V5: Chapter 12

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Interlude: Khanrow

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As the men enjoyed the comforts and festivities of victory upon their return, I met with Gilbert in a safehouse two towns away.

“How does it feel to be back?” Gilbert wore a new disguise as a stern, older gentleman clad in one of the Academy’s suits. If he didn’t speak to me with his voice, I would’ve wondered if he was right in front of me. “I’ve read your findings. A year being without civilization…”

“I lived for decades without the comforts offered by our lands… but that didn’t make it easier. I won’t be leading many of these, even with a refreshed body.” Reinvigorated I might be, but the fact remained that I was unsuitable for the task. “Riegert will do better. How is he?”

“Manning and clearing the lands of the Scholars, still. He’s well suited to that task, and assisted me in my investigations, but we’ll do better together especially with many of the challenges cut down.” That was good. I could supply Riegert with my findings, and he could venture out, while I tended to more domestic affairs. Ones that relied on skill with intrigue, rather than survival and combat. “We found a few cells of the Scholars, but they haven’t provided leads. They’re harder to fight in the shadows… and we have suspicions that the Academy is not as dead as we believed.”

“The accounts on some sort of Ancient construct delivering a demon blade to the Conquerors?”

“Exactly.” Gilbert paused before rising and going to the door. He waited outside for a moment, and then returned with foods laden on a tray. Fresh fruits, stewed vegetables, and freshly-roasted meats. My stomach rumbled even as I stopped myself from digging in and accepted plates and utensils. “You eat, I’ll talk, my lord.”

“You have my thanks.” Our supplies had been good, and we foraged extensively, but we were without much for the longest time. On our way back, as hearts lifted and we passed back through the mountain range where our enemies could not follow, all the talk became of soft cots, roofs over our heads, baths, and fresh food. I’d already indulged in them all, but for the last I wasn’t yet completely satiated. My men’s constant talking must’ve gotten to me. “I heard the Conquerors are with us now?”

“That… was outside my expectations, but that’s just the norm when it comes to Jack. The Conquerors asked for aid, he called forth a militia and all who could come, and in but a two months their Citadel was with ours and they’re now allies… permanent ones.” Gilbert grunted and helped himself to his own tray of food. His was much smaller than mine. Just a light soup and some fresh bread. Many of my men would’ve done terrible things for just that meal. Hm. I wonder how many of them were gorging themselves now. Wallace was sure to be admonishing many of them. Ah, mulled wine. It has been too long. “They’re rebuilding as we speak, and there’s not an ounce of dissent from them. You’d think that we made it all happen, given how we’re profiting so much from what happened.”

I nodded as I helped myself to the food, before gesturing to Gilbert to continue speaking. It was almost difficult to pay him attention, and he gave me a wry smile that told me he realized that I thought such. He didn’t fault me though, and just spoke a bit slower to allow me to help myself.

Good lad.

“Jack contacted me after, or rather, he approached you. The plan is to create a new organization. One on our tenets, but with far larger scope and with coverage over all our lands.” Gilbert produced a small letter from his jacket. It was written simply and in plain words, but since it was addressed to me, Gilbert could’ve only received it through Jack himself personally delivering it. “Not just a few select agents, but a whole web. One that will require a training center of its own, hidden away, where we spirit away recruits that’ll want for nothing. The details are… extensive.”

I gazed on it and took a moment to speak after swallowing.

“He’s creating an army of people such as you and I to search every possibility and kill any threat. Our kind, but produced on the same scale as warriors.”

“Is that even possible?”

“A decade ago, I would say no, but now… I think it would be foolish to not try.” This request from Jack reminded me of his request to create his transports. He outlined the costs, what will be needed, how to acquire it all, and the benefits to us. All was clear, concise, and turned a dream into something far better: a plan of action. “We’ll keep it mind and work on it as soon as I fully recover. However, for now, what’s important is that all that we’ve found makes it to the capital as soon as possible in complete secrecy.”

“I agree. At least, we should try. The benefits are worth the risk, as long as we can keep them all from betraying us.”

A thought occurred to me at those words.

“That might not be a problem with what we have found. You are aware of Ayah’s true nature, correct?”

“Aye, she’s an Ancient Golem capable of changing shape and form, but intended to rebuild and aid us in fighting against the foes of the Ancients… despite all her power.”

“Correct, and we believed that she is the last of her kind, but such is not the case.” We were already in a secluded room, and I trusted Gilbert, so I had no reason to whisper or lie. I waved my guard forward, whom Gilbert had eyed with suspicion, until I had signaled him worthy of trust. “The Ancients left many things behind, defended by grand defenses and curses upon their foes, but the closest complex they left behind had a singular purpose: to create an army that those who remain free can use to fight back.”

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Gilbert, of course, realized what I was speaking about while my guard took off his hood and helmet.

Revealing a perfectly smooth, puppet-like head, much like the Guardians born of the Citadels.

Tristain’s voice warbled, as he spoke before reforming his mouth.

“Our creators left us to toil and perfect ourselves. At first, it took much to create us. Buildings the size of mountains, but we studied what they left behind, and discovered new paths as the centuries passed… and now all we need to create is mass and this.” Tristain pushed aside his vest and presented a smooth chest seemingly made of pure white stone. It opened and where his heart was… was a faintly shining orb embedded amidst a dizzying array of machinery. To its left and right, there were smaller ones growing and he plucked one of the lesser orbs out of his chest. The size of a marble, yet it could become a warrior of devastating potential, a scholar with quick wit, a mage with immense potential, or a shadow hidden in the dark ready to strike. “With magic and mass alone, we can forge ourselves. The stronger the material, the mightier we are, and your people have laid claim to the greatest works of the Ancients, inherited their legacy, and their foes who rule the world entire.”

Gilbert was lost in thought for a long time, but slowly he closed his open jaw and managed to speak.

“How many of your people are there? How fast can you create yourselves?”

Tristain gave Gilbert the same, grim answer he gave me.

“Enough to give you all a fighting chance against the horrors that are coming.”

Indeed.

Tristain and his people were an immense boon to us, but we faced an entire world of horrors that were now breaking apart the defenses that protected us for so, so long.

Still, though, they were a faint, shining light in the dark future that lay ahead.

…

Not going to lie, under normal circumstances, I’d restart my game if I went out of my way to secure the very first expedition and got the garbage Ancient Wonder that Khanrow brought back.

The Ancient Iterants are pretty much the lowest rank Wonder that you could get, because stat-wise it only provided three things: increased population growth, increased defenses during sieges, and finally a ten percent production bonus in all Citadels.

On the surface, that’s all great and I won’t deny the benefits were great in real life, but the other Ancient Wonders we could’ve found were better. I’d hoped we’d find the Vengeance Factory, which was giant fucking robot that you deployed on mountain tiles. That giant robot would take five turns, turn the mountain tile into flat land, and give you a T2 Army without any upfront or maintenance cost. If you spent the money and research to upgrade it, it’ll churn out T3 armies and you can just drown your enemies in robots.

Now that’s a SSS-tier Ancient Wonder.

Comp stomp even at the highest level, and all your living opponents quit if they find out that you have it.

Ancient Iterants, meanwhile, gave you more pops, more production, and increased defense in your cities.

The comp will stomp you, and your online ‘friends’ will laugh at you for days.

There are normal Wonders that you can build yourself that give similar bonuses, while only seven Ancient Wonders spawn per game out of a pool of fifty and normally they take 20 turns to get. Five years that you must supply that entire army for, which you can’t use, who’s also led by a Champion you have no access to.

If I received the Ancient Iterants after paying that price, I’d literally restart the game from opportunity cost alone.

But, since it was at a massive discount because it's the first found, I had less issues with it.

And, of course, there was the fact that in-game stats were balanced for online play, while in reality… they could do more.

Or, at least, I hoped that they could.

“Ayah, you’re taking command of these people. You’ve been asking for tasks in the evening. They’re yours.” Ayah gave a bow at my command, while I stood up from my desk. I’d arrived just a few days ago back home and work had piled up while I was away. This was a good break, all things considered. “Who’s your leader?”

“We are meant to serve those who lay claim to the Ancient’s legacy.”

Yeah, no. I know your event chain. I’m ending it right here and right now.

“No. You’re a people created with a purpose, just like the rest of us made by the Ancients. I’m sure that you all have your own dreams, aspirations, and desires… besides surviving a planet full of nightmares. So, tell me what you want in exchange for your help.” Ancient Wonders came with event chains. Ancient Iterants had a pretty generic, boring one, which was another reason it was an F-tier Ancient Wonder. Robots aren’t people, even though they look like people, so we can treat them like shit and use them to our advantage. Yadda, yadda. Blah, blah. Boring. Skipping it. Nipping it in the bud. Don’t got time for that bullshit. "Before you ask, you’ll have all the rights the rest of my people have. Wages in exchange for work, homes just like everyone else’s, education if you want it, and even the right to not live just to fight and die like dogs on the battlefield. What I want to know is… what do your people want?”

“What we… want?” The one I was speaking to had red hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. According to Khanrow, the Iterants defaulted to this style, and they did the same in-game. They could shapeshift, but the game-devs left that up to the modders. Lots of perverts out there ran mods turning Iterant army units into super-hot robot women in gothic dresses and blindfolds. Not going to lie, I ran that mod too, on the off-chance that I ‘lost’ and got the Ancient Wonder. Lessened the pain of losing so much and gaining so little. Whoever made the Ancient Wonder system into an in-game gacha system deserves to go to hell. “We… I… don’t know.”

“Then, find a leader amongst yourselves, talk it out, and write it out. I’ll review it along with all the other public requests.” I jammed a thumb over my shoulder at the pile of slates I had. I was a tyrant, but I wanted to keep my people satisfied and not doing stupid shit like rebel while we had world-spanning threats coming. Gotta keep the people a little chubby and happy, so that they’re willing to fight and die for the state. “Ayah, that’s the highest priority. If you need less shifts to get it done…”

“I will not. This matter will be dealt with by tomorrow. Come along, Iterants.” The Ancient Administrator glared down at its new charges. I wasn’t sure why, but the Ancient Golem didn’t seem to like them. Hm. Ah, right. These guys were an uncorrupted version of the AI swarm that fucked over the Ancients, but reforged and remade before being told to improve and locked away in a massive, well-protected research center. Ayah probably had trust issues with them.

Hm.

Time to give an order.

“Be nice to them, Ayah. They may resemble the foes the Ancients once faced, but they’re not them.”

Ayah froze at my words.

“How did you know that?”

“It was a guess. One based off your actions alone.” I lied as I turned to return to my desk. Ayah stared at me, and so did the Iterant. Was there some sort of guilt built into the Iterants? The setting’s fucked up enough for a whole race to be aware from birth that they’re fuck ups. “They are not their forebears, and Ancients betrayed one another, too. Treat them as you would the rest of our people, as we are all fighting the same war.”

Ayah nodded after a moment and straightened up, while getting rid of the small frown it sported, then it bowed at me.

“Your will shall be done, my lord.”

I waved them away and enjoyed the few moments I’d have before Morgan would come by after hearing Ayah left.

For some reason, the greatest traitor to the entire world was spending all the time she could around me.

Needless to say, I think I’m starting to get ulcers.