I smiled at her. “Sorry, Lily, just got caught up in some work.”
“I heard,” she said, taking a seat beside me and sliding the dinner tray up to me. She looked different than usual. Normally she let her blond long hair go free, but today it was bound together tightly into a bun. Her usual black and white apron had been replaced with a deep maroon outfit and she was wearing white gloves, something I had never seen her wear before. Something was amiss. But what was it?
I didn’t really know Lily as anyone other than a head maid. Sure, she spent a great deal of time bringing me food or drink, often leaving them outside the lab and knocking a few times a day to remind me to eat, but otherwise, we didn’t really interact. There was never any reason to.
“Is something bothering you, ma’am?” I said in between bites. She winced at the word ma’am. Right. I was the Gentleman of the House now; I wasn’t supposed to give deference to the staff anymore. That was going to be a hard habit to break out of. But should I really bother following them? Societal rules always seemed so labored and contrived. Etiquette be damned, I say!
“Master…” she said, sighing heavily. Her face drooped down into a deep, worried frown. “When shall we mourn? Your uncle was a great man to all of us, but…you haven’t given us any time off. We are forced to work each day as if nothing had changed. As if three beautiful lives weren’t taken from us. Even your brother, rare as his visits were, caught the eye of many a maid here. This manor is a place of tragedy and sorrow, yet you press on like nothing happened.”
I felt the blood rush out of my face at this revelation. Was this something for me to handle? Normally…oh wait. Normally my cousin Thomas handled the matters of the estate. With him dead, who was in charge?
“Erm, Lily, I…may have neglected to realize that I was responsible for such affairs,” I said, rubbing the back of my head. “I’m quite busy with defending the estate from danger. It’s all very complicated, but, please, I’m no slave driver. What’s the appropriate time off in these circumstances?”
Lily looked at me with curiosity, unsure of what to say. I sat up a little more, shifting in my seat. As I moved, her eyes narrowed at the sight of the pendant around my neck and she raised a gloved hand to her mouth in surprise. Or was it horror? “You’ve joined the Gentleman’s War?” she asked. “I thought the Blakes did not partake in such a thing.”
Had Sigmund not told anyone else? Well, to be fair he wasn’t in charge of managing the household, just managing the Gentleman of the House and his kin. Damn, everything was falling apart around me, and I hadn’t the experience nor the brainpower to handle it all at once. “Well, we don’t have much of a choice, Miss Lily.” I lowered my voice for a moment and looked around at the maids and servants who were waiting nearby for orders. I paused and decided to try something.
“Leave us,” I said, waving my hand towards the staff. At once, they all left without saying a word. A little thrill ran through me. I had never thought of myself as particularly commanding, but…it was refreshing to see that they indeed would listen to what I said.
I looked back at the worried head maid, feeling a pang of guilt as she wrung her fingers, trying her best not to look afraid. I suppose what I was about to tell her wouldn’t make her feel any better, but…Lily had been in our family since she was a child. I remember her growing up alongside me all the same. I remember how she had brought me cakes and treats after my parents had died, all in an attempt to help soothe my pain. She was a part of this household as any family member and I could trust her. “My uncle, cousins and brother were assassinated. What looked like accidents were the work of some kind of assassin,” I explained with a sigh. A pallor immediately washed over the woman and I could see the tears form in her eyes. But she did not weep. Instead, she took a deep breath and held her emotions in check. I continued.
“And the only way to insulate myself from meeting the same fate is to join the Great Game. I’ll admit, Lily, I’ve no clue what I’m doing. I was never ambitious for leadership or running an estate. My uncle poured a fortune into my college education because he knew my heart was in alchemy, and he was proud of that. But now…well, we’re poised to lose everything. The Manor, our family name, everything. Unless I do something.”
“I see,” Lily said quietly. “I had suspected some strangeness, but no one has told me anything. Richard, if you’re going to be involved in these things, in this game as you call it, then you’ll need to appoint someone to handle the estate’s affairs.”
I nodded and gently reached a hand towards Lily’s. She did not pull back, allowing me to take her hand in mine, and I squeezed tightly. “Would you consider the job? I know as head maid, you’ve got a handle on getting the staff to keep things going around here, but you’re someone I know I can trust.”
She squeezed my hand back and smiled at me. “Of course, sir. I will begin managing the estate itself at once. But…I fear for you. For you entering this war.”
“What do you mean? It’s just a means of defense.”
“For now,” she said. “And then, one day, you’ll look around and see that we are safe and sound. And I fear that ambition, or hunger for glory may creep up in your heart. There is a lot to win if you engage in this Great Game offensively. My mother, Stars rest her soul, was a refugee from a household that collapsed from overplaying the game. We came here to escape a megalomaniac who was desperate to make a name for himself. To claim as much land as he could. She told me such stories every week to remind me to stay humble.”
“I had no idea,” I said. “But don’t worry about that, Lily. I’m not the kind who lets ambition go to his head.”
Lily looked at me harshly. She wasn’t angry at the statement, but it was clear that she did not approve of what I had said. “If you don’t know your own capacity for greed, then you will never notice when you have gone over the edge,” she replied. “No great tyrant thinks themselves in the wrong. Be careful, Richard. For there are greater dangers than losing your family name. And all of them will be present in this game you have chosen to play.”
Chapter 8
“Bah,” Sigmund said as we walked around the outside of the battlefield, observing the great towers in their stead. “What does a maid know about the most noble of games? Don’t let Lily get in your head, sir. So what if we take a few territories? She won’t be complaining when she gets an apron made out of silk, I’ll tell you that much.”
In the distance, I could hear the rumbling of many wagons. At first, I had thought it to be thunder. But when the thunder didn’t cease and a servant rushed up, informing us that sixteen huge wagon trains were on their way, I realized that my opponent was arriving.
“I’m not sure her fears are unwarranted,” I said, watching as the first wagon came into view. It was a horseless carriage, of course, but significantly larger than a regular carriage. It bore a great metal crate on its back and it struggled to get up the hill. “But I suppose that’s for another day.”
“Are you ready, lad?” Sigmund said, rubbing his hands together. He had dressed in his old military outfit, a black coat with many medals upon them and thick riding boots meant for taking a horse into battle. It looked somewhat ridiculous, but I dare not say a word. He was a relic from the old days, days when men fought with swords and spears, instead of magic and crystal. He could dress however he liked, as far as I cared.
“I suppose so. How does this all work?” I asked, realizing that I wasn’t ready at all. The battlefield was all set up, but I didn’t know much about anything. I had three days to prepare. Three days was all it took for Lady Efera to ride her forces all the way here. This was going to be a mess, one way or the other.
As the wagons rolled up to the battlefield, I felt my necklace begin to buzz violently. Attackers have arrived appeared in my vision and a loud horn rang in my ears, heralding the arrival of my enemy.
“You just kick back and let your planning do the work,” Sigmund said. “Or you can dir
ect your units too, but I don’t think you have anything you can order around, have you?”
I shook my head. “Everything’s set up.”
“Then relax and enjoy the show,” the old man said, slapping me on the back. “You’ll do great.”
The wagons ceased rolling all at once. The large metal crates on their backs all began to unfold themselves, revealing dozens of Stone Golems as well as two Siege Golems. My eyes went wide. I could count maybe 24 total. There was no way my maze could fight that.
“Hello boys,” Lady Efera said as she exited her stagecoach. She was wearing the most outrageous dress I had ever seen. It was a long, flowing red dress with a deep V cut in the middle, revealing quite a bit, causing me to blush a little. If you hadn’t guessed it yet, I wasn’t really much of a ladies’ man, what with all my constant time spent in a lab, working on some new project. This clothing only served to intimidate me even more.
“If our general had dressed like that, we probably would have fought a hell of a lot harder, I’ll tell you that much,” Sigmund mumbled to me, elbowing me in the ribs. I ignored his joke and approached the woman, keeping my head held high. My eyes continued to widen as more and more wagons arrived, almost doubling the number of units. I felt like I was about to pass out.
“Richard, I take it you put those crystals to good use?” the Lady asked as she approached, reaching out her hand to me. I was quick to take it and bow down, kissing it gently, as was the custom.
“Indeed,” I said, trying to clear my throat. “You will see behind us is a veritable killing field. You’d do well to call this attack off and spare yourself the units.”
She laughed heartily at this, throwing her head back in glee. “Come now, you can’t expect me to travel all this way without giving you a little test? Are you prepared? Shall we summon the Judge?”
I glanced at Sigmund who merely shrugged at me, as if to say ’you’re on your own here.’ Perhaps it was a foolish act of panic, at having seen so many units, but I quickly opened up the Grid and purchased nine more Stone Golems, placing them in the center of the maze to act as another buffer. They say to never let the enemy see you sweat, but I guarantee you that she could see the veritable ocean streaming down my head.
“Yes,” I said. “Summon the Judge. Let’s get this over with.”
With that, Lady Efera pulled off her own Starmetal Signet and raised it high towards the sky. “I intend to invade the Burning Barrows. My objective is to seize the land.” Her voice echoed as she stated her goal and suddenly, a great beam of light struck her locket. There was a flash and, before our eyes, a tall structure grew at the entrance to the maze. It was an observation tower with a single deck, looming over the entire battlefield.
“That’s one of the Queen’s Men!” Sigmund whispered to me, pointing out the shadowy figure standing atop the observation tower. He was an imposing man, wearing a black cloak and holding in his hand a long wooden sign. On one side, there was an X, and on the other, there was an O.
“Have the combatants agreed to terms of this duel?” the Judge stated, his voice so amplified it was as if he were standing right in front of me.
Lady Efera looked at me. “Are my terms acceptable?”
“Do I have a choice?” I asked.
“This is a formality. A chance for you to surrender while keeping your status and dignity,” she whispered, winking at me. “Don’t worry about it sweetie, I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
I nodded, sighing heavily. “We have, your Honor.” Looks like it was time to start. Did I have anything to do during the actual battle? All of the units I had placed were dumb, so to speak, so they didn’t really require any kind of direction. But I couldn’t just sit back and wait, could I?
“Then by the authority of the Crown, I authorize this warfare as both legitimate and honorable,” the Judge boomed. He raised his sign and flipped it so that the O was facing us. “Begin!”
At once, I felt my Signet shimmer violently, pulling me upwards, back to the Grid. An attack has begun! appeared in my vision, notifying me of what I already knew.
My vision shifted as I gazed upon the battlefield. The resources and building tabs vanished. On the right-hand side were the words Wave 1/3. On the left, I could see Enemies Remaining: 12. So, they would be coming in waves. Well, that was a good thing, for my towers wouldn’t be so overwhelmed.
At the bottom of my vision, there were four circles with different symbols on them. I quickly focused on each symbol, reading what they meant.
Active Abilities:
- Tower Overdrive: Increases a selected Tower’s damage by 100% for 30 seconds. Cooldown time: 1 wave.
- Detonate Golem: Immediately destroy a golem you control. The explosion deals significant damage to all enemies nearby. Cooldown Time: 15 seconds.
- Alchemical Bombardment: Targets an area and drops an alchemical substance of your choosing, coating all units in the bombardment. Cooldown Time: 1 wave.
- Structure Repair: Spend 5 Fire Spice to immediately repair a structure. Cooldown Time: 1 wave.
I see, so these abilities allowed me to actively change the flow of the battle. Interesting stuff. Using one of these abilities at the exact right time would ensure swift victory for me. I just had to pay attention and look for opportunities to turn the tide of battle.
I felt my stomach churn as more noise sounded in my ears, informing me that the battle was beginning. At the entrance to the maze, I watched as 12 Stone Golems came lumbering in, one after the other. They were all clumped together, making me desperately wish that I had bought the Miniature Trebuchet. Such a weapon would almost certainly break apart this group.
The golems came barreling in, moving rather slowly. They struggled to navigate the turns of the maze, I noticed. For they would reach the end point and stop almost completely, looking left to right, and then finally realizing the path to take. As soon as the first golem came within range of all four towers, bursts of brilliant blue energy came crashing onto it from all sides.
A small red health bar appeared over the Stone Golem, rapidly depleting as it struggled to continue down the maze. The Karrack Towers were dealing tremendous amounts of damage, and before the golem could even make it to the west end of the maze, it had fallen apart.
“Yes!” I cheered, elation overtaking me. While there were 11 more golems to go, I was pleased to see that my maze design had worked perfectly. The towers immediately began selecting their next target, another Stone Golem at the front of the pile. By this point, my ballistae were beginning to go crazy, firing shot after shot at random targets, slowly reloading as the enemy continued through the maze.
The ballistae were dealing considerable damage to just about every target. A single shot took about 30% of a Stone Golem’s health. With the Karrack Towers working their magic, rapidly draining the frontrunner, the bodies were beginning to pile up. By the time they made it to the eastern turn, the enemy had lost 4 more golems.
But trouble was brewing. The eastern checkpoint was unfortunately the last spot where my Karrack Towers could hit. The golems would be free and clear to proceed through the rest of the maze, only hit by ballistae. The reload times were obviously a major weakness. One would not think 15 seconds to be very long at all, but in the heat of battle, it felt like a small eternity. Despite how slow the enemy golems were, they covered a significant amount of ground in 15 seconds. Perhaps it was time for me to use my Overdrive ability.
Targeting the central ballista with pure focus, I activated Overdrive. Immediately, an orange aura wrapped around the turret and the word Overdrive hovered above its head. 30 seconds of extra power meant 2 shots. The turret spun towards the first target, one of the Stone Golems at the back of the line, lagging behind so badly it was now alone. With a thwunk, the ballista fired its heavy metal bolt straight into the core of the damaged golem, causing it to immediately fall apart. With gears grinding as the reload mechanism went to work, the turret then spun towards t
he golem at the front of the line, firing another fatal shot. 2 more down!
The four remaining golems lumbered into the center of the maze, where my panic-purchased Stone Golems were waiting. These big beasts did not move to meet their attacks, instead just waiting patiently. More ballistae struck the four remaining golems, but they did not go down just yet. Upon reaching my forces, a melee broke out. My golems were glowing bright orange at this point and Lady Efera’s forces were bright red, allowing us to distinguish who was fighting who.
There was no grace nor elegance to these beasts. They smashed their gigantic fists into one another’s bodies, taking chunks of stone out of each other with each blow. But my golems were fresh and healthy, Efera’s were battered and still taking damage from the Ballista Towers, which seemed to have no trouble firing into melee accurately. A few seconds passed and the results were in. Four enemy golems destroyed, my nine barely scratched.
I noticed that these golems hadn’t done much damage to the enemy, but they had served as roadblocks. The enemy golems, stupid and mindless, stopped completely to fight my nine forces. They could have just as easily pushed past them and kept going. Interesting. Definitely something I could exploit later on.
A whistle blew as the Judge, who I could see from my bird’s-eye view quite easily, flipped his sign to X. “First round is over. Both sides may take 5 minutes to prepare for the next wave.”
“Not bad. This maze is…a remarkable design. Frankly, I’ve never seen anyone use barricades to waste so much time,” the Lady said, her disembodied voice floating around me. “Count me impressed.”
I didn’t respond, for my eyes were affixed to a great timer that appeared in the center of my vision. I had five minutes to make changes, including moving units around. I better move quickly!
Gentleman's Wars: The Rules of Engagement: A Tower Defense LitRPG Series (The Great Game Book 1) Page 5