A boy’s arms ached from swinging the dented sword he’d pulled from his father’s corpse earlier that evening. His lungs burned, and his ears rang with the shrieks of goblins and the screams of people dying. Around him, the defenders of Dunholme faltered, and the small cluster of farmers and crafters backed away from the shattered wall.
The trolls had smashed into the Mercian line, scattering soldiers like toys. For a heartbeat, the boy’s heart sank. He thought the King’s army would be broken just as his village defenders had been.
But the Commander’s voice rang out above the chaos, clear and commanding, as if the battlefield itself obeyed him.
“Second cohort, pivot! Third, hold the breach! Drive them back!”
The boy blinked as he watched soldiers wheel into place, shields slamming together like a living machine. The trolls found their sides stabbed by lances. The broken line closed as though it had never faltered.
Then came the order for the ballistae. The boy watched the massive bolts tear through the chest of a troll, dropping the beast like a felled oak. The soldiers roared, their courage restored as they hacked the troll down.
He had never seen men move like that. In that moment, he no longer felt like a farmer’s son wielding his dead father’s blade. His hands trembled on the sword hilt as he felt a part of something greater.
“Wow,” he whispered, almost without realising it, “we’re gonna win.”
***
Amra loosed arrow after arrow, two sinking into the eyes of one troll, blinding it. The beast howled and swung wildly, crushing goblins and men alike in its blind rage until a ballista bolt tore through its throat. It staggered back, squashing several goblins, before a dozen soldiers hacked it to pieces with swords.
William ducked under a swipe from another troll. The attack would’ve torn him in half, if not for his flaming sword severing the troll’s arm before cutting clean through its centre. The troll bellowed as its intestines poured out from its severed gut like a slippery eel.
Will didn’t hear or see it because all of his senses faltered for a moment as his mind was consumed by notifications.
[New Raid Boss Detected: Troll Brute SYSTEM ERROR]
[Welcome, New Adventurer, to the Beta Release of Realm of the Fallen Gods Online]
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
[SYSTEM ERROR: RECALIBRATING]
[Raid Party Formation Required: SYSTEM ERROR]
[Please Choose Your Class]
[SYSTEM ERROR: RECALIBRATING]
[WORLD BOSS ALERT: The Goblin King Watches]
[Welcome, New Adventurer, to the Beta Release of Realm of the Fallen Gods Online]
[SYSTEM ERROR: RECALIBRATING]
[Questline Triggered: Kill 10 Slimes]
[SYSTEM ERROR: RECALIBRATING]
[Questline Updated: Cull the Slime Threat]
[SYSTEM ERROR: RECALIBRATING]
[Questline Updated: Kill the Slime Queen]
[SYSTEM ERROR: RECALIBRATING]
A string of XP notifications blurred his vision. “What the…” William fell to one knee as red runes crawled across his vision, twisting letters that burned into his mind. For a heartbeat, he wasn’t in the mud of Dunholme, he was in his state-of-the-art VR pod with his guildmates shouting in his ears, “Pull it together, Will! We need you!”
“Will, what the hell are you doing? Get up!” Marie’s sword was hovering above William’s neck, where she’d just blocked a goblin’s rusty axe from parting his head from his shoulders; she danced away in combat with the creature.
Then came the whispers. Pawn. Vessel. Chosen. Champion. They slid into his mind like icy fingers.
Will’s grip faltered on his sword as a war orc’s club smashed into his guard and threw him back, his armour ringing. A mage’s [Fireball] hit the orc in the chest, redirecting its attention away from him.
“William!” Marie’s distant voice cut through the haze.
Will blinked. The notifications and visions were gone; only blood and smoke surrounded him. “What the hell was that?” He forced his legs to move and grabbed his sword from the mud.
Another notification appeared.
[Questline Completed: Discover The Portal Network]
[XP: +100]
[SYSTEM ERROR: RECALIBRATING]
He dismissed the notification and attempted to access his interface. Nothing happened. “Ugh!”
***
Sibrek bellowed, rallying a broken cohort around him, his axe breaking skulls in sprays of gore. Marie fought an orc champion in single combat, her sword ringing against its club until she drove her blade into its chest. Pip slipped behind enemy lines, her daggers finding an orc shaman’s spine.
Carl and Brian fought side by side, protecting wounded soldiers, their grey faces smeared with blood but burning with determination.
Fredric dragged a wounded pikeman from under a troll’s foot, saving his life. “Thanks, lad. Remind me to buy you a drink if we both survive,” the man wheezed before being pulled back to the healers.
Fred nodded before blocking a blow from a goblin.
The trolls roared, the goblins shrieked, the air grew thicker with blood and smoke.
***
William staggered; his blade felt heavy. Again, the system flickered.
[Quest Update: Shadows of the Goblin King: SYSTEM ERROR]
[New Title Acquired: Menace to Slimes]
[Notification: Narrative Divergence Detected]
[SYSTEM ERROR: RECALIBRATING]
[SYSTEM ERROR: RECALIBRATING]
Will was seeing old system notifications amongst new ones and errors; nothing made sense. He saw his old guild’s banner flash in the corner of his vision. He heard voices: Shouts of raid strategy, call-outs from guildmates; things he hadn’t heard in years. The words meant nothing, yet everything.
William dismissed the notifications and cut down another goblin, his chest heaving. “What the hell is happening?!” His confusion gnawed at him worse than the enemy’s rusty blades that glanced off his armour.
Chapter 043 [New Title Acquired: Pawn of the Gods]
