External Threat (Reality Benders Book #2) LitRPG Series

by Michael Atamanov

  What could I say? My first mission was accomplished, and all the hunters after me knew that Gnat no longer had any platinum. Now, I needed to get to the main part of the plan. Accompanied by the orange Translator, I entered the gaming floor and headed into the Na-Tikh-U area. I stopped next to a table with a Miyelonian player waiting for an opponent and angled my gaze up at a row of spectators. Tini gave me the secret sign that everything was ready, and I took a seat opposite my opponent right on the plastic floor.

  The Miyelonian threw a black token on the table with a bored look. It was shaped like a circle with a section cut out. That was his bet for the game: one thousand crypto. I copied that bet, then gave all the rest of my tokens to Ayni, ordering the translator to put it all on me. An inspector walked up to make sure everything was above board, took Ayni to the viewers stands and turned on a force field blocking our table off from the outside world.

  Alright, here goes nothing! The “cat” pressed the keyboard, and a randomly generated game field appeared over the table. My opponent got the first move, and he couldn’t resist a satisfied predatory grin: twelve-twelve, the highest roll possible! While he placed his ships on the three-dimensional holographic screen, I could barely hold back a smile of my own. Just wait and see what I have in store for you, furry hustler!

  Break-in skill increased to level twenty!

  Electronics skill increased to level thirty-five!

  It was somewhat strange that, although Tini was using the manipulator in the stands, I got the experience. Was that just because he was my ward? Anyway, the fact the Miyelonian was my student was still unknown to the casino regulars. A Thief, as with a few other game classes, could temporarily hide their information, which Tini took advantage of. The little thief was well known here. They even gave him a bite to eat sometimes, so Tini’s presence didn’t surprise anyone. Anyhow, security thought he was in the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior, which meant they didn’t much care what he did. And certainly no one was thinking the adolescent might be conspiring with me. I wondered how long I could keep up that confusion…

  But I didn’t bust my brains over it, instead concentrating on the game.

  My roll was somewhat more modest: two-seven. And you really should have seen my opponent’s reaction when he rolled a second twelve-twelve in a row. It was now a somewhat tortured smirk, and the professional was now no longer quite so elated. One important factor was that I had not chosen my opponent at random. This was the very same hustler I had seen with a roll manipulator earlier. Before I sat at the table, I activated Scanning to make sure it was still on his person. And it was, stashed in a case on his belt.

  When my opponent rolled yet another twelve-twelve, I was now allowing myself to grumble in dismay, even though it hurt to look at the Miyelonian. The professional sharp clearly didn’t understand what was going on. Furtively (or so he thought), he reached for his roll manipulator and took it out, placing it under his bony bottom. I meanwhile was playing badly on purpose, making questionable and even obviously weak moves, giving away the momentum and not even trying to improve my position or control the board. In the eyes of the viewers, I probably looked like some weak newbie, who had just barely learned the ABC’s of the game and didn’t understand a smidgen of tactics. But winning was not my objective. I was trying to concentrate on defense and stop him from quickly beating in just a few moves. I set a goal to hold out for just ten turns. The inspector would be sure to notice my opponent’s rather curious luck.

  Break-in skill increased to level twenty-one!

  Electronics skill increased to level thirty-six!

  The game ended much sooner than I anticipated. Just five turns in, the Miyelonian rolled another twelve-twelve, and the forcefield over us sharply turned off. The inspector walked up with a pair of sullen armed security guards. I saw the Translator hurrying over and didn’t miss the chance to complain:

  “My opponent is clicking something before every turn, then getting the best roll! I don’t know what kind of trick he’s using, but he’s hiding it right under his butt!”

  When Ayni translated my outburst for all to hear, the inspector told the frightened card-sharp to stand up in a harsh tone that would not bear objections. The Miyelonian tried to kick the roll manipulator under the table, but they noticed. The two security guards grabbed my opponent hard by the shoulders, gave him a shake and stood him up straight. The inspector picked up the manipulator and put it in his bag, then he said something full of reproach. I even recognized some of the words:

  “Oni U-Muaa... (incomprehensible)... so experienced (incomprehensible)... could get by without cheating in a game against (seemingly something insulting) ... newbie. You know the... rules... (incomprehensible)... You’re banned... (a verb coupled with a curse) ... from the casino for ten days!”

  Astrolinguistics skill increased to level fifty-nine!

  Tini had explained to me that cheaters always lost officially if caught, while all the bets made by players and spectators were still counted. So everything came together just how I hoped. But what came next caught me totally off guard. The inspector took a curved glowing lilac blade from a sheath and cut off my opponent’s tail at the very root, then tossed it before me on the table.

  Tail of Oni U-Muaa, Level-144 Rogue (trophy)

  Fame increased to 40.

  Fame increased to 41.

  Authority increased to 7!

  You have reached level fifty!

  You have received three skill points! (total points accumulated: six)

  Congratulations! You now have three more skill slots!!!

  Chapter Sixteen. Escaping Alive

  I HAD TO FIND another clip to attach this trophy to my helmet, because I was out. But it would be foolish and even dangerous to neglect such a fine trophy. I might offend the Pride of the Agile Paw, which the high-level hustler belonged to. Tini asked his former clanmates for a clip, and they charitably agreed. While I was stringing up the trophy tail, Ayni came up to me, radiant, and handed me a whole handful of tokens:

  “Gerd Gnat, the odds on you were six and a half to one, so practically no one else bet on you. Your bet of five thousand three hundred fifty crypto netted thirty-four thousand four hundred after casino fees!!!”

  Damn!!! That was even more than I was hoping in my boldest estimates. I didn’t hold back and, continuing to play the role of a distant and impulsive outworlder, I tried to look wildly happy with my luck and shouted for the whole casino to hear. After all, I still had another two black one-thousand-crypto tokens as well! I gave them to Ayni and Tini as compensation for their loyalty and work. I wasn’t expecting such stormy jubilation from my “kitten.” Tini, now a level twenty-three Thief, seemed to be trying to compete with my reaction. He jumped and shrieked for joy, rolling on the floor and squeezing out such strange gurgling throaty sounds that I actually became afraid for his health. No less than my apprentice, Ayni was also glad at the generous reward, although the orange cat tried to maintain proper restrained composure.

  “Great job! Get yourself whatever you want! It’s my treat!” I sent my helpers to the bar. I had also started that direction when I suddenly froze stock still.

  There was a woman looking at me from the balcony on the third floor. A human woman! Here on this Miyelonian pirate station, God knows how many millions of miles from Earth!!! She was dark-haired with a perfect oval for a face and huge eyes like some anime character. The stranger was wearing an armored suit of a blue shade with a design and form factor that reminded me of the light spacesuit I used in my first voyage with the Geckho.

  Valeri-Urla. Human. Tailax Faction. Level-96 Beast Master.[3]

  She was a real person! Tailax Faction? That sounded very strange, not like any countries of Earth, nor the Dark Faction. But the name seemed vaguely familiar. Ah, that was it! I remembered that the Geckho Trader Uline Tar had mentioned a girl from Tailax, who spent some time with the Shiamiru crew. Maybe this was the same person? I forgot everything else, and ran up to the
stands, flew up to the third floor and... met face to face with a blond brute standing in my path.

  Denni Marko. Human. Gilvar Syndicate Faction. Level-88 Bodyguard.[4]

  Another person?! I figured I was the only member of my race in this whole quadrant of space but, here, there was a whole hive of them! And meanwhile, Denni tapped my chest rudely, put on an annoyed tone and said something in a language I did not recognize. Seeing the total incomprehension on my face, he repeated in Geckho, with an accent so strong it was almost impossible to understand:

  “Giorl eez no vannt tallking you. Geet out!”

  Was I being chased off? Surprisingly, Denni was right about his pretty companion’s mood. Valeri-Urla, still sitting at the table and watching our quarrel from afar, turned the opposite direction, proving her complete lack of concern. How? These two people were from a different faction, seeing residents of Earth for the first time, but also didn’t want to know who I was or where I came from?!

  I tried to speak Geckho with the Bodyguard, explain my peaceful intentions and desire to simply meet people from another world, but as soon as I spoke, Denni pulled a snub-nose rifle from a holster and stuck it into my chest:

  “If savage no sey wordies, he live! Else eez boom and die!”

  I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Danger Sense confirmed that Denni was not bluffing and really would shoot if I didn’t leave. I had to take a step back. First just one, then another. The Bodyguard wouldn’t settle down and was showing a determination to shoot. Ayni then came up to me with a glass of bubbling drink in her clawed paw and immediately tried to figure out what was going on here, and why that other person was poking me with a rifle.

  I couldn’t do much to explain myself, and the aggressive Bodyguard didn’t want to talk with the orange Translator either. But then I felt something touch my knee from behind and sharply turned around. As it turned out, a huge Trillian had crawled up. With some astonishment I recognized him as the merchant Gerd Ussh Veesh, who had helped me avoid problems by the elevators and get to the registration area. The level-144 Trader hissed and bellowed, and my Translator, thinking for a few seconds, said the Trillian was suggesting we go play Na-Tikh-U. I nodded in agreement, because I hadn’t been able to start up a conversation with these people, and the merchant started crawling toward a table on all six feet.

  I tried to toss Valeri and her aggressively inclined companion out of my head, then went downstairs. On my way to the gaming floor, I realized that the act I’d put on during the first game had paid off. Everyone thought I was a dull and impetuous savage. That couple of strange people probably didn’t want to talk with me for that very reason.

  And sure, I was a savage. Why not? But now, I had to quickly decide how much to bet on this horse, and whether to play fair or try to manipulate the results. I suspected that the security workers would be paying somewhat more attention to me now, especially with the cat out of the bag on Tini’s new affiliations. That meant I could not get away with using the roll manipulator again. So, I gave an order to use it only if absolutely necessary, if I didn’t have any chance to win. And only if I gave him a secret sign.

  “Gerd Gnat, I know this Trillian. He’s a frequent guest at the casino,” Tini told me quietly. “In my memory, he has only come down to the gaming floor a few times, but he always loses quickly. He is not a very strong player. Quite weak, actually. Usually Ussh Veesh sits on the upper floor in a VIP box, relaxing with friends, drinking stimulants that are illegal in his homeland and making bets.”

  It looked very much like playing the part of a primitive outworlder had borne fruit, and this very mediocre player now wanted to score an easy win against a naive savage. Well, I guess I’d try and surprise the merchant. I was not a total newbie, and I had studied most Na-Tikh-U strategies. Meanwhile, I had an Intelligence of 23 and a luck of +3, which gave this “outworlder” decent chances.

  My bet was twenty-five thousand crypto, a whole stack of differently colored polygonal tokens. If the merchant was surprised, it probably wasn’t by the size of the bet, but that this “outworlder” had put everything on this horse up to his very loincloth. The inspector walked up, turned on the forcefield over us, and the game began.

  * * *

  IT’S RARE THAT this happens, but we were perfectly matched! The game went on for an hour and a half, but I never got bored or antsy. In fact, that time was packed with enough wild emotional swings to last me a few weeks, if not a whole month. At points it looked dire, like my defense was splitting at the seams. But much to my surprise, the Trillian was struggling to fight back my assault, and he found it so stressful he had to swallow some gel-caps to calm his heart. Finally, with my last few ships, I managed to capture the key points of the game board a few turns before my main base fell. Victory!!! And I played fair, which made me doubly celebratory.

  Fame increased to 42.

  Authority increased to 8!

  Gerd Ussh Veesh gave a fearsome roar, raising the front third of his body and pointing a powerful armored hand with sharpened claws at my undefended neck. Was he threatening me? Or demanding something? Or was that just how he expressed anger?

  I didn’t know how to act. Grab my weapon, run, or call the guards? Fortunately, just in the nick of time, the Translator ran up to smooth over the confusion, explaining that the respected merchant was very happy with the game, so he was offering friendship and a discount on his wares. The outstretched clawed hand, meanwhile, was a gesture of peace and trust. To return the sentiment, I was to touch the claws with a vulnerable part of my body, somewhere unprotected by either artificial or natural armor. After that, I was to extend a claw, spear or blade, and the Trillian would touch it to his exposed neck.

  Astrolinguistics skill increased to level sixty!

  I bowed to the honorable Trillian, touching his claws to my bare neck and thus accepting his offer of friendship. After that, I thanked him for the entertaining game, then extended my knife blade and the ritual was complete.

  The Trillian merchant knew his way around the pirate station and was well acquainted with the local mindset, so he called his Bodyguards and offered to have them escort me to my ship or some other safe location. I had to admit it was not unwarranted. I could still see some sullen brutes from the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior in the stands, along with a few other sketchy characters staring at me sidelong. What was more, I glanced at my watch and gave a shudder. There were just twenty-five minutes before my housewarming party in the real world!

  But I wasn’t allowed to just leave... I didn’t even manage to collect my winnings from the table before a large number of security guards descended on the floor and pushed the Trillian merchant and his two Bodyguards away. What surprised me was that my newfound crocodile friend didn’t even try to resist, just obeyed without a word and went up to the stands. Tini also left obediently, not trying to help in any way, or even tell me what was going on.

  A short Miyelonian came up to my table and, without asking permission, sat opposite me. Unlike the other cat aliens I’d seen, this one was wrapped head to toe in loose white garments, something of a white robe with a hood or more like a floor length dress with sleeves that ended in fingerless claw-friendly gloves. All that was left uncovered were my opponent’s eyes, which I could see through slits in the clothing. They were both emerald green and had vertical pupils that bored into my soul...

  Function unavailable. Your character lacks the Psionic skill.

  Would you like to take the skill Psionic?

  I didn’t rush it or take the skill without thinking. I just quickly averted my gaze, because every second of eye contact ate up a tenth of my Magic Points. So, what did this Miyelonian want from me?

  “Gerd Gnat, the leader of the Pride of the Agile Paw, who owns this establishment, would like to play you,” a clearly nervous Ayni told me, her tail twitching.

  The player didn’t give a name, just a position, which of course surprised me and put me on guard. What was more, I didn’t understand
how, but my orange Translator seemed to know this strange individual. After all, none of the security had said a word, and the figure in white was equally secretive.

  “And what if I’m not especially keen to play him?” I asked the Translator in Geckho, to which I was immediately answered but not by Ayni, by the “white figure” himself:

  “In that case, Gerd Gnat, I’ll get be upset, and you will not leave my establishment alive. What’s more, you’ll have no way to exchange your tokens for crypto. Neither you nor your coconspirators. The tokens themselves will be marked as unfair winnings. Yes, human. Are you really naïve enough to think we weren’t recording all electromagnetic signals, and that your little sidekick could use a roll manipulator unbeknownst to us?!”

  Very threatening! But I was in no hurry to admit to cheating, and even less to get scared.

  “Honorable leader of the glorious Pride of the Agile Paw, did I miss something? Did Tini improve my rolls even once? If he did, I apologize for my ward and will surrender my winnings at once. What, did that not happen? Thought so. Then what did I do wrong?!”

  “Words, empty words...” the leader of the Pride said in reproach. “Why all this justification? After all, we both know perfectly well that cheating did take place. Why put established fact into doubt?”

  Anyhow, I had already realized this matter wasn’t going to be solved with words alone. It looked very much like I would have to play the Pride leader. But under what conditions? I voiced a thought:

  “I still don’t see how I’m being forced to play. After all, I was threatened with all kinds of bad things if I refused. But what is stopping the great Pride leader from punishing me if I do agree to play? Or even in the unbelievable, but hypothetically possible case that I win?”

  “Ah, about that... What can I say? I agree, the stick is totally ineffective without the carrot...” said the Miyelonian, demonstrating a Geckho phrase that was very much like one from back home. Or was that the game’s translator choosing words that sounded pleasant to my ear? “Well, here are the new conditions, Gerd Gnat. First, no half measures! We will play one game for all the tokens you have, no ifs ands or buts. Second, no matter how the game ends, you and your companions will not be killed and may leave my casino unimpeded. You have my word as a Pride leader! Third, if you win, I will not only give my assent to exchanging your tokens for crypto, I will personally guarantee your safety on the Medu-Ro IV station for the entire duration of your stay! And as an added bonus, if for any reason you cannot reach an agreement on the platinum with the Pride of the Bushy Shadow, I’ll find a captain willing to buy!”