Prologue
"HRRRRRR HGRRRRRR"
In the dark forest, the zombie shambled over with both hands outstretched, looking on as dead as his body. It wore blue pants and a blue-green shirt that were both torn and frayed. On the grassy ground, a girl in black dress screamed as she sat up on the ground covering herself with her arms and with fear on her face.
"Get away!" Knight Steve cried out, coming over to the zombie. He held his sword and he had on full iron armor including his iron helmet, breastplate, leggings, and boots, The full moon's light glinted off of his armor, one of the few sources of light this night as the rest of the woods was dark with only the barest torchlight illuminating the various trees in the forest
The girl screamed again at the advancing zombie, its deadened moan sounding in the night air. She tried to scoot back on the ground, but the zombie kept shambling towards her.
Just as it was about to get close to the girl, Knight Steve swung his sword. The zombie blinked red and staggered back away from the both of them. That was good for one hit, he thought as he panted. The fighting had raged all night. Around them in the woods, the sound of swords and armor sounded as his other compatriots joined in the fight to save the newly arrived players. As knights of Wardland, they were sworn to protect all players, new and old, in this land, this particular spawn point always a danger especially at night.
He turned to the girl cowering on the ground. "Go," he said. The girl heeded his command and ran to the other players, who were all trying desperately trying to stay alive and stay behind the defending knights.
The zombie finally noticed him.
Hrrrrrr, it moaned again as the undead creature, his arms always in front of it, marched towards him. He was ready for it, he was a knight of Wardland after—
Aghhhhh
Unbeknownst to him, another zombie grabbed ahold of him. They both crashed to the ground, the zombie atop of him. Knight Steve grimaced in pain and started blinking; he could already tell he was losing hearts. As they wrestled on the ground, he tried to push the zombie off of him, but it always managed to keep hold. It once more clung to him, and again, he felt the pain.
Before he could even think about what to do next, another zombie hurtled itself at him on the ground. Knight Steve blinked again and again as the zombie hungrily attacked him, his hearts were running so low . . .
"ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL!" shouted twin voices and the next thing Knight Steve knew, the zombies staggered away from him. He immediately stopped blinking and looked up. Before him, his two best friends Knight Duper and Knight Aaron, both clad in iron armor, had saved him, sending both the zombies back further. The two knights swung their swords again, one for each zombie, until finally the zombies poofed leaving only their deadened flesh and green globules of XP on the dark ground.
Knight Aaron, who had dark hair, ran towards the newly arrived players while Knight Duper reached out a hand towards his friend, Knight Steve. "Come on," he said.
Knight Steve took his hand and lifted himself off the ground. "Thanks," he said eagerly with a smile. It was great to have so good of friends he could always count on. "I appreciate—"
It seemed Knight Steve couldn't catch a break. On his back, an arrow had sailed in the air and landed squarely on his back, causing him to blink once more. Wardland was so filled with danger at night when the monsters came . . .
From behind a set of oak trees, three skeletons stepped out holding bow and arrows menacingly in their hands. One already had one arrow strung up on its bow while on its bony face, it seemed like the skeleton had a hideous smile.
Knight Aaron hurried towards the other two knights. "What's going—Oh," He had noticed the advancing skeleton archers.
Knight Steve, Knight Duper, and Knight Aaron readied their swords. "ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL!" they screamed as they charged towards the skeletons. Without any sort of melee weapons, the skeletons didn't stand a chance. The skeletons tried to string up their arrows but blow after blow landed until finally, they poofed leaving only a set of bones and even a single bow on the ground. The green XP the skeletons left behind hurtled straight for the knights, which they collected. Knight Steve could tell his XP bar already increased. That already made him feel better.
But the fight wasn't over, a creeper scurried over eager to blow itself up and take the knights with it. The three knights readied their swords in defense once more. Of all the monsters, Knight Steve disliked the creepers the most. When he was a rookie knight, he had fought a creeper almost to the death with only one heart remaining. He wasn't keen to repeat that experience.
Ok, he thought as he tried to remember his training, strike then fall back, strike then fall back. Knight Aaron, however, always the impulsive one, charged forward and tried to strike. Knight Duper had no choice but to move in and try to destroy it before . . . Knight Steve's eyes widened as the sizzling sound of gunpowder lighting up sounded in the air.
The creeper had fallen back, but it kept blinking and that meant . . .
A sword swung, felling the creeper to the ground and neutralizing the threat. Knight Ward, their leader in iron armor and wearing a black cape, emerged from the darkness not even stopping to savor his victory. "Save the villagers," he commanded as he moved through the forest towards the newly arrived players, who were all corralled together. Other knights had formed a circle around them to defend them from monsters. One held a single torch in the air. The light acted like a beacon in the dark woods.
"Let's move!" Knight Ward commanded as he led the way.
Knight Steve went to a straggling newly arrived player, a mother with a baby in her arms and helped her along.
The assembled party, the knights and the gathering of newly arrived players, who looked haggard and stressed out, moved through the woods in search of safety. Amongst the gathering, the girl in the black dress still had fear in her eyes.
Knight Steve looked back at the newly arrived players. They were, of course, headed to Wardland City, the only place safe from monsters. A sophisticated lighting system kept the city bright at night and that, in turn, prevented the monsters from spawning. He sometimes wished there wasn't so much light in the city but it beats having to worry about monsters spawning in the streets. Sometimes, though, one would sneak through. That's why they needed the Night Guard. He sometimes wondered if there were other worlds where vicious monsters didn't spawn in the dark. That would be something.
The smell of battle changed quickly to the crisp smell of the forest as they continued to hurry through the woods. They weren't out of danger yet, he knew. But all they had to do was reach the walls of Wardland and they would be safe.
Ahhhhhhh
The scream took him out of his thoughts and turning his head, he saw something that chilled his heart. A girl, a newly arrived player with a flower in her hair, was dangling in the air encased in spider webbing.
And from the top branches, a giant spider with red markings on its back slid down its webbing towards its prey. The spider's six blood eyes cast down on the young girl with hunger and greed.
Though his heart skipped a beat, Knight Steve reacted at once and hurried towards the monster. He was the closest knight to her. If he couldn't save her, she'll end up in the stomach of that monster.
Fatigue had set in as he charged towards the spider but he continued onwards. Arrows would be good right about now, he thought, but he knew from his training you go with the weapon you have not with the weapon you want. He kept running, but he was too late. He knew he wasn't going to make it. The spider was already nearing the young girl, ready to strike the death blow.
In desperation, Knight Steve threw his sword straight at the creature. Away it went as it wound in the air until it struck at the giant spider, which blinked red and fell down to the grass. Enraged, the spider reared up on its four legs and hissed, clacking its pincered mouth in anger.
That's not good, he thought. Now he only had had his fists to protect them. They were trained to fight hand to hand but that still won't be enough to take down the spider.
Other knights joined him, and they too saw the spider. They gasped slightly upon seeing it.
"Save her," Knight Steve told the two knights as he looked up at the young girl still dangling in the spider webbing.
"What about you, s—"
"Don't worry about me!" Knight Steve said aloud as he ran to the spider. He was trying to draw the spider away from the other knights to give them time to save the girl.
The spider obliged and struck at Knight Steve, who evaded just in time by lunging forwards and doing a forward roll. He panted. That was hard to do especially in armor.
The spider wasn't intimidated. It clacked again knowing no doubt that it was at an advantage. Crafting Table, Knight Steve thought. If he could set down a crafting table, he could fashion a weapon. Even a wooden sword is better than nothing.
Quickly, he set his plan in motion. He ran to a nearby clearing in the woods and set down the crafting table, but before he could craft a new weapon, the spider batted the crafting table away, sending it barreling away from him.
Knight Steve bit his lower lip. This wasn't good. Seeming to sense that it had the upper hand, the giant spider rushed to him, and then at the last moment, it lunged. High up in the air it went ready to plunge its pincered mouth through his iron armor and straight to his heart.
Knight Steve could only watch. There wasn't any time to evade the attack . . .
At the last moment, a hail of arrows landed on the spider. It crashed to the side even as Knight Duper, Knight Aaron, and Knight Ward hurried into the clearing to join him. His friends, they saved him.
"Here," Knight Aaron said, throwing a spare wooden sword at him.
Knight Steve caught it. "Figures," he mumbled to himself, glancing at the wooden sword. Why does he always get weapons when he least needed it?
"ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL!" Knight Ward shouted out, commanding them to charge at the now outnumbered spider . . .
Forming the rear of the assembled party, they hurried now towards the city. They had made quick work of the giant spider, and now they were headed home to safety.
Ahead, the walls of Wardland loomed. A gate marked the entrance into the city with its portcullis raised up to admit the assembled party inside. A multitude of torches lined the walls and the gate, a precaution to keep from monsters spawning in the dark.
Night watchmen manned the twin gate towers. They had their bow and arrows at the ready ever on the lookout for any monsters that may lurk in the woods.
The assembled party, some knights along with the first of the newly arrived players, entered the gate. They ran into the city still in fear and traumatized at what they had experienced. Knight Steve was the last to enter; he was helping an old player enter the city, and once they passed through, the portcullis lowered shut straight to the ground behind them . . .
