Agility +1... Strength +1... Hand-to-Hand combat skill +3... Radiation defense +15%... Bladed weapon damage +6%... Endurance Points +4%...
So all these items were... magic?! Seemingly, I accidentally asked that aloud, because the merchant answered:
“Some call it ‘magic,’ but we Trillians prefer ‘revealing the material essence.’ Every player has known a time when they needed just a bit more skill or one more stat point to use a fine little item or weapon. Well, with these, you don’t have to say ‘no’ to nice things or put them off for later. You can have what you want right away. It’s especially important for new players because every improved weaponry or armor gives a significant boost to combat abilities, allowing them to catch up to their allies.”
“Alright, you have my attention. And how many magic items can a person wear at once?” An image instantly crystalized in my mind of a near demigod with twenty rings on their fingers and toes, bracelets going from wrists to shoulders, and perhaps a couple earrings, necklaces, or body piercings.
“A Human? I have no idea. Trillians and Miyelonians are limited to four, but only two per skill or stat. The Meleyephatians can wear eight. The Geckho just two. But humans... how about you try? I’m interested myself.”
Experimentation quickly showed that a person could wear one ring on each hand, two bracelets and an amulet around the neck. I suspected that characters with pierced ears could also wear magic earrings (I had one in my inventory), giving a total maximum of seven jewelry slots. But only two of them could have objects that improved stats, with another two for skills or resists. Overall that gave four pieces of “magical” jewelry. And that was good news, but still Humans were nowhere near the eight-legged Meleyephatians.
A fancy-looking ring jumped out at me, made of fine layers of very skillfully interwoven gold and ruthenium, with a huge dark-purple faceted gem inset. I could not identify it, even though I had a pretty solid understanding of Mineralogy and precious stones. I was drawn by the gem itself sure, but even more by the ring’s property:
Intelligence +3
I put the ring on my finger, admiring it and at the same time watching how drastically my Magic Points shot up. Very pretty! Also, useful. I started looking over the treasure on the table in search of another ring like it, but all the others gave a mere +1 to their stat.
“You have great taste, Gerd Gnat! That is the star of my collection. I won that ring from someone who trades in artifacts of the Precursor race. It could be yours for some sixty thousand crypto!”
Sixty thousand crypto?! But that was four hundred twenty thousand Geckho crystals! Pretty steep for just one ring, no matter how ancient... With immense pity, I removed the ring from my finger and returned it to the table. The trader then took the ring in his clawed fingers and started looking through the stone at the light with clear satisfaction:
“What a beaut’! The secret of how to craft items with plus three or more has not survived to the modern era. These days, we mostly make plus-ones. Only the very best master jewelers can make plus-twos, but even then it’s rare. By the way, I have a new plus-two Intelligence ring. Want it?”
“You bet I do!” I nearly shouted, because a plan instantly formed in my head.
That old bronze bracelet had been collecting dust in my inventory ever since the Relict base. The item was interesting just for its age of course but, in order to reveal its properties, I needed Intelligence of at least twenty-eight. With the +2 Intelligence ring on my left hand, I asked the Trillian for the ancient ring back and pretended I was comparing them. In fact, though, I hurriedly opened my inventory and looked at the bracelet:
Small Control Bracelet (Listener armor suit accessory)
+15% armor suit forcefield capacity.
+1 controllable drone.
Statistic requirements: Intelligence 26, Perception 26.
Skill requirements: Electronics 40, Machine Control 11.
Attention! Your character’s Electronics skill is too low to wear this item.
Attention! Your character lacks the Machine Control skill, which is required to use this object.
Attention! This object is for the Relict race and cannot be used by Humans.
There were lots of reasons why not, but none of them were insurmountable. I could get past the racial limitation with an experienced Mechanic, and I could easily take the Machine Control skill, then quickly level it to eleven. By the way, what did that skill do?
Obligingly, the information popped right up:
Machine Control. This skill confers the ability to control nearby computerized mechanical devices whether mentally, vocally, gesturally or via remote control. It also allows a character to attempt to hijack machines controlled by others. Leveling this skill allows a player to control more advanced machinery and more devices at once. Minimum statistics: Intelligence 22, Perception 22.
It seemed very useful, especially in combination with the ancient artifact. I immediately decided I was going to level up to this bracelet. Increasing the forcefield capacity alone was worth it, which was to say nothing of the extra drone. I could not tell what exact kinds of drone I could have from the description, but I was reminded of the deadly Relict guard drone that took down the Shiamiru crew. Most likely, the Small Control Bracelet was used to pilot things like that robot sentry. The idea of owning one of those deadly Relict drones was very tempting, so I made up my mind:
You have taken the skill Machine Control level 1!
Was I taking a risk? Without a doubt. But even if there were no more bases of the ancient Relict race in the galaxy, and all their fearsome guards had gone the way of the dodo, the skill description gave me reason to believe I could control other drones and robots, which was also very, very tempting.
Something else threw me though. The ancient bracelet required at least twenty-six Intelligence, which I only had with the outrageously expensive ancient ring, or if I filled two slots with objects that improved that statistic. I really did not want to waste a slot if I didn’t have to.
Although, with time, I was hoping to raise my Intelligence by one point the “natural” way. Also, I could save up the money for the +3 Precursor ring or even become a Leng and earn more stat points that way, so the “wasted” slot would free up sooner or later. Overall, there were many ways to skin this cat, so I just needed to be patient. I carefully asked the Trillian merchant how much the new +2 Intelligence ring would cost.
“Three and a half thousand crypto, and only for you as a friend. But I sell the one-point stat rings or bracelets for basically nothing, just eighty-six crypto. Well, except the +1 Constitution ones. They’re in the greatest demand so they go for one hundred fifty. And for rings that improve skills, damage or resists, I’d need to have a look. They all have different prices.”
In the end, I got two Intelligence rings for three thousand five hundred eighty crypto. My Intelligence instantly went up to twenty-six, while my Magic Points jumped from 186 to 210. Not bad, not bad at all. I also took a silver chain that gave a useful +3% crit chance and a bracelet conferring +6 Mineralogy. All that, as well as a pair of +1 Agility rings for each of my Miyelonian companions, I considered separate from the faction’s expenses.
And so, my personal purchases over, the time had come to tend to faction acquisitions:
“Gerd Ussh Veesh, my friend, I’m gonna need you to dig deep for this one. I want around fifty plus-one stat rings. Can you make that happen?”
The merchant responded with utter calm, activated a device strapped to his front left arm, then confirmed that he could do that, and even provide delivery right to my ship.
“Now that’s great!” I pressed the screen of my wallet to transfer him twenty-four thousand crypto, which was the total with discounting and wholesale prices. “And hold onto that plus-three-Intelligence Precursor ring for me. I’ll buy it as soon as I have the money.”
Chapter Twenty-Three. Way Home
THE GUNS I BOUGHT, primarily of Miyelonian design, took up ten co
ntainers. Laser and plasma assault rifles, electric-pulse snipers, a few high-speed heavy machine guns and one rocket system that could attach to heavy armor, a birthday gift for the leader of the Second Legion. I also got distance measurers, IR lenses, targeting systems and a whole box of some medicine that instantly restored Endurance Points... I didn’t forget the “special delivery,” either: two containers packed with weaponry for taking out heavy vehicles. All told, I got some unimaginably huge armor-piercing mobile railguns, laser-homing rockets with powerful EMP blasts, and fifty EMP grenades.
I didn’t buy myself any long-distance weaponry, even though there were plenty of items in the electronic catalog for high Rifles skill. The Dark Faction pulse rifle I already had was plenty for me now, and I wasn’t even close skill-wise to more advanced weaponry. However, I did find nuclear batteries compatible with Relict equipment in the rare equipment section. I ordered myself three despite the fifteen-hundred-crypto price tag. They’d do fine for the Annihilator and my energy armor. I ordered rounds for my Paralyzer as well. At the very least, I was greatly hoping the contact poison balls would be the right size for my gun. I got two kinds, too: lethal and stun.
Another five containers were occupied by a huge mechanized Geckho Space Commando suit in disassembled form. Eduard Boyko’s power armor weighed nine hundred ninety pounds on its own, and its weaponry, ammo, replacement batteries, extra filters, pumps and maintenance equipment ate up one hundred fifty pounds more.
I had no doubt that this armor could be refitted for a person, because Gerd Tamara had absolutely the same model. Also, it didn’t cost an insane amount. Four thousand crypto or twenty-eight thousand crystals in a more familiar currency. In the space station shop, there were more advanced and expensive models too, but I figured that would be an unjustified waste of money. For one thing, I wasn’t sure people could even use them. The only function I didn’t see in the suit was cloaking, and the catalogue didn’t have any accessories for that either. Clearly, that unique functionality had been added to Gerd Tamara’s suit by our mechanics.
That was basically all. I rubbed my tired eyes, put down the VIP forcefield and headed for the exit where my companions were waiting. In the three hours I spent scanning the catalog, I raised my Astrolinguistics skill by two points to 65. And that was at the fact that I could change the language in the settings, and I almost instantly set it to the more familiar Geckho. I just had to ponder a few unfamiliar terms. Those three hours gave another two pleasant bonuses as well. My Electronics went to 37, and Medium Armor to 44.
Ayni and Tini were patiently waiting for me at a table in the stands. Before that, I paid for their lunches and asked them to wait outside and buy everything they’d need for the road, say goodbye to their friends and finish up any business on the space station, because we would soon be leaving and might never return. In fact, I had an ulterior motive for sending them away. I just didn’t want to show the Miyelonians the huge fortune Gnat had in his wallet.
I sat at the table, tore a layered rainbow cocktail from the paws of my still tipsy kitten without asking and, after a cautious sniff, gulped down the strong herbal-honey concoction and said in dismay:
“An eye for an eye, as they say. Also Tini, what are you doing? We’re leaving in a quarter ummi, and you’re still drinking to calm your nerves.”
“Yeah, but I’m in my right mind now,” the little thief objected, pressing his ears to his head. Then, he boasted that he used the thousand crypto I’d given him to buy real “adult” combat blades and a light armor vest.
Naturally, Tini was speaking Miyelonian, but I understood him just fine. And when I spun back what I said just half a minute earlier, I was astonished to realize I was also speaking Miyelonian and doing so with ease. Clearly, this was evidence of improved Astrolinguistics and higher Intelligence.
I praised my student for the wise purchases, then gave Tini and Ayni each a pair of +1 Agility rings. My kitten was overjoyed at the gift. Ayni less so. Although she put hers on, the Translator lost her nerve and lowered her eyes to the floor. First, I didn’t understand what had her so upset, but then the bushy-tailed Translator made an admission. As it turned out, after the Truth Seeker interrogation, Ayni was feeling very guilty and had donated all her crypto to a fund for Miyelonian orphans.
“Don’t worry, I’ll pay.”
I asked what kind of weapon she wanted. The Translator’s reply came as no surprise: she needed a pair of close-combat blades. Ayni even said that every character of the Miyelonian race, regardless of gender or class, had the Blades and Fast Jump skills from their first day in the game. Many Miyelonian players had never used any other weapon, in fact.
“Given that every second enemy has Danger Sense, Stealth, Camouflage or Dodge, shooting long-distance is often pointless. The Miyelonian style is to get right up to the enemy and, using speed and mobility to our advantage, dice them to bits.”
I didn’t argue with the lady cat and, returning to the VIP box, ordered the Translator some decent curved blades. I was about to turn off the terminal when I suddenly slapped my palm on my forehead. I had almost forgotten to buy a new Prospector Scanner! I was nearly left without the tool of my trade. Now that would be an issue! In the end, I bought the most powerful and advanced model available, with a scanning radius of up to 7000 feet instead of the 5000 my previous scanner could do. I also ordered a set of single-use geological analyzers. Here on the Medu-Ro IV station, they sold for just two crypto a piece.
I looked at my remaining balance with sorrow. Just seven thousand two hundred crypto. I finally ordered my team to head for the elevator. The time had come to go meet the captain and crew, pick up my cargo and load it into the starship.
* * *
I MAY HAVE SLIGHTLY exceeded the ton and a half baggage limit. The quarrelsome, hungover Supercargo balked, refusing point blank to accept my five hundred thirty pounds of “overage” even for extra money. I do not know where I made such a serious miscalculation. I was doing my best to add everything up, but I was off by more than five hundred pounds. Either I wasn’t considering the packaging of the seventeen large metal and plastic containers, or I had made a mistake.
It looked like I’d hit a dead end. I could get ninety pounds of items stuffed into the inventories of Gnat, Tini and Ayni, but where to put the other four hundred sixty?! I could not just leave the valuable cargo here on the pirate station, and I had no time to quickly sell the excess, even at a third the value. I almost made an extreme move and ordered all the containers unpacked, thus shedding the packaging weight, but suddenly Captain Rikki Pan-Miis came over and solved everything.
I was still holding my horses, though. The captain’s flexibility was not necessarily a good thing. And soon after, I heard him say something quietly but distinctly to his crew members. I even understood:
“Come on, what’s the damn difference?! We aren’t really planning to go anywhere, much less land on that stupid planet, so I don’t give a shit how much we’re over capacity. All the better, I say. The more these dumbasses load, the more we end up with.”
The pirates were going rob me! Probably, someone with good sense would have just turned around and left right then. And I would have done the same, if this voyage was with the deadly Pride leader, Gerd Abi Pan-Miay, a grizzled level-143 tomcat. But this was Captain Rikki Pan-Miis, a somewhat less fearsome opponent.
Rikki Pan-Miis. Miyelonian. Pride of the Bushy Shadow. Level-82 Navigator.
ATTENTION!!! Captain Rikki Pan-Miis is one of the Galaxy’s most wanted space pirates. Danger rating: 2.
So, a big enough difference? I’d say so! The Pride leader was so dangerous you could smell it when he walked in the room. When he threatened to tear off my head, I knew he could and felt like he might. But Rikki, from what I could sense, was somewhat afraid of me. After all, I was a Gerd, which carried pretty decent authority. So, I was hoping I could reach an agreement with this pirate, or at the very least pressure him and scare him.
But in
the very worst case... the crew of the nimble interceptor, as I immediately realized, had just six members, including the captain himself. And only three of them were even remotely formidable: Captain Rikki, a level-86 Geckho Shocktroop named Wen Shu, and a level-60 Miyelonian Gunner named Avi Wi-Rikki. If my understanding of Miyelonian naming conventions was right, that third one was being mentored or tutored by the captain and, most likely, would be fanatically loyal to him. So those three had me somewhat afraid.
The other three had noncombat professions: the cantankerous level-67 Supercargo was old as dino shit and just as useful in a serious scuffle; the level-42 Engineer had the slow contemplative mannerisms of a pothead and finally, the level-48 cat Prostitute with white-striped gray fur was too weighed down with jewelry. As far as I understood, she was the captain’s girlfriend. And although I remembered Ayni saying that every Miyelonian had the Blades skill and high movement speed, I found it hard to take these three seriously as enemies.
What did that give me in the end? I had to get rid of the three dangerous crew members either temporarily or permanently, then I could negotiate with the other three from a position of power...
Wait, wait! I sharply cut off my fantasizing. I mean, I was seriously considering hijacking a pirate interceptor! What would I even do, if I found myself on a starship drifting through the vastness of space, and no one on board could steer it? Fortunately, it didn’t come to that, though. And that wasn’t my mission. I was supposed to bring platinum buyers to Earth and that was exactly what I was going to do. Although...
“Wait, I need to get something from that box!” I said, stopping the quarrelsome old Supercargo, who was using his robot loader to move my containers into the cargo hold. I threw back the lid and placed a nuclear battery into Gnat’s inventory alongside a clip of stun balls and one geological analyzer. “Alright, you can put the rest away!”
External Threat (Reality Benders Book #2) LitRPG Series Page 24
