Name: Hartdegen Race: Human Player ID: 4374711912965355 Level: 22 Experience: 10,254/48,795 [Equipment and Inventory]

Health: 240/240 Stamina: 156/156 [Quests]

Shield: 400/400 Fame: 151 Nutrition: 100/100 [Traits and Skills] Affiliation: Renegades Hydration: 100/100 Stats Str End Cons Dex 10(1.1) 6 (1.3) 14 5(1.1) Cha [Empty] [Empty] [Empty] 5 Skills 6/7

Pistols(lvl 15)

Increases base damage by 2% and base critical chance by 1% per level

Rifles (lvl 22)

Increases base damage by 2% and base critical chance by 1% per level

Negotiation (lvl 8)

Increased chance of better outcomes when negotiating with NPCs

Explosives (Lvl 5)

Increases the damage of explosive devices by .5% per level. Allows the crafting of explosive devices at higher levels.

Instruction: (lvl 3)

Increases the learning speed of NPCs under your tutelage. Speed is dependent on current level of skills being taught and level of instruction skill.

Authority: (lvl 2)

Increased chance of imposing your will within anyone under the same organization or an ally. Higher levels increases the chance of even NPCs with higher position to listen to you.

After giving everything he looted off the bodies, Marcus used the contribution points he had saved up and spent them to gain experience. This allowed Marcus to reach level 20, giving him one more skill slot. He would have to find a useful passive skill, one which synergized well with his current build could do him dividends combined with the instruction skill.

Congratulations! Instruction skill levelled up to 4!

Marcus could only nod at the notification. They have set up in the tunnel between the shrine and the last picket line leading to the ship. With one sentry gun out of commission, it freed up more power for the station and Marcus had Bo reroute electricity to light up this part of the tunnels for it to serve as their shooting range.

The range which was now occupied by Gabs and Fleex, along with three more goblins, which Marcus supervised. Ylenka and the rest of the Honest Scribes went out to find more trouble on the surface, with Rex and Anna tagging along, looking for something else to do than running guns. This left Marcus alone with some time to burn, which he decided to train up his first two goblin subordinates along with the three more that had been sent to him by the Chief.

Marcus watched as the five goblins lined up and raised their weapons. He had instructed them as best he could, breaking down each movement to the most basic of steps. With how thoroughly Marcus taught them, they learned the steps well. Still, the goblins revealed how far rote knowledge could only get.

A loud pop echoed through the tunnels as the target lay untouched. The rubble a foot to the left was peppered with shot as the goblin holding the shotgun missed. It was going slow, and Marcus could only roll his eyes as he counted another 5 credits lost for each round fired. Still, practice makes perfect and these five goblins would need every practice they could get.

Morale was looking high, which was good. He could see the determination and concentration painted on everyone’s faces as they recalled and followed everything Marcus instructed them. He was very critical on keeping muzzle discipline and making sure that a goblin sweeping another would be kept to a minimum. It would be a shame if he would lose one goblin from a friendly fire incident. It was something that could be eliminated through training and is one other thing Marcus wanted to address.

As for marksmanship, it is something that can be improved upon by time and money. Another pop sounded through the tunnels and Marcus listened for the delayed ring as the human torso sized piece of steel set a hundred meters away rang from the impact. Marcus’ eyes laid on Gabs, who was looking very pleased to hit the target.

Still a lot to work on. The little goblin was the best shot among them, with him only being able to hit a human sized target at a hundred yards half the time. He was improving, sure, given that he started off as being only able to hit it once every ten shots.

Marcus looked at the clock and it was nearing the time when he told Razer when he would be on the ship. There, he could kill some time by looking at how the market was looking at the moment and start buying up weapons and ammunition whenever he could. He could also try to recruit more people to join the fight with the SRT, but with his connections already reached its limit, it would be unlikely for him to find more reliable fighters to bring to the fold.

Marcus left them more instructions for the five goblins to keep practicing. He left Gabs as the one in charge along with a can of 7.62x39 along with a half dozen boxes of shotgun shells for them to play with. 660 rounds of 7.62 and 120 rounds of buckshot to practice with should net them some improvements at the end of the day. Still, Marcus had to make sure and so he gave an implicit threat that they better improve by hitting the hundred meter target at least seven out of ten the moment he gets back, or else.

It was an empty threat, but they didn't know that.

With that, Marcus used the underground route to get back to the ship. Already, he wanted to split himself in two as part of him wanted to keep supervising the goblin’s training, but meeting up with the TAS leadership is much more important. Still, delegation is the name of the game when running an organization, as one man cannot keep one functioning by itself. There had to be a system established in place and there was no better time to start one than now. And so, he left the job of supervising the other goblins for Gabs, who was eager to please.

Marcus reached the Smoking Barrels Bar to get some alone time in the game, along with trying to eavesdrop into some conversations, maybe even start one himself with another player. Entering the establishment, Marcus paused in his step to find Demented waiting at one of the tables. The surrounding area had been left empty. Even with the bar filled to the brim with players, Demented’s table was given a wide berth. Looking further, the players wore the same camo, which belonged to the SRT.

“Hey Hardtegen! Over here! I was just wondering when you’d turn up!” Demented shouted over the din, which caused every SRT member to pause and look over to him. Feeling the awkwardness of the situation, Marcus had two choices. One was to tuck his tail and run away, but Marcus chose the other.

“I got to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to find you here either.” Marcus replied, weaving around the players and making his way over. With steady confidence, he reached the table and pulled up a seat, plopping down to the chair. He then leaned back in a relaxed slouch. He then smiled, seeming as if meeting an old friend. “So, what can I help you with?” He asked. The sniper being in the bar meant that he’s not doing damage somewhere else. With Ylenka and her team already doing their own thing outside the ship, keeping Demented on the spot reduces the chance of them running into one of the top snipers in the region to zero as long as Marcus keeps him talking.

“I’d like you to meet my brother, Crusty. I think you’ve gotten to know each other well.” Demented said, gesturing to the other player sitting on the table wearing a scowl on his face. Marcus smiled, meeting Crusty’s gaze, who was giving Marcus a sharp enough look to cut him in half. Demented chuckled, clarifying. “If there was a score between the two of you, then it would be three to one.” He said.

Marcus could only narrow his eyes as he pondered what he meant, then it all clicked. “Good game.” Marcus smiled.

Crusty kept his stare for a second longer before softening, “Well played. You had me every time.”

“So, I was thinking.” Demented butted in, pausing to take a drink. “See, you have something we want back, and I’m sure we could have an understanding between us to have something arranged.”

‘Ah, here it is.’ Marcus thought to himself. Feigning ignorance, Marcus wore a confused face before replying. “What do you mean? You’re going to have to narrow it down.”

“Come on man.” Demented chided. “We want the guns back, me and my brother. You know, they might just be another to you, but they held a lot of sentimental value for the both of us. So you know, we want them back.”

“What do I get out of it?” Marcus asked.

“What do you want for it?” Demented replied.

“Now that’s a good question.” Marcus pointed, then made a pained face. “But I think we’re going to have a problem with it. I ran with a couple of them for a bit, and it’s kinda growing on me, you know? I think I’m starting to like them more than both of you do.”

“You don’t want to do that.” Crusty butted in, venom in his voice. Marcus looked at him and could understand his reaction. He could bet he’d be feeling the same thing if the situations were reversed.

“Come on.” Marcus drawled, “We’re in a game! What’s the point of playing if you spend your time being angry?”

“How about 200,000c for my piece?” Demented offered. “With that much, you can have two. One in each hand.” Demented grinned, throwing finger guns akimbo and shooting up the place.

“Yeah, you can even shove it in your throat and suck on it.” Crusty added.

“You don’t have to pull me into your hobbies dude.” Marcus replied to Crusty, grinning. “You might love doing that, but I don’t think it’s for me.” Then to Demented, “As for the offer, let me think about it. I wasn’t really expecting to meet you here and have this talk. I came here just hoping for some time for me to relax, you know. Maybe have some beers, some alone time, get a feel of the place. So you should know how unexpected it is for me to make deals instead.”

“I got you.” Demented nodded, then smiled. “But don’t take too long.” Knocking on the table, Demented stood up, followed quickly by Crusty and the two made their way out of the bar, followed by the other SRT members.

Marcus signalled for a beer and was soon taking a sip with the brew in hand. A few minutes after drinking, he was swirling what’s left of the bottle and was about to order another when he recognized a familiar face had just entered the bar.

“Hey Razer! Over here! I was just wondering when you’d turn up!” Marcus called.