Filling the Swamp and Dorian's Shadowy Orders
BOOM!!!
A massive meteor—no, a boulder—crashed down to the earth. It wasn't any special item, but the sheer mass of that enormous rock made it a devastating weapon in its own right. The impact carved out a sizable crater in the ground, and astonishingly, a vein of red ore burst open beneath it.
"Wh-what the hell?"
"An ambush?"
"More like, where the fuck did that come from...?"
The lizardmen unit, cunningly camouflaged and lying in wait underground, was wiped out in an instant. The players who'd nearly stumbled into their ambush without a clue panicked, scanning their surroundings wildly. But the culprit responsible was leisurely descending from the sky.
"I see everything, you bastards."
It was Vulcan. With the knights' help, he'd soared high into the air before combining a few pre-registered building materials in midair according to a recipe and dropping them. Once a recipe was registered, it became a skill—supply the materials, and they fused instantly.
The lizardmen's camouflage was impressive, but it couldn't fool Dragon Eye. He'd already scouted their positions and numbers, then buried them in one strike.
Since the unit consisted entirely of NPCs, he got the full experience without any splitting. Vulcan's support—starting with the first strike—came in all varieties, but the support mission's scope was incredibly broad. It wasn't just about scattering poison and providing antidotes; nearly every action he took counted toward the mission, steadily building his contribution points.
"Looks like the open-field battle's wrapping up, huh?"
- Seems that way. Stay sharp. The real fight starts now.
At that height, fall damage could've been no joke, but Vulcan calmly surveyed the area as he descended. The subordinate knights focused telekinesis spells on him, and he had Air Walk as backup anyway. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed on a few suspicious figures in the distance.
"Now the enemy'll get serious too."
- Yeah. Once the swamp fighting kicks off, no one'll have eyes for the flanks. That terrain's a real bitch.
When he had his full dragon body, flying over it was no issue, but even then, getting one foot stuck meant a messy struggle. Lizardmen got a massive combat boost there too.
As Tud said, this was where the true battle began. From the end of the open fields into the swamp—that was prime lizardmen territory, where they could unleash their full potential. For humans, it was a nightmare: feet sinking into the muck, swarms of bugs and poisonous plants turning every step into agony.
"Hm. But I think it'll play out differently than you expect, Tud."
- ……?
Vulcan's take was a bit different. Tud was mostly right, but that was the situation up until a few years ago. True, countless sacrifices in this godforsaken swamp had worn down soldiers' and knights' stamina and morale, preventing a full wipeout of the lizardmen. But humans had found ways to adapt.
"Scouts, forward!"
Squads designated as advance scouts stepped up first—high-level players in light armor, built for speed even in the swamp to counter lizardmen strikes.
"Engineers, forward!"
- What the...? Why are they... Wait, no way?
Next came the engineers, accompanied by escorts and defenders. Tud tilted his head, then glanced at Vulcan.
"Exactly. They're chopping trees and filling the swamp. If terrain's the problem, change the damn terrain."
- Crazy bastards. Or... human as hell, maybe?
If the swamp made the lizardmen untouchable, turn it into flat ground. A mad human scheme, as Tud put it, but effective—proven by results.
"All axemen and mages, step up! We're making a road right now!!"
Desperate measures for victory weren't lizardmen-exclusive. Frontline generals were ready to do anything for kingdom and squad triumph—and they'd been using this clever player-suggested tactic for ages, every World War event.
- Takes time, though. Enemy won't sit idle.
"Sure, but is recovering faster, or smashing faster? They've already flattened over a fifth of the swamp. It'll take time, but history's long. Once they fill it all and march straight to their stronghold, Biya Castle, who cares about a little delay?"
- Hmm. Impressive... or insane.
It wasn't a one- or two-year project from the start. But this war had dragged on for decades anyway. They'd built that towering wall, fought repeatedly for years—spending a few more, or even ten, was nothing. If not them, the next generation would finish it.
"They're even developing terrain-altering magic, so it might not take as long as you think."
Rumor had it, mages were crafting spells for just that. Creating new magic wasn't easy, but once done, it'd work here and other wastelands.
'Life's Tower's handling it, right?'
The kingdom dominated the area, but uncharted monster zones stretched north and east. If completed, applications would abound.
'Might spark another conquest war.'
Those wilds stayed wild partly due to powerful monsters, but also harsh terrain unfit for prolonged human stays. Overcome that, and conquest fever would spread.
- It's starting. Follow them?
While lost in thought, the soldiers moved with machine-like precision—routine work by now. They began filling the swamp, felling trees.
'Logging's my specialty, after all.'
Scout teams followed, securing high ground and intercepting ambushing lizardmen. Vulcan's support squad faced a choice: stay and aid engineers against raids, or tag along with scouts.
"We go. Chance to tail 'em."
Obviously, the latter. He rallied the squad and ordered advance into the swamp ahead of the main force, tracking the scouts.
He'd eyed them via Dragon Eye; some had already slipped in. Even holdouts wouldn't pull shit with the main army nearby.
"Conserve mana from here on. Telekinesis for defense only."
Risky, sure, but the squad trusted Vulcan's prowess and followed without complaint. They trailed the suspects' path stealthily, keeping distance, pushing deep into the swamp.
"……."
- What the hell are these guys up to?
This time, with clear purpose, Vulcan's squad avoided fights—no aggressive pushes like in the fields. They just sidestepped sinkholes, repelled bugs and toxic plants with telekinesis, prioritizing safety.
They bore the support label, but couldn't save everyone. No penalties for non-intervention, and other scouts didn't even know they were there—no requests came.
- Too blatant, isn't it?
Despite stealthy tailing of the oddly behaving team—the very one Vulcan had flagged—both he and Tud grew uneasy the longer they watched.
"......Brain freeze incoming. Trapping souls so openly? Doesn't add up."
- Yeah. Thought human standards shifted, but your reaction says no.
Suspicious. Insanely so. But they weren't hiding it, turning suspicion into confusion. The team skipped fights, harvesting lizardmen souls from post-battle sites like it was their goal.
Did they think no one would spot them? The swamp hampered movement and awareness, sure, but this was overkill.
"......Gotta check ourselves. Up close."
After prolonged observation yielding nothing, Vulcan decided. No revelations otherwise. Plus, Dragon Eye showed no demonic energy—just soul-trapping glow.
What was this? Whose orders? Time to ask directly.
"All hands, subdue them now."
"Pardon? But......"
"That's an order. Subdue priority, but lethal force authorized if they resist fiercely."
A heavy-handed command. Puzzled allies hesitated to attack comrades, but no choice—superior's decree, noble's authority. Dorian outranked as viscount, but he'd delegated full power to Vulcan: "Handle it."
Easier since most were players, not NPCs.
"Drop weapons and surrender!"
"Huh?"
"Wh-what? Why? We're allies!"
"Lizardmen spies? Or cursed?"
They leaped ahead, weapons trained, demanding surrender. Targets panicked but didn't comply, countering with suspicions of betrayal. Standoff.
'Acting, or clueless about their own shit?'
Even Vulcan was baffled now. Maybe they truly didn't know.
"I'm Baron Vulcan, leading this support squad. You're under arrest for suspected treason."
"Treason?! That's bullshit!!"
"What the fu—oh, noble. Damn it!"
Vulcan prodded, flashing his status and dropping "treason" to freeze rash moves. Resist, and it became real treason. Comply, investigate—slim hope lingered.
'True Ma Wang followers would bolt.'
Players feared "treason" too—maybe more than NPCs. Pissing off a lord meant exile; treason? Kingdom-wide enmity. Barred from towns, hunted by NPCs, player bounties, purge squads. Game over.
"Investigation'll tell. You there—stop. Hand it over."
"M-me?"
Amid chaos, Vulcan pinpointed the soul stone holder, preventing disposal. The gem-like item swirled with faint, murky presences—many souls trapped. No demonic traces, though; black human cult link uncertain.
"Th-this is......"
"Soul-trapping orb, right?"
"Wha—?!"
Caught off-guard, he clutched it but refused. As he spun to flee, telekinesis yanked it free—he flailed in shock.
"One more time. Who ordered this?"
"Him! That guy! We didn't know shit! Just got a quest to escort him!!"
Vulcan's glare got instant betrayal. They pointed at one companion, even circling him with Vulcan's squad.
'No denial? Real deal?'
Unanimous fingers on the sole NPC knight paled him. Vulcan had noted him—the reason he'd watched this party. Squads usually grouped player-with-player, NPC-with-NPC, merging as needed. But this mix: players + one NPC knight. Not filling a class gap like priest/mage; plain knight. Was it player-led with NPC tagalong, or NPC puppeteering players?
"For real?"
Situation pointed to NPC questing players. He neither confirmed nor denied, mumbling. Vulcan pressed—can't fully trust players.
"It's true. But...... I don't get why you're doing this."
"Don't know why?"
The knight finally spoke, aggrieved yet admitting. Surprising: guilty, but innocent?
"Yes. I just followed orders......"
"Orders? From who?"
"General Dorian."
"......What?"
Braced for tricks, Vulcan blanked. Dorian ordered it? For real?