by Dean Henegar
“No problem, Darkfallow. I’m going to switch over the zone to war footing, which should give us some extra troops to play with. I don’t know how long all this will take, but I hope to be able to invade in a week or so of game time,” Narbos said while pulling up his interface.
Current zone stance: commerce and trade focus.
Switch to war footing: y/n?
Narbos selected yes, and a new slew of options popped up.
War footing selected. Choose the level of commitment you want your zone to follow. The higher your commitment level to the war, the less your economy will produce.
1. Prepare for Possible Conflict: You activate reserves from your town guard, creating an additional force that can follow your troops into battle. This will leave your defenses in the zone slightly weakened and have a minor impact on trade revenue as productive citizens are called up for military duty.
2. War Is Inevitable: You call up your reserves and conscript a proportion of the zone’s able-bodied citizenry. This will provide more forces but will moderately hamper your economy. The longer your zone is on this level of war footing, the more the economic effects will increase.
3. Total War: Every able-bodied citizen is required to fight. Your zone will be stripped of resources to equip your conscripts and the economy will suffer greatly as a result. Long-term use of this option will collapse your economy in a matter of months. If you move your army from the zone, the zone will be left vulnerable to attack.
“Go all in, big guy. Total war is the way to go. Once we crush Hayden’s Knoll, you can send all the civilians back here again,” Zipp suggested.
“How do you know what my options are?” Narbos asked. The imp’s knowledge of his options was suspicious.
“It’s all in black and white right here—or should I say red and white since you signed it with your blood and all?” Zipp said, summoning the huge scroll that represented their latest deal. Narbos was regretting his hasty decision already, but Zipp had a point. Going all in on the attack would help him conquer Hayden’s Knoll quickly. If the battle went well, he could always reduce the war footing level to stabilize the economy once more.
Total war selected. The following forces from across the zone will be mustered and marched toward the city of Bharga. It may take some time for all your forces to assemble and arrive.
1. Kobold Mining Brigade. Kobold Miners, Level 12 (125): These kobold miners fight with picks and hammers, reluctantly fulfilling their obligation to the dark overlord.
2. Tramwell Guard. Town Guardsmen, Level 20 (50): The small guard and reserve force from the village of Tramwell answer the call to arms.
3. Haven Guard. Town Guardsmen, Level 20 (200): The town of Haven sends its force of guards and reserves.
4. Bharga’s Guard. Town Guardsmen, Level 20 (400): The capital of Bharga musters its guard and has resolved to follow its leader into battle.
5. Militia Forces, Level 15 (500): The militia is called up from the general population of the zone. Militiamen have been given limited training and are equipped with castoff equipment that the army and guard are no longer using.
5. Conscripts, Level 10 (5000): Pressed into service and equipped with farm implements, personal weapons, or gear that even the militia has passed on, conscripts have no choice but to leave their homes and fight for the zone.
It was a huge force and would provide him with some fodder, if nothing else. A part of Narbos thought it might be hilarious to watch thousands of conscripts with torches and pitchforks attacking. He had to make sure they didn’t take too many casualties, however, as they would have to respawn just like his normal troops. Citizens respawned much more slowly than his other forces, and when they did respawn, the dead citizen was replaced by a lower-leveled and less productive one. Narbos learned about the civilian respawn restrictions after the conquests of Haven and Tramwell. He needed the farmers, merchants, and laborers back in the zone and being productive at some point.
“I think we got this in the bag, Narbos old buddy. We should show Darkfallow your other army that’s parked outside. Wanna check it out, Dorky?” Zipp asked before opening a portal.
Darkfallow ignored the insult and stepped into the portal with Narbos and Zipp. They then found themselves outside the walls of the city and inside the camp that the Hypogean forces were building. Zipp was the last to leave the portal, falling from the opening and coughing like he was near death. The little imp struggled to his feet, swaying unsteadily as he regained his bearings.
“Woah, I won’t be doing that again. This new body makes portals much more problematic to create. I’m going to have to hoof it from now on unless it’s an emergency,” Zipp said while recovering his wits.
Darkfallow looked around in awe at the array of monstrous forces Zipp had gathered.
“Pretty impressive, isn’t it? Check out the tunnel wurms. If one of them croaks in the battle, I might let you try to raise it as a zombie wurm,” Zipp said.
Darkfallow moved to check out one of the wurms, and Narbos could see the gears moving in his friend’s head as he thought about an army of zombie tunnel wurms.
“Sorry, big guy, but I just can’t resist it,” Zipp said before snapping his fingers. At the imp’s command, the tunnel wurm surged forward, the grinding mouth towering over Darkfallow, who let out a small cry before the head snapped forward. The sound that ensued reminded Narbos of an overloaded garbage disposal. But instead of garbage, it was Darkfallow being ground up and devoured by the titanic creature.
“Please stop killing Darkfallow. We still need him to make the bone giants,” Narbos chided.
“Fine, fine, I’ll refrain from killing him . . . for a while. No guarantees once we win the fight, though. I might need a celebratory kill or two,” Zipp said.
A pair of lurkers then approached them, leading an elf woman toward Narbos and Zipp.
“Ah, it looks like my friend has arrived to introduce herself. Welcome, Nharia. Let me introduce you to your new benefactor, Narbos the Grimm. Narbos, this is Nharia, formerly of the Ikbose elves. I think she would like to have you hire her mercenary band, which I suggest you do,” Zipp told him.
“The great and mighty Zipzisilerpicazant is correct. My people wish to join you in the conquest of Hayden’s Knoll. The only payment we ask for is that our traditional lands be returned to us once they have been liberated,” Nharia said while bowing. A system prompt appeared with the offer.
The Blades of Pain mercenary band has offered to join your army. These former Ikbose elves are excellent ranged fighters, and their painweaver mages are a force to be reckoned with. The Ikbose ask that the lands they previously occupied be returned to them, including lands currently held by the Goreaxe clan. The Ikbose would then become your subjects once the war is won.
Current Blades of Pain Forces:
Warriors, Level 15 (200): The warriors of this mercenary band are skilled archers as well as deadly melee opponents.
Painweaver Mage, Level 15 (10): Painweavers can leave large swaths of foes writhing in agony and unable to defend themselves.
Nharia, Painblade, Level 15 Elite: Nharia is the leader of the Blades of Pain. Her Painblade class blends the fighting skill of an Ikbose warrior with the magic of a painweaver.
“Welcome to our army, Nharia. I agree to your terms,” Narbos said as he accepted their contract. He was confident that Delling’s zone would fall easily to his massive army. He just had to be patient while the rest of his forces gathered and the dead warriors from the failed expeditionary force respawned. Soon, Delling would be taken down a peg and Narbos could finish the game as the winner he was destined to be. Logging out for a time, Narbos had some things to do in the real world, and his plans here in-game were on hold while he waited for all his forces to gather.
***
“Now that he’s gone, I need you to send this message to her,” Zipp commanded Nharia while passing her a handful of curious red stones along with a sealed message. The imp smiled as he thought of
the chaos that would ensue when his plan came together.
“Yes, my master. We obey,” Nharia replied and motioned for a shady-looking elf that was not officially part of her mercenary band. The elf hid the items on his person and ran toward the transition point. Zipp knew that the elf’s status, for the time being, would show as neutral to Hayden’s Knoll, allowing him free movement within the zone.
Chapter 2
It was with joy and sadness that I said goodbye to Yendys before she logged out to return to the real world. I hated to see her go but had hope that I would reunite with the rest of my family soon. Speaking with Ty had made my upcoming recovery seem that much more real. It was touching that Ty had chosen to come back and help, though I had a sneaking suspicion that helping me wasn’t the only reason he returned to the game. The aged Marine liked the game and was beginning to get hooked; he would be a true gamer in no time.
While hanging out with Yendys, I sent out runners to call Delling and all our allies together for a council of war. Delling graciously offered the town hall for our meeting, which was newly upgraded and would be large enough to fit everyone comfortably. Now that my granddaughter would be offline for a while, I could focus on preparing for the invasion. Upgrades to the garrison needed to be made and my own leveling completed, and I still needed to identify the items I’d gained from my victory over the Ikbose. There was the mysterious green root I was awarded after completing Tessel’s questline as well as three scrolls that appeared to be magical in nature. In addition to the magic items, there had also been big rewards of gold and resources, not to mention the amount that continued to flow in from my legion’s portion of the tax revenue.
At a table in the Petty Dispute, I enjoyed a good meal and took the time to write up some orders for the various garrison forces around the zone. While I didn’t command them directly, once war was declared, my command would extend to the defensive garrison forces as well as to my regular troops. A set of orders was sent to each of the forces guarding the transition points and the town of Holdfast. I handed the sealed orders to an off-duty soldier who was inside the inn and had him bring them directly to Private Blevins for distribution. Blevins was annoying, but I had to hand it to him; the soldier was efficient at his job. With that task complete, I left the inn, intending to walk around for a bit before getting down to the business of preparing for the invasion. I had taken very little time in-game to just look around, and I found it enjoyable, even if the urge to return to work would eventually overcome my desire to sightsee.
Everywhere there were signs that the town was growing. A new row of smaller shops was being finished up across from the Petty Dispute, and the merchant area had expanded once again. It now sported a dozen permanent stores and several merchant stalls that were occupied by a combination of players and NPCs offering their wares. Many players moved about, gearing up to try the newest version of the town’s nearby dungeon.
I was a bit freaked out that the dungeon now had a Gul Dorg boss and made a note to ask Drake how that happened the next time I saw the guy. The town was protected by dwarven runes, should any Gul Dorg show up. My previous deal with Tessel had bound her to the dungeon, making me think the Gul Dorg boss functioned in the same manner. Although there should be no immediate danger to the town, the Gul Dorg abomination was pure nightmare fuel and a foe I had no desire to face again.
Without realizing I was heading there, I meandered to the front of Phineas’s emporium. Not sure if I was ready for my next round with the shady merchant, I pushed open the door. Phineas had kind of grown on me, and if I ever had some free time in-game, it would be fun to just sit at the counter for a while and watch him swindle the players who shopped there. But I was on a mission today—like most days—and couldn’t spend too much time people-watching.
“Good day to you, officer sir. May the trustworthy Eyeball assist in your shopping needs?” Phineas’s goblin helper asked. The little guy was harmless, and he now sported some kind of magical prosthetic hand. I wondered if Ty might want one of those.
“I need to have Phineas identify some magic items for me. Can you do that, or should I wait for him?” I asked.
The goblin frowned. “No, Eyeball is not able to throw magic spells yet. Phineas says if I keep hitting my sales numbers, he might teach me a few of his magic tricks.” The goblin brightened up as he mentioned new tricks.
“Well, be sure to watch yourself. Some folks don’t take kindly to being tricked. Just ask Phineas, and he’ll let you know the score when it comes to me and my soldiers,” I said, looking as threatening as I could and conspicuously grasping the pommel of my sword.
Eyeball cowered back a bit before replying. “I most sure knows nots to cheats soldier mans. Eyeball always do straight deal-talking with Raytak and soldier mans. No tricky tricks,” Eyeball whispered to me so that none of the other customers would hear, the goblin’s speech regressing as his fear increased.
“Ah, my dear Raytak, please leave off frightening the help and come tell me what I can do for you today,” Phineas said as I approached the counter. “I have acquired a rare magical item I have been saving as a thank-you for letting me know about the bidding process on the tent earlier—I trust its luxurious accommodations were to your liking. Your assistant Blevins was quite the shrewd negotiator, I must say, and quite refreshing to deal with. I hope to do further business with the renowned 1st Legion of Hayden’s Knoll again sometime.”
The mention of Blevins and my new command tent caused my blood to boil. I would get back at Private Blevins for that little fiasco. I calmed down and tried to focus on the task at hand. “I can’t take any gifts, as you know, Phineas, so your ‘thank-you’ item isn’t going to fly. What I do need are these three scrolls and this root thing identified,” I told the merchant.
“No, you misunderstand me, my dear friend. I set the item aside, meaning I was giving you the first right of refusal before I offered it to the general public for sale. You still must pay for the item—at my normal low, low prices—if you decide you want it. Here, take a look at it while I identify your other things,” Phineas said, handing me a metal brooch as I passed him my scrolls, the mysterious root, and payment for identifying the items. He began his whole glowing hand schtick while I examined the brooch. It was made of steel and bronze, designed to function as a clasp for a cloak. The image of an Imperium shield was emblazoned on the brooch, and the description told me it was something I very much wanted.
Clasp of the Vigilant Defender: This magical item was commissioned over a century ago by a legion general named Burnside and was handed down from father to son for generations. The wealthy family had a strong military tradition, with each firstborn son expected to serve a tour in the legion. The clasp recently came onto the market when a disgraced member of the family was forced to sell it off to pay for legal expenses. The clasp awaits a new owner, granting extra bonuses to Imperium officers.
This item gives +1 to armor when worn. Once per day, it can be activated to greatly enhance the wearer’s perception for the next 60 seconds, making it easier to detect hidden foes and traps within a 25-foot radius.
When the clasp is worn by an officer of the Imperium, the Final Stand ability is unlocked. Final Stand prevents the next instance of lethal damage and heals the wearer for half of their maximum health over 15 seconds. This ability has a cooldown of 30 days.
The item was perfect for me, and I could use some extra help in personal battle now that Tessel’s Promise was gone. My funds were somewhat limited, as I only received a tiny portion of the money taken in by the legion as my pay. Still, I only had a few things to spend my personal funds on. If something was within my budget, I would try and buy it. My savings amounted to thirteen gold, fifteen silver, and ninety-eight copper. The only thing I used my money for was buying food and drink at the Petty Dispute since my gear was standardized with that of my soldiers.
I was usually somewhat discouraged when shopping for myself. Nearly all the items and gear in the sh
ops were dependent on individual stats as a means of boosting power—stats my class didn’t have. The few items offering abilities or generic bonuses not tied to stats had been either useless to my class or far too expensive for the tiny bump in power they would provide.
“There you are, Raytak. All identified to the finest detail by my mystical manipulation of the arcane forces. What do you think of the clasp? Was I correct in assuming it was something you might wish to acquire?” Phineas asked.
“It all depends on the price. I don’t have a ton of money at my disposal for personal gear,” I admitted.
“Ah, but this magnificent and potentially life-saving trinket can be had for the low price of only twenty-five gold,” Phineas offered.
With a sigh, I pushed the clasp back across the counter and toward Phineas, who wore a look of shock on his face.
“Why, you weren’t pleased with the clasp after all? No need to feign interest, my good man. This skin is thick enough after my years of work to not be offended by the rejection of an item,” Phineas said. For some reason, the man was clearly a little miffed at my response.
“No, I really do like it, and if I had enough funds, I would buy it. Twenty-five gold is just too rich for my blood. I barely have thirteen gold to my name,” I replied.
Phineas clasped a hand to his forehead and shook his head from side to side while looking at the ground. “Can it be true? Can this man who commands such power be so naive in the ways of mercantilism? Why must I be afflicted thus?” Phineas said to no one in particular. Eyeball stood off to the corner, mimicking Phineas’s gesture and looking up occasionally to correct his own pose. “Oh well. Since you have never heard of the time-honored skill of haggling, I will sell it to you for thirteen gold. Why do you need to suck every ounce of joy from each transaction we conduct, Raytak?” He paused before continuing. “My apologies. I let my frustrations get the better of me, Raytak. Here is the item. I’ll take the paltry thirteen gold, though I ask that you refrain from telling any merchant the extent of your purse in the future. Of course, you can always be straight with me, as I would never deign to attempt to part you from more coin than is necessary.”