THE ASCENDANCY - The Keep - Day 5

  [ASCENDANCY ANNOUNCEMENT]

  A native civilization within your assigned region has mounted organized resistance and fortified the city of Maelun. A progression node has been activated.

  OBJECTIVE: Suppress or neutralize the native resistance and seize control of the progression node.

  VICTORY CONDITION: The first Champions to complete the objective will gain access to the node. All other participants in this region will find their efforts wasted.

  REWARD: Upon capture, the progression node will be converted into a Territory Outpost. The winning Champion's Territory will be anchored to that point, functionally equivalent to an initial claim, providing a new territorial start point from which passive influence and expansion radiate outward.

  OPERATIONAL NOTES:

  - Technologies, schematics, and equipment obtained up to the point of capture will be preserved and made available for the winning civilization.

  - Upon completing the objective and securing the progression node, you may respawn any fallen Champions. If no respawns are required, you may instead perform a one-time extraction of a single active entity to your home civilization via compatible cradle.

  Repeated failure is not advised.

  CAVEAT: If an Ascendancy entity is returned to a home civilization via cradle, that physical body becomes the entity's primary physical form. The entity is despawned from the Ascendancy and embodied in a cradle. Continued participation requires re-entry through a compatible cradle.

  The six of us snapped out of bed and I heard at least one of us fall and hit the floor.

  "Did everybody get that message?" I stammered, trying to get my clothes on as quickly as possible. Kyle was picking himself up off the floor and doing the same.

  "Yeah," Tanya said. "I'm pretty sure everybody in the Ascendancy got that message, Gav."

  We made our way back to the light of the hearth.

  "ARi, can you throw a window that has that message back up so we can all read it again?" I asked.

  ARi flicked a hand and the projection rose above the fire.

  "Well, guys, I had a feeling something like this was going to happen," ARi said slowly, shaking her head as she read through it. "I mean, if this is some kind of competition, there has to be some mechanic that forces us to come together."

  "Yeah, but ARi," Tanya said, "there's a lot we can take from this message that we didn't know before. For example, even the first line: 'a native civilization within your assigned region.' I mean, we've been kind of sitting here thinking that all of the others are surrounding us or near us. The way that this is written, I don't think that's the case at all."

  "I agree," ARi said. "My guess is that they put two competitors near each other, their way of bracketing it out like a tournament. The winner between the two takes the region and the two regions do the same against each other. It makes sense. There's more, though. I didn't only receive the message as you guys did. I also received this."

  ARi threw her hand out again and the projection changed, showing a map of the area. Most of the map was hidden, but deep into the unexplored territory there was a gold star with a label above it that read Maelun.

  "Okay," I said. "So that's about five or six times farther than we've been able to explore. Let's assume you guys are right and the Reapers are Earth's first real competition. I mean, we've already knocked out a bunch of these guys..."

  "Gavin, remember that everybody has to follow the same rules," ARi interrupted before I could finish. "Those Reapers are going to be pushing even harder, because if they lose that progression node, they won't be able to respawn."

  "I want to make sure I understand this right before we get into some other things we have to talk about," I said, stretching as I sat on the bench. "So if I'm reading this right in the announcement, if we capture this city, or conquer this city, or whatever it is we have to do to complete the objective, It's like starting a whole other territory, correct?"

  "Yeah, Gavin," ARi said. "The progression node basically turns into an active Control-Node. And it will do that whether it's inside our territory or not."

  "Oh wow," Yumi added. "That's huge, if you think about it."

  "I am interested in the phrasing of this objective," Tanya said. "It says suppress or neutralize. So we don't have to necessarily kill these natives. It doesn't say they're not allowed to rebel or resist, it says they can't be resisting against us."

  "If this is a kobold world," I said, " I don't want to go into a town and start slaughtering people. I'd be worried about how that would affect our own cohorts."

  "This is what I'll say, looking at this logically," Kyle said. "Every option we've been given during this whole thing has always given us the same three paths to take. It's always some type of utility path, some type of defensive path, and some type of aggressive path. It's a pattern that's been repeated over and over, in the skills it offers us and the options it presents. Honestly, I think I'm kind of seeing it here, too."

  "How so, Kyle?" I asked.

  "I mean, I'm sitting here staring at the options and I only see two," I said with a shrug. "We go into this kobold city or town and what, kill all the resistance? Or convince them to stop resisting against us?"

  "That's not true, Gav," Tanya said with a soft smile. "Nowhere in this announcement does it say we have to complete this objective. There's no punishment if we ignore it altogether. We could sit here and turtle up and let the other team take it. It doesn't advance our agenda, but that's still an option."

  "Maybe," ARi said, her voice uncertain. Everyone turned to look at her. "But we don't actually know what happens if we fail. What if we lose all of our progress, our research, our production? I mean, as I look through the rules I don't see anything about what happens if we miss out on capturing one of these progression nodes but don't die. Do we keep our personal progression as far as our skills and abilities? Do we get to keep our territory, the den, our cohorts? Seems like there's a lot of risk there. What if it made us start over?"

  I looked over at the long table where a couple of the kobolds sat on the bench, cups in their hands, watching the commotion.

  "We need desert power," I said, nodding my head.

  "English, bro," Yumi snapped.

  "Oh my God, did you guys never read?" I said. "Listen, in one of my favorite sci-fi series, a house has to quell a rebellion on this planet, and ultimately the solution wasn't to crush the natives or rule over them. They had to make peace with them, learn from them, even damn near become one of them. The house that tried to control the planet through force? They failed. But the one that earned the trust of the people who actually knew how to survive there? They became unstoppable. It's not about conquering the locals, it's about making them want to fight alongside you. We don't need to dominate these kobolds. We need them to choose us."

  "The Ascendancy is trying to make these people pawns. Objectives to conquer. But they're not. They're people who know this world better than we ever will. If we can convince the native kobolds in that city that we're not another enemy, that we're here to help them survive this nightmare? "

  Tim nodded slowly. "And if we try to force it, we end up fighting on two fronts."

  "Exactly," I said. "If we go in there we offer partnership, not conquest. We help them deal with their Reaper problem, and maybe they help us figure out how to survive ours."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Tim shook his head. "Gav, how are we supposed to make peace with the natives on this world when aliens are here ravaging their home? I mean, we already suspect this place was attacked brutally before it became part of the Ascendancy. ARi said it might even be why there's no iron here. These people are going to see us for exactly what we are. Invaders."

  I looked around at everyone. "Okay, here's the way I see it. Tell me if you agree," I said. "These are big objectives, keep that in mind. We have to continue to fortify our position here, and at the same time we need to raise an army. We need to accomplish two tasks. The first is to make contact with the native kobolds and help them fortify that city. The second is to finish the Reapers off once and for all, and we need to do it before we complete the objective."

  "Holy hell, Gav, ambitious much?" Tanya broke in.

  "Think about it," I said. "We can't allow the Reapers to complete the objective, and they can't do that without sending out what's left of their forces. That's going to be the best time to take out their guide."

  Looking over at ARi, I saw the fear in her eyes. "Don't worry, ARi. I have no intention of leaving you here alone during any of this either. That's why we have to fortify this place before we even think about it. Otherwise we have to let the objective go. We cannot leave ARi unprotected. They could bypass the objective and come straight for her if they think they can get away with it while we're gone."

  "The good news is they're not going to want to leave their guide unprotected, either." I rubbed my jaw. "So this is a race, but a marathon, not a sprint."

  "So we need to focus on getting the Keep finished, then?" Kyle broke in.

  "Yeah, I think so," I said. "We need to get our rogues to level up a couple of times as well. If we can get them leveled higher, I want to send them to Maelun. I'd send them now, but I'd be afraid they wouldn't make it. Once there, they can communicate with locals and hopefully get them to agree to Earth's terms."

  "Earth's terms?" ARi asked, looking at me questioningly.

  I smiled back. "Yeah. Earth's terms: that we liberate this world and leave it free, to its native life and civilizations. That we bring them in as equal trading partners. Think about it, ARi. If we complete all the objectives and conquer this world, who does this world belong to? What territory does it become part of?"

  "That's a big gamble, Gavin," Tim said.

  "Yeah, but what do these people have to lose?" I said. "Someone was already here slaughtering them, and the only reason there's anything left is because some other force came along. These first-tier races decided to make this world a competitive playground so the two clashing species wouldn't blow a hole in the galaxy. That means their survival gets tied to us, but it gives them a chance. Besides, if we fall in this thing, Earth is on its own with whatever we managed to achieve up to that point. If we openly share what we've learned and keep the line of communication open, we could be giving these people the same chance we're trying to give our own."

  "Now, if that means pulling it together to try to build some kind of ARC ships to get the hell out of Dodge," I continued, "okay, that's basically plan A at the moment. I think that's achievable. If we win this thing though, all of Earth's territories become protected."

  "Gav's right, you guys," Tim said. "Think about it. This could be a path to victory, not only through the Ascendancy, but through politics and future battles outside this stupid game. If we liberate these worlds one by one and bring them into the fold... that could be the start of a major coalition."

  Kyle broke in. "As profound as this is, these people are going to be stuck to the same limitations as we are, bows, arrows, and Bronze Age tech."

  "Yeah," Yumi said. "Maybe they were already way ahead of us before their world got scalped. We don't know. So let's not make assumptions."

  "If this is the plan we're pushing," I said, "we need smaller goals and to get things rolling, because those Reapers are going to be plotting right now on either how to kill ARi or how to get their hands on that node."

  "All right, guys, there's one other thing I know nobody's talking about," ARi said.

  "I don't want anybody risking their lives for me. Not for this."

  The realization that we were all thinking the exact same thing hit the room at once.

  "ARi, listen," I said. "Let's take this one step at a time. But if that becomes within our reach, everybody here will agree you need to come back with us as you are now."

  "If something happens to one of you guys, that's it. This conversation is over. That person is being brought back. Do you understand? All of you."

  "I'm serious." ARi's voice cut through the room.

  I watched a single tear roll down her cheek.

  "It's all right, ARi. We all understand the stakes. We get it." I took her hand. She buried her face against my chest, and I held her there for a minute.

  "I hate this game. It's fucking cruel," ARi said, half buried in my shirt.

  Yumi came over and joined the hug. "Well then, baby girl, let's break it!"

  ARi looked back up at us. "Do you guys think we could pull this off? Can we bring all of these poor people under our flag?"

  "Yeah," I said. "I do, ARi. And I think we should try. Not because I think it's a good path to winning this thing, but because it's the right thing to do."

  ARi leaned up quickly and kissed me on the lips while Yumi kept hugging us.

  "Don't look at me, lover-boy. All you're getting from me is the hug," she said, forcing ARi to burst out laughing. I could feel my face go red.

  "All right, then," I said. "I think we need to do two things to get this rolling. If either of these things don't directly involve any of you, your task is to level up as many times as possible and help the kobolds do the same. We need control points for both ARi and myself. We're going to need the ability not only to summon more cohorts, but to move faster and maybe even form some kind of mobile armor. That means constructs. In addition to all that, we need skills and abilities. Remember: every time you guys learn new things, thanks to that cross-train option, it gives me additional options for the cohorts as well. I think it's a safe bet to stick with kobolds at this point as well."

  "There's another native species on this world that you were already presented with as well," ARi broke in.

  Yumi looked over and glared at ARi. "It's the Kappa, isn't it? God, I freaking knew it as soon as I saw it on that stupid window. You don't understand, ARi. I had nightmares about those things until I was, like, fourteen. Apparently it's not child abuse for Japanese grandmothers to torment their grandkids with horror stories of those things by the river."

  "It'll be okay, Yumi," ARi said. "Look at the kobolds and how they turned out. They're nothing like the stories from Earth."

  "That is true, I guess," Yumi said, pouting. "Besides, Lilly, Sawyer, and Jack are pretty much three of my favorite people at the moment, as far as people under four feet tall, anyway."

  "Well, those things have some natural abilities as far as ranged weaponry go," Tim interrupted. "And honestly, the fact that they're self-armored means that if we can get them armed with crossbows, they could be pretty mean and a great addition to squads of shield bearers."

  "All right, I'll consider it," I said. "For now, I know I want more shield bearers and at least two more rogues. They've more than proved their worth." I pulled up my character sheet to check where my current control points stood.

  "All right, guys, it looks like I've got one available control point left. That's enough for three more Cohort Shieldbearers or for two more rogues. That means I'm gonna have to get out there and start gaining some experience, too. Although, interestingly, I'm halfway to level six, and I haven't killed anything."

  "Gavin, you're gaining experience through your cohorts, so you share in some of their experience," ARi said. "It's not as much as they get for directly doing things, but you do get some."

  "Honestly, I can't believe how much I've gotten," I said. "I hope that because I'm gaining experience through the cohorts and their actions, I can continue to expand my architect skill. Honestly, I think that's the fastest way I'm going to get more control points."

  "Oh my God, Gav, I almost forgot. And by the way, yeah, it's kind of cheating, but the system rules allowed me to do it." ARi threw out her hand, and a familiar projection snapped into view above the fire.

  [SYSTEM WINDOW] QUEST COMPLETE

  Title: The Search for Clay.

  Objective: Fill two baskets with river clay and return it to your territory.

  Reward: 75 experience points per party member.

  Bonus: 1 skill point for each party member upon completion of your first quest.

  "Holy shit, ARi, I completely forgot about that quest."

  “I've kind of been holding on to it, trying to let you guys level up a little so the skill point would mean more than it would at an earlier level, when it was easier for you to get them through experience."

  "This is the only one I'm going to be able to do like this, though," ARi said. "It was a special bonus for being your first quest."

  "My recommendation is, at least for Gavin, he should hold that skill point until level seven. If you're lucky and a skill option directly tied to control points shows up, we can double down on it. The rest of you can do the same."

  "That's brilliant, ARi. Thank you," Tanya said. "ARi, did you get a skill point for the quest too?"

  "No. Stupid system. I'm not allowed to issue things that would directly give me a skill point."

  "Well, yeah, that sucks," Kyle said, "but not so much if you think about it. I'm pretty sure you're already a lot higher level than the other guides. It'd be scary if they could manipulate the system like that. Your skills are hella overpowered."

  ARi gave him a dirty look.

  "I don't mean that in a bad way," Kyle added quickly. "Seriously, ARi, you're a badass."

  Tim cut in before Kyle could stick his foot further in his mouth. "Listen, Gav, I think you should stay with ARi and the rest of us should take the kobolds back out again. Keep one of the rogues with you. We'll use one to help scout, and keep Bishop with you too. Between ARi's utility constructs, Bishop, and the rogue, I think you guys will be okay while we're gone. We chased a pack of raptors down into the ridge yesterday, and the kobolds are eager to get back out there."

  "That sounds like a good idea, Tim," I said. "But if you're going to have everybody with you, when you come back you might want to come up the riverbank. See if maybe you can find one of my rhino-rex things."

  ARi rolled her eyes. "It's called a Ceratorex. And yeah, those are a lot more dangerous. But something you guys can handle at this point. But don't let it thrash the kobolds."

  "If you can get it out in the open, my darts should make pretty short work of it," Yumi said. "Make sure everybody gets a chance to hit it before I take it down."

  "Sounds like we have a plan," Tim said.

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