Chapter 18 – Spoils of War

I wake with a jolt.

My head is ringing from the massive headache I got last night. It’s incredible how taxing it is on the mind to spend half a day at a constant state of alert.

After the conclusion of last night’s fight, I didn’t waste much time finding Qargon’s [Chieftain Hut] and was delighted to find out that he had the proper idea of having a bed made. It goes without saying, sleep came to me easily. Too bad I couldn’t sleep in. Five hours of sleep isn’t enough for any human being. Anyone who says otherwise is lying.

Oh right. I also got a long series of blue prompts last night. I decided to save them for today when my mind had cleared. I open my message log and notice how a few more have appeared during the night. I start by reading through my combat reports.

Your tribe has slain 16 [Kobold Fighter], 1 [Advisor]. You have leveled up!

You are now level 4.

You have 5 unassigned attribute points.

----------

Your tribe has slain an enemy commander [Qargon]. You have leveled up!

You are now level 6.

You have 15 unassigned attribute points.

Ah, there it is. The glorious level gain I have looked forward to. Ooh. I also gained two more levels in Crossbow Specialization and a single level in Concealment. Every little bonus matters! Seems like I didn’t gain any experience for killing workers though. What a pity. Nevertheless, I’m level six now! Let me just see if I got that notification I was hoping for…

Ah! Found it!

Congratulations!

After reaching level 5, your personal rank has been upgraded to War Leader!

You gain +6 daily Summon Points.

Yes! Yes, yes, fucking YES!

I can spawn three more goblins per day! AWESOME. I would be trying to do cartwheels right now if I knew how to do it. I just settle for laughing hysterically. Like a proper man.

“Chieftain! What’s the matter?” Wrex’s concerned voice echoes through the cave.

I get out of bed and step out into the large cavern. There are still bodies littered everywhere. At least they don’t smell though. Not much at least.

Wrex walks up to me, visibly at ease seeing that nothing is physically wrong with me.

“I’ll tell you what’s the matter.” I grin at him. I quickly open up my summoning list and spawn six fresh [Fighter]s right in front of him. He raises his eyebrows at the sudden demonstration of my abilities.

“Excellent!” He grins. “Your powers grow.”

“Damn straight they do!” I laugh. Nothing can bring me down right now.

...

Yep. I just went and said those accursed words. For fucks sake Greg...

As if on cue, more blue prompts appear one after the other.

Congratulations for reaching Day 10!

Players who died during the last 9 days:

Harvalon (Harpy) of the Blair Witch Flock has been slain by Greg’lok (Goblin) of the Dark Fang tribe in Biome D-13.

GhostSlayer69 (Human) of the RockinY’all clan has been slain by CountDracoola (Vampire) of the Transylmania family in Biome E-4.

Miranda (Pixie) of the Sparkleville cluster has been slain by RichMeister (Dragonkin) of the KenWeyr Brood in Biome B-1.

...

Qargon (Kobold) of the Qargling tribe has been slain by Greg’lok (Goblin) of the Dark Fang tribe in Biome D-13.

Players remaining: 478/540

Oh crap. An extensive list appears before my eyes. I had nearly forgotten about the notifications about eliminated players, as it hasn’t appeared since the first day. I briefly skim through it. To my slight surprise, my name is both at the top and bottom of the list. Well. Perhaps it’s not that weird if I think about it. I did kill off Harvalon on my second day here, as well as Qargon late last night. I suppose the list is organized in chronological order.

I notice one thing though. I recognise the nickname of that stupid prick Richard high on the list. ‘RichMeister’ was always his go-to nickname while playing games. It’s no surprise he brought his nickname into this game. Most gamers do. And that fucker is playing as Dragonkin? Really? How high on himself can that twat get?

My rant is interrupted by another server wide message.

Attention all Players!

The player Greg’lok of the Dark Fang tribe is the first player to reach the 2nd rank.

All experience gain until the next rank for everyone below the 2nd rank is increased by 100% until they reach the 2nd rank.

Great.

They couldn’t let me be happy about being in the lead for more than five minutes, could they?

…

At least I’m still the only player at the second rank. I might have a day or two until everyone else catches up. I hope.

Perhaps looking through the spoils of war will cheer me up?

Mehehehehe. The thought of loot is all I need.

My goblins were quite busy last night after I fell asleep. They rounded up all the gear from both the battles outside and inside. I’m currently standing above a nice pile of weapons, armor and resources. The goblin hauler stands idle next to the pile. I have a feeling this industrious little fellow is the architect behind the looting. I love this little guy!

I start off by counting the little pile of skulls gathered on the side. A rough count amounts to eighteen skulls and another [Special Skull]. What a bummer. Seems like the workers doesn’t give neither skulls nor experience points. Luckily, I got the loot off the lieutenant even though I technically didn’t kill him or gain any experience from his death. It’s a good haul anyway. I stash them away for later. I’m not sure what I need them for yet, but I’d be damned if it isn’t something fancy.

Next, I scroll through the piles of weapons and armor. I gained two [Bronze Spear]s, two [Bronze Mace]s, one [Bronze Axe], one [Enchanted Oak Staff], one [Enchanted Brown Silk Cowl], six [Silk Scrap]s and two [Leather Scrap]s from the battles outside.

Not a bad haul at all. The extra spears definitely came in handy as throwable weapons. I have to work on that idea for later… The mage equipment should be a good boost to my future mages. I’m sure Gut’s new disciples can benefit from them greatly. I divide the weapons among my freshly spawned fighters equally.

Next, to the inside battle!

This is where Wrex smiles the widest. Qargon dropped two new pieces for him after all. He brandishes his new [Steel Plate Helmet] and a [Steel Buckler] like a pornstar brandishes his fifth limb. It’s both amazing and unsettling all at once. I also managed to pick up some armor from his elite guard. I am now the proud owner of two [Leather Tunic]s, two [Leather Cap]s, three [Leather Pants], three pairs of [Leather Boots], one pair of [Leather Bracers] and sixteen pieces of [Leather Scrap]s.

It goes without saying I waste no time at all equipping one of each leather armor piece myself. I’m sick and tired of walking around in nothing but a loincloth. I divide the rest of the armor among my best performing goblins during the battles. No reason to lug all the crap around when they can just put it on. I let Wrex decide who earned what. It’s not as if I can tell the difference between them anyway...

I take a moment to ponder over the effectiveness of my goblins during the last battles while they are busy high fiving and punching the living shit out of each other after gaining some new gear.

I have to say, my goblins performed far better than the kobolds in any match up they had. Just think about it. I only lost three of my warriors compared to Qargon’s sixteen fighters, and that’s not counting his advisor, lieutenant and Qargon himself. I did have a certain degree of luck though. I managed to get several kills in my initial ambush attack, and Qargon did split up his forces to chase me down. But still. Though he had the numerical advantage during the chase, his forces still got wrecked.

I didn’t do any particularly flashy strategic moves concerning my use of troops in battle. It all came down to single handed combat at one point or another. The sheer difference in skill level is what ultimately swayed every battle in my favor.

One thing is clear. Qargon didn’t spend time training his troops like I did. Evidence of this is the notification that I defeated [Kobold Fighter]s, and not [Kobold Warrior]s. Skill levels is apparently what really defines this game. There’s no way to misinterpret that.

So without further ado, I open up my long forgotten status page and assign my hard earned attribute points where they are needed. Satisfied with my choice, I browse through the result of my hard work these last days.

Status Screen

Name: Greg’lok

Race: Goblin

Tribe: Dark Fangs

Level: 6

Rank: War Leader

Class: Ranger

Stats

Power: 0

Constitution: 0

Commander: 0

Defender: 0

Taskmaster: 0

Craftsmanship: 0

Trainer: 20

Diplomat: 10

Unallocated points: 0

Skills

Class skill (Passive): [Enhanced Aim]

Ranged Mastery: Level 17

-Crossbow Specialization: Level 17

--[Eagle Sight]

--[Long Shot]

--[Snipe Shot]

Melee Mastery: Level 10

-Dagger Specialization: Level 6

--[Backstab]

-Unarmed Specialization: Level 1

Utility Mastery: Level 10

-Tracking: Level 6

-Concealment: Level 8

Equipment

Main Weapon: Tier 3. Crossbow / Iron Arrows (98%)

Secondary Weapon: Tier 2. Bronze Dagger (99%)

Head: Tier 1. Leather Cap (50%)

Chest: Tier 1. Leather Tunic (50%)

Legs: Tier 1. Leather Pants (50%)

Hands: Tier 1. Leather Bracer (50%)

Feet: Tier 1. Leather Boots (50%)

Bag: Tier 2. Utility Belt (4 Slots) / Quiver (Iron Arrows)

Items: Skull (4)

I’m looking good if I gotta say so myself. The fifteen newly assigned points into the [Trainer] stat is just what I need to properly plan for the future. It’s definitely tempting to put a few of them into the [Commander] stat, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I need proper soldiers. It’s better to put a dull blade in the hands of a professional than a sharp blade in the hands of an amateur in my eyes.

I hang around a bit, counting the leftover resources. Qargon didn’t have many natural resources. Except for stone. I mean holy crap. I bet he must have had like fifteen stone masons or something. His pile of rocks is enormous! I can’t even hope to carry all this shit with me back home.

I prioritize bringing back the most valuable resources like his stash of metal, leather and food. Everything else I can get myself.

Which brings up the question. I still don’t know what this guy did for food. I didn’t find any tracks from hunters or foragers in the nearby forest, and there weren’t any fishermen by the river either. If my memory serves correct, that only leaves farmers and breeders.

And I don’t see any farms in this cave.

I take a short jog around the cavern, taking in the sights. It doesn’t take long to find what I was looking for. I find a small wooden fence containing nine pigs. Yep. I’m not kidding. Livestock. Who would have guessed?

“Ah, I see you found tonight’s dinner.” Wrex walks up to me, a hungry look in his eyes.

“Huh? Dinner?...” I blink twice in confusion. “What! No! We can’t eat them…”

Wrex tilts his head, giving me a blank stare.

“Then what are they good for?”

I sigh. “What do you mean? We bring them back to base and fence them up ourselves obviously.”

He keeps staring. “Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’?” I raise my voice. “They are valuable.”

“These things? Surely you’re joking…” He snickers.

I shake my head.

“You’re serious…?”

“Very.”

He scratches his head. It doesn’t seem like he gets it.

I sigh again.

How can I explain this in a way he will get it? “Let’s just call them emergency food.”

“Oooh!” He smiles. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

“...”

Are you kidding me? The racial trait that gives negative thirty percent to farming and breeding is no joke. Really. I thought it was just the developers way to add some variety and balance to the game. I didn’t expect the traits to actually reflect the V.I’s personalities.

…

I should have guessed it would be like this.

Shaking my head once more, I leave Wrex behind as I try to figure out a way to transport the pigs back home. It isn’t easy, but I manage to find some rope in the small hut attached to the fenced off area. I don’t know where it came from, but I’ll take it. It’s good quality rope, so I doubt Qargon’s people made it. Perhaps it auto spawned when he got these pigs? No matter. I’m grateful nonetheless. When the game hands you lemons, you make lemonade and all that.

I order my goblins to carry as much resources as they can while we set off back to base. I’m in charge of transporting the pigs, seeing as I don’t trust the hungry gazes and saliva dripping faces any further than I can stab them.

Bunch of savages.

----------

It takes us a little over five hours to get back home.

Five. Excruciating. Horrible. Terrible. Hours.

I’m exhausted.

I spent five hours trying to drag nine fucking pigs through a dense forest. With only one freaking rope! Do you know how fucking difficult that is? They kept getting stuck on everything. And I mean everything! For fucks sake!

And don’t get me started on my goblins. They weren’t helpful at all. Some of them even tried to eat one of the pigs. Even though I explicitly told them not to. It goes without saying that I had Wrex give them a hard lesson. He beat them so hard that I think I have the first three blue goblins in the game so far. I might as well make them white hats and call them smurfs.

We hadn’t even taken five steps into the open clearing before the next horrible thing happened. A large fireball flies at us from out of nowhere, hitting the lead pig head on. The poor creature immediately catches fire and the air is filled by its dying squeals.

The surprise attack makes my sleepy eyes shoot wide open.

“HOLD YOUR FIRE IDIOTS! It’s us!” I yell.

A small contingent of goblins head out of the base to greet us. At the front of the pack is one familiar grumpy old goblin kicking and yelling at another less fortunate goblin.

“If you had even singed a single hair on his body, I would have you flogged for the incompetent little gnome you are!” Gut screams at the goblin while repeatedly trying to smack his staff into the little goblin’s head.

“Oww! But he is bald, wise master!” The little goblin screams.

“What? You think you are clever? Come here and say that again you little-”

“Hey Gut! What the fuck man! That was my hard earned loot you just incinerated!” I interrupt the old mage.

My sudden shout distracts Gut for a few seconds, which is enough for the little goblin to escape the range of his staff. He darts off and takes shelter behind Wrex.

…

As if that makes things any better for him. Wrex grabs him by the neck, and flings him back towards Gut. Watching the goblin roll on the ground before he comes to a stop in front of Gut’s feet.

“It wasn’t me, young one. It was this…” He kicks the whimpering goblin at his feet. “...Useless…” He kicks him again. “...Sack of centaur dung…” The wailing of the goblin gives me goosebumps. “...That can’t see the difference between a wolf and a goblin.” He delivers a surprisingly hard final kick, sending the little goblin tumbling across the ground.

“I see… So this is the new fire mage, huh? … Wait. What’s that about wolves?” I raise my eyebrow.

Gut casually waves his hand. “Don’t worry about it.” He shrugs it off.

“What do you mean don’t worry about it? What wolv-”

*Cough*

I’m interrupted by a sudden and suspiciously loud cough from Gut. He makes a spectacle out of clearing his throat.

“Now where was I… Ah. Young one. Tell me about your raid. I feared the worst when you didn’t return last night.” He gives my troops and loot a once-over. “It seems like you were successful. Splendid!” He chuckles gleefully.

I eye him suspiciously as I start explaining everything that happened during the raid. Wrex tells most of it, since I’m too tired. The lieutenant isn’t particularly helpful with his obsessive talk about spilling blood, that sick bastard. I could have let that slide however, if the big oaf didn’t also tell the old guy about the battle in the bog. The look Gut gave me could have made even the toughest Navy Seal team shiver with fear. He didn’t even give me the opportunity to give Wrex my finest look of betrayal before he smacked me over the head with his staff.

His stern gaze lessens somewhat when I tell him about all the stuff I looted. Some of these resources will speed up our development nicely, and especially the metals and leather when I start mass producing weapons and armor in the near future.

Which brings me to my newest plan to get another easily earned advantage.

“Hey Wrex! Go round up as many goblins as we can spare. I have a job for you.” I grin at my worn out lieutenant. I would feel bad about this if he wasn’t a computer generated program. And you know, our characters don’t really feel fatigue in the old fashioned way.

“Certainly chief!” He smiles eagerly as he walks off. A dutiful lad he is.

Gut turns his eyes at me once more. “What are you thinking about, reckless one?”

Uhm. I raise an eyebrow. “What happened to ‘young one’?”

Gut just shrugs.

So… What am I supposed to respond here? Is reckless one even-. Nah forget it. It’s more trouble than it’s worth. I lightly shake my head and try to regain the previous conversation.

“Well, I noticed how many leftover resources there were after winning the battle. I figure there should be a lot of loot just lying around the orc and harpy’s starting areas. It’s free stuff right? Would be a shame not to use it.” I smile. I can’t really fathom why I didn’t think about this before.

“Not a bad plan.” Gut nods. “But it’s too late I’m afraid.”

…

Come again?

“What?”

He lets out a deep sigh. “Unclaimed resources disappear from the game if left idle for more than twenty-four hours.”

“...”

I give him a dead stare.

I raise my right hand and gently pinch the bridge of my nose as I close my eyes tight.

“If you mean to say you didn’t tell me this because I ‘forgot to ask’ … You’d be wise to just keep your mouth shut…” I calmly say.

Gut snorts, but says nothing.

Fucker.

I scowl at him. It’s not really his fault, but I’d be damned if he still doesn’t piss me off to a huge degree. I divert my eyes in order to quell my anger. My eyes fall upon the charred remains of the unlucky pig.

“Hrmpf.” I snort. “I suppose we’re having pork tonight boys!” I shout so that all nearby goblins can hear. They respond with a loud cheer. Food is always good for their morale.

Even the injured fire mage apprentice cheers.

My eyes pierce him. “You ain’t getting any.”

His jaw drops. “W-why not chief?” He says, looking utterly crestfallen.

“You know damn well why. I had plans for that pig.” I scowl at him. He responds by raising his eyebrow.

“You mean you weren’t going to eat it?” He asks. A confused look on his face.

“What? No! I was saving it for later.”

“Why…?”

…

I facepalm. “I’m not going through this again. Go ask Wrex.” What the hell man. Doesn’t any of these little ingrates understand the concept of raising livestock? When I come to think about it. Where is Wrex?

As if on cue, Wrex returns with fifteen odd goblins in tow. My builders among them.

“Where do you think you are going?” I ask him.

“What do you mean chief?” He asks me. “You said you had a job for us.”

Realisation dawns on me. Fuck. I notice Gut from the corner of my eye shake his head, a sorrowful look on his face.

“Yeah right. I order you to… eehrm…” I look around wildly, trying to find something that won’t make me look like an idiot.

A few seconds pass in silence as I desperately try to think of something. Anything. I cover the delayed response with a perfectly timed yawn. My eyes wander over my little herd of pigs. Oooh! Pigs!

“Yeah… I need you all to sort out the loot from the fight. Also, I need you to oversee the builders to construct a fenced off area to store these pigs.” Phew. Awkward moment diverted.

Okay. I really need to take a freaking nap. Is there anything else I need to deal with? Why do I get this feeling I forgot something else all of a sudden? Ah no matter. It will come back to me.

“I need to take a nap… Gut, you’re in charge for the time being.” I wave to the old mage as I start wandering off.

“But I have more to report, reckless one” Gut says from behind.

I sigh. “Can’t it wait?”

“I’m afraid not.”

I sigh. “Okay. Start with the good news.”

“Good news?” The old mage asks me.

“Yeah. If the news can’t wait, then it’s always something bad. And if I hear any more bad things from you today, I might actually shoot you.” I growl. “So you’d better tell me some good news first.

The old mage shifts uncomfortably. Not a good sign.

“Well, as you may have guessed from earlier... my two apprentices are ready to gain their classes.” He eventually says. Oh right. That little cretin that roasted my pig did indeed use magic. He most definitely is a fire mage. The other one must be a blood mage considering how I had Gut teach them each a separate school of magic. I perk up a little hearing these good news.

“Right… Tell them to come see me for their rank up after I wake.” I mutter. “And the bad news?” I try to steel myself for the impending shitstorm. I know it’s something. It’s always something.

“I’ll cut right to it then. Late last night, we were beset upon by a pack of wolves.” He says.

“We got attacked by another player!?” I yell. Suddenly yanked out of my sleepy state of mind. “How the hell did that happen?”

Gut clears his throat. “We didn’t.”

“...” I raise my eyebrow. “Huh?”

“We were attacked by a wild pack of wolves. They kept attacking your foragers and hunters with small skirmishes…” His head drops. “We lost three goblins.” He mutters.

“Three!?” I yell. I don’t wait for him to answer before I start sprinting towards my [Chieftain’s Hut]. I throw myself into my chieftain’s chair. Opening my population overview, the grim truth reveals itself.

I’m missing two foragers and a hunter.

I slam my fist into the armrest, which elicits a small yelp from someone beside me. I turn my head and come face to face with Gut, Wrex and for some reason, my scout, who nervously walks up to me and starts patting my clenched fist.

My raging eyes bore into her wide ones, causing her to flinch. Using my clenched fist, I shove her aside, facing my two senior goblins.

“Tell me what happened.” I say through gritted teeth.

Gut hesitates for a moment. Seemingly unsure of what to say. “They attacked us at night. We never saw them coming. They struck swiftly at our most vulnerable goblins. By the time I realised what happened, we had already lost them.” He says with a somber tone. I’m still shaking in fury.

“Then what?”

“I called all the goblins back immediately. We huddled up near the corner of the village between the lake and the mountain. I had my apprentices and the remaining fighters form a perimeter around the tribe.”

I listen to his recounting of the story with my eyes closed. As he finishes, I take a deep breath.

“At least you are not completely incompetent. What’s the status of the workers?”

He winces. “I kept the crafters occupied. The builder’s and crafters were unaffected by the attack, and there is still a few rocks and trees left for the gatherers. I had the herbalist and remaining foragers and hunters organize the pile of resources.”

Good. Perhaps it’s not too bad. But this is seriously not what I needed right now.

“How many wolves were there?”

“At least eight wolves, excluding the alpha.”

I take another deep breath. “Very well. Keep doing that. Wrex. You are now in charge of defence. Use the warriors we brought back from the raid. While you…” I lock eyes with Gut. “You take your two apprentices along with the scout and the rest of the fighters out into the forest to find their lair.”

Gut immediately protests. “You can’t be serious? I’m not an errands boy!” He growls at me.

“Shut the fuck up!” I shout back, causing Gut to recoil from the sudden outburst. “You will do as I tell you, or I will have your hide. I’m sick and tired of your insubordination.” I can feel the blood throb in my skull.

“Get the fuck out. And don’t bother coming back until you find their lair.” I shout at him, some spittle escaping my lips.

Gut nods his head before he turns on his heel and exits my hut. Wrex follows suit, knowing there is no reason for him to linger.

“Useless little twat…” I curse under my breath as I head over towards my sleeping corner. Even the sight of a freshly created bed does nothing to appease my foul mood. I lay down on the bed, using an excessive amount of force to pull my sleeping hide over me.

As my eyes slide shut. A series of blue windows appears.

Attention Players!

Congratulations for reaching Day 10.

Personal Quests have been unlocked!

----------

Quest Alert!

You have received a personalized Major Quest!

Objective:

Take Revenge

Target 1: Brutos (Minotaur) of the Bullox Herd, Biome D-13

Target 2: Lizzie (Elf) of the Goldwen Community, Biome E-15

Target 3: Perferon (Dark Elf) of the Goldglen Community, Biome C-11

Target 4: Eve (Angel) of the Aphroditean Congregation, Biome C-1

Target 5: RichMeister (Dragonkin) of the KenWeyr Brood, Biome B-1

Reward:

30 Summon Points per eliminated target

1 Lieutenant Upgrade per eliminated target

A moderate amount of Experience Points per eliminated target

A minor amount of Precious Resources per eliminated target

----------

Quest Alert!

You have received a general Major Quest!

Objective:

Conquer sector D-13

Reward:

A minor amount of Precious Resources

A moderate amount of Experience Points

Unlock Precious Resource Deposits

30 Summon Points

----------

Quest Alert!

You have received a general Minor Quest!

Objective:

Wipe out the pack of wolves

Reward:

A moderate amount of Resources

A moderate amount of Experience Points

12 Summon Points

???