Damon's Ascension-Chapter 48: Pra River Instance

Damon was currently standing in front of a swirling portal that looked out of place among the scene around him. He was currently at Pra River, which he had intended to visit first thing in the morning to enhance his ability and confirm one of his speculations.

The area around Pra River was calm, with the gentle flow of water creating a steady, soothing sound. The river itself was wide and winding, its surface shimmering under the morning light. Thick clusters of trees lined the banks, their leaves rustling softly in the breeze. The air was fresh, carrying the faint scent of damp earth and flowing water. freёnovelkiss.com

Large rocks jutted out from the river at various points, some partially submerged, while others stood tall like silent sentinels. Birds occasionally flitted between the branches, their calls mixing with the distant hum of nature. The river’s current moved with purpose, not too fast, but strong enough to remind anyone watching that this was a dangerous place to lose your footing.

Damon stood on a patch of firm, grassy ground near the water’s edge. The land here was uneven, scattered with patches of soft mud and sturdy roots that stretched out like veins. To his left, a narrow dirt path wound its way along the river, leading deeper into the greenery.

The young man glanced back to see that there were others here, temporarily blocked from going in due to his presence. Seeing the growing dissatisfaction on their faces, Damon walked right into the portal without hesitating, knowing that time was of the essence.

When he appeared, he was still in the same area that had the same look as before, however, the air was slightly cleaner and there was an air of timelessness around him. More importantly, a casual glance towards the river showed specks of gold nuggets caught amidst the banks.

[Essence Augmented Reality (Earth) - Pra River Instance 1]

[Duration: 3 hours]

[Details: There has been a longtime conflict between the British and the Ashanti Empire, triggered by years of tension over trade, territorial control, and British interference in local affairs. Sir Garnet Wolseley has been tasked by the British to invade Kumasi, the Ashanti capital, and to get there, he must cross Pra River. As the Obetse, you and your delegation were sent to discuss an alliance with the Ashanti to resist the British, but have been caught up in the conflict.]

[Objective(s):

a. Survive the encounter at Pra River by any means necessary.

b. Repel an enemy force attempting to ambush your delegation.

c. Escape with as many allies as possible if the battle turns against you.

d. Seek an alternative resolution that shifts the power balance in your favor.]

Damon’s eyes narrowed, as he snorted. As expected, there was something wrong.

In the Fort James instance, he had already been suspicious, but after receiving the report today of the experience of others upon entering instances, Damon realized that he was experiencing something unique compared to everyone else.

For normal humans, entering Fort James would see them locked in the slave hold, their chains loosened by a mistake and freeing many of them. Then, they would have to free as many fellow slaves and escape with them in twos, killing any British guard on their way to the exit in the dead of night.

It was thrilling and required intelligence, perception, and some stats, with many Ghanaians having run it over and over after increasing their stats and knowledge of the fort to make better escapes for a higher rating.

It was nothing like being made an Obetse, a position in modern Ghana that Damon was actually descended from and could inherit in the next generation. Not to mention that while he was in Fort James, many had run Pra River’s instance.

Before that, let’s talk about the history surrounding this very instance. It was a story that probably had no traction outside of Ghana, except for a little snippet in British history books, but here, it was quite a big deal.

The Sagrenti War of 1874.

A grand display of arrogance, betrayal, and firepower, where the British, as was normal for them at the time, decided they had enough of the Ashanti’s defiance.

Centuries of trade—some fair, most not—had led to an uneasy balance of power between the Ashanti Empire and the coastal states under British influence, which included Damon’s own ancestral group.

However, you see, balance was a fragile thing, and the British had long since tired of negotiating with a kingdom that refused to bow completely.

The excuse for war was, as usual, wrapped in the language of justice and retribution.

The Ashanti had—rather stupidly—attacked the Fante Confederacy, Britain’s ever-willing pawns along the coast, and that was all the justification London needed.

Enter Sir Garnet Wolseley, a man with an iron will, a distaste for drawn-out wars, and an overwhelming arsenal.

He didn’t come to negotiate.

He came to burn.

The campaign was swift and ruthless. By the time the British force reached the Pra River, they had already carved a bloody path, cutting through any resistance like a hot blade through palm oil.

The Ashanti, for all their legendary ferocity, found themselves facing an enemy with superior rifles, discipline, and—most devastatingly—modern artillery.

They essentially brought a knife to a gunfight, and you can imagine the outcome.

Because of this, the very river Damon was on became the last true line of defense.

The Ashanti had fought hard, delaying the inevitable as long as they could, but against Gatling guns and breech-loading rifles, sheer bravery meant little. Wolseley’s forces crossed the Pra River, knowing that Kumasi lay within reach, its fate already sealed.

What followed was nothing short of a massacre.

The British stormed the Ashanti capital, looted its treasures, and set the great city ablaze. The famous Golden Stool, the very symbol of Ashanti unity and one of Africa’s biggest symbols of culture, narrowly escaped capture, hidden away by loyal hands.

But after this beating, the empire itself would never fully recover.

And the British? They naturally returned home with their spoils, their medals, and their self-congratulations. They would call it a victory of civilization over savagery, another triumph in their endless march of empire-building.

The Sagrenti War was neither the first nor the last time the British would do this. In fact, this was the third war between the British and the Ashanti, but soon became the last one because the fallout of this loss breached the dam and allowed the Gold Coast to fully come under British rule until Independence in 1957.

Sagrenti... Sir Garnet. The obvious link was there—the war named after him, but because the locals at that time could not pronounce the name in the English accent, it was converted to Sagrenti after affecting the local accent.

However, what Damon knew was that those who entered this realm would be a part of the Ashanti warriors wielding cutlasses who bravely charged to fight against the field of officers wielding matchlock rifles in hand, as well as artillery.

Their objective was to survive the war and kill as many British soldiers as they could, their final rating based on their number of deaths versus their number of kills. As stated before, resurrection was possible in these localized AR instances, but not so in the main Essence nor the Chaos Realm.

Unless one was with Xela, of course.

However, Damon was once again thrust into a unique role as a Ga Envoy, which did not exist at the time, at least not according to history books. As far as history knew, after the Fantes gave in, the Ga were next to surrender after constant coast bombardment, not being like the Ashanti who were inland and could resist effectively.

It was theoretically possible that they sneakily sent an envoy over to discuss, because they were never happy with their surrender, but this was likely something that did not come to fruition as the envoy was likely killed along with the fall of Kumasi.

Glancing behind him, Damon saw that his entourage this time had 10 people.

There was an old man wearing fine kente, being one of the Senior Clan Elders who was sent to supervise the process and especially the Obetse.

Next to him was a slightly younger man who was still aged, being the clan Trade Expert. He was the one to do most of the speaking while Damon’s role this time was mostly to represent legitimacy and authority of the Ga Stool.

After him were the guards, made up of the Asafo, the Chief War Captain, who was a seasoned middle-aged man with rippling muscles and held a long spear. There were four other guards with well-built bodies that held spears as well as sharp cutlasses.

There was the usual Translator who was there to exchange the information between both sides legibly. This fellow was naturally not the same as the one from the previous event, as this event was spread apart by almost three centuries.

Finally, there was the medicine man, or herbalist. In the West, he would be the clan physician, who was here to make sure everyone was in good health as African forests were not yet on the level of Australia, but were still very dangerous.