"Looks like our Decurion is looking for death, wandering off after a whole pack of wolves," Elos mused cheerfully.
"What do you know about it," Chikir gruffly interrupted him. "Did you even pay attention to how Sir Irchin moves?" He raised his index finger to the sky, and without waiting for an answer to his rhetorical question, continued, "Isn't it obvious that he limps when he turns off the power to his tech armor? But when he turns it on, his attributes increase by at least a couple of points. You should've paid attention to how he shot yesterday in that crazy battle. He personally took down more than a hundred of Nurgles with his arrows. You snot-nosed rookies weren't even looking around, but I was glancing at him from time to time. He struck them without missing, and with such force that the arrows passed clean through. Did you ever wonder how that's possible?"
At this, Leur couldn't hold back. He had his own opinion on the matter, but it seemed this cunning Chikir knew something the mage hadn't even considered.
"Well, don't hold back, spit it out," Tatalem So demanded gruffly, his ears perked up no less than the elder mage's.
"Well, it's just..." Chikir hesitated, not having expected the honorable mages to listen to his ramblings. He was more used to rubbing the young goblins' noses in obvious facts. "From what I've heard, those suits have a targeting system and use artificial muscles to help you shoot without missing. I've heard many times that Centurions, even without a suitable skill, can achieve results almost on par with a master, all thanks to their tech armor."
"May the abyss swallow it," Leur said quietly, seemingly not addressing anyone.
He and Tatalem So stepped a little to the side, talking softly to each other.
Chikir, pleased that the noble goblins had lost interest in him, and that the more experienced Moresh and Uler hadn't paid him any attention at all, continued to shed the light of truth, in his opinion, onto the minds of the new recruits.
"Do you understand now how important good armor is? For outstanding service, you can get truly rare items, and you'll also be able to single-handedly fight a huge Nurgle leader. That time, the Decurion moved so fast that it was impossible to make out his movements."
"But he's a player, and we're just units, what's the point of trying?" one of the recruits said in a squeaky voice. "We'll level up, and then maybe in five years, we'll be able to get out of the army. Civilian life is much calmer anyway."
"Are you illiterate?" Chikir laughed heartily. "Five years and quit. The contract says in black and white, ten years, and only then can you go into the reserve. But if you don't save anything up, what's the point of quitting? Who will need you there? 'He's going to level up,' he says. Look at Moresh, he's level 9, and he's on his second contract. The higher your limit of free SP, the more often you hand in your experience without ever reaching a level up. Of course, getting 10 SP is easy, but 60 SP is practically impossible, and in the evening, the Lurion will collect it all in the accumulator. And you'll have to start all over again."
"So what do we do?" Elos butted in again.
"What do we do?" Chikir deliberately twisted his snout into a smart-aleck expression. "Stick with our Decurion and follow his orders. You've already been through more than one battle under his command, and not a single one of you has a scratch."
"Telling us such wisdom," Elos said disappointedly. "I thought you'd suggest something useful, but this is just 'go with the flow and don't struggle.'"
"Were you expecting," Chikir said, offended, "that I'd just reveal some secret to you? Or maybe share a special skill, something like a D-rank with full saturation?" he finished, bursting into laughter.
Unexpectedly, the large goblin Moresh joined the conversation, and everyone instantly fell silent, literally hanging on his every word.
"Actually, Chikir's right. Take attributes, for example. Everyone knows where to invest, the development schemes have probably been checked a thousand times, and there's no secret to it. But that's complete nonsense, really. Even a small detail like the sequence of raising attributes affects the structure of the muscle frame and the muscles themselves. So no one will give away a truly powerful combination of investing points into a body's attributes for free," he said, and then briefly glanced at Tal and Zhue, just for a moment, but they noticed it, and then he turned away.
Suddenly, one of the sentries shouted.
"Attention, the commander has emerged from the thicket."
Everyone tensed and began to peer into the darkness. Luckily, the sky was clear, and the stars provided a little light. The old Decurion was limping slowly, just as he had been when he went out scouting. Leur cursed foully again, something he had started doing quite often lately. Sir Irchin was walking slower and slower, and it seemed he wouldn't even manage to climb the not-so-steep hill. He then took out his spear and used it as a cane, helping himself to climb.
Chapter 17.1
Return to Camp
Returning to my soldiers, it was as if I didn't recognize them. Their faces were tense, and both mages looked completely upset. I noticed it in passing, as I wasn't really interested, but my 9 Intelligence stat just did it automatically. The young are generally prone to frequent mood swings and an unstable psyche in general. One moment they're cheering like they're insane, and a moment later they're trembling with fear.
Two more healing spells improved my mood slightly, luckily no one could see my face under the helmet's visor. And such spells added a good deal of strength. We had to walk for two more hours before we reached the designated general camp point. And when we found the small hill completely empty, not only was I surprised, but so was my entire squad. Considering we were a couple of hours late, the absence of the entire platoon of goblins was frankly alarming. My soldiers set up tents and prepared a hot dinner over the campfire. But that cursed Takul still hadn't appeared. The main thing was that there were no traces of the goblins on this hill either. The scouts checked that first. No one could close their eyes until midnight. The suggestions among my recruits were one worse than the other.
I saw the approaching group before anyone else; they were just over a half-mile away when they burst out of the dense undergrowth. Someone was clearly chasing them. There was no point in informing my warriors about my incredible vision. I could always raise the alarm anyway. First, I needed to understand what such a large detachment of goblins could be fleeing from. Literally a minute later, following the platoon of goblins, packs of Nurgles began to emerge from the forest. At first, not many, but then their number clearly exceeded a couple of hundred. And the Lurion, having spotted the glimmers of the campfire, ran confidently—I would even say with renewed strength—straight toward our camp.
We still had a chance to dash north. My rested soldiers could easily outrun the pursuit. But I thought it would be too dangerous to abandon a fortified and quite advantageous position without fully understanding the situation. Maybe the Nurgles had already surrounded the entire area.
"Ready, enemy to the southwest!" I roared loudly. "Mages, center of the camp, raise the barriers!"
Leur and Tatalem So jumped out of their tents, seemingly even before the order, and were already raising a protective dome around us.
"Mages, Light Orbs up! Fighters, nock your bows! Fire on my command!" I roared, not sparing my lungs.
Light tore through the darkness around the hill, and everyone finally saw our allies rushing toward us, with a churning river of creatures on their tail. It was difficult to estimate the number, but it was definitely no less than a thousand of heads.
"Well, they're out of luck," Chikir said in a literal whisper.
But I heard it, and I also clearly saw Takul's eyes, filled with hatred and fear. Only about three squads of goblins were running with him. It was completely incomprehensible to me how they managed to break out and not fall as a full group. Perhaps the Lurion had an unusual skill, similar to the wolves' stunning attack, which makes the enemy freeze for a few moments. Chikir was completely right; no one would lower the barrier, as that would halve its power.
"Leur, don't you dare waste a fireball on this small fry! I will personally kill you for disobedience!" I roared. "Do you understand me?"
The mage flinched at the words, which had been spoken unexpectedly in complete silence, but replied.
"Decurion, it will be done."
If he had wasted our only powerful weapon on these creatures, I would have had almost nothing left to face a giant. Meanwhile, the Lurion managed to outplay me with my own cards. Bypassing the protective dome, they didn't take up positions and prepare for battle; they simply ran further. I had never seen such a surge of indignation among my soldiers, even in my long service. Takul did what I lacked the courage, or maybe the decency, to do: abandon my soldiers to be torn apart by the Nurgles. The thought even crossed my mind to send an arrow into the back of his head while he was in range of my arrows. But if that were to be found out, I would definitely be executed. Regardless of whether the Lurion had betrayed us or not. What if it was just a tactical maneuver?
"Fire at will!" I roared.
At that moment, I was sending one arrow after another. It was difficult for the Nurgles to run up the hill, and they had likely been pursuing Takul's goblins for more than an hour already. Therefore, they moved rather sluggishly. I started shooting when the creatures crossed the 300-pace mark. It would take them about 40 heartbeats to cover that distance, and about the same number of arrows would be released from my bow. When the Nurgles moved closer, my soldiers would join in. Of course, if there were 30 more goblins, victory would have been quite possible. But now, it was just mind-boggling. A wave of creatures, running toward you, baring their fangs. The screams and noise of such a mass filled all my fighters with horror.
Of course, for some reason, the leaders were absent from this mass. But this could be temporary, and soon they would decide to join in the general fun. Each of my arrows toppled one, and the one running behind it crashed into it, which slowed their overall advance a little more. But even such effective shooting could not save my squad. And I made a decision when there were only about 100 paces left to the barrier. The command thundered over the battlefield. I myself could not believe that I had uttered it.
"Fireball into the center of the Nurgle cluster! Fire!" I roared.
The orb rushed into the ranks of the creatures, as they had become even more packed together on the ascent. An explosion; a flash blinded everyone around, except me. My arrows continued to take lives even at that moment. For my Eye of Darkness, nothing had changed; a small flare didn't even make me blink. Almost three dozen burned instantly, another fifty or so rolled on the ground, screeching and trying to put out the flames clinging to their bodies. A confusion arose in the ranks of the Nurgles. The back rows slowed down, trying to bypass the site of the explosion and their fire-engulfed brethren.
The fireball gave us almost twenty heartbeats and almost a hundred Nurgles to take down. And most importantly, they lost the desire to attack such a dangerous target. Now they moved slower, and had almost stopped roaring happily. And the most cowardly ones had already rushed to save themselves under the cover of the trees. But in spite of everything, the wave reached our barrier.
It was difficult to talk about their numbers now, as the bodies were mixed up. And the approaching Nurgles began to block the view. Still not having found any leaders, I risked pulling the creatures' forces away from my warriors a little more. As soon as my goblins began to meet the first enemies with their spears, my cleaver began to cut a path for itself through the bodies of the Nurgles. In an arc, constantly roaring like a beast, I tried to flank this crowd. The forest creatures eagerly pounced on the warrior who had stepped out from under the magical protection.
A dash, a strike, a hard shield block literally crushed a Nurgle in mid-jump.
[Notice] You have received 5 SP. (173/220)
Another strike with all my might.
[Notice] You have received 11 SP. (184/220)
But I can't level up and need to spend SP urgently.
[Notice] Do you want to improve the skill Sword Mastery (3/5) (60 SP)
Yes/No
(124/210)
Images burst into my head and immediately found their use in battle. Now the knowledge was focused specifically on wielding a heavy cleaver. I continued to hack without stopping. The spent experience would soon be replenished. A dash into a space free of bodies, and my blows began to maim without killing instantly. I was smashing the bodies of the Nurgles with my shield more and more often. Because the battle would end faster than the knowledge would be fully assimilated in me. The skill, echoing my thoughts, literally helped me inflict traumatic wounds. I even started hitting with the flat of the cleaver. The creatures flew away like broken dolls, but they were clearly still alive. But the amount of experience continued to increase, even taking into account such a complex tactic.
[Notice] You have received 14 SP. (194/220)
Keeping an eye on my goblins, I made sure that the barrier was still holding, and the Nurgle pressure was gradually weakening. At that moment, a particularly large creature blocked a blow, dodged, and then rushed again with even greater fury.
[Notice] You have received 19 SP. (203/220)
One more persistent one like this and I won't be able to return home to the fortress, I thought, smashing the head of the next one with my shield. For this, they certainly wouldn't execute me, but they would strip me of all my property and fire me with disgrace, and I really didn't want that. I jumped back and tried to find a way out of this difficult situation. And then I remembered that I was given five minutes to choose a skill improvement. The battle would be over by then. In an instant, I mentally went through the E-rank skills. Anything related to combat could not be improved until Sword Mastery was fully integrated into my memory. Eye of Darkness was dangerous to improve due to the temporary loss of vision, and the Thal's Weightless Quiver was just dangerous to improve for now.
[Notice] Do you want to improve the skill Minor Deceit (1/3) (200 SP)
Yes/No
Rank increased. Skill power increased, substitution is more difficult to detect.
[Notice] Time to choose a development path 4:59
(3/220)
I glanced at the messages and then made another dash toward the running living mass. Now there was no need to hold back my blows. The cleaver cut bodies into pieces, and even if it got stuck after cutting through bone, I continued to move, rotating the victim's body by inertia, and like a huge mace, I struck down the next creature. With such a powerful blow, the cleaver would inevitably be freed. With my Strength of 8, it wasn't difficult.
The Nurgles pounced from all sides and had completely cut me off from the protective barrier. I couldn't even see it, the creatures had surrounded me so tightly. A dash, another one, but they were already pouncing in a bunch, and I couldn't spread them out. Someone grabbed my legs, I hacked more, relying on the feeling of the battle rather than my vision. Black and white silhouettes, screams of pain and fury. Blood flooded the visor of my helmet, and visibility was almost gone. But there was simply no time to wipe it. A blow to the back, and the moment had come. I fell, along with a whole pack of creatures, and like a dog locked in a mortal fight, began to roll to the foot of the hill.
The weapon had long been released from my hands. I kept hitting with my hands, trying to drive my left hand as deep as possible into a soft body, and with my right, I continued to stab with the Venomous Stinger until it was maddeningly painful. No longer caring about secrecy. Then someone's claws found the latch on my helmet, and the visor lifted up. Finally, I saw the creatures that had overthrown me with my own eyes. They were pouncing furiously, even getting in each other's way a little. They tried to tear at my armor with their fangs. And I kept sticking the Venomous Stinger, first into one, then into another.
As soon as I had a chance to see what was happening in front of me, I tried to protect myself more with my left hand, and use my right to find new targets. Someone was pulling on my legs, my arms were being weighed down by so many that I no longer had the strength. The jaws of the nearest creature clamped onto my face. But the chitinous covering held back the initial onslaught. The creature didn't give up and continued to try to chew my face off, spitting saliva everywhere.
With the last of my strength, I clenched and finally stuck the Venomous Stinger into the throat of the Nurgle that was so selflessly trying to bite off my nose. It choked, gagged on blood, and soaked me in it. But it continued to cling to my neck with its claws. It began to convulse, and the veins on its snout turned black rapidly. The creatures around it tried to throw it off, but they didn't have the strength. It had literally turned to stone. Its claws had clenched in a death throe and seemed to be jammed.
I was being pulled in different directions at the same time. My left arm wasn't torn from its joint only because of the exoskeleton. A few breaths, and the creatures couldn't bear it and just started biting off the paralyzed kinsperson who was stuck to me. I continued to reach some of them with the Venomous Stinger. One after another, they recoiled from me with blackening snouts. Finally, I managed to strike the three that had latched onto my left arm. Unexpectedly, I realized that there weren't many Nurgles left; for some reason, they weren't fleeing in fear, but fighting to the death. A strike, another one. I bent down and stuck the stinger into the eye of the creature that was clinging to my leg and trying to drag me like a dog with its prey.
I stopped. It was unbelievable, but all the creatures that had been trying to devour me were now paralyzed by the poison. Overcoming the pain, I got to my feet and the first thing I did was materialize a spear in my hand. With my weapon ready, I looked around. Bodies covered the entire ascent to the hill. Thank Great Anteros, my squad was still standing under the protective barrier. It would have been especially stupid to risk my life only to lose the mages and with them, the chance to return home. The distance between us was now no less than two hundred paces. The Light Orbs had long since gone out, and no one saw me. By all accounts, they didn't even know where I was right now. The goblins were staring into the darkness, with their eyes bulging, much to the right of my current position. One of them was shouting, celebrating the victory. But no one was in a hurry to leave the safe confines of the magical barrier.
I lowered my gaze to the system messages. First, to check if I had leveled up. (119/220). Everything was in order with that; I even thought I had killed a lot more Nurgles. But that could wait. How much time was left to choose the improvement for the Minor Deceit skill?
[Notice] Time to choose a development path 1:43
Not much time left.
Choose a development path:
1. Allows you to change your appearance within your species.
2. Allows you to substitute primary system information: name, age, race, rank.
3. Increases the displayed level range to 20 units from the true value.
4. Makes substitution impossible to uncover if the checker's Intelligence is less than your own multiplied by 2. The exception is skills above D rank.
[Notice] If the player does not make a decision on their own, it will be made automatically.
Changing my appearance was not a priority right now, but it was generally very tempting. Regarding changing primary system information, I had even assumed that I could do that anyway. And it turns out this is a very significant element from the point of view of the System. But I had to choose between options 3 and 4. My future life would depend on it. Either raise the range, which would allow me to reach level 32, which in the future would allow me to undergo a rebirth procedure. Or take care of safety and be completely sure of not being exposed, during almost any check. By raising my Intelligence to 10 points, a checker would need to have at least 21 points in that attribute. And those are very high stats, and not everyone would invest their points specifically in Intelligence. I don't even want to talk about C-rank skills; only our Lord has those. And it's not a fact that it's something similar in its properties to the Appraisal skill.
I could have thought about it more, but there was only half a minute left, and I chose safety, option 4. High horizons are great, but a lot can happen on the way to them. A quick check, judging by the faces of Leur and Tatalem So, was definitely in my future. Of course, I understood that the next time it would be possible to improve this skill would be only at level 40. And, probably, that was what prompted me to choose improvement option 4. Maybe it was a mistake. But there was too little time to think. And besides all that, I still didn't fully believe that I had managed to survive.
Wiping the blood from my face, I felt a multitude of deep wounds on the chitin. So the chances of that cursed Nurgle chewing my head to death weren't so small after all.
[Notice] You have received 8 SP. (127/220)
My spear pierced the heart of a paralyzed creature.
[Notice] You have received 5 SP. (132/220)
They were lying all over the place. I stabbed mercilessly, pressing down with all my weight.
[Notice] You have received 14 SP. (146/220)
I looked around for the Nurgle leaders. And I couldn't understand why they weren't there. A huge pack, one might even say a whole brood. And no one was leading them. This just couldn't be.
[Notice] You have received 2 SP. (148/220)
Another small creature found death at my hand.
[Notice] You have received 8 SP. (156/220)
There could only be one explanation: the leader was simply waiting for the prey to be driven right to him. And judging by the direction of the attack, he had to be in the direction where the Lurion Takul had fled.
[Notice] You have received 19 SP. (175/220)
And that was an unpleasant piece of news. Because I wanted to finish off the senior officer personally. And not only as revenge, but also from a more mercenary side. It was quite possible that a Minor Magical Affinity skill card could drop from him. And that could open up new horizons for me.
[Notice] You have received 8 SP. (183/220)
[Notice] You have received 14 SP. (197/220)
[Notice] You have received 11 SP. (208/220)
Three creatures were lying together, not even trying to crawl away after receiving a dose of poison. Now I had enough experience to improve another E-rank skill. The improvement of the school Endless Despair of the Thal Depths could take a decent amount of time, and I simply didn't have it now. The Nurgles could die without sharing their precious SP with me. The Thal's Weightless Quiver skill caused a healthy amount of apprehension, given its description and some kind of astral entity.
Looking through all my skills, I realized that I needed to improve Eye of Darkness right now. They were very helpful to me in almost any situation, and I hoped it wouldn't take much time. At least, the learning of this skill was very fast, and that's taking into account that two extra eyes grew in my skull. Then I would regenerate as much as I could, because it was painless, at least I hoped so. And then, if Great Anteros was on my side and there was nowhere else to put SP, I would improve my shield mastery.
At the same time, I invested the last available attribute point in Intelligence, bringing it to 10 points, fearing that if I put it off, doubts could lead to a mistake. But this way, the decision was made, and there was no turning back. The slight headache was so unnoticeable against the general background of fatigue after the battle that it didn't cause any extraneous emotions at all.
[Notice] Do you want to improve the skill Eye of Darkness (1/3) (200 SP)
Yes/No
Rank increased. Skill power increased.
Choose a development path:
1. The clarity of perception of additional eyes increases.
2. The distance of confident perception of additional eyes increases.
3. The additional pair of eyes begins to see in the infrared range.
4. Darkness begins to flow from the additional eyes.
(8/220)
Reading the descriptions, I literally froze mid-stride. Darkness flowing. What could that even mean? It would be one thing if skill cards were new to me, but the catalog in our fortress was practically memorized. And here, darkness flowing. It was scary to choose, but I couldn't not choose. I wouldn't be able to explain to myself how I could miss such a chance. And then I flinched.
What darkness, what kind of madness caused by greed, and what if this effect was visually discernible to the naked eye, how could it be explained? Or even worse, if the energy trail was visible to senior officers.
I took a deep breath and calmed down. This is how a large amount of absorbed SP affects the body. They cause euphoria, impunity, and a sense of permissiveness. I need to be more careful.
Once again, I read the improvement options and chose the third one. Of course, it would be a shame if my vision became worse, but judging by the description, I would be able to distinguish the temperature of objects. This would definitely not be a black-and-white perception, but I think I could get used to it.
Pain pierced my head, and blood flowed from my additional eyes. I couldn't open them. Then something clicked several times inside my skull. A minute later, it was all over. I closed my eyes. I opened the additional ones, everything around me acquired blue shades, but the clarity became much better. The bodies of the Nurgles began to be distinguished by color. The ones that were breathing, and now I could clearly distinguish them, were mostly orange. And the ones that had been torn apart had already begun to acquire blue shades on the surface, from the cold night air. Taking in my surroundings with my new vision, I was very pleased. Far away, about a half-mile from me, I noticed several groups of small rodents in the forest, colored in bright red shades.
Now collecting SP was much easier. In just a couple of minutes, I finished off about twenty Nurgles that had rolled down the hill with me. In the end, I had (152/220) SP. Of course, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from finishing off all the bodies at once. So, on pure reflexes, the spear pierced the chests of literally everyone indiscriminately. I was also surprised at how brightly my cleaver and shield shone in the grass on top of the hill, in my new vision. But before I went back up to my goblins, I had to improve one more skill.
[Notice] Do you want to improve the skill Minor Regeneration (4/5) (80 SP)
Yes/No
Rank increased. Skill power increased.
[Notice] Your F-rank skill Minor Regeneration has been upgraded to E-rank Regeneration
Choose a development path:
1. Body regeneration increases.
2. The speed of bone needle reproduction increases.
3. Slightly slows down the body's aging process, thereby gradually increasing life expectancy, but significantly increases the body's need for nutrients.
4. Reduces the body's need for nutrients.
(72/220)
Well, today was just some kind of holiday. First, I almost got killed, and now my Eye of Darkness was so pleasing that I couldn't have asked for more. And now Minor Regeneration presented such a surprise. I'm afraid to even imagine what the System might ask for such gifts. That's what they sometimes say when you get something undeserved. It's just that from an excess of feelings, I couldn't concentrate again.
I chose option 3 and wouldn't say that I immediately felt a wild hunger. But in the future, I should definitely keep it in mind. That I need to take an increased supply of provisions. No pain, not even minor discomfort. By chance, one could even get used to it. But it was enough to remember the sensations that accompanied the modernization of my bones, and my body involuntarily broke out in a cold sweat. I went up the hill, finishing off a few more paralyzed Nurgles.
[Notice] You have received 2 SP. (74/220)
[Notice] You have received 14 SP. (88/220)
I looked at the goblins anxiously peering into the darkness. The barrier had thinned to the limit, but those cowards still weren't leaving it. What could I do with them? It seems to me that this trait of my people is ineradicable. I put away my spear and picked up my favorite cleaver.
"Drop the barrier," I hissed tiredly. "Mages, be ready to heal me, without stopping."
The goblins stirred and began to chatter happily.
"Sir Irchin, we're so glad you're alive!" the recruits shouted.
More quietly, they whispered to each other that they themselves had not hoped to survive.
"Everyone, even Moresh and Uler," I said, limping closer to the mages, "go finish off the Nurgles. Be careful not to go above level 10, or I'll execute you on the spot."
The warriors, emboldened by their new levels, spread out across the hill, which was strewn with bodies. Yet, they didn't rush in blindly, instead cautiously poking the bodies with their spears. I motioned for the mages to follow me, not forgetting to finish off the wounded along the way. At that moment, a wave of coolness passed through my body. It was Tatalem So using a healing spell. Judging by his pale appearance, Leur had no mana left at all.
As I continued to descend the hill, I didn't forget that a lot of time had passed, and many Nurgles had died from their wounds. We moved a little to the side, away from the main group of soldiers. It seemed like I was just collecting SP from the fallen forest dwellers. But now, we were out of sight of the main part of the squad. Leur clearly understood what was happening, unlike the young Tatalem So, who was looking around with a rather indifferent expression.
I descended a little further down the hill, finishing off a couple of bodies pierced by arrows. In the end, I had already accumulated (131/220) SP. Now we were out of sight of the last warriors in my squad. Leur looked around frantically and couldn't take it anymore.
"Decurion, forgive me," he whispered, frightened.
Tatalem So turned his head toward him, bewildered, and then stared at me in shock. I stood with my cleaver, the tip pressed against the older mage's chest. Thick drops of red blood slowly dripped from the blade. The light of the night sky's stars was enough to see my displeased face under the open visor of my helmet.