The response was a strained silence, no one in the audience could gather the courage to make such an audacious claim. Good, I could take a breather and fortify before moving on to more pressing and obvious issues. But then, I saw that I was congratulating myself too soon. A lone cry tore out of the crowd:
“If I could study the language of these aliens, I could try too! And maybe I would do just as well as Gnat!”
I instantly picked out the loudmouth from the crowd. So, who do we have here? I easily read his thoughts and even gathered some superficial background information, then prepared a striking reply:
“Well, Viktor Viktorovich Samokhin, born 1980 in the city of Tula, a five-month veteran of the game who plays a level-54 Agrarian, what’s stopping you from taking Astrolinguistics and spending at least an hour a day practicing Geckho with Kosta Dykhsh?”
The crowd gave a predictable gasp, some even stumbled back. A few players crossed themselves in fear. Tamara whispered:
“Kirill, have you lost your mind? Why did you reveal your secret?!”
But I did not think it was a mistake. In fact, now was the best opportunity. I not only had the chance, I needed to loudly announce my psionic abilities. That would not only prove my uniqueness, but also show the audience that they could no longer hide their contact with the enemy:
“Yes! That is another aspect that makes me different from the rest. It is one reason the leadership gives me so many special missions. My character has taken and leveled the Psionic skill. And now both in the game and real life, I can root out traitors in our ranks, along with those who have fallen under mental control of Dark Faction mages, and those with the stamp of their magical charms.”
“And do many of us carry that ‘stamp?’” Aleksandr Antipov immediately shot out, and I assured the agent that there were plenty.
“For example, Gleb Vorshinsky, an Engineer at the Prometheus. Or Lefty, our best Mechanic,” I said, pointing at the slobby dude in the first row, who looked identical to his game avatar. “Lefty is an honest player and doesn’t even suspect that, while he was a prisoner of the Dark Faction, their mages altered his thinking. Now without knowing it, Lefty carries their magic stamp, spreading distemper, decadence, despondency and a stubborn belief that defeat is inevitable.”
Lefty, having unexpectedly become the center of attention, froze in fear. A tall bearded man in a turban came through from the back rows and, with a brief glance at the terrified young man, confirmed:
“This man carries the stamp of magical abomination! Fortunately, it is not difficult to remove. I, the Paladin Gerd Tamara, and our other Priest can all undo the Dark Faction’s evil magic.”
Just after the audience’s shock passed, and the agitated hullaballoo settled, I continued my speech:
“Another facet of my work is obtaining space currency and purchasing goods of extraterrestrial design. After all, you all most likely heard about our faction’s recent big success. We managed to sell some platinum for three million crystals and, with that money, we obtained goods and weapons. If anyone here doubts my honesty or thinks that even one crystal was lost to my sticky fingers, let them review the purchase list and compare it with prices in the Geckho space port.”
No one dared doubt my honesty, so I held a short pause for order, and moved on to the most difficult part of the tale:
“Now, I strongly suspect you all know this trade was not exactly problem-free. At the very last minute, the Dark Faction attacked us, which is what brought the investigators under the Dome. They are here to determine where and when the leak took place. But still, the main thing is that we managed to fight them off and keep all our things. Plus, all they got for their efforts were some counterfeit crystals, which our negotiator Ivan Lozovsky was holding as bait.” I pointed to the new faction head and he gave a slight bow, as if confirming my words and accepting that story as official, for the simple players at least. “What’s more, our enemy didn’t realize they were fake, and got hit with a very severe penalty from the Geckho after trying to buy items with them in the space port. Yesterday morning, Dark Faction leader Leng Thumor-Anhu La-Fin couldn’t even hold back his admiration and congratulated us on the operation, which he said was ‘very painful’ to his faction.”
I heard laughter from the crowd for the first time, along with shouts of approval and even the odd fit of applause. So, I decided not to change topic and build on the effect by speaking about our aggressive neighbors:
“You really can’t envy the Dark Faction now! In the last few days, their position has just gotten harder and harder. They couldn’t stop us from building a base in Karelia, lost their unfinished base in the Poppy Fields, and angered the Geckho. Then, they failed to intercept our Miyelonian weaponry, some of which can destroy their huge armored tanks! So now, those formerly invulnerable instruments of destruction are nothing more than big lumbering death traps!”
Another volley of elated cries rang out, then confident applause, but I stopped them with a gesture and moved on to the story of my recent journey with the Centaurs:
“And I come bearing even more unpleasant news for our enemies. I know a few people here have asked where Gerd Gnat ran off to today instead of patrolling the Antique Beach. Well, the time has come for you all to know. Today, we signed a military alliance with the Antiquity Faction. Six hundred high-level Centaurs and Minotaurs will be joining us in battle against the Dark Faction. What’s more, our NPC neighbors are giving us the Centaur Plateau node and will even help us build a fort there. But that isn’t all! Tomorrow... or more like this evening, three hundred fully equipped and heavily armed soldiers from the H6 Faction will be arriving to our dock via Geckho ferry. That’s right, friends, I found the Germans. They agreed to aid us against the Dark Faction on the condition that we help them win a heated war with the underwater NPC Naiads.”
My announcement caused a storm of jubilation! They were overjoyed that we had allies and were celebrating as if the war with the darksiders was already won. I understood that this was not even remotely true, but it was still a significant improvement. And so, I figured it was the right time to tell them the slipperiest part of the story:
“And we made another blow to the Dark Faction when we captured the noble Princess Minn-O La-Fin. She is being held in our prison now. This isn’t the first time Leng Thumor-Anhu La-Fin’s beloved granddaughter has fallen into our hands, and every time I was somehow involved. As such, according to the Dark Faction’s laws and traditions, the noble lady has become my wayedda to avoid shame. Now, wayedda translates from their language as ‘lawful plunder.’ That means that she will not be ransomed, and that the Princess will be released from prison to become my loyal companion. Minn-O is no longer our enemy, although we also cannot demand that she reveal secrets about her homeworld. As a confirmation of the seriousness of this event, the Dark Faction Leng has agreed to our demand and returned the traitor Tyulenev!”
What a harsh and vindictive people I come from! The return of the filthy traitor was celebrated with more vigor than our new alliance. The howls and shouts of joy were deafening. And mixed into all that noise, some of my allies were suggesting ways of torturing Tyulenev that I would not have had either the imagination or the cruelty to come up with.
But not everyone was happy. Gerd Tamara walked off stage showing no emotion, unhurried and with dignity. After she made it away from the crowd, she hid behind some bushes, buried her face in her hands and began to weep. Seemingly, the girl didn’t like the news that I would now have the princess for a constant companion.
But there were no questions remaining, so I considered the speech over and followed Gerd Tamara off the stage, ceding the floor. I wanted to catch up to Tamara and explain, but Gerd Lozovsky intercepted me. Not hiding his tense joy, the new faction leader asked me to tell him the details of my negotiations with the Centaurs and the story of meeting the Germans. So I did:
“Everything was simple with the Centaurs. Phylira is much smarter than the other chiefs
and negotiating with her is a delight. She was afraid of a serious conflict with humanity, because she understands that a big war would end with the defeat and death of her faction. What’s more, those NPC’s really couldn’t care less about fortresses and fortifications on their lands if we just let them live in peace. The Centaurs aren’t much interested in lifeless rocky hills. For them, the only thing of value in that node is the freshwater spring, the only one in the area. As long as we let the Centaurs collect water there and freely move about the Centaur Plateau, Phylira sees no obstacle to us building a fort. The Antiquity Faction is also willing to trade with us. They can provide lumber, clay, fruit and pearls. The Centaurs and Dryads are even willing to work for us directly as long as we give fair pay.”
“Now that is what I like to hear!” the new faction leader shot out. “We could use help everywhere, not only in that node. By the way, I’ll put Gerd Radugin in charge of developing the Centaur Plateau. He’s a talented manager and after all that confusion, he is desperate to prove his worth. Radugin was already considering expansion to the south. He has all the calculations and maps ready.”
I shrugged carelessly. Radugin was fine. I had no unkind feelings toward the former faction leader and understood that he had just burned out trying to shoulder too many burdens.
“But if...” here I lowered my voice to a whisper and made sure no one was listening, “we help Matriarch Phylira eliminate the other chiefs, we can have all six nodes of the Antiquity Faction under the same conditions. Phylira herself offered that arrangement, and I promised to think it over. The Centauress refuses to kill her competitors personally, but she would be favorably inclined to our Assassins doing so. The six nodes are not the most inhabitable, mostly just swampy forest, but the new forts would increase our faction’s maximum population.”
Lozovsky promised to seriously think over the issue, then asked me to return to my meeting with the Germany faction. Here I allowed myself to laugh:
“Oh you should have seen the show we put on! Just imagine the scene: we blew our horns and a huge army poured out from three sides onto a plain where the H6 Faction was building a fort. It was glorious: the Minotaurs, Satyrs and Dryads running, the Centaurs leaping. Their thousands of hooves shook the earth. Dust rose like a pillar. And at the head of this flood, our armored vehicle drives out with the Russian tricolor blowing in the wind! Riding atop the Peresvet, we had a commando group of twenty almost totally nude Dryad Archers over level one hundred. And the fatal beauties were accompanied by our Space Commando Eduard Boyko in his giant exoskeleton armor. It was such a surreal picture I couldn’t believe I was really there. It made such an impression on the fort defenders that, even when we entered their building, they didn’t fire a single shot!”
“I’m not surprised!” Lozovsky laughed. “I can’t imagine how I would behave in a situation like that. But what came next?”
“Well, of course it was all solved quickly, even though only San-Sanych knew German. He used to buy second-hand cars from Germany, so he had a passing knowledge. They agreed not to shoot and called someone from their leadership. A half hour later, H6 Diplomat Gerhard Stern came out and immediately grasped the scale of the problem. The Germans are fast thinkers though, so they ordered fifty barrels of beer rolled out for their ‘dear NPC guests.’ After that, the Centaurs’ and Minotaurs’ hostility blew away like the wind. The rest of the negotiations took place in a different node next to a Geckho cargo port. I asked for that because I saw our suzerains’ ferry coming into dock. It made a big impression on them, seeing the Geckho crew and their captain recognize me and greet me warmly. The furballs remembered me as the one who stopped their ferry from capsizing. The Germans were watching with eyes wide in astonishment. My Authority immediately took off to unimaginable heights! Of course, after that, they agreed to all my suggestions pretty quick.”
* * *
I WAS AWOKEN by a cautious but insistent knock on the door. I stood up, trying not to awaken Anya as she slept soundly. I had a hard time finding my pants and shirt. After I finally did, I went to open up. It was Tamara. I found it strange to see her in a dressing gown.
“Kirill, I was asked to come wake you up. You are urgently needed in the game.”
“But I only got four hours’ sleep... less actually,” I said, looking unwittingly at the bedroom door. “What’s going on?”
“A Shiamiru-class Geckho starship has just landed in the very center of our capital fortress. Captain Uraz Tukhsh demands to see you. He insists that he has already contracted with you for one more prospecting expedition.”
Crap... I didn’t even know if that should make me happy or mad. On the one hand, I could expect adventures, new knowledge and unique discoveries. But on the other, tomorrow was the decisive battle with the Dark Faction, and missing that would be swinish behavior bordering on desertion. What was more, my “travelling mistress” was currently in prison (and most likely not in the game, so impossible to find), and my Miyelonian companions were also probably inactive. I really didn’t want to leave anyone behind. Furthermore, I hadn’t picked up my bracelet from Lefty yet, and lots of other issues were also still unresolved.
“I wanted you to be at my birthday party tomorrow. We’re planning to celebrate it right after the big battle. But I guess it wasn’t in the cards,” Tamara chuckled glumly. “ I was really hoping you’d give me a gift, and one for a girl not a soldier...”
Tamara was transparently hinting at the rocket set I had brought her from the space station. Seemingly, she didn’t like it very much. I had to improvise:
“I’ll do my best to be at your party in the real world, but I cannot promise. And I have a gift for you not only as a Paladin, but as a pretty girl. It isn’t totally finished yet, though. I need time.”
Anya walked up wrapped in a blanket, looking out of it. She’d woken up despite my best efforts and wanted to figure out why I was up so early. I noticed that Anya was looking confident and acting like she owned the place. She even dared express dismay to the fearsome Tamara. The Leader of the Second Legion didn’t let it go unanswered though, and asked me with unhidden scorn:
“So, haven’t you explained to your lover what a wayedda is yet?”
I just shook my head in the negative, not wanting to get into it. Instead, I thanked Tamara for telling me about the starship, apologized for my likely absence from her birthday party the next day and closed the door right in her astonished face.
“You have five minutes to get ready to enter the game,” I announced to Anya. “We logged off in the Yellow Mountains fort, and we need to get to the capital node as fast as possible. Do you have the phone number for Imran’s room? Great, call him, and have him come too! I’ll go look for Eduard’s number.”
“Hey, what’s happening?” Anya didn’t understand. “And why the rush?”
“A Geckho starship has come to pick me up. And if Captain Uraz Tukhsh has come this far just for me, he must really need Gnat. I’ll see if I can get him to take some friends along.”
Anya was naked and decisively threw off the blanket, sat on the bed and crossed her arms over her chest with an unhappy look.
“I’m not going anywhere! There’s a very important battle tomorrow, and the survival of our faction depends on it! How will I look my friends in the eye if we lose and I wasn’t there?!”
“We won’t lose, especially with almost one thousand extra soldiers,” I assured the stubborn medic. “What’s more... I have an idea for how to force the Dark Faction Leng to delay the attack.”
“No, Gnat. I’m not coming this time!” the blonde balked. “Helping you against the Dark Faction is one thing. That was right. But heading off into space instead of helping our faction... that goes too far! So no! No! And no again!”
“You know best. I hope you don’t end up regretting your choice!”
I flew out into the corridor and hurried down to the first floor. I asked the sleepy doorwoman Yana to find Eduard and Imran, and tell them both to imm
ediately enter the game, then ran off to corncob fifteen.
* * *
FROM THE DISTANCE, I noticed that the Shiamiru had undergone some significant changes. The rear cargo hold was gone. Instead, there was an extra energy shield module. There were also two long cannons in the front and some strange reflectors on its short wings. Had the captain grown disenchanted with mineral extraction and decided to try his hand a pirate?
“Gnat!” A heavily armed figure in a military spacesuit ran at me. They looked short for a Geckho, which was what tipped me off. It was Uline Tar!
The Trader was overwhelmed with emotion and embraced me tightly, lifted me up and spun me around.
“We were so worried about you! I’m so glad you managed to escape those nasty Miyelonians. Oh!”
Only here did Uline notice Tini coming out of the Peresvet after me, and Ayni standing nearby. She held her gaze on the lady cat and probably noticed she was a Translator, because she started looking embarrassed and set me down. Sure, it was awkward, but I tried to distract the Geckho woman, asking what fates had brought them here and wanting to know what had happened to our once peaceful shuttle.
“Well, there’s a war on! The Geckho have joined the fight against the Meleyephatians. Our new leader Kung Waid Shishish is rallying combat starships. Our poor bastard of a captain spent the last of his funds refitting the old Shiamiru for combat, hoping to finally achieve glory. But we ran into a problem. The crew split as soon as they heard what was happening, because no one wants to go to war with a chronic loser. And the remaining crew, including me, constantly reminded Uraz Tukhsh that luck was with us only when Gnat was. Seemingly, the captain believed that and ordered us to immediately fly off to get you, especially given that we already contracted you for one more expedition.”
External Threat (Reality Benders Book #2) LitRPG Series Page 32
