A Self-Made Goddess

[Ninjaguineapig]

Chapter One

*Whoosh!*
There were several things the newly popped unit knew at once. She was. And her name was Duchess Lulz. She belonged to the side of Kweltalas, a capital side made up primarily of elves, including Shady Elves such as herself. She was also a level 1 Warlord. As she looked around the Courtyard (for that was where she had popped) and admired the city of Nalis Awen (for that was where she was), her weapons (a sword and a knife) and livery (two black lines vertical to the ground, and a third black line in an up-facing semi-circle below them all inside a bright yellow circle), another Unit noticed her. The other Warlord (Lulz could see his stats, he was level 5, and the Regent) hurried across the Courtyard. He was an Eager Elf, and wore a bright green vest over chainmail, with a greatsword strapped to his back. His emblem was a bright blue orb with wings. Just looking at it made Lulz mad. "Good, good. You're just in time. I'd love to give you a tour of the city, but we have to hurry. The Chief doesn't know what just happened and might end turn too early. I'm Chain, by the way, Baron Chain II." Chain grabbed Lulz by the arm and dragged her to a barracks, which he burst in to. "You, you and you 4 Stack with Lady Lulz." The six units he had pointed to, a Scout, a Stabber and 4 Pikers immediately stood up, grabbed there weapons and fell in behind Lulz. Almost imperceptibly, she felt her stats go up from the stack bonus. But Chain was giving her no time to focus on anything. "Hurry hurry hurry!" he shouted, and led Lulz (and her 6 soldiers) back to the courtyard, where a level 1 white Bihorn was waiting for her. Lulz got on its back, filling the stack to 8, and Chain said 3 Hexes south of the gate is a tunnel entrance. Your job is to head in there and find the pair of gobwins that were spying on us. Croak them, and return here. We cannot allow them to report our troop movements to Overlord Arthur!"

To be Continued...

[Ninjaguineapig]

Chapter Two

Having been rushed from the city by Chain, Lulz finally had a chance to inspect her troops as they marched down the road. Her army contained her Bihorn (A Mountable Heavy with a double attack), the Stabber and Pikers (all level 1 basic infantry) and the Scout. He was also level 1, but was the stack's most valuable unit behind Lulz, and only because she was a Noble. The Scout granted every unit in the stack the ability to see perfectly underground, and had an innate sense of direction which told him how to return to their Side's territory. Without a Scout, going into caverns was incredibly dangerous, considering how easily one could get lost. As they crossed the lush hexes towards the moutains which were rapidly growing larger, Lulz chatted with the units, trying to learn more about their side. Obviously, the rank-and-file soldiers knew next to nothing. What she did learn, however, was that she served King Gildas, who live in the great city of Kweltas a few hundred hexes away. Their Chief Warlord was a level 8 Archer named Silvanas Windwalker, and they were at war with Overlord Arthur of Legion.

As the stack crossed the third hex border, the great mountain which signified Kweltalas's southern border. The Duchess did not see how they were supposed to enter the cavern, and stopped when the terrain type changed from hill to mountain. "How are we supposed to continue?" The question was directed to the soldiers, though Lulz doubted they would know the way in. That's when the Scout (who had been silent the whole way) spoke up. "That's my job, Lady." The Scout broke from stack and wandered around for a few minutes before shouting "I've found it!" Eager but nervous, Lulz led her troops to where the Scout was standing, and he pushed a large rock aside, revealing the cave entrance. The Warlord drew her blades and nudged the Bihorn forward. "Let's do this."

[Ninjaguineapig]

Chapter Three

The cave was oppressively dark, and even with the Scout's Pathfinding Special, it took Lulz's eyes a few seconds to adjust to the cave. "I don't like this...Chain should have given me another Scout. If I lose this guy, I'll be stuck in this cave forever.
"Alright. You and you-Lulz pointed her sword at the Scout and the Stabber-take point. The rest of you, at my flanks." The infantry formed up at Lulz's order, and the stack proceeded in this way in complete silence, and possible conversation being snuffed out by the encroaching darkness.
One hex later, Lulz spoke again. "The gobwins should be around here, I don't think they have much move."
That's when the Stabber took an arrow to the knee.

For Lulz, it seemed as if time slowed down. She drew her knife, and ordered the Pikers forward. A second arrow croaked the Stabber. The Bihorn charged into the darkness, the Pikers right behind. A third arrow flew towards the Warlord, but she was able to dodge it, and the archer came into view. Ten Gobwins two mounted on Spidews, were waiting for Lulz and her troops. The stacks collided, and everything went from slow-motion to dangerously fast.

The Bihorn trampled one Gobwin, and slashes from Lulz's blades croaked another. In the back of her mind, Lulz could feel the state of her stack. They had an advantage in her Leadership, but it wasn't enough to overcome the fact that they were outnumbered nearly 2 to 1. Hits were disappearing fast, and the first Piker croaked, along with a Spidew. More Gobwins fell to the Warlord, and she levelled. The fear of the dark no longer bothered her, as Lulz did what she was meant to do. She was a Warlord, and this was War. More Arrows croaked the Bihorn, and the newly empowered Warlord jumped off the carcass, right into a Gobwin Stabber.

No longer mounted, Lulz started to take wounds of her own, and she was quickly tiring out. Then, the second Spidew croaked the Scout, and the light disappeared from Lulz's eyes. No matter, we can do this. There are 5 Gobwins left, and that Spidew. I still have 3 Pikers-damn, make that two-, I can still win this. I just have to kill the Gobwins. "Pikers, to me!" Lulz's two soldiers rushed through the dark towards her voice and the Warlord felt one of them level as he croaked another Gobwin. They appeared in front of her, and the three stacked up again, giving their stats a much needed boost. There was a *whoosh* in the air, and Lulz bent sideways to avoid the oncoming arrow. "That's it! We can't see very well, but we can still hear them!" "C'mon, we're going to croak that archer. Use your ears, not your eyes, and you'll be fine!" The trio rushed forwards through the dark, and Lulz heard the Gobwin Archer nock another arrow. "Oh, no you don't!" She cried, and gutted the thing with two sweeping strokes. "Ah!" The Piker who had just levelled cried out as he was croaked by the last pair of Stabbers, but Lulz and her last Piker were able to croak them in return. That left only the mounted Gobwin, who was hiding somewhere in the darkness.

Once again, the Warlord turned to her ears. Spidews were big, their movement would be noisy. "They're coming!" The Piker had also heard them, and she raised her spear to fend off the charging Spidew. She struck the already wounded Gobwin, croaking him, but at the next moment, the Spidew's jaws tore her open. Just like that, she was alone. For the first time in her life, Lulz was alone. And now she was scared. The Spidew rushed out of the darkness, but a sweep of her sword sent it scurrying back. As an unled unit, it had no choice but to fight. Lulz, on the other hand, could flee the hex. She had completed her mission and croaked the Gobwins, there would be no reporting for Arthur. But how could she get back to the surface? The Spidew again charged, and Lulz buried her knife in its head, and the foe collapsed. But it wasn't dead yet. She raised her sword to deliver the final blow, but something stayed her hand. At the time she thought it was mercy for such a pathetic creature, on turns much later she would say it was Fate.

Whatever the reason, Lulz did not croak the Spidew. Instead, she crouched and pulled her small blade from its body. "You're kinda cute" she said, and gave the thing a pat on the head. It rumbled with pleasure, and turned. Though she was stunned that she could do something like, Lulz was too tired for self reflection. She sheathed her blades, and collapsed on top of her new unit. The turn ended a few hours later, but Lulz and her Spidew were already long asleep among the remnants of the battle.