● Hob steel brigandine: 70
● Weapons (assorted): 432
● Ogre leather armor: 1
● Ogre spiked mace: 1
Making a snap decision, I queued in another 90 hob warriors and gave them the ‘Dual Wield’ skill. These soldiers would wear leather armor and wield two light weapons each. They’d serve as light skirmishers – able to dash in, do some damage, and retreat quickly.
At this point, I’d queued in 295 soldiers, which – at 70 basic food per unit – cost a total of 20,650. That left me with 1,020 units of basic food. I used that to summon lieutenants, queuing in 14 of the officer rank hobs, reducing my available advanced food by 420.
The Breeder’s Den churned and screeched, and an unending line of hobs streamed out of its leather flap-covered doorway.
“Get them sorted. You know the drill,” I said absentmindedly to Kaedric as I stepped away from the cacophony and quickly growing crowd.
I was left with 14,580 units of advanced food and 450 exquisites, so I carefully considered my options. I could either summon goblin adepts or hob adepts using my remaining food. The hobs were more resilient and appeared to have access to a slightly more advanced range of spells, but goblins were cheaper, and they could heal.
With the small amount of exquisite food at my disposal, goblins seemed the safer choice at the moment. It also quickly became apparent that my clan’s metal item creation speed was slow. In a few days, Gandork would be able to provide enough food to summon soldiers to use up all my surplus military equipment, and steel armor and weapons would run out first. After my spending burst, I was left with only 252 weapons. That was not going to be enough.
Blacksmiths were a simple crafter class, but I could now afford something more exotic. I started browsing through the advanced crafter class options. Until now, I only had Guba and Hoker, the enchanter, from that rank, and I was curious to see what else was available. I browsed through the long list of professions and finally found one that seemed to work: metalists. There was no further information, as usual, but I had ways around that. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the metadata behind it.
After a moment, I smiled. A metalist was a kind of metal artist capable of producing delicate and complex items. It was overkill for producing mere weapons and armor, but they’d be able to do the job well enough and level up their skill while they were at it.
I queued in two crafters, then used the remaining exquisite food supply to summon 20 goblin adepts and assigned them all as healers. That brought up the warriors to healers ratio to 20 to 1.
Kaedric, I mentally called for my seneschal, rather than trying to shout over the growing throng of summoned soldiers.
Send the two new workers to Duladeen’s forge. I believe there’s enough room there for several blacksmiths.
That was quick. As for the soldiers, let them roam a little, then bring them to the temple at the end of the day for the naming ceremony.
I watched as the throng quickly filtered through the cobbled streets toward the barracks. The building’s courtyard should be big enough to hold them. I sighed as I realized what I’d just set myself up for; it was going to be a real pain to come up with unique names for everyone.
Vic said unexpectedly.
You can?
Thanks, Vic, I think I’ll pass.
It seemed like I was going to do it on my own. I consoled myself with the fact that now, with nearly 500 soldiers, I could raise quite a havoc.
Apart from naming the new recruits, there was so much else left to do; handling the lodging, tackling the military gear shortage, and assigning work for the players when they got back. And I hadn’t even concluded the initial clan survey yet.
“Well, better get to it,” I grunted to myself. I squared my shoulders and took a decisive step forward. Then everything started to blur around me.
I was being logged out.
***
Fantasy was replaced by reality as the lid of my FIVR capsule swung open.
A tired-looking technician I didn’t recognize greeted me. “Good evening, Mr. Berman.”
“Hey, bro.” Tal’s head came into view behind the tech guy. “Do goblins rule over NEO yet?”
“Working on it,” I said. I was set loose and exited the capsule. “What time is it?”
“It’s almost midnight,” Tal replied, stifling a yawn. “Wanna hit the shower before debriefing? It’ll just be me and one of the company reps this time.”
“Technically, it’s only been two hours since my last shower, so …” I shrugged.
“You sure? You know … Sharon’s still on duty.” He winked at me.
I returned his grin. “I actually have a lot on my plate at the moment, what with the clan and the players. I don’t want to stay away for too long. Time’s a-wasting.”
“Alright, in that case, let’s head over to the conference room.”
I followed my friend through the dimly lit, nearly abandoned corridors. It was clear most of the company’s employees had gone home for the night.
A tired-looking woman wearing a rumpled suit was already waiting for us at the table. “Good evening, Mr. Berman. My name is Alison, and I’ll be filing a report on your latest game session. Do you feel any fatigue? Any lingering headaches or adverse effects?”
The interview carried on for another 15 minutes, during which I mostly answered yes or no questions. When Alison was done, she got up and looked up at her watch. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Berman.”
“No problem,” I said. “And it’s Oren. Sorry for the late hours.”
She smiled at me tiredly. “I appreciate the sentiment, Oren, but it is my job, tedious as it might seem.”
“I understand.”
“I’ll see you again in a few hours,” she said and left the room.
Tal wrapped an arm around my neck. “How about we go out for a late dinner together? There’s a nice bar 10 minutes’ drive away that serves these amazing steaks. I heard they use pineapple batter to tenderize the meat.”
I hesitated. “I’d like to. It sounds amazing, only–”
“Only you don’t want to miss out a day in the game,” he finished for me.
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s cool. We can grab something at the company’s cafeteria on the floor below.”
“I don’t know … it’s already been nearly a day in the game.”
“Let me put it this way: You either grab something to eat with me, or they’ll have to use the long-term immersion support equipment.” He raised an eyebrow. “You know, the kind that puts a tube down your throat and up your a–”
“I’m good for some late-night snacks,” I said hurriedly.
He grinned. “I was positive you’d see it my way, eventually.”
It took us about 15 minutes to wolf down a couple of sandwiches and a pot of coffee, then my friend escorted me back to the immersion lab.
“Seeing as your last session went without a hitch,” the tired-looking lab tech said. “We’d like to keep you connected for the rest of the night – six hours straight. Is that alright with you?”
I nodded at him.
“See you later, bro.” Tal let out a wide yawn. “I’m way past my bedtime. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you in a bit,” I replied. “We’ll do those pineapple-marinated steaks soon, I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that. Until then, keep it green.”
I chuckled. “I’ll try.”
Interlude: ?Prophecy?
Tal Weissman watched as the capsule’s lid closed over his friend’s body. He sighed and slowly walked toward the lab’s exit.
Now that Oren wasn’t present, he allowed his shoulders to sag, letting his usual cheery attitude dis
sipate.
Preoccupied with his thoughts, he made his way through the building’s corridor toward a small room the company had assigned to him. It was nothing fancy, a three-star hotel at most, but it was enough.
He was beat.
He’d spent the last 12 hours – the entire duration of Oren’s immersion – consumed by stress and apprehension for his friend’s well-being. Unlike Oren, he didn’t get to experience long, relaxing days in a fantasy world.
“Lucky bastard.” Tal grinned tiredly.
He arrived at his room and reached for his key card as another person turned a corner.
“What do you want?” Tal narrowed his eyes at the oily lawyer.
“How is your friend holding up?” Mr. Emery asked calmly.
“He’s fine, not that it’s of any interest to you,” Tal said.
“I hardly think that tone’s appropriate.”
“Too bad. I’m no longer one of your employees.”
“I am talking about basic decency here, Mr. Weissman.”
“Some decency,” Tal snorted. “If you were a decent man you’d tell him the whole truth. Oren deserves to know why he’s really here.”
“I thought we agreed that would put unnecessary pressure on your friend,” the lawyer said. “He has enough on his plate already, or do you disagree?”
“No.” Tal deflated and rubbed his eyes. “But damn it, he’s my best friend. It doesn’t feel right keeping secrets from him. Especially something this important.”
“For the sake of the other players – as well as your friend – it’s best to keep it to ourselves for now.”
The lawyer’s eyes almost gleamed as he continued. “Until he’s ready to hear it, Oren must not be told of the prophecy.”
***
“Well, this sucks,” Fox grunted. He and the rest of the Mob Squad were currently hiding under an extremely unpleasant pile of garbage.
“Quiet,” Misa hushed him. “This is the best place for a lookout, but if someone hears us and comes to investigate, we’re all dead.”
“It looks like the local scavengers are still hard at work,” Riley, the dwarf priest of Nihilator, said and pointed at a huge mound of rubble.
“Well, it used to be the most powerful guild house in all of NEO,” Raystia whispered back. “There’s probably enough riches buried under it to keep them occupied for a long while.”
“But it’s been over a year,” Fox grumbled. “We’ve been hiding out here for nearly a week, and so far I haven’t seen their search parties take a rest.”
The four adventurers had staked out the ruins of the Manapulators’ guild house for the past several days. The pile of debris had become an appealing landmark for all sorts of unsavory characters; lowlifes, petty criminals, and those who thrived by trading in illicit goods.
“I heard rumors of a strong player who traveled through the city,” Riley said. “Maybe we can still catch up to him and ask for his help. I don’t think we can slip by those NPCs without a fight.”
“There’s a pattern,” Raystia whispered. She pointed. “Look.”
A group of five burly and heavily-tattooed men approached the mound. The scavengers who were digging the pile hurried to group together. The two groups exchanged some heated words, and the scavengers seemed to deflate, shaking their heads and backing off.
“These new guys are even higher-level than the ones before,” Riley complained. “There’s no way we can take them down. They’ll gang up and murder us.”
“That’s not what I meant,” the catgirl said. “These groups don’t like each other. They have a very tenuous peace. If we can disrupt that …”
“Then we can slip in while the bad boys are fighting.” Misa grinned. “Nice thinking, Kitty.”
“But for how long?” the dwarf priest objected. “It can take days to dig up the right spot.”
Raystia shook her head. “I’ve got the exact location marked on my map. It’s in an area that’s already been excavated extensively. I guess the safeguards Oren placed there are still working. It shouldn’t take more than a few moments to find the exact spot and open the passage.”
“And that means we need to make two groups of much higher-level brutal criminals groups throw down,” Misa said happily. “There’s absolutely no way this plan can fail.”
Fox rolled his eyes. “I’m not looking for my third respawn, girl. I still have nightmares about the first two.”
“It’ll be alright, foxy.” Misa laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I’ll watch over you.”
“Not feeling very reassured for some reason,” the bugbear huffed. “Oh, whatever. Let’s just get on with it. Raystia, what’s the plan?”
The catgirl took a deep breath and withdrew a sizeable cracked gem from her inventory. “I’m going to plant this crystal on one of the scavengers then tattle on them to the tattooed bullies.”
“What?” Riley looked at her incredulously. “You can’t pickpocket a mob 15 levels higher than you. Not with your current skill level.”
“The difficulty should be reduced since I’m only trying to put something in his pocket, and I have a few more skills that should synergize to increase my chances. I think I can do it. This anchoring crystal used to belong to Vatras; NPCs should be able to identify it as the guild’s property.”
“Shit,” Fox muttered. “If they catch you …” He didn’t finish the sentence. The consequences were obvious to everyone. NEO was now an extremely hardcore game. If caught, dying would be the least of the young woman’s problems.
“I’m going for it,” Raystia said with determination. “Be ready to move on my mark. We’re going to have a really small window.”
“Good luck, Kitty,” Misa said airily. “We’ve got your back.”
“Yeah,” Riley added. “From way over here, under a pile of garbage.”
Raystia drew the hood of her black, tight-fitting garment over her face and slid away from their hideout. Her friends barely maintained eye contact on her figure as she silently moved from cover to cover, making her way to the conversing groups.
She managed to approach the slowly retreating group of scavengers undetected. Her three friends held their breath as Raystia reached for one of the closest men and gently dropped the crystal into his coat pocket. She tried to pull back into hiding, but a rough hand grabbed her.
“What ‘eh we ‘ave ‘ere, eh?” A pockmark-faced man yanked Raystia out of hiding, and both groups of NPCs turned to stare at her.
“One of them lowlife travelers,” one of the tattooed bullies spat. “Thinking she can plunder from us.”
“Kill her and get it over with,” another bully grumbled. “We’re wasting time.”
“No, please!” Raystia started tearing up, and her fluffy cat ears quivered. “Please don’t hurt me, I’m so hungry! That crystal you found looked like it could feed me for a few days. I’m sorry, I don’t want to die.”
The pockmarked scavenger who was still holding her arm scowled at her. “What ‘yer on about, eh? We ‘ain found nothing all day.”
“You guys found something valuable and forgot to hand over your share?” The bullies’ leader had an ugly look in his eye. “Empty your pockets”
“She ‘aim just looking to stir up trouble, Flott,” Pockmarked said. “I’ll take care of ‘er.”
“Empty your pockets,” the bully repeated. “Now.”
“Fine, come on, boys.” The scavengers did so, and the large, blackened crystal fell to the ground.
“That’s a magical core,” one of the bullies said excitedly. “Even damaged, it’s worth a lot for the right buyer.”
Pockmarked paled. “No, ‘ye listen ‘ere …”
The bullies didn’t give him a chance to protest. All five drew out daggers and small weapons.
The scavengers looked at each other and pulled out crude clubs and batons. Then the two groups charged.
Raystia found herself almost yanked off her feet as Pockmarked pulled her after him, away fro
m the melee. He threw the catgirl down at a small crater in the rubble. “I’m going tesho’ ‘ya what’s tha cost of messing with ‘me, girl,” he growled at her, drawing a wicked-looking razor from his sleeve. “Now, if ‘ye want to keep yer face all pretty, you be a good girl and do exactly as I tell ‘ya.”
Raystia’s eyes widened as she realized what the man intended to do to her. She feinted to her left, trying to slip by the angry criminal and run away, but he was faster. He backhanded her, sending her sprawling back into the crater, shaving off a quarter of her HP along the way.
His eyes glistened maliciously as he crouched on top of her, waving the razor in front of her eyes. He opened his mouth in a twisted grin, his breath rancid. “When I’ll be done with ‘ya, yar friends–”
A huge fist crashed into the side of his face as an angry yellow bugbear made his appearance. “Her friends are right here, asshole.”
Unfortunately for Fox, despite the surprise, Pockmarked was still a higher level than him, and though the hit jarred him, he was far from finished. The man’s arm flashed, and the bugbear’s health visibly shrank as the razor cut him across the chest. “I’ll just ‘ave to kill ya too,” the scavenger sneered.
“She has more than one friend, you dolt,” Misa called out. The half-elven woman rose from behind the man and launched a chain. The metal links wrapped neatly around his legs, and he lost his foothold.
Riley revealed himself. “Yeah, what she said.” Nihilator’s priest pointed at the struggling man, and a black bolt shot out of his finger, turning the ground around his target into molten darkness.
Fox jumped on top of their enemy, using his weight to force the man’s face into the dark ooze.
But levels were still levels. With a sudden jerk of his legs, the man got loose from the chain. He forced his face out of the oozing darkness by sheer strength alone and started pushing the struggling bugbear inside instead.
Then it was Raystia’s turn. She nearly blurred as she charged on her would-be rapist and shoved something into his head.
Pockmarked stopped struggling with the bugbear and turned to stare in amazement at the young girl. A large nail was embedded in his head through the ear. He opened his mouth to say something then his eyes rolled upward as the rest of him realized he was already dead. He fell face-first into the dark ooze.
Life Reset: Human Resource (New Era Online Book 4) Page 29
