It was well over 5 hours since the expedition departed, Dominik said that they were going to make an encampment for the night right before dinner; small groups of 20 people that were walking near each other would form a nucleus and then they will organize lodgings. This operation was meant to be lead by the highest in grade or years of service found in each group, 5 of these groups would gather closely and position each at an angle of a square with one staying in the middle.
Dominik went on and on explaining how it was easier to defend a position like this and anticipating to Noah how it will be like to sleep in the open, doing guard duty rotations and setting up the camp which consisted of nothing actually. Noah learned that they wouldn’t use tents unless it was going to rain, too much wasted time in such a fast travel, only some sort of sleeping utilities that each soldier personally carried were going to be used; the expedition was going to properly rest once arrived at destination, they had to reach there as fast as they could to repel the undead and secure the situation near the outpost.
The light began to turn a soft orange at first, then it became increasingly red with the passing of time. Markus gave the order to set up camp a bit before the light began to turn red and, by the time it became dark, each group of 100 people for a total of 10 groups, were having dinner while maintaining that sort of square formation.
Noah was eating while feeling a strange sort of sensation that can be felt only when you are at the center of attention; every soldier in their group was in fact staring at them. Once they saw that the famous and almost legendary Instructor was with them, they all assumed a respecting and admiring attitude; they even wanted to let Dominik take lead but he had his way out of responsibility by reminding them that he wasn’t an effective member of the military but just a supportive figure from the headquarters, a sort of public serving civilian and it wasn’t proper to let him take charge in a military-only duty.
Right after eating with everyone watching shifts were drafted; every group had people keeping watch of their surroundings, this allowed for a fast response in case of sudden peril. Dominik and his follower were exempted from taking turns, this pleased Noah. It was good to enjoy some benefits from a powerful friend, it makes one feel powerful too!
After dinner, with the duty guard decided, it was time for the first turn to begin and Noah could finally log out while the NPCs rested. Opening the logout procedure, he was welcomed by the second unexpected pop up: it was another alert informing him about his special temporary condition.
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ALERT
You are following an expedition and there is a set time to depart, log in before the scheduled time or there could be dire consequences in case of delay.
While in this status of follower your avatar won’t disappear from the game after you disconnect, what happens to it is up to the game happenings and your NPCs companions.
You are warned!
Noah was impressed by the effort that was spent to keep Vesper realistic and he admitted to himself that not a single worry had come to his mind in regards to both avatar and expedition.
Basically, all of this meant that he was susceptible to the game progress even while he wasn’t actively playing it, it was extremely disadvantageous. Another line caught his interest: NPCs companions had a role on his happenings too, thanks to this, he doubted that anything worrisome could happen to him with Dominik around; Noah trusted his friend but this situation, the game design, the other issue with the log out and, ultimately, this predicament with large adventures had him busy thinking.
A sensation of urgency permeated him: after 6,30 hours in Vesper, barely more than 3 hours in reality, he had to be back. This world was endorsing every part of his mind, even after logging out, only the expedition and the nearby encounter with undead were leading his train of thoughts. It was under the shower when, thanks to the pleasant and relaxing sensation of water, Noah was able to have a clear mind; a mind without worries about the next future allowed him to reflect on this situation, how he got absorbed by this adventure, his craving for more of it to experience, his desire to dive right back in… he even wondered if it was possible to lay down inside the game to get a rapid nap with the soldiers.
Vesper was practically absorbing his person, that world was becoming his main world, what to blame he thought? Obviously the apathetic and sterile, boring life of every day. In this they were successful, Noah remembered the conversation with his parents about the real purpose behind the release of this game, Vesper distracted people from their life which was too free in terms of time for most to handle; a purpose, an objective, a passion, a thrill not possible in this world, everything of this was achievable inside Vesper.
Noah wasn’t really upset with all of this, he didn’t feel like being blindfolded in front of real problems, instead, it was like he was being offered an opportunity, a way to expand his life, to experience something great. Still, being able to see the other aspect, the dark face of the medal, allowed him to grasp the situation and decide what to do with it. Awaiting his coming adventure and checking for the next free turn at the cemetery, one in the evening in a nice weathered day, he laid down on his bed to get a fast nap and decided to take a stroll, the next time he was free, in a green park out of city; he craved to see more trees after his recent adventure in the forest with Dominik.