The game took a long time to process new data, unwilling to make its own reality match what had just happened. For starters, small holes appeared in Lirkun’s armor. Then, they gradually expanded, suddenly stopping only to have blood start pouring out the back. It was almost like I’d actually been shooting explosive, armor-piercing rounds that w^ere definitely outlawed by all kinds of conventions.
Having drawn the damage done by the six hits, the game got to work on the physics. Lirkun finally moved — the player was thrown backward as though hit by a locomotive. Flying off a good hundred meters, it crashed to the ground and didn’t move. That was when the oddities ended, and I felt a tangible relief wrash over the environment around me. The game had finished processing the new data.
Dropping my pistol in my pouch, I made myself fly up into the air and head over to where Lirkun was lying. The protective field was down, and I was ready to use sacrificial offering at a moment’s notice, but it didn't end up being needed. The player was definitely dead. My perception told me that, as did the dead status and the enormous hole in its head. Lirkun was crumpled on its stomach. That let me see how the shots had been processed — the game had apparently decided I’d gunned the alien down with a high-caliber explosive machine gun, as that was the only way to explain the enormous holes. I could have fit a fist into any of them.
But most important was the device on the player’s wrist. It looked very much like Raptor.
You’re trying to hack the defenses of player Lirkun Po.
Sum total of your skill levels: 880 (device control: 220, hacking: 220, perception: 220, anatomy master: 220).
Sum total of Lirkun Po’s defenses: 640 (hacking protection: 160, resistance: 160, resilience: 160, willpower:
160).
Probability of successful hack: 27.3 % (1 — 640/880).
Attempt 3... Successful.
The cover of Lirkun’s device slipped to the side, freeing its phone. I stepped closer and —
The explosion threw me to the side. A wave of fire washed over me, once again incapable of hurting an elemental. The hellish heat was just a warm breeze to me. Somehow, I was able to stop myself and go back over to where the mercenary’s body had been lying. There’s wasn’t a trace of it left, as the explosion had destroyed both its body and its equipment.
I shook my head in respect — it had been a worthy opponent. Terrifying to the point of stomach spasms, but the battle had been an intensely interesting one. Or rather, educational. There was so much new information to process, so much that I was definitely going to use myself. For example, there was the Raptor trap. That never would have occurred to me. If it hadn't been for the abilities I’d acquired, Lirkun would have gotten revenge for its death. And how did it lift the ground like that? With what? And why don’t I have a device like that? But the worst part was how cautious Lirkun was. Oh, how I wanted to dig around in its phone.
Sadly, my dreams weren’t about to come true. There was nothing left to loot. The key wasn’t there, either, which meant I’d been right — either Elhar Gee or the owner itself had it. When I went back to my usual form and headed over to my equipment, I found that not much was left. Still, hope springs eternal, and so I pulled out my repair kit, placed a hand on the remains of Ulbaron, and...
You can’t repair this object. In order to repair a device, it must be at least 25% intact. Ulbaron’s current integrity: 18%.
Raptor’s current integrity: 36%.
Fang’s current integrity: 32%.
Shulma’s current integrity: 12%.
Zelda’s current integrity 3ejib^bi: 23%.
Valkyrie’s current integrity: 29%.
Raptor, Fang, and Valkyrie... Plus, there was the named item I had waiting as a bonus, though collecting it meant appealing the ban I’d received for that store section. The owner had locked everything in the store except the standard sections. And I just didn’t have time to deal with that right then. I didn’t anticipate taking it up later, either, as I wasn’t about to let the owner know I had a weakness.
Gathering the remains of Ulbaron so I could recycle them, I frowned. There was a device I didn't recognize attached to the back. It was entirely intact, having survived the intense heat without taking the least bit of damage. And that made sense — game conditions didn’t have anything on real-world items.
I pulled it off my armor with interest. A closer inspection told me it had a screen with an inscription I didn’t understand, not to mention plugs for other devices. Suddenly, it clicked in my head — that was why I’d lost control of my named items. I hadn’t been able to sense any of them. Not Valkyrie, not Fang, not Raptor. Even my phone inside Raptor had ignored
me.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what the device was for or what the inscription read. Blocker for Mark Derwin or something of that nature. Whatever it was, it turned all of a player' property into a useless pile of grouped nanoparticles. The owner was going all in — it was the first time I’d had something like that used against me. Instead, everyone tried to overpower or outnumber me. Lirkun was the first to try to outsmart me, with even Villian turning out to be less impressive than its underling.
My respect for the mercenary grew a few points, and I also realized what I needed to do in the near future. There was no doubt in my mind that the entrance to the dungeon would be guarded. And that meant I needed to make sure the alien players had bigger fish to fry. I need to find one of those balancing forces and turn it on them! It was time to have one of the players whose job it was to destroy aliens get to work doing just that.
Olsen, you’re going to have to put up with me one more time.
Digging a hole and dropping the remains of my broken named equipment in it, I tossed the blocker in with them and even said a few words. It probably sounded funny, but I didn’t feel even for other humans what I felt for my game equipment. How many times had it pulled me out of tight spots? It had even given the new me part of its functionality. Yes, it had earned a fitting farewell, something that can’t be said of all people.
Flying up into the air, I got my bearings with Raptor and headed off toward Olsen’s location. The function had been busy — there were new buildings, the roads were improved, and I even saw some decorative plants. Olsen had taken a creative approach to its garden city, turning a basic safe zone into a work of art. The Shurvan itself was sitting in a carbon copy of Verloven’s gazebo.
“Hexagon leader, what an honor to personally welcome you to my location!” The alien’s hairy face flashed sincere joy. It might have been hard to tell that the function would have sold me in a flash if it thought it was getting the better end of the deal. “It’s a shame you weren’t able to complete my mission and hold onto the rainbow pearl. If you had, we would’ve been the best of friends in this release.”
Yup, so it’s drawing battle lines right away, telling me it’s not about to bow and cringe in front of the hexagon leader. But I didn’t really care about that.
“I need information, Olsen.”
“Just like Verloven, I don’t know how to get rid of the dome that’s protecting the Owner’s lair,” it replied, laying its cards out. “But if there’s anything else you’d like to know, we can discuss it. The important thing is the payment. It was impressive how you showed appreciation for the defender.”
You bastaj'd! Of course, I’d known the weasel would squeeze me for all I was worth, though I would never have expected it would ask for more than the maximum.
“What kind of information are you looking for?” The Shurvan was the picture of courtesy.
“How do I find a player who’s one of the balancing forces?” I asked, already regretting showing up there. Really, I should have found an alien from that hexagon, hacked its phone, and pulled the complete map. It just has to be higher-level. Elhar Gee would have been fine. I can 't forget the fraps!
But my simple question had thrown the function into a stupor. Olsen tightened its lips, making its position so c
lear I had to clarify my query.
“As a human, I want to know wrhere to find the nearest balancing force. Olsen, do I understand correctly that you don’t want to respond?”
“Location 72, hexagon 117,” the function finally replied, incapable of withstanding me any longer. “It’s in a cave. Now, get out of my location, Mark Derwin! I never want to see you or your clever mug again. Why did you have to ask the question like that? Would it have been so hard to throw some cores or dragon's blood my way as the one who saved your sister? You give some damn defender its freedom, but me, someone who picked you up from off your knees and nurtured you from the very first days of the game, you couldn’t give anything to. What kind of friend are you? Not another mission. Get out!”
Olsen turned in a huff and quickly walked away from the gazebo, heading towards its house. A notification popped up telling me I had to leave the location or pull rank on the local leader. But that was fine with me — I'd gotten what I needed. I knew where to find the player who could help me. And since it was in the hexagon I needed, my next job was to convince it to join my side.
I needed to clear the entrance to the dungeon and make sure it was relatively safe before I headed in. One way or another, I was going to have to get my hands on the relic, bring Villian back, and try to come to an agreement with it. Information was everything, and I was prepared to go to any lengths to get it. Even giving a sworn enemy its life and freedom wasn’t a bridge too far. Winning was everything.
Chapter 22
IT DIDN’T TAKE long to find the mountain the creature they called the balancing force had settled in. There were no players in the location, as Drone told me they’d all gathered around the dungeon. The area there was packed. Just to make sure, the local general had gathered all its available resources, including its One, Two, and so on. But from what I could tell, it was Elhar Gee who was in charge. The winged demon had become the owner’s right hand, carrying out orders personally.
The cave was more of a challenge. I flew between the mountains, scanning as I went, but there was nothing that looked like where a player might live. And with how many mountains there were, Lady Luck ended up playing her usual role — as I flew down along a ridge, my scanner picked up a lone red dot marking a living creature. My perception marked it as “Guard” and told me it wasn’t a player. And since the dot was moving around inside the mountain, I had to do a circle before I found the best way in — straight through the rock.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Mark Derwin,” the space around me said as soon as I buried Fang in the stone to start cutting open a newT entrance.
“I need to meet the balancing force!” I replied, having prepared my little speech in advance. “As a human, I have the right.”
“Humans have the right, sure, but you’re an elemental. You’re only human in memory.”
“What, so that means I can't meet with the player? And who are
you?”
“No, it doesn’t limit you at all, though it does let me refuse to permit you inside. I’m the balancing force’s guard. My function is to keep it from getting out, as it hasn’t been needed in this release — you’ve been handling its role just fine.”
“Still, I need its help.” Talking with the air was unusual, only I didn’t have much of a choice. “The alien players aren’t letting me get anywhere.”
“To the point that you became head of a hexagon? And showed up in the neighboring one? The owner and its fighters are losing their minds trying to predict your next move, stuck reacting instead of taking the initiative themselves. If anyone needs a balancing force wielded against them in this release, it’s you. No, I’m not letting you in, Mark Derwin. You can handle humankind’s issues on your own.”
I sniffed unhappily. That wasn’t the result I’d been looking for, though I wasn't about to give up. It was all mind-numbingly simple — the fact that the thing was talking to me meant that it wanted something.
Everything in the game revolved around personal profit.
“Okay, so I’m not getting in. But why don’t you come out? I’m sure I can find a way to thank you for that.”
“You wasted all your dragon’s blood, and you don't have anything else of interest.” The guard clearly knew quite a bit about what was going on with me. And that told me it was a function, pulling its insight straight from the game.
“You're right — I don’t have anything here and now. However, I know where the Last Chance dungeon is, and I only need one of the relic’s charges. The rest I can share, for instance, with you. Would you like to become real, more than a function?”
That time, the guard thought for a while. That was the only explanation for the long pause.
“The dungeon relic is intriguing, but let’s be honest. You don’t have it yet. And your chances of getting it are vanishingly slim. The entrance is guarded by players, and... Ah, so that’s why you need the balancing force. No, Mark Derwin, if you’d shown up with the relic, this would be easy. But we don’t have anything to talk about without it. What if you die and remain in the dungeon? Who am I supposed to collect the penalty from?”
Excellent! That really was perfect. Sure, my first attempt hadn't worked, but the fact that we were talking, not to mention the guard’s hesitation, told me its categorical denial was feigned and we just needed to
agree on a price. And I had the perfect offer.
“Have you heard of Tsarter?”
“A disbanded group of mercenaries, formerly the release owner's personal guard. Currently, there isn’t a single member remaining. But what do you need to know about them for? You killed them all yourself.”
“I know where their supplies are. Their base. The spot they used to store their loot. Villian Po, Lirkun Po, all of them. Everything they brought with them to this release, evenihing they picked up here, all of it is there at their base. It boggles the mind to think of what could be there. Noa, dragon's blood, dragon’s tears, captive women... Give me the balancing force, and all that will be yours.”
“I don’t have the skills to hack their protection.” There was doubt in the guard’s voice.
“No worries, I can help with that. We’ll head in together, though I’ll just be there to spectate. You can have the loot. Well, except the human women — I don’t imagine a game function would have any need for them. But hey, there might be a succubus. I already found one for Verloven, the defender in my hexagon.”
The guard’s silence spoke louder than wTords. I’d hit the nail on the head with my offer, and all that remained w^as driving it home. What else do I have to offer? How about what I personally care about?
“And here’s the cherry on top: I’ll throw in fifty units of noa.” I’d checked my supply — a little more or less didn’t much matter at that point.
“Yes, that’s an interesting deal.” The voice came from behind me. Turning, I was finally able to see the guard, a powerful four-armed creature. I'd already seen its kind — I’d turned them into mannequins and used them to mine that safe zone. But what bothered me were the quotation marks. The creature in front of me wasn’t named Guard, it was “Guard”. Almost like it was a call sign or fill-in.
The “guard” moved smoothly from one rock to another, flying through the air without a shred of armor visible. Instead, it was dressed in an initial outfit time had reduced to rags. For the first time in World of the Changed, I’d found someone w7ho didn’t give a damn about their protection. I didn’t even see any necklaces.
“So, you w^ant to get the relic. All right. But w7hat use could a natural player get from it? What’s in this for you?”
“I wrant to bring back a creature named Villian Po and ask it how to get rid of the dome protecting the owner’s lair.” It was a day full of revelations. “So, are you going to help me, balancing force hiding behind the guise of a guard? By the wray, wrhy haven’t you gotten involved yet? The release is going to be over soon.”
My guess w7as right — the giant smiled and tr
ansformed. Armor, a protective field, and weaponry all appeared, though I couldn’t sense any of it. As far as my sensors were concerned, the creature standing in front of
me was completely naked.
“Because I’m tied to this hexagon and can’t leave it. The digger found a hole in the noa at the other end of the planet, and there aren’t any balancing forces there.”
“And that’s why you’re in your cave navel gazing? Instead of attacking the owner’s lair? It’s in this hexagon, after all.”
“I have plenty to do without taking on suicide missions, Mark Derwin. There isn’t a single function, player, or game item capable of hurting the owner. And you know that very well — Verloven told you. That’s why you carry7 around that pistol from your reality, the one you used to kill Lirkun Po. Yes, I’m tied to my cave, but that doesn't mean I’m blind. I’ll help you with the dungeon in exchange for Tsarter's base and fifty7 units of noa. You’ll hack the protection, I’ll bring out any women being held captive there, I’ll leave my mark, and w7e’ll head out. You won’t be going in. Does that wrork for you?”
“And in exchange?”
“In exchange, I’ll turn the location with the dungeon into scorched earth. No players, mechanisms, or even messengers from a general or the owner itself will be able to make it in. So, you’ll be able to take as much time as you want to beat that dungeon of yours. Work on it until the end of the release for all I care — I’ll make sure you’re safe. But you won’t go into the Tsarter base.”
“And won’t see the treasures Villian and its group stored up,” I replied with a sigh. I’d had plans for the base, specifically leveraging it in my negotiations with the mercenary leader. But the “guard” just nodded.
World of the changed 3 Noa in the flesh Page 27
