Moneybags continued to deflate until there was nothing left of the giant ogre but a rug of pale, wrinkled skin. The various chests that were bound to its body sat in a haphazard manner across the surface of what was left of the brute, some upside down, others sitting as though they'd been purposefully placed there after the fact. Before Pete examined the quests, various notifications appeared below the squad and lieutenant icons on the top right of his HUD.

  

  >> TROOP ADVANCEMENT

  Congratulations! Several of your troops have survived the encounter with Moneybags and gained experience. As veteran soldiers, they are entitled to names, and you will be able to apply buffs to each survivor after major battles.

  Each of the four surviving troops was represented on the left of his display with cartoon-style portraits of their faces, with names next to each and a choice of three buffs that could be applied to each.

  

  +| Grakk Ironvein [Hobgoblin Melee Specialist]

  +| Brunn Oxblood [Hobgoblin Melee Specialist]

  +| Hollik Brassmantle [Goblin Range Specialist]

  +| Morrek Deepscar [Goblin Melee Specialist]

  The last of the figures bore a long scar that ran from his lower cheek, up at a diagonal angle through his eye and to the top of his forehead. Miraculously, the eye had survived, though it had lost some of its former luster.

  

  >> TROOP BONUS

  +| Health +1

  +| Stamina +1

  +| Baseline Damage +1

  +| Evasion +1

  Pete decided to go for survivability above any other buff, reasoning that if he could keep the troops alive through several more encounters, more useful buffs might be offered. He selected the health buff, and a green tick signified that the additional health had been added to each veteran.

  

  >> NEW TROOP ASSIGNMENT

  Fresh troops have been assigned to your command and have been placed into their own squads. You may mix and match veterans and noobs at will.

  Pete quickly split the hobgoblin and goblin veterans into two squads and evenly distributed the newcomers. The squads reverted to their previous naming convention, as alpha and beta, and moved into formation behind Pete as he assigned them to a passive disposition.

  

  >> COMPANY ARMY UPGRADE: Grenades

  Congratulations! Due to your success thus far, all regulation soldiers have been gifted a single-use Tongsly Belch Explod-a-rama Grenade capable of low to medium explosive damage. These grenades will perform more effectively against unarmored enemies but can also be combined to add to their explosive force.

  Pete watched as a small, cylinder-shaped grenade appeared on the left side of his belt. The same happened with Craig, and the little goblin pulled out the grenade and began inspecting it.

  "Now we're getting somewhere," Pete said, noting that the troops in his squad and the larger army had all been provided with the additional explosive weaponry. "If we can work our way up to rocket launchers, we'll have a decent shot at winning this thing."

  Craig slipped the grenade back onto his belt and walked over to the ogre corpse as Pete pulled out his own grenade and considered how it could be most effectively used in battle.

  "More than a dozen chests here," Craig said, leaning in and inspecting one of the chests as he walked on top of the dead ogre's skin. "Most show what's inside, but some appear to be empty or broken."

  The little goblin pointed to the bloody chest lying at the top right corner of the corpse, one hobgoblin arm still hanging out of the edge of its lid, blood running down from inside. "And then there's that, of course."

  Pete walked over to inspect some of the chests. As he bent down and examined the lock of the closest chest, he saw a price tag hovering above the lock in bright orange letters along with a name for the relic and a basic description of its passive bonus.

  

  +| Darkmire Root: +20% Knockback Resistance: 525 Belch Bucks

  "Okay," Pete said, moving to the next chest. "Now we're getting somewhere. We're probably not going to be able to afford everything, so let's pick—"

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  "Well done, Captain Vault Breaker!" a voice chirped in from beside the pair.

  Pete turned to see the same NPC goblin that had encouraged him to attack the ogre in the first instance.

  "You've slain the giant, and now you can plunder his spoils," the goblin went on, grinning with an unblinking stare at Pete. "Would you like a list of all the relics on offer?"

  "Ah, yeah," Pete said.

  "Excellent, Captain Vault Breaker. Here's a complete list of all the relics that are available."

  "Wait," Craig interjected. "Can you group them according to which relics would be best for melee fighters or ranged fighters?"

  The goblin nodded, his gaze still fixed on Pete. "Of course, Lieutenant."

  A list hovered above the ogre's corpse, broken into suitability for melee or ranged style fighting. Pete also noticed that their total funds were recorded at the top of the list, and the number seemed to include a small amount of money provided by his newly acquired squad—or the veterans, at least.

  

  >> RELICS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE:

  >> RANGE SPECIFIC RELICS

  +| Eye of St. Delak the Blind: +3% Critical Chance, +10% Accuracy: 960 Belch Bucks.

  +| Boots of the Long Retreat: +7% Movement Speed, +15% Stamina Efficiency while moving: 930 Belch Bucks.

  +| Slippery Worm Gut: +30% damage for two-handed projectile weapons: 1700 Belch Bucks.

  >> MELEE SPECIFIC RELICS

  +| Vambrace of the Iron Widow: +8% Defense, +5% Parry Chance: 1,080 Belch Bucks.

  +| Bloodleaf Medallion: +2% Health Regeneration, +5% Bleed Resistance, +5% Dodge: 720 Belch Bucks.

  +| Vampiric Sigil: +10% Life Gain on successful melee strikes.

  +| Veil of the Silent Chapel: +30% Stealth Effectiveness: 975 Belch Bucks.

  +| Dorbo's Recalcitrant Thorn: Reflects 10% damage back to attackers.

  >> DUAL USE RELICS

  +| Darkmire Root: +20% Knockback Resistance: 525 Belch Bucks.

  +| Stone of Gorb: +12% Max Health: 825 Belch Bucks.

  +| Ashband of the Last Pyre: +15% Fire Resistance, +5% Health Regeneration: 1,230 Belch Bucks.

  +| Dar'el the First's Empathetic Nosering [Pair]: Allows the bearers to share mental impulses and physical sensations with one another (such as smell, fear, etc.) [Crafted by Dar'el the First]: 999 Belch Bucks.

  +| Doinkmaster Supreme's Sonic Hammer: Produces a disorienting sound that accompanies each melee attack, causing enemies to lose 1% hit chance [Crafted by Red]: 870 Belch Bucks.

  They had sufficient funds to purchase all the melee and range relics and divided them appropriately. That left just under a thousand Belch Bucks available for a final purchase.

  "I feel like I've been hogging the relics," Pete admitted.

  "As it should be. You're fighting up close to the enemy and need to mitigate far more damage."

  "Right, but you're gonna be much better placed to kill the harpy once we reach her. There's no point maxing out my abilities if I can't even reach her."

  The goblin NPC chose that moment to interject, walking between the pair and directing his question to Pete.

  "What should we do next, Captain? In order to be victorious in this battle, it is clear that we will need to slay the harpy, but first we must cross the river. How would you like to proceed?"

  Once more, the goblin stood completely still, eyes open, staring expectantly at Pete. "Over the river," Pete said, turning to face the body of water to his left. "We'll pick the last relic first and then—"

  Pete heard the sound of a distant gun blast, not where he stood beside the remains of the ogre, but standing on the exit ramp of the troop carrier back at the start of the game.

  "Fuck!"

  Craig appeared next to Pete a moment later, and he realized that it wasn't the shot that killed Pete himself that he had just heard, but a second shot that had killed Craig. The little goblin looked around in confusion and then rolled his eyes as realization dawned.

  "Must be a sniper," Pete reasoned. "Or maybe a couple of snipers."

  He pointed up towards the large walls surrounding the encampment on the other side of the river. "Also, is it just me, or have those walls gotten higher and thicker? I swear they were just metal barriers when we first started, but now they've got a whole stone castle thing going on."

  Craig nodded. "I suspect that the defenses are growing with each death we incur. As our abilities increase, so too does the enemy's capacity to repel us."

  Pete looked down at the two squads milling at the bottom of the ramp. It looked like he kept whatever troops he was commanding when he died. That was something, at least.

  "Okay, I've got a plan," he said. "Now that we know there are snipers around, we're going to have to keep them distracted so we can get over that river without being seen."

  He looked up at the timer hovering above the harpy's head. It still showed a little under two hours, but Pete now realized that the time limit wasn't going to be the primary factor in whether they succeeded. Craig was right. After each death, the enemy's defenses grew, and although the Company troops were advancing steadily, the game was still capable of presenting overpowering enemies at a moment's notice, as their more recent death illustrated.

  "This time, we need to reach the harpy without dying," Pete mused. "Even if we can't kill it yet, we at least need to know what we're up against. That will help us figure out what kinds of relics we need to win this thing."

  Craig turned to face him. "But if we reach the harpy, surely the Company troops will follow close behind? We will significantly reduce our chances of gaining more relics."

  Pete shook his head. "Not if we reach the harpy a long way ahead of the army. Not if we keep them bogged down at the river and sneak our way into the enemy camp."

  "And how will we achieve this?"

  Pete pointed down at the two squads waiting patiently ahead of them. "We use these boys as a distraction, keeping the focus just this side of the river, while you and I sneak around back. The Veil of the Silent Chapel I just picked up will ramp up my stealth, and you're naturally small. If we play our cards right, we can head to the left of the army, get across the river, and find a way into the fortress without being seen."

  "I'll have you know that I am above average for my age," Craig insisted, eyes narrowed a little.

  "I mean, you're naturally stealthy," Pete said. "I only get a thirty-percent buff to stealth with that relic though, so it's not like we're gonna be invisible. We'll need to move fast and stay out of view."

  "And make as much noise as possible by way of distraction," Craig mused.

  "Yeah, exactly."

  "And how exactly did you propose we do that?"

  Pete grinned, starting off at a jog. "I'll tell you on the way."