Chapter 23 – Emerging Shadow

Last night went as great as one could expect.

Gut and the gang returned from a nearly successful hunt of the draug lair to the north. I say nearly because one of my pending archers didn’t pay enough attention and managed to get himself eaten by the draug boss. How that even happened is beyond me. But, I’ve learned not to expect too much from these green little defiers of Darwin’s Law.

I received the expected quest completed notification and had eighteen delicious Summon Points to spend. By the time my people were enjoying their dinner, my population increased by one [Mason], two [Miner]s, two [Blacksmith]s and four archers-in-training. It’s a decent haul.

I received yet another quest to clear out three more beast lairs this time, confirming my suspicion that it’s indeed an increasing repeatable quest. A pity I still only gain eighteen points of SP for completing it, though. Add that together with the fact that the experience points earned weren’t enough to tip me over to the next level and I was a little disheartened. But, not by much. I’m still doing really well here.

All four of my new [Mage]s also gained enough experience to level up from the raids, gaining their classes. I didn’t use the riders during the raids, but I expect them to break through the class barrier during the day. Things are really looking up!

Today’s a new day; and, I have great plans! It’s about time I try and clear out my biome after all. I’m currently the leading player, or so I suspect at least. It would be idiotic of me not to try and capitalize on that as much as humanly possible. The game’s momentum is on my side.

No matter the urgency of action, however, I still have a lot of small little knick knacks to take care of before I can head off. As always, I start the day by spawning more units. I spawn a [Leatherworker], four new [Warrior]s and because I just want to try stuff out, another [Gray Forest Wolf]. This time, however, I decide to make it a beast type, trying to figure out if it’s worth it.

A flashing light surrounds the wolf for a brief moment; and, when the light fades, a slightly altered wolf is standing before me sniffing its front left paw. Whereas the mount type of wolves grew slightly in size, the beast type has certain other alterations. First of all, both its fangs and claws increased slightly in size, and the body seemed to more more lean with densely packed muscles hidden under matted fur.

I immediately get the impression that this beast type of wolf is designed to be a deadly predator, capable of moving silently through the forest and strike at unsuspecting foes before they even realize they are being stalked.

I whistle in satisfaction as I take a step forwards trying to get a better look of the wolf’s new capabilities.

The wolf tenses up as I get close to it. It regards me carefully with its sharp blue eyes, uncertain of my intent. It makes no hostile moves, however. After a tense few minutes, it eventually seems to accept me. It takes a step forwards and happily starts sniffing my brand new leather armor. I drag my rugged hand across its soft fur.

Damn, that feels soft...

“Who’s a good girl?” I grin as I start scratching her behind the ear. I pick up a nearby twig and toss it a dozen meters into the open clearing behind me.

“Go fetch!” I smile at the wolf.

My smile soon falters as the wolf just stands there, looking at me weirdly. Okay… I guess dog logic might not apply to wolves.

“... Sit?” I can’t help but make the order sound like a question. The wolf still just stares at me with a blank expression.

“Oh for the love of... Follow me.” I turn around and start walking off. After a few steps, I look back over my shoulder. The damn wolf is still standing still. Staring at me with those same empty eyes.

“What the hell? Is this thing broken?” I growl in annoyance as I stomp back towards the wolf.

“You need to assign a handler to the wolf.” A voice chimes in from behind me. I turn around to see Gut standing idly by, casually leaning against his staff while he observes my antics with a slight hint of amusement.

I feel like throwing some clever remark back at him to wipe the smirk off his lips; but, I manage to suppress the urge through willpower alone. I’m not sure if I can fit more staff-imprinted bumps on my head.

“What do you mean?” I ask the old mage.

“Inspect it, and you shall see.” He shakes his head, still smirking.

The little bastard is testing my patience…

Gray Forest Wolf

Type: Beast

Handler: Not assigned

Skills: None

Handler, huh?

The mounts didn’t have that option. I scratch my head.

I could ask Gut what this means… But, I don’t really want to give that jerk the satisfaction of lecturing me again. So, I have to ask myself; what does it mean? The answer must obviously lie in the fact that they are different types of wolves. Or beast classes if I can be so bold. I suppose it has to do with the utility of the creature. The mount is… well. Just a mount. It can carry a goblin from point A to point B. Simple. The beast type, though, must have some hidden function. Possibly functions, as in plural.

I assume anyone can use the mount, so that’s why it doesn’t have a handler. The beasts, though, seems to be a bit more complicated. They have to have a unique function or else it would be pointless for me to even bother investing in them when I can spawn weapon wielding goblins instead. I’m going to trust my gut on this one. The beast will in some way compliment the skills of its handler.

Question is, who am I to assign as a new handler? Can I unlock a beast tamer class of some sort? Is the wolf just utility based? Can it enhance tracking abilities, or is it merely there for combat purposes? So many questions...

I ask Gut if he has any suggestions of who to assign the wolf to. The mage just shrugs with indifference.

…

Too bad I don’t have a freshly spawned [Fighter] to hand it over to. I’m kind of still holding back on trying to take away a [Fighter] from his archery training.

Ah, fuck it. If you don’t risk anything, you won’t win.

A few orders and a couple of minutes later, one my new archer recruits stands before me. I open up the wolf’s status window and mentally tap the handler option. When I select the fighter, a notification appears.

Attention!

Requirements for assigning a handler to [Gray Forest Wolf (Beast)] not met.

Requirements needed: A unit with an appropriate class.

Oh come on!

It does answer the question. But, nonetheless, come the fuck on!

Appropriate class? How annoyingly vague. I decide to let my frustrations out on a small pebble in front of me, sending it flying with a good kick. It bounces harmlessly off the [Barrack]’s wall.

So where does that leave me? I could assign myself as the handler; but, I really don’t want to. I have enough skills to try and level already; and, the wolf just seems like a whole buttload of work that I really don’t have time for.

I look around my village. I don’t have many different classes walking around. I have a bunch of [Warrior]s; but, I don’t see the benefit of taking away their time to run around and train with a wolf. The same goes for the [Mage]s, obviously. So… a scout? Huh. Why not? They don’t seem to have too much to do, and I’ll bet my left nut that beast taming is appropriate for the class.

I order a nearby goblin to go and find the female scout. Her skills have been invaluable to me so far so I can’t see why I shouldn’t reward her for her hard work.

As the nervous looking scout arrives a few minutes later, I waste no time assigning the beast to her. No error message appears to tell me it fails this time; and, the wolf is soon jumping joyously around licking the female scout’s large green nose. I spot a small smile on the scout’s lips.

“T-thank you, Ggreat Chieftain!” She mumbles under her breath. Diverting her eyes away from mine, but still giving me a small nod of appreciation.

“No problem, Sweetie.” I grin at her. I start to chuckle as her green cheeks blushes crimson red.

“Jokes aside, what can you tell me of the bond between you and the wolf?” I inquire. This stuff is fascinating.

“Uhm.” She pauses to think. “Nothing, I think… At least not yet. I think we need some time.” She mutters.

I click my tongue in disappointment. I didn’t expect there to be any difference yet, but I was hoping for a small boon… The fool that I am.

“Can you handle more than one wolf?” I ask her as a thought crosses my mind.

“N-no. At least not yet.” She stammers, too much of her blood trapped in her cheeks. “I-I believe I can after some time…”

“Great! Tell me when something changes!” I say as I walk away, leaving the new couple to their own devices. They’ll figure out what to do. Probably.

I’m followed by Gut who soon hobbles his way up to my side, clearing his throat loudly to garner my attention.

“Reckless One, I have more tasks that need to be attended to.” He says.

Of course he does. There’s always something. It seems like every time I want to go out on an expedition, something new comes up. I’m starting to suspect Gut is making shit up just to keep me planted safely inside the base.

I grunt at him to proceed.

“Two of your goblin [Warrior]s have reached the requirements to swap their classes if you wish.”

…

“What?” I snap my head towards him. “Who?”

He clears his throat while he signals for two nearby [Warrior]s to approach. They are both dagger wielding goblins.And, I recognize the armor on one of them to be the goblin that saved my life during the fight in the woods against Qargon’s advisor.

I don’t wait for Gut to proceed, and immediately inspect the dagger wielding warrior.

Goblin Warrior

Class: Warrior (Class Swap possible)

Perk: Deft Hands

Morale: 10%

Skills

Class skill (Passive): [Enhanced Strength]

Melee Mastery: Level 16

-Dagger Specialization: Level 16

--[Backstab]

--[Throw Dagger]

--[Slice & Dice]

Utility Mastery: Level 10

-Concealment: Level 10

--[Sneak]

-Tracking: Level 3

Woah! He wasn’t lying. I can swap classes? Cool! I also notice through the corner of my eye that [Concealment] has a sub skill of its own after reaching level ten.

But, holy crap! I quickly select the class swap option and glue my eyes to the blue prompt.

[Rogue]

Unlock Criteria: [Concealment] level 10. [Dagger Specialization] level 5.

Gain: Possibility of raising mastery levels above 10. 50% increase to [Utility Mastery] acquisition. 50% increase to [Dagger Specialization] acquisition. Unique passive ability: [Enhanced Stealth].

Lose: 75% decrease to [Spell Mastery] acquisition. 50% decrease to Melee Specializations except for [Dagger Specialization].

Warning!

Choosing this class will cause the unit to lose all accumulated skill levels in [Spell Mastery]. [Ranged Mastery] with all corresponding specializations will be reduced to level 5. All Melee Specializations except for [Dagger Specialization] will be lost.

My jaw drops.

“YES!!!” I scream, startling Gut and the [Warrior]s.

“This is amazing! I didn’t know I could change the classes!” I roar in delight as I slap my hand on Gut’s shoulder. It saves me so much time finding new classes! This is just so great! I can’t believe how eas-

…

“Gut…” I mumble to the old mage, the joy all but gone from my face. “What’s the downsides of swapping classes?”

Gut nods. A proud smile on his face.

“I’m glad you have become more open minded about these matters, Reckless One. I was afraid that your habit of leaping-without-looking would never disappear.” He nods sagely. “There are indeed some downsides. Since [Rogue] is a new class that is not connected to the [Warrior] development tree, the same restrictions will apply when assigning a fresh class.”

“Which means…?”

He clears his throat. “In this case… All levels above level ten will be lost, reckless one.”

My stomach drops. I look back over the goblin’s status screens. They are both at [Dagger Specialization] level fifteen and sixteen respectively. That means they would both lose five and six levels by swapping classes. I’m not gonna lie. It irks me. That’s a week’s worth of hard work. But, then again…

They are wielding daggers. Fighting on the frontlines with those short little pointy sticks of metal sounds like a waste in itself. My mind wanders over to the size of Lydia. I shiver. I don’t think a dagger wielding front line fighter like a goblin could do much to a creature of that size. He probably wouldn’t even get close.

Rogue though. Assassin’s in the making. That class focuses specifically on using daggers. It’s perfect. And noticing how they can now actually use sneak on top of the concealment... It’s invaluable.

With my mind made up, I decide to upgrade both of the dagger wielding [Warrior]s into full blown [Rogue]s. A short flash of light surround the goblins for a moment, before it dissipates. Leaving two grinning [Rogue]s in their stead.

A quick inspect shows that both their [Melee Mastery] and [Dagger Specialization]s have been reduced to level ten. It causes my heart to ache; but, I know it’s the correct decision.

I hope…

“Now then!” I clap my hands together. “What else?” I grin at the old mage.

“Hrmmf.” He growls. “After the latest additions to your tribe, our population has reached ninety-eight.”

“Yeah? Sweet. So what?”

He stares at me with a deadpan look. “What that means…” He says while empathizing the word ‘means’ as if I’m a complete moron. “Is that you can now promote another one of your units to become a Lieutenant.”

My eyes light up. Damn. He’s right! What the hell is wrong with me? How did I forget?

A new lieutenant. Wow. It feels like it’s been months since I upgraded Wrex. Hell, I think Scarfang also counts as some sort of lieutenant. I can’t believe it’s finally time to get another higher grade V.I unit. I swear, conversations have become a little dull around here lately. Only being able to talk to two different people for two weeks is mentally exhausting. Especially when one of them is a racist old grandpa with a hobby of physically and verbally abusing me every moment he gets and the other is a battle crazed military wannabe. I swear it can tear at anyone's psyche over time.

I take a moment of silence praying for a more approachable V.I companion.

Right.

But, who do I choose?

I rack my brain, trying to come up with potential candidates. I can go in three directions with my lieutenants. I can either get another commander, a specialist or a foreman. I would still say that a foreman is out of the picture as I can’t see how I can benefit from having one at these early stages of the game.

Gut has promised me green woods and mounds of gold for the future potential of the specialist type. That’s all well and good but, I don’t see any immediate benefit. So far I don’t know how to best utilize them, even though Gut strongly hints that choices will unlock for me with the altar I’m going to get later today. I’m certain I’m going to be mind blown. And, if I’m not, then I’ll really have to sit down and have a talk with Gut about managing my expectations…

So, specialists is a good option. However, I could really use another commander type of lieutenant. I’ve had a rapid influx of soldiers in the last few days, and I need to organize them into war parties. Wrex can only lead a small amount of goblins so far, and he needs to be in direct command of his units for the skill to activate. It gives them a good boost to their effectiveness; but, Wrex can only be in one place at a time. We could really use the utility of having more war parties moving about; and, for that, I need more commanders.

Besides, both Gut and I are already specialists. That should be enough for the foreseeable future when it comes to figuring out what the hell specialists can really do.

Which leads to the actual decision.

Who the hell do I promote?

I don’t have that many possible candidates in mind. I can think of several goblins. While some have merits, there are also several downsides I need to take into consideration. There is no doubt in my mind that some goblins are better choices than others; but, there is also a personal preference factor chiming in. Choosing the wrong goblin to promote can have serious repercussions.

…

Ah, crap.

A crowd has started to gather around us, no doubt sensing that something big is about to happen. I can see Wrex walking up to the front of the crowd, grinning widely at me.

“What seems to be the problem chief?” Wrex asks. His far-too-cheerful-and-carefree grin giving me the urge to flip him off.

What seems to be the problem? Oh gee… I’m just trying to make important decisions that might make us all survive to the end of the game… Nothing big.

…

Jackass.

“Are you perhaps trying to decide who to promote, Reckless One?” Gut chimes in from the side. “I have several good suggestions if you would just listen…”

“Promote?” Wrex interrupts. “Well, don’t worry about it chief! I already have three of my strongest subordinates ready to take on the duty of command. Would you like me to bring them over?”

Huh? When did these two become this… helpful?

“Who do you have in mind?” I ask. A part of me dreading the answers.

Gut loudly clears his throat. “As you may have noticed, Reckless One, our… your goblins are in need of a clear command structure. You should promote one of your strongest and valuable troops for this honor. Naturally, the senior [Fire Mage] is the clear choice for this position.”

“A [Mage]!?” Wrex spits on the ground. “I’d rather stick my member into the mouth of one of those mangy wolves you have running around the tribe. Your next lieutenant obviously needs to be a strong leader. A [Warrior] would be the obvious-”

“A [Warrior]? Are you daft? We have enough of those muscle brains running about. We need someone of higher intelligence. The [Mage]-”

“ENOUGH!” I yell.

Djeezes. When did these two suddenly become so enthusiastic about… anything other than whacking me with a stick or killing things?

“I don’t need another [Warrior] lieutenant. I need to have more flexibility than that. And, I’d rather just quit this damn game before I let that little fire jerk anywhere near a position of power.”

They both stare at me with indignant expressions on their faces. I return their stares with an angry glare of my own.

“Then perhaps the [Blood Mage]?” Gut eventually asks.

“Maybe. But I’d like you to consider the other candidates as well.”

Wrex raises his eyebrow skeptically. “And, which candidates might that be?”

“First of all, the [Scout] is a strong option. I was thinking of-”

“The [Scout]!?” Wrex gasps. “Surely you jest?”

I give him a hard stare. “No, I do not. And, I’d rather prefer it if you never inter-”

“Impossible!” Gut hijacks the conversation. “Goblin society dictates that no lower ranked goblin may attain a position of power without having achieved a major contribution which benefits the tribe as a whole. Even considering her is at the very least, absurd.” He crosses his arms. Scowling at me.

I glare daggers at the [Mage]. How dare these fuckers interrupt me and trying to tell me how to play the game? Isn’t the whole point of the game that I’m supposed to make every single major decision around here? What is even the point if the V.I’s won’t even let me play the way I want?

“Cut the shit, Gut. If I say she is a candidate, she is. Last time I checked, I was the chieftain. Not you. Besides, she has already made several contributions to the tribe. Without her, the attack on Qargon might never have happened at all. It was she who found the enemy. It was she who located all their troops. It was she who supplied the information that allowed us to besiege their cave.”

Wrex snorts. “That may be, but her contribution in the actual fighting was non-existent. The only kill she managed to attain was from a severely wounded and unarmed kobold. I distinctly recall how her cowardly actions nearly cost you your life in the battle in the bog. I won’t accept a coward in a position of power. She is no true goblin.” He spits on the ground once more.

Oh for fuck’s sake. This god damn constant whining about achievements and hierarchical positions. I’ve had it.

“Listen here you little twerp…”

*Ahem!* Gut clears his throat loudly. Both of our heads snap towards Gut simultaneously.

“If I may ask, Reckless One, which other candidates did you have in mind?”

Glaring angrily at him for a moment for interrupting me once more. I look away, closing my eyes for a moment and let my boiling anger cool down. I’m still pissed off; but, I’m also glad Gut averted a really nasty scene.

I take a few deep breaths before I continue.

To be honest, I have no fucking clue who else is a good candidate. I don’t really have too big of a pool of goblins to choose from. Even less so if I’m only to choose from goblins that have already attained a class. I don’t really want to promote another [Warrior]. The only viable mage candidate is a complete asshole. I like the [Scout], but there is clearly a lot of opposition to that idea.

Seriously. I’m of half a mind to just tell them to fuck right off and do what I say. She is the best option. The only other option would in that case be my newly minted [Rogue]…

Huh… The [Rogue]…

Why not?

“Our new [Rogue].” I state clearly.

“The [Rogue]?” Gut mutters. He seems deep in thought for a moment before he shakes his head. “No. While his position in the ranking is higher than the [Scout], his strength is currently much weaker than the other candidates. He wouldn’t be respected. He would need to have gained a great achievement to make up for his lack of strength. As far as I know, he hasn’t. What do you think, Wrex?”

The warrior scratches his chin, apparently deep in thought. “Maybe. It’s good that he was once a [Warrior]. I can definitely vouch for his skills in combat. It’s a major loss that he lost most of his power after swapping classes. I fear it might not be enough to warrant a promotion though…” He trails off.

“Hold on a second.” I raise my hands. “The [Rogue] does have an achievement under his belt.”

The two goblins look surprised.

“What achievement?” Gut asks puzzled.

“During the battle with the kobolds in the bog. He saved my life from certain death not once, but twice. If it hadn’t been for him, we would all have perished in that fight.”

“He did that?” Gut asks surprised, looking to Wrex for confirmation. Wrex shrugs.

“I don’t know. He might have. I arrived late.” The [Warrior] says. “But, when you mention it… I definitely remember most of the kobold corpses near the Chief died to stab wounds…” He mutters.

I smile triumphantly.

“So that settles it then? You approve of the [Rogue]?”

Wrex grunts. “I’d still recommend a [Warrior].”

“His position still doesn’t compare to a [Mage].” Gut chimes in.

Oh, for the love of…

I close my ears and block out the following long tirade of arguments from my two senior subordinates. I mentally sigh.

What is even going on here? Why are they even making suggestions of their own and arguing with my decisions? They haven’t done that before. They aren’t really insubordinate… But, damn. The way they act and talk...

I didn’t expect them to emphasize the importance of hierarchical position or combat strength in their arguments. Perhaps it’s just how their V.Is are scripted? They really made it seem like I can’t just choose whomever I want as a Lieutenant. Can going against those two recommendations have a negative effect on my tribe as a whole? Does it really matter? Do I want to risk it?

*Sigh*

I won’t get any further discussing the matter anymore. They did have some valuable input; but, in the end, I want the decision to be mine and mine alone.

An hour ago, before this annoying conversation, my choice of lieutenant would have been clear. I’d upgrade the female [Scout] in a heartbeat. I did briefly consider the [Fire Mage], but really… That guy can fuck off.

And, then… A new character made itself known. One I had honestly completely forgotten about. Yep. The newly minted [Rogue] that saved my life during the fight against Qargon.

Hmm…

After listening to Gut and Wrex’s council, I have narrowed down my options. The decision isn’t easy. I have two candidates, and two directions to move.

First off is the [Scout]. Despite the strong objections from Gut and Wrex, she is an excellent candidate for being a commander type of lieutenant as her high mobility alongside her ability to track enemies can turn her into a fierce raider. What keeps me away from committing to this decision however, is her new addition. The wolf. I really have no idea how that wolf will affect her future progression, and I fear I would be a fool not to have her as a specialist. I would love to know more.

On the other side, is the [Rogue]. Anyone would say that a rogue should definitely always specialise. A strong rogue will make the strongest assassin after all. But, it’s not that easy in this game. Not at all. I can’t get around the fact that my goblins are in fact, a tier one race. Individually, the assassin might not be able to grow strong enough to easily assassinate a lieutenant from a tier three race. I already have a good hunch that there are hardly any tier one races left alive in this game; and, I don’t think I can gamble too much on individual skill in the future. If I am going to go down the assassin’s route, then I need to rely on hit squads and not the individual assassin. Which is why I consider creating a hit squad. And this force, obviously, needs a leader.

But, it still feels like a waste.

I still have a vague feeling after the discussion earlier. Can the choice of candidate really affect the tribes morale as Gut heavily implied? Or is it just a way for the developers to mess with my head. Or maybe it’s just the V.I’s playing out their pre-determined personality traits just to entertain the masses?

I really hate how this game forces me to second guess myself all the time.

My brain tells me to go for the [Scout] commander; but, my gut tells me to go for the [Rogue]. In the end, I just have to go with the flow.

I make up my mind.

With a strong resolve, I beckon for the nearby [Rogue] to approach. He dutifully steps forwards and lowers his head in respect.

I put my hand on his shoulder and utter the same words I did when I promoted Wrex.

“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?”

The rogue raises his head, staring into my eyes with resolve.

“I will be your shadow, my lord.”

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.

----------

Please select a [Lieutenant Sub-Class]:

[Commander]

[Specialist]

[Foreman]

“There we go.” I smile.

I quickly tap through the notifications and assign him as a new commander.

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

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

----------

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.

And, there we go. Back to the good old name generator. This time, I don’t let the indecision paralyze me. I have the perfect name lined up. And, no, I didn’t stay up one night and write down possible names for my Lieutenants. I’m not that lame.

I take a deep breath while I uncross the fingers behind my back.

“Your new name is Kain.”

Congratulations!

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

----------

Congratulations!

Your new [Raid Leader] has been named Kain!

“Thank you, my lord. I will be your shadow. And when the time calls for it, your blade.” Kain bows to me. His sincerity resounding amongst the listening crowd.

“And, I am your shield.” Wrex steps forwards, taking up position besides Kain. He grins wickedly as he nods at me.

As if on cue, Scarfang walks up to me and nudges me gently in my side. I let my hand rest on top of his head, softly scratching him behind his ear. Smiling, I look down at my wolf.

“I suppose you are my legs then?” I chuckle at the wolf. He barks happily, giving me a wolfy smile.

“I guess that leaves me as your brain... because you clearly lack one.” Gut muses from the side.

…

“Oh, fuck you!”