Chapter 4: Chapter 4 – Meet the Rabbits

“Goddamn it! We’ll all be Level 15 if we get this kill! Please!” Danny’s eyes flashed in desperation. The massive ogre outside the town hall of Moran began to summon more and more of his goblin minions.

“Oh…shit!” Carlos reeled as several spears descended into his chest. The Goblin minions were merciless in their assault on the mage.

“CARLOS!” Quinton ran towards him, funneling healing spell after healing spell. It was too late. The spears, without being removed, drained Carlos’ health faster than it could be regained. Carlos collapsed onto the ground, his player profile going from green to yellow to red to dead.

Quinton began to weep, not even seeing the two goblins behind him with curved blades.

“Quinton! MOVE!” Shocker dove into one of the goblins, his fangs tearing the throat of one out. Lincoln fired an arrow barrage, killing the other.

Danny turned to see Craig and Liam dealing considerable damage on the Ogre Elite. The boss profile was yellow, indicating mid-level health. They could still do this.

Danny sent a [Holy Slash] into the creature, sending the Ogre reeling. He sliced one of the goblins approaching him, grinning wide as the big green words appeared to inform him that he had reached Level 13. He cut into another goblin, sending it sprawling.

The glee was short lived when the Ogre swung his mighty mace directly into Craig. The knight flew into a nearby wall where his profile turned red.

Quinton hastily went to heal the wounded knight, before a goblin with a crude bow fired a splintered bolt of wood and steel into Craig’s chest. The Knight was dead.

Danny blinked, stunned by his friend’s demise. Carlos was always more of an outsider in the group, but Craig had gotten very close to Danny. The Ogre’s mace slamming into him brought him back to reality, albeit after a 15 foot flight into a wall.

Lincoln fired several arrows, killing a Goblin or two as the Ogre spawned three more.

Quinton was drained. He went to chug an endurance potion before being hit by a Goblin’s spear. Quinton tried to heal himself, and he was almost successful. However, a second spear joined the first and Quinton dropped to his knees. The 16 year old boy from Eastland met his fate just 30 miles north-east of where he was born and raised.

Danny scrambled forward, joining Liam in dealing damage. The Ogre finally turned red, roaring as its health decreased. The two slashed out as Lincoln tried to pick off the goblins.

Liam gave a faint smile as Danny realized the barbarian’s profile was also red. A single strike from the Ogre and Liam slammed into a wall which forced out his last breath.

Danny stared at the beast with tears streaming down his face. “What…what…happened?!”

Lincoln ran forward, grabbing Danny and pulling him back. “We need to run. NOW!”

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` The conversation with Graham was weirder than I expected. We both had had completely different experiences over the last three months. From his perspective, he hadn’t seen another player since his hometown collapsed and he was forced to run away. From my perspective, I hadn’t seen the friendly NPCs that apparently existed. We both were equally confused.

“Did you really think you were the last person left alive? What about the leaderboards?”

“What leaderboards?”

“The…the fucking menu that says leaderboards…its right under statistics.”

He blinked as he searched the information panel and saw the tab. As he opened it, he seemed bewildered. “I hadn’t seen this before. I’ve just been on the relationship tab.”

“The…the what?”

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“It’s under Reputation.”

I was frustrated as I looked over my own menu, not seeing the tab. “What are you talking about?”

“The…it’s right there! Under Achievements.”

I couldn’t see it. It reminded me of that whole, ‘how do you know your red is the same as another person’s red’, question. “I don’t see it man.”

“Maybe…maybe you have to unlock it somehow?”

I inspected his gear. Despite the sheriff outfit, he had what seemed like random gear just as everyone else. “How is your gear customized?”

“What do you mean?”

“You have gear, but it looks just like normal clothes.”

“Oh! Jeppy.”

“The fuck is a Jeppy?”

“He’s…a tailor?”

I blinked. I had seen several skills, including tailoring. Farming and construction were some of the most common. Butchering, cooking, mining, fishing, bartering, and a variety of other minor skills existed. I didn’t use them often, if at all, but I had seen others with them. Tailoring could be used to fix holes in outfits. “I thought you said you hadn’t met other players?”

“I haven’t.”

“Then who the hell is Jeppy?”

“He’s a tailor! He’s a Rabbitfolk.”

“What…what the hell is a Rabbitfolk?”

“Why are you so hostile?”

“I’m confused!”

Graham pinched the bridge of his nose and chuckled. “Look kid, Harehill is two miles from here. Let me take you.”

This man seemed sane, but he was talking like he was crazy. Was there really some massive portion of the game I was missing? This seemed like a major mechanic to have not noticed for three months. In fairness, I hadn’t left Eastland County much, but this still seemed a little crazy. Maybe this guy had lost it? “Okay. Take me.”

He gestured to his horse and I hopped on. He took the reins and started to ride north, which would put us three or so miles east of Moran. The ride was easy, and mobs were practically nowhere to be found.

Besides a few animals, only a Level 11 Wild Dog was found. This dog was easily eliminated by the Sheriff, barely putting a dent in our pace. I decided to use the time to observe my profile. I went ahead and opened my own menu, ready to spend my 3 points from reaching Level 13.

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