The minimap's counter freaks out. Past midnight or not, a plus sign replaces the number, a testament to how packed the Origin Market is. It's scary to think about it, after doing that long run outside the village thinking it's safe.
The odd thing is that it was.
During the day, at least half of the spawn points were void of mobs, meaning the players visited those places. And I circled the settlement from south to northeast and back without finding an empty spawn. The crowd is all concentrated in this area.
Whether these are night owls or players from different time zones, the place is as busy as ever. Considering the plaza is dead center and the system can render out dreams, they could be all AFK or sleeping. Well, it's all the better.
It means the job stealer dude ran straight into them, and by taking the longer route I'll get there first. The Training Grounds are empty as expected. No, it's even emptier, there's no sign of Tank anywhere, and the market is louder than ever.
It's strange. Why would he leave now of all times?
I only saw him leave his post when he took me to the Guildmaster. And, well, to hunt down the first bandits. Is it another event, or does it have to do something with this noise? It's not what you'd expect from the market, like haggling, laughing, and shouting.
It's closer to what a battle sounds like. Clatter, yelling and screaming. There isn't an arena in Origin, is there? If they had a sparring event, it should be right here in the Training Grounds and the place is empty. It's not like I can make out the exact sounds while sprinting.
The influence of energy drinks started to fade a while ago. From half asleep 'let's finish this last job' grinding to 'chase down the fucker' the switch was too fast. The heart beats in my throat and ear, and it's possible that all the noise only exists in my head.
Even if it doesn't, it shouldn't matter. Whatever happens with the idling players in the Marketplace it won't affect me on this route. The sounds are getting louder though, as the Guild's building is getting nearer.
Well, they might not be all AFK then, it should be in the bag still.
The guy entered the forum right before his name became visible. Whatever is going on there must have slowed him down, and the goal is to get to Selena first, not to catch him. A hundred-meter dash should be faster than an eighty-meter slalom.
The benefit of my sleepy unpacking is that the stamina bar is still halfway full after all the sprinting. Even if the last villager didn't sign the contract, the journal shows the quest as complete and ready to end. The Guild Assistant will know what's up for sure.
It would be so cool if you could track players on the map, and see the distance between you when he's out of sight. It's asking for too much, that would make this chase much less intense, but my heart rate is through the roof. He had a good hundred meters advantage on me.
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If the Marketplace is as packed as the sounds and the plus sign make it seem, that edge will evaporate fast. The good thing about sprinting is that even getting lost in thought, this body keeps carrying me to the goal.
I made this route so many times before, the avatar should be able to do it with eyes closed. It's less than ideal, getting distracted by random stuff, thank God the pavement is nice and smooth. Falling over and losing to that guy would be embarrassing.
And there are no shortages of distractions. Apart from the usual random thoughts, and running math in my head, these noises are getting out of hand. And not only those. Like what the hell that lightning effect is in the sky?
The sun should be coming up about now, and the system has an accelerated day-night cycle but this is too much. It should be coming up ahead from the east, they even made it a graphical spectacle, and this light's up in the sky.
No, wait, there is a sunrise in the east, this makes it all the more curious. Fuck, no, Arnim, keep your legs moving, you didn't grind for three days so that some dick could steal your glory. Thanks to always reminding myself to check the counter I notice something strange.
It's no longer a plus sign, it dropped down to ninety. And I passed the market's center right now, so it should be going up, not down. It keeps dropping, and does it fast. Mass logging out? But the sounds are getting even louder.
There are more flashes in the sky, and it's so bright and spectacular, there is no way not looking up at them. Wait a second, I know what this is. It happened before, right around here, at the village center. This is how the Guardian Angels appear to take out the gankers.
As the main square comes into view, the sight is haunting. People leading donkeys sort through scattered loot, which can mean only one thing. The system doesn't show corpses, the dead turn into pixels, but it's obvious that this is a battlefield.
No, it's a massacre. And remembering that article, it's not even the first one today. Did they aim for Origin after messing up the Taji Market? Why now, in the middle of the night? It's a dumb question, there are clear signs that they were successful, and they still are.
The lights keep flashing, but the Guardian Angels' descent is so slow that it might take half a minute to arrive. It should be seconds, but there is no time to measure it. A swarm of players emerges from the alley connecting the market and the Training Grounds.
They all have red names, and their basic gear looks crimson too. While the game won't show corpses, it's more generous with the depiction of blood. And they have it all over themselves. The number on the minimap keeps dropping as if they were running out of targets.
That's when one of them notices me and yells for the rest.
Fuck. Oh shit, not now. I'm so close, did they get that guy? All you need to do is dash for the main square, through the looters, and up the stairs. Can they follow me inside the Guild's hall? No, can they catch up before Selena confirms the contracts?
Too late, another group shows up from the front, they must have blocked the forum's exit. The counter stabilizes on twenty, which tells me all that's left are these robbers. And me. The Angels are in a dive but they're moving in slow motion.
Not the gankers, they dash at me from both sides and there is no way around them. You can't be serious, fucking game. With the shield and sword equipped, there might be a chance to charge past them. Their names are flashing which means they have criminal status.
Attacking them would no longer mark me as an offender, and might buy me enough time to reach the Guild. No, even if my gear is this light, they wear nothing but their weapons and move much faster than I can.