Archemi Online Chronicles Boxset

by James Osiris Baldwin

  Istvan laughed with delight, raising his voice to be heard over the cacophony. "That, my friend, is the Orphans’ Company!"

  Part 3: The Battle for Myszno

  Chapter 40

  After mopping the floor with Soma and meeting and greeting what felt like thirty million people, I was done interacting with other human beings for the day. I needed to get a handle on the Mass Combat System, pick my bonus ability, and work out what the fuck I was going to do now that I was the commander of an entire fucking garrison.

  Karalti took me to a sheltered grotto beside a steaming crater lake. She went to wallow in the boiling hot center of the mineral spring while I lounged in the warm shallows. First up was the Mark of Matir ability. As always, I had two options. As usual, it was difficult to choose.

  Stigmata (Life)

  Boost speed and reflexes by 25% for 5 minutes; all Dark-element attacks restore HP (5% of total inflicted damage) for 30 seconds.

  Mortal Grudge (Entropy)

  Deal five powerful non-elemental magic attacks to one enemy (35 x half your Will score), and inflict the Death Sentence status on yourself (countdown 60: seconds). Speed increased by 25%, Adrenaline Point regen increased by 2.5x for 60 seconds.

  “Death Sentence?” Frowning, I queried the wiki.

  Death Sentence (Status)

  This status places a counter on the target character, and when the counter reaches zero, the affected target dies. The counter drops by 1 per second. This status only applies in combat; the only way to be rid of a Death Sentence is to either die and revive, or end combat by defeating your opponent/s. Targets who are immune to instant death are immune to this status. This attack does not drain Adrenaline Points or Stamina, but can only be used once per week.

  Well, okay then. It was like the Final Fantasy status, Doom. I closed the window and lay back in the water to think. Certain healing or certain death? Hmm. Tough choice.

  I re-read them, and my brain snagged on the ‘non-elemental magical attack’ aspect of Mortal Grudge. All magic in Archemi was elemental – except for Aether, the primal magical element. For an elemental specialist like me, a non-elemental attack could be decisive – especially in PvP. My enemies would go in prepared for Dark attacks. My Will stat was currently sitting on 60, so… what did that work out to be? 1050 non-elemental magical damage, per attack, and five attacks. If I landed them all, that was 5250 damage – which was very nice indeed for an ability that didn’t drain Adrenaline or Stamina.

  I had a think about Stigmata, too. While HP loss was always something I had to contend with, potion ingredients for healing potions were common and cheap – especially here, with the Endlar right on the doorstep. My most powerful attack, Master of Blades thru Rain of Glass – MoB-RoG for short – was based on my attack stats and currently did 2417 for the first hits on one enemy, then 1167 on five others. That was quite a nice chunk of damage to rain down on people, and with Stigmata active, would heal 412 points of HP. Two Concentrated Green Moss Tinctures healed 500. But if I chained Jump, MoB-RoG and Grudge…

  “Let’s see, Jump, then Master o’Blades and Rain of Glass plus Grudge is… Jesus Christ.” I recalculated just to be sure. Wow, okay. Yes, that combo really would do a maximum of 11,534 damage to one target, with four normal Rain of Glass strikes to surrounding enemies. If the primary target was a Dark-resistant enemy, like the Broodmother or the Warsinger, it would only take half the MoB-RoG damage, but that was still a ‘mere’ 9752 points. Conversely, if the target was weak to Darkness, they’d take double or even triple. With the enhanced AP regen, I’d be able to hit my most powerful attack chains twice… and if I couldn’t kill someone inside of a minute with five-figure damage, I needed to hand in my gamer card.

  “Okay, Matir, I get it. With great risk comes great ass-kicking.” I selected Mortal Grudge. The Mark of Matir flared with a cool sensation beneath the hot water, then settled back down. I’d have to be careful with this move, but if used strategically… yeah, it was possible to make good use of it.

  Next on the menu was the Mass Combat screen. I mentally swiped across and was pleased to find the three pages – Army, Heroes and Logistics - were no longer greyed out. Still – it was intimidating. I’d logged thousands of hours into my beloved antique Pokémon collection, but most of my actual strategic experience was from my IRL grunt days. All my fighting had been done in jungles, which emphasized small-group tactics and leadership, counter-insurgency hijinks, and enduring the hare-brained schemes that issued from the bowels of the Pentagon.

  It’s just a game, man. It even has types and IVs and shit. I fired up the Logistics menu to assess what units we could produce at the Prezyemi Line. The short answer was ‘not many’. The Line had facilities to train the basic melee and ranged infantry units – Swordsmen, Pikemen, Riflemen, Gunners and Archers – and that was about it. We could also produce Light Cavalry, but to grow beyond our current unit capacity, we needed a third [Hookwing Stable]. The crafting sector was falling behind on arming our existing force with good quality weapons. We had people who could repair airships, but they couldn’t build them. That, more than anything else, was a strike against us. The Demon’s lack of airpower was the key weakness of his undead army. A hundred thousand zombies, ghouls, wights and whatever else he cared to drag up out of the dirt were rendered completely ineffective by some well-placed, old-fashioned bombs.

  All the Defense units best suited for fighting the Demon’s army were either inaccessible or too expensive to recruit and produce. The Orphans had swelled our ranks to 16,000-ish troops, but we needed more production nodes, Ravensblood Dragoons, Ravensblood Mages, and Battle Brothers of Khors.

  Increasingly apprehensive, I flipped over to the Heroes menu. This was looking better, because there were lots of available heroes and a few left to identify and recruit. We’d have to do that via sidequests. Sidequests we didn’t have time for.

  Interestingly, I was now listed as the ‘General’, while Suri was listed with the other NPCs as a ‘Champion (Recruited)’, but Rin wasn’t.

  Count Hector Dragozin, the Black Hand of Matir and Karalti, the Black Opal Queen

  Armed with the Spear of Nine Spheres, the impressive profile of dragon and rider inspires man and beast alike and strikes the fear of the Dark God into the hearts of their enemies.

  Suri Ba’hadir, the Red Lioness

  A powerful melee warrior, Suri’s presence on the battlefield grants allies Damage Reduction, increases the damage dealt by charges, and grants buffs against Fear and Disease.

  Soma was also listed as a Champion, and his status was ‘unrecruited’. My Renown with him was something like -700, so I doubted he was going to be a part of the team any time soon. Istvan and Vash were both in the next tier down, the Heroes tier:

  Istvan Arshak

  Well-loved and respected by his troops, the former Castellan of Egbolt Castle is a versatile light cavalry specialist. His presence on the battlefield increases the army’s overall speed, vigor, defense and attack. Especially suited to one-on-one combat against other heroes, Istvan can train Hookwing Pistoleers at twice the normal speed of a normal cavalry sergeant.

  Vash Dorha

  A Baru in service to Matir, Vash Dorha is a powerful close-combat fighter who is in his element among the common militia. He gives all surrounding Infantry stamina buffs, healing buffs, substantial buffs against Fear, Terror and Corruption to melee and ranged Infantry. He can also train Baru units, who provide healing and deal magical Dark-elemental melee strikes against incorporeal and magically shielded foes.

  Count Lorenzo Soma (Unrecruited)

  Like many craftmasters, Lord Soma has a strong personality and can be somewhat… temperamental. Despite this and his lack of military prowess, Lord Soma is an artificing prodigy who specializes in the field of airship repair and design. When stationed at any manufacturing node, he decreases Artifact repair time by 50%. If stationed in a Mana Mine, he increases Mana extraction yield by 15%. If stationed at an airship producti
on facility, he doubles the speed of airship assembly.

  There were other heroes listed: Lazar the Healer, Lord Zediwitz, Zlaslo, Admiral Ghelan, Taethawn the Bleak - the Meewfolk commander of the Orphans - and Viktor, the Master Artificer of House Soma's weaponeers. Each one had special abilities and buffs they conveyed to troops. My problem was that three of the best heroes – Istvan, Taethawn and Zediwitz – were cavalry-focused, while the militia units only had Vash and the Mages had no one. There was a mage hero listed – Szonja the Living Flame – but she was listed as ‘uncontacted’ and was based in Litvy.

  “Hmm. Hang on a second.” Curious, I pushed the Mass Combat window to one side and called up a second Map window to look and see if I could analyze Litvy. When I zoomed in on the marker, I got a pop-up:

  [Information unavailable: you must send Reconnaissance units to assess this city.]

  Ugh. Reasonable, but aggravating. I cycled back to the Army menu to see what I had to work with – starting with the overview.

  Army Information

  Available Legion: The Myszno Defense Force

  For centuries, the proud citizens of Vlachia have prospered through steely determination and a thriving, forward-thinking focus on education and technology. The Vlachian Army has a large and diverse roster of available units, with almost every type of unit represented. Rifle-equipped infantry and Hookwing pistoleers are the foundation of their military, backed up by a diverse roster of Elite Units and some of the most advanced airships and artillery in the world. The large unit roster allows commanders to build flexible yet specialized armies suited to different strategies and campaigns.

  Vlachian Royal 4th Fleet, 2nd Company - 2185

  Myszno Defense Force – 9378

  The Orphans Company – 5030

  Total Units: 16,593

  United Myszno Defense Force Unit Roster:

  Airships

  Hussar-class Destroyer (3): A heavy battleship and troop carrier with artillery and magical armament. Capacity 700.

  Bathory-class Skirmisher (9): Light, fast, frigate-type airships used to support and protect Hussar-class ships with artillery. Capacity 200.

  Lóvas-class Cargo Hauler (20): Essential troop and cargo transport ships, lightly armored and built for distance rather than speed.

  Elite units

  Knights of the Red Star (150): The personal army of the Volod, the Knights of the Red Star are highly visible with their night-black hookwings, their red lamellar armor, and the holy draconic scripture tattooed down their cheeks. They are equipped with the best weapons Vlachia can make: Mastercrafted sabers for hand to hand combat, and bolt-action repeating rifles with 8-round magazines. Powerful and versatile, they are trained in both ranged combat and cavalry charges. The presence of Knights on the Red Star on the battlefield can cause Fear in enemies and make them more likely to break.

  Royal Elementalists (100): Trained in the Royal College of Maegi in Taltos, these combat-ready spellcasters cast a variety of offensive and support magic. When used defensively, they are capable of erecting magical shields strong enough to soak artillery fire.

  Nightstalkers Assassins (50): Hardened in fighting pits and alleyways of Taltos, these lightly armored, high-damage rogues are best deployed against single high-status units. They are also excellent siege breakers, able to infiltrate defenses and attack them from the inside.

  Battle Brothers of Khors (50): The best artillerymen in Vlachia, the temple-trained Battle Engineers see their craft as a form of prayer. They can man magical weapons and mobile Artifacts, as well as operate mortars, cannons, and other artillery weapons with twice the normal fire rate. They require a Monastery of the Forger to train.

  Yanik Rangers (55): Lightly armored, medium-damage recon units whose main advantage is their ability to fight in difficult terrain without penalty. They are also immune to fear effects and have an attack bonus against gates and structures.

  Ravensblood Dragoons (300): Descended from the Dakhari mercenaries who helped the House of Corvinus conquer Vlachia, Dragoons are Quazi-mounted aerial knights who fight with special hooked polearms – the khara - and pistols. They are brutally effective against armored and unarmored flying creatures, able to pull their khara through wings and gun down armored opponents. Their majestic presence on the battlefield is inspiring to ground troops, improving morale by 5% per 50 units and making lines of infantry less likely to shatter.

  Ravensblood Maegi (150): Mages who fly on quazi to support their melee brethren. Their presence on the battlefield inspires infantry and increases the attack and defense of foot-soldiers by 5% per 50 units.

  Orphan Company Triceratops Cavalry (65): What the triceratops lacks in speed, it makes up for with bulletproof stopping power. Equipped with heavy armor, powerful armor-piercing crossbows and a crew of three riflemen, a line charge of these large dinosaurs is highly effective against Infantry.

  Baru: These supernaturally mobile, close-quarters units are ideally suited to fighting monstrous enemies. At their best against the undead, they can strike and damage Incorporeal units and gain a +150% damage buff against Undead and Incorporeal creatures. The blows of their attuned iron gauntlets are also able to shatter armor and stone to great effect, making them effective against Large constructs. Baru have a chance to completely avoid damage via teleportation. A unit of 10 Baru is enough to convey a health regen bonus of 10% on surrounding infantry. Baru may also be used for Recon, with a +50% bonus on Diplomacy or Trade alliance checks with Churvi, Tuun, or Northern Lys people. (5)

  Infantry & Cavalry Units

  Vlachian Militia Pikemen (2086)

  Vlachian Archers (2070)

  Vlachian Riflemen (885)

  Vlachian Hookwing Pistoleers (3103)

  Corrun-Mounted Heavy Cavalry (1586)

  Orphans Company Hookwing Archers (3000)

  Orphans Company Hookwing Pistoleers (2300)

  Artillery units

  Mortar (200)

  12-Pound Mobile Cannon (250)

  Heavy Cannon (150)

  Orphan Company Brontosaurus Mobile Artillery Platform (3)

  Specialist Units

  Myszno Defense Medical Corps (100)

  Available Heroes

  Suri Ba'hadir

  Istvan Arshak

  Vash Dorha

  Count Lorenzo Soma

  Zlaslo ul'Tiranozavir

  Ur Robert Gehlan

  Admiral Constantin Ghelan

  Lazar Skaliz

  Taethawn the Bleak

  Viktor of Provern

  Lord Franz Zediwitz

  Szonja the Living Flame

  Recruited: 10

  Total Available: 12

  Supply Trains

  Boros > Krivan Pass > Prezyemi Line (Open)

  Litvy > Gondar Valley > Western Endlar > Prezyemi Line (Open)

  Slutlava > Prezyemi Line (Open)

  “Fuck.” I slid out into the steaming water with a sigh, gazing up at the battery of open HUD displays hanging above. "We just don't have enough personnel to hold a thirty-mile defensive line, Tidbit. Plain and simple. And we've got... what? Five days? Maybe."

  "That's long enough to rally the other satraps, isn’t it?" Karalti had settled down under the water, the tip of her nose resting on the bank like a snorkel as she basked in the heat. "They'll take the situation a lot more seriously now we have all that Renown."

  "Yeah.” Increasingly aggravated, I continued to study. Looking over it a second time didn’t make things any better. There was no way to get around the fact that we didn’t have enough troops, and the soldiers we had weren’t the right kind. Two-thirds of our basic units were cavalry of some kind or another, which was basically worthless behind the Wall. That was a shame: Cavalry was great against cheap infantry units like zombies and plague rats, especially with Istvan on the field. The benefits of cavalry were basically canceled out by the terrain.

  I dumped all my available skill points into Leadership, then bobbed around in the spring like a cork, browsin
g the wiki for anything that might help us turn this fiasco-thon around. I studied the Ability details, Rank and other information of each of the different units, getting a sense of what they were good for and what they weren't. But nothing I read changed my instinctive conclusion: we were at the wrong place with the wrong army. We needed open terrain where we could maximize the impact of cavalry, artillery, and airships. We also needed long, heavy pikes, lots of them. Pikemen could keep the horde at bay while riflemen supported them from behind. Istvan and Soma were both correct: we needed more infantry, at least 10,000 pikemen and 5000 rifles, preferably more. We needed magitech shields, airships, explosives.

  Shaking my head, I dismissed the menu and swam to the bank. I was dripping wet until I equipped my armor - and then poof, I was magically dry again. Why the devs had enabled an insta-drying hack but left the Pee Meter intact, I would never know. "Okay, Tidbit. Time to go."

  "Okay!" Karalti rolled over onto her back with a deep groan, luxuriating for a couple more seconds, then flopped back onto her belly and began to weave through the water like a snake. “Do you want to train with me? It’s been a while since we trained strength or dexterity or anything.”

  I hesitated. “I… don’t really feel like training today.”

  My dragon regarded me with an expression of flat disbelief. “Okay – where is Hector, and what did you do with him?”

  “Really.”

  Karalti’s eyes narrowed. She dropped her neck and head as she approached, sniffing deeply. “Why? What’s wrong?”