Conquest

by Dean Henegar

  I couldn’t bring myself to read any further. The horrifying tale of the family devolved from a tale of happiness and hope into something horrible. Further entries described the family of creatures visiting and consuming their neighbors one by one. The creatures had found a small cavern nearby where they rested during the day, usually to emerge at night to hunt. I flipped to the last entry as the troops behind me began to move about, preparing for the next guard shift.

  Entreee sometingg: Not writes goods wit newz clawz. Betir than old hansz though. Hardz to tink clear. Visiters here…soldiers comin up to sleepz awaz the rhains…family feedz good tonite while theys sleeps. Real foods not smallz animalz any mores will helpzes me tink betir…

  I contemplated the fresh ink on the page, it was moist and had the tacky consistency of drying blood. More shuffling was heard from the soldiers behind me, slightly distracting my train of thought…wait…why was there shuffling about? The guard shift just changed a few minutes ago. I snapped my head around and witnessed a nightmare sight. The family I was reading about was here. The parents were each hunched over a different soldier, feeding greedily and making the small noises that had alerted me. The dying soldiers looked at me, feeling the pain but unable to move or warn their comrades. A third small figure worked its way through the sleeping men, slashing them to paralyze and prevent them from moving. The sight of the little horror moving about my soldiers snapped me out of my shock. I drew my blade and shouted as the foe displayed on my interface.

  Ghoul, level 6 (2): Ghouls are a type of undead creature that feeds on the flesh of its victims. Its claws contain a disease that renders its foes immobile, yet completely aware of and able to feel what’s happening to them. Terror is considered a flavor enhancer to ghouls. Ghouls retain a limited intelligence from their former lives that make them cunning hunters. Occasionally they will leave a victim alive, waiting for them to turn into a new ghoul which is usually controlled by the one who created it.

  Ghoul toddler, level 1

  “To arms men! Enemies in the room! Defend yourselves!” I yelled and approached the ghoul toddler, trying to keep her from the still rousing soldier she was about to attack. Men began to jump up and grab the first weapon that came to hand, be it a dagger, sword, or in one case, a javelin used as a spear. With horror I realized that only four of the men had jumped up. The rest must have been scratched by the ghouls to keep them paralyzed while they fed on the others. The toddler jumped on the soldier I was trying to help, ripping a chunk out of his throat and causing the soldier to fall back to the ground paralyzed. I activated Honor Guard as I yelled for the men outside. “Guard detail! If you can hear me, get in here! We need help,” I yelled while hoisting my shield up. The honor guards both began to slash at the ghoul toddler, landing blows and taking her to just a sliver of health. The toddler got in a lucky shot on one of the honor guards, raking her claws down his arm. The soldier must have resisted the diseased claws and shield bashed the creature in return. The toddler died a final death and curled in a ball on the floor, her neck twisted at an unnatural angle from the critical hit of the shield.

  The hissing mother jumped onto the other honor guard, hanging from his shield as the soldier tried to keep her claws from any exposed flesh. I ran my blade into her side, taking her health down about ten percent. Realizing she couldn’t easily get past the shield, the ghoul stared at the soldier holding her back, while I continued to thrust my blade deep into the creature’s body. Her serrated, tooth-filled mouth opened, and an impossibly long tongue shot out and drove itself into the honor guard’s eye. The soldier didn’t make his save this time and fell to the ground paralyzed, as the ghoul slashed him to pieces. With the other honor guard’s help, enough blows were landed to kill the ghoulish wife. We then turned toward our last opponent.

  Mr. Dunderman had finished off, or paralyzed, the last of the other soldiers in the room. The ghoul circled us, trying to keep distance while slashing occasionally at the paralyzed troops in what I assumed was an attempt to keep them paralyzed and out of the fight. I activated the ability of Tessel’s Promise firing a stream of acidic sap that hit the ghoul in the chest. The creature hissed from the pain and his health dropped to thirty percent. The creature leapt at the last honor guard, but crashed to the floor when the honor guard timer finally ran out and they were unsummoned. The ghoul lost no time and leapt again, this time onto my shield as I held it away from my body, making sure to keep my face covered, as well, to prevent the tongue attack from landing. I thrust a blow that hit the ghoul in the face as it rose over my shield to get at me. The ghoul’s health hovered at about ten percent now, nearly down. Pain flared in my shins as the ghoul used the claws on his feet (which I hadn’t considered) to rake my leg while I held up the shield to protect most of my head and body.

  You have been hit by a claw attack for 55 damage. You have saved vs. paralysis.

  I thrust at the claw digging into my leg and missed. The ghoul then managed to reach around my shield and strike my sword arm with clawed fingers. My body stiffened, and I fell to the floor.

  You have been hit by claw attack for 61 damage, you have failed your save vs. paralysis and are paralyzed for 10 seconds.

  The timer began to tick down, but I knew there was no chance the thing would leave me alone for ten seconds. The ghoul left me on the floor and made another tour around the room, slashing at the other soldiers to reset the paralysis timers. When the ghoul came to the bodies of its family it stood still for a moment and then turned toward me, speaking in a scratchy, yet understandable voice, its huge deformed tongue getting in the way of speaking clearly.

  “Lieutenant, I recognize your rank. I was a soldier once, too. Now, I think, maybe soldier again…officer this time, with your troops under my command…yes, turn them into perfect soldiers like me. Turn most of them, anyway, some will need to feed my new army. You not needed. You will fill my belly for killing my family…new army not need another leader. Only Lord Dunderman is needed.” The ghoul finished talking and strode toward me. Just before the ghoul delivered the killing blow, I saw his nameplate change.

  Dunderman: Ghoul Lord, level 6 elite.

  “Well, I guess in this game even the mobs can find an advanced class and level up, just like players,” I thought as the ghoul attacked again, dropping my health to zero.

  You have died, respawn will occur at your currently bound respawn point of Hayden’s Knoll in five minutes. *Note, multiple deaths in a short timeframe will increase the respawn timer. Pvp deaths and multiple deaths in a short period of time will also result in a loss of experience points. Your next death within twenty-four hours will result in a respawn timer of fifteen minutes and a one-hundred-point experience penalty. Every death also causes the deceased to drop some of their coin and there is a chance they will also drop items in their possession. The higher the item level, the less likely it is to drop from your corpse.

  I quickly hit the accept button, not wanting to stay here and watch as the newly christened ghoul lord turned, or ate, the rest of my men.

  Hayden’s Knoll Map 2

  Chapter 12

  When the timer finished counting down I reappeared in the small graveyard on the outskirts of Hayden’s Knoll. Looking about, I could see the town had grown even in the few days I had been away. Near the town hall now stood a row of crude wooden stalls, many of which were brightly decorated and displaying goods for sale. The proprietors were shouting at passersby, inviting them to look at their wares. Next to the stalls, a crude wooden building had been constructed and I could see my old “friend” Phineas had been busy. The elaborate sign on the building read “Phineas T. Moore’s Emporium”. I quickly checked my inventory and found that the unidentified banner was still in my possession, but I had lost 4 gold from my death. I would want to get the banner identified, but visiting the garrison and checking in with the mayor would have to come first. The other new building I was pleased to discover, was a large tavern called the “The Petty Dispute”. The pl
ace looked to be doing a bustling business based on the number of players and npc’s heading in and out of the building. Yet another place I would have to check out once my duties were complete.

  I hustled to the barracks looking to find Sergeant Brooks. I was upset over losing the fight with the ghouls after we had done so well establishing peace with local Drebix tribe. The horrible nature of my soldiers’ deaths brought back the same emotions I had felt as a solider in real life. Old memories of fallen friends flashed about. I felt guilt for not keeping all my men alive, all the while knowing that keeping everyone alive was impossible in war. No, I would not fall into the old depressions of the real world. Here my men were only a collection of zeros and ones, with no real harm done. Now was the time to have fun and enjoy the positive aspects of leading soldiers. I had to remember, and hold onto, the hope that the medpod would heal me quickly and that I could remember the important things and people my deteriorated mind had forgotten.

  I returned the salute of the two soldiers standing guard outside the barracks. Hustling in, I found Brooks in the war room. The sergeant saluted before speaking.

  “Sir, looks like you had a rough one. Replacements have been respawning regularly while you were in the field. We’re currently short thirteen soldiers and nine scouts. I’ve formed the new men into squads and assigned them to the tasks you had designated before we pulled men for the mission.” Take a look at the table if you have any questions.” Sergeant Brooks indicated the map covered table. I activated the war table and pulled up troop strength/deployment first. Nothing had really changed; everyone was assigned to their proper places. Sadly, we only had one scout so far and I assigned him and future replacement scouts to recon. I needed to open new quests and explore the zone. We were in much better shape with regular soldiers. Their quick respawn rate, at two per hour, meant that the only ones missing were the thirteen I had lost to the ghouls. I still wanted to permanently hand over guarding of the main entrance and mine to the town guard, but they were not yet up to the task.

  I next hit the recon tab and the mission complete icon showed our successful foray to the Forerunner clan lands. There were no other missions available since we hadn’t assigned anyone to scouting until just now. There was one flashing light on the map where we had been killed by the ghouls. I hesitantly activated the icon to see what the mission was.

  Event Triggered: Rise of the ghoul lord. Elite mission, level range 5-7. After stumbling about in fitful hunger for over a century, a ghoul lord has risen in the Hayden’s Knoll zone. Stop this creature before it gains power. Ghoul lords are more intelligent than their regular kin, seeking to turn many of their victims and create a hungry army whose purpose is to consume all flesh. The more it consumes and the more ghouls it commands, the more powerful a ghoul lord becomes. *Note, this mission is an elite mission and recommended for only full parties of adequately leveled/equipped members. This mission can be completed by the commander, or offered as a mission to players. Only one party can attempt the mission at a time. Should the threat be left unchecked, or if the mission outcome results in a failed attempt, the challenge and threat to Hayden’s Knoll will increase.

  Wow, this was a mission I wanted badly, desiring revenge for my slain soldiers. Thinking logically, my forces are too strung out and too weak to handle a threat in that range. I would have to create a quest for players to handle this one, but my funds were severely lacking. I would need to talk to Mayor Delling and see if the town could kick in something to make this quest attractive. Yet again, I didn’t want a threat to the town festering. The note on the quest left me concerned that the challenge could increase.

  I moved on to the paymaster tab as was pleased with what I found. While we were still in the red, the gap was closing. I had to assume I was beginning to see the results of the town’s growth and the dungeon income starting to pay out.

  Paymasters Report, Current monthly pay obligation: 13 gold.

  Current monthly tax income: 4 gold and 24 silver.

  Increase/Deficit per month: -8 gold and 76 silver. *Deficit is still covered by the Imperium for another 98 days.

  Current available funds: 97 gold, 52 silver, 0 copper

  I looked last at the upgrade tab. I didn’t have the funds and resources for any of the major upgrades, but I wanted to check out the new supply depot options that were available. Clicking on supply depot, new options appeared.

  Supply Depot: The following upgrades are currently available. Increase the level of your garrison and other structures to unlock new options.

  Weapons Upgrades:

  Standard bronze short sword, item level 30. (already equipped)

  Standard bronze dagger, item level 30. 5 gold.

  Standard bronze tip javelins, item level 30. 5 gold

  Standard light crossbows, item level 30: 3 gold, this item is useable only by the advanced scout class.

  Armor Upgrades:

  Standard Imperial light leather armor, +7 defense. 5 gold.

  Standard large Imperial wooden shield, +3 defense (additional +1 vs. ranged attacks), 5 gold.

  Soldier gear and unit items:

  Standard Imperial field kit, 5 gold. The standard imperial field kit consists of all the gear a soldier needs in the field. A shelter half, mess kit, extra water skin, blankets, basic construction tools, medical kit, and fire-starting supplies are all included. The equipment is sturdy and serviceable, if not of the highest quality materials. Soldiers equipped with these in the field will have a +1 bonus to morale as well as increased health regeneration. Defenses produced by the soldiers will have +1 added to their durability.

  Command Items:

  Basic Imperial battle standard. The battle standard is the heart of an army unit. This basic standard consists of a large wooden pole with the imperial wolf symbol cast in bronze on top. The basic standard provides a +1 bonus to defense and has space to attach up to three war banners. War banners are earned by a unit for exceptional bravery, or skillful actions in battle. Standards and the attached banners confer passive bonuses to all soldiers serving in the unit regardless of whether they are nearby. The standard is a depiction of a unit’s honor and pride. To lose a standard inflicts a severe morale attack and defense penalty until another is acquired. Cost for the basic standard is 5 gold.

  I wanted everything, of course. Though funds were needed as a reward for the ghoul quest, I couldn’t neglect my soldiers needs any longer. We were just wrecked by a similar level threat. I had to believe part of our defeat was due to our sub-par equipment. I activated all the upgrades, seeing the next tier was blocked until the garrison/supply depot themselves were upgraded further. Instantly, my armor improved to the new leather, which felt thicker and stronger than the old armor. The shield looked the same, except for being new and featuring some bronze rivets helping to hold it together. The other weapons were what I expected, the javelin feeling more balanced than the crude ones we used earlier.

  Sergeant Brooks handed me the battle standard. It gleamed of newly cast bronze and a stylized wolf’s head baring its teeth was prominently displayed on top. I saw the three attachment points for banners and remembered I had one I still needed to identify. First though, I would visit the mayor and catch up what was going on, as well as advise him of yet another threat to Hayden’s Knoll. I stashed the battle standard near the entrance to the barracks. I would have to assign one of my soldiers to carry it into battle.

  “Sergeant Brooks, as you can see, I’ve upgraded our gear. Please keep assigning the replacements to the understrength squads, we should have our regular forces up to strength by tonight, but we’re looking at over a week for the scouts to be replaced. Keep any replacement scouts on recon duty and send a runner to find me if something happens.” I then remembered what I wanted to ask him. “Sergeant, now that the men have upgraded tools, can we put them to work on building some roads?” I asked and held my breath, hoping the AI would come through like I thought it would.

  “Yes sir, that was somet
hing I was going to suggest. Any squads not on duty I’ll have work on creating roads in the town and spurs out to the mine or any other important areas. We can use some of the stone debris the goblin miners are throwing out. Soldiers assigned out in the field at the transition point, crossroads, and on road patrol will also now automatically work on roads in their down time. They’ll be slower at it since they will have to harvest their own rock and stone. In no time, sir, we’ll have a proper road network for our zone,” Sergeant Brooks said as I breathed a sigh of relief at guessing the AI would take the bait, based on my past historical knowledge. Delling would be glad to hear it; perhaps it would soften the blow I was about to give him over the ghoul problem.

  “I’m heading over to debrief the mayor on what happened. After that, I’ll be in the market getting our newest banner identified,” I advised the sergeant. He saluted and began to get to work, competently executing his duties as always. As I was leaving, a notification prompt flashed.

  You have assigned your troops to conduct additional productive work. While your troops work on the roads, additional leftover resources will be added to your resource pool. Continue to think outside the box for opportunities at greater rewards.

  1000 experience bonus for identifying an opportunity.

  25 resources will be gained per day as a result of road construction. The more soldiers you have in your forces, the greater the production of resource materials from this task.

  Walking out of the barracks, I headed over to the town hall, hoping to find the mayor there. As I walked up the front steps toward the entrance to the hall, I could see there had been several upgrades from the last time I was here. The main floor was still a large, open space suitable for town meetings and such, but there was a stair leading to the new second floor. I was interrupted in my observation by Mayor Delling emerging from one of the two side rooms on the first floor.