Chapter 20

Looking at the map, there were actually three Monster Grounds near them, and the map was even kind enough to provide the distance to them. The closest one was twenty miles to the East, the second one was sixty miles to the South, likely placing it at the foot of the mountains, the last one was 147 miles to the North, placing it failry close to where Helen and Demi encountered the other humans.

Frank caressed his chin as he looked at the map. This is pretty bad, two locations close to us… even if we manage to destroy one of them, we'll have the other one to deal with. He sighed. Deciding to push the matter aside for now, he focused on the Chat in the second line of the System's message. Doing so brought up a new dialog.

There are three options for the Chat function. Group Chat -- allows for up to ten people, their health, stamina, and mana will be added to your view, you can view their position on the map, 30 seconds delay per mile of distance. Battle-Group Chat -- works the same way but allows for up to one hundred people. Custom Chat -- allows for any number of people, doesn't show resources nor position on a map, one minute delay per mile, with a one-minute minimum.

Improving coordination in battle indeed, Frank thought, now, how do I go about it. There was no Chat tab in his profile, nor did he see a way to add people to a Group Chat. He closed his eyes and focused on his desire to invite Bill, ten seconds later he was rather certain that wasn't how it worked. Staring at someone while doing it didn't work either.

"Invite Bill. Group Chat: invite Bill. Chat invite Bill. Invite Bill to Group Chat," he continued to spew more variations, feeling like a fool.

His embarrassment was cut short when someone explained that he needed to be touching the person he wanted to invite to Chat, also informing him that the Marshall was holding a meeting. Frank stepped toward Amy, placing his hand on her shoulder, then closed his eyes and focused on inviting her to a Group Chat. Immediately, there was a new panel in the corner of his vision, which informed him that Amy had been added to his Group Chat. He repeated the action with the rest of his teammates. With everyone in the Group Chat, Frank let them figure out how the communication worked, while he attended the meeting called by the Marshall.

Frank joined the semi-circle of other team leaders, as they waited for everyone to arrive. He listened to the others chatting, as he tried to formulate his own thoughts on the development. Soon, everyone had arrived, and the meeting began.

"As I am sure you all know, there are three Monster Grounds in our vicinity, the closest one being just twenty miles away. Does anyone have any suggestions on what we should do?" The Marshall asked.

"Scout the places," someone offered the obvious choice.

"Send a scouting team to the two closest Grounds, while the rest of us follow after them to the closest place. Wipe it out and return to the base, then destroy the second one tomorrow morning," Gabriel proposed.

"And the third one?" The Marshall asked.

"It'd take us at least two days just to get there, more depending on terrain and monster threats," said a short, pudgy man who was the leader of one of the scouting teams.

"It can't be helped," Gabriel shrugged. "All we can do is try to destroy those Grounds as quickly as we can before the monsters increase in number or power."

"It's quite risky," the scouting leader shook his head, a grim expression on his face.

"I trust Gabriel, if he says this is the way to go, I'll follow him," a tall, athletic woman said, several others nodding their heads.

"Should we vote on it?" Gabriel asked the Marshall, however, Kareem spoke before he could respond.

"You're assuming we have enough power to destroy a Monster Ground."

"Why wouldn't we? The System has been consistent in providing us with challenges we can actually beat," Gabriel replied.

"True, but if the goal was to test our battle-power, then why not just send another monster wave?" Kareem asked.

"Aren't you two putting too much faith into the System? It might follow some scheme, but no reason to think its goal is to help us," someone said.

"Mm, that's debatable. So far, the monsters were just strong enough for us to beat them, the weird fruits or whatever they are, that are available in the forest. Not to mention saving us from the System-induced crash," Kareem said.

"You just made my point," Gabriel said as he gestured at Kareem, who looked like he had a lot more to say.

"We are not here to discuss the System's goals, Kareem," the Marshall moved to get the meeting back on track. "What do you propose we do?"

"We should scout the two nearest places first. It's too dangerous to have everyone move for the attack before we know what we're dealing with. Don't forget, the gnolls from the second wave ambushed us, while we tried to get closer to the river," Kareem said.

"I agree," Frank voiced his opinion. "A scouting team can get to the closest Ground in about two hours, with the Chat function they can relay the info right away, so the time wasted will be minimal. And it gives us a chance to properly prepare for a march."

Gabriel locked eyes with Frank for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Fine, let's scout first," he said. The matter seemed settled when Steve thought of something.

"Why are we assuming that all three Grounds are meant for us to deal with? It's possible that we only need to deal with the closest one, and the rest are meant for the people to deal with? We know there are other people out there," Steve said.

"All the more reasons to scout the place first," Kareem replied.

"Alright, we'll send a scouting team to the two closest Grounds. We'll hold another meeting once we know what we are dealing with. In the meantime, make sure your groups are ready for battle," the Marshall concluded the meeting.

"Um, before you all leave, we have seven reinforced leather armors, too heavy for scouts, but should be helpful in combat. Also, if you need weapons, or can finish the Survivor grid for the vials and want some potions, let me know," Steve quickly announced.

Frank was returning to his group when he noticed a blinking panel in the lower corner of his view, focusing on it caused him to stagger as the conversation his teammates had was downloaded into his brain. That really was the best way to describe it. He didn't read a transcript of the conversation, nor did he hear their voices, he just knew what was said and by whom. Frank cursed at how strange it felt, then followed the instructions Amy gave him, he closed his eyes, focusing for a few seconds before transmitting a thought to the group.

[Is this really how it works?] Frank sent out. A moment later he saw the blinking panel again, focusing on it brought back a reply: [Yes.]

What a weird way to handle communication, Frank thought, he expected it would be some sort of voice communication, not this strange thing. Hm, can't really use it while fighting, but should work great for logistics, he concluded, as he returned to his group and informed them of the decision. With two hours to prepare, everyone decided to do a bit of last-minute training. Frank himself wanted to test something he thought of during their morning training. That is, using Dash to increase his attack power.

The dull weapons he created for training inflicted much lower damage, unable to slice or pierce, the strikes only leaving red lines on the skin and some internal bleeding. That was expected, but it also pointed to the fact that the damage a weapon dealt followed physics' principles, rather than some System's rules. It explained why his stabs had much more penetrating power than his slashes.

It had been a long time since he studied physics, and like most people, Frank had forgotten most of what he'd learned. Sitting on the ground with Meditation active, Frank rifled through his memories trying to recall the relevant information. Hmm, the formula for power should be mass times distance divided by time… or is it for force? Is there a difference between force and power? Whatever. But the formula sounds right. The more mass moved, the greater distance, or the quicker time, produces a more powerful impact, which would then get divided by the surface of the weapon to get the penetrative force. Then, using Dash as part of my attack would add my entire mass multiplied by the distance moved divided by the time… assuming my memory is correct.

He got up and tried to execute the move. It failed. Dash was a weird skill, one had to choose a spot to move to before activating the skill, which would cause one's legs to move at an abnormal speed. Frank had no control over the involuntary movement, which left him feeling unsettled. A few more tries made it clear that no other actions could be performed while Dashing. Unable to attack during the dash, Frank tried to slash prior to using the skill. Another failure -- his swing ended before he arrived at his destination, but he was able to incorporate the movement into the attack. He was on the right track.

He spent the rest of the time practicing, trying to get both actions to sync. The skill had a 30 seconds cooldown, which made it somewhat annoying to train. Frank filled the downtime by practicing to retrieve a handful of ground dust from his ring. The dust in the eyes Gabriel used was highly effective, and Frank happily added it to his arsenal.

Getting both attack and movement in sync offered some difficulty. The time Dash took varied depending on the distance moved, meaning he had to vary the speed of his attacks to match. It wasn't easy to slow down his swings while executing them in a smooth, continuous motion. However, he got a decent handle on it by the time the new meeting was called.

As Frank walked to join the others he wondered about his newfound attack. Going by my calculations it should be like 50 times stronger than normal attacks, maybe even more. But, what would happen to me if I struck someone with 50 times more force than normal? Would the feedback be enough to damage me? He mused as he scratched his head. Is there some sort of Speed Force that would prevent the damage to my body, like there were in the comics? Shaking his head, he took his place among the other team leaders.

"It's not good," the Marshall began, his expression solemn, "it's goblins, over two hundred of them, mostly level thirty, lowest is twenty, highest is forty-five," he paused letting the news sink in.

Frank shook his head, while many people cursed, some looked like their spirits had been completely crushed. After a while, the Marshall continued.

"The place itself is located in the plain, like ours, but closer to the forest, about a hundred yards away. There are six buildings there, one of which is a forge. The goblins are currently busy cutting down trees, shaping them into stakes, tying them into an X shape, and using them to build a barrier around their base," he explained.

"Wait, they are building a fence? Their actions… it's just like what we did," someone voiced.

"Could they be like us? Just transported here from another world?" Carol asked.

"The System's message clearly called them monsters, plus more are supposed to spawn over time," the Marshall replied.

"Even so, they seem intelligent, at least enough to build a defense around their base. Maybe we can negotiate with them?" Carol proposed.

"Negotiate with the monsters?" Someone asked with a chuckle.

"Well, we can't fight that many. Not without losing people. Why not give diplomacy a chance? Even if it's unlikely," Carol reasoned.

"Hm, that's an interesting thought, avoiding a battle with them would be best," the Marshall agreed. He frowned and for a second his eyes went glassy, blinking his expression returned to normal. "The scouts got a look from another angle, it's three hundred goblins. About a hundred of them are training in the base, while the rest are either working on the fence or acting as guards."

"Fuck," Kareem, who had a contemplative look on his face until now swore, "we need to hit them, right now."

"Are you crazy? We can't beat those numbers," a woman shouted in a nervous, high-pitched voice.

"We don't have to defeat them," he waved his hand at her annoyed, "but we have to disrupt them."

"Can you explain?" The Marshall asked, his brows furrowed.

"Look, I thought it'd be a bunch of monsters that would increase in number and power over time. I don't know about the increased numbers, but the power will apparently come from training, otherwise, why would they do it? More than that, whether they are intelligent or just following a set pattern, what will happen if we don't disrupt them? They probably won't leave their Ground undefended, so the 300 goblins will always stay there, only the extras will be sent to attack us. How many would be sent? A hundred? Two hundred? How long would it take for that many to spawn? I doubt the System is nice enough to give us more than a week. Meaning we are looking at ten spawns per day, and possibly up to fifty. Can we defeat two hundred of them without losing anyone?" Kareem got more agitated the more he spoke. "Their numbers will stay the same, while ours will decrease. Even if at some point we'll become powerful enough to overcome the odds, how many of us will actually survive that long?"

He paused to take a breath, before continuing: "The only chance we have is to disrupt what they are doing. It will delay them and reduce their numbers. The longer we can keep them from reaching the tipping point the longer we'll have to figure something out. And now is our best chance. We don't need to fight them all, hit the goblins cutting trees, or bait them into an ambush, something like that," he concluded, looking at the faces of the gathered men and women.

"I doubt such an excursion would go without casualties," the Marshall spoke slowly.

"Do we know their composition? Just melee fighters or are there mages too?" Gabriel asked.

"Mages, healers, and archers," the Marshall replied. Seeing how Gabriel remained silent afterward, he continued, "I can see the logic in Kareem's words. But it's very dangerous. Will any teams volunteer to do it? I won't hold it against those who refuse."

For a while, silence took over, everyone looking at each other. Gabriel waved his hand.

"It sucks, but Kareem's right. If we don't strike now and let them get going, we'll be sitting ducks."

"Quite a powerful endorsement," a woman said with a laugh, "my team will join too."

It felt like the pressure everyone felt had lessened, and team leaders voiced their decisions, some joining, most declining. Frank used the Group Chat to ask his team if they wanted to join. It would be dangerous, but he didn't want to put his fate into the hands of others. He nodded to himself as he received everyone's replies.

"My team will join," he announced when it was his turn to speak.

Soon everyone had spoken and the Marshall announced the results.

"Eight teams have volunteered. Gabriel will be in charge of the attack, please follow his orders," the Marshall said, bowing slightly. "Now, I'll invite you to the Battle Group Chat, so you can coordinate with the scouts and keep me informed," he added.

"Right, then, we'll leave in five minutes. Get your teams and get ready for the fight," Gabriel said, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"What about the diplomacy route? I know it's a longshot, but still…" Carol said, unwilling to relent.

"Hmm, we'll see what we can do, Carol," Gabriel said after a while. "Could also use it to set up an ambush, if negotiations fail."

The meeting concluded, and everyone left to inform their teams of the news. The eight volunteering teams found themselves in a Battle Group Chat, inviting a Chat Group leader was apparently enough to get their group mates as well. Looking at his map, Frank could see the dots of the scouting team near the Monster Ground. That's rather convenient, he thought, though not needed in this case.

"Everyone, we'll be leaving in five minutes. Get those last-minute preparations done," Frank told his team.

"Already done," Bill boomed.

"Alright, then give me a moment," Frank replied with a chuckle.

He opened his Grids tab, he had 101 GP. His regeneration-focused build, as well as Quick Learner I and Driven showed their worth, as he was able to get 90 GP in less than two days. In contrast, Amy and Margaret had gained less than 40 GP in that time. A smug smile on his face, Frank considered what to get. He could get Die Hard II for 100 GP, or he could get Guardsman I and II, as well as Single Heal I. He chose the latter, figuring that it was better to avoid taking damage rather than rely on whatever the Die Hard II gave to survive. The fact that this choice gave him 21 attribute points instead of just 9 was also welcome.

You have learned a new skill: Taunt, Level 1: To draw the ire of the most powerful foes, to stand unflinching against their strongest attacks, that's what it means to be a tank! Your death is inevitable, but there is no need for it to occur prematurely. This skill allows you to shout a challenge to all foes within 20 yards, causing them to desire nothing but your destruction.

You have learned a new skill: Stone Skin, level 1: Turn your skin to stone and laugh at your enemies, as their attacks fail to leave so much as a scratch. Don't grow complacent, you can still be damaged by a powerful enough foe. This skill adds a layer of stone to your skin, greatly reducing incoming physical damage.

You have learned a new skill: Lesser Heal, level 1: Being able to heal allies from a distance is the first step to becoming a healer. And becoming a healer is the first step to acquiring the trauma of seeing your allies die because You failed to heal them. This skill allows you to heal a single target up to 30 yards away.

Hmm, more death threats, nothing new there. And now my allies will die too? Great, just great, Frank shook his head mentally. He still hasn't told anyone about his mocking skill descriptions, uncertain of what it meant. Pushing the issue of morbid messages aside, he moved on to the attribute points.

They were going into battle, and as nice as his regeneration was, it was still useless in a fight that only lasted a few minutes. What he needed were higher resource-pools. He added 8 to each type of Magic Affinity, spending the remaining 5 points on Constitution.

HP: 408/408 (234/hour)

Stamina: 175/175 (450/hour)

D Mana: 120/120 (152/hour)

R Mana: 120/120 (212/hour)