William stared at the notification.

  [PVP Event Triggered: There Can Be Only One]

  [PK: +1]

  [Kill more players for increased rewards at the culmination of this server-wide event.]

  [Time remaining: ??:??:??]

  “What the hell?” Will dismissed the unwelcome notification with a thought. What’s PK?

  Fredric placed a hand on Will’s arm. “We all saw him attack you.”

  “What happened?” Marie asked as she knelt to examine the dead body. “Ah. The troublemaker.” She said it as if she’d been expecting this to happen. “What a fool.” She closed Garrick’s eyes and returned to her group of trainees like nothing had happened. “Come on,” she said to those carrying swords. With reluctance, they followed her.

  A crowd had gathered, and their responses ranged from indifference to outrage. Some called for calm, others for William’s head.

  “It was self-defence,” Fredric said to the growing crowd. “We all saw it.” He looked at those he’d been training with a few moments ago. Some nodded, others looked away. “Garrick tried to kill him!”

  Will pulled himself together. “I didn’t want this,” he muttered while looking at his interface.

  [SYSTEM ERROR: Incomplete Interface]

  Character: William Draven

  Race: Half-Elf/Human

  Class: Holy Paladin of the Fallen Gods

  Level: 200

  XP: ??/??

  Health: ??/??

  Mana: 126/140

  Strength: 200

  Charisma: ??

  Agility: 80

  Intelligence: ??

  Willpower: ??

  Luck: ??

  Free points: ??

  Stamina: 89%

  [Skills] Divine Fire (6), SYSTEM ERROR

  [Professions] SYSTEM ERROR

  [Titles] Player Killer, SYSTEM ERROR

  [Reputation] SYSTEM ERROR

  [Quests] Clear the Caves of Goblins and Other Threats, Shadows of the Goblin King, Prepare the Village of Brindlecross, There Can Be Only One, SYSTEM ERROR

  [Oaths] SYSTEM ERROR

  William had regained 10% of his Agility stat and acquired the title, [Player Killer].

  Garrick wasn’t a player. What does it mean? Having no time to investigate further, he dismissed his interface and turned his attention to the growing discontent within the village.

  The elder approached with a stooped back. He looked at the corpse and then at William. “What happened, my lord?”

  “He tried to kill Will!” Fredric shouted. “We all saw it; it was self-defence.” He again looked to the group he had been training with. “Tell them… Simon. You saw it too?”

  Simon, a teen a little older than Fredric, nodded. “He-he tried to k-kill the knight.”

  “He tried to stab me in the neck from behind, like a coward,” William added. He’d pulled himself together now. “He was out of control and a danger to all of us.”

  Some of the crowd nodded in agreement, but a significant number either shook their heads or didn’t look convinced.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  I need to win them back before Garrick’s supporters turn this into a mob. Will thought.

  “You and you.” The elder pointed to two men. “Take the body to be prepared for burial. We’ll deal with it later.” He looked to William. “How are your plans to protect Brindlecross coming along, my lord?”

  William recognised what the old man was trying to do and offered him a small nod of thanks before raising his voice so all could hear. “Everything is going well, Elder. Most of those capable of fighting have performed admirably.” He pointed at a teenager he’d been watching earlier. “I believe young Harold here might be able to hit a goblin between the eyes at fifty feet.”

  Harold’s eyes widened, and then his cheeks flushed pink.

  Will continued. “Perhaps after we’ve successfully defended the village, we can hold an archery contest. With a prize for the winner.” He pulled 2 gold coins from his spatial storage with a plan to diffuse tensions. “What do you say, Harold, do you think you could beat the rest of the young archers and win 2 gold?”

  The boy’s eyes lit up. “I-I can try, Sir Knight.” 2 gold was a small fortune to a peasant farmer.

  “You’ll have to beat me first,” a teenage girl with a bow in her hand added. “I can outshoot you any day.”

  William patted Harold on the shoulder. “Looks like you’ve got yourself some competition. We’d better get back to practice.”

  There was some dissent from the supporters of Garrick, but most of the villagers were starting to talk about competing to win 2 gold and how generous the knight was.

  Will took a deep breath as he watched the majority of the villagers go back to their business. That was a close call. He offered a grateful nod to the elder, who returned the gesture.

  ***

  The pyre had been built hastily, stacked with dry timber pulled from the forest’s edge. Flames licked skyward, orange and hungry, while sparks rose into the darkening sky. The villagers and refugees stood in a rough circle around Garrick’s body as it burned. The smell of smoke and singed hair rolled over the gathering.

  Children were kept at the back, clutched by anxious mothers, while men and women stood nearer, their faces caught in firelight. Some bowed their heads in silence. Others stared at William with open hatred.

  “He was murdered,” a woman cried, her voice filled with grief. “Murdered by that outsider!” She jabbed a finger towards William, who stood in his golden armour near the elder and the adventurers.

  A ripple of voices followed.

  “Cursed devil!” one man shouted.

  “He killed Garrick like a butcher!” another snarled.

  “He brings war to Brindlecross. Cast him out!”

  William clenched his teeth and kept his hands loose at his sides, though every instinct urged him to grip the hilt of his dagger or unsheathe his sword. How do I diffuse this? The villagers’ eyes shone with reflected flame, and the crackle of the burning pyre seemed to magnify their anger.

  Fredric moved closer, whispering, “Ignore them, Will. They’ll see reason when the goblins come.”

  “Will they?” William shook his head. “Or will they think the goblins come because of me?” He turned back towards the fire. “One thing I know is that you can’t appease the wilfully ignorant, no matter the facts you have on your side.”

  He recalled an incident where a mob destroyed a VR pod showroom due to a conspiracy theory that the government was using VR to modify people’s thoughts. “An irrational crowd will abandon all reason to pursue their beliefs, no matter how foolish or wrong.”

  The elder raised his walking staff and thumped it against the earth. “Quiet. Quiet, all of you!” His voice wavered but carried weight born of years. “This is not the time.”

  Yet the muttering did not fade. Garrick’s kin, standing nearest the flames, let their grief boil into open curses. “You’ll pay for this, knight. The old gods see what you’ve done. You’re no saviour, you’re a cursed devil, Garrick’s murder proves it!”

  The argument was broken by the sudden sound of a horse’s hooves pounding against the dirt. From the mist beyond the palisade came the rogue catkin, her black fur damp and her breathing ragged. Her horse vaulted the crude barricade, she dismounted, and strode straight into the firelit circle.

  Chapter 023 [Game Notification: Goblin Raid Imminent]