"I Am Not God" adjusted his Imperial Guard armor. Crude, but solid. He checked his lasgun one last time, making sure everything was working.
Nearby, "I Will Carry You" was freaking out.
Her screams tore through the squad voice channel. Through her livestream, tens of thousands of viewers heard every word.
"Oh my God! Guys! GUYS!" Her voice cracked with excitement. "Are you seeing this?! This shop! These prices!!"
She pulled up the battlefield support menu and shared it with her stream.
The livestream chat went absolutely insane. Messages flooded in: "???" and "Holy sht!"
Everyone was staring at the same thing: the Alacaster map's exclusive "Legion Direct Logistics Support" shop. It was designed specifically for Imperial Guard players.
Previous maps had been stingy as hell. On Tival or the Hive City, decent gear cost hundreds of points. Sometimes thousands. But here? The prices were absolutely nuts.
This was a clearance sale. No, forget that. This stuff was practically free. The shop looked like it had been invaded by some crazy discount app.
The most basic section showed:
Standard Imperial Guard Infantry Squad (12 troops): 100 points
Light Weapons Support Group (6 troops with heavy bolters): 150 points
Scout Squad (8 troops): 120 points
This alone was mind-blowing.
On previous maps, summoning even basic AI soldiers cost several hundred points. Sometimes over a thousand. Only rich mid-to-late game players could afford them.
But here? Win one small fight and you could raise an entire squad.
Still, this was just the beginning.
The next section made everyone's jaws hit the floor. It listed elite units... the kind that used to be final bosses on other maps.
Death Korps of Krieg (Trench Assault Squad, 12 troops): 300 points
- Description: Silent, fearless shock troops. Excel at trench warfare and suicide attacks. Maximum morale always. Immune to most fear effects.
Catachan Jungle Fighters (Infiltration Assault Squad, 10 troops): 400 points
- Description: Masters of jungle warfare and complex terrain. Excel at stealth, traps, and close combat. Extremely strong individual fighters.
Armageddon Steel Legion (Mechanized Infantry Squad, 8 troops + 1 Chimera APC): 500 points
- Description: Fully vehicle-mounted. Excel at rapid assault and heavy fire. Armored transport provides extra protection.
"Krieg! Catachan! Steel Legion!!" I Will Carry You's voice broke from shouting. "These units! On Tival, each one was a final boss! Ultimate backup! Here they cost 300! 400! 500 points?! They're practically giving them away!"
The livestream chat completely lost it:
"Has Old Devil Medici lost his mind?! This balance is insane!"
"This isn't a battlefield, it's a wholesale market!"
"100 points per squad? On Tival I'd save up 1000 points and still couldn't buy a tank!"
"Krieg for only 300? I'm in love with these prices!"
"Steel Legion with a Chimera! 500 points! That's a steal!"
I Will Carry You kept scrolling down. She was broke, only 50 starting points. But that didn't stop her from window shopping. She wanted to show off this "Imperial welfare program" to her viewers.
The next section showed bigger options:
Artillery Barrage (Regiment-level, medium range): 1,000 points
Summon Leman Russ Tank (Standard): 1,000 points
Summon Hellhound Flame Tank: 800 points
Orbital Bombardment (Tactical-level): 4,000 points
"Look! Tanks! A thousand points each! Artillery strikes for a thousand!" I Will Carry You counted on her fingers. "Let me do the math... If I save up two thousand points, I could raise two elite units and still call in artillery! This firepower... damn..."
The last few items looked different. They were grayed out.
Adeptus Mechanicus Support Protocol (Tech Priests): 1 point
- Status: Grayed out, unavailable
- Tooltip: Special conditions not triggered
Adeptus Astartes Support Protocol (Space Marines): 1 point
- Status: Grayed out, unavailable
- Tooltip: Special conditions not triggered
Summon Legendary Imperial Guard Commander (Unique): 10,000 points
- Status: Grayed out, unavailable
- Tooltip: Summon conditions not met or insufficient clearance
"Huh? There's support from the Tech Priests and Space Marines too?" I Will Carry You scratched her head. "Only 1 point? But why are they locked? 'Special conditions not triggered?'"
She looked at the last item. "And this legendary commander... 10,000 points! That's expensive! But it looks super powerful! Also locked though."
User 114514's calm voice cut through the squad channel, interrupting her excitement.
"Don't just look at the cheap prices," he said. "This shows us how brutal this campaign is going to be. Old Devil Medici made resources this cheap for a reason. It means the Chaos forces we're up against will be beyond anything we've ever seen."
He paused.
"These 'cheap' units and support? They're just basic building materials. We'll use them to build defenses. To wear down the enemy. To buy time. The real deciding factors are probably those locked options."
User 114514 looked toward the distant horizon. The dark red Chaos corruption was growing thicker. It had started to distort the light itself.
"And whether we mortals can survive long enough," he continued. "We need to last through the demon attacks. Through the Chaos Champions. Long enough to turn these resources into victory."
"I Am Not God" listened quietly. He looked at the dazzling options in the shop. Exciting. Powerful. Almost too good to be true.
He gripped his gun tighter.
User 114514 was right.
Cheap meant massive demand. It meant horrific casualties. Behind this generous support was a darker truth.
The Imperium saw Alacaster as critical. A strategic position that absolutely could not fall. They would hold it at any cost.
Any cost at all.