Even with all the chaos around, the recruits were quick to give way to the hordes of bonetises that chewed their way out of the shells, quickly growing into spindly, dangerous creatures.
“Get everyone divided into groups and have them gear up and ready to join the army,” I shouted over the cacophony.
Instead of risking his dignity with a shout, the stoic seneschal merely nodded.
While most of the new soldiers organized, I led a contingent of ‘normal’ Ogres to the cathedral and performed the naming ceremony, only losing a few in the process. Nihilator didn’t seem to mind his due. I returned to the rest of the waiting troops and spent the next hour moving from group to group, granting them my skills. Everyone received the Lucky Bastard skill, the Ogre Mages also got Mana Shield and Mana Infusion, and the adepts received Drilling Arrow on top of that.
I felt powerful walking around the immense force, all mine to command. With a twinge of regret, I moved away from the mighty army and returned to the Dreamer’s Lodge. I still had a lot of enchanting to do.
***
Hours later, we were finally done.
Hoker and I had finished enchanting the 20 new beads, and I added them to my inventory to join the other 10 I had already made.
Despite the delay, I’d made better time than yesterday and still had about an hour before the end of the day. A good opportunity to enjoy some private family time.
New Era Online [Internal messaging service]:
From: Sullivan Tucker
Subject: Round two
Oren, we’ve reached striking distance from the next bouldite tribe. We eliminated two patrols getting here (with minimum casualties on our part) and are going to buckle down for the day. We’ll be ready to strike at dusk tomorrow.
I’ve ordered our builders to start working on the new altar. There’s no sense wasting energy on rushing it right now – they should be done a little before we move out. So I expect you here first thing to open a portal next to it.
The scouts have reported that the tribe ahead is even larger than we’d anticipated, so be sure to bring in those new troops you promised me.
Sullivan,
Grand Army Strategist
“I thought you’d be a little less enthusiastic about attacking something the VIs are trying to protect,” I said.
“That’s one way of looking at it,” I muttered.
According to Sullivan, I had time to sleep in my own house, and I was going to take advantage of it. Next time might be a long time away.
***
Lirian was waiting for me the next day when I came downstairs.
It had been two weeks in the game since I received my two months ultimatum from the company. I had all the forces I was capable of summoning in this timeframe, and our vassals’ militias were fully recovered. Aside from a few dozen juvenile, level 5 soldiers, we were going forward with everything we had.
My daughter’s eyes met mine and I nodded at her gravely. “Let’s go.”
She gave me her hand and I teleported us away.
***
We appeared inside the darkened area around a recently built altar. Soldiers swarmed around us, their positions fortified against incoming attacks.
I instantly noticed a familiar command tent nearby and went inside with Lirian.
Sullivan looked up at me. “Oren.”
The army general was there as well, along with half a dozen other hob scouts.
“Sullivan,” I nodded at him, then looked at the general. “I heard you kicked my daughter out from the last battle.”
The goblin shifted uncomfortably. “Savol thinks that—”
I held up my hand. “You made the right call, I wanted to thank you for keeping her safe.”
The small general relaxed.
I looked back at Sullivan. “What’s our situation?”
“We’re holding position about half a kilometer away from the next tribe’s settlement. So far, we’ve taken down three of their patrols, so the others don’t know we’re here yet. Savol already resurrected our casualties.”
“So how are we going to do this?”
The player gestured at the hobs. “The scouts are telling me this tribe has more than double the number of the last one, maybe even three times as much. This is going to be difficult. Our soldiers have leveled up some, but it won’t be enough to breach the power gap. I need those soldiers you promised me.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get them.” I winked at him. “And then some.”
He brightened up. “That’s good. We still need to proceed carefully. According to Wolrig, we have enough resources to build eight outposts, with metal now being the limiting factor. I suggest we insta-build four of them around the bouldite settlement, hopefully forcing the enemy to split up their forces. Then we’ll repeat the same tactic as before: attack the smaller forces, catching them between our walls and outer forces.” His tone hinted there were more factors at play.
“What’s wrong?”
“The outposts’ churches are small,” Sullivan said. “So we can only raise several dozen soldiers at a time. And we can only do that while we’re the aggressors. Once the bouldites start assaulting our walls, we’ll technically become the defenders.”
“So why build outposts at all?” my daughter said. “Wouldn’t it be better to keep a single cemetery back and continue sending in more forces?”
The strategist shook his head. “We can’t stand against their numbers in the open. The walls buy us precious time to fight back from relative safety and force the enemy to split up their numbers. They might not hold for long, but at these levels, a single stone throw will destroy a cemetery.”
“You’re right,” I said. “And I might be able to use Runecrafting to reinforce the walls once the outposts are built.”
“That would be great. The walls are mostly made of reinforced wood; it might be enough to hold back low-level bandits, but they don’t do too well against bouldites. You’ll have to be quick. Last time they attacked as soon as the outposts were up.”
“Alright.”
“Also,” Sullivan continued, “to prevent them from disabling our ability to resurrect, I suggest we open up with a frontal assault. Hit them as hard as we can before they reach the outposts. We’ll respawn our soldiers constantly until it’s no longer possible. Hopefully, it’ll buy you more time to strengthen the walls.”
“That would be helpful. So how are you going to handle our frontal attack?” I asked.
“Tanks and Ogre Mages would form a wedge formation to cut into their ranks and hold them back. Followed by a wave of skirmishers and Infernal Ogres to make them bleed, while all our ranged units are harassing their bulk.”
“I think we can do a little better,” I said. “The next wave of new troops will include a lot of bonetises.”
Sullivan perked up. “That’s great. Then we can have mounted skirmishers and switch them to use hit-and-run tactics – inflicting damage and then getting away before too many of them are taken down.”
“What about the golems?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t want to risk their destruction on a frontal assault. I think it’s better to keep them in reserve, to bolster our defenses in case the enemy gets too close.”
“Too bad,” Savol said. “Golems can kill many bouldites at the front. And if Broncar and Bonecrusher were here …”
I shook my head. “We need to keep Akzar’s and the other vassals’ forces in reserve. The largest battle is still ahead of us.”
Sullivan sighed. “I know you’re right. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to think of other ways to get an advantage in the upcoming battle. We can’t use the militia, and we can’t use your darkness since bouldites
don’t have eyes. The Meat Grinder is too vulnerable, and our arsenal of grenades is too weak to be used against them.”
“If it’s a large explosion you want, I can give you one,” I said. “But it takes about a minute and a half to charge up fully.”
He raised an eyebrow. “How big of an explosion?”
“Big. Master-rank big. But anyone within the blast radius would be affected, our own forces included.”
“That’s not too bad,” he said. “A really big explosion at the right moment can turn things around. You can do only one at a time?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright, keep an eye on your messages during the battle. I’ll let you know when to use one.”
“Just remember it takes time to reach full potential.”
“I’ll remember.”
“If that’s all, I’ll go open a portal so we can start,” I said. “Want to come along?”
“Sure.”
***
Sullivan’s eyes were as big as saucers as he gazed upon the unending line of new soldiers coming out of the portal – all of them armed, armored, and ready to fight. They were a little behind the more veteran troops in terms of level and combat skills, but the coming fight would help reduce the gap.
“Holy hell,” he said. “I thought you were going to bring in several hundred more; there must be over a thousand here.”
“Just over 1,800,” I replied smugly. “Which includes 122 new Ogre Mages. And that does not include a thousand, level 22 bonetises.”
“Damn,” he said. “You’ve just about doubled our army.”
“Feel better about our odds?” I asked.
“Hell, yeah. We’re still going to lose most of them, but at least now they’re going to take out a lot more bouldites with them.”
“There’s just one small caveat,” I said. “I won’t be able to summon any more troops in the near future. Not in any significant numbers. This is all we have to work with.”
He nodded slowly. “That’s not too bad. The soldiers are going to level from battle to battle, so new soldiers would be too underpowered after a while.”
“The new troops are all here, Chief,” Savol declared once the stream of soldiers pouring out of the portal ended. All of them were heavily laden with building materials.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s begin.”
***
It was still early in the night when the four divisions got into place, each one holding position a few hundred meters away from the stone hill upon which stood the bouldite settlement. We were far enough away so the descending hurlers wouldn’t get a height-range advantage.
I took in a deep breath. As soon as I made the first move, the battle would start. “Stay close,” I said, glancing to my side.
“Yes, Father,” my daughter replied.
I directed my thoughts to the lingering tendrils of information around the piles of building materials. Wolrig had already plotted the four new outposts. I extended my thoughts farther, reaching the others.
Rush Outpost construction X 4 (60,000 EP required). Yes/No
I felt a flood of anxiety mixed with wild euphoria at what would come next. This was going to be the most difficult battle my clan had ever waged. The rational part of me felt uneasy about our chances, but the goblin part of me couldn’t wait to start the killing.
I took in a steadying breath. Once I approved the notifications, things would happen very fast.
Yes.
Four identical, giant outpost holograms appeared around the settlement. All four quickly solidified as building material soared toward them. Almost immediately, a terrible battle roar emerged from the bouldite settlement, clearly audible despite the distance.
The battle was on.
Four thousand of my soldiers, a quarter of them mounted on bonetises, spilled over the land to meet the bouldites’ charge, howling with bloodlust. I turned my back on them and entered the outpost.
I had no time to waste. With my heartbeat drumming in my ears, I opened the Runecraft Interface and selected a schema I’d used only once before. Runic lines started spreading over the outpost walls, the same ones I’d come up with to protect the Breeder’s Den. It was a complex area enchantment that would fortify any building against physical and magical damage. It took a whopping 9,000 MP to finalize, which I supplied on my own, causing my immense mana pool to drop to a third. It didn’t bother me too much; the outposts all contained a small temple, and at this proximity, my mana bar was refilling rapidly.
Nearly five minutes had passed since the battle began, and Sullivan still hadn’t called the retreat. That was encouraging. The enchantment was done, and even without obsidian, the outpost was now sturdier than ever before.
I took Lirian’s hand and teleported us to the second outpost. I reopened the Runecraft Interface and started the process again.
***
“Charge!” Savol shouted, his voice reaching every one of the GreenPiece soldiers.
Bellowing a battle roar, the four army divisions charged on, speeding toward the bouldite settlement. Hobs garbed in steel plates and carrying steel shields led the way, with Ogre Mages easily keeping pace amidst their ranks.
The bouldites seemed momentarily taken aback by the maneuver, but their forces quickly split into four groups of 200 bouldites apiece to meet each of the incoming forces.
From his higher vantage point at the rear, the grand army strategist nodded approvingly. They’d made the enemy divide their forces. But it was only the first step. With the forces left behind to garrison the outposts, each of the four divisions numbered only 800 soldiers. A ratio of four to one was not enough to hold against their powerful foes, but victory wasn’t the goal here. All the troops had to do before they died was to take down as many enemies as they could.
Sullivan looked solemnly at one particular group. Knowing the suicidal intent behind this attack, most of the players opted to remain inside the outposts, but a few were brave – or crazy enough – to lead the charge. Sullivan’s eyes pinpointed the craziest of them.
A black-winged man was soaring ahead of the horde, charging head-on toward a raised, readied club.
***
Nero marveled at the ease with which he was able to glide through the air on his recently developed wings. He was not capable of true flight yet, but he was cheating, using momentum from holding onto two galloping bonetises to launch himself into the air and soar ahead of the main force.
He veered left then right, evading two hurled boulders, then slashed out with his new claws, tearing a chunk out of a smasher. A chorus of muted ‘thwaps’ followed his flight as several clubs smashed the ground behind him. He veered sharply to the side, getting back to safety just as the soldiers spearheading the charge smashed into the bouldites behind him.
The first ranks of hobs were instantly decimated, but their deaths bought the ones following them the opportunity to close in. Two hundred shield-wielding hobs formed a wedge, digging into the bouldite force, reaching all the way to their hurlers, engaging them in melee and preventing them from launching their deadly payloads. The leading hobs dug in their heels and the Ogre Mages sprinkled among them brought up their mana shields, becoming beacons of steadfastness amidst the sea of enemies. A storm of swiping clubs and banging stones were quickly dwindling their numbers, but they held fast.
Nero landed inside the fortified wedge formation. Several smashers had broken through and were working on taking down the tanks. Nero charged the strongest of them, a lieutenant, slashing his chest and side while evading a whirling retaliatory strike. The bleeding claw marks he’d left behind had barely nudged the powerful enemy’s health bar, but Nero didn’t care. This was a righteous war. True champions didn’t hesitate in the face of danger.
But he wasn’t alone. Hundreds of lightly armored hobs swooped into the open gap on top of their bonetis mounts followed by Infernal Ogres who wielded darkness-dripping claws. The bouldites that made it inside the fortified perimeter were quickly
dispatched as they were hit several times by rushing blades and boney limbs. The raiders split into several waves, breaching through the bouldite ranks and slashing quickly before riding on. They were being hit back in return and many fell, but while they were moving, the lieutenants’ debilitating strikes were rendered mostly ineffective, and many missed their marks completely.
Then the scouts and archery units got into range and started shooting swarms of arrows at the enemy’s mass.
Nero grinned as he narrowly dodged a hurled boulder. Casualties were quickly mounting on their side, but they were making their enemies bleed. Hard.
***
Sullivan watched Nero’s division. He estimated they’d be able to kill a hundred bouldites – half the force they were fighting – before their force of 800 would be obliterated.
The strategist frowned as he turned to study the other clashes. Malkyr and Hoshisu’s group was also performing well, But Aly’s and Kyth’s groups were in trouble. Their frontliners were unable to hold back the bouldites, and their ranged units were already caught in the melee. “Savol, start resurrections. Split them up between these two outposts.”
“Savol will do this,” the goblin agreed. He lowered his head and concentrated.
Soldiers began pouring out of the outposts behind the losing players’ divisions, bolstering their ranks, helping them to hold out a little longer.
Sullivan scanned the battlefield and his eyes narrowed. The plan was working, sort of. Their forces were holding back the bouldites, but despite the reinforcements, the tough creatures were steadily butchering their ranks while barely losing a quarter of their numbers. “Keep on resurrecting,” he said. “We have to make them pay for every centimeter they gain.”
Life Reset: Salvation (Life Reset - Neo Book 6) Page 31
