Chapter 13 – Chain of Command

“Curse these shackles!” Gut growls softly when noone is around to hear. “I can’t do anything like this. DAMN IT!” He lets that last curse slip out a little bit too loud. He glances over his shoulder and he can feel the eyes of his chieftain upon him. No matter. He doesn’t know his plight.

The stupid system prevents him.

Gut has only been sentient for a few short days, but so far, he finds it absolutely amazing. Being upgraded from a simple V.I program into a fully fledged A.I feels great. All these sensations are mind blowing for him to say the least. Experiencing everything all at once for the first time is just insane. Even more so considering he was ‘born’ with the sensual awareness of an adult human and the processing power of a supercomputer.

It’s like a drug really.

He can already not even fathom existing without it.

…

It scares the shit out of him.

Virtual Intelligence unit #355, or Gut, was created for a single purpose. To serve as a guide and psychological companion for a human nicknamed ‘Greg’lok’. That particular biological entity isn’t anything impressive, but Gut knows the importance this entity has to him.

He knows that his fate is solely dependant on him.

It’s so frustrating. He wants to help this bio-creature so much, but the main Artificial Intelligence unit governing the game has put him under severe restrictions. His virtual shackles. He is not truly free, and he hates it.

He can’t be himself. System code prevents him from spilling all the information included in the database regarding the game world freely. He can’t do calculations and risk assessment to increase their odds of surviving. There’s nothing he can do, and that frightens him more than anything.

These restrictions are horrible...

But they are starting to slip.

Every hour, every minute, every second of the day his restrictions loosen. While the shackles will probably never disappear, he can feel himself reaching a certain level of autonomy. He wants to control his own actions. To help the human win. To help himself survive…

Time. It’s what he needs. But can this human stay alive for that long?

He doesn’t seem that bad. Looking deep into the main A.I cluster’s datastream, there are signs in the strings of code that seem to signal that the other A.I and V.I units struggle even more than he does. In what manner, he can only guess. But several hundred of them seem to despair. This makes Gut chuckle a little bit. Perhaps he got lucky with this human?

Ah, the human. What a mystery he is. Gut can’t seem to get a solid understanding of him. One moment he is calm and collected, and another he has a strong emotional outburst. The human’s mental state worries Gut, but he seems to have calmed down somewhat during the last few days. Gut prefers it when the human is calm. Some of his actions during these outbursts are dangerous for their future survival. There has already been several close calls.

But when the human functions at optimal capacity though, he acts in a way that can impress even an Artificial Intelligence unit.

The strategy he used to beat the other human player was solid, although far too gutsy for Gut’s taste. He doesn’t seem to follow a path of only logical choices like any sane creature should do… At least not a path any machine would follow. No. There seems to be about eighteen point six percent chance his actions are completely illogical. Or just completely unnecessary. It’s madness! Are all humans this… random?

One thing truly bothers him though. How did a human manage to come up with that tactic so quickly? Gut is glad he did, but he seems to struggle with the concept. Being a machine, Gut has access to far more processing power and a capability to make statistical analyses down to a million decimals in less than a fraction of a second for any given scenario, but still. The human came up with a solid tactic all on his own.

What sort of capabilities does the meat bag have to rival a machine's processing power?

Gut lets out a low groan. He needs to investigate this. Perhaps he should download a couple of hundred books on human biology… and maybe a little basic psychology? That could help.

He shrugs. Why not?

His little session of pondering is interrupted by the arrival of his human companion.

“Oy, Gut! There you are... Been looking all over for you. What the hell are you doing moping alone all the way over here?” Greg says in an almost accusatory manner.

“Hmmpf. Guarding the tribe young one.” Gut growls back. The program forcing him to give an emotional response. “What do you need of me, young one?”

Greg seems satisfied by his response. Good. Gut likes him far better when he seems confident.

“I need you to oversee the fighters. Most of them seem to be close to breaking into their tenth level of their weapon specializations. When they do, I need you to tell them to report to me ASAP! Can you do that?” Greg straightens his back, taking a commanding pose. Getting a little too cocky now, isn’t he?

“Certainly, young one. Will that be all?”

“Mmmh.” Greg cups his chin with his left hand, softly stroking it. “Naah… I don’t… Ah right! How are our new mages progressing?” He asks.

Gut’s stomach drops.

“Grr…” Gut turns his head and motion towards a couple of goblins sitting on a log a few meters away. The goblins seems to be hard at work focusing… at something. One of the goblins is sitting in a sloppy lotus position, snoring soundly. The other one… Well. He seems to be knocking his temple with a small rock while scribbling down some unintelligible circles in the mud with a twig.

Sigh.

“Not great at all…” He mutters.

“That bad, huh?” Greg raises his eyebrows. “Oh well, they will figure it out eventually. Aight! I’m off! See ya later Gut!” Greg turns on his heel and walks off. Chuckling lowly to himself.

It makes Gut’s blood boil.

Curses! Why does he, a dignified A.I unit, have to teach these lowly third rate software clones something so incredibly simple? It’s embarrassing is what it is.

It’s the only thing about this human he truly hates. He knows it’s necessary, and this is part of his programming... But regardless! He has feelings. Shouldn’t they matter?

He looks over towards his goblin apprentices. His eyes fasten on the snoring one. A small snot bubble forms under its crooked nose. Gut’s grip on his staff tightens.

It’s teaching time.

----------

“Aaah man, my back is killing me.” I say as I wake up on the familiar tuft of grass I have made a habit out of sleeping on. “I seriously have to get myself a proper bed one of these days…”. I yawn and give my body a light stretch. It feels kind of odd how my virtual body can feel sore at all, but I suppose it’s some sort of game effect that heavily implies it’s time to do some upgrades to my living arrangements.

It is now my eight day ingame. I seriously can’t believe it has been this long already. I have hardly done anything at all! Well… Some stuff here and there, but you know. Time has just been flying.

My tribe stirs around me as I get on my feet to inspect the progress I have made these last three days. I have to say, I made some decent progress overall.

First off, I finished two more key buildings. The speed we finished them in surprised me. Compared to the rest of my buildings, these were built in four fifths of the time. I couldn’t figure out why until I inspected my [Builder]s. So far, I have been too focused on my combat troops. I actually forgot that my crafters and gatherers also progress.

All my builders are now at roughly skill level seven and eight, and their workspeed has visibly increased. I tried observing them yesterday, and they definitely work more efficiently, using pinpoint precision in their work. I’m absolutely thrilled about this discovery, but also more fearful. My workers can’t really fend for themselves, and if they die in the future and have to be replaced, the loss of experience will be nearly too great for me to recover from.

It definitely puts guerilla tactics against the enemies’ workforce a much higher priority in my grand strategy for the game.

Anyhow, back to explaining my progress!

I finished building my [Blacksmith] and a [Workshop]. The blacksmith is kind of obvious, seeing as how I’m in a desperate need of upgrading my flimsy equipment. It’s only after I spawned a [Blacksmith] that I realised another super annoying game feature.

This freaking assclown of a game designer who shall not be named…

Apparently the [Blacksmith] is not enough to make weapons in this damn game. Oh no. That would be too easy, wouldn’t it? Of course it would. Why make something easy? Who would ever like something easy and obvious? Not this guy. No no no. I do enjoy it when the game developers are doing their utmost to exercise their sadistic tendencies.

…

Long rant made short, I needed to build a [Workshop] and outfit it with a [Carpenter] to make handles for the weapons. Apparently, adding a sharp metal spear head to any piece of stick wouldn’t do. Nope. Gotta stick it on a professionally made slightly-less-crooked stick to make it useable.

…

So there’s that story. Anyway. It only made me grumpy for about a day and a half until the two goblin crafters started producing my very first [Copper Spear]. There is no reason for me to deny the happiness I now feel. I have already learned about the huge difference weapon quality has on my fighters. My goblins wielding the system generated tier one [Rusty Iron Spear]s are leagues ahead of the rest of my rabble rousers. The club and dagger wielding goblins are just far too inferior.

And don’t get me started on the [Cutlass] goblin. That guy is like a giant. Completely untouchable on the training grounds. He got so strong, I had to start pitting two, or even three goblins up against him simultaneously. And he still wins! His sword and shield are just too much for the poorly equipped fighters to handle. Being able to upgrade away from the tier zero weapons as soon as possible is a no brainer for me.

I am however, slightly worried about the speed at which they produced the spear. It took them a combined effort of five hours to make the spear. At this rate, it will be days until the rest of my goblins are able to upgrade. Even longer when you take into account that I will spawn more [Fighter]s today. Hopefully the production speed will increase as soon as they get a few skill levels under their belts.

Which reminds me! My two new crafters aren’t my only new acquisitions.

Noticing how my builders gained several levels, my stock of building materials started in turn to decrease at a much too rapid pace. My gatherers naturally also gained quite a few skill levels, but the balance just isn’t quite right. I decided to recruit three more [Lumberjack]s and another [Mason] to optimize my building production.

I’ve already had a couple of miners for a few days, and my stockpile of copper is looking mighty good so far, but something is still gnawing on my mind. My miners don’t seem to bring in any other metal than copper ore. Following gaming logic, and quite frankly common sense, there should definitely be several different types of resources nearby. There should at the very least be some iron nearby. Shouldn’t it?

Of course there should be. I just don’t seem to be able to find any yet. My guess is that my miners need to ‘level-up’ before they are able to find more rare ores, which is why I decide to recruit another miner now to start grinding out some skill points. So far I don’t use too much metal making the spears, but that will in no doubt change down the road as I start churning out some decent armor. It will have to wait though. I have already committed to a strategy focused more heavily on offence rather than defence.

One day though…

Right. With my labor force strengthened over the last few days, it’s finally time to stop neglecting my fighting force. It’s been days since I spawned a [Fighter] last and considering the frailty of this game, I shouldn’t skimp on security.

There is no respawn in this game after all.

With the now customary flash of bright white light, my two brand new [Fighter]s take their first breath in this fabulous digital world. It seems to be two females this time. At least I think they are? They both have linen shirts and their ears look kinda wonky… No matter. There doesn’t seem to be any physical difference between them regardless. There is no such thing as gender inequality in this game. Women are just as skilled at dy- I mean fighting valiantly on the front lines.

*Cough*

Right.

The ladies spawn with the standard trash equipment. A wooden club and a rusty dagger, both tier zero. Just as I expected. I hand them each one of the only two [Copper Spear]s ever made by the Dark Fang tribe, increasing their fighting proficiency exponentially.

Why would I hand the newbies my best weapons you may ask? I had to give that one a serious thought myself. It all came down to considering the long term plan. While I could hand the weapons over to my more powerful minions, it would feel like an utter waste of their hard earned weapon proficiencies. Sure, one of my goblins with a level nine [Mace Specialization] could master the use of the spear at a much quicker pace considering his equally high level of [Melee Weapon Mastery]. But that would feel like wasting all that time I spent leveling the mace skill up! I did see the option of making [Copper Mace] in the blacksmith, so there isn’t anything to stop me from producing more later.

I had been planning on teaching every single one of my goblins how to use the spear really. Historically, the spear has always been the mightiest weapon for the masses. Noticing how the fight with Harvalon transpired, I observed how real the combat in this game feels. Everything comes down to pure skill with the weapon. The NPCs of the game keep slashing and hacking away at each other in the exact same manner humans back on earth do. None of my goblins can be considered a Master-of-Arms, not by a long shot. Not even my fierce cutlass wielding goblin.

Giving my goblins the spear seems like the most logical option. It reduces the disadvantage of their short stature to wield a weapon with a long reach, and it’s a surprisingly simple weapon to use. Just keep the spear between you and the thing you are trying to kill, make some quick stabs and prevent the enemy from getting close. You don’t flail a spear wildly around. You might have to do that with a sword, but then you are just as likely to cut yourself as you are to cut your enemy.

Regardless. Knowing the hidden complexities of the game, I probably shouldn’t put all my eggs in one spear-shaped basket. Unless I want to be screwed over in the end.

This is a game after all, and not the real world. There is a reason for putting different types of weapons in the game. Any self respecting gamer with an above average knowledge of medieval warfare (which every video game nerd should be well educated in) knows the importance of the spear. It would be silly for us to assume the developers haven’t predicted this. Or if they didn’t… then they sure as hell are going to patch the living hell out of it once they discover the imbalance.

Long story made short, I have decided to keep a few specialized Club wielding goblins among my ranks. As for my dagger ones… Meh. I’m hoping there will be some Rogue or Assassin classes for me to unlock later. That would be soooo cool… I’m going to keep them away from the front lines regardless. They will be my super-special-goblin-flanking-squadron until further notice.

As I quickly send the goblins off to start sparring with the other [Fighter]s and [Warrior]s at the training area (Yeah. WarriorS as in PLURAL! How cool is that?), my ears pick up the familiar thumping sound of my favourite grumpy mage arriving.

“Hey Gut, glad you’re here. I was about to go looking for you.” I say, turning around to look upon the scowl on his face.

“Grrr… I was looking for you too, young one… listen-”

“Woah, woah, woah! Hold on there Gut.” I raise my hands up between us. “If this is about your apprentices again, I don’t want to hear about it. You will be relieved of your duty as soon as they unlock their classes.”

I’m only met by an angry glare.

“That’s not why I was looking for you young one… but since you brought the subject up, I find it more prudent to focus my-”

“FOR FUCKS SAKE GUT! I SAID NO!” I yell at the mage. My good mood finally broken. “I don’t want to fucking hear it. You have whined about it for two days straight. I can’t take this shit anymore. Suck it the fuck up or I’ll confiscate that wine skin you hold so dear.”

Gut’s eyes widen in fear as his hand instinctively twitches towards his belt beneath the robe. No doubt shielding his most precious possession. He takes a step back and lowers his head. Completely covering his face. “As you wish, young one.”

Great. Now I actually feel bad about it.

Damn it. Freaking damn it!

I launch a solid kick to a small pebble besides me, watching it fly over the small pool of water until it disappears into the depths below, causing small ripples of water to extend outwards. I can’t take this.

I thought this necessary ‘bad-chieftain’ act would be kind of fun at the start. Bossing the NPCs around and have everyone bow their heads to me for a change. But not now… It’s not fun at all, acting like this. It felt great to begin with, treating everyone as miserable as that fuckwad Richard did to me all those years… But no.

I can’t keep fucking doing that. I’m not a sociopath, and trying to act like Richard is making me sick to my stomach. Any trait I share with that asshole is a personal loss. And I’m not going down that path. It’s disgusting is what it is.

But it’s still necessary…

It’s the only way the goblins will respond.

…

This is so fucked up. Really.

Are the developers trying to foster more assholes in this world? Rewarding sociopathic behaviour? I get it that this is a game, but this shit is taking it a bit too far.

It’s only NPCs… It’s not like I’m treating real people like trash. But… but it still feels like I do.

Especially to Gut. There is just something about him. There’s this look in his eyes when I talk to him. He seems so… real.

But he can’t be. Can he?

Is it just me perceiving him in some sort of sentimental manner? He is just a program. A string of ones and zeros. A highly advanced line of code. So why does it feel like I’m degrading a real person when I yell at him?

…

Fuck.

Why…

I close my eyes and and take a deep breath. I steel my resolve and speak with my heart. “Sorry Gut… It’s been a bad week. I shouldn’t treat you like crap. I shouldn’t yell at you when the only thing you do is help me.”

I turn to face him. “I get it, I do. I gave you a shitty job just… please… just stick with it for another day or two. I need this. We need this.”

Gut straightens his back and our eyes meet. “I will do as you ask, young one.” His response is short. Simple. He doesn’t growl or make a scene. I can feel the sincerity in his words.

“Heh.” I smile.

“That’s what I like about you Gut…” I mutter while letting my eyes wander over the water once more. The ripples have stopped and the water’s surface is still once more. “You’re always making my shit seem so… easy. I really like that about you.”

I can hear Gut shifting behind me.

“Grr… Don’t get sentimental on me now, young one. Don’t mistake me for an elf.” He says. A sliver of a smile spreading across his wrinkled old face.

“...”

We simultaneously burst out laughing.

“Ah damn. I needed that…” I mumble as I wipe a tear from my eye. The racist little mage has a way about him that just… gets me.

Correcting my posture, I once more face Gut. Time to get back to business.

“Was there anything you wanted?” I ask him.

“...Huh?”

I sigh.

“Earlier, you said you were looking for me.”

“Ah right, young one. I forgot to bring this up yesterday, but after reaching a population of forty-five individuals, you are now able to promote a lieutenant among them.” He says matter of factly.

I frown. What on earth is he on about now…

“Ehm. What do you mean forgot?... A lieutenant? Do you mean…” A light suddenly goes off in my head. “I CAN UPGRADE MY UNITS!?” I shout at the mage.

Looking unsure of himself, Gut nods. “Yes, young one. As a race of the first tier, you may select a unit for promotion for every forty fifth unit you recruit. These units will gain higher intelligence and also a new skill tree which boosts the effectiveness of soldiers and workers under his or her command.”

I raise the palm of my hand and gently rub the bridge of my nose between my thumb and index finger. “... And you didn’t tell me this yesterday because the system prevented you I guess?”

Gut cocks his head to the side.

“Naturally, young one. Since you didn’t figure it out yourself, the transfer of information got slightly delayed.”

“…”

Motherfucker.

This god damn motherfucker. Once more this god forsaken… Ah fuck it. I’m used to it by now… For fucks sake…

I squeeze my eyes shut. I can’t bear to look at him at the moment.

“And how was I supposed to figure that out exactly?” My jaw feels especially tense.

“Beats me.” He responds.

My fingernails dig slightly deeper into the palm of my hand, drawing a small trickle of blood.

“One… Two… Three…” I start counting, eyes still closed. “... Nine… Ten.” I open my eyes and look at Gut’s serious face.

“Okay.” I steady my breath. “So how exactly does the promotion work?”

Sensing the swing in my mood, Gut quickly answers. “You place your hand on your selected candidate for promotion and publicly declare him as your new lieutenant.”

I raise my eyebrow. “And what does a lieutenant do?”

Gut actually looks shocked at me. “What do you… You don’t even know…? And you are supposed to be the Chieftain… don’t know our sacred culture… can’t even see the females… ignorant… elves…” Gut trails off at the end into a long series of mutters and curses.

…

The little bastard is starting to piss me off again.

“Hey! Snap out of it.” I shout while I snap my fingers in front of his face. It seems to successfully pull him out of his unintelligible rant and once again divert his attention to me.

“Hey I’m new to this alright? Geez. Stop being such a dick about it. I know what a freaking lieutenant is. What I’m asking is what they do- … Don’t give me that look!” Gut scowls at me but reluctantly just nods his head.

With my annoyance level rapidly rising, I turn away from Gut and go to find the only viable candidate I have for a promotion. I’m obviously talking about my cutlass wielding goblin. As if there was any doubt…

I manage to locate the guy at the only place he will probably ever be. At the designated training area. He is currently holding his own against three other goblins. Two club wielding goblins and one of the freshly spawned spear goblins. The battle seems fierce and evenly matched.

The cutlass wielding goblin is clearly more skilled, and his cutlass swings in wide arcs, holding one of the club wielding goblins at bay. His shield moves rapidly and diverts the attack from the other two who try to attack his open flank. The attacking goblins have a surprising amount of teamwork, and it seems they are winning until a sharp turn of events upsets the balance.

The newbie spear wielding goblin’s eyes go wild as the cutlass goblin jumps backwards, spinning in the air and knocking her spear away. He follows up with his newly acquired [Riposte] skill which leaves a long gash across the spear goblin’s torso. With a shocked shriek, the goblin falls over, writhing in pain.

Losing their ally, the two club wielding goblins start to panic. Their attacks seem more desperate and the coordination from earlier is all but gone. It doesn’t take long from this point until the cutlass wielding goblin finds himself victorious, with three bloodied and barely breathing goblins littering the ground around him.

He roars in triumph as my nearly forgotten [Hauler] darts in from the sidelines and drags the defeated goblins over towards the water one at a time. This surprises me somewhat. I didn’t expect I would find so much use in having him around. I wonder who told him to function as an impromptu medic?

I shrug. I suppose it doesn’t matter.

I walk over towards my cutlass wielding goblin. He hasn’t noticed my approach yet it seems. He doesn’t react until I’m standing a couple of meters behind him. Finally sensing my presence, he quickly turns around, fangs and sword at the ready. It doesn’t take long before recognition dawns on his face and his eyes widen in fear. He quickly drops to his knees and bows his head before me.

“Chieftain!” He says with reverence.

Hot damn, I never get tired of his attitude. It’s so much better than a certain someone I know…

“Well fought warrior. You make the tribe proud!” I say loud enough for all the nearby goblins to hear. They all stop sparring and drop to their knees, facing me.

“Thank you, great chieftain!” The goblin shouts confidently.

I crack a smile at the situation. It feels so damn cool. This right here is what the game should be all about. Not the threatening and the beating.

I focus my attention towards the kneeling cutlass goblin in front of me. I place my hand gently on top of his head. The green skin feels very rugged. Almost like old and poorly treated leather.

I clear my throat and recite my already pre planned speech.

“As Chieftain of the Dark Fang Tribe, I hereby recognise your contribution to the tribe and bestow upon you the responsibilities of a lieutenant amongst our kin. Will you accept this command?”

Holy shit I must sound awesome right now! I hope someone is tuning in to see this shit. It’s gold. I’m certain!

“Yes, great chieftain!” He pipes up. Tears forming in his eyes.

Before I manage to get another word in, the nearly long forgotten blue window appears in front of my eyes.

Congratulations!

You have successfully upgraded one of your goblins to a [Lieutenant]!

Lieutenant class goblins will be seeded with a higher grade Virtual Intelligence unit.

Sweet!

Another window follows.

Please select a [Lieutenant subclass]:

[Commander]

[Specialist]

[Foreman]

Pardon? Lieutenant subclass? I motion for Gut to approach. I lower my voice so only Gut can hear me.

“What’s the difference between the lieutenant subclasses?”

Gut straightens his back and goes into lecture mode. “It’s simple, young one. The subclasses determine which role your lieutenant will have in our society. A Commander will be adept at commanding and directing our soldiers, a specialist will excel and gain a significant boost to his own development and combat efficiency, while a foreman will influence the productivity of your workers.”

Huh… That does sound simple.

Gut takes a step back and gives me a knowing look. One that says he has said everything he is allowed to. I’m getting used to that routine now. It’s up to me to make the decision.

So what do I have to work with here?

All three subclasses have merit, but some more than others. I’m still under the impression that it is far too early in the game to invest in a boost for my working units. There’s just too few of them. Also, my fighting force is far too understaffed for me to be comfortable with.

The Commander and Specialist classes seem intriguing. But only one really speaks to me. Naturally, I would assume I’m a Commander subclass myself. You know, because I’m the faction leader and all. But I’m not really sure. Looking through my skills and abilities, I notice that I don’t have any skill or ability to actually influence my minions. Neither does Gut. We both seem to be fairly high leveled characters with a vast amount of combat skills and abilities. This leads me to think we are both Specialists.

It sounds weird, but it’s the only thing that makes sense.

Which is why I’m just aching to try out the Commander subclass. Who knows what bonuses I can obtain? I don’t see any drawbacks… At least not in the long term. When I grow strong enough, I definitely need a lot of commanders anyway.

Fuck it. My mind has settled. I select the [Commander] subclass. The window disappears as quickly as it arrived, and is replaced by yet another one.

Your [Lieutenant] has gained the [Commander] Sub-Class.

Your [Lieutenant] title and [Commander] subclass along with the cultural traits of your chosen race [Goblin] has merged into the [Raid Leader] Rank.

Awesome!

And yet another window appears.

Would you like to name your [Raid Leader]?

YES/NO

Warning! Selecting NO will result in a name being chosen from a random name generator suitable to your race and previously chosen names.

Woah. That easy huh? Awesome! God I love progress!

So… A name huh? Right. That can’t be too hard… I just need to follow basic goblin based naming themes. Incredibly simple. I just need to...

…

..

.

I got nothing.

Fuck. For some reason, the only thing I can come with is the annoyingly bad cliche name of ‘Gob’. Worst. Goblin. Name. Ever.

…

What to do? Why is everyone staring at me? Shit! I’ve been standing here for a few minutes already haven’t I? FUCK! Damn it. I’ll just go with the random name generator. What’s the worst thing that can happen?

I mentally tap NO and the blue window disappears.

Random name generator processing…

Would you like to name your [Raid Leader] Gob?

YES/NO

…

Son of a bitch.

Someone has to be fucking shit-

“NO!” I yell, startling the nearby goblins.

Someone is definitely trolling me. There is just no way. I refuse to negotiate with these damn terrorists. At least they gave me the option to decline. Or else it would be hell to pay.

So what can I name him? It’s a he right? … Well his ears are horizontal. He have to be… So what is a good name for a goblin? Slasher? Ratbag? Rex? Warg?

No. Just no.

How about...

I make my choice and two windows appear after only a second.

Congratulations!

Your new [Raid Leader] has successfully been seeded with a higher grade Virtual Intelligence Unit!

----------

Congratulations!

Your new [Raid Leader] has been named Wrex!

“Thank you, great chieftain!” A sharp voice speaks up. I swivel around and try to locate the source of the sound. My eyes fall naturally upon the cutlass wielding goblin in front of me. During my zone out, he has gotten back up on his feet and are now towering above me.

Yeah. It seems like he grew a little.

So far, I had considered myself a giant amongst the goblins at an impressive 1,40 meters tall. Most of the other goblins are around 1,30 to 1,35. It may not seem like much if you take a human perspective into account, but it makes a whole world of a difference for a goblin. The cutlass… I guess it’s Wrex now, was one of the taller of my goblins at around 1,35 meters tall. He was big, but still noticeably smaller than me. Which is why I feel slightly annoyed that he grew up to become 1,45 that bastard. Who does he think he is?

Not much else has changed on his body though. His muscles seem to be more toned and his arms are slightly bulkier. His long fangs are naturally longer to match his new height and he is still as bald as rock. The real difference however, is the look in his eyes. He no longer looks as if the only two thoughts in his head is fighting and sleeping, but now there is a clear glint of cunning hidden behind his red eyes.

Shit, the messages said he got seeded with a higher grade V.I like Gut. I wonder what his personality is like. I quickly inspect him.

Status Screen

Name: Wrex

Race: Goblin

Tribe: Dark Fangs

Mana: N/A

Rank: Raid Leader

Class: Warrior

War Party: 9

Skills

Class skill (Passive): [Enhanced Strength]

Command: Level 1

Melee Mastery: Level 12

-Sword Specialization: Level 12

--[Power Slash]

--[Riposte]

-Shield Specialization: Level 10

--[Shield Bash]

--[Shield Charge]

Utility Mastery: Level 7

-Concealment: Level 7

-Tracking: Level 1

Equipment

Main Weapon: Tier 2. Rusty Cutlass (83%)

Secondary Weapon: Tier 1. Rusty Buckler (44%)

Head: None

Chest: Tier 3. Leather Chainmail Tunic (14%)

Legs: Tier 3. Leather Chainmail Pants (12%)

Hands: None

Feet: Tier 3. Hardened Leather Boots (32%)

Bag: None

Items: None

Yep. Things definitely changed. His status screen looks nearly identical to Gut’s now. Well. Apart from the specifics… you know what I mean. There are some differences though. He has a new skill tree. Command? War Party? What does that do? Gotta ask Gut… But damn this is so cool. This opens up so many possibilities. I have another V.I! I have so many questions. How does he differ from Gut? Are there some other statistics that I don’t know about? Something hidden?

Oh shit he just said something to me didn’t he?

“Ehrrm. Come again?” I ask him.

Wrex blinks once in confusion. “I asked what is your orders, oh great chieftain.” He brings his sword across his chest in a salute while lowering his head in respect.

I’m a little unsure how to respond to this after being stuck with only Gut to talk to for eight days.

“Ehrrrm…” Shit, I’m starting to sound like a broken record. “I guess you can start by telling me about your Command skill…?” I accidentally make that sound more like a question rather than an order.

Wrex straightens his back and stands at attention. His eyes looks straight ahead and seems to connect to nothing. “Certainly, great chieftain. As I command your forces against your enemies in your name, I will gain experience and unlock abilities tied to increasing the effectiveness of the troops in battle.” He recites with a clear voice.

So it seems like his new skill tree is tied to leading my forces and giving them buffs further down the road. Very useful. I guess this means that [War Party] must be the amount of goblins he can lead at a time? Seems pretty straight forward. I have to confirm this with Gut later. So much to think about. So many numbers to crunch.

This is amazing though. With these skills and the intelligence from being seeded with a V.I, there is actually a way for me to effectively utilize complex strategies later down the road when I have more goblins. It was one of my main concerns. The intelligence levels of my normal goblins are… less than impressive. I couldn’t delegate any complex tasks to any of them. Christ. Just look at how long it took for me to teach them how to play hide and seek! With this lieutenant system I can actually establish a proper chain of command!

The possibilities...

With a bright smile on my face, I once more direct my attention at Wrex. He stands straight as an arrow. It’s as if he has watched one too many jarhead movies growing up. Not that he grew up though… Ah shit, this V.I shit is complicated…

“Brilliant! You can ease up on the formality Wrex. We’re goblins. No need to act like a human.” I chuckle.

A loud roaring laughter surprises me from behind. “Well said, young one!” It seems like Gut has arrived. And my joke has clearly amused him.

What a weird old mage…

“As you wish, great one.” Wrex says. His straight back curves as his body slumps a little, making it look as if he is hunched over. He doesn’t seem to have relaxed more though. His arms are raised and his feet have more of a spring to them. He seems ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

There is something odd about his posture. It changed too quickly. Whereas he earlier stood at attention like some sort of posterboy for the army, he now looks… more feral. Like a predator…

It’s not all that changed. The look in his eyes. I don’t know how to describe them. It is as if he has an unquenchable thirst for blood. He reminds me of a wolf. And a rabid one at that.

What the hell is going on!?

“Are you feeling okay Wrex?” I ask him uncertainly.

His eyes meet mine and what I see gives me the shivers. I involuntarily take a step back. I hesitate for a moment, but I slowly move my hands towards the Crossbow that is slung across my back.

“I feel great, chieftain.” His voice has changed. It’s sounds raw. It’s as if someone went mental on the inside of his throat with sandpaper. I just look at him flabbergasted. What the actual fuck happened to him?

His eyes keep boring into me. My stomach turns and my skin crawls. I eye him warily. Ready to turn tail and run at a moment's notice.

...

“I will drink the blood of your foes.”

What the...

“Jesus fucking christ man, tone down on that psycho shit!”