Nemesis (Sparta Online Book 1) Read online

  “I’m sorry, Captain,” he said, taking a step backwards. “Plato just needed a chance to catch his breath and get back on his feet. Be fair! We’re all new to this.”

  “I don’t need your lies and excuses,” said the captain. He took another two slow steps towards Troy.

  When the attack came, it was so fast that he didn’t even see it. His back erupted in agonizing pain, and he found himself stumbling then curling over as one strike after another lashed down. And one notification after another announced drops in hit points, until he saw the following:

  Health update! You have lost 4 hit points.

  Health update! You have lost 3 hit points.

  Health update! You have lost 4 hit points.

  “Please, stop!” he cried, getting up on his knees and holding his hands up towards the captain.

  But the rod flashed down again – this time towards his face.

  * * *

  Troy woke on a hard bed. He groaned, rolled over, and groaned again. His body appeared to hurt all over.

  He called up the ‘health’ command again, just to learn how bad it was:

  Current health level: Wounded

  Illness: None

  Disease: None

  Hunger: 61%

  Thirst: 56%

  Hit points: 3/14

  Well. He must have fallen below zero hit points for a time. His subsequent sleep appeared to have helped a bit, at least – or perhaps it was just the passing of time. Neither had helped with his hunger, however, which was now painfully acute.

  With the greatest of effort, he rolled onto his front, and then pushed himself up to an awkward sitting position. The dormitory room, he immediately saw, was darker than before, lit just by a single lantern near the door. The others were absent with the exception of Plato, who sat on his bed on the adjacent side of the room. The boy’s right eye looked puffy, and Troy wondered what further trials they had to endure since he had blacked out.

  “I kept you some food,” said Plato. With this, he reached down, and then threw a roll-sized object across the room. It landed neatly on Troy’s blanket. “There’s a jug of water here, too.”

  “Thanks, Plato.” He leaned over, and picked up the food. What he had taken for a roll was actually quite solid, but it did appear to be baked. He bit into it – it was plain-tasting, but wholesome.

  “Any time. I’m afraid you’re missing dinner.”

  “Listen, I can’t remember what happened.”

  “I bet. You were out cold pretty quick.”

  “At least we get fed here,” Troy replied with his mouth full. “That’s something.”

  “Oh, sure. Not when you get on the wrong side of the captain, though, I guess.”

  Troy winced, then took another bite from the roll. He did feel really hungry, he realized. This was all just a simulation… But he felt it, and it would be hard to ignore the desire to eat. Besides, the ‘hunger’ icon on his health menu suggested that there may be negative in-game consequences if he didn’t do so.

  “I know. Do you think I’ll be kicked out?”

  Plato shrugged slightly, looking off to one side. “I dunno, man. But thanks for standing up for me. You know, I’d have been OK in the end. In future, don’t stick your neck out.”

  “All right. But if you are in real trouble, I’m gonna help,” said Troy. “We’ve all been put here against our will. Our best shot has to involve sticking together.”

  “I guess.”

  “And surely they want us to rely on each other? Isn’t that what troops have to learn to do?”

  “You’d think.” Plato nodded to himself, as if pondering this point. “I certainly don’t think the captain should have been as rough as he was. Maybe he just wanted to send a message. But on day one? I might speak to Andros and report what happened.”

  “You could do that, Plato. But he’ll probably just tell you the truth – that this place sucks, and the training is going to be hell.”

  Plato looked over at Troy, and then stared at the floor “I really miss my family.”

  Troy stood and moved over, feeling the bruising of his legs as he did so. He sat beside Plato, looking at him.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I can imagine it must be hard to be separated from them.”

  “Yeah. We were close. My sister is only one year older, and my brother a year above that. My mother relies on us, too.”

  Troy nodded. In truth, he hadn’t given his own family much thought in his time in Sparta Online so far. “I don’t feel I even knew my brothers or sister all that well,” he said. “My father looked after us, for sure. But I was always in trouble. I really wanted to get away. In fact, that was my plan before the army got me.”

  “I take it you’re from Technoburbia City?”

  Troy made a face. “Uh, yeah. I mean… Isn’t everyone?”

  Plato chuckled. “I dunno. Some of the recruits look more like barbarians. Folks from New Baravia, that’s to say.”

  “Mmm.” Troy thought about this for a moment. “Maybe. But they don’t look all that different from some of the folks in my residential block. But I can’t really say much about New Baravia, cause I’ve never been there. Maybe one day.”

  Plato stared back at him, his eyes widening. “We’re literally training to wage war against them, Troy.”

  It was Troy’s turn to chuckle. “We’ll have good reason to go there, then.”

  They both laughed, and then Troy leaned back and groaned in pain once again.

  “How bad is it?” Plato asked.

  “Sore. But I’ll get over it.”

  Plato shook his head, and then gestured expansively with his arms. “This place is a nightmare, isn’t it? What the hell are they thinking, putting us here.”

  “Listen, we’ll get through this somehow, my friend,” said Troy. “Like the General said to me when they brought me in – we just need to be clever.”

  But he also knew that sticking his neck out on behalf of a comrade had not been clever at all.

  Level: Hoplite (Level 1)

  XP: 0030

  Hit points: 3/14

  Equipment: (none)

  Chapter 7: Myrmidons

  The next morning, they once again assembled on the sandy ground of the huge rectangular training area. It was already hot; Troy looked upwards, and then glanced from side to side. The sun was high enough that there was very little shade, and it was only going to get worse.

  Captain Theseus stood in front of them, but so far he hadn’t spoken, and was looking off to one side in silence.

  Troy looked off to the right, following the man’s gaze. Straight away, he saw that three warriors were approaching; he didn’t see where they had come from. All three were dressed in exactly the same way: bronze helmets with a brown-plumed crest, a brown kilt, and brown leggings with iron armor plates protecting their shins and feet. They had swords belted at their waists, and each also had a long spiked mace secured across their backs.

  “The Myrmidons,” said Captain Theseus simply, waving his hand in the direction of the arriving warriors. “Guest warriors to assist with today’s lesson. Men, show the hoplites your weapons, please.”

  Scratching to a halt a few yards from the young recruits, the three warriors pulled out their short, wide-bladed swords, then held them up as if in a salute. The blades gleamed in the sunlight.

  “As you can see, there are three of them – and twelve of you,” said the captain. “However, they have weapons and armor, and you do not. Your next challenge is to defeat these Myrmidons. They will chase you down, and you must work together to find a way to stop them and disarm them. If you do so, you can take their swords and equipment for your own. If you fail…”

  He paused, taking a step closer to the recruits and making eye contact with each of them. “If you fail, then the Myrmidons are authorized to do anything they wish. They can beat you, wound you, or even kill you. It’s your job to stop that from happening.”

  SPARTA ONLINE WORLD EVENT:
FIGHT THE MYRMIDONS

  Captain Theseus turned on his heel, strode a few yards towards the dormitories, and then turned once again. “Make no mistake – these are elite warriors. You will be given a four-minute head start, and must go in groups of four. You four” – he signaled the four on the left, including Nabis – ”on you go. Run.”

  The four recruits didn’t need to be told twice; they turned and ran, crossing the broad training area in the opposite direction to the dorm.

  “Now the four in the middle,” said Theseus after around twenty seconds, indicating a group that included Ajax and another of their dorm companions, the one named Glaucus. This time the four hoplites ran directly behind where the group had been standing, heading towards the small square and the Titan’s Rest building where Troy had first appeared in Sparta Online.

  The remaining four included Troy, Plato, the spotty-necked kid Leon, and a muscular boy with very short cropped hair who also slept in their dorm. They all looked at each other. Before Captain Theseus said anything more, one of the Myrmidons set out after the first group of four. Almost immediately after, the second set out, drawing his sword as he ran.

  That’s not fair, thought Troy. The second group didn’t get a proper head start.

  He began to look around the sandy area, thinking about the best way to run. The rectangular training ground was really long, with the dorm buildings being close to one of the shorter sides. Further in the same direction the ground sloped downwards, and Troy could make out some of the rest of the city from here – more buildings with pillars, houses made of pale blocks of marble, and many large wooden structures – houses, towers, and walls. In the other direction, behind them, there was the beginnings of a mountain range, but very few buildings could be seen upon its slopes.

  It was clear that the Spartan military training complex was one of the highest settlements in the entire city.

  “Now the last four of you,” called out Theseus. “Run! Run for your lives!”

  “This way,” Troy shouted, and began to run towards the dormitory.

  The others followed.

  Skill boost! You have developed your interpersonal skills. +5XP

  * * *

  Soon the four hoplites were out of the training area. They had passed between the nearest buildings and begun to head downhill via a long set of marble steps.

  They then reached an area dominated by brownish grass and around a hundred olive trees, some of which were in the process of being harvested by people wearing long smocks made of something that looked like sackcloth. They looked to Troy like civilians; it was clear that they were not Spartan soldiers.

  “Into the trees,” called out Plato from just behind Troy’s shoulder; Troy paused and then followed his friend into the tree-lined area. He was aware that the other two were close behind. Where was the Myrmidon warrior?

  That was uncertain.

  The four then gathered towards the bottom of the slope, gaining some shelter behind a tree with particularly low-growing and bushy branches. Troy took a moment to pick a half a dozen olives and put them in his pocket. He still hadn’t eaten since the day before. A he did so, he felt the bronze coin, and pulled it out, wrapping his fingers around it. Its cool solid weight was comforting in his hand.

  WORLD EVENT UPDATE: Initial evasion. You gain 10xp!

  “Can we climb up into this tree?” Plato whispered in an urgent voice. He was panting harder than the others, and he pushed his long dark hair behind his ears as he looked around.

  Troy looked up to the branches and then over towards the workers. There were five in all that he could see, and they were currently showing no interest in the recruits.

  “I don’t think they would necessarily rat us out… but no. No way,” he said. “If we climb up here and the Myrmidon warrior sees us, there’s no getting out. We’d be easy targets.”

  “Right,” said the fourth boy with the cropped hair. “Let’s keep going. I know you’re tired, but it’s downhill.”

  “Agreed,” said Troy, and began to move. “Or actually… Carry on. I’ll catch you up.”

  He hurried over to the nearest worker, a man with a full and long gray beard and wizened bare arms. The man held a basket in one hand, when Troy held out the coin to give it to him, he took it with the other. “For keeping a secret,” said Troy. “There’s a Myrmidon soldier coming after us. When he gets here, tell him we went the other way, please.”

  The man gave a nod, clasping the coin in his fist and turning away.

  Had he understood? Troy really wasn’t sure. Did the man even understand his language?

  Nor was Troy sure how much that coin was even worth. A penny? A dollar-ruby? A thousand? It was anyone’s guess. Perhaps he had just parted with the equivalent of a month’s pay.

  But one thing was certain – he didn’t want to be caught.

  Soon Troy was running downhill again, and before long he caught up with the others at the start of a smart residential street paved with blocks of limestone. He glanced one more time behind him, and then he slowed his pace.

  “You think we lost him?” asked the recruit with the cropped hair.

  “What’s your name,” asked Plato, not answering the question.

  “I’m Canis,” said the boy, and then winced, clutching at his chin as if it had hurt his mouth to speak.

  “Are you all right?”

  Canis nodded. “Just hurt myself yesterday in the wrestling.”

  “This is some really stupid training they’ve designed,” muttered Plato. “All right. I’m Plato and this here is Troy.” He turned to the lad with the spotty neck. “And you’re Leon, right?”

  “Yes,” said the recruit, nodding vigorously. “Short for Leonidas.”

  “Right then, hoplites,” said Troy, taking a step forward and frowning around at the others. “Enough of the chatting. We need a plan; if we’re going to get back to the dormitory alive, that means that somehow we have to stop that guy. I don’t want to face him, but I think we’re gonna need his equipment, so we can’t just keep running away. We should be thinking of this as a test, basically.”

  “But we can’t fight him,” said Leon, eyes wide.

  Troy regarded the boy coolly, having only really seen him from the back before. Leon had large lower teeth that protruded when he spoke, and his face was almost as spotty as his neck. All the same, the youth was broad shouldered and strong-looking. “It sucks,” Troy agreed. “But on the other hand, would you rather go into the next challenge without a sword or any proper armor? He’s our way to get some equipment.”

  “Right,” said Canis. “Especially if Ajax and the others have weapons and we don’t.”

  “Then we need to be smart,” replied Troy. “Lay a trap of some kind. We stay ahead of him, yes, but find a place where we can ambush him. Perhaps, I dunno… Perhaps we can trip him up and steal his gear. But it can’t be right here in the open.”

  Skill boost! You have developed your survival skills. +5XP

  Plato nodded. “Let’s move on, then,” he said, stepping away as he spoke.

  Together they turned into the next street. Like the last, it was paved with smooth limestone, and the houses were set quite far back, with an array of beautiful flowers and vivid leaves on display in front of each one. Further on was an ornamental fountain, circular and around a yard wide, with water spouting from a single column on its top that was carved into the shape of a trio of fish.

  The houses themselves all had stone foundations, while the upper floors were made of wood. A few citizens were out front, tending their plants or talking. Some of them eyed the boys suspiciously.

  As the others walked ahead, Troy stopped at the corner of the first house on the street and peeked out, looking back the way they had come. The Myrmidon warrior was in sight now, further up the hill. And it looked like his plan has worked – at least to an extent. The warrior was among the olive trees, and the worker to whom Troy had given the coin was trailing behind, pointing to one tree an
d then another.

  Moments later, the Myrmidon turned, stepped towards the gray-bearded farm worker and struck out with his fist. The worker collapsed to the ground, clutching at his face. And then the warrior began to run in the direction the boys had come.

  Feeling aghast at the outcome of his plan, Troy began to hurry back to the others. They were now about twenty yards on, and he sprinted towards them to catch up. “He’s coming,” he called out as he caught up.

  No further explanation was necessary.

  The route ahead split at the end of the line of houses, and they all paused momentarily. The main city sloped down to their left, and there was a magnificent vista to be seen. Nearby was a huge amphitheater, partly sunken into the ground, with raised marble blocks forming an oval shape and rows of seats visible. It was currently empty, but Troy knew it would make an inspiring sight when filled with Spartan citizens. Further to the left a river could be seen, and beyond was a tower, a tall temple with two rows of stone pillars, and some kind of castle. But all of it struck Troy as too far away.

  He next looked up the slope. To his right, framed by mountains which had snow on their peaks despite the heat of the current conditions, was a group of villas, each made entirely of marble and surrounded by trees and gardens. He could see a few citizens moving around, and each building had a small stone veranda at the front.

  Troy was still looking up at the villas when he realized that Canis and Leon had started to run down the slope away from them. He hesitated for a second, and then Plato hissed: “No. Not down – up towards those houses.” His friend pulled at his arm and then began to run up the slope towards the villas.