I stared in awe at my arms. They were condensed ethereal black, darkness made substantial. I looked down at my real body, sitting peacefully in the lotus position. I could still sense it, but this time the feedback was light and didn’t evoke the feeling of confused duality.
Elated, I flexed my muscles. This felt great! Like I could do anything. I walked my new cloned body to the wall and effortlessly scaled it, gravity no longer an issue.
The experiment was going well. My mana was slowly trickling down, fueling the magical body with the energy it required to move. Next, I summoned my drilling arrows. They appeared out of thin air, as always, though the mana cost had increased by 50 percent. This was not really a problem. The spell was cheap, even with the penalty, and my high mana regeneration was already filling my mana bar, outpacing the rate it was draining.
Looking down at my real body again, I frowned. “This is not ideal, my body is defenseless this way.” My voice sounded like a hoarse, distant echo.
After my nose hemorrhage last time, I was readily willing to take the slow approach. I’ll do that. Thanks, Vic.
It was the end of the day already. I had spent hours meditating in the dark, underground chamber.
Not lingering to bid Grymel goodbye, I teleported back to Goblin’s Gorge.
“My lord,” a voice came from behind me.
I turned around. Somehow, my seneschal was waiting for me. “Kaedric?”
“The soldiers have scanned the entire clan and the surrounding forest, I even employed your sharp-nosed mount. They have not found the stolen liquid fire nor have they detected any sulfuric odors.”
“Shadow-crap. That means there’s someone hostile around here with the capacity to set fire to our entire village.”
“Perhaps not the entire village, but it might be prudent to triple the patrols inside the settlement, my lord. If someone should try to set the buildings ablaze, he would not be able to hide his actions. As soon as they try to pour the liquid fire, our patrols will detect and engage them. This should reduce the potential for large-scale damage substantially, even if not negating it altogether.”
I preferred being more proactive, but it didn’t look like I had another choice. With our increased numbers, tripling the patrols still allowed half my troops to get their training time in the barracks.
“Do it.”
***
I didn’t bother leaving my house the next morning and simply teleported back to the Ogre fort. The quiet and deep sense of dark power greatly increased my ability to concentrate. I spent the rest of the day repeating the same technique Vic had taught me over and over. By the end of the day, my Dark Mana progressed significantly toward the next level and I was able to fully assume control of my clone within a minute. This was a huge improvement, but still not enough to be usable in a combat situation. I had a lot more training to do.
***
The next day, I decided to set my personal training aside and check on the clan’s development. A lot had happened in the last several days.
Naturally, Kaedric was waiting for me when I exited my house. I stopped dead in my tracks when I first saw him. He looked better than usual … healthier, less gaunt.
“Are you … alright?” I asked.
“I am well, my lord. Thank you for asking.”
I accessed his character sheet. He had an active buff called ‘Psionically Well-Fed,’ which strengthened his telepathic abilities.
“You … didn’t eat any of our clan members, did you?” I asked haltingly, dreading the answer.
“Of course not, my lord.”
That was good enough for me. I didn’t want the gory details, anyway.
We walked together through the settlement, reviewing our progress, and I familiarized myself with the new features. Kadoc and Baja, our two specialist smiths, had found their rhythm and were producing arms and armor for my growing army like a well-oiled machine. A small pile of equipment had accumulated for me to enchant. Vrick did his part as well, producing leather armor for the scouts and giving a hand to the others when needed.
We went into the research center and had a chat with Romil and Primla. The two goblinettes had advanced their skills and were producing nearly 50 RP a day. They had even completed researching the armory extension for the barracks and the magma foundry in my absence.
“As a matter of fact, my lord,” Kaedric noted, “I was about to assign them to research the barracks’ trainers’ office next. I believe researching the second floor would be premature at this time, as the barracks’ existing capacity exceeds our current needs.”
“Good thinking.” Now that we had a proper research center, new Expert-level blueprints became available for research. I really wanted the Dreamer’s Lodge; the enchantment workshop would doubtlessly increase my enchantments’ strength, but it cost a whopping 1,000 RP and there were other limiting factors besides that. “I guess there’s no sense in researching higher-tiered blueprints just yet; Zuban is a long way from his Expert rank, after all.”
“That is the recommended proficiency rank, but it is not mandatory, my lord,” Kaedric said.
I looked at him with a raised brow.
“Zuban may still construct higher-tiered buildings,” my mandibled seneschal explained stoically. “As long as they are no more than one tier higher than his own rank. The process will be slower than usual, true, but quite doable.”
“Interesting …” There were some nice Expert-ranked blueprints available for research, but as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t have my researchers bogged down on an insanely complex project. I needed them working on things that would be usable for my clan now. After we’d dealt with the players, we could take our time with grander, more leisurely projects.
“Research the barracks’ obstacle course next,” I instructed the two researchers. “Then the trainers’ office, then …” Once they finished those two, there weren’t many options left at Apprentice rank. “Then we’ll see,” I finished.
Both female goblins lowered their heads. “Yes, Dread Totem.”
That should keep them occupied for a good while.
We continued touring the clan and Kaedric led me to a new structure next to our farms.
“What the hell is that?” I looked at the half-circle of thick wood logs anchored against the cliff wall. The logs were reinforced with a stone base and had thick metal bars for the gate. It reminded me of an elephant enclosure I had once seen at the zoo, though smaller.
“That is an animal pen, my lord.” Kaedric’s mandibles twitched as if stating the obvious. “As you advised me to use my discretion, I instructed Zuban to build it.”
“But we don’t have any livestock!” I protested.
“And we never will unless we have a place to put them first,” he pointed out. “Now that we have this constructed, we can bring in some animals.”
“From where?”
His mandibles twitched harder. “We can attempt to buy or capture them.”
“I see your point,” I conceded. “I’ll keep my eyes open for livestock.”
“Very good, my lord.”
We circled back toward the industrial area, and I saw two new slices had been added to the pie-shaped cluster of workshops. One of the new buildings was made almost entirely of stone and had thick glass windows.
“What is that?”
“Our new chemist lab, my lord. Guba has been quite ecstatic and already started experimenting with items to increase our combat readiness.”
I examined the thick walls. “That must have taken a lot of stone.”
“Indeed, 50 to be exact. Incidentally, we’re out of construction-grade stone at the moment.”
“What?” I turned sharply to look at him.
“I was planning to build the magma foundry next to address our growing need for stone.”
At least he had a solution in mind before committing the better part of our stones to a relatively low-priority structure.
“Alright, I guess we’ll need a new goblin worker to operate it as well.”
“Yes, my lord. And exactly 133 units of lumber to exchange for the required construction materials.”
I grimaced at the expense, but we had already built a stock of nearly triple that amount. The players had been a huge help in that regard. “Very well.”
The other new wedge-shaped building was the general workshop. Our new carpenter was inside, busily working on what looked like a long bench. Next to him, was Harvey the fletcher and Bosper the bowyer, each working on their own workbench.
“As you can see, the general workshop is quite popular among our workers,” Kaedric said. I am pleased to report their overall efficiency has increased by ten percent.”
“That’s good.” I nodded appreciatively. “You really pushed forward the clan’s development while I was away.” I grinned. “I should go hunting more often.”
Kaedric bowed his head. “Thank you, my lord, but I cannot take all the credit. Zuban trained his builders well. With two six-worker teams, they can now build at a rate of 250 BP per day.”
“That is impressive, but all the build points in the world won’t mean much without proper guidance. I think you have proved your ability to manage the settlement development. From now on, you’ll handle that aspect. I might change the priorities from time to time, but other than that, do what you think is best.”
His eyes widened and his lower mandibles dropped at my announcement. He quickly composed himself and bowed deeply. “I shall do my best not to disappoint. I thank you for the opportunity, my lord.”
I waved it off. “Don’t mention it. Actually, you’re taking a weight off my shoulders, so in a way, it is me who should be thanking you.” I winked at him. The stoic hobgoblin didn’t wink back. “Well if that’s all, I think I’ll get back to my house. I have a lot of enchanting to do.” I grimaced at the thought of the pile of weapons and armor waiting for me.
“Actually, my lord, the tournament is about to begin.”
I cocked my head. “What tournament?”
“The arena fight, of course. Rhynorn issued a general quest, challenging the newcomers to defeat him in the arena. Per the protocol, they must defeat the lower-ranked challengers first. Will you retire to your house now?”
“Oh, hell no.” I headed for the barracks. “I want to see this.”
30 – Arena Fight
We went through the barracks’ gates into the courtyard. The circular benches were filled with the off-duty soldiers and over a dozen players. I took a seat and looked down at the pit.
A team of three players was standing on one end. They held simple weapons and were clad in basic armor. I recognized one of them – Tenchi Wakazashi, the half-snake player. Using Analyze I saw they were levels 9, 10 and 12.
On the opposite end stood three of my soldiers, all level 14: two metal-clad warriors – one with a sword, the other with a shield and axe – and a scout in leather with a bow slung around his shoulders.
Bob moved toward the pit’s edge and announced the upcoming battle with his booming voice: “The Cringers will now face their first challenge, a hobgoblin squad. Fight!”
The players rushed at the soldiers almost before my lieutenant had finished speaking. They were low-level and lacked equipment, but as players, they had the advantage of skills.
The scout rained arrows on the charging players. The shield bearer took a step forward, protecting himself and the sword bearer who flanked him, readying his weapon.
Holding two knives, Tenchi arrived first. His weapons clanged against the hob’s shield, followed by a tail slap and a taunt. He was trying to draw the tank away from the scout. Unfortunately for him, I had taken special care to prepare my troops for such tactics. The shield bearer shrugged off the taunt and maintained his position. The other two players had expected an opening to charge in and were caught off guard. If they charged now, their flanks would be vulnerable to the alert warriors.
The scout continued taking a toll on the players’ health, draining it one arrow at a time. The sword-wielding hob took the opportunity to slash at Tenchi and scored a deep cut. The players were unprepared for this development and it became clear they were at a disadvantage; my troops had full control of this fight. The three stepped back and forfeited the fight.
“The Cringers lose!” Bob declared. There were some snickers from the crowd. “Next team, The Mob Squad.”
I inched forward in my seat as three other players entered the pit: Misa, Riley, and Fox. Raystia was not with them. Players couldn’t all be expected to be present at the same time. One of the downsides of playing at in accelerated time was that a bathroom break in real life could take several hours in NEO.
The Mob Squad were all level 14 and much better geared than the team before them. Some of their equipment even surpassed that of my own troops.
As the fight started, Fox, their bugbear tank, faced off against the shield-bearing hob. Misa took cover behind him, trying to hide from the scout’s arrows. Riley tried to flank the hob tank, but the sword wielder moved to engage him. To my surprise, Misa stepped out from behind her cover and launched a metal chain at them. The chain wrapped around the legs of the sword wielder, then she pulled.
The hob fell, his legs bound. Riley charged forward and bashed him with a heavy hammer strike. The hob tank tried to intervene, but that gave Fox an opening. He lunged forward with a shield bash, hurling the hob to the ground. The scout was quick to take advantage and peppered Fox with two arrows, but he simply ignored the hits. A moment later, the dwarf waved his hand and Fox’s wounds closed. With two hobs prone, it was easy for the players to pound them into a pulp, causing them to lose consciousness. The arena prevented death by making them pass out instead. The scout was left alone, though he never stopped shooting arrows. Fox looked like a pincushion by that point, but with Riley constantly healing him, his health bar was mostly full. The scout went down quickly after that.
“The Mob Squad wins the first challenge!” Bob announced.
That was an interesting display of combat prowess. Misa’s maneuver explained her unusual ‘Chainmaster’ skill.
“Bollox, no XP,” I heard her complain. “I hoped it would be different when fighting mobs.”
“The second challenge will start momentarily!” Bob boomed.
Three other hobs entered the arena. Blemtoff was instantly identifiable by his signature double battleaxes. Behind him came Bunker, one of the goblin adepts.
Their forces were evenly matched. Both Riley and Bunker continually healed their team members as they got injured, and Fox was just barely managing to tank the two warriors. It ended abruptly when Misa managed to sneak past the hob warriors and ensnare the adept with her chain. Without the goblin’s healing, the battle soon ended. The two hobs succumbed to the many wounds they sustained.
“The Mob Squad wins the second challenge!” Bob stated. “The third challenge will start momentarily. Should the travelers win, they will earn the privilege of challenging the arena champion, Rhynorn Bloodore!”
The next group of soldiers walked in: Ryker, Kilpi, Yulli, and Zia – our elites. Following them came one of the Infernal Ogres.
“Oh, hell no, you gotta be kidding me,” Riley said. ”How are we supposed to take on five fighters?”
Fox eyed the Ogre with a calculating look. “We might be able to take them if we had Raystia with us, but without her, we don’t stand a chance.”
“Oh, bloody hell.” Misa rolled her eyes and lifted her hands to her mouth. “We forfeit!”
“The Mob Squad has forfeited!” Bob said. “That concludes the group matches. The singles challenges are next.”
Over the next hour, I w
atched with fascination as player after player entered the arena to challenge my soldiers. Most of the players were nearing level 10, with the highest at level 17. Some had decent equipment, though most carried only crude weapons. My soldiers made me proud. One by one, they defeated all the players. Their superior equipment and higher level gave them a decisive advantage. Some of the players won a few fights. The level 17 one even made it to the third match but got his ass handed to him by an Infernal Ogre.
I felt a surge of pride welling up in me. All my hard work had paid off. My soldiers were tough and experienced and could handle themselves well against players. That made me feel better about our chances for the coming attack. I should remember to thank Nero for his help in shaping them into such an effective force. For some reason, Nero was not one of the challengers.
“Are there any more who wish to fight?” Bob called out.
No one answered.
“In that case, I declare the tournament is over –”
“Hey, wait up! I want in!” Malkyr came running into the courtyard.
The big man was red in the face, but he was grinning his boyish grin. “Hey, guys! I’ll take a shot at the belt, sign me in.” On his back, he carried the Runecrafted axe I had gifted him.
Unsurprisingly, the level 26 player cut through all of my soldiers with ease. The last fight had him facing Bob himself, whose level 16 was the highest of my soldiers, accompanied by Bek.
“Hey, little buddy!” Malkyr grinned at the small goblin, who inclined his head politely in return. “Sorry if I have to hit you. It’s just for sport, right?”
“Big man not worry for Bek,” the goblin said boldly. “Worry for you. Bek not heal this time.”
Malkyr chuckled. “Fair enough.”
“We begin,” Bob said, brandishing his sword with his left hand. Coiled vines snaked around his right arm.
This fight was much more interesting. Despite being stronger than his opponents, my big player friend had a rough time. From the start, Bob had him entangled with vines, limiting the force of his swings. Bek kept healing the hob lieutenant, negating most of the damage Malkyr inflicted, while occasionally shooting drilling arrows, or draining the big man’s mana.
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