As before, I imparted the Lucky Bastard skill to each soldier in turn, sacrificing those that showed signs of imminent implosion. Luckily, the Ogre survived the rite, but two hobs did not.
I tucked my clean dagger back in my belt and turned to the four seeded warriors before me. “Welcome to the GreenPiece Clan,” I said tiredly. “You are now immortal warriors, the protectors of our clan. Go find your bunk in the barracks, and report to your trainers first thing tomorrow.”
“Yes, Dread Totem,” they said in unison, the Ogre’s voice nearly drowning those of the three hobs.
Bek and a goblin adept rushed forward with a bucket of water and cloth and started cleaning the blood stains from the floor.
I followed the departing soldiers and my eyes landed on Tika. She had remained in the corner through the ceremony, watching the entire process.
She had witnessed me performing this ceremony before, but that time was special, a defining point in our clan’s history. This … this was just daily routine, murdering my own clanmates. I knew they were only pieces of computer code. I knew they were not even VIs. Still, knowing I killed members of the clan that were under my protection weighed heavily on me.
I looked at Tika. Her eyes were full of compassion. It was obvious she felt for the dead. I lowered my eyes. “I told you it was better if I went alone.”
She came to me and once again wrapped her arms around my neck. “I know you do what you must to protect us all,” she whispered. “You do not have to face it alone. I will always stand by your side … Oren.”
Hearing her use my real name snapped me back to my senses. My weariness faded and my burden eased. I felt a burst of love and gratitude for my beautiful goblin girlfriend. She didn’t judge me; her compassion was for me, at what I had to do. I embraced her tightly. Our lips met as we shared a deep kiss.
We kissed for a long moment, standing in the macabre, foreboding temple with blood splattered all around us. My pulse quickened as my passion rose. I yearned for her. My urges became more insistent, and dark impulses grew within me as well. I wanted to take her right then and there. I felt a compulsion demanding I lay her down on the bloody floor, make love to her, then offer her heart as the ultimate sacrifice to my dark deity …
“No!” I yelled, breaking away from her.
She looked hurt as she stood there, staring at me with those huge, green eyes.
“It defies the will of the master.” The damn dwarf was mumbling to himself again. “All life is meant to be his to devour. It should remember that –”
“Shut up,” I hissed at him, then took a deep, steadying breath, locking my eyes with Tika’s. “I’m sorry, Tika. This place … this is not a good place to be with the ones you care for. Let’s go home.”
She looked down. “Yes, Oren.”
***
I woke with a start, my heart beating fast.
While I slept, I was assaulted with nightmares: I was a feral goblin, a mindless, ruthless monster that took pleasure in sacrificing and destroying everything in sight.
This was not a Totem vision; I knew that for a fact. The nightmare touched on a deep fear I tried to suppress. I couldn’t avoid facing the issue any longer, I had to face the reality: Little by little, this world … this game was shattering my psyche, one piece at a time. I have to get out of here, or I’ll end up a savage, ruthless monster, I thought bitterly.
In order to do that, I had to reach boss tier 4.
I was only tier 2 at the moment. To achieve the next boss tier, I needed Goblin’s Gorge to become a level 3 settlement.
I opened the Settlement Interface to remind myself of the prerequisites.
Settlement Level 3 - Village
Requirements: 10% efficiency or higher, 5 Apprentice level buildings or higher, 200 members, 2 bosses
I was actually not far from that mark. Our clan efficiency was at an all-time high of 27.7 percent. We had eight appropriate buildings and three bosses, including me. The only limiting factor was the population count. My clan numbered 134 individuals and was well on its way toward 200. At least the foblins count toward the population goal. Which was about the only thing they were good for. My clan now sported 24 of those pests. With their breeding rate, we’d hit the 200 mark in two or three weeks.
There was another, more substantial obstacle. In order to reach the next boss tier, I needed twenty thousand energy points. The way things were going, it would take me a long time to get there. We just didn’t seem to be able to get past the four thousand EP mark. There was always something urgent that demanded a large expenditure of energy, holding back my own progression.
But there’s another way, I suddenly remembered. If I kill 50 players, I’ll be able to achieve the next boss tier without needing the energy. Considering that an army of players was making its way toward us, there was a decent shot I’d manage to get the 50 kills. But in order to do that, I would have to be the one who landed the killing strike. Fifty times. That was a problem, I couldn’t order my troops to hold back while I took my time killing enemies one at a time.
I let out a regretful sigh. That tactic, though attractive, would lead to too many casualties among my troops, which in the end would only cost me even more energy in resurrections. I still had boss tier 4 to reach. I shuddered at the thought of how much energy that upgrade would require.
A devilish thought occurred to me. Maybe I’ll just kill some of the newcomers. I could enforce an execution system for slight offenses, but that would surely turn them against me. Better yet, I can offer them a quest to be willingly sacrificed; Nihilator wouldn’t care. That idea had its merits. Players didn’t mind dying so much, especially at the lower levels where the death penalties were reduced.
That was a shame, but I had a third option for reaching the twenty thousand energy mark. I could convert void crystals into energy. As Vic reminded me, players left especially powerful crystals when sacrificed, and I planned on harvesting the attacking players for as many crystals as I could.
I grinned. My feverish preparations gave me a sense of confidence. I imagined the approaching army as a field of fruit ripe for the picking. All I had left to do was go harvesting.
I gently detached myself from the still sleeping Tika and exited the house.
I went to the mess hall and had to literally push my way through a pile of foblins that were fighting over a piece of leftover food.
Bob and the other trainers were eating at ‘the officers’ table. The other hobgoblin soldiers were spread throughout the mess hall. The three Infernal Ogres were huddled together on the floor at the far corner of the building, using a ladle as a spoon, taking turns scooping from an entire pot sitting between them.
“Bob,” I greeted my lieutenant, taking the chair next to him. “How is the training going?”
“It was going moderately well, right until the end of the day,” he said.
I frowned. “Something interfered with your training sessions?”
“On the contrary. It seemed as if the soldiers suddenly found their second wind. We were able to put in nearly two hours’ worth of training in a single hour.”
I eased back in my seat. He was referring to the training bonus the new totem piece imparted. That was good news. “Squeeze in as much training as you can today,” I said. “Tomorrow, we’re all going outside the valley.”
“Are we going out on a raid?” The hobgoblin gave a savage grin. “It’s been a while since me and my men raided another camp.”
Yea, mine. “Not exactly. We’re going hunting. I need to see the soldiers fight in real combat. This will also help increase their lev– … make them stronger.”
Bob nodded. “Very well, Dread Totem. We will be ready to go first thing tomorrow.”
I nodded and got up to leave
.
Goblin’s Gorge: Kadoc has reached Apprentice rank in: Weaponsmith
Goblin’s Gorge: Baja Reed has reached Apprentice rank in: Armorsmith
Good! I grinned. My smiths’ increased potential would go a long way toward the mobilization of my troops.
I didn’t see any of them at the mess hall, but I wanted to check their progress with the new workshops anyway. I had no doubt it contributed to them reaching the Apprentice rank of their trades. I left and walked past the barracks to our new crafting center.
I heard the sounds of metal striking metal even before coming into view of the workshops. As I got closer, I could see clearly inside. Kadoc was standing at the anvil, hammering at a blade piece. Baja and Vrick were both busy working at the other workshop, collaborating on the same piece of armor.
“Hello,” I called out.
They all laid down their tools and stepped out to greet me.
“Dread Totem.” Kadoc bowed his head. “It is good you have come.”
“Problems?” I sighed exasperatedly. “Something missing from the workshop?”
“No.” He shook his head. “The workshop is well built and well stocked. Barzel helped us set it up. The problem is that we’re just about to run out of iron ingots to work with again.”
“But I brought in 60 ingots not long ago, not to mention our two miners worked nonstop for over a month building up our stock,” I protested. “You just got your workshop. How have we run out already?”
The goblin seemed to wilt under my tone, but then Vrick stepped up. “It’s not our fault,” he said. “The metal we mine ourselves is only just enough for crafting tools and supplying construction material. Now that we have two more smiths the ingots ran out fast. The shipment you brought in lasted only two days.”
“I see … How many ingots do you need again?”
“Ten to 20 for armor and five to ten for weapons,” he answered mechanically.
I pursed my lips. I could get more metal through the Export Office again, but I had to finish importing silver for the research center first.
I concentrated briefly, checking our lumber stocks. My workers had produced 140 units of lumber yesterday. That was an impressive amount but still not enough to purchase the remaining six units of silver.
I opened the Export Interface and selected the ‘Metal’ filter. A long list of metals opened. I selected ‘Lumber’ as the trade currency and viewed the results.
Filter: metal [trade with lumber]
Metal type
Lumber cost
Copper
Tin
Iron
Bronze
Steel
High-Quality Steel
Silver
Mithril
2
2
3
5
10
25
35
150
“Now that you have the workshops, how many weapons and armor can you craft per day?” I asked the goblin crafters.
“Three swords or similar-sized weapons,” Kadoc answered promptly.
Baja was quick to follow. “Two sets of medium metal plates.”
That meant that on average they needed 45 metal ingots every day. I would love to outfit my troops with ‘High-Quality Steel’ equipment. Now that my smiths had reached their Apprentice rank, they could finally work with this higher-grade metal, but the cost was too steep.
Steel would have to suffice for now. It was also relatively expensive, but I didn’t have to import it directly. With our access to coal, Barzel was more than capable of casting steel ingots from basic iron, so all I had to do was to import enough iron every day. Three times 45 meant I’d need to trade away 135 units of lumber per day to keep my smiths fully occupied. That would hardly leave me any lumber for construction or for purchasing the remaining silver.
Decisions, decisions.
Using the still-opened interface, I ordered 12 units of iron ore for 36 lumber and spent the rest of my stock to purchase three silver. I wanted my crafters fully engaged, but I also had to bring Zuban all the resources he needed to complete construction. Tomorrow I’d have enough lumber to bring in the remainder of the silver, then I could use the bulk of our daily lumber yield to bring in more iron.
I clenched my teeth. If that damn player, Riley, hadn’t murdered my two new lumberjacks, I would probably have enough to finish the silver order.
Instead of brooding on it, I realized all I needed to do was increase the number of lumberjacks.
My seneschal arrived silently and stood some distance away while I conversed with the workers. When I was finished, I turned to him. “Kaedric, recruit two additional lumberjacks please.”
“Yes, my lord,” he said stoically.
I could sense him accessing the Breeder’s Den controls and sensed the production numbers update as a result. Now our daily lumber yield was just shy of 200 units per day. Given enough time, the workers’ skill would progress and increase our yield even more.
“You will soon have more ingots to work with,” I told the goblins. “Starting tomorrow, we will import 45 units of iron each day, which Barzel will smelt into steel. Kaedric, see to that.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I think that takes care of our metal issues. Anything else?”
Vrick shrugged. “Leather. It’s running out too.”
“I happen to know we have hundreds of rabbit pelts.”
“Yes, we have pelts,” he emphasized. “I need leather; good, sturdy leather. The tanner used to produce enough to keep me equipped, but now that I’ve become more skilled and can work in a proper workshop, I’m much faster. I’m able to make three suits of leather armor for the hobs each day instead of just one, or a single piece for the Ogres. That means I need triple the amount of leather I used before. At the moment, our existing leather stock is almost exhausted.”
“How many suits of armor have you made so far?”
“Twelve,” he declared proudly.
That was enough to gear up most of the scouts. But Vrick was right; we needed even more. “Very well. Kaedric, please summon another tanner.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Well, if there’s nothing else …” I turned to leave.
“One moment, Dread Totem,” Vrick said.
I turned back in a huff. I was getting fed up with micromanaging everything. “Yes, Vrick?”
“There’s something I would like to show you. Please come inside.”
He led me into the wedge-like workshop. There were several work tables and discarded pieces of leather littered the floor.
Vrick led me to an armor stand. A completed leather armor suit was hanging on it.
I inspected the armor then looked at the grinning goblin. “This … you made this?”
“Yes, Dread Totem,” he answered.
He was obviously proud of himself and for good reason. The Pyrolith scale armor looked amazing. Vrick had somehow cut the large scales and overlaid them on top of each other, creating a hardened layer of protection for the torso. Delicate strips of oxsaurian leather were woven together, overlapping the scales and extending over the arms and legs, providing good defense while not hindering mobility. Steel buckles and rivets held the pieces of armor together. It was a beautifully crafted piece.
Pyrolith Scale Gambeson
Description: This well-crafted armor is made of durable leather embedded with hardened demon scales. It offers good protection without hindering the wearer’s mobility and is naturally resistant to fire.
Runecraft Viability: 5 runes.
Type: Armor [torso].
Rank: Advanced
Durability: 120/120
Armor: 35
Resistance: Fire 50%
Base price: 500
“Told you I would be able to do something special with a proper workshop,” Vrick said smugly.
“Yes you did,” I said, admiring the fine workmanship. Though its stats were not very high in the gran
d scheme of things, it was the best piece of armor my clan had managed to craft to date. That single piece of armor offered three times the protection of my old gear. And with a little loving Runecraft touch, I could make it even stronger, I mused. Though the five runes limitation didn’t leave me much room to get creative with the design.
“It’s as strong as steel armor, weighs half as much, and should not hinder your movement,” Vrick pointed out.
“You’ve come a long way since that vest you first made for me. This is a great piece, Vrick. I’m proud of you.”
The goblin huffed at the compliment, but he didn’t fool me. I could tell he enjoyed being praised.
“I’ve nearly finished with the oxsaurian armor for the Ogre.” Vrick pointed to one of the work tables. A thick layer of leather covered most of the workspace. “It is a very strong material, though not as strong as metal. If you want, I can get Baja to add steel plating, but that would take him away from crafting armor for the soldiers, and it would take a lot of ingots.”
“Hmmm …” I stroked my chin. “No. The leather in itself is a significant enough upgrade for Rhyno’s armor. We may consider this again later, but for now, I want you both to concentrate on armoring all of our troops. Leather armor for the Ogres and scouts, metal armor for the melee fighters. I also want all the shield bearers to use steel shields instead of wooden ones.”
Kadoc joined the conversation. “That will be my job. I’ve already worked out a good design for a steel buckler.”
I nodded. “Good. Then I won’t keep you from work any longer. Carry on.”
“Yes, Dread Totem,” they answered as one.
As I walked away, I contemplated what to do next. I had the entire day ahead of me and there were still a few more items I wanted to enchant. I also wanted to practice my new Shadow Clone ability. Considering that we were going out on a hunt tomorrow, I decided to focus on enchanting for now.
***
Back at my house, I picked up one of the two Stalker Pins. Each was three meters long and heavy. The otherworldly origin made the pins especially suitable for enchantments. These could be great as throwing spears for Rhyno, I mused. The Ogre’s brute strength would make good use of their mass. As thrown weapons, I didn’t have to get too creative with my runes. All the pins had to do was inflict as much damage as possible.
Life Reset_EvP_Environment vs. Player Page 41
