by Dean Henegar
Congratulations! You have reached Level 3. Open your character sheet to review changes.
I held off going over my new character information as I watched an ecstatic Septimus descend from the stands along with a dejected Asif. The crowd gave a half-hearted cheer at our victory and laughed at the downtrodden Asif as he reached over and held up Septimus’ hand, indicating his forces were victorious. Guards quickly disarmed us, and I was led up to Septimus and Asif.
“Ahh, the man of the hour. Well done, Raytak. I knew you had it in you. Don’t you think they performed exceptionally, Asif?” Septimus prodded. Asif glared daggers at me, and a cruel smile crossed his face as he replied to Septimus.
“Yes, they fought well. I truly hope he and his men don’t face any . . . unfortunate accidents before they fight again. What do you say Septimus, double or nothing for another fight tomorrow?” Asif asked as he handed a jingling bag full of coin to Septimus. Septimus looked at my men and then back to Asif before replying.
“Of course, my friend! I would never be so uncouth as to not give you the opportunity to earn your coin back. It’s always a pleasure for my gladiators to compete here in your illustrious arena. What do you think? Same time tomorrow and same setup?” Septimus offered.
“I agree. See you at dawn, Raytak. May the gods favor your blade yet again tomorrow,” Asif offered with false humility.
Septimus and his guards herded us quickly toward our tent. Once inside, I could see the tables had been stripped of weapons and were now covered in food. Kebabs of what looked like chicken and perhaps beef with grilled vegetables were piled on a platter. I was able to identify the vegetables as tomato and onion. There was warm flatbread and several bowls of brightly colored rice. Septimus waved his hand at the spread and invited us to eat.
“Eat quickly, my brave soldiers. We must leave within the hour,” Septimus offered before abruptly leaving the tent. The head guard and a few of his men remained in the tent with us. I also noticed the head guard had a name. Most npcs were nameless, but occasionally the AI would assign a name to certain npcs that were given upgraded personalities or backstories.
Galba, Doctore Inutilis Level 6, Npc.
Once again, the game pulled Imperium nomenclature from its roots in ancient Rome. I recalled that a doctore was an instructor of gladiators and the second word in their title indicated the type of gladiators they trained. Inutilis loosely translated to something like worthless or unprofitable . . . seemed like a good descriptor the usual fighters that Septimus brought to fight in the arena. Galba would have to change his title soon if we kept winning.
“Doctore Galba, why are we leaving? I thought that Septimus arranged for us to fight again tomorrow?” I asked as I shoved food in my mouth. The chicken was dry and full of gristle but had various savory seasonings on it that I found delicious. The “beef” on the other hand was pungent and foul, and no amount of seasoning could cover the taste up. I focused on the “beef skewer” while I waited for Galba to respond. The system prompt answered my question as to what the meat was, for once.
Mukok Skewer: The meat of the large beast of burden called the mukok is considered inedible to most humanoids due to its pungent smell and taste. You will find it offered only to the poorest in society. The only exceptions to this rule are the Ogre tribes that find mukok to be a delicacy.
“Asif is a vengeful man who hates losing, especially when money is involved. I suspect, as does Septimus, that if we were to wait around for the match tomorrow, we would all find our throats slit in the middle of the night. Best to leave now and put some distance from this slum arena while Asif is busy managing the afternoon matches. Eat up. We’ll leave as soon as the wagons are hitched up,” Galba ordered. As the doctore left, I tried and failed to drop the mukok skewer back on the pile of food without anyone noticing it. I got several glares from the other soldiers as I shrugged and picked up another chicken skewer instead.
You have failed your sleight-of-hand check. While this action was not severe enough to warrant lowering your reputation with the other soldiers . . . it was a jerk move.
Looking about the room I noticed we were down to six soldiers total, including myself and Wrend. Having 50% casualties was going to be rough if we couldn’t find a way to replenish our numbers. I didn’t have access to a garrison to replace my losses and I could only hope that Septimus would continue to shell out coin to acquire the prison contracts of more disgraced soldiers. While eating, I opened my character sheet to review the changes and upgrades of my new level.
Raytak: Disgraced Commander Level 3
Experience: 1237/2000
Health: 117/250
Defense: 4
Attack: 4
Abilities/Feats:
Incite: You can rally your allies and discourage your foes once per day for 35 seconds. Incite adds +1 to attack for all friendly forces within a 15-foot radius of the Disgraced Commander. Foes within a 15-foot radius will have a -1 penalty to attack.
Manaless: 3% spell resistance, 1% for forces under your command. You have an innate ability to resist harmful magic. Troops under your command are also protected to a lesser degree.
Choose one of the following upgrade paths.
Commander Path: This path will follow a similar one to your original class. Choices may be slightly different but close to the normal progression choices for the Commander class.
Gladiator Captain Path: This path will emphasize the training and experience you will gain from fighting in the arena. This path will still focus on commanding and leading your forces but will diverge more than option 1 from your previous Commander class.
This was a surprise. Previously, my commander class would open paths to specialize my troops in different areas such as a melee or skirmish focus. The commander path sounded close to that and was probably the safe choice . . . but the gladiator captain path sounded like too much fun. If I could still use my skills and abilities to lead troops, I wanted to try a slightly different approach to the game. Once I had cleared my name I would revert to my original (and much preferred) class, but, for now, it was time to try something spicier.
Gladiator Captain path selected. Your command limits and troop types are as follows. Level up to unlock the ability to command greater numbers of troops. Gear will now be standardized throughout your forces when issued by the guards.
Standard Soldiers: 4/20. The soldiers under your command will now be upgraded (or downgraded in the case of higher-level recruits) to your own level. Your soldiers have 10 health per level and a bonus of +1 to attack and defense at level 1. Attack and defense bonuses increase by 1 at every five-level interval. Replenishment is currently only available if Septimus purchases more prisoner contracts.
Elite soldiers: 1/1. Elite soldiers receive 25 health per level and have a bonus of +1 to attack and defense starting at level 1. Elite soldiers receive a further +1 bonus to attack and defense every other level.
Choose one of the following Level 3 Gladiator Captain upgrades.
Dirty Tricks: Your experience in the arena has taught you and your men to fight with new and unorthodox methods. Dirty Tricks is a 1/day activated ability that allows all your soldiers to automatically land their next blow, provided it is made within ten seconds after activation. This ability scales with level and at higher levels will add additional charges as well as increase the attack power of the blow when used.
Goon Squad: Summon forth some of the despicable rabble that Septimus recruits in his school. Good squad will summon 1-6 angry prisoner goons 1/day to fight on your side for the next 30 seconds. These prisoners will be unarmored, have the same level as the Gladiator Captain, and are armed with daggers of a comparable item level to the weapons your forces currently wield. The goons will be summoned in a random location within twenty feet of the captain. The goons will attack the nearest enemy until they die, or the timer expires. The goons are mindless and will not respond to commands. This ability upgrades as you level.
Hard Target:
You emphasize your own personal training over that of your troops and are granted a +25 bonus to health, +1 to attack, and +1 to defense each level. This bonus is offset by a lowering your maximum number of followers by 25%. The hard target bonus will improve and open extra abilities as you level. The number of followers allowed will be affected by the future upgrade paths for Hard Target (penalty may increase or decrease based on path selected).
These were all good choices. Dirty Tricks would pump up our damage output and give us a good way to eliminate hordes of weak foes quickly. Hard Target would also be nice; I hadn’t focused too much on my own combat abilities before, so this could be a new experience. Still, I couldn’t pass up an ability called Goon Squad. The ability seemed like my old Honor Guard ability, which was one of my favorites, but subject to more RNG (Random Number Generator) than what I was used to. Still, being able to conjure up a swarm of prisoners armed with prison shanks to attack our foes in the middle of a battle would be quite the sight.
Goon Squad upgrade selected.
As soon as I finished leveling, I noticed that all my other soldiers, including Wrend were now also level three. Another guard walked into the tent and motioned all of us to follow. We were led through the back-street areas of the town and eventually found ourselves on the main road leading away from Asif’s arena. Galba had us march down the road at a quick pace for the next thirty minutes. Soon, I could make out the shape of several wagons in the distance. Approaching the caravan, I was surprised to see a dozen prison wagons, two cargo wagons, and Septimus sitting comfortably on a plush cushion in the lead wagon. We were ordered into two of the empty prison wagons where we were quickly chained up once again, confused as to what was happening.
Chapter 12
Our caravan traveled at a pace that quickly wore out the horses pulling our wagons. The horses looked like they were ready for the glue factory and I had to hope that we would reach our destination soon. If a horse died on the trail, I could almost guarantee that hauling wagons would become the newest prisoner task. Around noon, the caravan halted by a small copse of trees. The environment had been changing into one that was more and more desert-like as we had progressed further from Hayden’s Knoll. Finding even a small copse of shady trees would provide a welcome relief from the day’s heat. The trees in this area resembled a cross between a palm tree and pine tree; instead of a palm tree’s fronds, these trees had large fans of pine-like needles. The needles shed and gathered around the base of the trees, giving us a more comfortable place to sit.
The caravan drivers unhitched the horses and filled a portable water trough with water from barrels attached to the side of each wagon. The guards then came around passing out water skins for the prisoners as well as some dried meat and fruits for our midday meal. Galba walked over to our wagon and unlocked me and then Wrend. Once freed of our bonds, the guard motioned for us to follow him over to where Septimus was relaxing in the shade of one of the palmpines, as I was now calling the trees. Septimus looked wilted and was guzzling watered-down wine from a skin as we approached. Several guards had a dozen of the other prisoners sitting in front of the Septimus.
“Ahh, the brave Captain Raytak and his loyal companion Wrend have arrived. These prisoners have come up with a unique proposition and I wanted to check if this was something you two were capable of,” Septimus said as he motioned over the men sitting in front of us. “Go on, tell the good captain what you asked the guards earlier,” Septimus said, motioning toward the rogue npc who had fought with us in the arena. The rogue looked a bit sheepish as he stood and addressed me.
“Captain Raytak, sir, we were wondering what it would take to become soldiers like you are. If we’re going to have to fight in the arena, I think my chances will be better as part of your team than on my own,” the rogue said. This was unexpected, and I had a suspicious feeling it might have been the AI opening a way for me to replenish my ranks. I decided to run with the idea.
“Being a soldier requires more than just fighting together in a group. You must learn discipline, be at peak physical form, and value your fellow soldiers lives more than your own. We will train constantly and live under the motto that if you sweat more now, you’ll bleed less later. If you and these others are willing, I’m sure Wrend and I could take a crack at turning you into soldiers. You will be worked harder than many of you ever have before. It also requires that you obey my orders without hesitation. I hope to earn back my reputation and my rank, and I can only do that with good men fighting at my side. If you want to be a part of that and have a chance to earn your own shot at freedom, I’m willing to take a chance on you,” I offered.
A very welcome system prompt flashed into view.
You have unlocked the ability to recruit and train new soldiers for your unit of disgraced legionnaires. You, or your elite NCO (non-commissioned officer), will be required to provide several hours of training every day for the first week after recruitment to integrate new soldiers into your ranks. Should you fail in your regular training regimen, soldiers will revert to their previous state as generic prisoners and lose all levels gained from being a soldier. You can only recruit soldiers up to your current maximum limit.
“Wonderful, wonderful!” Septimus chortled as he clapped. “A rousing speech from the brave captain. I give you permission to recruit any of these that you think you can turn into soldiers. I want you as strong as you can be for our next adventure.”
“What exactly did you have in mind for us now that we’ve been driven from Asif’s?”
“Ahh, that’s the trick isn’t it. We did leave in a bit of a rush and our abrupt departure, though necessary, severely depleted my funds. Those merchants can just sense desperation and I had to vastly overpay for everything we needed. We are now headed, if you must know, further along the border between the Imperium and Imix toward a town known as Shraza,” Septimus said.
“And I assume we’ll find yet another arena there?” I inquired sarcastically.
“Of course, my good man. Your excellent performance yesterday has helped us to move up in the world! Shraza is also a pit of a town . . . but it’s a bigger pit of a town than Asif’s place. We’ll find a much larger arena and tougher foes for you to defeat. Which of course means more profits for me. It’s but another stepping stone to your final journey of freedom. Run along now, captain, and see to training your new recruits,” Septimus explained with a dismissive wave. Galba pulled us aside and gave us the “rules” for recruiting and training the other prisoners.
“So, you can have your pick of the litter, not that there’s much to work with,” Galba said, gesturing toward the prisoners assembled before us. “You can train them in the morning for an hour, at the noon break for an hour, and in the evening for a couple of hours or so. We can’t slow down the caravan too much if we want to make Shraza before our supplies run out,” Galba advised.
“That won’t be enough time to get this lot into shape . . . sir,” Wrend said, adding the sir very reluctantly.
“You’re right, Wrend. Galba, how about you let us do some running and physical training during the ride? I’d like to run the men up and down the caravan to toughen them up. I’ve done that before and it had good results. We’ll be in plain sight of your guards and I can guarantee the men will be too worried about not dying from exhaustion to even think about escaping. After all, none of them could survive this on their own,” I said, waving toward the increasingly desolate country we had found ourselves traveling through.
“That should work. I’ll organize a schedule to let you out in groups to work the new men. Any funny business and you’ll spend the ride chained on the wagons in the most uncomfortable positions I can think of,” Galba conceded . . . and threatened.
I had Wrend follow me as we inspected the available prisoners. There were a total of thirty-three prisoners (not counting our soldiers) left with the caravan. The condition of many were too poor for us to work with. We quickly sorted out the wheat from the chaff, or in this c
ase, the chaff from the worse chaff. After recruiting the best of the bunch, I was notified of another upgrade.
You have recruited an advanced soldier. Your current capacity for advanced soldiers is 1/3. Advanced soldiers will be discovered as your own troops level up and can at times be recruited directly.
It turned out the rogue had been added as a new type of advanced soldier. I looked at his data to determine the best use for him.
Imperium Infiltrator: The Infiltrators are trained in subterfuge, camouflage, and sneak attacks. In battle, they slip through the line of battle unseen and hit vulnerable targets in the enemy’s rear. A well-placed group of Infiltrators can quickly turn the tide of battle in your favor. Infiltrators are typically equipped the same as your standard troops but often go with a dagger in the off hand instead of a shield.
Infiltrators (Advanced Soldier) have the following stats.
Health: 15 per level.
Attack: 1 at start, +1 every 3 levels.
Defense: 1 at start and +1 every 3 levels.
Special abilities:
Infiltrate: Make a stealth check with a bonus of +1 per level in order to avoid detection from an enemy. Stealthed or flanking infiltrators gain a +1 bonus to attack per level and add a flat +1 attack bonus to any other allies attacking the same foe.
We were able to recruit up to full strength, save for only having one advanced soldier. Wrend took the first shift training our new recruits and led half a dozen of them in physical training while the caravan traveled, running up and down the row of slow-moving wagons. The training technique was one developed by my old nco, Sergeant Brooks, who started it back when I first arrived in-game. I took the next shift of running, trading out with Wrend every hour or so. By the time we stopped at the end of the day, everyone was exhausted.
In the morning, Wrend would run the recruits through basic combat drills or I would run both squads in the use of Imperium tactics and formations. Wrend still had nothing but angry and threatening looks to throw my way, but surprisingly, he followed my orders and was exceptional at training the men.
