+1000XP
Killed: Louhi, a Level 9 witch boss
Dropped: 100 bars of gold
Dropped: Ice Magic Book
Dropped: 1 carat Ice Diamond
Dropped: Wangba Mount, a mutant, diseased zombie mount with a club and shield.
Dropped: Witch Staff
Dale put his new items in inventory and thought about the losses and what they meant. Sergeant Dyfrig was now in charge; he was the only member who outranked Dale, who was still the only corporal in the platoon.
Yingtai was two levels higher than Dale, and probably the most powerful and dangerous member of the platoon, but leveling didn’t count towards leadership and rank in the military. Princess Jara was also higher leveled, but she wasn’t in the military, so she was more of a wild card than anything. Dale hoped things would work out as he and the platoon regrouped; he didn’t know who to trust anymore. Except for Smith, he thought to himself, I can’t trust anyone.
The group ate a refreshing feast, rested, talked their losses, and discussed possible strategy going forward.
The troop was now numbered at nine, down two from eleven, and they had a long way to travel.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Paranoia is a survival trait when you run in my circles.
~ Jim Butcher
Battle plans are nearly as valuable as yesterday’s newspaper.
~ Sergeant Dyfrig
...........................
The platoon came to a fork in the path.
“To the right,” Princess Jara said.
“Why?” Sergeant Dyfrig asked. He was in charge of the platoon but he had no authority over the Princess. Of course, she had no power over the platoon either, but the King’s advisors had confirmed the information that Jara had obtained: the Princess Talargo had likely traveled Evelake village on her way to the Arodian mountains.
“The Evelake Village is this direction.” She pointed to the path on the right. “And we’re not alone in our quest, look.”
Sergeant Dyfrig dismounted and checked the ground. “Kim,” he said.
The Phainopepla race were excellent trackers, and Private Kim Ayanna was also a hunter. She approached the tall lizard Sergeant and squatted to get close to the ground. She walked ten meters down the path, and back again.
“They’re fresh tracks, four hours at most, more likely, one or two. The group is mounted on various beasts, my best estimate is that it’s a platoon sized troop, a dozen to a dozen and a half. This is probably the Declan Faction, not NPCs, they were moving rapidly in the same direction we’re headed.”
“So possible death and no chance of loot.” Sanjay had a dark sense of humor when he was nervous or afraid.
“Just how we like it.” Dale clapped his friend on the shoulder. “If you die, at least that will mean pizza or Chinese tonight. And a hot shower.”
“As nice as that sounds, I can’t really afford the tax.” Sanjay looked like he was trying to come up with a joke.
“It’s just excruciating physical pain, Sanjay, nothing compared a bad break up,” Dale said.
“Let’s move out,” Dyfrig said. “Kim, you take the point, keep us on the path, but stop if it looks like our friends have diverted, I don’t want to ride into an ambush.”
Obviously, that’s exactly what they did thirty minutes later. It seems the universe has a sense of irony, Dale thought, as he dove for cover.
Indeed, handsome. Always watch your back, especially in the shower.
Are you working on becoming a comedian too?
I only exist to serve you, stud.
God…
No, just Erin. But, I’ve considered that position; not my kind of gig.
...........................
The surprise attack began about a half a second after Kim hit a trip wire.
Dale watched as she took the brunt of the assault; six imbued arrows slammed into her at once. She didn’t have a chance, and the platoon numbered eight. Sergeant Dyfrig, being the second member in their line, took two arrows and a spear, but he was able to fall behind a tree for cover.
Dyfrig shouted an order, “Take cover, prepare for battle, and somebody put some healing power on me.”
The platoon dismounted and scattered.
Facing monsters and beasts was more straight forward than a battle with other soldiers. NPCs, non-player-characters, didn’t feel pain, didn’t have emotions about the outcome of a fight, and never retreated nor surrendered.
Soldiers, on the other hand, Declan Faction soldiers, did feel pain. They also had the ability to think and they could attack, retreat, and strategize. They could do any number of unpredictable things, and as Sanjay had pointed out, they didn’t drop loot.
Dyfrig was drawing a lot of fire, he pointed back towards Dale and Galina and indicated that he wanted them to try and flank the enemy around the right side. He pointed to Rikuto and Smith to go around the left. He indicated to Yingtai and Jara to stay back and provide support, which they’d already begun, which was why his health up. Unfortunately, they’d had no chance to save Kim.
Dyfrig called Sanjay to his position so they could tank up the middle.
Dale moved through the trees with Galina. The Russian was a Nefyn, the same as the LT. She had strong healing powers, so Dale was happy to be paired with her. They moved as fast as they could without revealing their position and came to a small outcropping of rocks right on the edge of a meadow that gave them a view of the enemy position. He saw one soldier behind a tree firing arrows.
...........................
Zuharah: Declan Faction
Level: 5
Guilds: Unknown or Hidden.
Weapons: Long Bow in use. Other weapons concealed.
Magic: Unknown or Hidden.
Health: 100%
...........................
Dale scanned the field to see if he could locate other soldiers. He found nine, but he had no idea if these were all of them. All nine were firing arrows. To get more information he needed to move to a new position or launch an attack.
Smith and Dyfrig made the decision to attack directly, shields up, so Dale and Galina used that diversion to fire arrows. They each fired several arrows, then exchanged their bows for swords and shields, and moved into the meadow to directly engaged the enemy.
As a general rule, a soldier firing a longbow at another soldier with a strong shield, especially one with adequate armor, usually has one shot, maybe two, before needing to switch to a close range weapon. If not, the swordsman will usually be able to cut them down. Both soldiers that Dale and Galina approached had each fired one arrow and then replaced their bows with swords and shields.
It would be an even match then, Dale thought. Just like training.
Dale approached the enemy soldier with an aggressive posture and attitude. He didn’t want to die, but he didn’t care about hedging his bets or playing it safe either, he’d already suffered enough, and there was nothing this mercenary scum could do to him that would be worse than what he’d already been through. He brought his sword down, his shield up, and plowed through the soldier.
The enemy tried to recover, but it was too late.
Most sword fights depicted in books, movies, and old fairy tales were bullshit. On a real battlefield, a sword fight was usually over in under a minute. One slight advantage and it was done.
The difference between fighting sentient beings and the NPCs was very distinct; the creatures and monsters didn’t think, they fought as if the battles were like playing chess. A sentient being, however, had to worry about death, pain, and misery. An enemy in the Declan Faction had to worry about his, or her, personal shame, personal demons and the ramifications of everything done in the field.
Dale finished killing the enemy by removing its head with a long arching blow from his sword.
+300XP
Killed: Humant, Level 3, Declan Faction
Through the soldier’s helmet, he saw that it was a young woman, or at least the ava
tar was that of a young woman. Her face was pretty, but her neck was open to the world, bloody and raw, and her eyes were frozen open, like a doll. Her hair was short and black. She had almond skin, and she might have been Asian, had she been from Earth. Dale was reminded of Amy and felt his stomach react.
He fell to his knees and vomited.
When he was done, he turned his head and realized that there was another body on the ground. Galina had received a fatal blow from the enemy soldier who stood above her, a larger opponent who wielded an axe. Dale looked up at the solider.
...........................
Gohyoh: Declan Faction
Level: 7
Guilds: Unknown or Hidden.
Weapons: Battle Axe in use. Other weapons concealed.
Magic: Unknown or Hidden.
Health: 78%
...........................
Dale had not fought a Gohyoh before, in fact, he had little interaction with them. They were similar to what a human from Earth would consider an Orc, a senseless killing machine, at least in perception.
This creature wasn’t really a creature, however, he was like Dale, a sentient being. His avatar wasn’t the actual person. The disgusting looking beast-man could just as well be a fourteen-year-old from a distant universe, who was being paid to destroy the lives of Earthlings. For what reason, Dale couldn’t imagine. Nor did he really care, not at this point. His mind and heart ached. Each fraction of a second, dealing with the pain of loss, seemed like an hour.
Dale, snap out of it.
I know, sorry.
Don’t apologize, fight.
Erin’s thoughts, and communication with her in general, happened in the briefest of moments, at the speed of thought, so no time had passed as Dale realized that if he didn’t snap out of his lapse of battle sense and duty, he’d soon be separated into a couple of pieces.
He dodged the solider’s battle axe. His opponent must have considered him an easy target because he’d over-swung, and when he missed, he lost his balance. Dale leaped to his feet. He slammed his sword into the legs of the Orc-like creature.
It screamed out in pain and fury, and Dale realized that he was actually hurting a real person in this battle. It wasn’t a beast. It wasn’t an NPC. This avatar was connected to a sentient being who was feeling everything. This wasn’t a dungeon, an instance, or a quest. He was fighting in an actual war.
The Nagant War had finally come to Dale.
He looked at Galina, his comrade, who’s body seemed to call out to him for revenge.
Dale stepped towards the Gohyoh and brought his sword down in a broad arc; the soldier lifted its shield, and Dale spun. He flung his own shield behind his unaware opponent and watched as his adder uncoiled from its shield form and attacked from the rear.
Dale jumped backward, put his sword away, and brought forth a Fire Magic spell. It was the strongest torch spell he’d used so far, and when he shot fire from his hands, he surprised himself and his enemy.
As the flames died, and the soldier screamed in pain and agony, Dale rammed the rapier into its throat, following the same tactic he’d used before. A rapier through the brain seemed to be the most compassionate and safest way to end the suffering of the defeated soldier.
Dale had no desire to cause so much pain, burning someone alive seemed overly barbaric, even knowing they’d be resurrected didn’t help, in some ways, maybe it made it worse.
He fell to his knees and vomited again. He had nothing left in his stomach, and he dry heaved until the he realized that Galina, as well as the pretty asian-looking soldier, and the solider he’d just killed, were gone. He rolled over and looked into the sky.
A little bird flew overhead, then another, soon clouds appeared, and Dale watched them drift across the sky, wondering what the meaning of life was, if it even had one.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Hodor!
~ George R. R. Martin
To act dishonorably is worse than any death.
~ Rikuto Setsu
...........................
“Dale, get up.”
He didn’t recognize the voice. He was on his back, watching the clouds. He wondered why he was in this field.
“Dale, we need to get out of the open. Get up. You’re in charge.”
The voice was familiar, so he sat up and saw that it was Private Rikuto Setsu. A Naphil. Supposedly not entirely trustworthy, but Rikuto had always seemed to have done his duty well. He cast an enchantment over Dale which restored his health.
“What do you mean I’m in charge?” Dale asked. He stood, put away his weapons, and changed into his humant form. He asked Rikuto again why he’d said that he was in charge.
“Sergeant Dyfrig…”
“Fuck. Shit. Piss.”
“Chikushō! Yes, shit. Piss. We have to move out of the open.”
Dale walked towards the forest. “Who else?” he asked.
“Besides, Galina… Sanjay. I’m sorry, I know you were close.” Rikuto followed Dale into the forest, past the tree line, where they’d have some cover, in case the group they’d just killed had other members in the area.
Yingtai approached Dale. She was all business.
“Dale, you’re in charge, but I suggest we move out quickly, heading towards the Evelake village. We interrogated one of the Declanians… The village is under five kilometers to the north-west. That’s the best way to get onto the trail of the Princess.”
“Okay. Give me a minute.” Dale sat and drank water. “Everyone refresh yourselves. Eat and drink. We aren’t going anywhere for a few minutes.”
“Dale, we—” Yingtai sounded angry.
Dale interrupted her. “No, we don’t.”
“He’s right,” Rikuto said. “We all need to rest and refresh and think clearly before we rush off. Nothing will change by reflecting for a time.”
“Who put you in charge of anything?” Yingtai clearly did not like Rikuto. Contempt dripped off her words and her face distorted when she talked to him as if someone had handed her a rotten egg.
“Fucking vampiric racist.” Rikuto pulled out a samurai sword.
Yingtai, the Mugron, wasn’t about to be intimidated. “I’ll take your blood, manuke devil!”
“Bitch.” Rikuto held up his sword. “I’ll cut you like you cut Amy. Dale himself will piss on you.”
Yingtai had pulled out a sword, but Dale stepped between them.
“Enough.” Dale spoke softly. “We have plenty of things that want to kill us. We don’t need to kill ourselves.”
“He’s right, back off, both to you,” Smith said. He’d pulled out his war hammer and seemed ready to take care of business if anything got out of hand.
Yingtai and Rikuto put away their weapons and walked away.
“Dale, sorry. We really should move soon,” Smith said.
“I know. Five minutes.” Dale took a drink of water and then closed his eyes and lowered himself to the ground. “Sergeant Dyfrig and Sanjay, they were both fighting together with the platoon as tanks or one-on-one?”
“As tanks, I think. I don’t know. Everything got out of hand. I don’t know what happened to our strongest healers. I mean, I don’t want to accuse anyone…”
“Hell,” Dale said.
He kept his eyes closed and thought about their situation. The platoon was down to five members. One of those wasn’t even in the military, and he had no authority over her. While other soldiers could certainly disregard anything he said, or ignore any order he gave, the punishments in level, rank, and the bonuses they’d miss were stiff.
He didn’t trust Yingtai, but he realized that his feelings were probably biased. When he was honest with himself, he realized it wasn’t that he might be biased, he was. He had, for a brief moment, wanted Rikuto to take out the Mugron who had killed Amy. She had been so callous about it, she’d told him to grow up, and that had bothered him a lot that night, it bothered him even more now.
Sanjay was a good guy,
and so was Dyfrig.
Well, he’d see them again. Maybe he was overthinking everything again?
It wasn’t like death was forever, but it did fucking hurt and it changed you. He wondered if he’d ever see Amy again, and if he did, would she be the same person?
You’re still bothered by the continuity problem?
Quit listening to my thoughts.
Is that an order, or just your grief? You might need me.
Yeah, stay.
I’m sorry, honey. I know this is tough, even though I can’t feel anything. I do see.
I’m not sure you do.
You’re right.
Dale considered the platoon’s current assets. Including himself, they had Smith to tank, and Rikuto was good at ranging. The two women, the Princess and Yingtai, were both very skilled across the board, as well as being the strongest healers. He wished he trusted them more, but what could he do?
“Gather around.” Dale stood and looked at everyone with a grave expression on his face. “I’m in charge now, as you all know. But I’m not really a commander type. I’ll listen to suggestions, but no more infighting, we’re only five strong, we need everyone working together.”
“So what’s the plan?” Yingtai asked, barely hiding her condescension.
“We head out to the village. We follow the path, but we do it with a sneak attitude not barging through the woods aggressively, as if we are indestructible, because we’re not.”
“I agree,” Smith said. “We need to work as a team.”
“The plan once we get to the village is to seek for clues about the Princess. If she went through the village, maybe someone remembers her. If not, we’ll try to find some information about the entrance to the mines. We’ll attempt to find the possible routes she may have taken, and pick the best one to follow.” Dale paused and thought, searching his mind for anything else to add. “We might as well relax, too. We aren’t in the hurry some of us seem to think. I’m making a command decision, we all are going to take the night off and check out the pubs, gambling halls, and maybe the—”
“Dale, I object, you’re not—” Yingtai spoke with anger and took a step towards him.
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