“Open it already, Smashem, and don’t forget to link it to the party. I’m dying to see what’s in it,” Yendys said excitedly.
“Ewww!” Yendys exclaimed as Smashem pulled a skeletal human hand from the box along with a letter. The hand looked to have had the flesh gnawed off it, teeth marks visible in the blood-stained bone of the hand. Information on the item was revealed, and Smashem linked it to the rest of the party along with the contents of the letter.
Dear Smashem,
I apologize for my methods and for slighting you with the rewards I had given. My curiosity was piqued when I was freed from my prison by your most interesting group. I am and have always been curious about how humanoids react to differing situations. Your kind always seems to have such varied responses, and things that surprise me are few and far between.
Some humanoids are cruel and jealous; others display nobility and charity. The response one gives to a situation is one of the few things my vision cannot see and subsequently one of the few things that I find entertaining.
By granting valuable rewards to your friends and giving nothing to you, I was testing to see your response. Based on your race and class, I figured you would sulk and rage at me for the slight. Color me impressed that you responded with a quiet dignity that I did not expect. You felt no entitlement to reward and in fact didn’t mention it to your group members, who were all so caught up in the moment that they didn’t realize you received nothing.
Please accept this item as recompense and apology for my amusement at your expense. Thank you for freeing me as well as for providing some much-needed entertainment after my long captivity.
-Query
Hand of Caudill: Gnomes are known throughout the Lands as a carefree race of tinkerers. While rarely found in many parts of the Imperium, the gnomish race is renowned for its strange intelligence and inventiveness. What is not known by most scholars is the dark history of a tiny subspecies of gnomes that inhabited the Bower’s Isle.
The Bower’s Isle was discovered by pirates after their ship was damaged in battle and they needed a place to hole up and repair. The tropical isle seemed uninhabited save for the usual island creatures found in any tropical climate. While the pirates were sailing around the island, a hidden cove was spotted. Thinking it a good place for a base of operations, the pirates sailed into the protected cove. Once inside the cove they were surprised to find dozens of ships lining the sandy beach.
Once safely anchored offshore, the pirates sent landing parties out to explore the wrecks. The variety of ships was staggering and ranged from small primitive sailboats to an Imperium war galley. The crew spent the day looting the ships, as all the items of value had been left onboard the abandoned ships. The vessels were all very old, save for the war galley, which was the most recent addition.
Back on the ship, only a skeleton crew was left, led by midshipman Caudill. Caudill was in the crow’s nest, looking about, when he spotted figures moving in the trees and approaching the distracted pirates onshore. Shouting down to the crew, Caudill ordered the ship’s bell rung in an attempt to warn the shore party.
The greedy pirates were spread amongst the beached ships when the warning went out. Several continued to loot while a few looked out at the frantically waving Caudill, who was pointing toward the trees that were just steps from the beach. To their horror, a swarm of figures poured from the woods and headed directly at the shore parties.
Weapons were drawn and spells were cast, but the attack was too sudden. Caudill in his vantage point watched helplessly as the others were swarmed by the small figures. The figures resembled gnomes, but unlike any gnomes he had ever heard of, these gnomes wore only scraps of clothing and possessed no tools or weapons. The swarming gnomes had mouths filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth resembling those of a shark. Their hook-shaped fingernails dug into their prey while they began to tear chunks of flesh off their victims, shredding them with each shake of their heads. The gnomes were heedless to their losses, and with superior numbers, they soon overwhelmed the pirates.
Seeing their fellows dragged off screaming into the jungle or devoured before their eyes, Caudill ordered the crew to launch the remaining boat. As he climbed down from the crow’s nest, Caudill could see several large canoes being launched by the gnomes. The frightened crew quickly cast off from the ship, Caudill barely making it to the ship’s boat before they pushed off. The 6 remaining crew members pulled hard at the oars, trying to gain speed in their boat as the gnomes closed in.
Caudill held the tiller at the back of the boat, steering them from the cove and out into the open sea. Once out of the cove, they could raise the small sail and easily distance themselves from their pursuers. They made it to the entrance of the cove just as the gnomes reached them. Two of the crew frantically raised the small mast and unfurled the sails. The sails snapped full with the strong ocean breeze, granting them a new burst of speed.
Just before reaching safety, Caudill was pulled from the tiller, dozens of gnomes hooking their claws into him and pulling as he held onto his boat with one hand. The other crew members tried to pull Caudill in but were forced to take drastic measures when the gnomes began to scurry over his body to get into the pirates’ boat. The slash of a cutlass severed Caudill’s hand from his body, allowing the ship’s boat to shoot free.
The pirates watched with remorse as Caudill screamed, the gnomes swarming over him while they rowed their canoes back to the horrible island.
The remaining pirates were adrift for several days before being rescued. Unfortunately for the survivors, the rescuer was a notorious necromancer. Enthralled by the story, the necromancer decided the gnomes must be a new form of ghoul.
Heading to the island, the necromancer and his newly risen crew of undead pirates arrived to find the island abandoned. There was no sign of the gnomes or the ships that had once lined the cove. The necromancer could detect no sign of undead and quickly lost interest in the whole thing. Prying the now-mummified hand from the ship’s boat, the necromancer enchanted it. Nobody knows what happened to the necromancer or how the newly enchanted hand of Caudill made it into circulation.
Legend has it that the island the necromancer used as his lair was visited by a swarm of canoes one night, the gnomes drawn to the hand of one of their meals. Expeditions to find Bower’s Isle and the supposed treasure there have returned either emptyhanded or never at all.
Abilities: Possessing the hand in his inventory allows the player to grip a two-handed weapon more effectively, granting a bonus to hit and damage. The bonuses scale with player level.
Once per day, the hand may be activated. Once activated, it allows the player to wield a two-handed weapon in each hand for the next minute.
In addition to the gripping strength, the hand can be used to summon a single grasping skeletal hand once per day. The skeletal hand will reach up from the earth and grab any hostile target designated by the wielder within visible range. The hand holds its victims fast, dealing crushing damage and immobilizing them for 10 seconds. The ability scales with player level and will increase in damage, duration, and number of uses as the player grows in power.
“Creepy, but kind of cool,” Smashem said as he deposited the hand into his inventory before taking a few practice swings with his hammer to test the bonus.
“I also just got this from that Phineas guy. I have a chance to gain a prestige class!” Yendys announced while linking the quest info for her friends.
“That’s very cool. I’m sure we’ll all be glad to help you. I really wanted another crack at the Foul Spore Pit now that it has increased its level range to levels 10–15,” Jacoby said after Yendys explained the requirements. Yendys couldn’t help but smile as the rest of the group agreed. She loved playing with these guys and how everyone supported each other.
“Thanks, everyone! If we’re ready, let’s head to grandma’s,” Yendys said. The group left the inn and moved to a spot near the graveyard where a portal opened at their approac
h. Yendys’s grandmother had chosen to not play in the game itself, so the AI devised a system where the in-game players who had been invited could join her in her instanced home.
“Yendys, it’s good to see you, dear, and who are all these folks you brought with you?” Grandma asked.
“Heya, Grandma. This is Jacoby, Kathala, Smashem, Nitor, Quimby, and Drake. We all play the game together and Drake and Quimby go to school with me,” Yendys said while rushing in to hug her grandma.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming to visit. I’m Natalie, but feel free to call me ‘grandma’ if you like. Make yourselves comfortable,” Grandma told the group, giving each one a hug. That was always something cool about Grandma; she had never met a stranger, always making everyone around her feel comfortable. All of Yendys’s friends ended up calling her Grandma Natalie after a time. She missed seeing her in the real world but was happy to be able to visit her here in Grandma’s sort of game zone thingy.
Smashem looked a bit panicked at the hugging, but they all eventually sat down as grandma brought out a pitcher of tea and plates of various cookies for them to enjoy. Her grandma was an awesome baker, so Yendys was glad she had the cookies on hand.
“Dude, she’s so nice. Totally not like I would have expected Raytak’s wife to be like,” Drake whispered.
“I can hear you, young man. No need to whisper secrets in this house,” Grandma chided. Drake looked shocked for a minute until he saw grandma’s smile, which let him know he wasn’t in trouble.
“I take that back. She can sound like a drill sergeant, too, if she wants to,” Drake said.
“Don’t fool yourself, young man. James can be a real sweetheart when he wants to. When he’s with his army folks, he reverts to the serious officer James, which I also love,” Grandma told the group.
“Who’s James?” Smashem asked, confused at who everyone was talking about.
“James is my grandpa. You know, Raytak. His wife isn’t going to call him by his last name,” Yendys replied.
“Ahh, yeah, sorry,” Smashem replied, not having ever heard Raytak’s first name before.
“I admit I have a hard time seeing him as anything other than the soldier, but I look forward to meeting the other version of Raytak when his memory is all fixed,” Jacoby said while grabbing yet another cookie.
“You and I both, young man. I really miss the old codger,” Grandma replied.
“Mrs. Raytak, can I get the recipe for these cookies? They are amazing. Is this something you can bake in the real world, too? I love to bake, and cookies are my favorite thing to make,” Kathala said.
“Sure, dear, and it’s Natalie or Grandma Natalie. No need to be formal under this roof. I guess I can write down the recipe for you. The real-world versions are delicious, but this virtual world place seems to enhance the flavors more than I remember,” Grandma replied. It was strange seeing her in-game friends interact with Grandma. She would have never known a detail like Kathala liking to bake if she hadn’t brought them for a visit.
Yendys enjoyed her time with Grandma. Her friends also took a liking to this special person. The delicious treats she prepared for them and the care and love she showed her friends made for a fun and comforting time. After a dip in the lake and a tour of Grandma’s gardens, Yendys and her friends said their goodbyes. They had a dungeon to run, and Drake refusing to give them any clues on what to expect from the new and more difficult version of the Foul Spore Pit made them all the more excited to start!
Chapter 9
The AI slowly added her processing power to my mind, my faculties returning as I spawned inside my quarters in the garrison at Holdfast. Private Blevins said nothing as I suddenly appeared on my cot; the game programmed its npc’s not to react to players spawning in and out of the game, which I was happy for, as it kept me from having to explain my sudden presence.
“Sir, the latest order of battle is ready for your perusal,” Private Blevins said, handing me a scroll showing the disposition of our forces.
1st Legion of Hayden’s Knoll, Order of Battle:
Regulars—2 companies, 1 platoon:
422/550
Advanced Soldiers—1 platoon: 35/50
Elite Soldiers: 3/4
Attached Formations:
Ignominia:
Regulars—1 platoon, 1 squad: 48/60
Advanced Soldiers—1 squad: 7/10
Elite Soldiers: 1/1
Auxiliary Formations: 1/1.
Formation 1: Runesmiths 6/6 (en route).
We still had a way to go before we were at full strength. Walking from the barracks and out into the courtyard, I watched the soldiers of the garrison going about their daily activities. A few of the garrison kept watch on the walls while a squad was preparing to move out on patrol. There was something comforting in the routine, something familiar.
I climbed the rough wooden steps that led up to the wall and looked out over my legion’s camp. Outside the small garrison fort, Sergeant Brooks had set the men to building our normal fortified camp. The garrison facilities here in Holdfast were too small to contain their own forces as well as those of the legion.
Several platoons of my men were going about drills, led by an npc sergeant that must have spawned while I was out of the game. The npc didn’t have a name but was doing his job in a competent manner. The platoon marched in a column, and at a command from the sergeant, the soldiers shifted into a line of battle quickly; it was good practice if we were ambushed on the road. Wrend had the Ignominia Platoon form a Testudo in a mock assault against the walls of the garrison fort. The formation was designed to protect against ranged fire and had worked admirably in the arena.
Just outside the fortified camp on a small nearby rise, the battery of scorpions was firing at targets Tavers had set out at varying distances. The scorpions resembled giant crossbows, and even at this distance I could hear the distinctive sound of scorpion fire.
To me, it was the sound of victory.
We had four scorpions, all of them mounted on small carts to make them mobile. Situated behind the scorpions sat our two catapults. These were smaller models and had only slightly more range than the scorpions. While less mobile, they were much more useful at destroying fortifications. Rather than live-fire exercises, the catapult crews were performing maintenance on their siege engines.
I took a moment to watch the siege crews working on their machines. Tension points were checked for damage, while the ropes were examined and frayed or suspect sections replaced. The wheels on the scorpion carts were greased. The concoction smelled rather foul and I had no desire to find out where it came from.
To the south, the battered town of Holdfast still smoldered. The fires from the imp’s attack had been put out, but something about the magical flame made it smoke for days afterward. The people of the town warily went about their business. They were battered but not broken, and I vowed to do all I could to give them a peaceful life for once.
After I climbed down from the wall, I headed out to join my legion and signaled for the nco’s to gather. Once the group had assembled, we went over the training schedule. We would continue to work on platoon formations, then move up to company-sized maneuvers before finally training with the entire legion. I wanted to be able to respond to a variety of fights, so I assigned Brooks to run them through several contact drills designed to help the men shake out quickly from column of march into line of battle. They would practice setting and defending against ambushes, dealing with ranged or magical opponents, and fighting a full-scale battle.
I jumped in with the men, joining various platoons as a soldier, not an officer. I needed to be able to perform the same maneuvers as the men, not to mention that it helped when they saw me in the trenches doing the hard, physical work and not just standing back behind the lines. We worked hard through the day and the familiar burn of exercise was a welcome pain. The exercise that seemed to be the most difficult to perform was one called “closing the gap.” Typically, when we had lo
sses in a fight, the rear ranks moved up to fill the hole. In a protracted battle or following a catastrophic event, there might not be anyone left in the rear rank. In that case, soldiers had to shuffle in from the sides. It was physically grueling and difficult to accomplish while fighting an opponent to your front. Brooks ran us through the exercise again and again until the men could execute it smoothly.
We also focused on different assault tactics, taking time to craft and use scaling ladders as well as practice an innovation that Brooks came up with for handling shorter obstacles. Approaching a short wall, two soldiers held a shield horizontally between them, creating a step for the following soldier to use. If the wall was a bit higher, the soldiers holding the shield would lift to boost the climber over. Taking my turn at scaling the wall and holding the shield proved it was effective but rapidly tired me out.
Too long had I lain in a hospital bed. This virtual environment felt real and I reveled in every ounce of it, good or bad. I couldn’t necessarily recall much of my time in the hospital, but just knowing where my physical body was and the condition it was in made me push myself in protest.
The training also helped the men prepare for the attack. So far, most of our battles had been on the defensive. Defending from fixed positions gave us a force multiplier, but there would come a time when we had to storm the enemy.
While I watched the men rush a mock fortification, another memory clicked into place.
I was back at Fort Benning for the opening of the National Infantry Museum. The museum showcased a display called “The Last 100 Yards,” which depicted American soldiers from various time periods closing with the enemy. It was a reminder of our history and heritage—a warning that, no matter how sophisticated our weapons and warfare became, those last few yards to the enemy had to be closed by the infantry on foot. Only the foot soldier could take and hold ground.
Limitless Lands Book 4: Opposition (A LitRPG Adventure) Page 9
