by Alan Bard
I was shaking from the cold, wondering how long it had been since I passed out. I wanted to warm up. I felt a strong desire to see how much stronger I had become after reaching a new rank. I grinned as I remembered the great pleasure it had given me.
Let us see if the Cultivator’s abilities are still limited by your rank. Perhaps we can finally use the artifact to its full potential, Alpha said.
Use your powers, Nick. Show us what you’ve got, Beta added.
Name: Nick
Age: 18
Status: Private
The rank gives unit the following:
increased stats;
ability to use artifacts of a higher level; and
a primary Mode.
Specialization: Universal Soldier
Cohort: [Dominant]
Basic Private-rank Skills:
[Research]
Grants the unit the ability to see the essence and structure of things and to understand them.
[Hunting]
Grants the unit the ability of mind control.
Advancing on the path of [Beast Mastery].
[Battle]
Activates [Dynamic Prediction].
Grants the unit the possibility to create battle scripts.
Combat Skills (Canon, Level 1)
Set of common skills
Direct Punch…
Two-fisted Punch…
Punch Hammer…
Punch with the Edge of the Palm…
Direct Kick…
Heel Kick…
Knee Hit…
Undercut…
Push…
Unique skills:
[Pistol Hook]
[As Strong as Pistol Fire]
[Shining Bullet]
Skills from artifacts
[Cultivation]
This skill grants the unit the following:
direct access to [Hunting], [Research], and [Battle Modes];
redirection of the energy flow in the [Body Circuit]; and
control of the [Proxy Core].
Artifacts
[Cultivator]
[Power Armor Seals]
Current Stats
Intelligence: 7.32% (1% per rank)
Will: 9.1% (3% per rank)
Strength: 10.8% (5% per rank)
Dexterity: 10.7% (5% per rank)
Endurance: 20.4% (8% per rank)
[Cultivation] Characteristics
Transformation: 6%
Degree of Deformation: 13%
Units of Deformation: 7
So much effort and so much suffering for such a shoddy result. I was still far from finishing my Transformation and I was still not strong enough. On the other hand, knowing that I possessed the Cultivator, the abyss, and Beast Mastery brought a smile to my face.
I grinned and rolled over on my side.
“Oh, finally.” Rio was sitting next to me. “How are you, dude?”
“Man, how much longer are you going to make us wait?” Eli’s voice was hoarse, but cheerful. “Hold on to me. We need to get out of here.”
My hand found his shoulder. I immediately felt better. I wasn’t alone. Grabbing me, they lifted me to my feet. I grumbled like a drunkard.
“How long have I been asleep?”
“We don’t know,” Victoria answered. “We don’t have a watch, and we can’t exactly keep track of time in this pitch blackness. Half an hour, maybe more. So, let’s stop wasting time and get moving. I’ll turn on my flashlight.”
“How did you find it?” I asked, confused, but she didn’t answer.
A ray of light cut through the darkness. My eyes adjusted, and I finally saw the pile of rubble that had trapped us here. Or maybe it had saved us—I still wasn’t sure. Eli was barely visible. Rio was biting his nails as he usually did when he was anxious. Jelena was sitting nearby, hugging her knees. She raised her head and smiled at me, and then stood up.
“So, where to?” Rio asked. “There was no plan, right?”
Victoria was silent. For me, that wasn’t a surprise, but I could feel Eli getting angry. I could practically hear his brain boiling.
“Fuck, he’s right. You had no plan!” he shouted. “You led us into a trap and almost killed us all!”
Victoria shone the light into his eyes, making him cover his face.
“What were my options?” she hissed. “Do you think they would’ve let you go? These dungeons go deep underneath the island. There has to be a way out. I admit, my plan wasn’t ideal, but it was still pretty good.”
“Get that light out of my face, or I’ll punch you,” Eli growled.
Victoria turned off the flashlight and we found ourselves in pitch blackness once more. I had met many people like Eli, so I could understand his frustration. He desperately needed to blow off some steam and get rid of pent-up rage.
“So, what about that message that our rating went up? Are we a part of the cool gang now, or what?” I asked, changing the topic.
“Nah, we’re still suck, it just means that the system decided that we’re cooler than a retard who had wasted the lives of his friends,” Victoria explained. “Open the list and take a gander.”
“It doesn’t work,” Eli said indignantly.
“Focus, big guy!”
List of cohorts that did not cross the Red Line, sorted by the system
[Alliance]
Overall power: 192; Members: 13
[Moonwalkers]
Overall power: 120; Members: 5
[Slayers of Heaven]
Overall power: 112; Members: 2
[Straw Hats]
Overall power: 76; Members: 6
[Anarchists]
Overall power: 75; Members: 6
[Sea Rats]
Overall power: 71; Members: 5
[Night Ghosts]
Overall power: 70; Members: 6
[Dominant]
Overall power: 60; Members: 5
[The Rippers]
Overall power: 32; Members: 1
[Lucifer’s Children], eliminated
[Creatures of Darkness], eliminated
[Brotherhood of Steel], eliminated
Zeke was in last place. Wasn’t he supposed to be dead? I was wondering if the bastard had survived.
Either he’s dead, and the one left in his cohort is someone else, Alpha said from across my mind. Or he’s still alive, and just lost control over his minions, and the system took that into account.
What about the freaks from Slayers? Zeta inquired. Just two guys, but the system says that they could kill us all.
Fuck the system! Who knows how it rates our abilities, Beta said. We’ve already proved that we can kick the shit out of higher-ranked people. Screw them!
She’s right. You have the abyss, and you have the Cultivator that gets better the more you advance on your path. Alpha’s lips stretched into a malicious smile as he looked at me.
I knew he was right. I just had to keep going.
“What’s that light up there?” Rio whispered.
The path curved, and a dim light pervaded the cave. We went a little further and saw a round hole on the ceiling. It was high above our head, and there was no way to reach it.
“Let’s keep going,” Victoria said, took a few steps, and froze.
“What is it?” Eli asked.
She held up her hand to silence him. Raising her head, she listened to something.
“You hear that?”
I knew the sound, but I couldn’t imagine hearing it underground. Very soon, a familiar silhouette appeared in the hole.
A drone… but unlike any I had ever seen. The thing was big, with four large propellers, and a bulge in the center of the hull.
It’s a pity that Snuffles isn’t here and that you can’t get a new one right now. Alpha said, sitting in a comfortable chair. We could find a use for this iron bird.
It has blasters! You wanna fight that with a Draugr, whose only advantage is that it can crawl on ceiling and walls? Zeta sneered. I think the
hosts of this game would punish us for attacking the drone anyway.
But it’d be fun to fly on one of these things, Beta said, eyes smiling.
“I’ve seen these on posters at the University,” Victoria recalled. “They’re not only for shooting and data analysis, but for communication—”
She had no time to finish—the drone landed on the rocks away from us, its black body wobbling on unsteady, curved legs. A curved tube with a luminous faceted “eye” appeared from its body, illuminating the cave wall.
Should we attack it? It’s out in the open… Alpha let out a low, sneering laugh, but I just ignored him.
I was surprised to see a flickering 3D image at the end of the beam. Zara was sitting at the table, staring down at her tablet. Her appearance, much different than the one I had gotten used to, surprised me more than the drone’s arrival.
In the chair was no longer the cold and collected Zara, but an exhausted woman with a military bearing, black circles under her eyes, and sunken cheeks.
Zara raised her head and looked right at us.
“The circumstances have changed.”
EPILOGUE
“What the hell?” Eli exclaimed. “What do you mean the circumstances have changed?”
Zara waved her hand, silencing him and pushed her glasses up her nose.
“Don’t interrupt me. Vicki, my dear,” she said, turning her gaze at the girl who looked just about ready to jump at the hologram and choke it. “I know how you feel about me, but I did it for your own good. I hope you know that—”
“Oh, screw you!”
“—it’s all meaningless. And yet, I still hope to save you. They won’t take me in, I can’t save myself. But you still have a chance.”
“What are you talking about?” Jelena asked. “I don’t understand anything.”
Zara’s voice started to break, as if the signal went cold, and the hologram quivered.
“The Legion… They got in touch and reported… The threat is close… All over the planet… In ten days, the Invasion will begin… In ten days! Can you hear me?” Vicki nodded, and her mother continued, “You need to pass the third Rite and cross the Red Line. Step through the veil…”
“What veil?” Rio asked.
“The one that surrounds the heart of The Island, a ring of Guardian Totems. Get to the center as quickly as possible.”
Tense, Zara leaned forward in her chair, her piercing gaze fixed on Victoria, as if the message was meant only for her.
The tone of authority was back in her voice, and the image was suddenly clearer.
“Make your way to there and you’ll have a chance. I’m sorry that we failed—” She looked over her shoulder, as if someone had called her, and continued in a hurried voice, “Get to the center through the dungeons. The Legion will help you. Vicki! They promised me!” She gripped the armrest tightly. “They promised me that they’ll save you and accept you into their ranks. That’s why I tried so hard to turn you into a true warrior. I did everything I could to get you ready. Do you hear me? Go through the veil! Get to the Red Line!”
The signal broke; the hologram flickered and went out. The drone’s green “eye,” on the contrary, brightened; its propellers hummed and it flew away in a hurry.
“Shit, did you hear that? I knew it!” Rio seemed excited. “I knew it. There is a point to all this. This whole thing’s a part of something bigger! Something global! Truly global! Do you understand?!” Looking up at the sky, he waved his hand at it threateningly. “We must reach the center. I want to see what’s hidden beyond this Red Line.”
He was breathing hard and his eyes shone with determination. There was a moment of silence so quiet that I could hear the crazy thoughts that were buzzing in my head.
It’s the same story Green told us. He knew that something was coming…
It’s funny that we spent so much time not thinking about it, Alpha sneered.
We had other things to do, I remarked.
“What the hell?” Eli shouted. “Legion? Invasion? Hey, come back, you flying chunk of steel!”
His eyes were fixed on the hole. Bewilderment quickly gave way to rage. And then to helplessness.
“What kind of Invasion? A large-scale space one?” Jelena asked. “Is it gonna happen on the island?”
Rio began pacing again. And then he froze and grinned.
“No, it’ll be all over the world. It all fits. I suppose my mother really did love me.”
We were all staring at him. He smiled oddly, and continued, “My mother was a powerful woman, influential and well connected. I’m willing to bet that she bribed them so that I’d be included in this project, even if I didn’t get the exclusive magic powers. She really did want to save me…”
“So what should we do if we really have only ten days left…?” Jelena whispered.
“I’m more interested in what exactly is going to invade us. It didn’t sound like it was aliens,” Eli said. “I hate this… Mages, crazy bastards with superpowers… I thought I’d do the time and go back. My mother is sick. What will happen to my sisters? Who’ll take care of them if I’m gone?”
I remembered Mom and suddenly got very worried. Things had changed way too quickly.
How about you calm down? Alpha was lying on his back, looking at me, with a pipe in his mouth. We all knew that. This in no way affects our plan.
Don’t you find it strange that you develop along with me? I asked.
Who do you think I am, Nicky? The ominous tone of his voice made me feel uneasy.
Well… I didn’t know what to say to that. He was a memory. A part of me? For some reason, this answer just didn’t feel right.
I tried to distract myself. “Anybody ever heard anything about this Legion?”
Victoria spread her arms and shook her head apologetically.
“Could they be players that passed all three Rites? Or a special group of people… Maybe they aren’t people at all.” Rio’s voice was quiet. “So what are we going to do?”
“We can get close enough to the veil through the dungeons,” Victoria said. “Then we’ll go to the surface and try to come up with a plan. Going back won’t do us any good—Simon and his freaks are still out there.”
“Well, let’s go then,” Rio said, turned around, and clasped his hands merrily.
I saw Jelena glance from me to Rio, and from Rio to me, as if waiting for my approval.
“Sure,” I said with a nod. “Let’s get out of this shithole.”
Victoria entered the corridor first. Rio followed. Eli took Jelena by her hand and went after them. I froze, looked at the hole, and said goodbye to the daylight. Who knew when I’d see it again.
The system sent an alert the moment I stepped forth.
Attention!
A demonic artifact, [Zariche Power], has been discovered. Look for a player named [Archie].
Keep in mind that even the Gods fear death.
Oh, now it’s getting interesting, Alpha sneered.
“Oh, Archie, you’re one lucky bastard!” Eli roared bitterly. “I do wish you were dead, whoever the hell you are. I had a dream that I got this super artifact. It was nice being one of the strongest players in this freaking Arena…”
“Yeah, someone got lucky,” Rio said under his breath.
Their voices got fainter and fainter… I stood still, my eyes wide. My entire world turned upside down as I remembered Archie… The prison… The court… And Zara.
She made him the same offer she made me.
Nick, are you thinking what I’m thinking? Alpha’s grinned with malevolent intent.
I caught sight of him and smiled.
Sure, we’re gonna find the bastard and beat his ass so hard that no artifact will help him.
“Nick, hurry up!” Jelena called, but I still didn’t move.
Seems like he‘s well off, but we’ll become stronger, Alpha said.
Ten days before the Invasion.
End of Book 1
Than
k you for reading!
I hope you enjoyed my story. There are three books in Russian, and I’m very glad that more and more people will be able to enjoy it.
Hey ho let’s go!
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