n

n

nAfter enjoying the sunset Eldrian turned his gaze back to his surrounding. Looking at all the soldiers who were still busy bringing over the fallen. Looking to his left he saw wood being stacked.

n

"Are they making pyres?

" Eldrian asked.

n

"Mmm? Yeah, it is a tradition of the military to always burn their fallen as a way of saying goodbye and thank you.

"

n'This is likely what we are waiting for.' Eldrian thought. Not knowing how to help he decided to just stay put. He didn't want to offer help and then only be a nuisance.

nWhile waiting he started going through his quest log.

nQuest completed: First Expedition

nQuest Rank: A

nSoldiers alive: 2644

/5156; Soldiers left in revival time: 0

n'It really was a hard battle.' Eldrian thought as he saw that almost half of the NPCs had died. He was glad that more than half of them had survived, but the difference was very small. Making him a bit sad while also reinforcing the thought that he isn't strong enough. And that he would likely never be.

nRealizing this he determined that he would start a thread to try and recruit people. People who would be able to help defend this world. He knew he wouldn't really manage much, seeing as he did not have a strong background or online presence, with which he could push this plan. But he felt he had to start something.

nThinking of this he continued reading his log.

nQuest reward: 10 000 XP

nQuest Achievements: 7 Beastwolf kills, 8 Direwolf kills

nQuest Achievements: 1 Beta kill

nQuest Achievements: 1 Alpha kill

n'Did I really do so much? Holy crap, that is quite impressive.' Eldrian thought after seeing the numbers. He immediately realized that the system counted kills even if it wasn't a solo kill. Even so he felt good seeing that he helped in over 15 fights.

nQuest Achievement reward: 48 Silver

nQuest Extra Achievements: Helped in creation of plan

nQuest Extra Achievements reward: Relationship increase

n'Huh, wonder how this is going to work?' Eldrian asked himself, finding the lack of detail in whose relationship will increase quite frustrating.

nTotal Reward: 58 Silver

n'Nice...' He thought, thinking that he could now afford another decent weapon. He didn't even consider armor, as only high-quality armor seemed to be effective. And that was more expensive than weapons.

nGo to a high-ranked NPC to claim rewards, coins will only be given when returning to the city. Proof must be provided.

n'Shit, how am I going to prove my kills?' Eldrian asked himself when he saw this bit of information. But he discarded his worries after a bit, finding that he couldn't really do anything to change his situation.

nQuest Party Size: 63 players

n'So, only that is what is left of the near 2000 players who had joined this quest. Dang, this is really going to blow up.'

nAfter going through all this and the trouble he foresaw, he found Vivian's presence soothing. Enjoying the soothing feeling he waited with her as darkness rolled in and the night started.

n...

nHalf an hour later the first pyre was lit. Looking at the flames growing quickly throughout the piles wood, Eldrian felt something stir in him. Again realizing that this was a final goodbye for the NPCs.

nTurning to look at Vivian he saw tears streaming down her face. This gave him a pang in his side, but he couldn't think of what to say. He simply stayed by her side as they watched more and more pyres be lit.

nSoon it became bright enough to see most of the battlefield, looking around Eldrian was surprised with how many people were there.

nThe entire area was surrounded by the NPCs who could still move on their own. Some still gravely injured, but they stood and watched the pyres burn. Determined to see of their fallen friends' last rites.

nSeeing the sadness in everyone Eldrian also started feeling sad.

nAfter a while of silence, Eldrian asked,

"Who did you lose?

"

n

"Many good friends,

" Vivian said while sobbing, adding a few seconds.

"I found John, Gregory, Thea, Tally, and Ben's dog tags.

"

nHearing this Eldrian gave Vivian a side hug of support while looking at the flames.

n'Five friends. Five!' He thought to himself, finding the thought mortifying.

n'I need to become stronger! No, we as players need to become stronger!' Reaching this conclusion Eldrian's eyes shone with clarity. He didn't just think it, he now believed it. He wanted to ensure things turn better. He wanted to make this a game that can be fun and not just bloody.

nReaching his last conclusion Eldrian almost laughed at himself. Finding it ridiculous that his aim had changed from enjoying a war-filled game to trying and stop the war.

nAfter his thoughts, he stayed and watched the pyres burn with Vivian for around an hour. The dancing flames compounding his resolution with each gust and flicker.

nSlowly everyone started moving after this hour. Eldrian and Vivian also started moving away slowly, taking a few minutes to leave the heat of the fires. As they left they offered each other support as they made their way to Synoro.

nAs they walked, Vivian asked Eldrian,

"What were you thinking about?

" The question surprised Eldrian, not having thought she would realize his mental state. He took a while, sorting his thoughts before answering.

n

"I am not sure myself. I just realized that I have to become stronger if I want to make a difference. And I guess this led me to realize that I won't be able to do much even if I myself am strong.

"

n

"So I am thinking of what to do, to make sure such a tragedy would not happen again.

"

nVivian simply nodded her head while listening as they continued walking.

n...

nTwenty minutes of slow-paced walking later, they finally reached the town.

nThe town's gates were wide open, with a few soldiers standing guard at the edges of the gate. The gate and wall were simple, the walls made out of stone and around 10 meters tall while the gate was a simple wooden gate and only 5 meters high.

nEntering through the gate Eldrian cast a last look at the still-burning pyres, seeing that some of the soldiers were still standing there.

n'I hope them the best.' Eldrian thought, feeling certain that those had likely lost most of their friends or even family members. With these sad and heavy thoughts, he entered the town.

nInside Eldrian found that a few campfires had been started. Soldiers gathered around these fires making themselves some food and drinking. But even with the drinking and atmosphere of the fires, the emotional atmosphere felt heavy. No one making loud noises even though many was already drunk.

nMost of the groups surrounding a fire were small, often less than five NPCs. Eldrian realized that this was because the rest of their friends had likely died.

nTurning his sights further he searched for the town, which was surprisingly hard to find. The only building near them was what seemed to be an inn, from where barrels of some or other drink was being carried out.

nSearching for the town Eldrian saw more buildings a good way up the road. Looking to these buildings sides he saw many animals grazing near them. Making him realize that the town was very different from a city.

nHe and Vivian walked around aimlessly between the campfires. Looking for a place to rest at. Eldrian hoped to find one soon, wanting to log off and take a nice nap. Not just because he was tired, but because he also knew his gaming time was almost up.

nWhile they were walking he also came to a realization that many players might never want to fight again. Heck, he might have chosen this route if he didn't want to help this world in a more active manner. He certainly wouldn't blame anyone who chose this path, the battle had certainly been extreme.

n'Maybe some could even get trauma from this. No wonder we had to sign that contract.' Eldrian thought, finally realizing why that contract was needed. He had thought it was a simple thing, but now he realized that the developers most likely knew how bad the situation would be.

n'Son of a bitch!' Eldrian cursed, feeling very angry from this discovery and also stupid for having just glanced at the contract at that time.

nAfter a bit more of walking, they heard a familiar voice.

n

"I am so glad you are okay!

" Old Sword shouted as he rushed to Vivian and gave her a massive hug. He didn't look too good himself. Looking at Old Sword Eldrian felt amazed that the man was still walking.

nMost of his wounds had clearly been healed, but the gaps and tears in his clothes had not. Eldrian counted more than 15 massive tears over his back alone, with many new scars on his arm and face too.

nAfter a while of hugging they separated, giving Eldrian a look at his front, which left him even more speechless. The entire front of Old Sword's shirt was basically missing, much more than Eldrian's own shirt.

n'What did he go through?' Eldrian asked himself as he followed them. Feeling awkward for following them, but he didn't know what else to do.

nThey walked a bit out of the soldier's camp and arrived at a flat open area. Here a tent was being set up, which Eldrian immediately went forward to help with.

nIn the end, he only helped by holding onto parts while others set it up, but even this task allowed him to not think of the day. Focusing on what the others were doing so that he could try and learn what type of tents were available in the game.

nA few minutes later they finished setting up the tent. It was quite large, almost as big as a house. Walking inside Eldrian found that the tent had a big communal area and a few smaller parts.

nHe thought that everyone who had helped would sleep here, but surprisingly the others all left. Leaving only him, Vivian, and Old Sword in the tent.

n

"You can pick any of the rooms, goodnight.

" Old Sword said and went to one side of the tent with Vivian.

nShrugging Eldrian went to the opposite side and lied down on the ground. Finding a comfortable position he logged of.

nSeeing that he had been nearing the 17-hour mark of being online. 'That was close to being kicked.' He thought to himself as he fell asleep.

nHe immediately woke up on his bed again after having fallen asleep and logging off. Taking of his headset he slowly sat up, feeling stiff all over.

n'Why does my body feel so tired?' He asked himself as he stood up slowly, making his way to his kitchen. He made himself something quick to eat while also enjoying some juice.

nAfter filling his stomach Eldrian went back to his bed and quickly fell asleep.

n