Confirmed.
...........................
“All victors, please report to main staging area,” the herald announced.
“Now what?” Private Smith asked.
“Let’s go.” Dale moved out and Smith caught up.
The number of soldiers remaining appeared to be about forty, or maybe fifty, of the several hundred that had started the day. They gathered around in the staging area, and Dale wondered what was going to happen next.
“Attention!” someone yelled.
Everyone turned towards the voice and saw a group of officers walking towards them. Captain Stone was with them. He spoke first.
“Good job, soldiers. That was a fine display of skills. I’d like to introduce the Base Commander, Colonel Matsumoto. Sir!”
“Very nicely done today, soldiers. A special nod of appreciation to Lieutenant Brinkmann, who was very skilled in his use of the Hiro-Tanka strategy. I look forward to a lively discussion at dinner tonight. We have a special quest for those of you standing here; Captain Collins will present the details.”
“Soldiers, I am excited to announce a new training round has just been released. Treasure, upgrades, and bragging rights are on the line. The quest will involve an infiltration into the underground tunnel system of a castle which is being held by an aggressive enemy who has kidnapped a member of a friendly nation’s royal family. Consider it a quest to save a royal princess, and be on guard for evil spells, witches, ogres, trolls, and possibly dragonlings.
“One more thing, soldiers, pain will be turned on for this quest, it’s the only way to be eligible to find and earn treasure. That also means death is possible, although, soldiers, I believe if you fight as a team, nobody has to die.”
...........................
Erin?
Yes?
You auto-accepted already, didn’t you?
Of course, it’s a programmed yes. Do you wish to change the parameters?
No. Yes. Maybe. I just don’t think I can go through death again.
I estimate your chances of that as being slim.
Yeah, okay, but you don’t feel pain.
No, I don’t.
...........................
“What do you think Smith?”
“Of?”
“This quest.”
“Sounds fine to me. Treasure and glory. Why not?”
“I’m, well…”
“You are thinking about what happened last time?”
“Yeah.”
“Look, that guy, he was greedy. And a coward. We are all winners and skilled combatants going on this quest. You can be confident that nobody is going to stab you in the back.”
“You sure?”
“I am sure everyone will do their best. I understand your fear, don’t forget that when I died they were still working out the kinks. Things are improving.”
“Okay. I’ll trust you, but I have to admit, I’m nervous about it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Science fiction is not prescriptive; it is descriptive.
~ Ursula K. Le Guin
Compared to poverty, war is easy.
~ Kim Ayanna
...........................
Dale was the ranking soldier in their advance on the castle. The remaining lieutenants after the battle were excluded from the quest, so Dale was in charge of directing forty-seven other soldiers. They’d all been allowed to upgrade their gear, Dale had selected a better sword and light chain mail. Because they were still in training, the options for upgrading were limited, the point of the day was to build skills, not to obtain loot, although it would be available.
He was nervous because the pain levels were set on normal and death was a possibility. He didn’t want to be the reason another soldier suffered, and he feared going through death again. When they approached the castle, they were inside the tree line and hidden from view. Or at least, that’s what they were hoping.
“What do you think?” Dale asked Private Smith.
“I don’t like it. Too much open ground to cover.” Smith got out his binoculars and scanned the castle and the surrounding areas. “I don’t see a clear way to attack without being completely exposed.”
“Then there has to be sneak. A way in.” Dale faced the group. “Who here has a high sneak or conceal skill?”
“I do.”
“I do.”
“I do.”
Three soldiers walked forward. “Okay, perfect. Everyone split into three groups, roughly equal, behind one of these three and adjust your com to the same frequency. Leaders, you’ll monitor your team’s freq and mine, I’ll be on 56.78. Okay, Private Smith will provide a link between everyone, myself, and each of the three leaders. I’m climbing this tree. Smith, you stay at the bottom and watch my back.”
The groups quickly formed. Dale was impressed at how smoothly things went when good people were involved. He looked at the three leaders; one was a tall light skinned guy who had a lot of tattoos, the second one looked like he could be Indian, and the third one was a young woman with a dark complexion and a scar that ran across her forehead. She seemed to have a permanent scowl on her face.
“Names, please,” Dale said. He pointed to the first leader, the tall guy, “I don’t care if you use a handle or a nickname, I just need a reference.”
“I’ll use my handle, Tomahawk428,” he said.
“I’m Patel67Mnstr,” said the next leader.
“Kim,” the third leader said.
“Okay, for short I’ll call you Team Tom, Team Pat, and Team Kim. Use your handles in communication or create a sub-program, just make it clear. Next on the agenda, loot. Here’s my decision, if anyone disagrees, speak up quickly. We equally split all loot. If you want more skill points, well, take more risks, that’s on you. Don’t screw anyone else over. Agreed?”
...........................
System Message
All members of the quest will split loot equally in 48 portions.
Agree: Y/N?
...........................
Dale agreed.
...........................
System Message
All members of the quest will split treasure equally in 48 portions.
Results:
24…
37…
42…
45…
...........................
Dale waited another minute.
“Alright. Three holdouts. What’s the issue? Anyone want to speak up?”
Nobody came forward.
“Private Smith, conference.” They walked a distance away from the group, and Dale spoke softly. “What do I do?”
“I’m not sure. You have rank, order them to agree,” Smith said.
“I don’t like that idea. I want to know their reasons.”
“You’re over-thinking this.”
“Okay, I made a decision.”
They walked back to the group.
“I’m not going to let the three holdouts enter the castle. They’ll provide rear guard and can just miss out on the castle treasure. Now, I can’t force the three to step forward, but I can verify each players agreement before I let them move forward.”
...........................
System Message
All members of the quest will split treasure equally.
Results:
46…
47…
48…
Update: All members have agreed.
...........................
Dale smiled at the group. “Perfect. Now we are a true team.”
“What’s next?” Private Smith asked.
“I’m going up this tree.” Dale climbed the tallest pine tree until he had a clear view of the castle and the surrounding area.
“Team Kim, go back the direction we traveled, perhaps a half a kilometer. There will be a gorge to your left, which is slightly northwest. Follow that towards the castle, staying under c
over. Map your progression and upload to Smith. Smith, can you set up a live tracking of each group for me and map it?”
“Give me two,” Smith said.
“Team Tom, you’re going to continue heading downhill. After a half a kilometer or so, no more than kilometer, you’ll turn approximately southwest and head upstream. Report in and transfer mapping to Smith.”
“Roger.”
“Team Pat?”
“Yes, here.”
“Start searching in a grid pattern from here back a kilometer. Make your grid a kilometer deep, and point five wide. What you’re looking for is an outcropping of rocks, a cave, a mine tunnel, something that would indicate the presence of a passageway. It could be well hidden, or it could be out in the open and protected with either some magic charm, a lock, or even guards. Could be something you don’t expect either, like a bunch of rabid dogs or a dragonling, so stay alert. Move out.”
“On the way.”
Dale found a perch that was reasonably comfortable and had enough foliage to keep him hidden. He watched the members of each party move out and hoped that someone would find something so that they wouldn’t have to storm the castle in the open. They weren’t prepared with battering rams and trebuchets, although with enough time, he thought, maybe they could make them out of trees, rocks, and rope.
I don’t think the quest is supposed to be a two-week ordeal.
You’re probably right.
I think you’re doing a good job.
I didn’t think you thought.
I may surprise you, Dale.
I’m waiting with terrible anticipation.
...........................
It was team Pat that found something first.
“We found a small cave,” he communicated.
“I’ll be right there,” Dale said. He climbed down from the tree.
“Have the other teams hold tight,” he said to Private Smith.
“Got it.”
Dale found Private Patel and his team behind a small hill that had an opening on the side opposite the castle, about three-quarters of a kilometer away.
“I have a couple of puzzle solvers in there looking,” Patel said.
“Alright, let me have a look,” Dale said.
There was a grid on a rock wall, hidden inside the cave. It had a ten by ten grid filled with numbers.
“I’ve seen one of these before.”
“We’ve been trying to figure out a pattern of some kind,” one of the two soldiers said.
“Nothing has jumped out yet,” the second one added.
“The code key I used in Mount Dog was Pi. We had to push the numbers so that Pi was spelled out in order. Of course, then the floor opened, and we fell into a spiders nest.”
“You’re the guy that died?”
“Yup. That’s my claim to fame. Trust me; it’s worse than it sounds,” Dale said. He stared at the grid.
Erin?
If I help you, the treasure will be lost.
I could sacrifice for the good of the group.
No, Dale, if you use a cheat, you negate the treasure for everyone, you’re all tied together.
“Shit,” Dale said.
“I know—” The first soldier shook his head.
“No, I meant… Never mind.” Dale studied the grid.
The upper left square had the number one. The next square had the number one. The rest of the squares seemed to be random numbers, but of course, there must be a pattern, the trick would be to figure it out.
16796
6564120-
429
14
742900
128990-
42
And ninety-one additional numbers.
“Smith?” Dale sent a communication.
“Yeah, I’m still here at the tree. Nothing to report.”
“Get your team leaders working on this problem.” Dale had Erin send a copy of the code lock to Smith.
“Got it, not Pi this time. You think it’s a similar thing?”
“I’m going to assume it’s something similar,” Dale said. “Have your team leaders send it out to their soldiers and ask them to look for any patterns. Tell them we’re looking for a numerical pattern similar to Pi or the Fibonacci sequence. And Smith?”
“Yes?”
“Tell them no cheats. If we cheat, we lose the treasure, make sure everyone understands that.”
“Got it.”
Dale went back outside and explained the situation to Private Patel.
“If we do open the lock, there will probably be a trap door of some kind, so we need to be ready for anything.”
“Got it. I’ll get a group together to make torches,” Patel said.
“Get some rope, we’ll tie off so if a trap door opens we won’t plunge to our deaths.”
...........................
“Dale?”
“Yeah, Smith, go ahead,” Dale said.
“I’ve got a math nerd on the com with us. Private Rasulov, go ahead.”
“Oh, um, Priv— I mean Corporal Dale, sorry, Corporal Brown, I think the sequence is a Catalan sequence, the longer numbers, the ones with hyphens, they are actually one number, you have to find the—”
“Hold on,” Dale interrupted.
Erin, can you set it up so that I can have Rasulov see the grid, and virtually push the buttons so that they’ll light up for me, displayed over the actual lock?
Of course.
Make it happen, okay?
Orders sent to Rasulov.
Dale explained to Patel what they were going to do and instructed him to get his team ready. “Make sure we’ve got soldiers with torches near the front. Weapons ready.”
“Smith?”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m going to try and maintain contact with you. If we get cut-off, either send someone after us down whatever tunnel opens up, or have the other two teams storm the castle. Or both. I don’t know. You’re in charge if I’m offline.”
“Roger.”
Dale turned to Private Patel. “Well, it’s as good a time as any.”
Erin, go ahead with Rasulov.
Here goes.
Erin displayed an empty grid over the one on the wall and highlighted the numbers in the sequence that Dale was supposed to push them in.
One.
One.
Two.
Five.
Fourteen.
Forty-two.
One thirty-two.
Four twenty-nine.
Fourteen hundred thirty.
As the numbers grew larger, they were split into two or more blocks by the use of hyphens. Dale followed the pattern that Erin highlighted, and when he knew he was getting close to the hundredth push, his heart began to race.
“Get ready, Private Patel.”
He hit the last button.
Nothing happened.
“Now what?” Dale said. He was mostly talking to himself.
He leaned against the wall, and it shifted. “Hey, Patel, give me a hand.” They pushed, and the wall spun in the center, opening on both sides to a dark hallway.
“Torches,” Patel ordered.
A trio of his team walked into the hallway and held up their flames.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Shrek: NO! You dense, irritating, miniature beast of burden! Ogres are like onions! End of story! Bye-bye! See ya later.
Donkey: Parfait's gotta be the most delicious thing on the whole damn planet!
~ Shrek (2001)
Nearly 200 years ago my distant relatives were disarmed by the British. I wonder how long it normally takes to go from the subjugated to the imperialist? Not every country can expect to be as brutally efficient as the Americans.
~ Sanjay Patel
...........................
A nasty stench flowed out of the passageway out tainting the fresh air. Several of Patel’s team gagged.
“What is that smell?” one of the torch bearers said.
/>
“Death,” said someone else.
Dale didn’t know, and he didn’t care. He was worried about spiders and other threats. He pulled out his sword and stepped into the passageway. “Follow me with the torches and call out if you see anything. Patel, leave a couple of soldiers outside, then leave one person every fifty meters, less distance if they cannot communicate from that far away. I want to leave a chain of com back to Smith.”
“On it.” Patel gave assignments while Dale moved into the darkness.
The walls of the passageway were unadorned natural stone. There were spider webs in the corners and hanging from the ceiling, but none of the webs looked freshly made nor did it look as if giant spiders had made them. Dale felt relieved, but he also realized there were plenty of other possible dangers. He took the point because he felt, as the leader, he should display initiative. He moved quickly, but with caution. The passageway twisted and after rounding a bend, Dale came to a set of descending stairs.
He stopped.
“Hold that torch up for me,” he said.
The soldier closest to him held his torch up above his head.
Dale looked up. There was a hanging apparatus with long metal spikes. He looked for anything that could be a trigger but saw nothing except stone walls and the stairs. He used his sword to test the top step. Nothing happened. He moved to the second step, and nothing happened. He pushed the third step, and the entire contraption fell in one swift drop, slamming spikes into the stone floor.
“Hell,” said the soldier holding the torch.
“We need to be on the lookout for anything that looks like a trigger or a trap,” Dale said. That was probably redundant he thought, he realized he was talking to himself because he was so nervous.
“Private Smith?”
“Still here.”
“Good, I’m inside this long hallway. There are traps.”
Nagant Wars: A LitRPG Novel (Nagant Wars Series Book 1) Page 12
