The Sleeper Must Awaken

by Kip Terrington

  “So, understand that I will support you. I will give you my opinions and we can work as a team, but I want to be under your authority. I’m not making this decision naively. Remember that I have a digital recording of your whole life. Although you may not be nearly as smart as I am, somehow there is nothing selfish in you. I may be the queen, but you are my king,” Zoya whispered in Joe's ear which was now turning red.

  Joe didn't turn to speak to her, but looked down and whispered softly for only her to hear.

  “I don't think you're right about me. I am selfish. You just saw the actions of my life. You don't know what's in my head, my heart.”

  “Actions speak,” Zoya countered.

  “No, I struggle with selfishness. And, oftentimes I might do something that looks selfless when it's not... You're so young. Are you sure you want to be under the authority of an old fuddy-duddy like me?” Joe asked.

  “To be honest, if you could just fully accept the mantle of leadership, I feel like I could finally feel safe and protected from my own Machiavellian urges. It's what I really want. I’ve thought about this for a long time. You are my king,” Zoya reiterated.

  “Okay, I will have the final say,” Joe acknowledged.

  The UI took note of their new relationship status and attempted to quantify the benefits and rewards to be allocated.

  Congratulations!

  For the first time in your kingdom, a clear chain of command has been established.

  King Joe

  Queen Zoya

  Chief Bridcha—Chieftess Molasses

  Confusion over who has the final say has been the downfall of many kingdoms. Now that the chain of command is firmly established, you must choose a name for your kingdom. If the name is not chosen within the next 10 seconds, the UI will randomly generate one for you.

  “Ten seconds, are you kidding me?! Zoya, quick—ideas!” Joe panicked.

  “You're the king, decide,” Zoya said.

  4

  3

  “Iron Dice!” Joe shouted.

  Kingdom of the Iron Dice established.

  “Iron Dice? Joe, you don’t even gamble,” Zoya said, confused.

  “Zoya!” he laughed, “You just gave me the final decision on things!”

  “Oops. But, where did that come from? Why dice?” Zoya asked.

  “Oh man, for a couple reasons, I guess. It’s not about gambling. But, ever since we were summoned here, it’s felt a bit like the odds have been stacked in our favor. I mean, we started out as Level 1 Champions and our first set of citizens were former slaves, and yet here we are—a growing and, I hope, thriving kingdom. Either luck or providence is on our side. And…,” Joe reached into his pocket and pulled out two tiny six-sided wooden dice, “I’ve always loved dice. I recently carved these to increase my woodworking skill, and when the UI gave me that super short time limit, they were on my mind.

  The benefits of a name and clear chain of command will soon become evident to your newly budding kingdom.

  You can now establish these new Castle Facilities:

  [NEW] Bureau of Revenue

  [NEW] Office of the Armed Forces

  [NEW] Office of Immigration

  Once you return back to your capital city of Iron, you may choose a location for these facilities and assign their staff.

  “Oo, that’s nice. Capital City of Iron,” Joe commented.

  Zoya smiled. “I see a few situations I should supervise. Go ahead and inform the UI of your decision about distributing coinage for this raid,” she said and then flew away before he could force her to give her input.

  Joe frowned. This time, because the buck had stopped with him. With measured resolve, he opened the messages he had closed earlier.

  Options for Coin Distribution during current Raid Quest:

  Option 1: Give the people what they want!

  With this option, all recovered coinage will be split evenly among all raid party members.

  Option 2: Let them eat cake, not coins.

  This option will take all of the coinage and place it in the commander’s bag.

  Option 3: You’ve got to give a little, to get a little.

  With this option, 30% of the coinage will go to the king and queen. 10% will go to each clan leader. The remaining 50% will be split evenly throughout the raid party.

  Joe selected Option 3, knowing he didn’t need to view any more. If there was one thing Joe was sure of, the UI allowed for a lot of options. Joe felt the coins plop down into his bag and then noticed the rest of the army discovering the loot they received as well.

  Even the least imaginative within the raid party realized that by the end of this raid, they were all going to be wealthy. They just hoped they wouldn't be wealthy and dead. A spontaneous cheer rose from the army. A soldier is never more loyal than on payday.

  Chapter 39 - Oh Captain, My Captain

  Grork pressed forward through the crowd to reach Joe. He saluted Joe with his right fist to his heart.

  “My King, may I have a word?” Grork asked.

  Joe returned the salute and motioned for the goblin to speak.

  “Please take this goblin clan into your kingdom and make Bork their chief,” Grork pleaded.

  “We have freed this clan from the vampires. If they want to join us, I will allow it as long as they follow the same rules as everyone else. However, I will not force them to join me and I will not depose their current leader. Setting that precedent would place me on a slippery slope,” Joe informed the goblin.

  Grork looked down toward the ground, obviously in concentrated thought.

  “May I speak truth to them before you make any decisions? Goblins make decisions based on facts. They need to know the new facts that I have,” Grork asserted.

  “Okay, but no threats,” Joe warned, and the goblin responded with a wide grin that was not reassuring.

  “Only truth,” Grork confirmed.

  Grork then walked up to the chieftess who sat with her tribe. She was still in obvious pain, having refused everyone's attempt to heal her.

  “Chieftess, I speak you clan,” Grork spoke in their common tongue, as he gestured toward the whole of the goblin tribe.

  “You big army. Speak,” the chieftess acknowledged.

  Grork took both of his hands and placed them on his extended gut.

  “I full,” Grork declared as the goblin crowd erupted in shock and utter amazement. Before their chatter could reach a crescendo, the chieftess challenged Grork’s assertion.

  “Lies! Slaves never full,” the chieftess refuted as she began to stand.

  Before she could fully straighten, Grork took a step toward her, but only one. He raised his hand and pointed at his forehead.

  The chieftess looked closely at his forehead for the first time and then quickly over at Bork’s. Bork was decidedly looking away from her. The absence of a slave mark confused her, for no one removed the slave mark of a god.

  “How?” the chieftess asked.

  Grork pointed at Joe and said, “Freed,” as he turned a thumb back at himself.

  “I choose serve him. He pay. He feed,” Grork replied as he held out a few gold coins that were his own personal possession.

  The chieftess shook her head.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “He insane. Insane, but consistent,” Grork pointed out.

  Joe burst out in laughter, but quickly muffled himself and turned away so as to hide his mirth.

  “See,” Grork said as he motioned toward Joe.

  “I see,” the chieftess said solemnly. With obvious pain, she winced and stood to face her clan.

  “I chieftess no more,” the former chieftess proclaimed. She then hobbled over to Joe and fell at his feet.

  “Let me be you slave,” she begged Joe.

  Before Joe could explain to her the realities of his new kingdom, Bork stepped between the former chieftess and his king. Bork’s expression on his face was different than Joe had ever seen on him. It was a sad a
nger, with true determination thrown in for spice.

  “You no be slave,” Bork continued in their native tongue. The female goblin ignored his words and instead flicked her wrist at him.

  “Little Bork, go way,” the female goblin said with her shewing motion.

  By the look on his face, he had expected she would say that. In response, he bent down before her and picked up a brick that had fallen from one of the buildings. He showed the brick to her, and then, as if it had been a piece of straw, he broke it in his hands.

  “Little Bork no more,” Bork informed, and a clear look of fear displayed across her face. In a rush, she spoke.

  “Great book say no kill parents. Bork no hurt mother!” Bork’s mother whimpered.

  Gently, Bork reached his hand out and touched the head of his cowering parent.

  “Bork no hurt mother. Bork full, Bork strong. Bork help mother. Bork help clan,” Bork reassured, and Grork knew that he would have no better opportunity than this moment.

  With overdone motions, Grork walked before Bork and saluted him with a closed fist. This time, he added a deep bow. Then, in clear Goblin, he called out.

  “Bork strong! Bork smart! Chief Bork!” Grork cheered, then he turned his head toward Bork's mother. He winked and whispered, “Get full. Don’t be dead.”

  The look of incredulity on Bork’s mother brought happiness to Grork’s heart. Never had she thought her disappointing son, Bork, could ever be worthy of becoming a Clan Chief, but he was full and she wanted to be full too.

  “Bork strong! Bork smart! Chief Bork!” Bork’s mother shouted, and suddenly, it spread like wildfire throughout the cavern. The whole of the goblin clan began to declare the intelligence and strength of their new chief, a once exiled runt of the litter.

  The only goblin who didn't look hopeful about the new chief was Bork.

  Congratulations!

  You have witnessed a secret goblin ceremony. The election of a new clan leader. Due to your relationship status with the head of Clan Egoisma, his people have become yours. Accept your new vassal’s oath to acknowledge what has already occurred.

  Zoya flew over to Joe’s shoulder as he walked toward the new chief. Bork was now standing in front of a whole clan of his former peers, bowing before him.

  “Well, my little goblin friend, it looks like you went and got yourself a new job. Is it one you wanted?” Joe asked.

  Bork grimaced, but responded pretty much as Joe would have anticipated.

  “It’s not about me. Will you accept my clan?” Bork asked with fear in his voice.

  “I already have. Your people are my people,” Joe said.

  “Swear the vassal’s oath, so that we may accept your clan officially,” Zoya prompted.

  Bork joined the rest of his clan and kneeled.

  “I, Bork, Chief of Clan Egoisma, swear I obey King Joe and Queen Zoya. I swear my clan will read and obey your rules.” On the last sentence his face became rigid as he stared out determinedly over his new goblin tribe.

  Bork’s mother made a mental note that Bork might still be tender, but he was no longer soft. She felt herself shudder as she recognized that he was one to be obeyed.

  “I, King Joe, in agreement with Queen Zoya, swear to protect Clan Egoisma and to help them feel welcome in the new Kingdom of the Iron Dice,” Joe said.

  Black binding cords reached out from Zoya’s tiny hands, demonstrating that Joe’s words were more than ceremony.

  Congratulations! You've completed a primary quest.

  Kingdom in Name Only? Part 3

  Appoint your third vassal and integrate vassal’s people into your society.

  Reward for completing this quest: Dark Tower Shield and one free castle upgrade.

  Penalty for failing or rejecting this quest: 40% reduction in building points.

  Time limit for completing this quest: 3 months.

  Reward: Dark Tower Shield

  Legendary Dark Tower Shield- When used to block an attack, this shield can absorb 500 Hitpoints of damage. When this shield is equipped, any magical attack by an evil aligned being is cut in half.

  Reward: Castle Facility Upgrade.

  Your forge has been upgraded to a Blacksmith Forge, which includes a brand-new Enchanting Anvil! Now mages may use their mana to power the Enchanting Anvil. This greatly increases the chance their created weapons and armor will gain magical properties.

  XP deposited in escrow account.

  “Oh, that shield is fantastic! But where is it?” Joe asked as he looked around.

  Zoya held the tiny shield, sized specifically for her.

  “I guess not everything is about you, Joey,” Zoya said as she admired the metallic charcoal gray color of the tower shield.

  “Agreed, but, Joey? Isn’t that a baby kangaroo?” Joe questioned.

  “Yours is pink, but mine is blue,” Zoya replied.

  “What?” Joe said, clearly perplexed.

  “Never mind. We need to get out enough books of our laws in order to hand them out to our new citizens,” Zoya said, and Bork’s eyes went wide.

  “Can you read vassals’ minds?” Bork asked.

  “The ways of a queen are mysterious,” Joe said, flourishing his hands in a spooky motion.

  “No, I can’t read minds. Also, Joe let’s make sure they get plenty to eat. Then, we have to bundle them up and send them back to the castle,” Zoya said.

  “You can read minds!” Bork gasped.

  “Ha!” Joe laughed.

  Chapter 40 - Bad News for Grork

  Judging between Bork and Grork, and the rest of their goblin clan, it was obvious what a month of eating well and training in the Dungeon of Os could produce. As the new clan leader walked through his gathered tribe, he saw firsthand how malnourished his subterranean green-skinned people were.

  In the whole of the clan of goblins, there appeared to be only ten players. Grork had gathered them together in a group and was assessing them while they ate. Every single goblin stuffed themselves as if it might be the last meal they received.

  Nearby, in his makeshift headquarters, Joe pulled out his maps of the subterranean caverns. They were a compilation of the knowledge he had received from Grork, Bork, and the vampire prisoner in the castle’s high-security cell. He put his finger down on the map at the Village of Egoisma and, almost unconsciously, slid his finger along the most direct tunnel to the border of the vampire’s territory. If they left now and marched at a double-quick pace, it would still take them almost two hours before they reached the very edge.

  Their first encounter with a group of vampires had gone as well as Joe could have hoped for, but attacking a five man squad with almost 200 prepared fighters might be the last lopsided fight they got. Joe had needed to heal a few injures, but they had all been minor.

  Joe was not naive enough to believe that once they penetrated the vampire territory no word would escape of their large-scale incursion. For that reason, he wanted to penetrate deep before they slowed their attack and set up their first defensive foothold. Ideally, he wanted to push his army all the way to the slave city of Sibiu. If their vampire prisoner was telling the truth, Sibiu was the first significant breeding center in their path. Supposedly, there were at least 600 slaves there at all times. But even if the fighting went well, Joe estimated it would take an additional five hours to reach Sibiu after entering vampire-controlled territory.

  Joe sent a runner to gather together those he needed to conference with.

  Zoya, all three clan leaders, and Grork soon assembled in one of the buildings Joe had appropriated for his headquarters.

  “I've got a few decisions to make ASAP, but I need more information. Bridcha, is the perimeter set?” Joe checked.

  “Yes, sentries in place,” Bridcha confirmed.

  “How far outside of the perimeter did you post our line of sentries?” Joe asked.

  “Eight-minute sprint,” Bridcha answered.

  “Grork, what’s your read on our new goblin pla
yers?” Joe asked.

  “Young and dumb, but they will obey me. Their resurrection point is in the town square. None of the ten I've spoken to have died yet, however, they informed me that seven other players were killed earlier in the day before we arrived. When the vampires first came, the clan did the smart thing and scattered. Apparently, the vampires had just rounded up the last of the clan members in the village square before we arrived,” Grork said.

  “The village square is a respawn point. That's good. Grork, you say the goblin players will obey you, but will they obey Bork?” Joe inquired.

  The goblin paused for a moment but ultimately responded with an affirmative grunt.

  “Good, because I will have the players stay here with Bork. Grork, though you are very useful here, I can’t afford to lose Bork as a resource against the vampires. Unfortunately, that means you’ll have to lead the NPCs in your clan back to the castle,” Joe explained.

  Grork’s face fell as he realized that instead of participating in the majority of the raid, he would be babysitting the very clan that had sold him into slavery.

  “Okay, I get them to the castle and then I return?” Grork asked Joe, only it was Bork who responded.

  “No. Grork, you will stay with the clan at the castle until Joe decides to send me back,” Bork said.

  For a moment, it looked like Grork would argue, but instead, his friend continued.

  “They must know what you know. Cause and effect. Action and consequence. They must learn before they are safe. Would you trust them around the vulnerable children in the castle? Not yet, you wouldn't. You will isolate them on their own floor and teach them the new way. They will eat and learn, eat and learn. Nothing else until I return,” Bork stressed.