre was going to be the most dangerous one they have ever lived through yet.

Wesh's expression lit up as he came to a realization. "So that is why the Shamans were walking around the village so much during the past few days. They were checking the formations."

"Yeah, but they are trying to be discreet to avoid causing panic. Our tribesmen's morale will be affected if they learn that another battle is going to happen soon. Many widows are still mourning the death of our brothers."

Ganya let out a long sigh. "I understand them. We lost so many people. This cycle of battles seems endless. Do you think we should request help from the townsmen? There are quite a few of them; they should be able to help us fight the small fries."

"You think so? I think they will be more of a liability. They will attract more Undead and we will be the one who has to deal with them."

"Maybe but we should at least warn them about it. We cannot let them run to their death; they are our allies and traded quite a few good items with us. Ganya, you go and warn them but don't be too loud about it. I think the Shamans are waiting to confirm the date of the Night of Macabre before announcing it to the village. Wesh, you should inform Five of this event too. Maybe we can get some help from his. He has powerful monsters and many of them are Undead too."

...

"Brother Iron Shark. I am telling you this because we have traded with you since the beginning. And honestly speaking, we do not really like dealing with Underwater. Do what you wish with this information but don't spread it around the village." Ganya brought Iron Shark away from the players' ears and explained everything.

He revealed in details the dangers surrounding the Night of Macabre. Warning to make ample preparations to not have a caravan stuck in the middle of nowhere for that dreadful night.

Iron Shark attentively listened. His expression became more and more solemn as the explanation progressed.

'The whole land is going to be overrun by Undead? I don't think I've heard anything about such an event. I should still warn the other elders though...' thought Iron Shark.

He thanked Ganya and agreed to arrange a short meeting when the date would have been confirmed. Iron Shark opened his player interface. He was quite doubtful that such a large scale event was suddenly going to happen. The game had been stagnant for a while now; there has been no major updates after the first one that took place months ago. A few regional events took place but it did not help much; the players' interest was dwindling. Many turned to experiencing the game in a more casual manner rather than rushing forward to increase their level and improve themselves.

However, as Iron Shark browsed through his messages to contact the elders of Blue Lagoon, his eyes briefly landed on the date.

'Maybe this is really going to happen. We are already in late October... A Halloween event?'