Dom stood at the training field outside of the Legionary Warriors Hall. Before him stood Pullo who was armed with a wooden Gladius and Shield. The training field was empty bar the few of them that had gathered as everyone else had been dispatched to join up with the four planned detachments. Pullo had stayed behind, as had Leonidas who was leant against a wall nearby, having just returned in advance from the south. There was also Crassus, who had no involvement in the upcoming battle as he was due to sail north in the morning, and as usual Dom's four guards.
"Ready to train Lord?" Pullo said seriously, bashing his wooden sword against his shield.
"I suppose I am." Dom replied, rotating a wooden spear in his hand, a wooden gladius strapped to his waist.
Whilst the troops were returning in batches from the East and South, they had decided that it would be an ideal time for Dom to do some training, as there wasn't much more for him to do in the meantime as all the planning had been done and Subutai was in overall charge of the deployments.
"Then come then." Pullo ordered, as Dom charged forwards with his spear and tried to stab towards Pullo's face. Pullo easily blocked with his shield and parried the spear away.
"You need to put a bit more strength in to it." Crassus commented from the side as Dom prepared to strike again.
"This spear isn't as good as my personal one." Dom replied back to Crassus as he stabbed towards Pullo again, who deflected and side stepped again.
"That's because training weapons are heavier and meant for training." Pullo stated, "If you can fight effectively with one of these, you will be better with your own."
Dom went in at Pullo again with his spear, but this time Pullo blocked the spear shaft and pushed it away from Dom's body, before following forwards with his wooden gladius and stabbed Dom in the chest. Dom shook his head in frustration and took a step back.
"Against most foe's you would be successful." Pullo commented, "as you have been so far in the battles that you have thought, however if our enemy is of the quality of the Ninth Legion, then you will struggle."
"He won't be fighting one vs one." Leonidas commented from the side, "He'll have us with him."
"Yes that may be so Leonidas, but it's best to be prepared for the worst." Pullo replied, before turning back to Dom. "Let's go again."
Dom leant against the wall, sweat dripping from his forehead after he had trained with Pullo for a long time. He know understood why Octavian had explained that Pullo was the best to train their new recruits, as he was meticulous and well experienced, having fought and trained in the Ninth Legion for over fifteen years before his arrival in Riverside. The others around him were also covered in sweat and having sips of water, having trained themselves on the field, inspired by their Lord.
"You did well." Crassus commented, "I was especially impressed when you took Pullo's legs out from under him, it's always great seeing a Centurion being shown whose the real boss."
"I let him." Pullo smiled, a rare smile from the serious Warrior. "But there was definite improvement, we should do this regularly, you are an adequate Warrior."
"Thanks." Dom replied with a laugh, "I think."
"We should go and inspect how things are progressing." Crassus said, removing himself from the wall he was leaning on, as he did the doors that led inside the Warriors Hall opened.
"You guys look a mess." Gan Ning stated with a smile as he entered, "What have I missed?"
"A lot." Dom replied as he also removed himself from the wall, "Let's walk and talk."
They bid farewell to Pullo who was going to tidy up the training ground, before heading out of the Warriors Hall and towards the Lumber Camp that had been set up as a temporary base. Plenty of Villagers were busy here, either using the supplied stone to start building the wall as planned, or building spears from wood that had been cut down. As they walked, Dom explained to Gan Ning everything that had been discussed in the earlier meeting, with Crassus commenting here and there.
"This is not good." Gan Ning agreed, "The forces from the Underground Ancient City are much more developed than us, and just from their size alone they would have caused a huge problem for us. If we are fighting against something that can even defeat them, then I do worry."
"The longer it takes, the better." Crassus commented, "With the additional Warriors that arrive daily, we can increase our top level strength. If we can gain six days, I can hopefully have brought back some mercenary support."
"We do have another option as well." Gan Ning suddenly said as they walked past the Blacksmiths that was a lot busier than usual, with weapons piled outside that had been either sharpened or were due to be from the warehouse by the Docks.
"What is that?" Dom stopped and asked.
Gan Ning also stopped and looked at Dom, before looking in to the sky in silence for a second, before turning back to Dom.
"It could be a terrible idea, and we need to hear back from Tomoe first." Gan Ning started, "But this could be a threat that is not just against us, they are most likely situated between us and Tongpai Town. So it may be worth us approaching our enemies."
"An enemy of an enemy, is a friend." Crassus commented, "However, what happens when the enemy, of your enemy, is also your enemy?"
"Look, it's just an idea!" Gan Ning said. "If we are in a serious threat, we may need to look at things from another perspective."
"No, it's an idea." Dom agreed, "Let's see what happens first, but it's a fall back."
They soon arrived at the Lumber Camp where wooden spears where pilled high and Lars and his family were busy chopping down more trees at an increased pace. Dom lamented that he hadn't had chance to place the mine yet, but there hadn't been a safe opportunity to do so yet. He looked at the sky and saw that the sun was high in it, he didn't have many hours left of the day and hoped that their would be some peace for the next couple of days in Riverside.
Dom checked in with Lars and discussed their progress, happy to hear that they were way ahead of where they expected to be, everyone that was available had gotten involved with the defences, with only those on essential duties such as fishing and farming not being available at this current time. Everyone would however be available if the enemy was sighted.
"Riverside is growing exceptionally fast." Dom said to Gan Ning and Crassus as they stood at the forest edge, "But when ever I feel we are in a good place, another surprise arrives. First we were small and their was the Gluttonous Chiefs Village. Then we were at a comfortable size and we discovered the situation with Tongpai Town. Now I feel we could safely defend against Tongpai Town we have an other unknown threat."
"We need some more quick successes." Gan Ning replied, "We need more mission rewards."
"Damn!" Dom exclaimed, "I haven't requested any new quests! System, please give me five quests."
[Quest 1, Upgrade your Level 3 Town Centre to it's next Grade
Level Difficulty - C
You now have a Level 3 Town Centre, you are now at a cross roads in your development and have some big decisions to make on what you want Riverside to become. Your first step is upgrading your Level 3 Town Centre to it's next stage.]
[Quest 2, Discover a Secret
Level Difficulty - F to S, depending on the Secret discovered
World Conquest Online is still in it's beginning stages, the World is full of hidden secrets, with opportunities around every corner. Discover a secret within the World of World Conquest Online before another player and claim it for yourself.]
[Quest 3, Conquer a Town
Level Difficulty - D to S, depending on the Town conquered.
You have done it once, twice, three times a lady. Can you do it again? You are not alone in World Conquest Online, the World is full of players and NPC's. Show that you mean business on your quest for conquest. How you deal with this quest is up to you, but choosing the correct target is key. You are now a minor force in your local area, how you choose to use that is up to you.]
[Quest 4, Win a Battle
Level - E to S, depending on whom you fight
You have a minor force growing, use is effectively to defeat an enemy force. Quest Reward will be based upon the difficulty and size of your opponent in comparison to your current force. You have exceptional leaders within your camp, but don't rely on them to much, as your own strength is the key to success]
[Quest 5, Join the Ranking Boards
Level - C to S, depending on the Rankings joined
World Conquest Online will soon release World rankings for different aspects. These will include a wide variety that are dedicated to the particular path you take, such as; Lord Grade, Force Grade, Mightiest Warrior, Ultimate Civilian, Top Tradesmen and many others. Get yourself on the Ranking Board of at least one to complete the Quest. Rewards will be calculated based on standings at the end of the Quest]
Dom was grateful to see that he had five interesting quests, all of which should give him good rewards. The key ones he was hoping for were anything that could currently increase his Military and Defensive strengths. He was happy that he had the Watchtower Schematics so they could now start to construct some of those, as well as the Inner Wall Schematic, but he needed much more.
The downside to the quests was that none of them seemed to be a quick completion. Upgrading the Town Centre, winning a battle and conquering a Town would all take time and planning. Where as joining the rankings was dependent on when World Conquest Online decided to release them, and he was unsure on where he could find a secret to be discovered.
Suddenly a system notification chimed, causing Dom to be in shock, and grateful to the systems help at the same time.
[Congratulations on Completing Quest 2 - Discover a Secret]
[Calculating Completion Level]
[Completion Level - A]
[Discovered a rare Ancient Race, hidden underground. This mighty but primarily peaceful unknown race built a small kingdom underground to defend themselves from an unfathomable foe that had appeared in the World with them. They were ultimately defeated and their mysteries are yours to uncover.]
[Mission Rewards have been placed in your Personal Chest]
"What's up Lord Lazarus?" Gan Ning asked, still stood beside Dom whilst all these notifications appeared.
"We have completed another quest!" Dom stated, "I've got rewards to collect."
"When did we complete another quest?" Gan Ning asked, confused.
"I just requested some new ones, and we were rewarded for discovering the Ancient Underground City!" Dom stated excitedly.
"Let's head to the Town Centre quick then!" Gan Ning exclaimed as he turned and headed towards the Town Centre, not giving Dom chance to reply, even though only Dom could claim the rewards. He just hoped it was something that could help them right now, not some black cubes.