by G. R. Cooper
Wulfgar would be hard-pressed to overcome the wave that was preparing to fall upon him.
Rydra had already decided to help Wulfgar; at least within the bounds that his role allowed him. When looting the palace store-room the evening before, he’d made sure to grab as many powerful objects and items as he could. He had given those to Wulfgar - who had, after all, earned them by distracting the guards and allowing Rydra entrance. Rydra chuckled inwardly; it wasn’t as though he could loudly proclaim himself King Clive’s Spymaster Extraordinaire! and demand entrance to the treasure room. The guards had no idea who he was. As far as Rydra knew, nobody apart from King Clive knew who he was.
Rydra had spent the little time he had in the treasure room stuffing every epic item and high-value object into his sack. He had been more than happy to gift the entire load - and a few things besides - to help his friend become established within his new town.
“Can I count on you?”
Rydra snapped back to the present by Tim’s question. He nodded to the wizard across the table.
“I’m afraid,” Rydra began, “that I’m not much use, nor am I inclined toward, active combat in a war-zone,” he smiled, “I put in my time doing that in my last life.” He leaned back in his chair, “But I am happy to help you spread the word of what is happening. To help you recruit your forces.”
And likewise help Wulfgar with recruits who seem inclined toward his cause, Rydra thought.
Tim smiled broadly, “That will be a big help, of course. Thank you.” He looked over to Jay.
The knight frowned darkly, “I don’t mean to sound like a dick, but, what’s in it for me?”
“Not a dick question at all!” beamed Tim. “I have, at my disposal, a series of extremely high reward quests from King Clive that I can bestow upon the people who will help me root out this rebellion.” He shrugged, “If you’ll but declare for me, to help our side, then at the end, once Wulfgar is defeated, your reward will be, well, more than any quest reward that I’ve ever seen.”
Jay nodded, thoughtful, “I’ll think it over.” He took a sip of his beer, “What’s your plan?”
Tim sat back, frowning in thought, “First, obviously, I’ll be spending a lot of time recruiting,” He nodded toward Rydra. “Setting up the structure of my forces. Then I’ve got to work through the logistics; what armament I’ll need, what supplies. Everything I can think of required to take that valley back.”
He smiled, “Well, actually, I won’t be spending a lot of time on that part. I’ve already got a captain, someone to take care of that. He was one of the top modders for Civ seven before joining us here in this world. He’s a genius at this sort of thing.”
“So,” Tim continued, “I’ll be working with him and he’ll be letting me know exactly what sort of forces I’ll need to form and what resources will be required.”
Tim sipped thoughtfully for a moment, “First on my list, though, is to recruit my core corps of troops, which I fervently hope that Jay will become a part of. They’re to be my cadre; my many right hands. The tip of King Clive’s spear.”
Rydra looked to Jay. The knight wasn’t smiling, but his eyes were focused. It would be as obvious to Jay as it was to Rydra that the politically smart move was to side with King Clive; the monarch simply had more to offer his followers than Wulfgar could probably ever afford.
Rydra leaned back in the simple wooden chair, one of many that lined the beam tables in the crowded, smoky inn. He clasped his hands behind his head in thought.
“So,” Rydra began, looking back down at Tim, “you’re a planner. A, in your own words, schemer. How are you going to go about disposing of Wulfgar?”
“Methodically,” nodded Tim. “I’m going to build up my forces, probe and find Wulfgar’s weakness, then roll over him. I’m going to fuckin’ salt the earth the asshole stands on, and I’m going to deliver him on his knees to King Clive.”
“Not a quick attack, then?” asked Jay.
“Probably not,” admitted Tim. “That probe I mentioned will probably happen within the first week. While we can still rez. I’ll spend a couple of days recruiting here,” he nodded at Rydra who smiled back, “then take what forces I can muster on a quick raid into Wulfgar’s territory. I don’t expect that we’ll be able to defeat him, without a lot of luck,” he knocked on the wooden table top, “but I want to get inside his territory, scout it out. I want to get an idea of what we’re up against, and if the raid gets wiped out, no big deal. We’ll just rez back here and regroup for the big campaign.”
Tim looked to Jay, “What do you think? Do you have a problem with a suicide mission?”
Jay shook his head and laughed, “Hell no. I’ve croaked so many damn times in this world that it’s lost all meaning.” He took a sip of his beer, “I mean, I kind of like that we won’t be able to rez for six months at a time. I kind of hope that setting remains in effect after this campaign is over.”
“How come?” asked Rydra.
Jay’s head bobbed within his armor, which Rydra took for a shrug.
“There’s nothing in this world that holds any suspense. Any fear. When the worst that can happen to you is that you might lose some gear if you don’t have enough money in the bank to cover your insurance, there’s no reason not to dive right into the dragon’s den. When there is no real risk, the reward doesn’t taste as sweet.” He shrugged again, “After a while, what’s the point? The grind? Personally, the only thing that keeps me grinding is so I can reach level fifty and head back out into the rest of the Omegaverse.”
Jay shook his head, “No, death holds no fear for me here.”
“Interesting point,” said Tim. “I hope enough people feel like you that I won’t have any problem finding enough for a cavalry squadron to head up into …” he let the sentence trail off as he looked up to Rydra. “What are we going into, anyway? You’ve been up there, right?”
Rydra smiled and took a long draw on his beer. He took the time to think. He couldn’t lie or prevaricate; not without giving his true allegiance away. He wondered if he knew anything about the area around Marchstone that wouldn’t be obvious given a quick lightning raid. Rydra didn’t think so. He also thought back to the conversation that he had with Wulfgar earlier in the day.
After they’d returned from Clive’s palace, Rydra and Wulfgar had holed up in Rydra’s apartment to split the loot. Wulfgar had begun to go through the problems he faced as a new leader. He had, among other things, recognized that a quick raid, just as the one Tim was planning, was a real danger and severe threat.
Rydra wondered if knowing that it was Tim that was going to be leading the assault would increase Wulfgar’s concern. He needed to spread the information he had warily. If the wrong piece of knowledge got out and could be traced to him, it could become obvious that he was helping the rebels. He had begun to suspect that Clive’s powers within this world were much greater than the King let on. Rydra even wondered if Clive had access to the player’s very thoughts.
Rydra had to be circumspect.
“Yes,” he began, “I’ve been up there. It’s basically just an alpine valley. It’s surrounded completely by high, steep, mountains. I think there’s a lake to the northern end, but I don’t know how big it is. There is a single, small village in the valley. Nothing special. Maybe a dozen of the normal kinds of buildings.”
He frowned in thought, “The only access, that I know, is through a small pass on the southernmost end.”
“How small?” asked Tim.
Rydra shrugged, “A hundred yards? Maybe less. In the middle of the pass is a stone keep.”
Tim frowned, “That sounds pretty defensible.”
“It is,” Rydra nodded. “And Wulfgar is fortifying it. He’s got a stone troll and some dwarf hirelings building a wall. That will completely cut off the pass, but I can’t imagine that they’ll finish with that in the next week. You should be able to bypass it pretty easily.”
“A troll?” asked Jay.
“Yeah, a stone troll,” laughed Rydra. “It’s Wulfgar’s, what do you call it, the animal that you wizard types use as a servant.”
“Familiar,” said Jay.
“That’s it, his familiar.”
“What an idiot,” snorted Tim. “What use can that have for a sorcerer?”
“He makes a damn good bodyguard, for one,” countered Rydra, “but, as far as magic or otherwise, I don’t think Wulfgar has found a use, yet. But, as I said, the troll is helping to build out the fortresses in Marchstone. He seems perfectly suited for that.” He grinned, remembering that Wulfgar had named the troll after the man seated across the table.
Tim waved the discussion away, “OK. The asshole troll has a pet stone troll. Is there anything else you can tell me about Wulfgar’s little valley?”
“Not off-hand, no. If I think of something, I’ll be sure to get word to you,” Rydra lied, “and I’ll also keep moving through the inns and spreading the word,” he pushed back his chair and began to rise.
“Hang on a sec,” said Tim, waving him back down, “I’d like to talk to you a bit more, if you don’t mind.”
Jay took the hint and stood, “I’m going to grab a room and get out of this armor. I’ll be back down in fifteen minutes.”
Tim smiled up at Jay in gratitude, “Thanks, man, I can’t wait to introduce you to the rest of the guys. They’ll be here before too long.” He watched as the black knight made his way through the tangled crowd of the inn and up the stairs toward the bedrooms above. Turning back to Rydra, his face grew serious.
“Is there anything else you want to tell me?”
Rydra shook his head, wary.
“No, I believe I’ve covered everything I know about the valley.”
“I meant is there anything about you that you want to share?”
Rydra took a long draw on his mug, draining the last of his beer. He put the mug down, pondered it for a second, then looked back up to Tim.
“No. Nothing I can think of.”
Tim smiled, then leaned forward.
“Are you sure, spymaster?”
It took all of Rydra’s self control to keep his mien measured and blank.
“What?”
“Spymaster. You’re King Clive’s spymaster.”
“What makes you say that?”
Tim waved away Rydra’s question, “Cut it out, I know. That’s all that matters. I also know the role in my army was one that King Clive had already assigned you. To spread the word of what is happening between myself and Wulfgar. I also know that means I can trust you.”
“So,” continued Tim, “is there anything else you can tell me about Wulfgar.”
Rydra shook his head, “No. I already covered what kind of person I think he is, and his plans for defending his valley,” Rydra shrugged, “I have no reason to hold anything back.”
“How about as far as Clive goes? That is, between Wulfgar and Clive.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I think you do,” grinned Tim, “but that’s OK. I’ll sum it up for you. Wulfgar and I are in the same boat.”
“How so?”
Tim shrugged and leaned back in his seat.
“We’re both being tested. It wasn’t random choice that Clive picked me to lead his forces. We have a long relationship. Back to the outer Omegaverse, actually. Clive was my AI assistant before, you know.”
“Before you died.”
Tim nodded and smiled, “Something like that, yeah.”
“Do you know why? Why you, and I presume, Wulfgar, are being tested?”
“No, not really. Clive once described me as a candidate. A candidate for what, however, he didn’t say. I have no idea what the purpose of his testing is. What his plans are.”
A deep smile spread across Tim’s face and his eyes narrowed, “But I can infer one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Candidate. It wasn’t pluralized when Clive used it. There was an implication in the way he said it.”
“Which was?”
Tim laughed loudly.
“There can be only one!”
Name: Wulfgar the Dangerous, Rogue Magus of Evening, Laird of Marchstone
Level:05
STR:11
INT:08+01
AGI:11
PRS:02+01
FRT:01
HP:24 (ST+AGI + (LVL/3))
AC:03 (Leather, Full)
STA:16 (AGI+LVL)
MNA:17 (INT+ (Magic Level x 2))
ALI:True Neutral
REP:Dangerous (+1 PRS)
Dwarves: Dwarf Friend.
Faerie: High Esteem
Rats: Awe
Orcs: Respect
Elves: Suspicion
Skills (Level):
Blade Wind (2): Targets most vulnerable facing part of the opponent. Activating causes player to spin and gives a +10 to hit attack on the opponent. Player cannot be hit during the spin. Cool-down 30 seconds minus 1 second per Blade Wind level to a minimum of 10 seconds. Active. Skill automatically granted at level 3 Small Blade.
Climbing (3): Increases ability to successfully climb what would otherwise be an impossible vertical barrier! Each level adds .5% success chance per skill check, each point of AGI adds 1%. Active. 100 - Difficulty% + (Skill Level bonus + AGI bonus) = Success %
Cure Poison (1): Allows the creation of poison curing potions. Higher levels can cure more deadly poison. Active. Skill automatically granted at level 3 Herb Lore.
Healing Poultices (2): Allows the creation and application of healing poultices. Amount healed is dependent upon skill level. Active. Skill automatically granted at level 2 Herb Lore..
Herb Lore (4): Adds ability to detect and use valuable plants. Each level increases the amount of harvest as well as the detection range for the player by 1%. Passive
Hidden Stab (3): Increases damage done using a Small Blade while in Stealth. Passive. (STR+AGI) x .5 + (Small Blade Level + Hidden Stab Level) = Additional Damage. Removes player from Stealth.
Meditation (2): Increases the natural regeneration rate of Mana. The user must be completely still and silent to use the skill and the skill is disrupted if the user moves, speaks or receives damage (physical or magical). ((2 + (Meditation Level x .1)) x Base Regeneration Rate = Regeneration Rate. Cool-down 10 minutes minus 10 seconds per level. Active.
Small Blade (4): Gives to-hit and damage bonuses when using a knife or short sword. Passive.
Sorcery (4): This profession skill gives access to specific spells. The player’s Sorcery level adds to the spell level in some cases, as well as helping to determine amount of mana. Spells success depends upon relative relationship between Sorcery level and spell level. If Sorcery Level < Spell Level Then Success % = RND - Spell Level + Sorcery Level.
Stealth (3+11): Lowers the detection likelihood and radius of the player. Each level removes 1.5% of radius, multiplied by player’s AGI. Separate checks are made for visual and aural radii, each based on several environmental variables. Each level allows for 10 seconds of stealthy movement. Cool-down 10 minutes. Active.
Abilities:
Highlander: +1 AGI. +1 Climbing. +10 PRS with other Highlanders.
Magus: +2 INT +1 Meditation +1 Sorcery +1 Illumination
Druidism: Can enshrine holy sites at sacred trees (or facsimiles) that can be used to bind. +1 Rep with Faerie.
Items:
Clandestine Gauntlets: Provides wearer level 7 Stealth. Does not stack with skill levels, but will stack with other Clandestine items. A full suit of Clandestine gear provides a +4 Stealth bonus in addition to the stacking effects. Rare. Item 2 of 4 for suit.
Clandestine Slippers: Provides wearer level 7 Stealth. Does not stack with skill levels, but will stack with other Clandestine items. A full suit of Clandestine gear provides a +4 Stealth bonus in addition to the stacking effects. Rare. Item 3 of 4 for suit.
Baen Si’s Cloak: Provides wearer +10% magic resistance. Once per day, has 25%
chance of completely negating one (1) magical attack. Uncommon. Modified to provide +1 INT.
Cowl of the Wolf: Provides visual camouflage in similarly colored environments, as well as infra-red cover in all environments. Reduces species aggression from Canis Arcturus to neutral. Unique. Bound.
Shepherd’s Bite: Provides upon successful attack a 50% chance of inflicting poison damage for 1d4 damage per (1d6 + Small Blade level) seconds. All poison damage is applied to attacker as healing at 1:1.
Spellbook: Contains all of the spells that the owner has learned. Bound.
Illumination (2): Lights the area around the caster until the spell is canceled. Area is a sphere centered on the caster whose maximum size is determined by the spell level (3 meters plus .5 meter per level to a maximum size of 20 meters). Caster can set maximum size upon casting. 05 Mana per cast. No cool-down.
Fire Shot (2): Sends a directed ball of flame up to five meters from the caster (plus 1 meter for every level). Maximum size of the ball is determined by the skill level of the caster. The fire can only ignite and damage flammable objects. Maximum size = ((Spell Level + Magic Level)) x .1 meter). Damage depends on flammability of object. Damage continues until flame is extinguished. 09 Mana per cast. No cool-down. Ingredients required: (1) Goat’s Rue, (1) Motherwort, (1) Mountain Mint.
Chapter 1
Wulfgar looked down from his perch on the top of the wall surrounding the city of Edonis into the valley below. The drop into the purpling darkness looked further than he knew it to be. There was about ten meters of nothing between him and the ground that the evening shadows hid at the base of the stone battlement.
