by Han Yang
Leadership: 7
Construction: 0
Farming: 1
Tree harvesting: 1
Gathering: 12
Fishing: 4
Skinning: 4
Cooking: 36
“Wha- Your aim is higher than mine!”
“Is that really the most important thing to comment on?” I couldn’t help but laugh at loud as she shot me an irritated grimace. “You could still outshoot me nine times out of ten, I bet.”
“Maybe, but this is straight up unfair.” Joanna huffed angrily as she tugged the checker from my leg. “Ya used to be so tiny and cute. Now look at how far you’ve come.”
“By cute do you mean weak and vulnerable?” I leaned back in my chair as Joanna pointedly ignored what I was saying. “Look, do you want to know how I did it?”
“You went out without me, that’s how.” My Baroness let out a cute growl as she gave me a long, hard glare. “Sneaky little man. Just you wait, I’ll show you what I can do -”
A moment later, and Joanna’s confidence wilted as she lowered herself back into the chair. I watched on, confused for a moment, until her hand drifted up to her stomach, which had yet to develop anything beyond a barely noticeable baby bump.
“Listen, it’s not that.” I pushed myself up and strode beside my distraught lover. “Duke, well, he-” I blinked as I tried to figure out the best way to explain our robotic friends’ frankly ridiculous actions. “He’s funneled some of the venturebot crews’ skill gains to me.”
Joanna’s mouth opened and closed several times as she tried to find some way to react to the insane revelation. Sharing attribute increases between different people was usually impossible, doubly so from a steam-bot created by Gearnix’s power and their human masters.
And yet, Duke had managed it.
“Next time I see him, I’ll ask if he can send some of the growth your way instead,” I observed Joanna as I waited for some sort of response to my offer. After a few moments, I shook myself and quickly added. “Look, it’s not like I asked for this. He kind of did it off his own initiative.”
“I- It is fine, Bradley.”
Joanna’s shocked expression faded away as she finally turned to me with a gentle, warm smile. Her hands locked around mine as she pulled me down into a tight hug, as though she wanted to transmit her every emotion through the medium of touch alone.
“Are you sure?”
“No, I’m not, but we can talk about it later.” Joanna finally released me enough that I could once more see her face. A slight blush had formed on her cheeks from our closeness, but I saw her fighting to keep her cool as she laid a palm against my cheek. “For now, I have my own battles to fight. Once we bring our little one out into the world, then we can consider it further.”
I nodded hurriedly at her suggestion. For a moment I had been worried that Joanna would rush off into the wilds to grind out her attributes in a vain attempt to catch up with my every increasing stat line, but clearly, she wasn’t anywhere near as impulsive as I.
The baby was more important than any semiserious competition with numbers or titles.
With one less thing to worry about, I turned my attention back to the task at hand. After shoring up our external defenses, it was time to focus on the internal matters of Norn and its more insidious invaders.
Duke’s timing was impeccable as always. He knocked on the door mere minutes after our conversation had ended and made his way in a moment later after I called out for him to enter.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him to just come into my study as and when he pleased, but more that we might be - indisposed when he decided to visit.
“Following the official announcement, I completed the operation as you requested.” Duke laid down a bulging folder on the desk while Joanna looked back and forth between us, bewildered and confused in equal measure as she tried to figure out what had just happened.
“All in custody?”
“Most.” Duke’s shoulder grated as he forced a halfhearted shrug. “Some took their own lives before we managed to take them in. The rest are being questioned now, while the neutral parties have been taken into protective custody.”
“Wait, who? What?” Joanna finally lost her battle to keep silent as she leaned forward in her chair. “What scheme have you two pulled?”
“Nothing much.” I couldn’t help but let a cocky grin form as I flicked through the forms within Duke’s dossier. “We kept tabs on any agents from other cities. The moment Gearnix announced the war, our own people moved to take them down.”
“You planned that? Really?”
“Come on, Jo. Do you really think I’d let those rats stroll around my city?” I looked up at Joanna, who waved off my remarks with a casual flick of her fingers. “The rest of our ‘visitors’ are all accounted for, though they will be under careful watch until the war draws to a close.”
“Interestingly enough, most of the agents didn’t originate from Portin or Darden.” Duke paused as I turned to him, now taking my own turn to be confused before he continued to say. “The majority came from one of our partners.”
“Langshire?” I asked, only to receive a sharp shake of the head. “Don’t tell me… Hexpa?”
“Indeed.”
“And Langshire didn’t send anyone? No one at all?”
Duke nodded, confirming my suspicions. Though I didn’t hold any love from the city which had exiled me along with their princess slash lady in waiting, the fact that they had held off on spying on us did raise a few questions.
Was it that they truly didn’t care, or was there something more sinister at work? With Tarco dead, did Charlie really want to settle old debts and rebuild links with us? What could Norn provide to a hub like Langshire?
Still, those thoughts could wait. The fact that a city with which we had an ongoing trading contract had sent spies into our midst wasn’t entirely a shock, but the sheer amount they had decided to commit to Norn did shake things up a bit.
Logically, they would only need one or two to keep an eye on us to ensure we were abiding by the stipulations of our agreement. Any more than that would be superfluous to their needs, unless…
They were also plotting against us from the shadows.
Of course, it wasn’t like I hadn’t expected such a move. The reasons I had yet to send my own agents to the other cities were numerous.
First, everyone was watching Norn. Anyone who left our city would be under intense scrutiny wherever they ended up.
Second, I hadn’t really had any need to spy. Our city’s needs matched our environment. That meant, for the time being, that we didn’t really NEED anything from our neighbors.
And, last but not least, the main issue.
We didn’t have enough people.
Trackers, scouts, and trappers, we had in spades. The flourishing adventurer’s guild branch under Lei and Leon had brought in a good number of applicants, and many of the surviving citizens of Norn had needed to hone such skills to survive the lean summers and harsh winters.
Soldiers were in limited supply, but those folks didn’t make good spies. They were more likely to solve any issues they ran into with their fists rather than their brains. For a few, I legitimately worried that their thick skulls served better uses to defend against attacks than to hold their brains.
But sneaky, street smart folk I could rely on to infiltrate other cities and work their way up into places where they could steal useful information.
A few at best, and I couldn’t trust any of them yet.
“Any of them spilled anything juicy yet?” I glanced at Duke, who returned my gaze with a bewildered tilt of his head. “I mean, have you received any good information from the agents you apprehended?”
“A few nuggets, nothing we didn’t know already.” Duke stepped next to the desk and pulled out the last sheet from the folder. “It seems Hexpa was aware of the upcoming war, though they decided against joining the fray.”
“A ta
ctical decision? Maybe they wanted to see who won the war before they swooped in to wipe out the weakened survivors?” I scratched my cheek as I read over the tiny bits of information we had gleaned from our captives. “If they really cared about their ‘important business partner’, then they would have offered their assistance to hold off Portin and Darden.”
“Neutral allies are the most dangerous people to be around.” Joanna tugged the paper from my grasp and, after a quick scan, tossed it back to the desk. “They have a week to cook, I guess. We’ll see who wants to jump out of the fire before their friends show up, won’t we?”
For a moment I imagined a cackling Joanna tossing groups of wailing spies into a huge oven, but I pushed those images aside and turned to Duke instead.
“What are the plans for the remainder of this week? Is there anything else we can do?”
“Not as far as I can suggest.” He carefully tidied up the messy papers from the desk and slotted them back into his folder once more. “The watch towers have been completed, and structural tests passed without any concerns. Guard units fully trained up and enhanced weapons provided to each member.”
“Good to hear.” I glanced down at the map, which had yet to leave my desk since the moment we first received the warning about our upcoming war. “What about our friends in the wilds?”
“The ambush squads have reported one hundred percent success rates, though the enemy are trying to vary their routes.” Duke sniffed as he stuffed the packed folder beneath his arm once more. “Not enough, it seems.
“How unfortunate for them.” I chuckled softly as I pushed myself out of my chair and strode over to the window at the edge of my study.
Norn stretched out below me, its snow-covered roofs giving the scene a look akin to a painting created from a palette of various shades of white and grey. No one else had come through yet to request assistance with emigrating to the other nearby cities so, without any further worries, I turned back to Duke.
“One last question, then.” I strode over to him and flicked his metallic chest plate, letting out a low dong as I looked into his blinking eyes. “Those warehouse spaces. What are you planning, exactly?”
“Oh, those.” Duke shifted into what seemed like a cocky stance as he tapped his forehead with an overly dexterous digit. “I think you’re going to love what I’ve done with the place!”
Chapter 17
The next week passed by in a blur as we finished our preparations for war. More citizens decided to depart from Norn, but the impact hadn’t been as bad as we had first expected.
Norn Statistics:
Citizens: 490 +6
Visitors: 20
City Debt: 0 cubes of hydrox.
Citizen behind on taxes: 0
Buildings behind on upkeep: 0
Buildings behind on taxes: 0
City projects slated for downgrade: 0
Upgrades in progress: 0
Complaints in progress: 8
Immigrants this month: 13
Emigrants this month: 62
Rating: 100
Walls: 3
Docks: 3
Taxes: 5% on residents
Overall, we were down around ten in total from the last check. Not great, not terrible.
What was most surprising were the complaints. After we agreed to sort an arrangement for alcohol shipments with the barkeep, his shift from active to inactive, and no further issues were raised.
Given that we were about to go to war, the silence was almost deafening.
Joanna joined me on the central watch tower as we waited for the final few minutes to drift by. The guard shift had been doubled, leaving the relatively small space crowded, but the long rifle equipped warriors still made sure to give us the room to freely view the no man’s land laid out at the foot of Norn’s walls.
The moat had been dug out and filled with water. In fact, Duke had managed to turn the thing into a river as he connected it all the way around our city from one side of the docks to the other. Crocs and other vicious beasts bobbed up and down in its churning waters as they hunted for fish and other unlucky prey that had washed into their new home.
But, other than the watchtowers and our extremely obvious water defense, nothing else seemed to have changed with the clear area outside of the city walls.
Every trap and pitfall had been expertly hidden. Sure, the location of a good portion would likely be known by the invading force, but I saw those as little more than decoys, shiny distractions to keep their attention focused away from the main threats.
Still, I couldn’t help but shudder as I glanced back toward the nearest warehouse building Duke had created. After he had explained his plans, my respect and admiration for the overly intelligent venturebot had increased dramatically, along with the hint of fear I held toward him.
I might have thought of such a wild idea, but to put it into action…
“Bradley.” Joanna tugged my arm as I gazed off into the distance in a daze. “Is there anything you want to say?”
I noted the large horn-like device she held out toward me. It took a moment for me to collect myself before I smiled and took the gadget from her, pausing for only a moment to lift her hand to my lips and to deposit one last kiss before I turned to the city stretching out before me.
After I took one last calming breath, I raised the horn and activated it with a final, echoey click.
“People of Norn! This is your Baron Lord!” My voice, amplified by the device in my hand, blasted out of the city like a wave of solid sound. I knew everyone still within the walls would be able to hear my words, so I had to make the speech a good one. “First, I thank you for your courage and loyalty. Your acts will be remembered once we have weathered the oncoming storm.”
I paused for a moment and glanced at the guards gathered in the watchtower behind me. Their upright stances and ramrod straight backs showed they were fully on board with me and their city, no matter where it led. So, after one list chuckle, I activated the loudspeaker gadget once more.
“It does not matter how they strike us, or how many cowardly snakes join their ranks. We will defeat them, and they will rue the day they chose to raise a fist against us!” A roaring cheer rang out from the streets as every citizen raised their arms in righteous fury. “This is the first day of our future, and the last day of theirs! Hold your heads high, for we will be the ones standing atop all come the end of this petty war!”
Residents of Norn. You are now officially at war with the city of Portin. Fight hard, defend your homes and your lands, and prove yourselves to be the worthy victors to the world! May the grace of Gearnix shine down upon you.
…
Residents of Norn. You are now officially at war with the city of Darden. Fight hard, defend your homes and your lands, and prove yourselves to be the worthy victors to the world! May the grace of Gearnix shine down upon you.
The roars and yells of my remaining citizens overwhelmed the echoing announcement ringing out from the sky far above. Even if they weren’t one hundred percent confident in our chances of victory, it was obvious every person who had decided to stay within Norn had fully committed themselves to Norn and its future.
And there was no way I would let their loyalty drift by unrewarded.
The guards, after watching me turn off the loudspeaker device, quickly shot me their thanks and encouragement personally. They only allowed themselves a small break before their sights turned to the edge of the forest, far away on the other side of the huge clearing.
If the enemy’s leader had any tactical skill, then the attack would begin any minute-
“CHARGE!”
A wave of armored warriors broke out from the tree line as a booming voice rang out across the area. The forest seemed to bleed people as more and more of the enemy forces sprinted out into the open.
Our own guards held their fire as the enemy sprinted toward Norn with all their might. Several markers had been set in the field, invisible to the approac
hing warriors, but easy to see for my highly trained marksmen.
The moment one of the enemy warriors stepped foot past the first mark.
BANG! BABANG! BANG! BANG! BABABANG!
An overwhelming barrage of Hydrox fueled bullets slammed into the enemy’s front line. Many fell, their bodies gushing blood as they tumbled to the floor, tripping those following a few steps behind.
But more rushed in to fill the gaps.
Our onslaught continued unabated as the army rushed closer. Those leading the charge were treated as human shields for their allies as they pushed on through the storm of death and destruction.
And then, just as they seemed on the verge of forcing their way through, they met the first line of hidden traps.
Some dodged the pitfalls and bear traps laid before them, but most did not. Even if they had wanted to avoid tumbling into the spike lined bits or vicious steel jaws of the vicious preparations we had made, those behind shoved their more cautious brethren directly into the waiting maws of death.
Screams of pain and yells of panic rang out from the enemy forces as they ran afoul of our defenses, and the city guards didn’t let the chaos go to waste.
They focused fire on those who tried assisting their allies or otherwise doing what they could to bring some order back to their comrades. Squad leaders were picked off one by one as anarchy took hold.
If things continued as they were, maybe we wouldn’t even need the second line-
“Fucking morons! Pull yourself together and get moving!” A tall figure strode into the fray, blatantly ignoring the bullets flying all around him as he thrust his finger in our direction. “Double reward for the first to reach the walls. Bring me that upstart Baron Lord’s head on a plate, and I’ll quadruple it!”
The enemy army gathered its wits as a whole and yelled out a battle cry. The talk of a reward didn’t surprise me, but the direct threat against my life did catch me off guard.
“That’s the Commander, then?” I swept Darcy off my back and leaned up against one of the viewing slots as I took aim at the mass of soldiers, who were using their allies as sacrificial lambs to push their way through the lines of traps. “Blow his smart head off, and I’ll make you a guard captain.”