Six crates of 1220 rounds of 7.62x39 totaling for a little above 7000 rounds, priced for 7c each, A dozen rifles costing 1,500c each, four magazines per rifle, each costing 120c, load bearing gear for twelve costing 1,200c each, he could buy the cheaper ones but it risked losing magazines and explosives which are much more expensive in the long run. Rations 2,000c, uniforms, the only item where he could reasonably skim at buying ponchos that cover most of the goblins’ bodies; 1,000c.

Marcus sighed. All of it with the guns and ammunition took off a good chunk of their available funds. More were spent on explosives, with meds taking up a large amount of budget too, depending on the current prices. 3 crates containing 32 frag grenades for 25,600c, a crate of flashbangs for 23,600, and a crate of smoke grenades for 16,000 totaled up around 125,000c. They also have to buy everything in multiple batches and transport them sneakily as to not arouse any suspicion from the ship administration and watchful players along with not spooking the market.

Marcus’ initial estimate of 10,000 each fighter was beyond optimistic, even bordering the fantastical. The right estimate should be double or triple that at the minimum, where it would only bring the bare minimum of equipment. The total amount slated, if converted into MRC, would net him around 220 MRC, equivalent to four day’s pay and was enough to buy a decent phone and amounted to a tenth of what he paid for his pod.

Still, even with the amount slated on equipment, it felt like it still wasn’t enough. This time, they were going into an arduous battle to defend a territory. It wouldn’t be a single scuffle, and if he used clan fights to gauge how this would probably turn out, it would be a long slow grind until one party breaks or runs out of the ability to keep fighting.

He needed more funds. Which meant that he needed to buy more people in. He still got more shares to spare, and if Marcus didn’t need to shell out more money, the better.

Marcus sighed and racked the charging handle on his newly acquired VSK-94. He looked through the PSO-1M2 sights and watched as the distant target was magnified to four times its size with the lit chevrons etched on the glass pointed at the center of the target. The glass was clear enough, but not the best he had the pleasure of using. Still, he used the built in rangefinder and calculated the distance between him and the target. It was a little short of 200 meters. Using the proper holdovers, Marcus fired and felt the minimal recoil from the weapon. As for the report, it was a little louder than a sneeze, along with the much louder clanging of the action.

“Hit. I guess you’re not just a punk kid after all.” Slushy called, watching the bullet splatter against the target with his binoculars. He was the guy who drove Marcus away the first time he visited the extended shooting range and was also there when he visited. One look at the rifle slung on Marcus’ shoulder and he laughed, asking him once again if he was lost.

Marcus wasn’t. He was in the extended range for a reason, and what seemed to be the easiest way was to get recognized by Slushy, who took it upon himself to be the gatekeeper of the place. As far as Marcus could see, he was a player and not an NPC, which made it doubly strange why he took the responsibility.

Having dealt with Fudds back then, Marcus knew that the best way to deal with them was to either give them a what for, or just leave them be. So, instead, he challenged Slushy on a wager, if he could hit the 100, 150, and 200 meter targets five times each out of twenty shots with his subsonic rifle, he would get access to the range without Slushy giving him shit for it along with a crate of 7.62x39mm, knowing that the rifle was accurate enough and he could reliably take the shots. “That and you owe me a crate of AK ammo,” he added.

“That too.” Slushy chuckled. “The report on that thing is almost nonexistent, but the trajectory arc is just too much. A lot of people thought to buy and master it to start ‘whispering death’ but I just see the same rifle being sold on the market for cheap. Thought you’d just be another one.”

“That so? I think I’m already stretching its limits by going near 200 meters. At that range, these blue crayons should be able to punch through armor, but we’ll see if it’s up to snuff outside.” Marcus replied.

“With how well you’re shooting with that, I’m sure you can consistently hit targets up to 600 meters with a proper rifle, maybe even take a few of the top shots a run for their positions.”

“Oh yeah? Care to tell me then?”

Slushy pointed over the end of the range to the board with names written all over it. “First place to third is Dark with his HK PSG-1 taking out targets at 800 meters reliably and beating both Crusher and Demented by mere points with their PSL and M110. The names should be familiar.”

Marcus could almost smile. “They ring a bell. Demented especially. What can you tell me about him?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“He thought he’d like me in his clan. I thought I’d do my homework first.”

“When was that?”

Marcus shrugged. “Two, three days ago? He approached me with his M110, a Glock with a red dot. I don't know the exact model since it's in a leg holster and looked like he was ready to walk in the middle of a parade with all the bells and whistles hanging off him. Told me I would be taken care off if I join them and I told him I‘d think about it, and still thinking now. So what can you tell me about him?”

“As much as anyone else here, I guess.” Slushy shrugged. “Good shot, patient shooter. He waited around an hour for the winds to get right and line up the perfect shot. He was trying for his longest shot with his rifle at 1200 meters and hit it. Good with the pistol too, but not as good as you seem.”

“What about the clan? I’m sure you’ve seen enough of them pouring through here and should have a good enough measure of who’s coming up with their promises.”

“SRT is good enough. The best clans have moved out quite a few weeks ago into new lands and they are just following in their footsteps. Take out the ones that have gone, then you can count them as the top five in the region. Other than that, I don’t know what to tell you.”

Seeing that Slushy wasn’t getting forthcoming on the information, Marcus checked his watch. “Alright then. Thank you for your time.” He said. It was time. Rex and Anna were about to meet with him in the Smoking Barrels to listen to what he had to pitch with the two of them. If it went well, then he would have a couple more fighters under contract. The only problem would be in keeping them in line and not deviating from the plan. Of course, Marcus supported some personal initiative, but it would have to follow with their overall plan.

Standing up, Marcus nodded to the man and headed out of the long range course and back into Stoner’s armory.

With heavy, laden steps, Marcus led the way through the underbelly of the ship. Behind him, Anna, Rex, and Ylenka trailed a step behind, also carrying their own packs laden with a portion of the hardware. The going was slow. Marcus had to make sure that their small procession hadn’t been followed while making sure that they were keeping on the right heading. Still, they arrived. Marcus recognized the access cover recessed in the corridor ahead and looked back at the rest to wave them forward.

“This is not what I expected when you said you had an OP planned.” Anna whined as she adjusted her pack.

“What were you thinking?” Marcus asked.

“Like when we attacked the ambush alley, that scav base on the ramp!”

“Wait,” Ylenka chimed in, panting from the weight. “That was you? You guys were the ones who took them out?”

“Yeah, he even got a unique weapon from it. What happened to it anyway?” Anna replied.

Marcs shrugged. “I gifted it.”

“Who’s the lucky girl? Or man. We’re not judging.” Anna teased.

“Uh-huh. I thought girls are more interested in dumb shit like flowers and jewelry, not guns.” Marcus grunted. Hearing a startled gasp from both the female members of the team, Marcus threw his pack into the old maintenance shaft and followed it before he heard a retort.

Seeing him dive headfirst, the rest of the team followed his cue and crawled into the shaft. Already, Marcus thought about taking down a torch along with a few canisters of gas to cut through the interior walls of the ship. It would be much easier and much safer if he could make a door instead of just a hidden hole in the wall to crawl through.

He got to the other side and looked up to see a barrel of a gun. The barrel of a 12-gauge shotgun never looked as big in his life. Marcus felt ice run through his veins and he looked over the barrel to see the terrified face of Gabs peeking over the cocked hammer. A look of recognition passed through the goblin, and Marcus slapped the barrel away from his face.

The sound of the gun clattering against the metal floors woke the other goblin, Fleex, sleeping in the corner under a pile of rags. He shot awake, gun at the ready and finger on the trigger. For the second time in just a minute, Marcus cringed as he expected the gun to go off as the goblin muzzle swiped the both of them. Luckily, Fleex caught his senses quickly and pointed the gun away before anyone got hurt.

“Remember. The fucking signal is a bag thrown out of the hole first.” Marcus scolded the Gabs, then to Fleex. “And you. Never swipe your barrel over your comrades.”

Both looked down at the scolding and Marcus was about to tell them off again to keep their head up when they both beat him to it and looked up on their own. Good, at least some lessons were coming through.

Marcus sighed. “Alright. Even though the two of you did fuck up, you both did something right. You, Gabs, good job for being alert and on the ball when it called for it. But always make sure to differentiate between hostiles and allies. And you Fleex, it’s good that you reacted quickly when you heard something was wrong, but always make sure to know what’s happening first before you start waving your gun around. Here,” He said, throwing both of them each a bar of chocolates.

The two caught it in their hands, then looked up at him with curiosity. “Now. We got more friendlies coming out of this hole, so make sure you don’t shoot them. Alright?” Marcus continued, and the two nodded.

Marcus waited and looked down the hole to find a duffel bag plugging the hole. He could also hear a muffled string of curses uttered every for every panting breath and was impressed how Anna could have such a colorful vocabulary. The bag popped out of the hole and was followed by Anna’s head. She looked up with a face caked in dirt and oil. She looked up at him with a look sharp enough to cut him in half, but Marcus only smirked and offered his hand.

“You better make all of this worth it Hartdegen, or I swear I’ll return it to you tenfold.” She said through clenched teeth as she took his hand.

“Come on! You’re the girl who likes adventure, right?” Marcus asked, pulling her up, all the while wearing a shit-eating grin

She grumbled and stepped behind Marcus, only to pause and reach for her weapon. Marcus caught her wrist before she managed to pull it out and warned. “Careful. We’re all friends here. See? They’re cool, and you’re cool. Right?” Marcus said smoothly.

Surprised, Anna looked up at him, then at the goblins, and nodded. The two goblins were getting agitated from the new arrivals and, with a sharp glance, he confirmed they won’t be making any stupid moves. Marcus let go of Anna and placed himself between them.

“You asked who I gave the PKM to? Then there’s your answer.” He said.

“How? NPC auxiliary forces are just supposed to be kept in territories. Taking them out would cost a lot more depending on the levels.”

“Maybe I just knew whose palms to grease.” Marcus replied, and she finally relaxed. He then kneeled over the hole and shouted. “Hey! There are other friendlies in here other than us. So don’t get surprised and reach for your gun okay?”

A muffled affirmative reply from Ylenka and she came through the hole with the wide-eyed look of a tourist seeing things for the first time. She then saw the goblins and took a startled step back, but didn’t reach for her gun. She nervously sent a look at Marcus to which she nodded.

Rex was the last through muttering about dumb secret base entrances. He got out and after seeing all of them crammed into a small room, only grunted as he confirmed the goblins were friendly.

“Alright. Briefing time. Everyone meet Gabs and Fleex. They work for me. You two, meet Anna, Ylenka and Rex, they are working with me. Make sure you guys get along since we’re all aiming for the same goal here.”

“What are we working for exactly?” Anna asked, “We only followed you this far because of our bit of history, but I think it’s time you tell us.”

Marcus nodded, then looked to the corner of the room where a small stove warmed up a battered aluminum pot and a cup. Suspecting it to be what it was, Marcus waved for the goblins to serve him one. With a sip, he confirmed it and handed it to Anna. She took a sip, and with a wide eye, passed it onto Ylenka.

“I see.” Ylenka muttered, sipping the cup and quickly connecting the dots. “You’re the source. The timing makes sense.”

“The only one.” Marcus replied. “Long story short is that we’re still having some growing pains. I just needed some muscle to keep it sailing smoothly. Of course, I still owe you guys a much more detailed brief, but since the rest of Ylenka’s team is out doing recon on the clan and since I’d rather not repeat myself, we would have to schedule it another time. So right now, we’ll go to the other room where we’ll lower you guys to the tunnels and then it’s a straight shot to where the rest of these goblins live. It’s better if I just show the things I can then tell them. That good?”

Everyone nodded.

“Anyone here got any climbing experience? No? Okay, line up then. Rex, you’re first. Make sure you have your shoes tied and zippers up. There shouldn’t be anything there but make sure. After the all clear, the goblins are next down, then Anna and Ylenka. Also, I don’t think I have to tell all of you to keep this route to yourselves. The only reason you’re the only one allowed to come with me is that the route requires everyone to be under level 20.”

“Is that a quest or contract thing?” Anna asked.

“Better if I just show you.” Marcus replied.