Conquering new earth a l.., p.26
Conquering New Earth: A LitRPG Progression Fantasy, page 26
I wasn’t thrilled to be leaving almost a hundred people behind to farm and craft. It felt dirty. We could lose everything if either force wasn’t defeated. My anger at the situation boiled to a point where I wrote Malcolm a message, telling him I hated this. I’d let him keep a hundred behind, but if it was do or die, and those reinforcements were needed, they better come.
If we lost either battle, we’d lose the wars. With assignments complete, I reached out to the mayor of Hamin, a woman named Lilly. The name struck a chord with me, and I didn’t figure out how. As I racked my brain, I let it drop, thinking I probably had a friend or pet the SaLeen had erased with that name. I let her know the might of Lanti was coming, and we’d be there in three days or less.
I didn’t wait around for a reply before hurrying out of the station to assemble my troops. There’d be extensive preparation needed for the coming fight, and every minute mattered. I just had to hope we could win the day while Tiffany prevailed as well.
DRUMS OF WAR
Outpost Hamin - Day 30 Post-Calamity
“Oh, Tiffany is going to be rolling with laughter when she finds out how amazing her scroll is,” Lana said, riding her horse beside mine.
Not even five minutes ahead of us, the forest turned into cleared space to reveal a glorious sight: Hamin Outpost’s wooden walls. A cold - but thankfully dry - overcast day whipped clouds overhead. The tree limbs swayed while wildlife mostly ignored us. The constant sound of our horse hooves, side conversations, and hand carts being pulled created a sort of ambience I’d only ever associate with a fantasy setting.
As I rocked in Gloomy’s saddle, the rubbing on my inner thighs left me eager to be on the ground again. Cheers of ‘we’re here’ at the sight of the walls raised the spirits of our convoy. I smiled sadly. The walls were basic with only a single watchtower. Whoever ran Hamin was behind on upgrading.
For three days, the eighty-nine of us marched across mostly cleared roads. We even added a fresh-from-stasis arrival to our group, helping them become acclimated to New Earth. I could only imagine what it would be like for him, finding a war party on the move with no understanding of your surroundings. He folded into one of the teams and became friends with their healer, becoming another piece in the machine.
While we transitioned from Lanti to Hamin, scouts found any and all side quests for teams to squash. If the threats were nearby, I not only encouraged it, I ordered it. I knew a few extra levels on our troops could decide the outcome of the war. I had a feeling my next scroll would be at level fifty, and while that may not happen from small camps, every bit helped.
During the adventurers, I learned a whole lot about Gryff. That was what I had named the squirrel Tiffany gifted me, and the little fella was something special. I had assumed he’d be useless - and I wasn’t afraid to admit I was absolutely wrong. Others laughed at the sight, figuring just like me, he’d be a waste.
I couldn’t be more impressed with the little guy. While Kibbie and her toad would clear whole bear camps with ease, they were limited in their efforts because of competition with the rest of the caravan for limited combat spots. Meanwhile, the squirrel brought eggs, nuts, seeds, and loot boxes, and he found a wide assortment of places to conquer that the scouts missed. Everything he returned with was useful in some way, and it added up quickly.
The little stinker had a flaw, though. He loved Lana with an intensity that couldn’t be ignored. He was always bringing her the items, instead of me. She thought this was the funniest thing ever; and when he delivered a rare loot box, Lana grinned with glee.
“Damn, those are worth a few thousand silver alone. Wonder where that came from?” I said, glancing back at the caravan. “He doesn’t steal, does he?”
Gryff ignored me, squeaking gibberish to Lana. She scratched behind his ear, and he bounded off a few moments later, flying to the ground with his little legs splayed to act like a parachute.
“I don’t think so, but I’ll set this one aside, just in case. That little guy has probably found thirty thousand in silver in just three days,” Lana said.
I nodded. “Yeah, I bet squirrel scrolls go up in value. That baby chick he led us to was an instant win. Every farmer wants fresh breeding stock and more egg layers. If only we can get it to stop chirping.”
“Do you hear it?” Lana asked. I frowned, noticing it had gone quiet. “He brought her grubs. The little sweetheart.”
Her joy pained me, and I needed to get something off my chest. “Uh, so Lana. There might be a time when I need to replace Gryff. Try not to get too -”
“No! You wouldn’t dare,” Lana fired back and for a second, I couldn’t tell whether she was kidding or being serious.
Thankfully, a yellow flag flew from the tower within Hamin to change the subject. The outpost’s gates creaked open, and out rode a team of ten in tight formation. The soldiers wore heavy armor and sat in the saddles of large stallions. If I had to guess, this was Hamin’s A-Team of soldiers. They also probably pilfered the biggest mounts, each of them being a few hands taller than Gloomy.
They dressed for war minus a banner, with helmets on and weapons in their sheaths. Their armor glinted in the sunshine, and I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the knights. Their leader raised a lance in a friendly manner and approached first.
Her auburn hair flowed out the back of her helm, and the shiny armor she wore looked nearly identical to mine. This wasn’t too uncommon with there only being so many variations of the gear the SaLeen assigned at this level. I chalked it up to a random one-off until she removed her helm.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.” I hyperventilated at the sight. “Who are you?”
The woman whose horse trotted quickly towards us was nearly identical to me. She was a year or two younger, and her nose had a dimpled part, but other than that, we could be twin sisters. I calmed my beating heart the best I could.
“Well, don’t we look like sisters? I’m Lilly,” the woman said, slowing her black stallion to a few feet in front of me. The man beside her removed his helmet with a welcoming grin. I only spared him a fleeting look, transfixed on my doppelganger. “This is my second in command, Gerald.”
“Umm… Wow. We must be related?” I asked. Her head tilted as she considered the possibilities. “Does Laura ring a bell? I feel it should.”
Lilly shook her head. “Nope. Afraid not. My past consisted of three brothers and a son with autism. My mother had darker hair than me, which also rules you out. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much about my family, but I have no daughter. I remember the Marine Core as if it were yesterday, and the basics of my family, and yeah, there should be no woman like me.”
I bit my inner cheek. This is a younger version of my mother, and her memories are skewed to not recall me. Nothing made sense, and I grew dizzy from the sudden reality crashing down hard on me. My breathing intensified, even with me trying to control it.
“Hey babe, I think the SaLeen are messing with her memories. See how her eyes are crossing?” Gerald asked.
His point, while valid, instantly snapped my eyes to focus on him. The man was a brick house with the chiseled jaw of a superman actor. He’d make most women swoon, and while not my type, even I found him dashing. I sputtered my lips, starting to realize the why. Oddly enough, this helped calm me.
If I poked Mom about Dad, it’d likely ruin whatever foundation she set here in Hamin with this super handsome guy. Again, I tried to process the why. The SaLeen just told me my father fought - without magic or technology - to help us have a brighter tomorrow; and here Mom was with a boyfriend and no memory of him or me.
I finally lifted my dropped jaw, able to speak. “Yes, indeed. The SaLeen tinkered with all our memories, and I tried to see if I had a cousin or someone who Lilly might be. They kept it blank because we sure do look alike.”
My mother frowned and said, “You have more muscle than me and are missing a foot, which shouldn’t be possible.”
“I’m not a clone.” My dry reply killed the conversation as well as brought a chill to the expressions around me. “I’m a level-thirty summoner and the commander of the regional army. We are here to extinguish the ratkin threat.”
Lilly barely contained her sneer. “A clone?”
“You said you had a son with autism. How old was he?” I asked.
Her face contorted in confusion at first. “Oh, I understand your point. He was grown, about our age now, and I’m not forty-five anymore. The SaLeen have not disclosed how we became younger. We all went through the same orientation and surmised they used magic to make us young again.” I opened my mouth and shut it. “You already blew the surprise, might as well finish it, Miss Original. You weren’t a Marine, were you? Level thirty is impressive.”
“Nope,” I said, popping the p.
I used the few seconds to collect myself. I desperately wanted to tell her I was her daughter. It just didn’t feel like this was the right time or place. The more I thought about it, after the battle made a lot more sense. Once I came around to that conclusion, a wave of relief washed through me since I had a plan.
“The SaLeen use a lot of cloning. Moving bodies long distances requires energy, and it's cheaper to send a mind imprint to join a freshly printed body. While they can send the whole body, they generally do not. Making sense?” I asked.
“How does that explain us?” a man in the back asked. “No one said we were clones. Talk about bullshit.”
“Some of us are natural, some of us are not. If you were young, healthy, and in good breeding condition, you’re likely an original with a mana core installed by your heart. If you were older, or young with health issues - including weight problems - you were reset,” I said.
“Why?” the same man demanded. The leather of Lilly’s saddle creaked as she twisted to eye him with a hard stare. “What! She seems to know the most.”
“I don’t mind. Alright, some basics that were gone over in orientation are facts. I only know a bit more. The SaLeen conquered Earth, molded it to fit their needs, and are repurposing our species. We’ll fight for them for a few thousand generations in exchange for living. They need land-based soldiers to counter magic-based species that can nullify their technology. As time goes by, humans will continue to integrate until segments will find a way to free themselves. We are part of that integration. Those of us who are cloned, cannot travel via portals to the invasion worlds.”
I paused to let this sink in.
When they waited for more, I continued, “The way I understand it is, they always have conflicts ongoing. If they used us all out of stasis, they’d run out of troops eventually; and they don’t use the land, so housing us on the surface is cheaper than on a ship. My brain wants to think about today and tomorrow. Their rationale goes hundreds of thousands of years into the future. It’s all about our descendants helping them keep their power down the line.”
“Oh,” he muttered.
“Our children will never step through a portal to fight for our captors willingly,” Lilly said proudly.
Lana frowned, fidgeting. “I was a mother, a housewife, and had a kickass life. I’m now an agency mage, and I just used a portal. Not only willingly, but eagerly. Fast travel took me from our conquered mine to Lanti in seconds. Portals are a way of New Earth, and they’ll become second nature.”
“And so, the indoctrination compounds,” I said.
Lilly pumped her empty hand out as if to slow the conversation. “We’re combat fodder?”
“Our children will be. Which, if you haven’t noticed, you likely forgot your husband,” I said, unable to hold back the snide remark; I did try to balance it out. “You’re hardly alone. Almost everyone has moved on with their new lives without hesitation.”
“I don’t remember anything besides him being sweet and timid,” Lilly admitted.
Gerald grunted and added, “My wife wanted to sail the world. No idea what she looked like, and yeah, we sorta moved on. Quicker than I would’ve expected.”
“Not Laura. The woman’s heart is a vault,” Lana said with a snort. A few seconds after uttering the words, Lana hung her head in shame, realizing she mentioned something she should have held in.
“I am devoted to keeping our community a powerhouse of the region. And our region is a powerhouse for the cluster.”
“You look indignant,” Lilly said.
Lana tilted her head. I sighed, knowing she was trying to get between us; and Lana didn’t catch the slight, likely not knowing the definition of indignant.
“What I look like clearly doesn’t matter. Results do. My troops would like to get out of the saddle for a day before pressing on. May we camp within your clearing?” I asked.
“Of course, of course,” Lilly said. “Gerald here figured no one would come to our aid, and yet your army marched hard to help. I expected the might of Lanti, and you’re most welcome to camp nearby. We haven’t finished everything to upgrade to a settlement, and I fear we won’t have time.”
“As an olive branch, I have an offer. My troops cleansed whatever threats reclaimed the woods, arriving with many loot boxes. We would happily help donate some of the building supplies,” I said.
“We are short labor, but again, even if your troops stayed, we’d be short. I just hit level twenty myself, and I feel going on the offensive is the right call. Using Hamin as a fallback seemed wise during our planning,” Lilly said, and I nodded in agreement. “We welcome you to our home and will be busy preparing. I assume you intend to march in the morning?”
“I do,” I said before turning to Jacob, Karen, and the other team leaders. “Tents outside the city. Limit one team-member per team inside so our hosts don’t feel like we’re trying to conquer them. To further that point, let's make one hell of a cookout, for it may be our last.”
∞∞∞
I sat near a roaring fire with the evening chill gusting flecks of ash into the wind. It didn’t matter where anyone sat; we’d get smoke in our faces, and I grumbled without open complaint.
I struggled with the situation; I really did. A burning desire to tell my mother I was her daughter rotted inside me. To resolve the angst, I told myself that if she gave me an opening early, I’d take it. Thankfully, she vanished inside the outpost without visiting to let me sulk with my decision.
“Why didn’t you tell her?” Lana asked, sitting on the stump beside me.
I glanced up at her with a confused expression, not expecting this. “You figured it out?”
“Marine, looks just like you, and acts like a born leader. She’s probably thinking she’s your clone. Probably why she asked if you were in the Marines,” Lana said. I opened and closed my mouth, not disagreeing with her statement. “Again. Why didn’t you tell her?”
I continued cleaning my armor to give myself a moment to respond. Scarlett rested nearby, part of our night watch for the evening. The big boar relaxed, enjoying being free of her confines and just mingling with the army. Guards paced the perimeter with the night sky whipping lofty clouds by.
We’d finished eating hours ago, and for the most part, soldiers headed into their tents to get some sleep while others fought the cold to read or whittle wood. Or they performed basic tasks like me maintaining my gear. I glanced at my reflection in my armor, stifling the wave of emotions I felt roiling through me.
“You can show emotions, Laura.”
“I can, and I’ll do exactly that. But not right now. The SaLeen told me something else. My father is in the sky.”
“Huh?” Lana glanced around at the clouds, as if thinking she’d see a man hovering nearby.
I giggled, feeling bad. “Amongst the stars. There are some select humans who are fighting for us in the current conflicts,” I said. I hadn’t disclosed this to anyone because the words, along with the knowledge, felt hollow. “It could be a ploy, but I think it’s real.”
“I’ll play. You know who your father is?”
“I do and I don’t. I suppose it’s difficult to answer clearly.” I used a stick to poke a log on the fire, sending glowing embers with the wind. “A recurring, traumatic moment came back to me. Mom was working on some paper, or maybe it was a budget, in the front seat of the car. I… that part is foggy. She pushed Dad to drive, even though he wasn’t used to driving in the snow, especially mountain snow. I remember seeing his face in the rearview mirror. The horror. Absolute horror as he nosedived the car. Then blackness,” I said.
“You think it was so intense that the SaLeen can’t suppress it?” Lana adjusted, reaching into her satchel to pull out a wine bottle. “I was saving this for our victory. I bought it off Malcolm from the group loot for three thousand silver. Seems like a fitting time to have a drink, and I’d hate to die in battle with the wine in the bottle.”
Lana pulled out her dagger, shoved the cork down, and the instant the blocker plopped into the liquid, she chugged from the bottle. I accepted the glass container, gulping down a greedy drink myself. The sweet wine smoothly swam down my throat.
I smacked my lips from the lovely taste. “That image of my father fixated in horror is gone again. I can pull at it, gain it for a bit, and then it fades. The type of man my father was remains. The type of woman my mother was remains. My father was the kind of man who may have been shit in battle, but his heart was pure gold. If I had to guess, he conquered his freezing-up fears to provide a better life for me. He’s in the sky fighting for some distant planet, and his reward was likely me being in the beta round of drops from stasis.”
Lana patted my back. “I still don’t get it.”
“Mom isn’t Mom. She’s a clone.” I handed the bottle back and hung my head. “Just like you. Your people. My people. Our species’ future. But she’s not Mom. She doesn’t even remember me. Dad is… he’s real. And for whatever reason, if he gets in trouble, he can call on me for help with a black portal. How do I tell that to this version of Lilly?”
