CHAPTER XXXIV: LONG LIVE THE QUEEN
_____________________________________________________________
{09:13 LOCAL TIME 3RD JULY 1ME}
UNCOMMON PERIOD
_____________________________________________________________
FORT CHAVEZ
PRIME
Kekere pecked at Colonel, who tried to go back to sleep. ”I am not in the mood, my love; give me a few minutes more sleep.” Colonel Sleepy said, patting the bird. Wait, a bird? Colonel’s mind started to catch up with his body and bird companion. He opened his eyes, and the early morning overcast sky greeted him. “Ugh.” He sighed, remembering they weren’t in Kansas no more.
Kekere kept pecking him. “I’m up, I’m up,” Colonel complained.
Kekere did a head nod in the direction of a nervous-looking troop.
“You know you can talk?” Colonel asked.
The bird shrugged and climbed into his breast pocket, and went back to sleep.
Colonel rolled his eyes. Then looked at the nervous soldier and analyzed him.
_____________________________________________________________
< ANALYZE >
{PLAYER NAME: Jimmy Donnelly
TIER: 3
CASTE:Commoner(NPC) RACE:Gaian Human
POOLS:
HP 3300/3300 regen 840HP per day
MP 170/170 regen 920MP per hour
DR:10/10 regen 1 per hour
AR:40/40
ATTRIBUTES:
Strength:330 Dexterity:330 Constitution:330 Magic:1.7 Intelligence:410 Charisma:510 Luck:100
Free Attributes:139
EFFECTS: Nervous I.
_____________________________________________________________
“What's up, Jimmy?” Clyde said, rising slowly from his sleeping bag. Then he felt it, he had a two blaring alerts as well. “Let me check something real quick,” he put a finger up just as the sunburned Irish Italian man was about to open his mouth. Jimmy’s mouth shut with a snap as the Colonel’s eyes unfocused. The bald man rubbed his head. Trying to calm himself down.
Meanwhile, Colonel’s sleepiness was fully gone by what he was reading and absorbing.
_____________________________________________________________
< STRONGHOLD ALERT >
< YOUR FORT(CAMP)HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO A FORT(HAMLET) >
FORT NAME: Fort Chavez
FORT LVL: MAX
{A Fort is the a Camp or above stronghold that has been converted for war. Forts can only be leveled up by Nobility, Clergy, and Legacies. They can be conquered by anything, however. When Conquered, unless the conquerer is a Warlord or affiliated with a Warlord, it will revert back to a basic Hamlet.
A Hamlet can accommodate up to 10,000 people comfortably in peacetime and 100,000 in war or horde time times level.
Fort Chavez can accommodate 50,000 people comfortably at all times per level.
The base area of control(AOC) of a Hamlet is up to 1000 sq meters times level.
Fort Chavez's area of control(AOC) is 8000 sq meters times level.
Current Size: 80,000 sq meters
The base area of influence(AOI) of a Hamlet is 3 times the AOC.
Fort Chavez (AOI) 10 times the AOC.
Creature spawning in the Base Hamlet AOC has a Major reduction chance.
Creature spawning in Fort Chavez AOC is nonexistent outside of Hordes. During sieges and hordes, the fort’s structures will try to kill enemies if they have the Mana and capabilities actively.
Creature spawning in the Base Hamlet AOI has a Minor reduction chance.
Creature spawning in Fort Chavez AOI has a Minute increase chance(High ambient mana will attract higher Tier Creatures.).
Base Hamlet Mana Tax gained every 7 days per citizen is 10 per level of citizen minus 1 per 2 levels of hostile players in AOI times level.
Fort Chavez Mana gained every 7 days per citizen is 1000 per level of citizen minus 1 per tier of hostile players in AOI times level.
Base Hamlet EXP gained every 7 days per NPC citizen is 2.
Fort Chavez EXP gained every 7 days per NPC citizen is 500.
Base Hamlet Stronghold Points(SP) generated every Common period is 1 per level of Hamlet.
Fort Chavez Stronghold Points(SP) generated every Common period is 130
Base Hamlet Effects: Well Rested. Well Defended: While in the AOC of the Hamlet, allied players gain 1% per level bonus CON and DR.
Fort Chavez Effect: Well Powered; Might; While in the AOI of the Fort, allied players gain a 10% leveling bonus to all Powers.
Free Buildings Updated: Fort Vault to Fort Bank, Campfire+, Smithing station, Chow station, and Alchemy station to Crafter’s Hall, Command Tent to Command Building, Guard Towers X4 to Guard Tower X8. Latrines & Locker rooms are added to the new building Barracks.
Due to your Progenitor title, all buildings and building blueprints are free, as long as your Stronghold meets the level requirements and you can provide the Mana cost.
While in the area of control of the Hamlet, citizens do Minorly more damage and take Minorly less damage from enemies.
Bonus Effect: Skill, Ability, and Trades advance Minorly faster in the AOC of your Stronghold. (This is a racial effect.)
{Type of Government: This Fort is always led by the highest tier individual, best fighter, or appointed official.
Current leader: Lady Sugar.
Authority Points:10 regen per day: 10}
_____________________________________________________________
Colonel kicked Soto, but even in his sleep, his Ranger class reactive shield activated, and Clyde felt the kick himself. ‘So that is how that feels. It’s a good thing I didn’t put too much power into it.’ He hooked his foot under his battle buddy’s sleeping bag, and using his incredible raw strength, he flipped Soto over, and a helpful tree stopped him.
Soto squawked and groaned in protest at the obscene wake-up call.
Clyde winced. Even with his strength at 10% of his actual power, he couldn’t control it. ‘I will ’
“Wake up, Sergeant Major.” He looked at the second Prompt, knowing that something else had to trigger the upgrade. As Soto tried to get himself out of his tangled sleeping bag, he complained.
_____________________________________________________________
< STRONGHOLD CONFLICT EVENT ALERT >
EVENT NAME: Hamlet to Village I
DESCRIPTION: A large group of players have left their Hamlet with the intent of joining your Hamlet. Once they made this decision, they packed up their things and started to make their way to your Hamlet. They don’t know exactly where you are located, but they had to escape before the Chancellor figured out their plan to leave. They failed. They are being pursued by the Noble guard of the Chancellor.
Objective: Stop the Noble guard from catching the escaped players. (Location on map Time frame 10 hours they should catch them at your gates)
Objective: Guide players back to Fort Chavez.
Rewards: EXP, At cost Hamlet upgrade to Village, 10 Lesser Uncommon Mana Stones, a 1 Rare Mana Stone, Upgrade to Trade Skills of citizens old and new.
_____________________________________________________________
Clyde leaped over to Soto, who was trying to make himself comfortable again.
Soto’s hackles rose as he felt Colonel towering over him. “I’m up, I’m up,” Soto said as Clyde kicked him again, sending him flying again. “Hey! I said I was up.” He yelled. “What the hell, man? I will go to Human Resources if you keep up this abusive behavior.” Then, his eyes unfocused, reading his prompts, his face becoming more serious the more he read.
“Get Sugar and the leadership to the...” The Colonel looked at the upgraded Fort in awe. It had tripled in size while he slept. His Mana Pool was still recovering from the upgrades. His Mana headache cleared up as he shared both Prompts with Soto, who sobered quickly while reading them.
Clyde looked at the Center of the Fort, and instead of a massive tent, there was a stone building with an attached medical wing. Next to it were three other buildings that weren’t there last night.
The first was the Barracks to the north of the Command Building, it was a three story building that ran the length of all of the other buildings.
The second was Fort Bank to the west. Clyde could feel that parts of the Bank weren’t physically accessible through his SpatialAwareness power, which came with the Cultivator Title.
The last was The Crafter hall to the east, it had a dining facility attached with indoor and outdoor dining areas. A few other sections were obscured from external view. It was an impressive sight.
“Get all the leadership to the command build; we will have a meeting in...” he looked at the sheer size of the Fort now. It was enormous now, no longer just a Camp the size of a house lot. Through the south gate he could see another gate over a thousand meters out with an attached wall that he assumed went around the whole fort, his Perception Skill was catching things slowly as well, it was mapping out his surrounds now that he was up and focused. The Dungeon sickness really put him down for a count, and he didn’t even remember missing a whole day now that he looked at the time stamp. “Thirty minutes. Get Rice and that Mortar section ready to lay down some fire.”
“Copy that. Did we sleep through a whole day,” Soto said as his eyes unfocused sending messages through the Stronghold channels. He pulled out a bag of dried meat. “Jerky?” He offered to Clyde, whose stomach growled loudly. Soto took out another. “Take two.”
Clyde took both bags and stuffed a piece in his mouth. “Jimmy, walk with me.” Colonel Equipped his Legacy Set pieces, and he felt power run through him. His uniform was changed to his battle dress forest green version with shiny black boots, a Stetson, and aviator glasses.
Adia landed next to him gracefully but still kicked up enough gust to toss Soto to the side since he wasn’t prepared. “What happened?” She looked around and mockingly grabbed her non-existent pearls at Soto’s body, thudding against the same tree.
Colonel looked at her, his eyes narrowing and shaking his head. “You didn’t see the Fort Grow overnight?” His question was dripping with incredulity.
“No. Dungeon exhaustion affects everyone in the GREAT GAME. Bour and I were in a pocket dimension Array that helped speed it up... when did you have time to build a second wall?” She asked, looking around and taking in everything like it was new.
“Soto walked past Adia pointedly, not looking at her. That was Clyde’s cue to follow his clearly pissed-off friend.” The narrator got Clyde’s attention from the distracting elf. He quickly walked side by side with Soto.
“You good?” Clyde said under his breath.
Soto looked at him and visibly got control of him. “I had a dream about my kids. I just miss them, you know? Not a dream I want to wake up from. And to this shit-hole. Also seeing her made me realize that there are people way more powerful than us. But I’m good now. We got Colonel Jacob with us. We can never lose with you leading the way, boss.” He gave a weak thumbs up.
Clyde scoffed. “No pressure.” He daps his best friend. “If you want to talk to them, I am sure we can have Andre set something up through our link.”
“Oh, pressure makes diamonds, homie. So let's embrace that.” Soto looked off to the left and stumbled a step. “Did we sleep a day?”
“Yes, sirs,” Jimmy said, walking slightly behind the Colonel.
“Jimmy Adia, Adia Jimmy.” Clyde introduced them. Jimmy saluted her. “It was a free upgrade from my title. I just had to pay the Mana cost, which apparently kept me sleeping all day. Though I am pretty sure our Bank is empty now. I will have to dump some of the stuff I got from my trial there. I have to sort that.”
Adia looked at Clyde like he was a talking chair. “That is impossible.”
Clyde pointed at the new walls as they walked through the gate.
“Difficult takes a day for me. Impossible takes a week.” Soto recited sagely and smiled. “Jimmy, what sup man? I apologize for ignoring you, brother; it has been a long few days.”
“Right, what‘s up, bud?” Clyde cosigned.
“No problem, Colonel. I am a big fan, by the way.” Jimmy started before coughing his embarrassment. “I was an actor on the first season of your show last year, we never met, but I like your work.”
“Umm, thanks?” Clyde answered. He had been semi-famous since he took over the JTF, but never had he thought he would have a fan for writing. It was just therapeutic to him, and it gave him an extra income on top of his pension. “Is that why you woke me?”
“Oh no!” Jimmy said, with his boston accent showing even more and turning red. “I was on watch with Johnny when the building changed. We got an alert from the tactical table, and I was sent to get you. I had been trying to wake you for about three hours when your bird started to eh... help.” He looked at the breast pocket where the little bird slept.
Clyde looked at the new wall, which did run around the old Fort area. “Well, we don’t have the manpower to man the other walls right now. It didn’t replicate my cannons either, so I will have to make some more, but it doesn’t make sense if we don’t get the people for it.” Colonel said he looked at his map ability. He saw a large group of yellow dots heading north from the hamlet. They were about two hours away from their Hamlet, which made them about seven of eight hours from their Fort. “Let’s head back to the Command Tent.”
They walked back, all of them in silence, for different reasons. Adia had lived a very long time and knew people had to think through things. Jimmy just didn’t know what to say, and Colonel was planning the moves beyond this situation, it was time to pass the buck. He walked into the Command building.
“COMPANY ATTENTION!” Soto yelled, announcing him. Everyone stood looking at the Colonel quietly.
“At ease.” He said, causing everyone to relax. “Morning everyone. Get back to whatever you were doing. Leadership with me.” Colonel walked to the back, where there were command rooms with tactical tables, active maps, and what looked like a surveillance room, but it wasn’t lit.
Clyde nodded to Soto to check it out while he led the rest to a lit tactical room.
Johnny, Yazmin, Buzbee, Rice, Modeski, Sugar, and Adia all stood around the tactical table. Jimmy stood off to the side behind Johnny.
“Alright, everyone, we seem to be in a magical world.” Colonel chuckled. “The Fort expanding was a pleasant surprise to all of us, but it poses a ton of questions, the least of which, how come none of us woke up?” He said, looking at his Mentors.
Before anyone could answer, Johnny did. “It was very quiet actually. I think the only reason we knew it was happening was because we were in the old Command Tent. I saw the Tactical table alert us of a massive migration then the Fort started to change.”
“Well, the first group is more than likely not hostile.” Colonel pointed at a cluster of yellow dots, then to a cluster behind them. ”The second group, on the other hand, is definitely hostile. Buzbee, get a team out to get eyes on them. Get a second team so that they can relay messages, okay?” He looked at his Scout leader.
“Copy that, Sir!” Buzbee said, heading out.
“Come right back and only send competent people. Also,” he turned to Sugar. “You will run this whole operation.” Soto walked in. “What was it?”
“A surveillance room. We need a few more upgrades to work it properly, but it is made to maximize surveillance-type Trade skills and Spells.”
“First thing first, what did everyone see?” Colonel asked the room. “Prompt wise. Who saw what?”
“The gunners were the only ones that saw it all,” Modeski said, rubbing his sunburned red skin. “ We watched all the patrols go out yesterday while the leadership slept. The Dwarf told us you would be down longer because of your Tier.” He nodded at Adia. “The gunners reported to command tent, but with the increase in potency of their turrets, they knew it wasn’t hostile.” He paused. “It’s not hostile, right?” He asked the Colonel
“No, anyone else?” Colonel asked the room.
“I believe everyone with a Noble Job got the Alert Sir.” Sugar answered.
The room nodded.
“So Jimmy you didn’t get any Alerts?” Colonel asked the bald man.
“I got the alert that said the Camp is now a Hamlet. It said that more promotion options have opened up to me.” Jimmy said.
Colonel nodded and looked at his JOB list.
_____________________________________________________________
< JOBS FILLED >
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
{Fort Commander: 1st Lieutenant Sugar(C)P
Fort Head Medic: Corporal Yazmin Torres(C)P
Fort Head Guard/Defensive Leader: Sergeant Johnny Torres(S)P
Fort Turret Leader: Corporal Christopher Modeski(S)P
Fort Patrol leader: Corporal Beau Buzbee(C)P
Mortar Squad leader: Specialist Brent Rice(S)}P
_____________________________________________________________
“The P stands for promotable.” The Narrator helped.
“Alright, it looks like some promotions are in store,” Colonel said.
Soto and Sugar look at their own Prompts. “Okay, the Hamlet has more Job slots for us now,” Soto said.
“How should we do this?” Sugar asked, looking at the two old soldiers.
“We need a Unit Breakdown,” Soto stated.
“Good point. What we got, Sergeant Major,” Colonel asked Soto as he looked at a magical board with the members of the Fort on it.
“We got one hundred and three of us, not including the three messengers,” Soto replied.
He walked up to the board and drew a four-box grid square. Over the top of the boxes were the words Combat and Non-Combat, and to the left were the words Mundane and Mana. There were twenty-five circles in every box.
“We have a pretty even breakdown here. It is going to be up to you, Colonel, to decide how we will put them to work. The mundane versus mana is just how the powers are set up within each player. According to the Trade Crafters, two people with the same Trade skill can also be very different from each other. The mundane trade is often passive, and knowledge is fed to the player as they level, while the Mana version of the Trade skill would be active and doesn’t require equipment to make creations. Materials are expensive for both of them, but for Mana ones, it is much more expensive because they need more Mana to make something, and that thing doesn’t last as long.
“Combat and Non-Combat is kind of a misnomer. It should be direct and indirect. The Mortar creator is in the Mana Non-Combat box.” He pointed to the bottom right box. “His Mortars are great, but they only last a day or lose durability much faster than the Mundane Mortar maker, who can make regular Mortars, but then ammo is a problem. The way they fixed it was by Combining their powers to maximize both players’ benefits. Both Professionals get a small amount of EXP for every kill as well. The Mana user made ammo, while the mundane user made the tubes. We can thank the lady of the Fort for coordinating that.”
Sugar blushed a little at the praise.
“So, 50 combatants altogether?” Colonel asked, looking at the crude chart.
“No, every one of the NPC has a combat power.” Soto didn’t have to write things down that he saw, but he needed to write things down that he heard. After reading it, the notes were useless to him with his cheat memory ability. He handed Colonel the notes he read the first and started passing them around the room.
“Okay, A five-player team should be our standard team like the JTF, Game, and the Army. The leader of that team will be a Corporal at the lowest. This will always be a noble job, appointed player. Tier matters, but as the team levels, the team should be run by the most competent player. A person with some type of medical skills, may it be mundane or mana-based, should be on every team. Hybrids are fine until we have trained up our medical corp.” He looked at Yazmin and nodded at her. She gave him a firm nod back.
“Three teams make up a squad; the top team leader would be a Sergeant, and they would lead the squad. Ten squads make up a Platoon. When we can get there, of course.” He let out a breath.
“This is when it changes a little; a Staff Sergeant will lead eight squads of the platoon, but two will be Command squads, one led by a senior Staff Sergeant and one led by a 3rd Lieutenant. Eleven platoons make up a Company-size unit. That will be led by a 2nd Lieutenant at the very least, and a Sergeant First Class lead squad as their support. We should implement this ASAP.”
“We don’t have the numbers for that,” Johnny asked.
“Not yet,” Soto said, pointing at the tactical table. “That group is coming to join us, and we will have to organize them so that we have control.”
“Sugar, it will be your job to incorporate them into the Stronghold. Keep them in the outer area if you have to. We can build some living areas before we leave, but if we want to make it to the monks, we can’t get caught up in the extra stuff, especially after losing a day. You are the lady of this fort. I plan on making sure you stay successful, but you will have to do the job well.” Colonel said seriously, looking her in the eye.
“Aye, Aye, Colonel.” Sugar responded.
“Close the gates and keep the turrets manned if it makes you feel safe. Anticipate over a thousand. They might have to say outside the Fort. In that case, I have some large tents you could set up. I’ll give them to you to handle the coordination. Have them police themselves. Then police the police.” Colonel added.
“You plan to leave us, sir?” Yazmin asked, concerned. Colonel had forgotten that for most of them, it had only been a really long day since the world broke, but for him, it had been a full-on journey.
“Yes,” Colonel answered. He knew that it was taking a chance, but completing Events and Quest was a core part of getting more powerful in the GREAT GAME for both him and his Nation. Completing them for the Stronghold would give Sugar more benefits for the Fort as well, and Soto was not going to let him go by himself. “This will be a test for both Sugar’s leadership skills and the rest of y’alls ability to support our Lady. Don’t fuck it up. We have a great start, and we want those upgrades for the Stronghold. Believe me, we are primed to do great things.”
“He is right. A Camp and Hamlet are the weakest of the Strongholds. At Village your Stronghold starts to slowly grow with the world around you. Not dissimilar to how your Fort upgraded, except over years or decades.” Adia said. “So completing the Event is very important to the growth of your Fort, Lady Sugar.”
“Alright.” Sugar began. “So you are taking a team with you? That leaves me with...” She counted out in her head. “Six full squads to defend the fort.”
“Give or take. You will have full Mortars and scouting support. Once the scout reports back you decide on how you want to handle them. I leave that up to you. I do recommend just bombing them, by the way. They work for slavers, so they are slavers, so the world won’t miss them at all.” Colonel added calmly despite his words.
“Who you taking with you sir?” Johnny asked.
“I want versatility. What team can fight and build on the fly? I would prefer a Combat Mana type or maybe even a pet type if we have any.” Colonel answered, looking at Soto.
“Jimmy Donnelly is a beast tamer, and his full team is made up of him with his Taming skills, two young women, both are ranged damage dealers. The last two are brothers or lovers. I'm not sure I wasn’t listening very well at that time. I was mad tired when I was getting all this information. But both are front-line fighters with spells that enhance them physically. They also have Turret skills. The ladies have a Mana Turret power that allows the front-line fighters to become range fighters, giving the team the versatility you need, boss.” Soto said from memory, yawning at the end.
Colonel turned to the Irish Italian man and nodded. “Let’s do some promotions. I’ll handle the big ones, Soto. Sugar, you handle all of the Corporals and below.” He opened his HUD and started to do promotions. “Sugar, you only have enough for a platoon, but those numbers should rise rapidly over the next few months and years. So I want you high enough rank to upgrade with them.”
_____________________________________________________________
< JOBS FILLED >
{Fort Commander: Captain Sugar(C)
Fort Head Medic: Staff Sergeant Yazmin Torres(C)
Fort Head Guard/Defensive Leader: Sergeant First Class Johnny Torres(C)
Fort Turret Leader: Staff Sergeant Christopher Modeski(C)
Fort Patrol leader: Staff Sergeant Beau Buzbee(C)
Mortar Squad leader: Sergeant Brent Rice(C)
Team leader Corporal Jimmy Donnelly(S)}
_____________________________________________________________
“I want The Medical staff to be a full platoon as fast as we can. Can you take care of that, Yazmin?
“Yes, Colonel Jacob.” The short Mexican woman said, writing in her HUD notes. All Job holders got a HUD notebook that they could write things down in without losing it for a certain amount of time.
The legacy nodded, “Then the guard force. I want a full company. I leave the organization to you, Johnny, and your subordinates.
“Roger that, sir.” The retired tanker answered with a stiff back.
“Jimmy, get your team together, Corporal; we move out in an hour, give or take.” As he looked at the Event timer.
_____________________________________________________________
< STRONGHOLD EVENT ALERT >
EVENT NAME: NPC help
DESCRIPTION: The NPCs of the CSU Chancellor Stronghold fear that the Chancellor has sold them out to The Syndicate or Westside Guild. Now that the Uncommon Horde has passed, his noble guard has initiated martial law. The two Buddhist monks who were the prime Protectors of the NPCs have gone missing since the battle.
Objective: Stop the Chancellor from handing the NPCs over to the Slaver Strongholds. (Location on map, Time frame 13D:14H:26M)
Objective: Find the Monks before they die. (Location on map Time frame 4H:26M)
Rewards: EXP, Hamlet leadership, 10 uncommon mana Stones, 100 Rare Mana Crystals, and New members to your nation.
_____________________________________________________________
Jimmy gave a sloppy salute and rushed out just as Buzbee rushed back in. Everyone could see he had something important to say, but they waited for him to catch his breath.
“T-the Messengers are awake, and, and they are fighting the medics.
***
_____________________________________________________________
{09:40 LOCAL TIME 3RD JULY 1ME}
UNCOMMON PERIOD
_____________________________________________________________
FORT CHAVEZ
TEAM PUFF
Team Puff was the team name led by Corporal Valia Smith; she was part of a bigger JTF squad led by Sergeant Conception. Her team were all women, and they were all spies. It was hard to keep their main Skill or Class below their identifiable Profession, but that was part of the new norm for the Force.
Once the Breaking happened, her original team was stuck in the city proper at a mall on patrol. With another team led by Staff Sergeant Knight, they gathered all of the citizens and made their way back to the JTF Compound near downtown LA. They collected as many civilians as they could protect in the confusing atmosphere.
Long Beach was a party Zone and didn’t have the infrastructure to support the thousands of displaced people. They had coordinated with the Gangs and Compton Cowboys to help pull Buses of people to Los Angeles. Most of the groups were cool for the first week.
The many plane wreckages that marked the airport area between the two cities were sobering to watch. Not many that tried to land on the land survived, but they were infinitely better off than the ones that landed in bodies of water. The water beasts were relentless, and only the previous Enlighten had a chance of making out.
Still, most thought it was just an EMP or some rest in the matrix. Valia hated Californians. They were hopeful to a fault. She never minded it before the Breaking, but it made them slow afterward. Because they were having fun leveling up and exploring the expanding world. Californians loved to hike.
Then the Horde came, and with that, a new Protocol for all JTF troopers. The JTF had trained every unit size from Team to Battalion on how to operate in case of catastrophic communication failure, and that training had paid off. If only barely.
The JTF had helped establish the Los Angeles Stronghold, but they stayed separate from the Noble Authority until further orders. The JTF’s new mission was to find other members and bolster their ranks until they could reestablish communication with HQ or the bigger JTF compounds. But the Hordes prevented that.
Only having a week to search on foot or with some horses provided by the Compton Cowboys just wasn’t enough time to make any significant leeway on finding other groups. Even if they did, that didn’t mean they would come with the JTF troops to the Los Angeles Stronghold, and by the next time they got back, those very groups could be dead or, worse, missing.
The researchers of the JTF were having a field day with the new status. The majority of the old researchers unlocked some research-like Trade or General skills. Getting information from items that were in the emergency vault and ones brought in from monster kills and Dungeon dives. Smith realized, at some level, that the JTF knew this was going to happen somehow.
That was way above her pay grade, however, she was a grunt and a good grunt at that.
Corporal Smith’s team, Power Puff, or Puff for short, was part of the Stronghold courier and messenger system. The JTF, being the best prepared for the Breaking, took up the duty of disseminating information to the area to bring the citizens together. Trying to link Camps, Hamlets, and a few Villages to the Town of LA was much more difficult as the world seemed to be constantly changing and growing rapidly. The war between the Gangs and the Government Authorities didn’t help whatsoever.
Then the Uncommon Horde came. That was a new nightmare. Hordes for a day was bad enough; now the beasts were bigger, faster, smarter, stronger, and they had two full days of fighting them. Team Puff was caught at other Strongholds for the Hordes, helping out where they could. They had Mid-Rare Tier gear that pushed their powers to another level. With the war still raging, only stopping for Hordes, the JTF became the neutral go-between to keep the citizens together.
Then, the continuous horde happened, and like many JTF teams at the time, their jobs changed. They were tasked with finding the Dungeon that needed to be cleared to stop the horde. The stupid Curse was constantly affecting everyone, even with most forgetting it. That was the nature of Curses, after all.
This new mission had her team running around all over old Los Angeles County, trying to find the unfindable. A lucky Scout from the Stronghold Army found it in Long Beach and the Governor had taken it upon himself to clear it for the good of the county. Also, for the good of the County, they told no one else where it was because gossip was still undefeated in this new world.
That was a little under two months ago, and Smith’s team had been looking for him ever since the first week. Smith wasn’t a negative person, but this new world was not a kind place. Slavers and bandits were on the rise. Some of them had even caught her team on a rest break after a fight with a nursery of Torn Spike Raccoons. These earth-based Raccoons were durable as hell and her Team was forced to use all their trump cards to beat them. That was when they were ambushed and toyed with.
That thought brought Smith’s situation into focus. She was experienced enough not to make any sudden moves when she woke up in an unfamiliar place. She slowly opened her eyes, expecting to see dirt and grim-covered walls of the prison and be surrounded by slaves of all kinds. The last thing her addled brain remembered was the knights from one of the Slaver guilds ambushing her with slave collars, so seeing clean, blank white walls of a well-lit hospital with glowing light stone sigils in the ceiling, she was understandably very confused.
“Oh, you are awake.” A voice said from next to her, causing her to flinch. “I am Corpsman, Kirkpatrick. You were attacked by some group, and we brought you back to our fort. You there,” The voice said to someone else, “get Yazmin or someone from the leadership. They should be in the main building.” The voice paused. “Ah, Buzbee, we got a live one. All their bodies have recovered nicely. I believe they will all be up in an hour or less. I need further guidance here, though.”
“Copy that, I get you some.” The person she assumed was Buzbee replied.
Smith saw from her admittedly limited view that she was alone in the hospital with just Buzbee and the Corpsman. She knew that power was a major trump card. If they were going to make their move, it had to be before someone too powerful showed up.
[Everyone up?] She asked in team chat.
[Copy that.] Alanna, their front-line fighter, replied, ready to rock.
[Yes, Corporal.] Julia, their close-range damage dealer, added.
[Julia, take out the Corpsman. Alanna, you and I will go for the tough guy.]
“I think they are planning something,” Kirkpatrick said to Buzbee.
“Yeah, I see.”
“Go get the leadership. I got them.” The Corpsman said confidently. Buzbee didn’t hesitate and ran.
[Go, go, go] Smith ordered after he left. She wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to take down at least one guy and escape. Team Puff was a speed-based team and where masters of espionage and evasion. Taking down some medic should be cake. They made their escape much easier.
The team sprung into practiced action. But without their gear, it was stats against Skills.
The Corpsman, not fooled by their ‘ambush,’ dodged the initial attack attempt and pulled out a rod from his lab coat. “Please calm down, ladies, or I will have to calm you down.” He said calmly
All three stood ready, and the only thing between them and freedom was one NPC medic. Was being the operative word there because shortly after that thought, a five-and-a-half-foot tall jet-black Akita-faced wolf walked up next to the medic, and Buzbee from before, the wolf sat down calmly.
The corpsman looked at the Wolf with pride.
[Plan B! Julia, make me a wall behind us. That Beast is at least Tier 3, possibly 4. If it’s a 4, we are fuck so let’s go with 3.] Smith ordered, identifying Kuma as the biggest threat by far. The intelligence in her eyes was way above human. She made a snap decision based on the information she had. She was not going to let her team become slaves. Not without a fight.
Julia spun around on her bare heels, her long, thigh-length, flowing brown hair wiping around as a tattoo on her left arm flashed bright red when she made a fist.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. The building is...” A new, deeper voice started to say before.
BOOM
“...Platinum, your Tier is too low to damage it.”
Smith saw the burnt husk of Julia fly back from the wall, lifeless. She froze at the sight. The damage she tried to inflict on the wall rebounded on her. Normally, that wouldn’t happen, but as anything rises in tiers, the more bonus effects they get, and they are often random. Her team had just gotten very unlucky.
“Corpsman, give her this potion in an IV, and monitor her, heal what you can, but let the potion do its work. Yazmin helps him out. Corporal Smith, I am Colonel Clyde Jacob,” an average-height black man in black fatigues said to Smith as her mind raced.
“This is Sergeant Major Soto and the lady of the fort Captain Sugar. We kind of have a basic idea of what is going on, but you will tell us your story, and hurry, we are all on a very short clock, and minutes matter.”
***
______________________________________________________________
TRIAL TIME 18:22
_
_____________________________________________________________
WANCHI
COLONEL
Colonel stretched after maxing out his specialization again.
_____________________________________________________________
< SPECIALIZATION MAXED >
{For reaching level 10 in your Spec +30 skill points & +30 to all attributes expect magic.}
_____________________________________________________________
< CLASS LEVEL UP X9 >
+971 CON, +747 CHA, LUCK, +702 STR, DEX, +621 INT, END, WIS +234 Free, +1 Magic.
LEVEL: 39 EXP to next specialization 0/8,000,000
{Would you like to Specialize?
YES/NO TOUCH ONE}
_____________________________________________________________
He had a ton of prompts waiting to be read, but he wanted to get through his fourth specialization before looking at them. He leveled up his Class next. He spent over seven million combined EXP to get to the next Specialization table, and now he had to match and exceed that number to specialize. It was starting to get very expensive. Not really for him since he had an over abundance of EXP.
He read the new table.
_____________________________________________________________
{SPECIALIZATION TABLE
(Checking...)
Mininum Primary stats over 500, and Secondary stats 250, Tertiary stats 150 met and exceeded, Mininum 3 Titles(At least 1 Platinum)earned and exceeded, Caste Quest in progress.
Specialization Tier: 4
Race Tier: 4
Lower Tier Damage Reduction/Bonus Damage/EXP Reduction:
T-1: 75% T-2: 50% T-3: 25%
Specialization Base Class: Prime
Abilities and Additions at next Tier: True Class path, Tier 4 spell.}
{Choose Spec to Upgrade Class}
_____________________________________________________________
“Okay, so I have to choose between one of my specializations?” Colonel asked Peck Joy for a quick clarification.
“Good, I wasn’t sure what options you would have gotten since you already earned a True class so early. Sometimes, things change. I have not heard of it this early before. I have heard of True Classes at Tier 4 but not before, like you.” Peck Joy said, looking at Colonel like he was some cool new experiment.
“Does it matter which Spec I use,” Colonel asked, still looking at his HUD.
“It most certainly does. I don’t know what your other specs are, but the higher tier Spec would always give the most benefits, but it comes at a higher EXP cost. That is a price that everyone would pay at this point.” Peck Joy added. “Raw power can’t be overcome easily, so most lean into that fact.”
“Ahh,” Colonel said sagely, not understanding fully but getting it enough. “All my specs are some version of Warlord.”
“Impossible.” The cleric was floored. “That is unreal. If that is the case, you will be doing something even I have never heard of, and I get information fed to me through my Professional skills.”
“So you have no idea what will happen at this tier now?” Colonel asked.
“Sadly, no, but I am curious. It may not help me, but it can help future generations of our race. Though I don’t know what titles and achievements are required to get a True class at Tier 2.”
“Probably the Breaking that brought my planet into the GREAT GAME. That seems to be the answer to all the oddities surrounding all my fortunes.”
“That makes a ton of a lot of sense, actually. Breakings are rare and often end up like a Blue giant star; they burn hotter than all other stars but for a much shorter time.” Peck Joy looked out at the army, really giving its all to kill the Councilors. “They are going to be even more surprised now. They never had a chance. I had never thought that the Council would give up so easily. I guess the saying is true. Experience can see the big picture, while the young is just drawing it.”
“I can understand that,” Colonel agreed. “Let’s do it then; there’s no time like the present like my dad used to say.” He chose Upper-Class Warlord and had to click if he was sure ten more damn times, then finally, after the last verification notice, he got a new Prompt.
_____________________________________________________________
< TRUE CLASS PATH CHOSEN >
{Calculating...}
< TRUE CLASS PATH COMPLETE >
{Calculating...}
{For gaining and maxing out a True class as a Spec X2
For gaining and Maxing out an Advance True Class Spec X2
For gaining and Maxing out an Upper-Class True Class Spec X2}
{Your Path is your own. You are now a Prime Warlord}
{Prime Warlord leads to War-Titan True Class at Tier 5}
_____________________________________________________________
“Whoa, cool name, War-Titan,” Clyde said softly to get a taste for it. “I like it.” A few prompts jump ahead of all other prompts right after that.
_____________________________________________________________
< DUNGEON COMPLETION OBJECTIVE LIST >
{1. Make a Stronghold. (Complete)
2. Win the war. (Defeat Elven Third Army to complete)
3. Gain access to the respawn system. (Complete)
4. Choose a side in conflict. (Mermaid side)
5. Solve the puzzle. (Queen’s Vaults key)
6. Face the final boss. (Go to Vault)
7. Don’t Die more than once.}
{100% Completion Bonus is a rank upgrade.}
< 50% Completion >
{You can Complete the Trial at any time over 50%}
{Would you like to complete the Trial?
Yes/No}
_____________________________________________________________
< SECRET QUEST COMPLETE >
{Quest Name: The Queen’s Vault I
Quest Type: Secret chain
Description: When The Imperium came to Serenity, for balance, the Game gave the Mermaid Queen a vault. Whoever opens this vault will be given a great power that will expel the enemy. In classic GREAT GAME style, however, the Imperium captured the Queen and the Vault, and for the last few centuries, her kidnappers have been trying to open it. Where they have failed, you have succeeded.
Requirements: Complete the True path class early and get Completion upgrade X3 or higher(Complete 2X)
Objective 1: Gain true class two Specs early. (Complete)
Objective 2: Max out at least 1 Spec. (Complete X 3)
Secret Objective: Conquer over 50% of the island. (Over 90%)
Rewards: 50,000,000 EXP, Cultivator Quest(Already in progress upgraded.), Key to Queen’s vault(In soul Storage) New Quests.
_____________________________________________________________
< QUEST UPGRADED >
{Quest Name: Cultivation I; Mortal Realm
Quest Type: Cultivator; Sponsored/Earned
Quest Tier: EPIC
Description: Cultivators are creatures on the path to immortality. They use Essence to slowly remove their bodies from the mortal coil.
All Objectives completed.
Secret Objectives Completed.
Space Choice upgraded.
Finish the Trial to receive rewards.
Time limit: None
Rewards: Variable.}
_____________________________________________________________
Colonel didn’t know what to say. His mouth was dry all of a sudden.
_____________________________________________________________
< FEAT OF SKILL >
{For forging your own path to cultivation, you are awarded +1 free Title slot, +1 free Skill-tree slot, +1 free Trade skill, +1000 to all stats except Magic, +2 to Magic, and +100 skill points.}
_____________________________________________________________
“Three feats in one day.” Colonel absently said to himself, not realizing that Peck Joy had dropped the sound barrier. If he were paying attention, he would have felt the eyes on him. But he wasn’t. He was too caught up in the rush of leveling high. He looked at his new Spec and True Class Path and was impressed with what he saw.
He took a sip of water to clear up the cotton mouth he had after seeing the changes. He took out a few dry rations since he was beyond hungry. He ate and drank while he read the new prompts.
_____________________________________________________________
{CLASS PATH: Prime WARLORD
(”I am the authority of the LAWs; if you weren’t Lawbreakers, the LAWs would have never sent me. Surrender is an option, but I’m hoping you’ll fight. Losing a battle is acceptable, but not the war. If you come at the King you best not miss.”)
COST: PAID
The Prime Warlord is a Unique Class Path that leads the War-Titan True Class. The War-Titan are vast-scale powerhouses with the ability to control huge battlefields just as easily as a small team. Prime Warlords are large-scale battle specialists.
Prime Bonus: All combat skills do Finely more damage and take Moderately less damage
Prime Warlord absorbs all other Specs and adds: +50 to all except Magic, +50 Free.
_____________________________________________________________
“Jeez, and ages.” Colonel was about to look at his Spell choices when he noticed that all the action around him had died down. It was dead silent in the valley. He looked up, and Peck Joy had tears streaming down his face. Snot ran freely as he cried.
The Legacy looked at the half-mermaid perplexed. “What?” The Warlord asked looking around and noticing everyone in the valley was quietly crying. ”Seriously, What?!” He asked, even more confused.
“The queen is alive.” Peck Joy choked out. ”After centuries, we finally know. We were a broken people without her. When she was kidnapped, we thought she was killed. Now we know not only that she is alive but how to save her. The whole Mermaid race received a racial quest generated because you completed a quest. We were always in your debt, but now you will be making us whole again.”
Colonel looked at the Prompt that had been flashing. “Oh...Ohhhhh.”
_____________________________________________________________
< RACIAL EVENT ALERT >
EVENT NAME: Long Live the Queen
DESCRIPTION: The Queen of the Mermaids lives. She is trapped and bonded to her Vault on the Imperium side of the island; she is weak but can hold on now that the Progenitor has changed her race to a Nascent Mermaid. The gnomes have given you terms to win the war, but the protector of the vault isn’t going to be an easy target.
Objective: Kill the Elven 3rd Army(Location on map.)
Objective: Save the queen(Location on map Time frame 7D:4H:26M)
Rewards: EXP, Mana Stones, Essence, Relative Peace on Serenity.
_____________________________________________________________