Black Wolf

by Mitchell T. Jacobs

  “Would they be able to get there in time?” Bryce asked.

  “The bigger problem is that we'll never be able to concentrate our forces,” Gina said. “What happens if Ragnarok gets all their players on at once and launches a bunch of attacks? Like, say they send two hundred each at Grizzly, Bravehart and Marauder, send smaller forces at some of the other companies, then hit you with five hundred? How are you going to fend that off?”

  “We have defenses. And that will only happen if we allow it to,” Levi responded.

  “Do you think they're going to give us a choice?” Cody asked, clearly annoyed. “Gina's right. Did you even bother to think this through?”

  “If we don't do something, then we're all going to be absorbed into Ragnarok,” Levi's adjunct argued.

  “Then come up with a better something,” Cody snapped.

  “We do have a trump card,” Levi spoke up. “Much of Ragnarok's fighting power is coming from their new recruits. We've noticed that they've been purchasing large quantities of overdrive on the market since they've started making their moves. We can therefore deduce that Ragnarok is giving their new players overdrive in order to boost their fighting ability.”

  “So you want us to stop selling overdrive,” Zach said.

  “Only that you stop selling it to Ragnarok,” Levi said.

  “You realize how much time and work that's going to take,” Nora said. “We would have to organize every single transaction. Plus, we wouldn't be able to sell it at auction as well.”

  “I realize that, but we need to do something,” Levi said. “We would be willing to help compensate for the loss.”

  “How much do you earn from overdrive sales?” Bryce asked.

  Nora looked at her menu. “Last batch? That earned us a hundred fifteen thousand credits.”

  There were murmurs from around the table.

  “And you're seriously going to ask them to stop selling?” Cody asked. “Black Wolf's strength is the heap of money that they're sitting on, and you want them to give that up?”

  “Ragnarok-”

  “Is your choice any better than Ragnarok?” Cody shot back. “You're asking us to trade tyranny under Ragnarok for tyranny under you?”

  “That's not what-”

  “That's exactly what you're asking. Why should be bow to you?”

  The room erupted in chaos. Several captains started arguing, then shouting over each other. Levi's adjunct was having words with Cody, who wasn't about to back down. Gina sat with her hand over her eyes, shaking her head. Bryce looked at the ceiling, acting like he would rather be anywhere else. Zach gave an apologetic look to Levi, who shrugged. Nothing good was going to come from this.

  Someone started banging on the other end of the table. “SHUT UP!” he heard him yell. Every head in the room turned to see David of Sacred Sword standing up with an angry look on his face.

  “If you'd all shut up for a minute, she has something to say,” he growled, motioning to Anna of Redd Foxx.

  She cleared her throat, then stood up to talk. “Redd Foxx has been doing some scouting outside of the area since this whole thing started. We thought that we might be able to move elsewhere if Ragnarok pushed us out. But we came across some interesting information while doing so.”

  Anna paused before continuing. “One of our scouting teams was up to the north of the city. There found a large settlement around where Milwaukee would be in the real world.”

  “Is it hostile?” Bryce asked.

  “It isn't, but it would be next to impossible to operate out of. The fees to do business there are astronomical.”

  “So what good is it?” Cody asked.

  “She's getting there,” David said.

  “What's interesting is how it's listed on the map,” Anna said. She opened up her menu and sent the coordinates to all of them. “Look at how it's listed.”

  “New Badger Republic,” Bryce read. “So it's not unaffiliated?”

  “No, which would make me think it could be captured,” Anna said.

  “So your plan is to take over another city for our own use?” Gina asked.

  “That's the idea, but it's not going to be that simple,” Anna said. “Just take a look at the scouting report.”

  Zach glanced at his menu again. The wall surrounding the city is twenty feet high and fifteen feet thick, surrounded by a large ditch dug ten feet deep into the earth. There are three gates in the wall. Each is heavily fortified, and will need to be breached with heavy explosives. The gates themselves are protected by several bastions sticking out of the walls, equipped with heavy machine guns and light artillery. They will need to be knocked out before the gate can be assaulted, otherwise the attackers will suffer heavy casualties. The city itself is a nightmare of winding streets, with plentiful firing arcs and defensive positions. The size of garrison is unknown, but the city looks to be heavily manned with troops. The attack force will need to be large, heavily armed and well coordinated to have a hope of taking the city.

  “I'm not sure that's a feasible prospect either,” Gina said. “Plus, even if we take the city we're in pretty close proximity to Old Chicago. That means we'll probably end up coming into conflict with Ragnarok.”

  “I know, and I don't think we should try this particular city. But it does give us another alternative to going to war with Ragnarok. We can scout other cities and see if they're better options,” Anna said.

  “Even with that, is anyone confident that we're actually going to be able to take one of those cities?” Gina said.

  “We have some of the best fighters in the game in our companies,” Cody pointed out.

  “For fighting monsters and in small scale skirmishes. Forget talk of our bases being fortresses. Does anyone think we can take an actual fortress with thousands of enemy troops?”

  “We just need to find a way to breach the walls,” Cody said.

  “We have no artillery, and we're not going to be able to use any until we get enough people to choose the skill,” Gina said. “Without that, I don't think we have any way to suppress the wall defenses of a fortress.”

  “And even if we do that, I'm not sure that we have the firepower to breach the walls,” Dustin Park of Dogs of War said. “It sounds like their defenses are configured like a sixteenth century star fort. That would be tough for even modern artillery to breach, let alone what whatever we can manage to get our hands on.”

  “Again, I think we can explore our options,” Anna said.

  Zach saw Levi and his adjunct activate their radios. A second later, his went off. “We've got trouble,” Danny said over the line.

  “Define trouble,” Zach asked.

  “It hasn't started yet, but-”

  “GET DOWN! GET DOWN!” Zach heard someone screaming on Danny's side, just before he heard the sound of gunfire and explosions. Several of the others in the council room had already grabbed their weapons and charged out the doors.

  “Ragnarok's here in force, and boy, they aren't messing around,” Danny said. “Might want to help?”

  “Copy,” Zach said. “Come on,” he said to Nora. They grabbed their weapons and hurried out toward the entrance. They hallway was chaos, filled with Ronin troops trying to get on the walls and roof to defend their base. “Miko, do you copy?”

  “I hear you,” she responded.

  “Ignore the grunts. Target anyone that looks like they might be an officer or is carrying heavy weapons.”

  “Got it,” Miko responded.

  “Xavier and I are going to provide cover for her,” Danny said. “We'll move after every shot so they don't lock onto us and send a grenade or rocket our way.”

  “I'll try to meet you guys up there,” Zach replied.

  “Well, this went worse than I expected. Which is saying something,” Nora grumbled.

  “At least this breaks up the argument for now,” Zach said.

  The emerged into the evening air. Spotlights on the walls were scanning the brush and approaches
around Ronin Fortress. The air was filled with thousands of tracer rounds from both sides. The twin machine gun batteries were hard at work, laying down a hail of fire. There was shouting, confusion as different teams tried to assemble amidst the chaos.

  “Danny, where are you?” Zach asked.

  “Up at the corner of the east and north walls,” came the reply.

  Zach and Nora hurried to the section of wall, then up the stairs. They had to dodge a medic carrying a wounded comrade coming down the steps. The troops on the wall seemed to be in chaos, taken aback by the suddenness and ferocity of the attack. There was very little coordination.

  “We're here!” Danny said from his left. Miko was keeling up against the wall, preparing to take a shot. Selene had bought her a night vision scope in Old Chicago. It was expensive and crude, but it was functional, at least. Xavier was firing quick bursts with his assault rifle, trying to target muzzle flashes, it looked like. Danny was doing the same with his machine gun.

  “You sure it's Ragnarok?” Zach asked.

  “There's a lot of them, and no one else could get these numbers,” Danny said between bursts.

  “Ronin's lacking in coordination,” Xavier observed. “There's one commander for each section of wall, and they can't possibly track what's going on along the whole wall.”

  “There's a platoon making a move up,” Miko said. “I think they have a bunch of engineers with grenade launchers.”

  “Where?” Danny asked.

  “They're moving in that grove of trees,” Miko said, still looking through her scope. “I think they're going to come out and try to crawl close enough to the wall in the confusion to shoot their grenades.”

  “Keep tracking them,” Zach said. He tapped Nora on the shoulder and pointed to the nearest gun emplacement. “Tell them to fire at the grove of trees once I get the light on them.

  He crouched along the wall to avoid the enemy's suppressive fire and shuffled over to the nearest spotlight operator. “Target your spotlight on that grove of trees!” he ordered.

  “What? Who are you?” the operator demanded.

  “Just do it!”

  To his credit, the operator complied. A dozen enemies froze as they were silhouetted by the bright spotlight. A split-second later, the emplacement opened up. They fell, scythed down by the storm of lead spat out by the twin guns.

  Zach signaled Miko though his radio so she could hear him over the din. “Search for more targets.”

  The spotlight operator suddenly fell, hit. Without thinking, Zach stood up and grabbed the spotlight handles.

  “No, wait!” Miko said through his radio. “Nora, have them target that rock outcropping to the right, just past the trees.”

  “I don't see it,” Nora said.

  “Start firing just above the tree line. I'll walk you up to the spot,” Miko said.

  The gun started to spit fire.

  “Crap! Miko's down! She's down!” Danny yelled. “Get down! I think-”

  That was the last thing Zach heard before he was thrown on his back. The world in front of him instantly flashed away. You Are KIA, the message in front of him read.

  A few seconds later, he respawned back at Black Wolf headquarters. Miko was already there.

  “There was a sniper in the rock outcropping,” she said. “I tried to get him, but he didn't even give me a good window for a shot.”

  Zach flopped down in a chair in frustration. Danny suddenly materialized in front of them as well.

  “Dang it, I died again!” he grumbled. “I knew I was going to get sniped, but someone need to try to organize the defense.” He opened up his menu. “Killed by Patrick Sharper. Wait, that guy? The Wraith?”

  “Well, that would explain that, then. He must have figured out that Miko was providing targeting information for the gunners, so he killed her first, then killed me since I was directing the defense, then you since you stepped up. He's good,” Zach said.

  “Attacking with raw low level players hyped up on overdrive, backed up by some of their elites. Brutal, but effective,” Danny said. “You have to admire their ruthless efficiency, at least.”

  Zach looked up as he heard the door open.

  “You're back already?” Selene asked as she stepped through the door.

  “Uh, we might have a bit of a problem,” Danny said.

  “What kind.... Oh,” she said, the realization clicking in her head. “Did you say something offensive to someone?”

  “Haha,” Danny commented dryly.

  “There was a battle. Ragnarok attacked the stronghold,” Miko said.

  “I'm surprised you were the ones that died first,” Selene commented.

  “The Wraith got us,” Danny said.

  Selene raised an eyebrow. “Oh? They're pulling out all the stops.”

  “The Wraith got you?” Gavin said as he walked through the door, followed by Ryan, Ethan and Javy.

  “Yeah, all three of us,” Zach said. “He took us all out in the span of a minute.”

  Gavin whistled. “So the rumors are true, then.”

  “And I have the bad feeling we're going to be on the receiving end quite frequently,” Danny said.

  Unfortunately, Zach had to agree with him. Open war was almost on them, and Ragnarok had struck the first blow. This was going to get very ugly very quickly.

  CHAPTER 9

  Dance With the Devil

  “Almost five hundred player kills,” Danny said ruefully. “And just look at the stats attached to them. He's hit almost ninety five percent of his shots, and killed over sixty percent of them with head shots.”

  “What's more curious to me is what Ragnarok did in the last battle,” Nora said. She and Xavier had survived the fight. “They killed every single one of the company commanders, then just up and left.”

  “To be fair, killing guards and actually storming a stronghold are two different things,” Xavier said. “Once they went over the wall the Wraith would be useless. Plus, there were a lot of defenses in the courtyard.”

  “Yeah, I have the feeling that they're giving us warning shots,” Nora said.

  “Speaking of storming a fortress, you said that they were thinking of trying to take a city for our own use. Are you with them?” Selene asked.

  “Despite the obstacles, I think it's worth it,” Nora said.

  Zach frowned. “But those are pretty big obstacles. I imagine that any city is going to have a wall of some sort. We have no way to take out the wall defenses at a distance, and getting up close is going to get us slaughtered. The only other solution is to sneak past the defenses, and I don't think we can do that either. Plus, you saw they way we all fought. It was a disorganized mob.”

  Nora opened up her data tracking program. “So we have a lot to get done. We need better battlefield communication and a clear chain of command. Our fireteams and squads should be trained for assaulting fortifications. We also need heavier firepower, and more troops as well.”

  “Tall order,” Danny said.

  “We should probably coordinate with the other companies,” Javy said. “I mean, we only have ten members.”

  “I think we should have a plan in place before we go to the others,” Nora said. “Ronin didn't have all the details hashed out, and that turned into a disaster.”

  “I think we also need to get some insurance, just in case,” Zach said, He opened up his menu and started to write a message.

  “Define insurance,” Danny said.

  Zach finished up the message and sent it. “We're going to have a little chat with Ragnarok.”

  “Oh?” Danny frowned. “You're serious?”

  “We have the overdrive secret,” Zach said. “That give us plenty of leverage.”

  “They still have enough men to crush us if they want,” Gavin pointed out.

  “Only if we let them. We have complete control over the one product they need for their operations. Power in this world isn't just about brute strength.”

  “That's rathe
r Clausewitzian,” Danny smiled. “This isn't really a fighting game. It's a political one, and military force is just one tool in the arsenal.”

  Zach's alert rang. “Man, that was fast.” He opened up the message.

  “Did they go for it?” Gavin asked.

  “I'm going to meet with them in Old Chicago,” Zach said. “I don't need to have a team with me, so I can either go alone or with one or two other people.”

  “I'll go,” Nora said. “I seem to be turning into your adjunct anyhow.”

  “The rest of us should go train. We can take a look inside that bunker we found on our last scouting trip,” Selene said.

  “What happens if Ragnarok tries to take our base while we're away?” Miko asked.

  “They said they wouldn't. And if they go back on that, well, no overdrive for them. I'm sure that they're well aware of that,” Zach said.

  “We should have two teams, just like the last bunker,” Selene said. “I'll lead one. Give me Miko, Javy and Ryan. Danny should lead the other one and take Gavin, Xavier and Ethan.”

  “We're lead team, I take it?” Danny asked.

  “Yes. That also puts our most veteran fighters out front. Stock up heavy on grenades.”

  “Do you have enough armor-piercing bullets if we need to fight a bunch of chilus?” Danny asked Miko.

  She made a face. “Yeah, now that we can actually afford them.”

  “Are you going to want to take the ATVs?” Zach asked.

  “We'll pair up and take four of them,” Selene said. “That will save on the number of fusion batteries we have to use.”

  Zach nodded approvingly. “Good. I'd hate to have to walk to Old Chicago.”

  “When were we going to meet?” Nora asked.

  “In around two hours, at the south side concourse,” Zach said. “That will give us plenty of time to look around through the shops for stuff. Might help us plan as well. Ready to go?”

  “Right behind you.”

  The tension in Old Chicago could be cut with a knife, even though the city itself was neutral ground. The recent attack by Ragnarok had put everyone on edge. A quick glance at the markets told them everything they needed to know. Nicknacks, curiosities, base decorations and the like were hardly being purchased. Instead, it was the hard items that were going; combat stimulants, munitions, small arms, base defenses, weapon attachments, anything that a company needed to fight. Ammunition was flying out of shops as fast as it could be stocked. Zach was grateful that Black Wolf had access to the ammo press and could make their own. Even though the supply was infinite, the price rose with demand.