External Threat (Reality Benders Book #2) LitRPG Series

by Michael Atamanov

  I had no real claim to the Miyelonian Gladiator’s trophies, so I didn’t take his four differently colored tails. Alright, now I had to run further down the corridor. I had just fifteen minutes head start to try and hide.

  Successful Perception check

  Basically at the very last moment, when I had already started moving, my attention was drawn by an unusual unprepossessing bracelet that had dropped from the dead body. What was that? I stopped and picked up the strange item. In the thin strap, there was a small metal disk clanging about, covered on both sides with incomprehensible symbols.

  Aik Ur Miyeau’s identification card.

  Well, well! Seemingly, I had figured out how their documents looked. What was more, I now had a functioning specimen! I clipped the bracelet on my wrist and ran further down the corridor.

  But I soon stopped in a small room next to a bank of elevators arranged in a thick transparent column. Right before my eyes, inside one of them, a high-speed elevator shot past like a bullet. It was full of strange creatures that looked like short-tailed crocodiles. But I was less drawn by the alien creatures than the huge whole-wall panorama window, and even more the fantastic view it revealed. I walked up closer, and my mind was boggled. Now that’s beauty!!!

  Medu-Ro IV. Volcanic-type planet.

  I saw a huge gloomy planet illuminated by the bluish glow of the local sun. The planet itself was matte black, webbed with cracks thousands of miles long which contained blood-red rivers of magma bubbling up from below. The planet did have an atmosphere but, based on its oddly viscous texture and dirty yellow shade, it was unlikely to be breathable.

  Eagle Eye skill increased to level forty-six!

  Cartography skill increased to level forty-five!

  If I weren’t so severely pressed for time, I’d have stood there at least an hour just taking in the spirit of space, admiring the infinitely distant volcanic planet. But I had a desperate lack of time, so I hurried to the wall panel. I could probably call an elevator from here. But how? The panel had the same squares and rectangles, some intersecting and some laid separately. I pressed the first one I saw.

  Some blue and green rectangles lit up on one of the transparent doors so, I had seemingly called that one. To be honest though, I had no idea if I’d called it going up or down.

  Electronics skill increased to level thirty-four!

  Astrolinguistics skill increased to level forty-six!

  The elevator appeared very shortly, in just five seconds. But I wasn’t prepared for the other passengers. Three six-legged short-tailed crocodiles took up almost all the space inside. Packed into suits of metal armor, they had massive bodies, elongated fanged snouts and tiny independently-moving yellow eyes. Each of their six feet had on a piece of clothing midway between a boot and glove... I froze in indecision and tried to figure out who these creatures were:

  Gerd Ussh Veesh Trillian. Trillian. Gray subrace. Level-143 Trader

  Level one hundred forty-three?! Holy crap! No wonder this trader was so at ease on the pirate station! He could probably talk smack about anyone! Also, the two other Trillians were Bodyguards by class, both around level one hundred. A reap bunch of bruisers! I’d already decided to just wait for another elevator, but suddenly Ussh Veesh, who had been lying horizontally, scrunched up his body and made the front part of it go vertical, freeing up some room for me. His bodyguards also went into motion, letting me through. I politely thanked the Trillians both in my own language and Geckho, then walked into the elevator.

  It blasted off upwards so fast I could barely stay on my feet. Just ten to fifteen seconds later, we stopped on a different floor. A large sign in Geckho informed me where I’d ended up:

  Space Port Zone. Residential floor

  “Temporary residence permits. Hotel. Cafe. Exit from space-port zone into Medu-Ro IV station”

  I was especially glad to see that there was no “document check,” which was my greatest fear. Seemingly, the check was meant to be done by Gladiator Aik Ur Miyeau, and I had managed to bypass it, if perhaps by an unorthodox method.

  Chapter Eleven. New Friend

  THERE WERE THREE hallways leading different directions, and I couldn’t see any legible words down any of them, so I stopped in indecision. Where to go? I was also bewildered by the fact that there were around a dozen armed Miyelonians next to the elevator, arguing about something in elevated tones. I had no idea what was happening there. Some kind of shouting match, or perhaps the beginnings of a duel, but the quarreling parties were evenly numbered and holding their clawed paws on their weapons. What was more, members of both groups were looking at me with curiosity. I could not say what sparked their interest. Perhaps they had simply never seen a person before, and maybe they were drawn by the trophy on my helmet, but I really didn’t appreciate the heightened attention.

  Danger Sense skill increased to level twenty-one!

  That bad?! Uh oh! I tried to keep closer to the respected merchant Gerd Ussh Veesh and his bodyguards, so it would look like I was with the Trillians. The Miyelonians immediately stopped paying me any mind. My feeling of alarm and imminent disaster quickly abated. Yikes... Danger averted!

  Uline’s warning came to mind a bit too late, but I remembered that I should only walk around the pirate station Medu-Ro IV in a large group. So, I decided to keep following the Trillians, though I did trail a bit behind. The Trillians clearly knew their way around and would lead me where I needed to go.

  After coming out of the hallway, the “crocodiles” got down on all six legs and tore off with surprising swiftness. I even had to start running not to lose them from view. Ignoring some branches off the main corridor and confidently turning down others that looked just as unremarkable, the Trillians soon reached a small semicircular room containing glass doors that led to a passage.

  The only thing of note here was a transparent glass counter with inscriptions in various languages, including Geckho: “Visitor Registration.” Behind the counter on a tall round chair there was a Miyelonian lady sitting cross-legged. And it was definitely a lady because, for some reason, the system told me that clearly:

  Ayni Uri-Miayuu. Female Miyelonian. Pride of the Comet’s Tail. Level-71 Translator.

  The Miyelonian woman was a fair bit shorter than the Gladiator Cat and the soldiers near the elevator. She had thick orange fur from her head to the tip of her tail, and a large number of earrings in her pointed ears. The lady cat was only wearing a pair of very short, light-colored shorts with a slit for her long furry tail. It was warm on the Medu-Ro IV station, I would even say hot, so there was no good reason to wear much clothing, especially for creatures with thick fur. I also noticed that the Miyelonians were apparently not mammals, because their bodies had no nipples or breasts, meaning the females had no need for bras or anything like that. The fluffy lady’s lack of clothing was easily compensated, though, by an insane amount of jewelry. She had on rings, beads, earrings, necklaces, crowns, and tons of bracelets and anklets.

  While the Trillians conversed with Ayni Uri-Miayuu, I stood and watched from afar, thinking over my next move. The Miyelonian was a Translator by class, so maybe she knew Geckho? There was Geckho writing on the counter, so it seemed logical. That would greatly simplify things and allow me to tell her about the sticky situation I’d landed myself in. Maybe she could even help me get in touch with my Shiamiru, or at least give me some advice.

  Meanwhile, the Trillians finished talking with the registration service employee and each got a bright yellow ribbon from the fluffy Translator, which the “crocodiles” immediately fastened to their front left legs. The transparent doors flew open, letting the Trillians out. My turn had come. With a deep sigh, I gathered my thoughts and stepped decisively up to the registration desk.

  “Kento duho, amiri Ayni Uri-Miayuu!” I said in Geckho, showing I knew how to communicate, and using an honorific meaning “splendid” before her name, figuring flattery couldn’t hurt.

  “Kento duho, Gerd Gnat!” th
e Miyelonian answered mechanically, demonstrating her knowledge of the Geckho language. Then she froze, looking carefully at the trophy on my helmet. “I see that Aik Ur Miyeau challenged a stronger enemy yet again!”

  I removed my helmet and turned it over, looking with significant pride at the hard-won fluffy tail. Then I decided to admit my confusion:

  “Honestly, I have no idea why, but he attacked me!”

  “What? Did Aik Ur Miyeau just attack you without warning?” she asked, surprised and even shocked. “That cannot be, it’s illegal! He should have said the traditional phrase to challenge someone to a duel: ‘ah-sahntee maye-uu-u rezsh shashash-u,’ which means ‘may the Great First Female resolve our dispute.’ Only after receiving an answer or seeing a gesture toward a weapon may the instigator start the fight!”

  Astrolinguistics skill increased to level forty-seven!

  “Yes, he did say something like that. But I, unfortunately, do not speak Miyelonian so I didn’t understand. I thought he was asking me to put my laser rifle away. I reached for my weapon, and the Gladiator attacked me...”

  The Translator called up a transparent holographic screen and, using her manicured claws to quickly move some colored rectangles around on it, shook her head shortly just like a person:

  “Just what was Aik Ur Miyeau thinking when he started a scrap with a Gerd?! That rank, after all, is not handed out willy-nilly. He should have chosen an opponent more carefully! Gerd Gnat, your pass to the station is ready, here!” With these words the registration worker extended me a lemon-yellow plastic bracelet with a metal chip. “Passes are generally worn on the front left appendage to make it easier to open doors. This shows your interceptor Gerd Setis-Vir, and where it’s parked, dock eight, level sixteen.”

  Seemingly the employee had looked up the floor the Gladiator cat worked on, noticed there was only one ship there and come to the incorrect conclusion that I belonged to the pirate crew of the starship Gerd Setis-Vir. Perhaps that was for the best. It got me a bracelet anyhow, so maybe I shouldn’t point out her error and risk throwing away my pass. Or should I tell her about the Shiamiru and getting out of the locked hangar? I still hadn’t decided what to do when suddenly the Translator froze in worry, studying the contents of the screen closely and raising her gaze to me:

  “By the way... here in the database, it says that your ship has been having some technical issues.”

  Ugh, crap... I immediately realized that admitting I caused these “technical issues” would mean taking the blame, and possibly compensating the consequences, which was not exactly the wisest move. But Ayni Uri-Miayuu was waiting for an answer, so I had to improvise on the fly:

  “Yeah, that’s true. We don’t know why, but the gravity crane in the hangar turned off and our interceptor’s tail slammed down on the floor. Our technicians are trying to assess the cause of the accident and the severity of the damage now. So, the captain gave some leave to all crew members who aren’t busy with the repair.”

  Clearly, what I said matched up with the information on the Miyelonian lady’s screen, because no questions followed. Ayni wished me a pleasant stay on the station and opened the glass doors to the residential floor:

  “Gerd Gnat, you have permission to stay on the residential floor or leave the space port zone and enter the main part of the Medu-Ro IV station. However, you must return to your ship within two of our days, approximately nine ummi, otherwise you’ll be declared a criminal with all the consequences that go with it!”

  Well, well! I roughly approximated how long I had. All in all, it was just fifty hours of freedom, then there would be big trouble. That was very important information, so I took it into account. I even called up the in-game menu and set a countdown timer, so I could always see how long I had left.

  In theory, I had the pass, and nothing was stopping me from going further. But I wasn’t in any mood to leave yet, having decided to take advantage of the rare chance to speak with someone who understood me to get the information I so desperately needed.

  “Ayni, I know that there was a Shiamiru-class Geckho shuttle in the dock next to number eight. I have a friend who works as a copilot on that starship, and we agreed to meet up and go out to the station together. But when I got past all the watches and duties, the neighboring hangar was empty. Could you look through your databases to see where that Shiamiru went?”

  The Miyelonian lady refused to answer, saying it was confidential. I had to try a different approach:

  “Ayni, I don’t know the culture or traditions of the Miyelonians very well, so I am afraid of accidentally offending you with my ignorance. However, my people like to be honest and tell pretty girls how crazy beautiful they look and give them a nice little gift. You are the cutest Miyelonian I have ever met, so I cannot hold my tongue! I’d really like to give you ten crypto. And I do have the money, but I don’t know how to use your currency yet. I’m used to paying with Geckho crystals, but they aren’t in circulation here. And you also have such entrancing emerald green eyes!”

  And I stared unabashedly into her green eyes, having accidentally met gazes with the orange-furred bushy-tailed lady, but I didn’t turn away. Maybe it was a brutish impulse or more likely just curiosity, but I wanted to know if I could read an alien’s thoughts. We spent ten seconds staring into each other’s eyes, and Ayni didn’t do anything to stop it, as if she was entranced. But after that, I saw a few lines:

  Function unavailable. Your character lacks the Psionic skill.

  Your Astrolinguistics skill is too low. Minimum level to read the thoughts of an alien: fifty-five.

  Action terminated. Magic Points exhausted.

  Apparently, it was a lot harder to do in the game than real life... And just then, as if breaking the trance, she gave a sudden shudder and the furry Translator objected:

  “Stop, stop, stop! Otherwise, all I’ll be able to do is lie on my back and move my legs. As it is, my body temperature has jumped up so high I’m almost fainting. Gerd Gnat, the culture and traditions of the Miyelonians do not allow such blatant compliments and insistent staring. I will not deny that your words are pleasant to the ear, but they have too strong an effect on the psyche, suppressing my will and ability to resist. Compliments like that are only allowed between partners after marriage in a temple of the Great First Female!”

  Well, well! Of course, I apologized for my lack of tact, and tried to justify my actions with a complete ignorance of local norms and taboos. Ayni, still not totally calm, gave a nervous chuckle, showing two rows of sharp little teeth:

  “That’s the first time something like that has happened to me... I wasn’t expecting it to feel so strong... My body temperature still hasn’t gone back to normal. I believe it was all by accident with no ill intent, so your apology is accepted, Gerd Gnat. And I wouldn’t be opposed to a small gift. I could even show you how to use a wallet to transfer crypto. And in return for your present, I will try to find out what happened to your friend!”

  I took the wallet I’d stolen off the Gladiator from my inventory and handed it to her. Ayni pressed on the opposite narrow edges of the rectangular block and the surface showed orange symbols:

  “Point this edge where you’re transferring to, if you’re making a payment to a friend standing nearby. And here you can write the amount with your finger. Do you know Miyelonian numerals?”

  I had to admit total ignorance here. The orange cat wasn’t bothered at all and showed me all the numbers in the space of a minute. They were rectangles of various proportions like I’d seen before, while zero was a perfect square. If the number contained several tens places, the rectangles were simply interlaced. To my great joy, the Miyelonians also used a base-ten number system, which seriously simplified things. So without Ayni’s help, I wrote the number ten and transferred it to her.

  Astrolinguistics skill increased to level forty-eight!

  “Thank you for the gift, Gerd Gnat! Now let me return the favor!”

  Ayni Uri-Miayuu sat b
ack in her chair, and her clawed paws flickered rapidly, moving colored rectangles over a transparent holographic screen.

  “Ah, I see! There was a Geckho starship in hangar seven on the sixteenth floor, but it left the station an ummi ago. And, it looks like your friend and the whole crew of the Shiamiru had big problems. The thing is, three pirate interceptors went into space right after the Geckho shuttle! That cannot be a coincidence! I’m really not sure what those Geckho have that’s so valuable, but the Free Captains must know, and they never let easy pickings go!”

  Just what I needed! I knew perfectly well what the Shiamiru had on it, and why several pirate captains had an interest. The six hundred fifty pounds of platinum plus an automatic Meleyephatian processor with all modules were worth a very respectable sum. Three million crystals, if not a whole four But I couldn’t understand why Uraz Tukhsh hadn’t sold it right here on the station, even at half price! The captain must have spotted a threat, given how hastily he’d run away. Or had he sold the cargo, drawing everyone’s attention, and now the Free Captains wanted to deprive the Shiamiru captain of his glut of local currency?

  In any case, it was a very unfavorable outcome for me. I had no cause to hope the Geckho shuttle would return to the Medu-Ro IV station any time soon. Even if my friends were able to escape from the pirates, they’d hardly want to risk coming back into this hornet’s nest. And if the pirates did catch them and take their cash and loot, they’d be even less likely to return. Also, that was if I only considered the scenarios where the pirates didn’t destroy their starship, which was a distinct possibility...

  I was already in a bad mood, then the translator saw something on the screen and told me in a joyful tone that the elevator had just started up from the sixteenth floor.