Tranquil Territory - 3 - The Banner
He dropped back to a canter as he approached Susukino, Hachiman's breath fogged infront of his face as he surveyed the icy tundra before him, the snow-capped walls of the iron-bound northern player city that was this stark fortress. Normally it seemed a pristine, the snow would seem to make the view that of refuge from the cold, yet to his eyes it seemed a callous construct – a nest of beasts who had donned the skin of men. Around his waist Karin's hands tightened, she was the young human adventurer, a level thirty-four summoner – in her attempt at flight from her captors she had lost her mount summoning flute or otherwise she would not need Hachiman's assistance like this.
The horse slowed and finally stopped well short of the gate and they stood there unmoving except for the gentle shifts of the well-trained war-horse beneath them. "Are you sure about this?" She asked timidly, her soft voice shaking slightly as she grasped his armoured form to keep herself from falling. The two were alone; Hachiman had instructed his friends to accompany the people of Gull's Rock who even now made their way south with the few of their valuables they had managed to gather.
The commotion in the village had quickly resulted in Rin agreeing to Hachiman's proposal, and her conviction that the Tranquil Tyrant could offer security quickly spread to the rest of the village. The prospect of safety gave their feet wings and the industrious villagers were soon on their way south. Almost all had agreed to leave, save for the barest handful who were intent on living and dying on the land their forebears had settled; for them the snows approached and the callous winter would soon close over.
Hachiman had entrusted the safety of those who fled to the south to the rest of his party, the five were a potent and well seasoned group, indeed of the six Hachiman had the least polished skill in combat due to the amount of time he spent at his other duties. On the other hand Hachiman travelled north to reunite with the rest of Tranquil Tyranny and to determine the state of Susukino for himself, Karin had wanted to return and get her friend out of Susukino too and so he had taken her with him.
Now as they dismounted and made their way into the icy town of Susukino, Hachiman could not ignore the feeling that the cold he sensed was as much from the people as from the snow. No one moved alone, instead seeking the sense of safety one could only gain in numbers; people huddled together engaged in whispered conversations, breaking off to stare at passers-by and anyone who looked in their direction; hands were always near weapons, eyes flitting this way and that as if certain at any moment a threat might materialise.
The homes and businesses of Susukino had always held a warmth that had served to stave off the cold outside their steel buttressed walls, yet that had steadily decayed until now instead of an open-hearth and a warm cup of mead pressed into ones hands instead fearful eyes peered out from cracked darkened doorways. Where before there might have been drunken yet jovial singing from those who warmed themselves with ale after a long day and the final calls for the last wares of a vendor looking to close-up shop for the night; instead there was raucous laughter and cruel jeering, pitiful cries and a painful silence; these were the sounds of the reborn Susukino. With every step that they took towards the larger of the two Tranquil Territory private zones in the city, the more incensed and despairing Hachiman grew by turns; this was not the Susukino he knew. It was just as Karin had advised him in the hours before.
It had been only five minutes earlier that Karin had gone her own way, adamant that she would only be a few minutes and would stay in contact with him via telepathy – refusing his offers to escort her. In the grotesque reflection of Susukino Hachiman had been reluctant to part, yet her eyes convinced him that this was something Karin needed to do; likewise his own efforts had a time limit and so with only a moment of hesitation he agreed and they parted ways in the snowy lanes.
When he arrived he spoke briefly through telepathy before opening the door. While the zone had been locked so that only members of tranquil territory could enter, in these times people were nervous and could use all the advance notice they could get. The moment he was through the door he was tackled by an immensely overweight man in a gold thread doublet, the assassin Loki. He had made a fortune as a courier – one of the role-play subclasses in elder tales it provides the character with opportunities to make timed runs between locations or individuals usually conveying goods or information; to assist it also provides a handy speed buff but at the cost of offensive and healing strength.
"It's so good to see you Hachiman my Lord, I was worried you had forgotten me. You never call you never write." The rotund man said with a playful air but Hacihman could tell the relief in his demeanour was unfeigned, Loki the courier was a man who loved pleasure – a fine wine, a sumptuous feast, a delicate sculpture, a refined composition or company on the cold Susukino nights; he was a man who appreciated sheathing's own beauty rather than comparing it to some other standard, that was why his own understanding of aesthetics were so... unique. His quarters were lavish, though less so than usual, the entrance it seemed had become cluttered as several of the rooms had been lined with pallets for his fellow members of Tranquil Territory.
Though the fat man might seem self-absorbed he was anything but, his beady little eyes were always on the lookout for any opportunity – or threat – and he was devoted to the idea of a more beautiful tomorrow and thus he had embraced the idea of a realm of tranquillity. Loki was one of the more well thought out characters in tranquil territory, his back-story was amazing yet never seemed intrusive, his character seemed to be able to fit into just about any situation, not to obstruct but rather to facilitate the unfolding tale. Souji, Loki's player was a remarkable man, it was all too easy as a role-player to attempt to redirect the story or to emphasise those elements that favoured examining some aspect you wished to delve into and in doing so limit the experience of others; instead Souji was adept at managing to tease out those elements that other players wanted to explore and to be able to find a way to express those or to combine elements with minimal sense of direction, to make the experience seem natural. Souji had been the one behind the most successful role-play campaigns that Hachiman had taken part in.
The overly serious Hachiman knocked prone to the floor and the ball-like assassin glomping him with tears in his eyes made for a somewhat ridiculous combination and from around the pair there was laughter before one young dwarf shook her head causing the twin ring ornament in her ear lobes to jangle and yelled in a high-pitched voice, "Stacks on Yasuo and Souji," came Gaia's voice, the guardian grinning as she suited her words, jumping forwards with arms outstretched – her armoured bulk colliding with the two.
"Wait, no~!" Was all Hachiman got out before a pile of felines and canines, dwarves and elves, humans and half-alvs rained down crushing him to the floor while above him Souji laughed.
Karin's next telepathic check in came just as Hachiman had managed to find a seat, Loki offering it to him with a flourish – along with a wine that of course tasted like water, yet he was told it was of a particularly fine vintage. "Ten more minutes? Yes I see. Be careful Karin, Susukino is far from safe right now."
Hachiman's voice caught Loki's ear immediately and the rotund assassin topped up Hachiman's cup even as he enquired. "A friend my Lord?"
Yasuo hesitated, planning how best to proceed without breaking character, "Indeed, Karin, the young girl we met while thwarting the slaving raid on Gull's Rock – the level thirty four summoner." The members of Tranquil Tyranny who were in Susukino were kept abreast of the situation as soon as there had been opportunity and so Loki knew of the adventurer who had been recovered from the slavers. The problem that Yasuo faced was how to convey his out of character desire to Loki in character, he could simply speak out of character, yet that clumsy way rubbed him the wrong way and as Yasuo valued Souji's opinion of him as a role-player, he had no desire to diminish his standing in the eyes of someone who's skill he admired.
"We arrived in Susukino together," carefully Yasuo measured his words, "however she left my side after we arrived in Susukino to go help her friend. I offered to help her yet she insisted that she wanted to go alone." That certainly drew Loki's attention and the fat assassins eyes narrowed in response as Yasuo had hoped, yet Hachiman would have never wanted (had he noticed it, which from a friend he would not have). "I do hope she is safe, she left towards the north-western block and who knows how dangerous it is over there. If her friend is particularly skilled – well, it would ease my fears were someone of suitable skill to watch over her; especially after her near miss with those slavers"
Hachiman trusted too easily and even despite his fears would leave it to the skills of his friends if they asked it; Yasuo on the other hand could not help shake the feeling that something was amiss. The newcomer who had been met in a raid by hostile adventurers, had chosen to split up in a dangerous city to meet a friend of unknown standing. Souji knew in an instant what Yasuo had wanted to communicate, it was something which Hachiman would never even consider asking – but Loki was suspicious enough that he would have recognised the problem contained in the 'idle' comment.
"Ahh now that I think of it, I have run out of my premium blue veined griffin cheese." Loki cried with mock chagrin, clasping his hands together as if in despair. "Please excuse me my lord. Gaia darling please see to our Lord's needs while I am gone." With that the golden doublet fell to the floor, minus one grossly overweight courier – who had exited in an instant.
Satisfied at the careful negotiation of etiquette, Hachiman took another sip of the water – or rather wine.
When dawn broke the next day, Tranquil Territory geared up. Fifty eight members prepared to leave, leaving only a handful behind to keep an eye on Susukino and to keep the rest of the guild advised of any events that might transpire in their absence. With Karin and her level ninety Assassin friend Derringer the sixty left Susukino in groups of six, to the south and to the west. At six, the largest party size was sufficient to give the impression of a group capable of defending itself but not so large as to arouse suspicion. After leaving Susukino, the groups rode south-west to rendezvous, to Karin and Derringer's surprise three of the groups that left by the west did not arrive, nor did one who left by the south; instead each immediately fell into the duties that Hachiman had allotted them the previous night.
The west bound groups would fan out through the ravaged western region, trying to make contact with those who might remember Tranquil Territory. Gull's Rock had provided the idea – some still remembered the long peace that their guild had enforced and in this time of upheaval many would look back on it with fond desire.
The south bound group on the other hand would replace the party left with Gull's Rock; they were better suited for protecting a column of refugees and the Griffin bearing party was vital to help the central column of seven six man parties, forty-two adventurers (including the two newcomers) – their main task would be to gather refugees into the southern march and to run interference against any attacks particularly from Susukino.
While Karin seemed subdued Derringer was becoming increasingly irate, though whether or not like his name he desired to seek out the enemy, this was unclear. In any case, the southwards march (burdened as they were by the far slower moving refugees) took nearly a week and included more than two dozen encounters, mainly with local creatures such as wolves and four giants, but on more than one occasion they ran into a Brigandia pillaging party. There was only one real blessing when encountering the other adventurers, they seldom acted with true discipline, they acted either as individuals or as a single unit, not as a unit within an army – they did not scout as they ought, instead they pillaged and plundered, they fought well, but compared to the forty two members of the main force with their ability to simply replace an entire party when a unit's health or magic was running low was simply far too much of an advantage. Their march had few casualties, and when some among their number fell, they would be reborn in Susukino and await allies to make a full party before striking southwards once more.
It was on the tenth day since the Apocalypse and the sixth since Gull's Rock that Hachiman spotted their destination, Stardust Fortress.
Some distance back from the start of the maze like entrance camped under the afternoon sun was a blanket of tents and shelters. In their travels the central group had gathered nearly two hundred refugees who wished their protection, Gull's Rock was another hundred and forty, yet before they had arrived had gathered at least a hundred and fifty more – whether it was because of word of their campaign having spread before them or whether it was because they were nearly at the coast; when the groups had come together they numbered nearly five hundred landers and some sixty five adventurers.
Tonight he would need twenty-three to accompany him he mused as he looked at the deceptively intimidating fortress. Most castles and fortresses relied on overbearing walls, yet Stardust Fortress was the Theldesian equivalent of Goryōkaku castle in Hokkaido, a star shaped fortress that had been built in the age of gunpowder. Instead of relying on height to increase the range of catapults, it had instead been built to provide defensive fortifications that allowed as broad an opportunity as opposable to make use of guns and cannons. The ground was flat as could be, the views unrestricted, the walls provided strong defensive screens yet would not be overly obstructive to those who sought to attack from behind them. In Theldesia behind the walls the maze could be shifted due to the ancient Alven mechanism within and the fortifications included a series of indestructible, unmovable crystals which reduced the cool-down times of ranged techniques used by defenders by a full quarter; they also provided devastating support against aerial opponents, allowing defenders to become more accurate and their range increasing significantly – so while it was possible to observe from far above outside of range, the Griffins would not be able to take part without paying a heavy penalty.
In many ways it was unfortunate that Tranquil Territory lacked a large proportion of ranged attackers – sorcerers in particular, though summoners and enchanters to a lesser extent. It was merely that this sort of composition had been favoured in their previous role-plays, the group had generally built up a more defensive mix, strong tanks, capable healers and versatile support – that was how Tranquil Territory rolled. In truth, taking stardust fortress did not rely heavily on ranged attacks – indeed one needed to close distance as quickly as possible and to take down the ranged defenders as a matter of priority. However with insufficient ranged classes of their own, holding the fortress would be far less easy; it was a calculated move and one that Tranquil Territory could never hope to accomplish on their own. After the raid tonight, everything would change.
Behind him fluttered the green and blue mitsudomoe (a three-pronged green whirl shape on a blue background) the banner proudly proclaiming his Feudal Challenge even without him needing to select the option from the menu. Now the local zone controller knew he was there and his intention to take over the fortress, but it was an essential part of the process. In fairness Hachiman realised, as he double checked the last of his gear, were the twenty-four most capable warriors to have been chosen he may not have counted among their number.
Of the sixty-five who had made their way to stardust hold forty-nine were level ninety, having been formed more than ten years earlier it was a remarkably high level guild; only ten were under level forty and the remaining six were around level sixty. Of the forty-nine, only half had previous high level raid experience – theirs was not a guild that focused on such things, so there was a surprising number of their members who had never attempted let alone completed a high level raid. Indeed, it was not necessarily the twenty four best who were chosen, the class balance was very nearly as important, as was the characters' previous experience in similar raids; they were lucky enough that Athena had previously even taken part in an Castle Blitz an event which included a raid on stardust fortress, though it had not been part of a campaign waged by Tranquil Territory.
As the group stormed the star-shaped fortifications, Tyr and Aja rode their mount in the skies above – they were not part of the attack directly this time, instead they bore the vital responsibility of providing the force with as much intelligence as they could. The shielding barriers were quickly set up just before the tanks entered into the enlarged range of the defenders – skeletal bows and necromantic magical energies streaking out towards the mounted force. Shields failed and were hastily recast as the battle mounts steadily covered the ground, bringing the tanks into taunting range just before the rest of the raid entered the enlarged firing range behind unleashing a barrage of attacks and refreshing the Tank's defences and declining health. Timing was everything in managing aggro, and so it was that the strategy Athena devised carefully involved scheduling just how heavily each group would attack so as to prevent the tanks from losing the aggro of their opponents.
Her careful planning had always been invaluable, the twenty-four chosen for the assault were split into four groups, two teams of four, one of six and one of ten. The two groups of four each cleared away the enemy immediately within the gates even as the ten fanned out into a V shaped wedge and charged down the central lane, the six buffered behind them as they breached the maze entrance, even as the two groups of four fell in behind them to secure the rear. They had managed to breach the outer walls and enter the maze relying on little more than speed and timing; while the defenders had been able to deal out much more damage than usual, the significantly lower level of the skeleton defenders was simply insufficient to thwart their advance, even with the buff they were given by the feudal system.
It was always easier to attack when the defenders were not other players, the skeletons simply lacked the ability to adapt to their tactics in time. The same would not work nearly so well in the shifting maze, this section required that the force be deployed in such a way that they could easily separate into well balanced groups based on who was near them at the time and proceed through the maze in their own little groups. Though they entered as a single block, by the time they passed through the maze there were five groups at the rendezvous site, the fighting had been much fiercer now, no longer had they been able to simply rely on punching through they had instead been forced to fight against the undead defenders who clung to their duty with unmatched zeal. It was here that Tyr and Aja's role become undeniably central, assisting the groups negotiating the maze to find the shortest and least dangerous paths and to warn them of danger. As the last of the parties rejoined the main group they spent a moment healing and recasting buffs, distributing potions and recovering magic.
Before the raiding party lay their destination, the beautiful Japanese styled multiple storied castle that formed the core of stardust hold; around it lay the next barrier, one that only appeared if the fortress was held by the undead, a circle called "Hell's Gate", this nasty little barrier would spawn dozens of tiny portals from which an unending stream of undead would appear eventually building in number until no raiding party would ever be able to overcome them.
The only way to deal with this was to first enter the castle and then bar the main doors, because the windows were indestructible, only two other ways could be used to enter the castle, two servants entries, one on either end of the castle. This would be the duty of the two small teams – the entries could not be closed but provided that one had a strong tank and two good healers, one could hold one of the doors with just three people, provided that no attempt was made to advance and that retreating through the servant quarters was done very slowly. The two groups would need to buy no less than four minutes while falling back at the same speed, if either group fell back too quickly the other group would be surrounded and quickly fall and this would prevent the eight from providing a suitable vanguard and they would fight a retreating action for as long as it took for the zone controller to fall.
As the raiding party set forwards once more they mounted again, in the maze they had been forced to dismount as horses were unsuited to the close and twisting confines yet here in this open space they were perfectly suited. The two four man teams each advanced one to either side of the main group just as they crossed the threshold of Hell's gate the entire raiding party burst into a gallop, around them there was a crushing force and the squealing, screeching sound of the undead portals distorting the air, darkening everything they touched as behind them skeletons began assembling from the collection of bones that began to spew from the openings. Hachiman shook his reigns and nudged his warhorse as if to gain more speed out of the poor animal, though he should well have known the well trained steed was giving it her all. Even as the two groups of eight disappeared around the sides of the building and were lost from his sight, he was beginning to draw his horse to a stop, the iron shod hooves sounding strange almost unnatural on the remains of the carpet which lined the entry hall. The handful of undead defenders were brushed aside by the ten who proceeded Hachiman's group of six and they were pushing further into the room, engaged in systematically crushing the defenders even as Hachiman dismounted and he too threw his back into closing the main doors of the building, barring the way of the hoard of undead that were even now lumbering towards them.
As the bar was thrown into place, Hachiman quickly jumped out of the way as one of the Guardian's knocked down a statue in front of the door and a second quickly followed suit. That would hold the little blighters here for a time, allowing the groups on the side to protect their flank unmolested. Two icy spirits manifested before the doors, the summoners had decided to leave behind these twin behemoths behind, it was a spell that would last five minutes if they were not destroyed and they slowed the movement of all enemies in range, potentially freezing them in place. His face set in determination, Hachiman started up the stairs, following the leading group even as the sounds of battle echoed back from the next level.
The fight that followed was a chaotic mess, after the lead group cleared out the throne room there was a delay, when a Feudal Challenge was active, only the challenger could directly damage the zone controller, that meant that only Hachiman would be able to harm the boss of this area – not only that, but only six attackers and only six defenders could be present at any one time during the encounter.
Down the stairs the battle raged and the lead group of ten had retreated there to support the two four man teams and to allow the better rested group of six to take on the zone controller and their support without interruption. Were the undead horde to make it to the challenger they would be able to enter the throne room and the raid would be annihilated, normally no one would be able to enter the throne room once the challenger and zone controller joined battle if it were to take the number of combatants on that side to more than six, but those that came from Hell's Gate were immune from that rule.
Littered with bones, the floor of the throne room provided a stunning backdrop, the six ruined statues of goddesses that lined the walls seemed to beseech the empty throne even as a scorching hot whirlwind blew harmlessly past Hachiman and began to gather bones quickly resolving into the towering form of the Demonic Undead General, the default zone controller of Stardust Fortress. To either side of him two black tears in the air formed and on each side resolved a lich and a skeletal giant. These five were the final confrontation of stardust fortress, the giants would continue to reanimate as long as the Lich were present and the Lich would heal everyone, especially each-other, were either of the Lich destroyed then the general could summon another – the sixth member of their 'party' was the Hell's Gate itself, which was why it was able to send as many minions as it wanted into the battle.
It was a particularly annoying battle and one with a time limit imposed by Hell's Gate. Yet for this, Hachiman's rather curious production grade weapon was the answer – it was a top class production item, yet it had lower than normal stats, instead Hachiman's immense double handed sword, the black bladed nodachi would inflict two debuffs, the first would reduce reduce the effect of any attempt to replenish the health or magic of the afflicted foe and the second triggered on a critical hit which prevents cleansing for thirty seconds.
With the general's healing curtailed and his defence being shaved away, before long even Hachiman's lower than standard attack power began to become increasingly devastating and after just under ten minutes the general fell.
Chapter Notes:
Yes I added some detail to how a direct conflict between the challenger and zone controller would have to go down the reason being was because I felt it too simplistic and this would encourage a greater degree of strategy.
Assertion: Courier role-play subclass (exists but unspecified) a role play subclass which provides a movement speed buff and provides access to courier missions – a series of time missions with the potential to earn gold or resources. Activating movement speed buff decreases the power of offensive or healing abilities.