143 The Stator Rebellion Part 5

"It took Stator's Rebellion for players to understand and respect the NPCs of DO truly."

"Even though the forums stated how skilled and intelligent the NPCs were, many put it down to their social rank or importance to the game world as a whole, believing themselves to be above 'mere code' as they put it.

"After all, it is normal in VRMMORPGS for some NPCs to be more powerful and intelligent than others."

"But the NPCs were just like us."

"In their intelligence."

"In their skill."

"Even in their feelings."

Daniel Price, Head of House Wresb, who goes by the player name Greedy Green Little Shit.

….

"You said there were 100 of these small 'traveller' groups you have found so far?"

In a black bear-furred command tent, a black armoured goblin was pacing and asked calmly while tapping his thigh with his finger as he pondered about these strange travellers who had recently appeared around the camp. 

He gazed outside the command tent to see the sun finally set and the silver moon slowly rose into the sky. The skies darkened within a few minutes, now only allowing one to see a vague outline of the black-skinned goblin general. 

Those unfamiliar with him would not be able to see where his armour ends and skin start as they seamlessly blend together to create the black shadowy figure that dominates the Lethal Legion and plants fear in the hearts of allies and enemies alike.

This black armoured man was the general of this army.

The legendary Black Death of Oovere himself.

"Yes, general, but that was only when I did a routine patrol. According to our other patrol, they also found many of these 'traveller' groups around our army camp. Meeting one group by chance is normal. A few is likely a coincidence, but 100 that's a scheme."

"It's just weird, as these groups of travellers comprise of many different tribes. Heck, even rival tribes like The Dwarf Headhunters and The Long Shankers, two tribes that can barely meet without fighting, were getting along fine."

"This was too odd and suspicious for me to ignore, so after briefly interrogating a group that couldn't give the right directions to where they were going, I arrested one group."

 Kriggeelx, the crimson goblin vice general, said, giving a respectful salute to his friend, clutching his helmet in his arms to reveal his crimson face, hooked nose, and long ears, which are common traits and features of the goblin race.

"You did the right thing. Where are these 'travellers' if they can even be called that now?"

The black goblin general asked, staring at his subordinate, who looked towards the ground and coughed slightly.

"They are erm…."

The crimson goblin sighed before continuing, feeling uncomfortable even saying that person's name, which could strike fear into even the biggest sadist's heart. 

"They are with Amelx. I thought it would make them talk quicker, as I believe they will enact their plan soon, especially if they saw us bring those travellers in for interrogation. But you know how it is…. When it comes to interrogation techniques, his are more…."

"On the extreme side, but I cannot deny that he gets results. I just hoped he wouldn't mentally break them like he did the last set of prisoners we sent him."

Kriggeelx said with a dark expression, shivering slightly, remembering the blood and the broken mental state of the last person visited and 'questioned' by Amelx. He did not wish such a fate on his worst enemy, but time was of the essence, and they could not just kill or arrest a bunch of citizens because they were acting suspiciously.

They needed evidence or confessions to do so, but both men thought there was far more to this than meets the eye. The only issue was that the schemer behind the recent suspicious activities might not give them the time they needed to gather this evidence to arrest all of these suspicious people. It seemed like he was close to making all the preparations he needed for his plan to succeed.

Both goblins knew just how devastating it would be if they attacked the army camp at night, surprising them. Even if, in the end, they ended up defeating them, it would still lead to a large number of casualties on their end, as they doubted that a person who was able to get all these different goblins from different tribes together would not have the plan to destroy their army which would be the biggest obstacle not only for a foreign force intending to attack Oovere but for any internal ones as well.

After all, unless it was to attack their army camp, thousands of people did not need to be gathered around them, as there were no other important places nearby. Even if it were just a coincidence that these people all happened to pass by them at the same time, it was still best to take precautions just in case.

"I see."

The Black Death said, sighing and grimacing like Kriggeelx did when mentioning that person. That person was a particularly sadistic goblin who, despite making the general and his subordinates feel uncomfortable, was one of their greatest assets. He was a master at scheming and in the art of 'acquiring' information from prisoners, whether they were willing or not, making him invaluable in a wartime situation.

"Have we set our elite guards to protect our poison supplies? The last thing we need is our enemies killing us using our own poisons even if we can cure them."

The black goblin general asked, his red eyes glowing through the helmet menacingly like a monster about to be unleashed. It was not lost on him that if someone wanted to take out his army, all they had to do was poison them by putting something in their food to weaken them before attacking, leading to a massacre as the sick goblins would be unable to fight back.

As a specialist in this kind of warfare, which had led to him winning many of his battles, The Black Death of Oovere was more than aware of how devastating such an attack could be and so took significant measures to ensure that the tactics that he devised and frequently used could never be used against him.

In peacetime, the guard on these poisons was usually a bit lax as they were constantly being tested and refined by the army's alchemists and doctors, who aimed to improve both the effectiveness of the poisons and antidotes at their disposal, each having their own uses. This led to the creation of some of the deadliest poisons in the world, as the goblins used their wickedly sharp intellect to work on these toxins to help compensate for the goblins' physical inadequacy.

Some of these poisons are fast acting able to kill a fully grown adult in seconds, while others take time, taking hours for their dastardly effects to kick in, being especially effective when being put in their enemy's food or drink as it was only after everyone had finished their hearty meal that the weakness and death would set in.

Ironically, because of this research, while their craftsmanship and culture needed a lot of work, the Kingdom of Oovere and the other goblin nations around the world were first-class in their ability to combat the effects of poisons without the use of healing magic. They were the minds behind some of the most potent and feared magically resistant toxins commonly used throughout the world.

"Yes, general, the moment I had suspicions, I sent messengers to the other tribe leaders to see if they had anything to do with it and had the security on the toxin storage strengthened. Now, no one can take anything out without a fight."

The red-skinned vice general said. As The Black Death's recognised friend and second in command, he had significant authority over the camp and could make these decisions first before reporting to his superior, though this did not include the deployment of troops in wartime unless the situation was urgent.

This allowed the army flexibility and has led to the stopping of many schemes and many victories on the battlefield.

"Good. Put some of our trusted men to guard the camp gates at once. Don't let anyone in without confirming their identity, and increase patrols around the camp and surrounding areas. If these 'travellers' make a move, I want to know about it. Also, order all our men to sleep with their weapons tonight. We don't know when we will need them and may be able to scare the cat out into the open."

The Black Death said, a predatory grin spreading beneath the helmet that covered his face before his tone got cold.

"I think it's time to start the hunt."

"General!"

"General!"

 One of his personal soldiers then rushed into the tent, panting slightly. The Black Death's eyes narrowed, and the red irises shone in the darkness. They were the only glaring feature that could be found, as his black armour was vaguely lit up by the burning braziers that gave light from outside the tent.

"General, something terrible has happened!

"Someone has poisoned our food!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!"

….

Stator was walking around camp relaxed until he saw something that made his heart stop and his body momentarily freeze. On the back of some wolf riders who went out on patrol were 7 seven goblins whom he was not familiar with, and because there had been no rumours or reports of deserters, it could only mean one thing.

Some of the players who were working with him had been captured. He had heard from someone in chat that some players had been arrested but did not believe it because, recently, trolls had said stuff like this regularly to attempt to get a reaction from the streamer. This was until he saw their restrained bodies be taken to a set of large cages that were obviously for prisoners of war, shoving them all into one.

He now knew that he had to act soon, or his entire plot would be exposed and almost certain, as he was not confident in the players' ability to keep their mouths shut when dealing with very painful medieval interrogation techniques that routinely use torture as a means to get information from prisoners.

Stator was also aware that his current forces could not defeat the 130,000 NPC soldiers without surprising or incapacitating them in some way. He only knew of 20,000 players who were soldiers and loyal to him, and even they were far outclassed in skill compared to their NPC counterparts, as they had not had years yet to increase their personal combat skill like many of the NPC soldiers had.

He had seen every single player, with no exceptions, get their asses handed to them by even the most basic of goblin soldiers, and this came as quite a shock to Stator, who was expecting a VRMMORPG like the past and, like most other people, completely ignored the emphasis on reality in Dynasties Online.

The NPCs were not like the players who could get the intermediate or even the adept skill level in a weapon without having to do anything; instead, each NPC got their skill level through experience and consistent practice, which is a far cry from most players who have never wielded a proper sword or spear even once in their lives.

This is why he waited until he had overwhelming numbers, wanting to use them to compensate for the player's massive lack of skill.

But that was not the only thing that Stator was relying on as he was waiting around camp to make contact with a player, one who he hoped would have something that would help to tip the fortunes of war into his favour, knowing that tonight was his last chance to take this essential defensive army out before they learnt everything by the morning waiting by a red eye marked on a nearby stone where he was told to meet with someone by one of his moderators who was also playing the game.

After a few minutes, a man came up to him. Unlike Stator, who wore armour, he wore what looked to be long black robes. In his hands was a bottle with a strange green liquid in it.

"You are Stator, correct?"

The black-robed man said in a deep voice, which unnerved the streamer, but seeing him come alone helped to put his beating heart at ease. He did not know whether this player was really like this or just really committed to the bit.

He was a player who decided to become an alchemist and worked with the other goblin alchemists to improve the many poisons they used to coat their arrows during wars. He was one of the few people with access to this vital piece of the puzzle, which could make or break Stators' scheme to take over this kingdom and destroy this army, which was the best defensive force the Kingdom of Oovere had to offer.

"You have the poison?"

Stator asked, his eyes lighting up when he saw the green glass bottle in the black-robed Gobin's hands, which was produced from who knows where as it seemed to appear in an instant. He could even see the player's green ears peaking out the sides of the hood, though his expression remained covered by the black hood that helped to conceal most of his facial features.

"Yes, as you requested, it will start to become lethal 30 minutes after consumption with food and within 45 minutes, they will die; however, if an antidote is administered before the 40-minute mark, then the subject will survive."

"This was the best I could do, and one drop in the subject's food should be enough to make it effective."

The hooded goblin said as Stator held out his hand to receive the poison. The player took it back, saying in a businesslike manner.

"$10,000, and it is yours."

"Are you not one of my supporters?"

Stator asked, surprised that this goblin would want to get paid. He assumed that everyone was there to help him in his quest to take over this goblin kingdom so that they could all get rich together, and he did not expect to find a player who was not affiliated with him.

"Whether I support you or not is irrelevant! Something like this is not easy to make or acquire, so I should be compensated for my time, yes? Surely someone of your popularity and wealth can afford such a paltry sum, and it's not like you can complete your plan without it."

The cunning player said, giving Stator a toothy grin as his teeth shone in the setting sun, which had nearly collapsed into the far horizon. This was not your usual player but a cunning, shameless bastard who knew exactly how to exploit Stator's current situation. He perfectly embodied the traditional traits people would expect to find in a goblin: cunning and greedy for material wealth.

"Fine."

Stator said his mouth twitched, and he felt a raging fiery anger build up inside him as the mysterious goblin alchemist gave his player name and account for Stator to make the transaction to swiftly complete it and allow him to get on with his plan that was now on a very tight timeframe thanks to the captured players who could at any moment give everything away.

The problem was that they all knew the streamer's in-game name, as it was leaked when he streamed himself creating his character.

[Would you like to give $10,000 to player Greedy Green Little Shit?]

The system asked, and Stator felt that the player name perfectly fit the opportunistic hooded player before him as $10,000 was removed from his bank account and added into Greedy Green Little Shits wallet that could be cashed out later. The tax had already been paid to the system, allowing the alchemist player to get all the money he charged.

"Thank you for your business."

The goblin player said, handing over the small bottle that had cost Stator so much money that he left now that he had concluded his business.

This goblin alchemist was a player who had made his character before the game began. He had experienced the Dynasty History System and just how terrifying the NPCs were. He was not a fan of Stator, seeing it more as a way to make an easy buck than anything else. Having personally seen battles that The Black Death had commanded, he knew more than most just how terrifying of an existence he was and how futile it was for the current players to dream of taking an NPC down of his power and status.

Dynasties Online was not that simple.

'I guess I need to make the most of this opportunity.'

The hooded alchemist thought his eyes were shining with intelligence as he considered the best way to profit from Stator's scheme now that he had extorted $10,000 from the rich streamer. He was under no delusion of who would come out on top of this confrontation between player and NPC.