External Threat (Reality Benders Book #2) LitRPG Series

by Michael Atamanov

  “But what about the heavy losses of manpower and forced retreat from the swamp hexagon? And the raiding party?” Onuri-Unta La-Varrez just wouldn’t back down, but it was clear that was only still arguing out of inertia because his reasoning just kept getting weaker.

  “We weren’t trying to take control of the swamp hexagon. It is too hard to supply, and we’d have to place a disproportionately large garrison there because it’s so near the enemy heartland. Were our losses significant...? Sure, thousands of our players went to respawn. But I already mentioned that we were up against trained professional soldiers, and the average level of the H3 Faction is higher than ours. What’s more, we were facing the First Legion in the swamp hexagon. That’s the enemy’s highest-tier elite force, so it would be somewhat naive to expect our losses to be equal.”

  Before continuing his speech, Thumor-Anhu held a short pause and took a sip of an energy elixir. His old legs were shaking treacherously in exhaustion, and the mage even had to lean on the false staff so he wouldn’t fall over in front of the whole council. What was more, he needed a pause to gather his thoughts because the biggest hump was now on the horizon. The enemy raiders had just waltzed into his territory! Then look at who they were led by! It was easy to see why this was a delicate topic. But he wouldn’t exactly be able to cover it up now. After a moment of consideration, the experienced politician decided to tell them everything.

  “So, the raiders... Yes, we were taken by complete surprise when they showed up behind our lines in the middle of pitched battles in the swamp hexagon and rocky coast. After all, we thought our spies would let us know about enemy combat operations in advance. But as our defector has already explained, even the H3 leadership was caught completely off guard. And the raid was more destructive than we ever could have imagined. It took some time to get forces back from the front, so the consequences were dire. The infrastructure of the grain hexagon was severely damaged, and it will take time to rebuild all they destroyed. What’s more, the experimental Sio-Mi-Dori antigrav crashed while trying to pursue the raiders. We still haven’t established the cause. There are qualified experts studying the wreckage now, but this accident will push back the timetable for putting such craft into serial production. As for the leader of the raid, it was a man named Gnat, a player I’m sure many of you have heard of...”

  “The craftiest member of the H3 Faction? The one who has taken Coruler Thumor-Anhu La-Fin’s granddaughter prisoner two times? He also sent you to respawn once if memory serves.”

  That question came from the chairman himself and, most likely, it was for the best. Thumor-Anhu La-Fin knew that there had been rumors swirling about this Gnat’s behavior. They said he disrespected the Leng right to his face and had brought shame on the noble Minn-O La-Fin. He knew those facts were savored by his foes. But now, there was no incitement about “insulting a Leng,” or even “dishonoring a noble lady.” Coruler Anri-Huvi La-Shin was clearly formulating the question as delicately as possible and was probably hoping to reap the dividends of this in the future. And he deserved nothing less.

  “Yes, Coruler Anri-Huvi La-Shin, that’s the man. By the way, I advise all other rulers to look into this Gnat, because I am certain this won’t be the last you hear of him. He’s quite remarkable. I’ve had my eye on him for some time. He’s still a new player, and he has no respect for the law or authorities. In his world, he was a criminal. The H3 Faction mostly hates him because killed a beloved commander and is generally disobedient and defiant. That might make you think he’s just some hoodlum, and the best he could hope for is a lifetime of hard labor. But strangely, despite all that, Gnat has already achieved the rank of Gerd. And our Geckho suzerains are crazy for him. They take him with them into space and even, despite all their assurances that they will not interfere in our conflicts, just one word from Gnat and they flew down from space to evacuate him in the middle of battle!”

  At these words, a buzz came over the chamber. The council was discussing heatedly, unable to hide their astonishment. Thumor-Anhu La-Fin, very satisfied with the effect, made a brief pause, allowing the audience to say their fill, then continued his speech:

  “And do you know what Gnat brought his scientists after his last voyage into outer space? An Annihilator of an ancient race, a functioning armored spacesuit of an unknown civilization and... this one’s a real doozy! A highly detailed diagram of a Geckho starship!”

  The audience started making a racket again. Some council members even jumped out of their seats. But this time, the old mage gestured for silence, so he could continue.

  “I see, honorable rulers, that you also appreciate the scale of the problem. Who knows what Gnat might bring back after his next journey into space? And who can guess what technologies that might provide our enemies? Potentially, this is a grave threat to our faction’s technological advantage!”

  “He must be stopped!” someone shouted, and Thumor-Anhu La-Fin was eager to agree:

  “Precisely! Honorable rulers, I know perfectly well that you have dragged my name through the mud in private and laughed at my doddering foolishness. You say that I, a respected Leng and faction leader, am paying too much heed to a common player and you mock the five-thousand-crystal bounty I’ve placed on his head. Well, I’m doubling it. What is more, I officially promise sanctuary to any member of the H3 Faction who helps us take Gnat prisoner or neutralizes him in the real world! My agents will try to spread this information as widely as possible, so that every member of the H3 Faction knows! I want Gnat to be constantly on edge, so he cannot sleep, so he sees everyone he meets as a potential murderer. He cannot be allowed to trust any of his allies. Even if I don’t ever pay that bounty, no person can live under constant stress for long. Gnat will be forced to choose: either leave his home planet forever or join us of his own accord! And my intuition tells me he’ll choose the latter!”

  The end of the great mage’s speech was met with a standing ovation. From the corner of his eye, Thumor-Anhu La-Fin saw that both other Corulers were also applauding. Complete approval! He wouldn’t be losing his rank, title or fortune today. Now, he just had to keep his promises.

  Chapter One. Back to Space!

  THE FIRST CHANGE I noticed back aboard the Shiamiru was that not all the bunk rooms were full anymore! On my last flight, there were huge hairy Geckho sitting on every cot and pull-out seat. But now, walking down the corridor, I saw upper beds folded up and unoccupied. There were even a few empty ones down below.

  “Gnat, six crew members decided not to renew their contracts,” Uline Tar whispered when I remarked on the change. “That has Captain Uraz Tukhsh very worried, though he won’t show it. But let’s discuss that later. For now, buckle up. We’re taking off.”

  “And what about my injured friend?” I asked, worried about Dmitry Zheltov. After all, this was his first time on this shuttle and he didn’t understand a single word of Geckho. But Uline Tar reassured me:

  “There’s a medic working on him right now, so everything is fine. The human pilot was assigned to the second bunk, together with the Navigator and Senior Engineer. And, I’ll have you know, that’s a place of great honor!”

  “And where are our bunkmates Vasha and Basha?” The end of my question was drowned out by the roar of the engines, so she seemingly didn’t hear.

  However, I had already spotted the two big twin brothers in the neighboring bunk. Both of them bared their teeth at me in greeting and seemingly said something, based on the way their lips were moving. I waved back, but the extreme G-forces made it a real undertaking. And that was just the beginning. We were still gradually accelerating. After some time, it became totally unbearable... My back was pressed into the seat so hard I thought I heard my bones crack. On our last takeoff, it was somewhat less severe. Seemingly, the blood was flowing out of my head because my eyes went dim. I was clinging to the edge of consciousness. The only sensory tether still holding me to reality was the sound of my heart pounding...

  No, I could
n’t die like that! Before my faculties left me once and for all, I threw open the menu and brought up my statistics:

  Gerd Gnat. Human. H3 Faction.

  Level-38 Prospector

  Statistics:

  Strength

  13

  Agility

  15

  Intelligence

  19

  Perception

  21

  Constitution

  13

  Luck modifier

  +3

  Parameters:

  Hitpoints

  817 of 998

  Endurance points

  140 of 580

  Magic points

  0

  Carrying capacity

  58 lbs.

  Fame

  34

  Skills:

  Electronics

  24

  Scanning

  37

  Cartography

  39

  Astrolinguistics

  35

  Break-in

  15

  Rifles

  37

  Mineralogy

  13

  Medium Armor

  40

  Eagle Eye

  39

  Sharpshooter

  17

  Targeting

  11

  Danger Sense

  15

  I needed to put one point into Constitution right away! I felt slight relief, but it didn’t last long. I threw another point into Constitution, bringing it to 15.

  The dizziness retreated. That was either my improved stats, or we reached our target velocity. I strained to catch my breath and turned my head to look at Uline, who was spitting mad:

  “I guess our brainless captain forgot to turn on the gravity compensators! Or maybe something broke again. He’s so inept, his arms might as well grow out of his ass!”

  So, this was not normal. That put my mind slightly at ease. But, not wanting to think about stat and skill points anymore, I kept the window open and spent some time thinking over where to put my remaining points. What exactly did I need?

  Strength? After raising Constitution, Strength had become my lowest statistic at just 13. It governed my carrying capacity, ability to use heavy weaponry, throwing range and damage in hand-to-hand combat... On the other hand, did a Prospector or Listener really need high Strength? The answer was not apparent.

  Agility? The only statistic I had never improved. I knew it could unlock higher-quality weapons from the Rifles group, though. And even if that was my only motivation, it was enough. The Krechet carbine and Annihilator both took all the Agility I had, so I couldn’t ever wield a better one without improving it. Alright, I’d put one point there and bring it to sixteen. But I still had five of the eight stat points I’d gained from achieving the rank Gerd.

  Intelligence? For a Prospector, working with complicated electronics, this was a very, very important statistic. I suspected my high Intelligence was a major factor in how quickly I was leveling Astrolinguistics and Cartography as well. I had no idea whether a Listener needed high Intelligence, though. But regardless, I was not planning to change class before the end of my contract with Captain Uraz Tukhsh. That could put me and my whole faction in an awkward position. After all, I wasn’t sure if a Listener could use a Prospector Scanner, which is what I’d been hired to do. At any rate, I’d just become aware I could change class, so there was no rush.

  In the end, I decided to add one point to Intelligence, raising it to 20. And then... I spent a while batting my lashes. Another parameter also changed:

  Magic points

  114

  Just then, a blue bar came up below my life bar. Did I now have mana?! Cool, sure, but also a bit scary. What could I do with it? What could I spend Magic Points on, and from a technical standpoint, how did I use them? I hadn’t gained any spells, so I was at a loss.

  I was initially planning to invest just one point in Intelligence, but now I couldn’t hold back and added another just out of curiosity. My magic points immediately grew to 119. But what good was that?

  Alright, enough monkeying around. I still had Perception, a Prospector’s most important stat. I was somewhat upset because, when I put on the new Listener suit, I had to remove my infantry helmet. And unfortunately the IR Lens, which raised my Perception by 2, was clipped to my old headgear. But that couldn’t be helped. It was either the armor suit or the helmet and lens... Or was I wrong? I’d have to ask the ship’s Mechanic if he could refit the IR Lens for the black Listener helmet. But that was for later. Now I had to spend my last three stat points.

  I put another into Perception, bringing it from 21 to... why 23 not 22??? How? What made it go up by two? Luckily, a hint jumped in telling me that, for every point invested in a stat after 20, another was added as a specialization bonus. How nice!

  But that put me at an impasse because I now wanted mutually exclusive things. What was best: invest the two remaining points in Perception, raising it to 26, or throw another into Intelligence, bringing it up to 23? But that would leave me with one more point... I thought for a long time, but concluded my main stat was Perception, not Intelligence, so I should improve that. So then, both remaining points into Perception, giving a mind-blowing 26!!! Now, I had freakish powers of observation! Nothing could hide from my all-seeing gaze!

  * * *

  I JUST HAPPENED to finish as Uline Tar undid her safety belts and stood up to her huge height:

  “One of these days, the captain’s bad piloting is gonna kill us... I wouldn’t be surprised if we have only half a crew after this trip. Who wants to risk life and limb so some Aristocrat can play pilot?! The only plus is how much more room we’ve got. As the only woman on board, I even got my own bunk! Anyway, I need to get dressed!” With these words, the Trader lowered a metal curtain, closing the door and blocking off her bunk.

  This was the first time I’d seen a bunk closed. Normally, they were all wide open. I thought I should probably leave, so I wouldn’t embarrass the furry lady while she changed. But Uline kept me on the bench, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder:

  “Gnat, you can stay. You’re not a Geckho, so it doesn’t matter if you see.”

  She was purposely speaking louder than necessary, clearly wanting the other Geckho to hear. At the same time, she showed me a familiar gesture, placing her hand to her lips. I used to think it meant, “we’ll talk about this later,” but it clearly had a somewhat different meaning: “keep mum.”

  Astrolinguistics skill increased to level thirty-six!

  Intrigued, I waited to see what came next. Uline Tar pulled a folding table out of the wall and, one after the other, set out sixteen specially-cut large red crystals.

  “Gnat, this is your share of the licensing royalties from the footage of the Relict base,” she said barely audibly, just with her lips. “It’s sixteen thousand. Put it in your inventory and show no one. It’s a very hefty sum. Many in the galaxy would kill for less. Vasha and Basha got the same and, as far as I know, will be leaving the Shiamiru after the next voyage.”

  I followed her sage advice and stashed the crystals in my inventory. Meanwhile, I asked the experienced Trader if a person like me could put my savings in a Geckho bank.

  “The civilization of Shiharsa has just one bank: The Bank of Shiharsa. That’s all we need,” she answered bizarrely. “I know for sure that Miyelonians, Trillians, Meleyephatians and other space races are forbidden from using the Bank of Shiharsa, to keep potential enemies from damaging the Geckho financial system. But maybe a member of a vassal race could have an account... I’ll be honest, Gnat, I don’t know. I’d have to check the law. But these synthetic crystals were invented for Geckho to pay our vassals, so it is probably not allowed. And now, Gnat, please turn around. I am going to get changed and also need to do my makeup.”

  I didn’t argue, sat cross-legged on the edge of the bench, turned toward the wall and opened my inventory. I had plenty to do. During the raid into Dark
Faction territory, I filled my backpack with plunder nearly at random. I knew for certain I had some decent Medium Armor in there, a Dark Faction chameleon cloak and a futuristic laser rifle, which I could not use due to class restrictions. There were some other strange artifacts from the crashed antigrav as well. I could not determine their properties, but I stuck them in my inventory anyway. Now was the time to sort through all this junk because I was on the verge of over-encumbrance and it was getting uncomfortable.

  First of all, I checked the Prospector scanner. The enemy antigrav was very nearby during my scan, so there was a chance... my heart aflutter, I opened the diagram. Yes! I had a highly detailed three-dimensional model of the Dark Faction’s Sio-Mi-Dori shock-landing antigrav. It would make an excellent gift for Gerd Ustinov and the other scientists!

  After that, I got to the armor. It was a thick dark-colored jacket, made of two layers of dense synthetic fabric. It had protective inserts in the chest, back and shoulders, which were made of a material somewhere between ceramic and thick plastic. I had it at the site of the Sio-Mi-Dori crash for after I outgrew my kevlar jacket. Little did I know I would soon be receiving the Listener suit.