by Mars Dorian
Odin’s smile widened. The kind of smile I didn’t want to see on his scarred, smug face. “Oh, I know, Dash. In fact, our scouts have found their main village, located in a carved-out valley near the Northern coast.”
I swallowed. Odin had found the home village of the Preshaar. It slowly but surely dawned on me what kind of grandiose mission he had in mind for me.
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Quest: Where the Wild Things Are
Type: Base Assault/elimination
Description: Lieutenant Colonel Odin’s scouts have found the location of the Preshaar main village in the Northern Killa Kanyons. Join the assault force, kill the leader, and wipe out the beast men infestation.
Rewards: 8.500 credits, cont. experience, 1x weapon/tool upgrade of your choice, 1x skill point
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Insane rewards.
I mean, 8,500 credits AND experience AND an upgrade of my choice AND a free skill point? The goodie overkill. But it felt morally wrong to accept this quest. I mean, my goal was to sway the Preshaar into joining the Blue Flame rebellion. And now I was involuntarily fighting for the enemy. And still, this was a freaking game, and none of these characters were real. I had to keep in mind that I was surrounded by ones and zeroes in the form of non-playable characters.
NPC.
NPC.
NP-freaking-Cs.
“Why are you hesitating?” Odin asked.
If only he’d know about the moral battle I was fighting inside my brain. But Odin, just like any fictional character within the game, lacked self-awareness. He followed his dynamic script and believed he really fought against beast men and rebel groups.
“The last days have been a wild ride, to be honest.”
Still, I resided in a potentially dangerous territory. Odin was a schemer using every resource to bring down the enemy. And I was his temporary tool of choice, nothing more. I quickly accepted the quest. As Sparrow had said, I could abort any mission midway through. I could still turn this around and join the good fight.
Odin nodded with closed eyes. “Splendid. Meet with your assigned squad leader in the tactics and strategy section.”
He handed me over a map of the garrison. A labyrinth of rooms, testing grounds, connected via military-styled metal corridors. A red cross appeared on the second level, signed ‘target destination’. The information updated on my mini-map in the virtual vision.
“Feel free to join the training center or armory any time.”
I nodded. Both of Odin’s hands rested on my shoulder plates. He pulled the tough mentor trope on me. “If we win this fight against those beasts, we’ll take the entire island, Dash. I’ll get promoted, which means I can recommend your services to the high-council. They will drown you in credits and mechanical upgrades.”
Damn, he went full seductive ‘Dark Balzac’ on me.
It was hard to believe that I once fought this guy in a liberation quest. It was even harder to believe that after slamming him into a house facade, he still wanted me to join his side. Weren’t villains supposed to be soulless, vindictive SOBs?
“Thank you, sir.”
He saluted me goodbye. Outside the corridor, I followed the target pointer of my e-scroll’s map. I dashed through the hallways and neared the strategy and tactics section on the second floor of the garrison. Captain Wedge and his first lieutenant, Cadfael, from the previous quest instructed dozens of mercenaries. The briefing stopped when all heads in the chamber turned to me.
Wedge rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to hear your foul excuses on why you’re late. Just shut up and listen.” He continued his briefing and pointed a stick at his wall scroll. It featured the map of the Western Crescent and the location of the Preshaar village on the northern part of the giant island.
“The target village is located in-between the Killa Kanyons. The only direct access is through the north-western gate which is heavily fortified and guarded by two watch towers. Attacking the gate would result in needless losses. Besides, the narrow entrance allows the beast men to create a chokepoint and wipe us out, soldier by soldier.”
One Syndicate merc moaned. “They’re freaking furballs with bows and spears. They’re no match for our tech.”
The captain sighed. “Never underestimate the enemy, no matter how hairy.” He drew a skyline between the garrison and the village. “The best way to reach the village and launch a surprise attack is to come from the southern Killa Kanyons and avoid the fortified entrance altogether.”
That was be possible but would require long distances of climbing. Another officer in the chamber raised the same suspicion but the captain disarmed his worry before the merc could mouth it. “Oh, we’re neither going to ride nor climb the Killa Kanyons. Lieutenant Colonel Odin has ordered a little gift from the Syndicate HQ that should help us traverse the boulders with ease.”
The mercs and officers in the room exchanged bewildered glances. I had a faint idea of what was coming up.
First Lieutenant Cadfael took over. “We will dispatch four fire squads consisting of melee fighters, rangers, and enablers to compensate for each other’s weaknesses. Stay within the optimal combat range of your squad and do not break up formation. These furry creatures like to single out units and attack from above and behind, which is why we need cover fire.” He pointed toward a photo-realistic drawing of a certain female Preshaar I knew all too well. “Our primary target is the Preshaar Chieftain, Kharra, which is supposed to be in the area at the time of the assault. The secondary objective is to terminate the beast men forces and take control over the village. Questions?”
One merc shot up from his chair and held up his tactical blade. “Let’s beat the shit out of these beast men.”
Everyone in the chamber cheered.
Oh boy, what had I myself gotten into?
25
Captain Wedge dispersed the group and guided us to an adjacent hangar where workers in heavy gear buzzed around. Some carried heavy weapon crates, others fumbled with pipes, hydraulic machinery, and replacement parts for crafts. I matched my speed to First Lieutenant Cadfael since he was one of the few Sunbleeders I could somehow get along with. “So we don’t take the bulkors?”
“Distance is too great and difficult to traverse.”
We reached a vast space under the hanger ceiling. An armored craft reminiscent of a steampunk frigate came into view. It resembled the size of a single train wagon with military-grade hull plating.
“An airship?”
“A small, C-class troop transporter,” Cadfael said with a hesitant voice. “We requested B-class frigates, but the high-council—”
“It’ll suffice,” captain Wedge said. “We don’t need any ship turrets when we’re rocking those devils.”
He pointed toward our mercenary squad which cheered with wild roars. Some even shot their buffed up arms into the air and yelled something manly. Probably a slang term only Sunbleeders used.
“Tell ‘em,” Wedge said to Cadfael.
“The C-class troop transporter is a midrange airship with a loading capacity of up to twenty units. It contains ground hatches and coil ropes that soldiers use to rappel toward the ground battle zone. The armor plating should easily withstand enemy arrow fire.” He walked up to the dented hull plating and strove his fingers past the surface holes. “It’s a used model from the previous generation, no longer used by the main forces.”
“Still works,” the captain quickly said. “It’ll carry our men and fly over the canyons. That’s all we need.”
Two workers wearing heavy gear reminiscent of old deep-sea diving equipment arrived with a wagon. They carried a fortified crate, plugged out the crystal, and installed the boulder-sized rock into the rear component of the transporter airship.
“So that’s how you power them up,” I said.
Cadfael nodded. “This is a refined composite crystal created from dozens of harvested raw crystals. Unfortu
nately, airships need a lot of energy to defy gravity.”
That was probably the reason why few airships floated in the skies of Fourlando. They simply burned through too many Reepo crystals to become a mainstream transportation device. Maybe that would change once the Syndicate claimed more harvest sites.
The workers sealed the crystal with multiple layers of adjustable plating and shut the thick rear hatch. A dull, metallic clonk sound echoed through the hall.
“Ready to go, sir,” they said like puppets in front of the captain. Another NPC, probably the pilot, stepped into the cockpit and flipped on mechanical levels and buttons. “Ready when you are, sir.”
Captain Wedge entered the rear hatch entrance of the transporter and ordered the soldiers to follow up. Six units sat on each of the two benches inside the troop cabin and faced each other with their face shields closed. I fastened my seat belt and lay my gloved hands on the armrests next to me. A mechanical roar shook up the ground below my boots as the transporter activated its engines.
The captain sat opposite of me and grinned. He exposed his teeth, covered with an iron tint. Despite the heavy monetary rewards, the Syndicate dental service must have sucked donkey dick.
“Get ready, ladies. We’re going to ride our first metal bird and we’re going to ride her hard.”
Chuckles from the soldiers. Our airship lifted toward the hangar ceiling that parted. We kissed the sky and sliced through the clouds as our airship blasted across the vast and mountainous landscape of the Western Crescent.
An update echoed from the pilot. “Estimated time of arrival—six minutes and twenty-two seconds.”
I looked at the map of my e-scroll. The route showed up as a wobbly red line that connected the Syndicate garrison with the Killa Kanyons. Even with a used and dented airship transporter, it would take us only a couple of minutes to reach the target zone. Incredible. Heck, why didn’t Balzac use a similar craft for his rebellion? I knew he hated any technology dependent on Reepo crystals, but this flight outmatched any cumbersome fowl or boat journey. And it seemed safer, too.
Meanwhile, the Sunblood mercs watched me with glee. Wolves wrapped in composite armor plates.
“Your virgin ride?” one of them asked.
All eyes on me. “I’ve ridden many airships before,” I said. “Ships that reach the orbit and travel faster than sound.”
The men cracked up like I told the raunchiest joke when I actually spoke the truth. I once rode an orbital super-sonic jet from the US to Australia, but try explaining that to NPCs. They still believed that airships fueled by poisonous crystals were the greatest thing ever. And while the men blabbered to each other, talking about which women they poked and how much credits they made, I pulled up the local map of the Preshaar village on the upper-right corner of my HUD and planned my escape. With more than a dozen of soldiers and many more Preshaar during the mission, chaos would ensue. I could use the confusion, sneak across the narrow valleys of the spires in the beast men village, and get the hell out of the battle zone. The Sunbleeders would be too busy dealing with the beast men to stop my advance. And if some of them spotted my escape, I could take them on with my advanced gear and skills. I could easily wipe out four soldiers at a time. Harpoon, blade swipe, mines, win.
“What are you thinking about, renegade?” captain Wedge asked me.
He must have spotted my pondering spree. God, why were these NPCs so aware of my facial expressions? I knew the game algorithm was smart, but it reached a scary amount of realism nowadays.
“I’m thinking about the optimal way to engage with the Preshaar… beast men, sir. I know you find them primitive, but they’re formidable warriors. Once they go full rage, they unleash moves at the speed of sound. Especially their seasoned leaders.”
“That’s why we have you on-board. You have fought among and against them.”
Another merc grinned from the left of my seat. “Harpoon those suckers and make their hairy asses kiss your blade.”
“That was the plan,” I said matter-of-factly.
The mercs laughed. The captain grinned at least.
The pilot updated his flight plan. “We’re floating above the Killa Kanyons. Prepare for drop-off in the landing zone.”
The chatting stopped. Wedge told us to attach the ropes from the coil frames above our heads to the anchor points of our gear. I watched my colleagues as the rumbles shook up the iron ground below my boots.
“We have to decrease altitude to drop you guys, so hang tight,” the pilot said.
Captain Wedge yelled again. “Check your ropes and make sure they’re properly attached, or else you’re going to end up a bloody pudge for your mamas to wipe away.”
I checked mine and followed the instructions.
“Wait, I’m not sure if—”
Too late. The hatches opened beneath my boots. Our armored bodies dropped into free-fall as the ropes uncoiled above our helmets. The bird view of the Preshaar village appeared below me. The spires, the tower-shaped houses, and the earthy, rocky ground. Hundreds of Preshaar craned their heads at us and barked commands. The gravity pulled on my boots. All soldiers touched ground and cut the rope from their gear.
“Swarm out,” captain Wedge said. “Stay in fire team formation and aim for the melee fighters first. Anyone who brings me the head of the leader gets a fat bonus.”
Bonus update: You get +100 credits for every Preshaar killed.
Bonus update: You get +1500 credits for the chieftain’s head.
The troops shouted their lungs out as they unleashed their gunblades and engine shields. They dispersed from the landing zone and spread out, targeting the incoming warriors in their four-unit fire teams. Two melees, one ranger, and one enabler.
Needless to say, chaos unleashed.
I escaped the center of the riot and ran into a back alley between two spires, hoping to find a path to escape.
Fat chance.
Above me, two Preshaar jumped out their windows and landed both in front and behind me. The analyzer function gave me a rundown:
Enemy: Preshaar Guardian
Type: Elite melee beast man
HP: 5670
Armor: Medium adaptive plating (+3), -50% projectile damage
Drops: Credits, Bone blades
Ability: HP<50% = trigger: hi-bloodrage
This was a moment where I wished I was a Stalker. I could have activated my stealth ability and disappeared from the beast men’s range of vision. But wishful thinking wasn’t going to save my ass.
“I don’t want to fight,” I said. “I only want to get away.”
Another hopeless plea, so I readied my smokers and my upgraded harpoon gun glove. I didn’t even bother to wait for the Preshaar’s reaction. I rolled sideways, threw a smoker on the ground, and clouded the alley. Two beast men stunned for at least ten seconds, zero casualties. A win in my book.
I left the alley and looked across the corner. Dozens of Preshaar hurried along the rocky steps and sprinted toward the center of the village where the attack had originated from. Dozens of meters above the spire, the C-class transporter airship reached into higher altitude. A couple of Preshaar climbed the peaks of their spire tops and launched arrows and spears at the airship. The darts either missed or bounced off the transporter’s hull plating and caused forgettable damage. +6 medium-heavy armor was hard to crack, especially if your arsenal consisted of arrows and spears.
First lieutenant Cadfael entered my alley, eyes sparking with ferocity. An enabler shadowed him from behind. “Are you deserting your duty?”
“Me? No way. I was looking… for the guards on the watch tower.”
Crap. How else was I supposed to flee? The fast way was through the main gate leading to the coast. But I had no idea how to part the doors manually.
“Join me,” Cadfael said. “Captain Wedge and his fire team are looking for the leader.”
I had no intention of aiding their quests, but I needed to find a better escape moment. “All ri
ght.”
We headed back to the center of the village. I wondered whether I could sneak into the stable, steal a fowl, and then storm out of here, but even that posed a challenge.
“Beasts at twelve o’clock,” Cadfael said.
Two melee warriors and one thrower with similar stats as the one before. They came for us like a blood-lusty wolf pack. The enabler behind me and Cadfael boosted our stats. My attack speed increased by thirty-three percent, damage by twenty percent. “I got your cover,” Cadfael said while I deflected the incoming stab attacks of the melee beast man with my BlitzBlade. Every new attack fired up my blood pressure. “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want to fight you.”
Guess the reasonable answer?
“Die, smelly dwarf. Die a million deaths.”
Maybe Odin was right. Maybe they were just a bunch of feral savages who fought anyone in their way. I still feared fighting them, but not as much as I feared my WarTech’s permadeath. My BlitzBlade charged and caused stunning electro-damage. After the third time, the Preshaar shocked. I stabbed him in the neck and went for the next target. With Cadfael covering my back and the enabler skyrocketing my attack stats, I was on a roll. I slashed the next beast man and fired my chain into his rear. Since my new armor outweighed his total weight, I pulled the chain and threw the Preshaar across the back alley. He slammed into the facade of a spire and KO’d slipping down.
Cadfael finished his target and whistled. “You’re a machine.”
“I’m tired of getting attacked despite my peace requests. I only defend myself.”
“Why do you still insist on treating them like humans? You’ve seen how feral they are. Dash, they’re bloodthirsty monsters with no remorse. Realizing that will prolong your life.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Then make it easy.”
I still thought about fleeing, though. That’s why I targeted the stable of the village, hoping to find a muscle-bound fowl ready to take me out of here. Cadfael and his enabler unit followed me. “Captain Wedge has ordered us to the southern section of the village, Dash.”