by Dean Henegar
The creatures at the gate had finally managed to pull down the guard in the tower. The guard’s screams cut off as all the drones swarmed him, clawing and biting the poor man to death. Just as the dozen guards formed a shield wall and moved forward to clear the creatures out, a new swarm began to flood in through the open gate. The flood seemed endless; there must have been over a hundred of the creatures attacking, Dobbins guessed. The alarm bells began to ring first from the northern gate . . . then the western gate, signaling they too were under assault.
Dobbins snapped the reigns and his wagon lurched forward at a greater pace, heedless to the safety of the few pedestrians still on the streets as terror took over his rational mind. He had only one goal: to make it through the southern gate and to his home before the creatures closed him off. Talbott had the same thoughts and followed closely behind his friend. The pair made it to the gate and past the confused guards just as they were about to secure the gate and hurry to help the others defend the town.
Once on the main road leading south, the pair made better speed to get away from the dying town. Screams and sounds of battle followed them for quite a way before they died down slowly, either due to the distance from the source or the lack of living victims. The farms the two owned were only a few miles from the town, and during the trip, Dobbins regained the presence of mind to form a plan. He would collect his wife and any supplies or valuables they could quickly gather. Once ready they would head south. There were rumors that the town of Hayden’s Knoll had been rebuilt and the Imperium had stationed troops there. They would help if he could just get there before the creatures found him. He shouted back to Talbott explaining his plan and his friend nodded in agreement.
They soon reached their farms, and Dobbins jumped off his wagon, running into the house to warn his wife while Talbott continued to his place. Talbott was just under a half mile from Dobbins, his home just visible at the tree line further from the road. Thankfully it didn’t take much convincing to get his wife to understand the threat. His wife may nag him for drinking too much, but was a strong woman, as she had to be to survive the life as a farmer on the fringe of civilization.
“Hurry up, dear. We can’t take all that, we have to leave now,” Dobbins said as he loaded another bag of household items into the wagon. His wife was taking way too long gathering what she wanted to take with her. He had told her to take just the valuables and supplies they would need to get to Hayden’s Knoll. While he loaded food in between feeding and watering the overworked horse, she slowly packed bags as if going on a vacation.
“This is the last load and then we leave, there is no more time dear!” Dobbins demanded. His wife scowled at him and slowly packed her last bag, waiting for him to carry it to the wagon for her. Dobbins threw it in and got up in the driver’s bench. Looking over to Talbott’s place he saw that his friend was having the same trouble getting started that he was. They had a young two-year-old daughter and they had more essentials to pack due to the small child.
“Oh, I forgot a few things, I’ll be right back, dear,” Dobbins wife told him as she stubbornly went toward the house to gather more things. Just as he was about to argue, a scream split the silence. Looking over, the pair could see Talbott’s family being swarmed by several of the creatures. They charged from the tree line and quickly overpowered his friend’s feeble attempts to defend his family. The creatures didn’t stop, continuing their charge toward Dobbins’ house.
“Get in the wagon NOW!” Dobbins yelled, snapping his wife from the shock of seeing her friends slaughtered. She jumped into the back of the wagon as Dobbins flicked the reigns, starting the wagon moving. The trail from the main road that led to the house was a crude dirt one that didn’t allow Dobbins to move very fast. He measured the distance to the main road with the rate that the creatures were closing on them and didn’t know if they would make it.
Just as the creatures were about to reach them, Dobbins hit the main road and began to build up some more speed.
“Dobbie!”
His wife screamed as she was snatched from the back of the wagon by the lead creature. The creatures continued to gain on him, and then abruptly stopped and ran off, carrying his screaming wife into the gathering darkness. The word “Dobbie” haunted him as he drove south, it was the term of endearment his wife had always called him. She was gone and he didn’t even try to stop and save her. Horror, fear, and shame crushed down on farmer Dobbins as he fled toward the dubious safety of Hayden’s Knoll.
***
Siren finished issuing commands to her drones, instructing the ones at the outlying farm to let the last survivor go. She wanted word to spread now that her power had grown. The gnolls were hers, the slavers and their captives were hers, the outlying farmers were hers, and now the town of Holdfast was falling to her. Where she had begun alone, she now commanded over a thousand drones and a dozen daughters. Their numbers would grow even more once the village and the few remaining nearby farms were picked clean of their residents.
Siren moved into the town itself from the eastern gate. A few small fires had started when startled residents knocked over lanterns in their fear, but she had ordered her drones to extinguish them quickly. The guards and militia had fallen rapidly to her sheer numbers, the rest of the town holding out behind locked doors and secreted away in cellars, hoping not to be discovered.
“It was unfortunate that so many of the guards and militia had to be slain. I could have used more drones trained in fighting,” Siren said to one of her daughters as she observed the rows of dead town guardians her drones had laid out. Only a score of the guard and militia had survived; even now, parasites were being forced into their mouths by one of the daughters. The rest of the town was being slowly gathered, the drones kicking down doors and prying open cellars to get at the terrified townsfolk inside.
“Siren, most of the townsfolk should be converted easily. They are weak and frightened. Not many will put up a fight,” one of her daughters told her. Siren did not see the need to give them individual names; the daughters were more useful than the drones, but she didn’t want to give them any of them any delusions of grandeur. There were always members of the cackle . . . why did I say cackle and not hive? Siren thought to herself for a moment. Should any of her daughters show enough competence to guide their own hive, they would need to be sent far from here with just a few drones to defend them until they could begin to establish their own empire.
“The one you let leave, what if he brings too large a force against us?” the daughter asked. Siren thought for a moment. Yes, this one was too cunning by half and would eventually need to be sent to start her own hive. She was not yet ready to ascend to be a master, but the time would come. Siren would have to be on her guard to prevent the daughter from trying to usurp her place in command of this hive; such family disputes were often deadly to a master.
“Do not worry. There are no large forces that we know of in the region. We will crush any they send against us!” Siren shouted before regaining control of herself. The gnoll mind she inhabited was quick to anger and wanted to lash out at the daughter who had questioned her authority. Siren knew her cunning had diminished in this form, but the decline had eventually stopped, and she was still an ingenious leader. At least she thought so; a small flicker of a doubt that this hubris was also driven by the gnoll mind crossed her thoughts but didn’t take root.
“Should by some miracle the human retrieve too large a force, we will hide and wait in our caverns. You show promise daughter. I may have to name you soon,” Siren added. Her daughter, beaming at the praise, got back to the work of harvesting the town’s population. “Or kill you,” Siren added quietly, unsure which it would be.
Chapter 26
I awoke back in my tent, momentarily disoriented as the AI began to support my flagging mind with its processing power once again. It was late afternoon and I knew that we would need to hit the road as soon as possible to make it to the capitol in time to participate
in the Grand Melee. Galba and Sergeant Wrend were waiting for me just outside the tent.
“Raytak, I’m sending Wrend here with Septimus to head to the prison and buy out contracts for replacement soldiers,” Galba said and I nodded my head in agreement. “We’re heading back to see Ermey at his surplus store to upgrade your equipment,” Galba advised as he rounded up some guards and prisoners to help load the two wagons we were taking to Ermey’s shop.
The shop greeted me with the same musty, yet comforting smell of old military surplus. Ermey stood behind the long counter with several of his people arranging some armor, shields, and weapons for us.
“Welcome back, commander. Good to see you won that little fracas. Morkon sent word ahead and gave me a budget to see your team equipped for the Grand Melee at the capitol. I have a couple options for armor and a few weapon choices as well, take a look,” Ermey advised and the information on the gear filled my vision.
Armor Options: Choose one of the two upgrade options for your forces.
Lorica Squamata: This armor consists of small steel scales bonded to a leather base. Provides excellent protection against slashing damage. Defense +15, additional +5 defense vs slashing damage.
Lorica Segmentata: This armor consists of hardened steel strips fastened to a leather base. The armor provides excellent protection from all damage sources (except for magical assaults) and is the standard armor for most of the Imperium. Defense +17.
Looking at the two armors, I immediately chose the segmentata. My repaired knowledge of ancient roman history showed that despite requiring a lot of maintenance, the armor was surprisingly effective and ahead of its time. The scale armor of the squamata was also effective, but less so than the other option as the higher rating against slashing damage was too situational. To be honest, I would have chosen the segmentata anyway based on its look . . . I was a sucker for Roman army gear. The rest of the new equipment looked like solid upgrades for us despite not having a choice as to the specific items.
Imperium Scutum: This heavy shield is made of layers of wood with a covering of leather. The shield is reinforced with a rounded bronze boss in the center and a bronze strip along the edge. Armor +4, additional +2 vs ranged attack.
Bronze Gladius: The Bronze Gladius is a stout and deadly weapon. It holds an edge longer than the lower quality models and delivers improved damage. Item-level 30.
Bronze Dagger: A simple and effective backup weapon and eating utensil. Item-level 30.
Bronze-Tipped Pilum Javelin: Simple yet effective, this weapon can be used as a spear in addition to being thrown. Item-level 30.
Compound Short Bow: These bows offer a short draw length that allows for a rapid firing pace as well as the potential to be used from horseback by a specially trained archer. Item-level 30.
Heavy Bronze Spear: These wood-shafted, bronze-tipped spears are seven feet in length and are a great way to keep a foe at bay. Item-level 30.
Imperium Field Dressing: These magically enhanced bandages stop any bleeding effects and heal the target for 10 health and an additional 3 health per second for the next 10 seconds. There is a cooldown of 1 minute between uses and subsequent uses in a 1 hour window reduce the effectiveness of the heal over time effect by 1 second.
Sack of Caltrops: Each bag holds one dozen bronze caltrops. The caltrop is a set of three-inch-long iron spikes welded together so that a sharpened point is always facing up. Anyone who steps on them will be injured and face a movement speed reduction. Item-level 20.
All told it was a significant upgrade to my forces, improving our damage and defense. With the upgraded armor and bandages we would be able to stay in the fight longer. If the last melee was any indicator, the Grand Melee could turn out to be a test of endurance. The caltrops were a surprise and I sorted through a bag of them while thinking about several tactical options for their use.
“Noticed my little toys, did you? I first found out about those by stepping on one during a Drebix ambush. They made them from wood, which is fine if that’s all you can scrounge, but I had our blacksmith fashion some from metal. The army never adopted them fully, but many commanders kept them as a combat trick . . . called them Tribulus or ‘jagged iron’ in the old language. They’ll not do much damage but can stop an enemy charge cold,” Ermey said as he noticed my interest in the caltrops.
“Thank you again for the upgrades, Ermey. I hope that governor reimbursed you well,” I said to the old soldier.
“Well enough, my friend, well enough. You do us old soldiers proud in the Grand Melee, you hear! I wish you the best and hope you can earn your freedom. I’ve known many officers in my day, and I can tell you’re one of the good ones,” Ermey told me while shaking my hand. We left the surplus shop and loaded the wagon with our new gear. On the way back to our camp I opened my character sheet to see the changes that had happened since I hit the new level, making sure to show only new or updated information.
Raytak: Disgraced Commander, Gladiator Captain path, Level 6
New ability unlocked: Entertaining End. A gladiator exists to entertain the crowd and they are not entertained by an easy death. When one of your soldiers are killed, they immediately lash out in a final blow at the nearest enemy in range. The final blow will be at a +5 attack bonus in addition to any other bonuses currently in effect.
Incite: Incite now can be used 2/day to increase your soldier’s attack by +1 and decrease the attack of your opponents by 1 for 40 seconds. The area of effect extends in a 30-foot radius from the Gladiator Captain.
Manaless: 6% spell resistance, 3% resistance for forces under your command.
Good Squad: 1/day summon 4-10 goons to attack your foes. The summoned goons will be equipped with your current item-level daggers and will have the same stats as your standard soldiers. They are unarmored and cannot be directly commanded. They will be summoned in random locations in a 50-foot radius around the gladiator captain. The goons will attack the nearest foe and will continue to fight until killed or the timer of 50 seconds expires.
Standard Soldiers: 70/70
Advanced Soldiers: 8/8
Elite Soldiers: 1/1
The new ability was nice and should help us with some extra damage in a fight where we take a lot of casualties. The other abilities were upgraded slightly and about what I had expected from my experience with the commander class. When we arrived back at our camp, the place was a flurry of activity. Soldiers and guards worked together to load the wagons while Buford, Wrend, and the sagittarii were questioning our new recruits. As I arrived in camp the men had their gear upgraded. Work stopped for a moment as the men examined their new kit, quickly returning to work with a smile on their faces.
“Welcome back, Raytak. Love the new gear,” Wrend said as I approached. “We grabbed the pick of the litter at the prison and I’ve identified the ones we should recruit immediately,” Wrend advised. I noticed he had already selected our replacements which explained my character sheet showing that our forces were at full strength. If we kept up with our training schedule, the new soldiers would be as effective as my other troops. In addition to a full complement of standard soldiers, our advanced soldiers left us with five sagittarii and three infiltrators.
“Looks like you and Septimus found enough to keep us at a full roster for a long time,” I said, noting that several new wagons had joined our group and that there were several of them full of regular prisoners just waiting for their chance to be a soldier. Wrend ordered our aquilifer (standard bearer) forward. Attached to the pole was our Legio Ignominia standard, as before, but as the aquilifer turned, I saw there was a new inscription on that side. The inscription read “Vicit Shraza” which loosely translated into the “Victorious of Shraza.” As I read the inscription new details appeared in my vision.
Vicit Shraza: You have earned a new title for winning the Grand Melee at Shraza. This title bestows a bonus of +1 to attack and +1 to defense whenever engaged in a gladiatorial event. Conquer your foes in gladiatorial combat t
o potentially earn more titles.
“It appears we are ready to leave. Please load you friends and we can begin our journey. I know you must be so excited to visit the capitol and defeat your foes,” Septimus said coldly as he walked to his luxurious wagon. Galba looked as if he was about to say something, then changed his mind and ordered everyone to get onboard. Galba told the guards to leave us unshackled, the locked door to our prison wagons the only concession to the fact we were still prisoners.
The journey to the transition point was quick and easy. For once there were no attacks, no ambushes, no evil snake people to deal with. The familiar blue glow started as we entered, and I could see the destination was the zone of Primus, which held the capitol. The glow of the transition point resolved, and the caravan emerged into the zone of Primus.
The defenses guarding the transition point were formidable. Stone towers rose to flank the road, manned by high-level soldiers. Siege equipment and unknown magical devices were spread amongst the towers and the powerful guard force examined all the travelers going into and out of the zone.
I didn’t pay much attention to the defenses once I saw the capitol of Romulus spread out before me. Ornate structures of marble stood tall behind a series of defensive walls. Even the defenses were elegant and finely crafted. The large senate building with its classic columns dominated one quarter. Yet even the extravagant senate building was eclipsed by the Imperial palace where the Emperor Trodaxius reigned.
Dominating all other structures, even the palace, was an enormous edifice in the center of the city. In an area that would have housed a small town stood the capitol arena. The road we followed sloped downward into the city, allowing a partial view of the inside of the arena. Stands that could hold hundreds of thousands ringed an open arena the size of a hundred football fields. It was by far the most impressive structure Raytak had seen. The arena dwarfed the entire town of Hayden’s Knoll. A quick inspection of our caravan by the soldiers found us back on our way into the city.