by Dean Henegar
The basic Imperium battle standard confers a +1 bonus to defense for the entire unit and has three slots available to attach war banners. War banners are earned by a unit for exceptional bravery, or skillful actions in battle. Standards, and their attached banners, confer passive bonuses to all soldiers serving in the unit regardless of their distance from the standard. The standard is a depiction of a unit’s honor and pride. To lose a standard inflicts a severe morale penalty to attack and defense until another is acquired.
Current War Banners:
Banner of The Battle of Forerunner Farm: This banner was given in commemoration of the skill and bravery your forces exhibited in the battle at the farm against a force of gnolls. The banner provides a +1 bonus to morale and defense for all forces under your command.
Banner of the Broken Chain: This banner was awarded for freeing a band of enslaved dwarves and goblins. The banner provides a +1 bonus to attack for all forces under your command.
“Sir! The first legion is re-formed and ready for orders!” Sergeant Brooks belted out.
“Good to have you back, Sergeant Brooks. Though, it looks like we’ll all be calling you Top now,” I told Brooks. Brooks had been promoted to first sergeant according to his rank tab. The first sergeant was the senior nco in a unit and by Army tradition they were nicknamed “Top.” I had wondered why I had been given a third elite npc, believing it might be a sergeant for the advanced soldiers. It was a pleasant surprise to see Brooks upgraded in rank instead; he would make a great senior nco for the unit.
“You as well, Captain Raytak. Glad to be back under your command, sir,” Brooks added, acknowledging my new rank. I was so glad to be out of lieutenant land and one step closer to my real-life rank of Colonel. I wondered what level I had to be to earn that rank? The AI was sparse on details for things like that, preferring for the players to learn as they go in-game.
“First Legion! I am humbled and honored to command you once again. I look forward to serving the Imperium and earning new honors alongside all of you. Sergeant Brooks, dismiss the men and let everyone get settled into their new barracks. We’ll reform at 0600 for PT,” I ordered.
“Legion . . . Dismissed!” Sergeant Brooks ordered, the men falling out and making their way toward their barracks and any daily tasks their sergeants had planned for them. My “butler” chose that moment to interrupt my chain of thought.
“Sir, there is a rather large band of fellows of diminutive stature that state they have an emergency that demands your attention at the front gate,” the butler advised, still dressed out of regulation. I cursed Burnside under my breath at his upgrade choice for the garrison that would now have me hounded by a butler I couldn’t seem to get rid of.
“Very well, let me see what this is all about, private . . . ?” I asked, somehow knowing the AI was dying to make the man a named npc.
“Blevins, sir. Ezekiel Ambrose Blevins at your service,” the private answered.
“Let’s just stick with Blevins, private. The rest of your name is too much of a mouthful,” I ordered as I moved to the main gate. The guards there were alert, but I could tell they didn’t see the waiting party of dwarves as a threat. I was surprised to see Stonefinder Lhargen, the local leader of the Stonehold clan, and pathfinder Rollox waiting for me. They were accompanied by several other older dwarves and all were equipped for battle, including heavy looking packs.
“Stonefinder, it’s a pleasure if also a surprise to see you here. How are your people faring?” I asked as I approached, respectfully using the title of the leader of this branch of the clan.
“Welcome back, commander. It’s good to see you here again and not some other fool. We come with news of a grave danger and wanted to see who was in command before we went to find Mayor Delling,” Lhargen advised.
“Let’s head over to the town hall and you can tell Delling and I both about the threat at the same time,” I replied, leading the entourage toward the town hall just down the street. Private Blevins followed a discreet distance behind me.
“Private Blevins, why are you following me?” I inquired, not sure what he was thinking as I hadn’t ordered him along.
“Sir, it is my responsibility as the garrison butler to assist you in any administrative duties. As you are being summoned to what could likely become a council of war or a negotiation of treaties, I am required to accompany you and diligently note the event for future reference,” Blevins added. The guy was irritating but was only following orders which I couldn’t hold against him.
“Very well, Blevins. Tag along and take your notes but let’s come up with something other than butler to call you. The title is demeaning for a soldier in uniform, let’s go with orderly instead,” I ordered, and despite the grave demeanor of the dwarves, I caught Rollox suppressing a laugh at the thought of my having a butler.
“Yes sir, that will be acceptable,” Blevins said.
Arriving at the town hall, the building stood larger and much busier than the last time I had visited. The guards quickly ushered us into the meeting room where Delling was working on his city planning station, an interface like my war table that he used to interact with his class abilities.
“Raytak, looks like you haven’t wasted any time getting back into the swing of things. What brings you and our friends from the Stonehold Clan?” Delling asked.
“I’m not sure. Why don’t we let Lhargen tell us?” I said, gesturing to Lhargen. The meeting room of the town hall was large enough for twenty people, so we all fit with ease. The furniture had been upgraded but was nowhere near the ridiculous stuff in my garrison. I couldn’t wait to show it off to Delling and my other friends; they’d get a laugh out of it all.
“Aye, thank you. It’s probably best I start at the beginning of this tale, over a thousand years ago. Our clans were more powerful and numerous in those days and the first human civilizations were just starting to flourish. Demand for ore and gems was increasing and one of the new human empires, the Gul Dorg, dug deeper and deeper to seek new and richer veins of ore. One of the clans, the now extinct Durgwright Clan, allied with the Gul Dorg Empire and led their mining operations. In their greed, the Durgwrights dug too deep. They uncovered something sleeping in the depths and it was the end them in a matter of months. They had found a creature in the dark that we ended up calling a Gul Dorg, after the first humans to be infected with them.
“Now, there are many nasties just waiting to snack on an unsuspecting dwarf deep in our mines, but this was unlike any other threat we’d encountered. The Gul Dorg are a parasite: an insect-like creature that feeds on and controls its host. They spread quickly and are hard to detect until the host has been infected for a wee bit. After a time, they begin to change into and look like some insect abomination. The ordinary drones are dangerous enough, but they are all controlled by an even more powerful master. The master is a terrible foe, like the queen of a hive, and she can twist her spawn into different types of creatures to suit the needs of the hive.
“The drones can infect others for only a short time, but a few more powerful Gul Dorg called daughters retain that ability to infect and the masters can always do so as well. They spread through and absorbed the Gul Dorg Empire as well as the Durgwright Clan to the last, and then they moved on to conquer other clans and any group of humanoids they came across. Several emerging civilizations were wiped from the land and it was only the combined power of a human and dwarf alliance that stopped them. Our runesmiths discovered a way to detect and deter the things, depriving them of their most powerful ability: the ability to infect and infiltrate a community undetected. These runes will repel and reveal any who are infected by the Gul Dorg,” Lhargen said, taking one of the backpacks they had brought and dumping a dozen stone runes on the table. The runes glowed faintly, and I could see the dwarves finger their weapons in anticipation.
“Thankfully none of you are infected. I didn’t think it was possible for them to spread this quickly, but you never can tell. The Gul Dorg h
ave awakened again right here in Hayden’s Knoll. I don’t know where they came from, but they have taken over the town of Holdfast and all the farms around it. Rollox and one of his pathfinders were helping Lieutenant Burnside to investigate reports of an attack on Holdfast. One of the villagers had escaped and gave an account of what had happened to the town. Burnside, the fool of a man, didn’t listen to the villager or the pathfinder’s advice and barged on in. The entire command was killed or converted to the last man. Thankfully, Rollox was watching and they brought back this proof,” Lhargen said as Rollox opened another pack and dumped a head onto the table.
The head looked to have been human once . . . but no longer. Now it was something else entirely. Antenna-like protrusions and strange tendrils spilled from the flesh. The mouth looked like it was in the process of turning into a set of mandibles, and all the hair had fallen from its head. Delling sat with his mouth open in shock at the horrifying vision in front of him. The mayor class didn’t go out adventuring, so he had been spared the horrors of the land more so than the rest of us.
Private Blevins became sick in the corner where he watched; the soldier definitively needed some toughening up. Delling came back to his senses and glared at Lhargen, who had taken to carving bits of wood from the table as he spoke. I remembered that the first meeting between the mayor and the dwarves had resulted in a destroyed city planning table. Rollox also had taken up the habit, carving a particularly large splinter from the table as he now spoke.
“That was one of the Holdfast villagers. Poor souls didn’t stand a chance and didn’t know what they were facing,” Rollox added as the runes on the table flared up, causing a matching glow to come from the severed head.
“That glow is what you’ll see if one of the beasties is about. The runes will kill a newly implanted Gul Dorg, but they will only glow and warn you if they’ve been infected for more than a few hours. I’ve brought enough for you to place them at the gates of your town and the entrance to any of your buildings. The runes are easy to make and the runesmiths I brought with me will help craft enough for every home in town as well and help you to build a stockpile for future growth.
“These creatures we face are strong, but not very fast. Any competent warrior can kill a basic drone easy enough. The problem is that they have had a chance to spread and we don’t face a few . . . we face thousands. Thousands that will soon march this way, adding to their numbers at every small farm or tribe they pass. My numbers are too few to face them alone. Will you honor your treaty and join us to stamp out this ancient evil before it infects the entire zone?” Lhargen asked as a quest prompt displayed.
Quest Issued. Elite Quest: Destruction of the Gul Dorg. An ancient, infectious parasite has awakened in the zone. Destroy the growing threat before they take over. This quest is time sensitive. After 48 hours the Gul Dorg will march, and their numbers will begin to increase rapidly.
Reward: 7500 experience, 250 gold.
Penalty for Failure: Foe will grow in strength and threaten the entire zone.
Bonus Rewards: unknown.
Accept Quest: y/n?
*Note: This is an Elite Level battle encounter. The Commander may (and, due to the difficulty, is encouraged to) recruit additional forces from nearby allies but cannot add players other than Ty (special exception granted due to the Imperium Scout class) to his roster, per class restrictions.
“Did you get a quest? I just received one to make sure the town is protected against infection,” Delling said.
“Yes. I’ve got to lead my forces to try and stop these things. Sounds fun, but I’ve always been creeped out by parasites. I wonder what would happen if a player was infected with one?” I mused before turning to the waiting dwarves.
“The town as well as the 1st Legion stand ready to honor our pact. We will march immediately. From your description, there are thousands of these things. Can you send a force to help?” I asked Lhargen.
“Aye. We’ve begun to muster our throng, as many as we can without leaving the mine defenseless. They’ll be joining us on the road north. Rollox will be heading out to join his pathfinders, who are even now scouting to get a better and more accurate count of the enemies’ numbers,” Lhargen advised. Set on his mission, he clasped my hand and then left with Rollox to meet up with their forces. Delling assigned a room at the town hall for the runesmiths to work in and sent a clerk to find them accommodations at an inn for them as well as any materials they might need.
“Wow, right back to it, eh? What are you going to do about the other players? They will all likely be offline until after the timer expires,” Delling asked.
“I’m not sure. Looks like the system is restricting this quest and not allowing me to add other players. I’m told I can add other allied forces to mine, though. I know the dwarves are sending troops, but we should also send word to Beremund. I believe he will honor our agreement and send forces to help. If you could send a messenger to him for me that would be a huge help. Let the Drebix know to meet us on the road leading north toward Holdfast and to not try and approach the town on his own. The foes are too numerous.”
“Not a problem, Raytak. I’ll send word and a bag of the runes over to their tribe. I’ll hold down the fort here and make sure the town and your defensive garrison positions in the zone are protected by the runes,” Delling advised.
“Thanks. I didn’t think about sending runes to the Drebix or to my defensive garrison forces. We’ll make a general of you yet, Delling,” I joked.
“Just make sure to win this quest. The zone growth will be huge if we add Holdfast after you clear it. That alone will give me enough xp for a level, not to mention a big bump in tax revenue which helps us both,” Delling said. I took leave of the mayor, taking a sack of runestones to bring with us on the quest as well as to place about the garrison. I was stopped by Ty at the entrance to the garrison.
“Hey Raytak, you heading out?” Ty asked somewhat nervously, which was unusual for the unflappable Marine.
“Yes. I just got word of some invasion of parasitic insects taking over the zone that I have to stop. Want to join up on a bug hunt?” I asked, knowing Ty loved a good battle.
“That’s what I came to find you for. I have to leave in a bit,” Ty said.
“That’s cool. Another individual quest?” I asked.
“No, I have to leave as in log out. According to Clio, my mind is well enough to jump back into the real world. My family is there waiting for me. My wife, kids, and grandkids have all gathered. I’m sorry to leave you in the lurch with the quest . . . I just don’t know if I’ll be playing again,” Ty advised.
The revelation from Ty left me a bit stunned. Immediately I was excited for what was awaiting him when he logged out. After pondering again for a moment, my heart sank. I knew we would be out at some point, but I had never considered that Ty would be ready first.
“Nothing to apologize for, my friend. I’m just glad one of us is getting back to the real world. I’m sure I’ll be joining you soon enough,” I said with a smile that didn’t quite reflect my true emotions.
“Well . . . here goes. I can see a logout button! Goodbye, Raytak. I’ll see you soon in the real world. Don’t get into too much trouble. The Marine Corps isn’t going to be around to save you next time,” Ty joked, selecting something I couldn’t see. And just like that, he was gone.
A tear slid down my cheek as my friend logged out. I suddenly felt very alone. The other players had been great companions in game, but Ty had not only been my friend in real life but also was in the game nearly every hour that I was. I could only hope that I would join him back in reality soon. I was curious about my own family and hoped my mind and memories would be restored soon.
I went through the motions of mustering my forces for the defense of the zone. The 1st Legion of Hayden’s Knoll marched forth to battle without fanfare or cadence. My forces’ mood was as solemn as my own; perhaps the AI had them mimic their commander in this way.
I
had the Ignominia platoon in the lead, followed by alpha company, then the engineers with their equipment, and bravo company in the rear. The scouts were placed about the formation far enough away to find trouble but close enough to get help when they found it. I hadn’t neglected supplies this time and Delling had given us three wagons and a half dozen small carts from the town for our use. The wagons were worn with use but sturdy and the horses drawing them were used to a heavier load than our resupply of javelins, ammo for the siege equipment, food, and medical supplies.
We made good progress over the slowly improving roadways and camped just outside the ruins of the old Hayden’s Knoll, the burned-out wreckage of the town a reminder of the cost of failure. The next morning found us heading north after dropping off a rune to the defenders at the crossroads. We made good time and I guessed we were halfway to Holdfast when evening came. As I was notified that it was time for my medication refills, for the first time in-game, I almost looked forward to the oblivion that waking up to the real world brought.
Chapter 31
Ty’s eyes blinked in the bright light that filled them. He felt weak, so weak compared to what he felt in-game. There was pain, also: the familiar aches and pains he had felt slowly creep up on him as he had gotten older. His mind felt a bit sluggish, and he recalled the AI in-game had been helping him think as quick as he did when he was young. Ty took a lung full of air in a gasp. The air tinged with the unmistakable smell of a hospital, cleaners and disinfectant masking other, less pleasant things.
“Mr. Ty, can you understand me okay? I’m doctor Greenway. I just need to ask you a few questions and get some vitals before we have the very excited family waiting outside join you for a reunion,” the doctor stated. Ty struggled to speak and croaked out a yes.