“I never heard a goblin talk like that before.”
“Heck, I’ve never seen a goblin this big before – and check out his mount. Since when do Dire Wolves have horns?”
“One of you,” I continued, raising my voice again, “murdered two of my clanmates.”
That finally shut them up. A multitude of gasps ensued.
“Whoever discovers the murderer and brings them before me will be instantly recognized as a friend of the clan and may join us.” I paused, scanning their faces. “And believe me, this is something you want to achieve.”
Grant the quest: Find the Goblin Killer, Part 2. Yes/No?
I tweaked the quest rewards, granting 1,000 reputation points with the clan, which would be enough to bring each player up to ‘friendly.’ I also threw in a hundred gold for good measure.
“That’s awesome!”
“Hell, I’m in!”
“Let’s go find ourselves a killer!”
The cheerful crowd dispersed though none of them had any idea how to complete the quest.
It didn’t really matter; Tempest had already cleared each of the players. The four that left the valley earlier were now the main suspects. Still, having more eyes looking and spreading the news of the ‘no killing goblins’ was a reward in itself.
I turned to inspect the barracks again when Zuban’s voice sounded next to me.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Somehow he’d approached me unnoticed.
“It is indeed.” I nodded. Some of my anger ebbed away as I looked in wonder at the great structure we’d managed to build.
“It can house a hundred warriors,” he said. “And I think we can double its capacity by adding another floor, though we’ll need to research the blueprints.
“Zuban … This is great! There are training dummies and weapons racks and …” I squinted. “Is that a flogging pole?”
He chuckled. “I don’t like it either, but it’s in the blueprints. We hobgoblin take army discipline seriously; it’s one of the reasons I’m glad I’m not a soldier anymore.”
“Wait, what? This is a hobgoblin barracks?”
“Of course. Most of the buildings are of hobgoblin design. I am a hobgoblin after all. This is actually a good thing. Our civilization is highly militaristic, so our barracks are among the most advanced available. There are also many other additions we can build to make it better: a mage training yard, trainer’s office, etc.”
I palmed my face. It seemed that building the barracks, as arduous as it had been, was only the first step. Still, it was a major one. “So how does it work?” I asked tiredly. “We just let the soldiers sleep here and that’s it?”
Zuban gave me a weird look. “Of course not. You need to assign trainers, decide on the role you want the new recruits to train for, that sort of thing.”
I held up my hand. “I get it.”
I opened the Settlement Interface, scrolled through the list of buildings, and selected ‘Barracks.’
Barracks
Level: 1
Trainers: 0/3
Occupants: 8/100
Expansions [require research]
I closed my eyes and reached with my mind into the metadata behind the words. Ah … there it is. This was interesting. The barracks was much more than just a building to house warriors.
It allowed elected trainers to continuously train up my warriors’ skills. The trick was, I had to choose someone with a high combat skill so he could teach it to the others. Since I could only select three trainers, I needed to consider which skills were the most important for my army.
The expansions were important too. Once the barracks was completed, a whole new section opened up in the Research Interface, providing many new options for study. I opened the Research Interface and browsed the available projects.
Research
Daily RP: 38.7
Blueprint: Magma Foundry: Enable magma casting. Cost: 200 RP
Barracks expansion blueprints:
Second Floor (+100 beds). Cost 200 RP
Armory (maintain soldiers’ gear and increase its effectiveness). Cost: 120 RP
Arena (conduct mock battles; dying is impossible). Cost: 50 RP
Trainer’s Office I (increase number of trainers by 2). Cost: 100 RP
Advanced Warfare Center (train new traits). Cost: 200 RP.
Yes, that was interesting indeed.
I didn’t really need the second floor or the armory at the moment. The arena would be a great addition, though, allowing everyone – including the new travelers – to train in actual combat instead of only using the training dummies. The ‘Advanced Warfare Center’ was an enigma, but once I dove deeper into the metadata, I nearly forgot to breathe. The A-W-C was a magical building that could impart special traits to my soldiers. Each trait would have to be ‘bought’ individually. The cost of most of the traits was staggering, but the very first one captured my complete attention: Taunt Resist. With this, my soldiers would no longer be sheep to players’ usual mob tactics. I would be able to direct them fully during battle and avoid the enemy tanks reeling them in, allowing their mages and DPS to dish out damage from relative safety.
This was the golden egg I was looking for without even realizing it. This single trait would help level the playing field. But the AWC was a costly project, while the arena could be researched within two days.
“Zuban, I want you to research the arena first, then the Advanced Warfare Center.”
“Of course, Dread Totem. The ladies and I will complete the first project within a few hours. Would you like us to start building it as soon as we finish?”
I raised a brow. “How can you be finished so soon? It needs more RP than you can provide per day.”
“You are correct, Dread Totem. However, since we finished our last research project a couple of days ago, we’ve been dabbling in general research. Those principles can be applied now, to shorten the amount of research required for this project.”
Ah, I think I remember Zuban once mentioning that an idle researcher continued generating research points at half their normal rate. “Very good, Zuban, but no. The Dark Temple is still our main project.”
“In that case, now that the barracks is complete, we can start construction immediately. Where would you like us to build it?”
I thought it over. The temple was going to play a pivotal role in our defense, so it had to be well-protected. “Would it fit on the stone ledge above the cave? Maybe you build it over the cemetery and the shrine?” I asked.
“Hmm …” My foreman stroked his chin. “It should be possible. But it would certainly take all available space up there.”
“That’s not a problem, please build it there.”
“As you wish, Dread Totem.”
Zuban left, leaving me to consider how to handle the barracks management.
The first order of business was to select the three trainers among my warriors. I opened the population tab in the Settlement Interface and checked each of my warriors’ skills.
Bob, my lieutenant, naturally had the highest combat skill. At level 10, his Swords skill was level 17. I selected him as the first trainer. Bob also had the spell ‘Control Vines’ but I instinctively knew he couldn’t teach it to our soldiers.
I planned on having a lot of archers. By Nihilator, we had plenty of bows in storage already. Ashlazaria, the scout, was currently away from the clan, bringing in the coal shipment from the Raider’s Camp. That left only Yulli, my second scout, whose bow skill was level 12. I chose her for the second trainer.
I also wanted shield bearers, to hold the front lines and protect the rest of the troops. I had two hob soldiers who were proficient with the Axe and Shield skill – Zia and Kilpi Shīrudo. I selected Zia for the job, as at skill level 12 she was one point higher than Kilpi.
The next step was to determine how to divide the soldiers among the new trainers. It was best to train groups of soldiers under a single instructor. Training took time. Soldiers cou
ld learn under multiple trainers, but switching carried a time penalty.
The Barracks Interface had a handy menu to assign soldiers to each trainer. I left it at the default settings. Zia would automatically take over training the shield bearers, Bob would teach his sword skill and Yulli would instruct our new scout archers.
Yulli’s training ability was especially important. I was raising a hob army to battle players, and I wanted the majority of my soldiers to be able to inflict damage from a distance, keeping them away from the enemy tanks.
It was time to recruit my army.
I checked our food supplies as I rode Tempest to the Breeder’s Den.
Warehouse: Food
843 raw meat
311 raw fish
384 gathered edibles
655 gathered ingredients
100 travel rations
29 purple salt
22 magmashrooms
Gandork’s ‘Special Stew’ required five portions of meat, three edible herbs, and two gathered ingredients to produce 12 units of basic food – 13, if I added in the mess hall bonuses and Gandork’s cook skill. That meant …. I ran some calculations in my head, and a wide grin spread across my face as I arrived at the number.
“Kaedric, ” I addressed the hob who had shadowed my movements since leaving the barracks, “have Gandork cook 1,700 units of food and bring it to the Breeder’s Den, along with all of our travel rations.”
Kaedric’s expression remained as stoic as ever. “Yes, my lord. That is 1,800 food in total.”
I opened the Breeder’s Den Interface. Oh right, the adepts. Sixty units of exquisite and several dozen of other food were in its stores, left over from previous summonings.
Since it would take some time for Gandork to complete my large-scale order, I decided to go ahead and summon my new clergy. For the first time, I selected ‘Goblin Adept’ from the list. There were two specialization options: Blessings and Curses. These guys were going to man the faraway shrines, so being able to inflict curses was more important than support magic. I selected three Curses-specialized adepts.
The Breeder’s Den erupted in familiar noises, this time adding a high-pitched hymn to the ruckus. A moment later, the noise subsided and the door flap was thrown open as three goblins stepped outside. Two males and one female. All were of medium build, for goblins, with a dark complexion and sunken eyes. Each one had a sacrificial bone dagger tucked in their loincloth.
Kuzai came from the direction of the cabins and stood beside me, eyeing the new priests.
“They will serve the master well,” the unhinged dwarf giggled.
I ignored him and fiddled with the Energy Interface, investing 351 EP and raising all the new goblins to level 3. They were all intelligent, named goblins. VI-seeded, as Vic would put it.
“Welcome to the GreenPiece Clan,” I started. “I have called you to bolster our strength. Soon, an army of travelers will come for us and we must be ready to meet them. Our dark master, Nihilator, will lend us his power, but it will be your job to operate faraway shrines and channel their power into our clan. Err … you.” I pointed at the female adept who specialized in curses. “You will join the next coal expedition to the Raider’s Camp. There’s an altar there. It’s your job to maintain it.”
The goblin bowed before me and replied with a hollow, steady voice, “At once, High Priest.”
That was new.
The other two stood expectantly looking at me. “You two go to the barracks, train with the soldiers. Once the Dark Temple is completed, you will help maintain it.”
The two bowed as one, murmuring in unison, “Yes, High Priest.”
“Before you go, I have something to give you.” I granted them each Lucky Bastard, Drilling Arrow, and Drain Mana.
“Now go and serve,” I ordered them. “Prepare for the coming fight.”
As the trio departed, two goblin gofers came toward me, each straining under a heavy load of food. My large order was slowly being fulfilled. A hundred units of food in, 1,700 to go.
“That was an interesting display,” Kuzai said in his unsettling voice. ”I have noticed you did not offer the same boons to me.”
“That’s because I don’t trust you,” I said bluntly.
“We are all servants of the master,” he declared. “Helping each other only increases his strength in the end.”
“Just say you want to have the new cool spells.”
“It tries to cheapen the worth of the master’s followers.” Kuzai was back to talking to himself. “It doesn’t understand that the individual does not matter, our only purpose is to serve.”
I sighed. “Fine, if you’re going to get all emotional about it … give me your hand.” The system already considered him as part of the clan, so it was serving my own interests to make him stronger.
I felt a shiver of revulsion run through me as I held his three-knuckled fingers and granted him the same skills. “There, happy?”
“The Master’s will is served,” he declared haughtily.
The gofers came in on another round, carrying more food – 200 out of 1,800 total.
There was no sense standing here all day waiting for the food to arrive. I could queue in the troops I wanted and let the system handle the rest.
A hob soldier cost 70 simple food and an Ogre 150. I opened the interface again and queued in three Ogres and 20 hobgoblin warriors; eight scouts, six shield bearers, and six swordsmen. As an afterthought, I also queued in two new lumberjack workers to replace those that had been killed. There was enough leftover food in the Breeder’s Den itself to compensate for the extra units.
The building shook, shrieking noises coupled with howls of pain emanating from within. The door flap flew open and a huge leg burst out. There was no way the building could have held the rest of the creature’s body, but as I watched in apprehension, the rest of it followed, somehow flowing out through the too-narrow opening. An Ogre.
But this was no normal Ogre. Though it had a dark complexion and black stripes like the rest of my clan, there were bits of red mixed in as well. Chitinous ridges ran along his forearms and across his back, and two short horns protruded from his forehead. An Infernal Ogre.
Infernal Ogre
Level: 10
HP: 140/140, MP: 70/70
Attributes: P: 14; M: -2; S: -2
Skills: Bashing Weapons 10, Ignite 1
Traits: Ogre (+4 P, -2 M, -2 S), Demonic (fire affinity)
Resistances: Physical 75%, Magic 30%, Fire 75%, Holy -50%, Cold -50%
Description: Having their blood mixed with that of demons, the Infernal Ogre is as strong as a normal Ogre with a high fire resistance and a minor magical ability to manipulate fire.
I looked at the Ogre towering over me. Despite its fierce appearance, the hulking creature instilled a sense of hope in me. This was a powerful ally in my fight against Vatras and his minions. And the best part was that he started at level 10! The fire resistance was a nice addition. Most mage players preferred to use fire-based spells as they usually inflicted the most damage, but more than a few went the ice spells path. That could prove hazardous to these new recruits, not to mention their vulnerability to holy spells. I had already witnessed how powerful a priest was when facing demons.
Once the fighting started, I would have to manipulate the battleground carefully, making sure to use the Ogre to fight melee and fire-oriented mages and use my other forces to bring down those players that held the advantage against them. Utilized correctly, a strike force of Ogres could be devastating.
But what is this Ignite skill? I frowned. It sounded like a skill meant to be used for starting campfires. I mentally clicked on the skill.
Ignite (*)
The creature can produce flames on his body. The fire can be used to start fires or inflict minor fire damage on enemies. It can also be used to ignite a held melee weapon for an added fire damage.
Level 1: Novice
Effect: Add 3% fire damage
Coming from Vic, that was surprising. You think so?
I’d walked right into that one.
The gofers came running in with more food.
“Kuzai, please keep an eye on the new recruits. Once they all arrive, bring them to the shrine.”
“It plans something to do with the master,” the dwarf murmured.
“Don’t worry, I think you’ll like what’s coming next,” I assured him and left him standing there.
As I walked toward the smithy to check up on the other essentials, my thoughts were racing. I was finally at the point I’d waited for so long: I had the means and the resources to train a sizeable fighting force.
Food was still an issue, but no longer as severe. I could now import ingredients via the Export Office. I just had to make sure our daily food production could sustain the increased population and fulfill our clan’s upkeep. This was no idle concern; the Ogres themselves required a double amount of food each day. I didn’t have to feed them, of course, but I wanted each of my soldiers to be at peak combat efficiency, and that meant taking care of their needs. Food was the least of them.
I arrived at the smithy and saw Barzel, our clan’s general smith, busy at work with our advanced crafters – Kadoc and Baja Reed, and their four gofers.
I stood at the entrance and watched as the busy goblins poured molten metal from a crucible into round molds, creating metal links, then hammered them together, crafting a strong, metal chain.
“That looks strong enough to chain an Ogre,” I said as I entered the smithy.
They all stopped working and jerked their heads toward me.
“Dread Totem! My apologies, we didn’t notice your arrival,” Barzel said.
“That’s quite alright, Barzel,” I chuckled softly. “I didn’t want to interrupt; you looked like you needed to concentrate. What on earth do we need such a thick chain for?”
“One of the newcomers has commissioned it,” the smith said.
Life Reset_EvP_Environment vs. Player Page 35
