Ten:

Choices, Choices, Choices

I took a deep, uneasy breath as everyone trickled out of the Command Room, save for the handful of Alliance Officers we’d asked to remain behind. The handful that stayed—all members of the old guard and close friends—took their seats around the now emptied command table, most of them looking absolutely exhausted by the events of the morning. And they had good reason to be wrung out. After weeks of infighting and quibbling about a thousand little details, we’d finally managed to seal the deal. 

Honestly, I’d been deeply unsure how things were going to shake out, but the fact that Osmark had spoken up and fully committed his forces right on the spot had been a game changer. Without him, it was likely our shaky foreign alliances would’ve fallen apart completely, dooming us all in the process. True, the Alliance still would’ve attacked anyway—and we would’ve used every dirty trick in the book—but our chances of wining were slim even with all of Eldgard’s forces rallied behind us. Taking a run at Thanatos all by our lonesome would’ve been a playing Russian roulette with a full chamber. 

All that was behind us, however, and there were only a handful of things left to do before we launched our invasion. 

The biggest of those things, something when been putting since I’d acquired the Realty Editor, was upgrading our Faction Abilities. Turned out, taking down Khalkeús was no small feat; not only had it earned me a new personal level, but it had also pushed the Crimson Alliance up to a level 4 Faction, unlocking 5 new Proficiency Points, and, coincidentally, making the Alliance the top tier Faction in all of Eldgard. An accomplishment which gave me no small sense of satisfaction, considering even the Ever-Victorious Empire was only level 3.

As much as this was life and death—and it certainly was—I was still a gamer at heart, and being at the top of the leaderboard felt good. Though, Osmark was still the level leader for personal character. Which was absolutely insane, considering the ridiculous number of legendary and Death-Head quests I’d managed to finish since entering V.G.O. It made me wonder what in the heck Osmark had done during his time in game to achieve such a phenomenal level. Part of me wanted to write him off as being a dirty cheater, but I knew there was way more to it than that. 

Begrudgingly, I had to admit, the guy was good and a real gamer at heart. 

“Okay,” I said dismissing thoughts of the tech billionaire. “It’s time, guys. We can’t put it off any more.” With a wave of my hand, I brought up our Faction Interface screen. All of our stats hung in the air for the assembled members to see, including the highlighted unspent point total.

Cutter groaned audibly. “Bloody hells, Jack. This? Again? You do know I got married yesterday, eh? Perhaps, as an appropriate wedding gift, you could let me leave early and get a run on my honeymoon drinking binge.” 

“Non-sense,” Amara replied with a sniff, shooting Cutter a flat, unamused glare. “My husband jokes. Surely, the Spymaster of the Alliance would not be shirking his duty. It would be dishonorable.”

“Shirking is an awfully strong word, I’d said,” Cutter replied, leaning back in his seat and lacing his fingers together behind his head. “More like diligently avoiding. Is that better?” He cocked his head to the side. “Eh, it’ll do. Yes, definitely more in a diligently avoiding manner.”

“My love,” Amara said, somehow making the words as sharp as a knife blade and more deadly than any threat. 

“Gah, fine,” he said, throwing his hands up in sheer frustration. “Bloody hells, woman, I’ll stay. Let me just settle back and mentally prepare myself for whatever fresh hell Jack has cook up for us.” He turned a sour gaze on me, “So what’s it going to be this time, eh? Instead of just picking bloody Battle-Craft for the war, what mad scheme are you thinking of? Wait, wait.” He held up a hand to stop stall me. Then called up a skill tree with an effort of will. 

<<<>>> 

<<<>>> 

“Let me guess. You want us to invest all our points into the Merchant-Craft Skill Tree, maybe.” He grinned manically and snapped his fingers. “Right. If I were you—bat-shite loony—I’d drop all our points into Barter, Investor, Entrepreneur, Caravan, and then one into Engineering. No one sees that coming, eh? Then, maybe I’d try to build some kind of giant wooden horse. We would use all our merchant skills to somehow sell the horse to Thanatos—turning a sizeable profit in the process—then, in the cover of night, we launch an invasion by activating a portal which we stowed inside the horse. Am I about on track?” He asked, flicking the Merchant-Craft Skill tree away in disgust. 

I couldn’t help but smile as I looked around the room and noticed that everyone was looking at me, completely dead-panned.

“What?” Abby finally said with a shrug, fighting back a smile. “It’s not like he’s totally wrong. I mean, we’ve been waiting for almost two weeks for you to decide what you want to do, and honestly, the magical portal Trojan-horse thing does sound a lot like a Jack plan.”

“To be fair,” Vlad said, pulling free his pipe which he promptly began filling with potent smelling tobacco. “Is not bad plan. Could get those stuffy Accipiter Merchants to lend hand, da? Also. Agreed. It is very Jack.”

I laughed out loud, the sound pure and somehow clean after all of the tension of the previous meeting. The sound spread around the room, contagious as the plague, until it filled every throat and leeched some of the fear from the room. 

“Yeah, okay. None of you are wrong,” I offered as the laughter finally subsided. “But this time I think we just play it straight up. All five points into Battle Craft.” 

The room promptly fell into shocked silence.

“Surely this is some sort of jest,” Otto rumbled, leaning forward, bulky forearms planted on the table. “Abby told me about an event your people celebrate called April Fools. Am I being fooled? We’ve been asking you to pick Battle-Craft skills since the beginning, yet now you do so when the most obvious course of action is to form a plan outside of the box?” He shook his head, brow creasing in thought. “It makes no sense. Surely it is wiser to lean into our strengths at this point. And, as much as it pains me at times, unconventional warcraft is our greatest strength.” 

“But that’s the thing,” I said, nearly bouncing in my seat. “We’re always making plans that are outside the box. And Thanatos knows that, so he’s going to be expecting something clever. So instead, we play against his expectations by zigging where he expects us to zag. That’s how we subvert expectations. This time, we lean hard into Battle-Craft—which actually makes the most sense in this scenario because we’re not the underdog anymore. I mean, sure, the chances of us taking down Thanatos are slim, but we have all of Eldgard behind us now. 

“Really think about it, guys,” I said. “We’re no longer outnumbered and for the first time since Rowanheath, we’re not playing a defensive war. Heck, even at Rowanheath, that wasn’t a real siege—it was pure guerrilla warfare. And we only pulled that off because no one expected us to attack. Thanatos, though, he analyzes data, that’s literally his purpose. There’s no way he won’t be ready for a move like that. Plus, this time, we’re actually the aggressor. We’re moving in force and conducting a more or less standard siege and invasion, which is exactly what Battle-Craft skills were intended for. I know this sounds crazy, and I’m open to hearing some other options, but I think this is the best way to go.”

The room was quiet, save for the squeak of leather as people shifted uncertainly in their seats, weighing my words. 

Chief Kolle was the first to break the tense silence. “Your reasoning seems sound and your judgment so far has been wise, Jack. What skills were you think of?”

“Glad you asked,” I replied, toggling through the faction menu with a thought and bringing up the Battle-Craft Tree for everyone to see.

<<<>>> 

<<<>>> 

“I’ve given this quite a bit of thought over the past couple of weeks. Obviously, we’ll need to pick up Command Presence since that’s the prerequisite that opens all other skill tree paths. From there, though, I think we should pick up Siege-Craft for obvious reasons, then invest the rest of the points into the left hand path—Zeal, Dread, and Battle Prowess. I think one of the greatest benefits we have as a Faction is the people right here in this room, and Zeal, Dread, and Battle Prowess are all directly tied to the Command Presence ability. As long as we are personally willing to be on the field, those three skills should give us more bang for our buck than just about anything else. 

I pulled up each, reading them over. 

<<<>>> 

Faction Ability: Command Presence

An army is only as good as its leader—incomitance at the top trickles down, but so too does valor, skill, and wisdom. Command Presence factors in both the ability and notoriety of the Faction Commander and the direct field-presence of Faction Officers, adding additional buffs or debuffs to warriors under their command. Non ducor duco – I am not led; I lead!

Faction Ability Type/Level: Passive / Max Level

Cost: N/A

Effect 1: Command Presence Bonus is applied when calculating buffs, debuffs, and additional percentage bonuses to skills and abilities in the Battle-Craft Skill Tree. Unlike other Faction Abilities, which are permanently maxed out and cannot be changed, the Command Presence Bonus continues to scale as the Faction Commander and Faction Officers Level and increase in Renown. The total Command Presence Bonus is the combined value of the Faction Leader Bonus and the Field Officer Bonus.

Effect 2: Faction Leader Bonus is applied to all Faction members, regardless of whether the Faction Commander is physically in range. Faction Leader Bonus = (.1 x Faction Leader Character Level) + (.001 x Faction Leader Renown). Restriction: Max increase, 9%. 

Effect 3: Field Officer Bonus is derived from the highest-ranking Faction Officer present on the field of battle (this can also be the Faction Leader), and is applied to all Faction members within an area of command. Field Officer Bonus = (.1 x Field Officer Character Level) + (.001 x Field Officer Renown). Restriction: Max increase, 12%. 

<<<>>> 

Faction Ability: Siege-Craft

Although the prowess of any army is said to be built on the back of the infantry, there is something to be said about victory through overwhelming, superior firepower. Siege-weapons can level the field of battle, lending advantage to a smaller force or, conversely, helping to bring the most strongly entrenched enemy to its knees. Although siege weapons are also often used in defense of Faction-held cities and territories, the Siege-Craft skill favors the bold of action. As they say, Audentes fortuna iuvat – Fortune favors the bold!

Faction Ability Type/Level: Passive / Max Level

Cost: N/A

Effect 1: Durability of all Siege Weapons increased by 5% + (Command Presence Bonus). 

Effect 2: Attack range for all range-based siege weapons increased by 2% + (Command Presence Bonus) while battling in enemy-controlled townships, cities, or territories.

Effect 3: Ammunition costs and cooldown times for siege weapons reduced by 2% + (Commanding Presence Bonus) while battling in enemy-controlled townships, cities, or territories.

Special Ability: Players designated as ‘Chief Siege Engine Operators’ unlock the Special Reclaim ability. Once per day per (10) character levels, Chief Siege Engine Operators can instantly Destroy their siege rig, reclaiming 75% of the crafted material (allowing for weight encumbrance)—ensuring siege weapons never fall into enemy hands! 

<<<>>> 

Faction Ability: Battle Prowess

Wars are won or lost in the swing of a hammer or on the edge of a sword—and the difference been the conqueror and the conquered is sometimes only the difference of a single, keen blade. Battle Prowess prepares the warrior of action to receive and engage the enemy, granting them small, yet potentially powerful boons that may just shift the tide. The motto of those on the front line must always be, Acta non verba – Deeds, not words. 

Faction Ability Type/Level: Passive / Max Level

Cost: N/A

Effect 1: 2% + (Command Presence Bonus) increased damage to all enemies while battling in enemy-controlled townships, cities, or territories. 

Effect 2: 2% + (Command Presence Bonus) increased Base Armor for all faction members while battling in enemy-controlled townships, cities, or territories. 

Effect 3: 2% + (Command Presence Bonus) increased attack range for all range-based weapons and range-based spells while battling in enemy-controlled townships, cities, or territories.

<<<>>> 

Faction Ability: Zeal

Nothing inspires warriors like a general who isn’t afraid to lead from the front and get their hands dirty. Inspire those around you as you cut down your enemies and storm their high walls! Zeal increases troop morale during a coordinated assault, bolsters confidence in the face of opposition, and helps prevent an aliment so common among soldiers: Moral Failure! Aut viam inveniam aut faciam – I will either find a way or make one!

Faction Ability Type/Level: Passive / Max Level

Cost: N/A

Effect 1: Zeal is automatically triggered when any Faction Officer is physically present on the field while battling in enemy-controlled townships, cities, or territories. Zeal can only be used when a combined total of fifty or more combatants are in play for a given encounter. 

Effect 2: For every Faction Officer present on the field of battle: +1% increase to Base Armor, Attack Strength, Spell Strength, and Critical Hit.  

Effect 3: Morale of all faction-bound Players and NPCs Increases by 1% + (Command Presence Bonus), making them less likely to revolt and more likely to hold the line, while also decreasing the chance of Moral Failure by 2% + (Command Presence Bonus).

Special Ability: Once per day a Faction Officer can activate a special War of the Righteous Buff, rallying all the troops within an area of command. Effected troops increase Physical Attack Damage, Health Regeneration Rate, and Armor Rating by 2% for every 5% of total Health lost in battle; duration, 15 minutes. Conversely, all Experience earned while under the War of the Righteous Buff is reduced by 50%! 

<<<>>> 

Faction Ability: Dread

Nothing petrifies an enemy more than a fearless general who isn’t afraid to lead from the front and get their hands dirty. Strike terror into the heart of your enemies as you mercilessly cut them down and storm their high walls! Dread decreases enemy morale during a coordinated assault, tears down their confidence in the face of opposition, and causes an alignment so common among soldiers: Moral Failure! Flectere si nequeo superos, acheronta movebo – If I cannot move Heaven, I will raise Hell! 

Faction Ability Type/Level: Passive / Max Level

Cost: N/A

Effect 1: Dread is automatically triggered when any Faction Officer is physically present on the field while battling in enemy-controlled townships, cities, or territories. Dread can only be used when a combined total of fifty or more combatants are in play for a given encounter. 

Effect 2: For every Faction Officer present on the field of battle: -1% decrease to enemy Base Armor, Attack Strength, Spell Strength, and Critical Hit.  

Effect 3: Morale of all enemy Players and NPCs decreases by 1% + (Command Presence Bonus), making them more likely to revolt and less likely to hold the line, while also increasing the chance of Moral Failure by 2% + (Command Presence Bonus).

Special Ability: Once per day a Faction Officer can activate a special Route Debuff, which effects all enemy troops within an area of command. All effected enemy troops suffer an additional 5% + (Commanding Presence Bonus) to suffer Moral Failure; if they succumb to Moral Failure, they will experience a sense of overwhelming Dread and flee from the battle in utter terror; duration, 15 minutes. 

<<<>>> 

“This all seems very reasonable,” Cutter said, frowning as I finished reading over each skill. “Which is how I know it’s all a giant bloody lie. I know you, Jack. Know you better than just about anyone in all of bloody Eldgard, and I know this isn’t the real plan. You’re up to something, I just haven’t sussed out what it is yet.” He paused, frown deepening into a grimace and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. “I’m sure of it. There’s something you’re not telling us. 

“In the meeting—which I was absolutely paying attention to, regardless of how hungover I looked—some brought up the mystic shield protecting the inner city, Skálaholt,” he continued. “You said you have a way in, but so far as I know, that’s not true. And, all the Battle-Craft skills in the world won’t help us take a city tucked away beneath an impenetrable dome of magic. So, either you were lying then, which you are terrible at—and I should know, since I am an expert liar—or your hiding something. So, spill it. What’s your sneaky master plan, eh?”

I shot another conspiratorial glance toward Abby, who nodded in return—though she looked deeply troubled by what we were about to propose. 

“Anton, did you bring them?” I asked quietly.

“Of course I did,” our High Elf Quarter Master said, pulling a dark leather bag from his inventory and setting it on the table. “Though finding even this many was a challenge, I have to admit,” he continued, words clipped. “I have no idea what you two are up to, but I’ll be glad to be ride of these things. They feel twisted, even through the bag. Having them that close”—he shuddered—“well, it’s like rubbing your hand through an oil slick.”

Amara moved with lightning speed, snatching the bag up and loosening the draw string. Genuine shock capered across her face as she pulled free the first item in the bag. A dagger with a double-edged blade of black folded steel and an ornate ebony handle, intricately carved with scenes of torture and brutality. The pommel, heavy and round, bore a demonic face with curling horns and needle-sharp teeth, eager and ready to pierce flesh and drink blood. A Black Hexblade of Serth-Rog. A near identical copy of the dagger I’d used to kill Carrera and send him to Morsheim what felt like a lifetime ago.

Gingerly, Amara set the blade on the table, tip pointed inward, then drew out a second, third, fourth, and fifth dagger, each one as twisted and malignant as the last. She lined them up in a row before wiping her fingers across the table as though they’d been coated in something especially foul. With so many blades present, the reek of rotten fruit and decaying meat quickly filled the air, somehow sickly sweet and pungent all at the same time. 

“Just what in the bloody hell are the two of you playing at, eh?” Cutter asked, eyes gleaming with suspicion. 

“We do have a plan, though I don’t think anyone is going to be happy about it,” I replied, surveying the daggers and the dark waves of hate radiating off of them. “You actually weren’t totally wrong with your Trojan-Horse theory. The Spider Queen said something to me earlier today that cemented the idea in my head. She said, you fight at the head of every battle. She told me I make myself a target. The thing is, she’s not wrong. I do that and everyone knows it, including Thanatos. My plan is to make sure I’m everywhere. In every battle I can find, all eyes on me. And the Battle-Craft game plan, all built around the Command Presence Strategy, is designed to draw Thanatos’ attention. To make him think we’re committed to playing straight up—”

“While you actually slip around and shank him right in the bloody kidney,” Cutter finished in a near whisper. “It’s classic misdirection. Maybe you wouldn’t have made such a miserable thief after all,” he said. 

“But this is all of them?” Amara asked Anton, raising a questioning eyebrow. “I mean. It’ll do, I supposed, but I honestly expected we’d turn up more than five Hexblades.”

Anton shrugged narrow shoulders, lips pursed. “We have more Malware Weapons than I know what to do with, Abby, but the Hexblades have become increasingly rare. It seems we weren’t the only ones looking for these things. According to the Ministry of Whispers, the Darklings have also been collecting the weapons on the downlow, bringing them all back to Morsheim for repurposing—whatever that is supposed to mean.”

“It’s fine,” I said with a shake of my head. “We can do it with five.”

“Assuming they work the way we think they do,” Abby said. 

“I talked with Sandra and she seemed to think they would,” I replied, “and for better or worse, I think we’re going to have to take her at her word. Plus, there is an account floating around about some Templar who took a Hexblade and managed to fight their way back. Haven’t been able to get a name yet, but it seems to hold water. Certainly, confirms Sandra’s theory. Though how she pieced it together to begin with is still a mystery.” I trailed off, thinking about Osmark’s assistant. “I don’t know what game she and Osmark are playing, but they’re definitely working some angle, though damned if I can figure out what it is.”

“Why did Cutter and I not know about this?” Amara snapped, drawing a blade of her own and slamming it down into the table. “Surely such a plan should’ve been shared with your Spymaster at the very least.”

“You guys had so much going on with the wedding,” Abby said, reaching over and taking one of Amara’s hands in her own. “We didn’t want to trouble you with this, especially since we were hoping we might find a better solution, long term. Sadly, that hasn’t panned out.” 

“Aww,” Cutter said. “Jack, you got me the perfect wedding present after all. Less work. You know me so well.”

“What about the Stand-Ins?” Abby asked, ignoring Cutter completely. A wise move in most instances.

“I had to guess at the composition of the final away team,” Anton said, reaching out a hand and taking command of the Darkshard emerald. A player profile immediately appeared on the screen—it wasn’t me, but the guy could’ve passed for my brother. At a distance anyway. “But I’ve managed to identify convincing doppelgangers for anyone you might want to take with you and I’ve tagged a few Illusionists, who will be on standby just in case.”

“Excuse me,” Chief Kolle finally interjected, confusion on his face. “But I fail to understand this plan. What exactly is it you hope to do with these blades?” 

“Well it’s obvious, isn’t it?” Cutter said with a smirk. “Not only is it misdirection, it’s misdirection paired with a classic bait and switch—though I imagine its going to hurt like bloody hell. Don’t particularly fancy dying again, I have to admit.”

“Dying?” Chief Kolle asked.

“Yep,” I said, picking up one of the Hexblades and carefully turning it over in my hands. “These bad boys are a one-way ticket into Skálaholt. At least we hope so. Only one way to find out for certain, but before we do that, we need to take the outer city. So, unless anyone has any other objections, let’s get ready to march. The Necropolis isn’t going to topple itself…”