He looked around at the grim faces of his visitors. “I need to speak to Rhonda about a few things, so I’ll give you all ten minutes to decide.”
Taking his seat, he motioned for Rhonda to sit across from him. “I’ll keep this short. I was hoping that you and your people would want to join us as citizens of Invictus. Besides the protection and opportunities we offer, you all get some decent buffs just for being one of my people. Buffs that might help in this morning’s fight.”
Rhonda stared into his eyes for a moment, as if trying to see something beyond his words. “We talked about it some last night. A lot of my people are in favor of joining up. I’m not as convinced.”
“If you’re worried about losing your position, you would become one of my advisors. Maybe even a Minister once we figure out what your skills are and how you fit in with the rest of us.” He waited, but she didn’t reply. After half a minute, he changed the subject.
“The other thing I wanted to talk about is your Stronghold. I want your permission to blast the hell out of it.”
Her eyes widened and brows furrowed and she opened her mouth to respond, but Allistor held up a hand, and she closed it again.
“Hear me out, please. You tried to capture a Stronghold last night, one that was barely defended to begin with, and you lost somebody. Nearly lost several more. Trying to take a Stronghold occupied by potentially hundreds of level thirty to forty goblins is going to cost a lot more lives. Especially if we try to do it using just ground forces. Instead of throwing away precious human lives, I’d like to pound the hell out of those goblins using a couple of our ships. Then, when most of them are dead, and the walls compromised, we can move in ground troops and finish them.”
Rhonda shook her head as she considered his words. Allistor could see her looking for a reason to refuse. In the end, though, his logic won out.
“You’re right. The buildings themselves are not worth more than the lives of our people. Thank you, for pointing that out. And yes, I approve of your plan to wipe them out. In fact, melt the whole thing down to glass if you need to. I think we’ll be coming to live here with you.”
Allistor grinned and held out a hand. Rhonda shook it, then got up and moved to speak with her people. Allistor turned to Gralen and his beastkin.
“Gralen, I’d like you to retrieve your ship and bring it here. I’d also like these officers to round up their best candidates for a bridge crew and take them to my yacht. They can supervise that crew while both ships pound those goblins into dust.”
Gralen simply saluted and moved toward the teleport pad as he spoke to Nigel.
Walking out to the lobby, Allistor found Prime standing near the exit. “Prime! I’m sure you’ve heard we’re attacking the goblin horde this morning. Have you detailed some battle droids to accompany us?”
“I have, Allistor. There are one thousand troops already marching northward toward the gates. They will arrive at the Stronghold in question in approximately twenty-five minutes.”
“Great! That’ll give me time to load up my raid crew, and get the mercenary ship here as well. Please have your troops surround the Stronghold and take out any goblins they find outside the walls. Once the air attack commences, they should kill any goblins attempting to escape.”
“So shall it be.” Prime saluted just as Gralen had done.
The raid groups were gathering in the lobby, along with Rhonda and her people.
“How many of you are coming along to deal with the goblins?”
About half of Rhonda’s people raised their hands.
“Great! Let’s get you some rifles. I’m going to give you regular Earth hunting rifles, because I intend to keep you too far back from the front lines to use plasma rifles.” He looked at Bjurstrom, who nodded and moved off toward the armory. “Follow Bjurstrom there, and he’ll get you situated. Meet back here in ten minutes. You’ll be getting a raid party invite from one of us. Just accept it so that you can share in the xp when the goblins start dying.”
While they waited, Harmon entered through the back doors with several of his orcanin. “Good morning, Allistor! I heard a rumor you’ll be demolishing a goblin horde this morning. I was wondering if a few of my specialists might tag along?”
“Of course, Harmon. But you should know, I intend to use my ships to pound them into oblivion before we charge in. There might not be much for your orcanin to do.”
Harmon grinned. “You misunderstand. While they are certainly willing to assist you in the battle, these orcanin specialize in the culinary arts.”
Allistor looked confused for a moment, then a light bulb went off. “And you want to make some goblin stew, or whatever. Gotcha! Happy to oblige!”
He grinned at Harmon and his chefs as Amanda whispered, “Ew.” behind him.
“Wonderful! They will, of course, turn over any loot they acquire to you and yours. Will you have room for them on your ship?”
“Yup! The droids are already headed there on foot, so only human and orcanin passengers this time.” Allistor nodded as Rhonda and her people approached with Bjurstrom. “And it looks like we’re ready to head out. I’ll see you later, Harmon.”
“Good hunting, Allistor. I’d invite you to the feast this evening…”
“Ha! Thanks, but no goblin stew for me.” Allistor waved to his merchant friend and headed out the door. His raid group walked the four blocks to the parking garage where they boarded the yacht. Kira, the beastkin, and their selected crew members trotted off to the bridge.
Allistor called out, “Nigel, ask Gralen when he will arrive, please.”
“Gralen has departed Denver and is en route. Estimated time of arrival is fifteen minutes, Sire.”
“Alright folks. You’ve got fifteen minutes to poke around the ship while we wait. If you get lost, just call out to Nigel or Alpha, and they will direct you back here.” More quietly, he said, “Nigel, please seal off the captain’s quarters, owner’s quarters, engineering, and any other sensitive areas.” He wasn’t worried about sabotage, but he didn’t want anyone accidentally breaking something. And he didn’t know half of these people yet.
Most of the new people opted to stay where they were. Allistor left the cargo bay along with a few who wanted to explore. “Anybody who wants to see the bridge, follow me.”
A minute or so later he was stepping onto the bridge. Kira was there, powering up the engines. The four beastkin officers were looking over the shoulders of the new crewmen. Allistor chuckled to see the same man who’d nearly started a war with the elves sitting at the weapons station. Walking over, he said, “Is this chair more comfortable?”
The poor man jumped in his seat, then turned to look up at Allistor. He was blushing, and couldn’t meet his Prince’s eyes. “Much better, boss.”
“Well, unlike last time, I’m going to expect you to fire those weapons today. Though, do me a favor and don’t target anything until we reach our destination. And only shoot down at the goblins. If you see anything that looks like it might be an elf, hold your fire.”
The man snorted. “Gotcha, boss. Lesson learned. I promise.” The other crewmen and beastkin grinned or laughed at the man’s discomfort.
Allistor spoke briefly to each of the new crewmen, offering words of encouragement and a pat on the shoulder. With a nod to the mercenary officers, he moved to stand behind Kira.
“Okay, so I have no idea how to do this. I’m going to say follow Gralen’s lead. I assume he’s going to hover, as that’s what they did when they attacked the Bastion. So match his altitude, make sure our guns are pointed in the right general direction, and uhh… do what he does.” Kira rolled her eyes at him.
It wasn’t long before the crewman at the sensors station reported that Gralen was arriving. Kira lifted off, and spun the ship to follow Gralen to their destination. It took less than two minutes to fly the short distance to Rhonda’s Stronghold. Kira matched Gralen’s altitude exactly, moving into position about a hundred yards off his port side. A
llistor watched the viewscreen as it shifted its focus downward.
There were more goblins than he’d thought. Apparently the force that had followed Rhonda and her people was just a small portion of the overall horde. The ground inside the Stronghold’s walls was thick with goblins pouring out of the buildings and dashing back and forth. The gates, which had been standing open, were quickly closed. Goblins lined the walls, and arrows began to fly up toward the ships. The primitive weapons didn’t even make it half the distance before falling back to earth.
The woman manning the communications station called out. “Incoming transmission from Gralen, screen three.”
Allistor didn’t know which was screen three, but went ahead and assumed it was the one with the big wolverine-like face on it. “Heya, Gralen. We’re just gonna follow your lead here. Prime has his troops surrounding the Stronghold, so try not to hit any of them? Oh! And if possible, Harmon would like us to leave enough bits to snack on. Other than that, I say let’s demolish this place.”
Gralen, who had started grinning at the snack comment, nodded. “We will drop a few high order explosives to begin with. There is no active shield at the moment, so the pressure wave will work to full effect.”
“Perfect! We’ll, uhh… shoot at whatever survives your bombs.” Allistor gave the Captain a thumbs-up. When Gralen’s face disappeared, Allistor looked to one of the beastkin.
“Pressure wave?”
The mercenary grinned, exposing sharp teeth. Allistor wasn’t positive but he thought she was a pantherkin. Her ears were slightly rounded, and her fur was nearly midnight black with a slight hint of spots. He had no idea whether it was offensive to ask, so he didn’t.
“High order explosives send out a massive pressure wave when they detonate. The force of the wave throws bodies off their feet, and often liquefies their softer organs. In an enclosed space like this Stronghold, the wave will be even more deadly, bouncing around within the small space. You requested ‘snacks’ for Harmon. This method will leave the goblins quite tenderized.”
She nodded toward the viewscreen, and Allistor shifted his gaze just in time to see something drop into the courtyard below. There was a fiery explosion that was smaller than Allistor had expected. But every goblin within fifty feet or so of the impact simply disappeared in a red mist mixed with concrete gravel and dust. Those farther away were tossed outward like ragdolls in a wide ring around the epicenter. Allistor’s stomach heaved as he saw goblin bodies pulverized against buildings. At least one of the crew members lost their lunch. Allistor started receiving experience notifications, then leveled up. He actually felt guilty over it.
“My god. That’s…” Allistor turned away as he noticed a second bomb falling toward the already devastated Stronghold. Though the viewscreen thankfully wasn’t transmitting sound, he heard the thump of the bomb’s detonation and felt the vibration through the ship’s deck. He pulled a canteen from his ring and took several sips of water.
The gunner, sounding slightly sick himself, called out, “The other ship’s guns are firing on remaining targets. Permission to fire, boss?”
Allistor looked at the screen again, seeing plasma bolts descending upon goblins along the top of the wall. Clearing his throat, he replied. “Permission granted. Fire.” His voice was rough, barely louder than a whisper, but the gunner heard him.
“Firing.” There was no excitement in his voice. It was clear the man just wanted to get the job over with. Allistor knew exactly how he felt.
He forced himself to watch until both ships ceased fire. The Stronghold below was a mess. Corpses covered nearly every square foot of the ground inside, as well as some areas where goblins had tried to flee out the gates or through holes that had been punched through the walls. The buildings inside were riddled with holes, a few of them partially collapsed.
Gralen’s face appeared on the screen again. “There are survivors inside, underground. Recommend sending in ground forces to root them out.”
Allistor nodded. “Kira, land the ship. It’s time for our people to do their thing.” He left the bridge and ran to the elevator. It only took him thirty seconds to reach the cargo bay and the raid party. The ship had landed in the street outside the gates, and the cargo bay ramp was lowering.
“Alright, my people, prepare to clear the buildings. Looks like we have some survivors inside and underground. Rhonda, you and your people remain here. If something other than us tries to get out that gate, shoot it. If they get too close, close the bay door and Kira will lift off.”
Rhonda nodded, clearly not liking it, but honoring her promise. “There’s only one underground level. Same size as the other floors, with a bunch of sleeping quarters, some storage rooms, and a kitchen with a big mess hall.” She and her people lined up along the wide opening as Allistor led his raiders down the ramp. There were more than fifty of them, all with weapons raised as they moved toward the open gates. One by one they stooped to loot bodies as they passed by.
Once they were inside, Allistor called out, “Loot later. Eyes in every direction folks. Nobody dies today, understand?”
McCoy and his party spun around so that they were facing the group’s rear, scanning the walls and all the nooks and crannies behind them. They walked sideways, pacing the group and keeping one eye on the bodies at their feet so as not to trip over them. The parties on the left and right flanks did the same, scanning their quadrants for threats.
Up close, the devastation caused by the two bombs was sickening. The smell of the ruptured and dismembered bodies was almost worse than the void titan armpit. A few of the humans vomited, which in turned caused a few more to join them. Allistor clamped his jaw shut and kept moving forward. His mini-map was picking up a feed from the ship sensors, showing a large number of red dots that indicated live goblins. They were too bunched together to count, and several of them were showing right beneath his feet.
“Alright, we go inside. As soon as there’s room, divide up by party. I want one watching our rear at all times. Healers, focus on your own parties unless one of your counterparts calls for help. You guys know how this works.” Looking left and right, he saw nods and determined faces. Taking a deep breath that he instantly regretted due to the smell, he led the way through the door of the main structure.
There were no lights on inside, but sunlight filtered through several holes in the walls and ceiling. The building had two floors, but most of the upper level had been demolished when the second bomb landed on it. The downward force of the blast had penetrated through the floor to the ground level, leaving scorch marks on the floor in front of them.
Off to his right, something shifted and a chunk of stone rolled toward him. Every eye and weapon in the room turned toward the movement. A tiny goblin hand emerged from a rubble pile, reaching out for a moment before going limp. The closest raider on the right flank moved over and drew a sword, jamming its point into the pile. The hand didn’t even twitch.
The Stronghold wasn’t a large one, and the main building was maybe three thousand square feet on the main level. The large hall that they were in had half a dozen doors along the walls in front and to the sides. Allistor motioned for the parties to spread out and clear the rooms. He waited in the main room with Helen, Amanda, Fuzzy, Michael, Ramon, and Dawn.
Allistor took a moment to admire Michael’s gear. The man had been working on his Smithing skills, crafting both plate and chain armor. Allistor had all but abandoned his own crafting skills after they’d seized the Denver mint and been able to purchase plasma rifles and other alien tech. He’d thought they’d outgrown the need for swords, spears, and the like. Now that he’d learned that melee combat was an honor thing, he was glad that Michael had continued on his path. He was wearing a full set of chain mail with a steel helm.
“Nice gear, Tanky McTankerson.” Allistor grinned at Michael, motioning for him to take the lead.
Michael snorted. “This is what I get for honing my crafting skills?” He stepped forward, an
d Allistor cast Barrier in front of him. Noticing the shimmer, Michael turned and nodded his thanks.
“Remind me when we get back. I’m holding a bunch of dragon hide somewhere. Maybe you and Lilly can make us all some enchanted dragonscale armor?”
“Oh, hell yes!” Michael gave a thumbs-up. “I’ve nearly leveled up enough to be able to use that stuff. And we have two other guys who are right behind me, skill level wise.”
The other parties began to filter back into the room one by one. Allistor hadn’t heard any gunfire, so he gave each party leader a questioning look as they returned. A couple of them held up bloodied blades, but most just shook their heads to indicate they’d found nothing.
When the whole raid was back in the main room, Allistor gave Michael a nudge. Their tank stepped forward, as did four more armored tanks from other parties. They advanced through a door directly ahead of them that led to a stairway. After pausing to listen for a moment, Michael descended with the other tanks. Allistor and a few casters were right behind them. When he noticed them holding plasma rifles, he hissed at Michael, who stopped dead in his tracks.
Allistor whispered, “If you can cast dps spells, put your guns away. Use your magic. Tanks, use your melee weapons and shields. We’re out of our grace period now, and any use of guns in this kind of fight is considered less than honorable.” He paused to make sure everyone could hear him. “Having said that, if shit starts to fall apart, use the guns. Survival is more important than Fame Points.”
While he was speaking, he withdrew his Titan Bow and quiver, the epic loot drop he’d received after killing the elite void titan that killed Nathan. He took a moment to enjoy the feeling of the attribute buffs the weapon granted as he positioned the quiver on his hip. When he saw that everyone had adjusted their gear and stood ready, he nodded for Michael to continue, refreshing the Barrier in front of the tank.
Down they went.
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