Surviving the Simulation: The Grand Crusade

Seated in the conference room, Xander popped the top of the second can of soda he'd liberated from the cafeteria. The hiss and fizz were small comforts, a whisper of normalcy amid the tension in the air. He took a slow sip, the sugar and caffeine settling like a controlled burn in his chest.

Raised voices echoed beyond the closed door, their sharp edges cutting through the otherwise still hallway. It wasn't hard to guess what was happening. Someone was getting chewed out. Probably multiple someones. He leaned back slightly in the plastic chair, the same too-small, too-stiff furniture that had once hosted teenage misery in this building, and tilted his head toward the sound.

A reckoning. Not the kind that ended in catharsis. The kind that dragged petty grievances and misplaced authority into the open, clinging to relevance while the world burned down around them.

The door burst open. The Librarian stormed in first, her expression thundercloud dark, her movements sharp like someone actively suppressing a much larger fury. A second behind her was the Major, expression unreadable, and then a man Xander hadn't seen before but immediately recognized once the mental pieces clicked into place.

Victor Stern.

Finally. A face to the name.

The same Victor that kept popping up during his earlier intel-gathering from cafeteria conversations and Zoey's recon work. He hadn't known what to expect, but what stepped through the door was a man who had never once questioned whether he belonged at the center of the room.

Victor wasn't physically imposing. He was shorter than average, lean in the way of someone who prioritized presentation over physicality. But he groomed himself immaculately, exuding curated competence in every inch of his appearance. He wore pressed slacks, a wrinkle-free collared shirt, and was clean-shaven. While others in the safe zone bore the marks of fatigue and smoke and scraped-together survival, Victor looked like he had just stepped out of a city council meeting… not an apocalypse.

The Major glanced at Xander as he entered with an eyebrow arched slightly, a half-question wrapped in a soldier's calculus. That familiar moment where one man who had fought and bled recognized another who had done the same. Xander responded with a single-shoulder shrug, casual but not dismissive. Yeah, this was going to get complicated.

"Major," the Librarian said, "could I borrow some of your men to keep us from being interrupted, please? Unfortunately, someone applied a sledgehammer to a delicate situation."

Her eyes snapped toward Xander with the kind of precision that suggested she'd measured the angle ahead of time. It wasn't a glare of hatred or outrage. It was professional frustration mixed with a dash of betrayal. A woman who had worked quietly to hold a fractured system together, only to see someone blow the hinges off the door she was trying to patch.

Xander didn't flinch under the look. He could feel the heat of it, but he didn't dodge it. Instead, he gave a slow nod, more to himself than anyone else. Yeah. He'd broken the illusion. Pulled the curtain back in front of too many people, too fast. The truth was a blunt weapon sometimes, but subtlety had a way of getting buried under bureaucracy. This place didn't need another whispered meeting. It needed a wake-up call.

Still, he could've handled it with a touch more grace. He filed the regret into that part of his mind where hard calls got stashed and sealed. You didn't always get to be right and nice in the same breath.

The Major gave a clipped order over his shoulder, and two soldiers stepped into position outside the door without breaking stride. Inside the room, the tension didn't dissipate so much as rearrange itself. The players had shifted, but the stakes were still humming under the surface.

Introductions followed. Cynthia, the Librarian, softened her tone slightly as she reasserted herself. The Major gave only what was necessary in way of an introduction. And then Victor.

Victor Stern offered his name like a handshake you couldn't quite refuse and equally rehearsed. His eyes swept the room, not in curiosity but calculation, as if checking boxes. Xander caught the glimpse of appraisal when their gazes met. Nothing overt, just the subtle assessment of a man used to weighing allies and liabilities.

With everyone finally seated, the posturing ended, and focus shifted to the real threat pressing in from beyond the walls. They had finished playing council games. Something worse was coming. And everyone here, no matter their motivations, was about to find out how quickly leadership meant nothing in the face of monsters that didn't care about titles or tidy hierarchies.

"We'll deal with political fallout later, but suffice to say that I'm stepping up as the leader of the safe zone, since technically, it's mine to begin with. Victor will help," Cynthia said. "Right now, Major, you had indicated that there was a more immediate situation to address?"

"Yes, ma'am," Rex began, his tone sharp. "The Simulation's reboot left my team cut off on the far side of Danville. Our colonel gave the order to rally at an abandoned military installation to the north."

He didn't rush the words. Every sentence landed with the weight of someone who had already told this story more times than he wanted to.

"There were thirty of us at the outset. I've got five others with me now. The rest... didn't make it."

Xander didn't need Analyze to recognize the loss baked into those numbers. It wasn't just attrition, it was systemic failure. Poor terrain, bad luck, or an overwhelming force. Probably all three.

"We first made contact with a large gnoll force while maneuvering north. The gnolls weren't raiding randomly. Instead, they were organized. Maybe not military, but close enough. We engaged briefly, attempted a tactical withdrawal, but they pushed us into a fragmented retreat. That's when we lost the bulk of our people."

That tracked. Most role-playing games don't depict gnolls as subtle, but Simulation modifiers like buffs, synergy, or a warboss rapidly enhance their coordination. And thirty fighters, even trained, wouldn't last long against a massed assault.

"We regrouped on the move and altered course. While repositioning, we encountered what we now believe to be one of your patrols engaged with another gnoll element. It was smaller but tactically deployed. Could've been scouts or an advance skirmish line."

He let that hang, and Xander could feel the implication sliding into place.

"Those we could, we extracted. However, the gnolls had several captives upon our arrival. We didn't have the numbers to break them out."

There was no apology in Rex's tone, but no detachment either. Just facts, mission-first.

"One of your patrol members directed here us. En route, we spotted multiple gnoll scout units in high ground, elevated positions with forward arcs overlapping. It wasn't a scattered raiding party. This safe zone is in the gnolls' path. Possibly their primary target."

Xander's brain kicked into full triage mode. That explained the defensive posture, the pressure, the urgency humming under Rex's delivery. Someone had mobilized the big gnoll force; they weren't roaming. What they'd encountered earlier wasn't a fluke. It was a campaign.

He didn't need a map to picture the likely vectors. If the gnolls came in force, the fortified gate might buy them a few minutes. After that? It was going to get personal.

Cynthia absorbed the words in silence, posture rigid, her control cracking just at the edges. Victor shifted in his chair, too smooth to show nerves but not smart enough to hide the recalibration happening behind his eyes.

The Major? Still stone. Still calculating.

Good. Because this wasn't a council meeting anymore. It was a prelude to war, and they were already out of time.

"Did all the gnolls seem to come from the same direction?" Zoey asked.

"Hard to confirm since we went from one engagement to stumble into another, but it is highly likely," Rex replied.

"Ma'am, what defenders do you have here in the safe zone?" Rex inquired. "My team and I will stay to assist for the duration of this situation, but we need to know what kind of support we'll be getting."

Catching a nod from Zoey and Alex, Xander interjected, "Our team will help as well. Zoey is an Arctic Warden and one heck of a shot. I'm a Lightbringer Paladin, so a hybrid melee and support class, and Alex, there is a sneaky sneaky type."

"The highest person here is level two, but I'd estimate twenty-five to thirty people that we could count on to help. Can't we just stay inside the safe zone and let them pass on by?" Cynthia asked.

"Cynthia, I don't think we can afford to hide our head in the sand any longer. As it is, you and I may have doomed us all by not squashing the issue with the former faculty," Victor added to the conversation.

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"Zoey, you want to take my binoculars up to the roof and see what you can scope out?" Xander said, tossing the binoculars to her.

"Sergeant, accompany Ms. Hernandez to the roof. Report back with the tactical situation. Specialist, make a quick review of the defenses," the Major barked out.

While they waited for everyone to return, the Major and Xander spent the time updating each other on what they had seen over the past few days. Xander expressed his concern that they may be looking at an overflowing dungeon, but it was anecdotal evidence, at best. The Major detailed just how bad Danville was overrun. Finally putting to rest the idea that larger populations centers had been hit hard.

What Xander did find interesting was the description of another group the major and his team had encountered in Kickapoo State Park. The park was thoroughly overrun with undead, but the team described had been holding their own and all had classes along with a decent loadout of gear. Xander found himself extremely concerned regarding the state of the park but also wistfully wishing that Jo was among the group the major had seen. Alternatively, he found himself lamenting that the other group wasn't here at the safe zone. He suspected things were about to get interesting.

Rally the Defenders
Quest Notification! Attack on your current safe zone is imminent. Repeal the invaders! Wipe out the enemy force or cause them to retreat before they are able to take destroy your safe zone console. Eliminating enemy commanders will lower the invaders' willingness to continue the fight.
Difficulty: Hard
Reward: Experience, gold, and two item rewards.

Accept Quest? Yes/No

"I'm assuming everyone got the quest notification?" Xander said as Zoey entered the room. "That answers the question of if they were planning on just passing by."

"The gnolls are at the edge of town and there's a bunch of them," Zoey offered.

"Major, Ms. Hernandez is correct. Large primary force approaching from the east. Too far away to analyze, but we could pick out several leaders driving the formation forward. We won't be able to handle them out in the open," the Sergeant explained.

"Ma'am, it's your safe zone, but if I may be so bold, I may be better at planning a defense," the Major asked. Seeing the look of panic on the Librarian's face, the Major continued without waiting for acknowledgement. "Unless the Corporal finds anything problematic, the building's egress points were well-fortified, as far as I could see entering. The main gate is a proper choke point. My team will form the core defense, while anyone else from the safe zone that can fight will fill in the gaps."

"Xander, I think you're the only one I've seen so far that has any sort of healing, so you'll need to play support as best you can. Ms. Hernandez and anyone else that has experience with ranged weaponry can take to the roof. Finally, Alex will be our roving ace in the hole for any hot spots in the battle line. Any objections?"

Rex had asked for objections, but it was also apparent from the tone of his voice that he wasn't open to hearing them either. It was grim, but everyone knew people were going to die today and the tally by the Simulation for tomorrow would be that much smaller.

The next half hour passed in a blur of motion and shouted instructions. Xander moved through it like a cog in a fast-turning machine, caught between the immediacy of preparation and the gnawing certainty that time was running out. The cafeteria had become a makeshift command post, then a staging area, and finally a corridor of hard decisions. There were no drills. No formal checklists. Just people arming themselves with whatever rusted scrap or sports gear they could find.

To their credit, the Librarian's estimate had been light; close to forty people had turned out to defend the safe zone. Many wore no armor, and most of the weapons looked like they'd fall apart on impact. Xander figured at least half of them would break before the fight was even halfway through. The captain of the guard must've had the same thought; he was quietly stacking additional weapons along the interior walls like emergency lifelines no one wanted to admit would be needed.

Those unfit or unwilling to fight moved quickly to set up a crude aid station just inside the entryway. The stink of fear had already begun to rise and a quiet unease rippled through the defenders like a building static charge. Prayers and curses whispered under breath. The scuff of boots on rock. The metallic clink of someone adjusting a grip they'd been told not to use the wrong way.

Xander glanced at the man beside him. The pitchfork in his hands was shaking. Sweat beaded across his forehead, dripping into his eyes. His knuckles were bone-white. Xander didn't know his name. Didn't need to. Right now, he was every civilian trying to be a soldier. Trying not to die.

The gnolls came to a complete halt one-hundred feet from the defenders. Even from that distance, the defenders heard yips and growls. Glancing up at Zoey, Xander figured the gnolls were slightly out of her optimal range. She could probably hit the mass of gnolls from this distance, but the closer they were before she opened up, the higher the likelihood of a her inflecting serious damage.

"What are they doing?" whispered one defender

"It's a standoff. They're waiting to see who makes the first move," another whispered back.

The tension continued to mount for several seconds until the major had had enough.

"Come get neutered, you giant furballs!" Rex bellowed, causing the gnolls to take off like a wave at full speed at the defenders.

"Spearman, set your pikes!" Rex called.

Overhead, Zoey and her fellow archers' shots could be heard taking off with a zip… thwap. The majority of the archers' shots were effective in inflicting damage, but none scored any kills. Their effort wasn't pointless though, as any damage done before the gnolls reached the line would be that much less damage that needed to be done within melee reach. But it was Zoey's shots that were truly devastating. Her arctic warden abilities had empowered each shot that landed, causing gnolls hit to suddenly slow down to where the mass of enemies behind them simply trampled over anyone that couldn't keep up.

The mass of fur collided with the pike wall the defenders had set. While effective at eliminating the front row of gnolls that rushed out to be the first to glory, it was a one and done strategy. The impact forced the following monsters to slow, yet they still reached the defenders.

Major Rex and his team enabled the poorly armed defenders to hold their own, but a superior force clearly outmatched the defenders.

While Rex and his team were thinning out the combatants facing them, Xander stood back and cast judgement on any gnoll facing off against the safe zone's defenders. This gave the defender an increase in damage against that target and also lessened the amount of damage the judged gnoll could inflict. But Xander couldn't be everyone at once, and several defenders fell, only to be dragged back to the aid station and replaced by another person.

From above, the archer still rained arrows down on the second and third rows of gnolls pressing to get to the defenders. Zoey's effectiveness diminished because she couldn't use the enemy to trample her target, but the short distance increased the overall effectiveness of all the archers.

The defenders had started to believe. Xander could see it in the way they moved, the way they shouted at each other with something close to confidence. For half a heartbeat, Xander let himself believe it, too. Maybe they'd hold. Maybe this wouldn't turn into a massacre.

Then the acid bolt came.

It arced over the gnoll formation, a sickly green flare that hit one of the rooftop archers square in the chest. The man barely had time to scream before the corrosive blast ate through him. His body spasmed violently, limbs flailing in a grotesque attempt to outrun the pain, and then he dropped like a sack of dead weight off the edge of the roof. The wet crack of his body hitting gravel was final.

Xander didn't look away. He couldn't. That man had been doing everything right. Holding his position. Trusting the plan. And now he was meat on the ground, melted by something no human should ever have to face.

Then the fear slid in. This wasn't like the dungeon, or even the earlier skirmishes. This wasn't a brawl. It was a slaughter waiting to happen, and they'd only just triggered the trap.

Cursing the Simulation, the gnolls, and himself equally, he clenched his jaw. He should have known better. He should have seen it coming. No fight went this well at the start without something worse lurking in the wings.

"Enemy caster on the field!" Zoey called, "It's toward the back right side!"

"Alex, see if you can get it," Rex hollered. "Take that monster off the board! Archers, try to keep it pinned down to give Alex time!"

Gotta give it to Rex. He knew how to command a battlefield. Military training, sure, but Xander hadn't expected it to translate so cleanly into a fight like this. Different rules. Different stakes. Even so, it worked.

Near the center of the line, one defender drew his eye. Mid-thirties, maybe. Built like a brawler but moving like a man three fights too deep. The shield drooped between blows, its edge dragging more than blocking, and the axe in his hand swung with the kind of effort that came from running on fumes. No technique. Just raw will holding the line.

The gnoll pressing him looked fresher. Taller by a foot, snapping with predatory glee, its snarling mouth already flecked with blood. The man was too stubborn to fall back, too tired to know when he should have. Stubbornness had its place in a fight, but so did knowing when to tag out.

Xander raised a hand and cast Judgment, the divine mark lancing across the gnoll's chest in a flare of golden fire. It wasn't enough.

The defender blocked the next strike, but not the one after it. He didn't account for the reach, or the rows of teeth that followed. The gnoll lunged, burying its fangs deep into the side of the man's neck. Blood sprayed across the broken ground. The man crumpled without a sound.

Xander's heart kicked hard, channelling all of his rage. He couldn't save the man. Not from that. But he could damn well make sure the bastard that killed him didn't walk away.

He stepped into the gap and triggered Radiant Smite. His mace swung up in a brutal arc, crashing into the gnoll's jaw with a crack like a splitting log. The beast's head snapped back, and it staggered straight into the waiting sword of the gnoll behind it.

Two down. One less hole in the line. But the cost was already too high.

Quest Update! You eliminated an enemy lieutenant! Attacking forces will suffer a 10% reduction to damage dealt!

For half a second, Xander froze. That wasn't him. His eyes glanced instinctively toward the rooftops. It was too far to see clearly through the smoke and chaos, but he didn't need to. That was Alex's work. Had to be. Mid-battle disappearance, straight toward the caster behind the lines.

"Thank the universe for small favors," he muttered, then raised his voice. "Commander down! We've got a buff!"

"Defenders, at the call, take two steps back," Rex shouted. "We're reforming farther down the funnel. Stay focused! Ready. Step!"

The reposition was a good call. It allowed fewer defenders to hold the gap, giving more people a moment to catch their breath. It forced the gnolls to go around their fallen to get into position to attack. Alex appeared at the back of the group a short time later, having appeared to just simply be there where he hadn't been a moment before.

"Got the mage and then picked up a pair of gnolls snooping around the side of the building. Looks like they were going to try to climb up the wall," Alex said, as he bent over to catch his breath.

A roar echoed across the battlefield, deep and guttural, cutting through the clash of steel and the screams of the dying. Every gnoll on the field began to disengage, pulling back in near-unison and shifting to the sides.

The enemy formation split like a living tide.

From within the parting ranks, a hulking figure emerged. It was taller, broader, and far more menacing than the others. Muscles corded beneath patchwork armor. Blood dripped from its claws. Its yellowed eyes locked onto the front line like it had already decided who would die first.

[Analyze] Grothak the Mauler | Level: 7 Rare | Status: Hostile | Class: Dark Warden.

He didn't need a second look. This wasn't just a powerful enemy.

This was a boss.