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War Games Page 18

by Nikita Thorn


  “But there’s a cheat, of course,” Ippei continued. “You break the locks and let the thing out of the cage before killing the sorcerers and you can skip the Shockburst altogether. So that’s what people mostly do. You miss out on the instant 25% reduction in the lizard boss’s health, but your troops are in much better shape to tackle it.”

  “I see,” said Seiki. He supposed there was no set way to do an encounter, and groups had to agree on what strategy worked best for their group makeup. The Shockburst helped with damage, but also forced players to enter the health drain phase immediately.

  “Once you out-level it by about five levels, you can simply soak all the damage, so you can just stand there and burn everything down,” said Ippei.

  The Standard Mode did not scale, so the samurai explained that well-meaning higher-level people often allowed people to tag along with their steamroll runs, which meant quite a number of people never learned the mechanics.

  “Can’t you just keep the sorcerers alive and keep the lizard under their spell the whole time?” asked Seiki.

  “If they’re alive, they heal the lizard if it’s missing health, so you end up having to do more damage to kill the boss.”

  “I’ve got to say you’re pretty good at this, Reiji,” said Umiko, pulling up beside them on her muscular seal horse in front of her mounted unit of about fifty. “Pretending all this is new. Didn’t think RP was your thing.”

  Seiki did not even bother arguing with her anymore on the matter.

  They were riding slowly around the small hill into the surrounding woods. Despite the lack of moonlight, the woods were lit just enough in different shades of gray to make visible the majestic shapes of the sparse but ancient red cedar towering high up all around. There was no visible road, but the trees were far apart enough to allow their small army to move through with ease.

  The two West Defenders ryoushi girls led two bands of archers, about twenty each. The ninja only had four, and the houshi around eight. Combined with Umiko’s mounted soldiers, they did look like a tiny army on a mission.

  Fubuki, still unaware of the danger they were heading toward, walked along casually as she often did when Seiki let her wander on one of his pleasure rides through the Wilderness. Behind Seiki, the Asano villagers on foot were quiet, save for an occasional hushed whisper to one another. Ippei’s four soldiers marched in neat two-by-two rows, dutiful and determined, and Seiki wondered if his friend had explicitly instructed them to do so.

  Normally, to start an urgent event, players had to obtain a specific war order from Lieutenant Kato. Fortunately, Umiko and her clan mates had already done so, so all they needed to do was invite Seiki and Ippei into their group and make their way to the correct location.

  Their group was hardly the only one going for Muraki Woods. Earlier, Seiki had seen a rather formidable-looking band of two hundred, made of more than fifteen individual players, galloping out of the fort. Even now, if he stopped to listen, he was certain he would be able to hear the woods full of moving troops.

  “Yo!” came a call. From behind them, a small mounted group of around thirty appeared, drawing close at a ridiculous speed.

  One of the West Defenders ryoushi hastily ordered her unit to move aside as the group burst past, kicking up dust and dry leaves, their armor and weapons jingling brightly.

  “Out of the way or it’s not my fault if you get crushed!” yelled a man in samurai armor as he thundered by with his horsemen. Seiki caught a glimpse of him being Level 26.

  The man and his troops were gone as soon as they had come. The ryoushi girl scoffed. “Don’t tell me that guy’s gonna try to solo it. This isn’t the normal mode.”

  “He’s in for a rude surprise,” Ippei said.

  “I hope so.” The girl giggled. “Freakin’ West Hill idiot.”

  “Let’s see him soak that explosion without heals,” the West Defenders houshi said, sounding strangely satisfied.

  Seiki once again turned to look at the West Defenders’ armed units. This was not the first time he had seen large crowds of players and NPCs. The sheer number of people tackling the giant skeleton world event and the two clashing armies at the White Crane Hall far dwarfed the group of a hundred they were in right now. The difference was, perhaps, that this was the first time he was an official part of an organized group that had a clear sense of direction and purpose, and it was somehow strangely thrilling.

  Constant footsteps fell on the dry ground like incessant rain in the dark as they continued to move through the forest. Despite having been told exactly what was going to take place, Seiki could still not quite picture the encounter, and it was making him a little anxious. Fubuki snorted and shook her head as she picked up on his restless mood.

  The entrance to the instance was not far, and the insects around immediately quieted down the moment they phased into it. The NPC troops also came to an automatic halt, adding to the sudden ominous silence.

  Information trickled into Seiki’s mind.

  You are entering: Muraki Woods [War Event]

  Group Status:

  Umiko of the West Defenders [Level 20]. Class: samurai. Weekly runs left: 1. (Group Leader)

  Michiyo of the West Defenders [Level 19]. Class: ryoushi. Weekly runs left: 1.

  Kaito of the West Defenders [Level 18]. Class: houshi. Weekly runs left: 1.

  Hayata of the West Defenders [Level 18]. Class: ninja. Weekly runs left: 1.

  Otome of the West Defenders [Level 17]. Class: ryoushi. Weekly runs left: 2

  Ippei [Level 14]. Class: samurai. Weekly runs left: 3. Progression.

  Seiki [Level 14]. Class: ronin. Weekly runs left: 3. Progression.

  Decisions: Group Leader.

  Event Mode:

  > None

  >First-level +1 enemy level. +10% enemy troops. +1 random challenge.

  >Second-level +2 enemy levels. +15% enemy troops. +2 random challenges.

  >Third-level +3 enemy levels. +15% enemy troops. +3 random challenges.

  >Fourth-level +4 enemy levels. +20% enemy troops. +4 random challenges.

  Seiki knew players could do custom events that scaled to their group size at different difficulty levels, but had not imagined that Urgent Events were also customizable in the same way. “What are random challenges?” he turned to ask Ippei.

  “That’s a chance for the Demonic Clan to play their War Cards,” the samurai explained. “One random challenge, one card on their side. And you don’t know which, unless you burn the Peek card.”

  Seiki secretly wondered if that also meant there were more than four hundred possible challenges the Demonic Clan could pull up.

  Umiko turned toward him. “Remember that time when they threw out that automatic revive in Nenshou and we had to fight burning zombies?” The statement was clearly meant for Reiji of the Shinshioka Scientific Society.

  “Yeah, good times,” said Seiki in the most unconvinced tone he could manage. He looked at the list again, somehow no longer surprised why Ippei had said most people only went up to the second-level challenge, since if burning zombies were on the table, he guessed everything else w
as.

  “You can go for the second-level challenge,” Ippei suggested.

  “Oh, really?” said Hayata, the Level 18 West Defenders ninja.

  “Really,” said Ippei.

  Umiko tsk-tsked. “I’d rather be safe. With two unknowns in our ranks and all.” She glanced at Seiki in a way that he had no idea how to interpret, before turning her attention back to the prompts.

  “How good is your burst?” she asked her clan mate Michiyo.

  “Maxed,” replied the ryoushi. “I put pretty much everything in my unit’s Focused Shot.”

  Umiko nodded and made her decision. The notification updated:

  Options selected.

  Challenge Level: First-level.

  Scaled War Event. Enemy level: 16-23. +12% enemy troops. +1 random challenge.

  Ippei sighed in disappointment.

  Umiko seemed both amused and annoyed. “At this level, nearly every trash demon will be one-shotting you boys already.” Ignoring Ippei’s grimace, she turned to her clan mates. “Let’s go.”

  You are about to start Muraki Woods in Urgent Mode. This will use up 1 of 1 of your weekly progression run quota. Are you sure you wish to start the event now?

  Seiki mentally accepted, and a simple notification greeted him, marking the start of the event.

  Welcome to Muraki Woods - Urgent!

  Nothing immediately changed. The forest was still dark, dotted with the occasional green firefly, but from further ahead came sounds of footsteps and faint metallic clangs. Squinting into the darkness, Seiki could make out the dim orange glow of firelight at the edge of his field of vision as the band of demon troops and their caged giant lizard presumably phased into existence.

  “Well,” said Umiko to Ippei, nodding toward the source of the commotion. “Show us what you got.”

  The agreement was that they would map and reposition the boss. But without any idea how one would go about doing either of these, Seiki simply waited for Ippei’s cue. His friend had mentioned resurrection, so Seiki guessed it would involve dying, which would not be pleasant, but he trusted Ippei to know what he was doing.

  Ippei turned toward the West Defender samurai. “You still really want us to do this?” His tone was not that of dread, or reluctance, but perhaps tedium.

  Umiko frowned. “That’s the deal.”

  “And you really want us on Slight Fatigue afterward?”

  “That’s the deal,” said Umiko again.

  Ippei’s lips suddenly stretched into a huge grin. “All right then,” he said. “Hope you won’t mind me spicing it up a bit?” A rectangular green object appeared in his hand, which to Seiki looked very much like a Jade Card.

  It was indeed a Jade Card. In the dark, the item radiated a serene shade of whitish green, almost like a dying glow stick. Before anyone could react or ask how a fresh Level 14 could be in possession of such an item, the samurai threw it onto the forest ground. The jade piece shattered gracefully and dispersed like a magical swarm of fireflies.

  There was, however, nothing beautiful about the effect that immediately followed. The darkness turned a shade darker and the air heavier. A shiver went through the NPC troops.

  Card in play: Carved Jade Card of Demonic Terror

  Samurai Card of the Calamity Deck. The demonic clan calls upon the forces of shadow magic to imbue their troops. All demons deal 20% extra damage and all bosses gain an extra random ability. Successful completion of the event results in a flat 20% increased gold reward and chance of gear and instant upgrades from loot.

  Umiko’s eyes widened. The rest of the West Defenders looked utterly confused and horrified as they stared at Ippei. Seiki could more or less guess what his friend was trying to do, but then again there were too many questions and he did not even know where to start asking.

  “How do you want it positioned?” Ippei continued earnestly. “I’d suggest over there off the path, but—”

  “What did you just do!” Umiko cried.

  Ippei looked at her, seriously. “I just made our impending deaths worthwhile.”

  The response seemed to confuse the West Defenders, and Umiko was completely dumbstruck.

  “Hey, I understand that you have a thing for my friend Reiji here,” Ippei said. “But we really didn’t ask for a carry.”

  Umiko choked. The two ryoushi girls burst out giggling. Seiki felt like he should say something but ignored what.

  The houshi Kaito stared. “Beta player?” he asked.

  Ippei turned toward Seiki. “I was saving this for when we do Togatsu Village, since there’s a way to exploit it, but an Urgent Event is even better.” He then explained, both to Seiki and the West Defenders at once. “As an incentive to sign up for the official version, they allowed us to keep one War Card from Beta, you see. I picked this one.”

  “Uh, okay,” said Seiki. Somehow, he was not surprised that his friend had kept quiet about the card until now. Ippei seemed to be enjoying the looks on the West Defenders’ faces.

  Kaito looked at Ippei warily. “You had to be on the Shogun’s board for eight consecutive weeks to qualify for that benefit.”

  “Well, apparently I was.” Ippei shrugged. “You people seriously wussed out on the challenge level. With that unique in your hand, it’s a disgrace.”

  “What?” Umiko nearly choked again.

  “The Ambition blade,” said Ippei.

  Umiko glared. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Ippei heaved a long sigh. “Can we stop playing this game? If we’re going to be a team, let’s start with a little transparency.”

  Umiko continued to stare at him. Behind her, Michiyo the Level 19 ryoushi muttered, “What about a little transparency about that Calamity card beforehand?”

  Ippei glanced at Umiko, a slight mischievous glint in his eyes. “Oh, come on,” said the samurai. “Do you really need me to spell it out? You don’t get to be a First-Rank Lieutenant at Level 20 if you don’t know what you’re doing. So you obviously know there’s no way to beat this with only one melee unit, and with five people, but you were ready to go.” He paused again to look at the others. “And, seriously, no one in his right mind would ever allow two fresh 14s in their group, unless you’re already certain you can beat the event. Both you and I very well know you never needed mappers in the first place.”

  He stopped and glimpsed around, waiting for them to respond. But when no one did, he continued, “Okay, and you only need to read the Society’s newsletter to know that you West Defenders got the Ambition blade back from the Red Dawn as part of your alliance run deal. I’m willing to bet a month’s worth of my salary to say that is what you have on you right now, and what you’re planning to use on the boss, so just admit it.”

  “Who the hell is this guy again?” said Michiyo.

  “Can we burn a Friendly Fire and kill him?” said Hayata, the ninja, under his breath. “I’ve got one.”

  Ippei was still staring at Umiko. A grin spread across his face, perhaps because he knew he had them all cornered. “Come on. We’re in this together now.”

  “Not by our choice,” muttered Michiyo.

  Umiko studied him for a moment, before taking a deep breath and letting it out in one long thoughtful exhale. Slowly, she reached into her pocket and produced a slim straight blade about a foot in length. The wooden sheath was painted a light color, most likely a shade of yellow, but it was difficult to tell under the dim light. Along its length was a decorative line of silver, set with yellow gems.

  Despite knowing full well uniques were hardly the best weapons in the game, they had a strange allure to them simply by virtue of being unique, and Seiki found himself staring in slight awe as Umiko held the weapon out for them to inspect.

  Himiko no Yashin. [Unique] +21 attack. +9 speed. The Sun Priestess places an enchantment on her subjects, forcing them to submit to her will to rule. Effect: a full-formed successful attack on the target compels all
non-player units within a 15-foot radius to attack the target for 15 seconds, after which the blade loses its enchantment for 15 minutes.

  Ippei seemed to be similarly affected. “Ambition of the Sun Priestess,” he said, almost in a whisper. Seiki wondered if his friend had simply wanted to see it.

  The unique blade must have been one of the reasons for the West Defenders’ recent success in War Games. The lockout was relatively short, much shorter than the Ice Blade Renshiro and his outlaws possessed. And if it really did what it said it did, with proper use it had the potential to be very powerful.

  “This is one of the better uniques,” Ippei said, mostly to explain to Seiki. He turned toward the West Defenders. “With that thing, your first-level challenge Urgent run would have been a joke. Let’s see… you’re probably going to have the ninja unit create a distraction, crawl in, stab the boss while it’s still in the cage, and then have the demon soldiers do your dirty work while you unload everything and end the event even before the demons can activate their random challenge.”

  “Which we can’t do anymore now that you’ve given the boss an extra ability,” cried Hayata. “What if it’s a full heal?”

  “Hey, where’s the fun in having it be over in five minutes? At least your charmed demonic minions will be 20% stronger now, so part of your original strategy might still work.”

  Umiko grimaced as she thought about it. “I guess what’s done’s done,” she finally said. “So let’s get on with it.”

  Just like in Seiki’s encounter with her and her clan mate in a West City alley, she seemed to be dealing with this in a rather sensible manner after all.

  “We’re not burning any of our cards, are we?” asked Hayata.

  Umiko shrugged. “At this point, I guess we’ll have to play it by ear.”

  Ippei clapped his hands. “Now that’s the spirit. So, let’s get this going before our precious sixty minutes run out.”

  “The man’s got a point,” said Michiyo quietly. “We’re going to need all the time we can get now.”

  “I can’t believe this!” cried Hayata, who had most likely been expecting a quick and easy run.

 

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