Stars Awoken: A LitRPG Apocalypse (The System Apocalypse Book 7)

by Tao Wong

  Unfortunately, doing so comes with a huge cost. Resetting her experience points and Class Skills can only happen if an individual with the right Class is around, or via the System. But in doing so, you have to sacrifice a significant amount of experience points—somewhere along the lines of a third of everything gained. Not surprisingly, as with anything dealing with the System, there’s a huge cost in terms of banked Mana and Credits, which is why most people dual Class, especially when they’re low Basic Classes. In the short term, Katherine is going with the flow with her new Basic Class until things settle down. And it’s not as if her other Classes don’t have their own benefits.

  “Right. So what are you doing here?” I say.

  “Can’t a woman talk to her ex-employer without there being an external reason?”

  “She could. But you haven’t.”

  “And here I thought we were friends.” When I sit there in silence, not rising to her bait, Katherine grows serious. “We’ve met with a number of representatives in the city. And viewed a number of the available locations. In fact, we’ve viewed all the publicly available locations in the second ring. All twenty-three.”

  I frown, thinking back to the huge amount of space in those towers. “Why so few?”

  “Most locations are held directly. Few are up for lease, even fewer are available publicly to those with our Reputation levels.” Katherine pauses before adding, “And the few that are available are set at ridiculous prices.”

  “How ridiculous?”

  “Three months of rent would use up our entire budget for the year.”

  “I guess we’re going to the outer rings,” I say, considering. “Probably third?”

  “Fourth,” Ali says, butting in. “Not worth staying in the third when it’s dedicated to the Guilds. Those guys are even worse than the Empires at fighting over spaces. Though their leases change faster.”

  “Yes, fourth.” Katherine inclines her head to Ali. “We’ve begun reviewing potential spaces. However, there is a disadvantage in doing so.”

  “Lack of prestige?” I ask. Not that it makes much sense to me. What does it matter if your IT company is in Seattle or Silicone Valley? In downtown Vancouver or Surrey? It’s not as if travel between the two locations is that hard.

  “Prestige and brand for potential investors for Earth is a concern. There are also security concerns. The fourth ring falls outside of the unofficial dentate of violent pressure tactics in the second ring,” Katherine says. “Add the fact that it’s easier to delay my arrival for important votes and it is less than satisfactory.”

  “Well, that sucks, but how does that affect me? Mikito’s the one with the big Reputation points, thanks to her fights in the Arena. And she’s not been screwed over at the last minute from bad deals.” Yeah, maybe I’m still a little bitter about Rob.

  “As you know, we’ve joined the Expansionist faction. Specifically, under the aegis of the Duchess of Kangana,” Katherine says. “Her representative has indicated a desire to speak with you. In return, she will be willing to open up certain of her properties for our lease.”

  I twitch slightly before I still my reaction. That’s not a name I expected to hear. Though I think that’s mostly because I’ve been trying very hard not to think about her. Or a certain Weaponmaster who still wants my head on a block. “Speak? That’s it?”

  “There are probably more strings,” Katherine admits readily, her expectant gaze weighing heavily on me.

  My lips purse, tightening significantly, but I nod. “Set it up. I’ll talk. No guarantees of anything else, but I’ll talk.”

  “Thank you, John,” Katherine says as she stands.

  I raise an eyebrow at her abrupt departure but don’t try to stop her. That elicits another mysterious smile from the woman, as if she can read my thoughts. This is fast becoming a bad habit, the way so many of my friends can read me. I mean, I’ve got that damn Subtlety Perk. Shouldn’t I be harder to read? But maybe I’m not that sneaky.

  The sofa molds to my body even more deeply as I slump, giving in to the sinful comfort. Every time you think you’re out, they pull you right back in. I could even promise myself this is the last time, the very last, before I do something for myself but…

  But I’ve long ago worn out that level of self-delusion. I am who I am, and a sucker for certain types of situations is one of them.

  I sigh, letting my eyes drift closed as I discard worries about the Duchess, instead focusing on more immediate problems. Like the dungeon I’ve got to run tomorrow.

  Chapter 7

  The dungeon entrance we’re waiting to enter is rather interesting. The dungeon itself is a giant biodome, one known to warp the space within to create an environment that is kilometers long. On top of that, there are multiple instances of the dungeon, allowing multiple groups to run the dungeon at any one time, which is one of its draws. Still, as we walk forward, I can’t help but comment.

  “Dungeon four-dash-three?” I say, shaking my head. “Couldn’t they think of a better name?”

  “It’s practical,” Ali says as he floats beside us. “When you’ve got multiple races, even with translation, it’s easier to use numbers. Everyone uses numbers.”

  “Mathematics is universal,” Mikito says agreeably. “And it’s a good dungeon. Wide. Lots of quests to fulfill. Lots of monsters to kill.”

  “And patterned off a lost world, which makes it of cultural importance,” Harry adds.

  “Yeah, not interested in that last part. Though it’s good training for the Forbidden Zone expeditions,” Ali says, gesturing to a group of Master Classes and their late Advanced Class attendants standing around getting briefed.

  I look over, eyeing their gear and set-up. There’s no way to tell if this is a trial run for picking out members or just a training exercise, but in either case, the group looks suitably serious. Of course, the expedition group will get ported in deep, skipping the lower-Level regions right next to the entrance to get some proper training in. I wonder if they’ll turn off all notifications too, just like in a Forbidden Zone.

  “You don’t speak much about the Forbidden Zone,” Harry comments idly, clearly fishing.

  “That’s because there’s not much to tell. Lots of monsters. Lots of violence.” Lots of loss and pain. An abandoned civilization, a discarded species. And a single Paladin who refused to give up. Memories of suffering and injury, of good times and bad crowd my mind. Four years. The majority of my time in the System.

  “There’s more than that,” Harry says but gets shushed by Mikito.

  I shake off the thoughts as we join the line, adding only one sentence of caution for the reporter. “Don’t even think about it. Until you’re at least a Master Class, going there is a recipe for disaster. Even Combat Classed Advanced Classers can only hang around Master Classes for safety. Even then, they mostly die. Expeditions have a seventy-percent fatality rate, with the vast majority of losses among the Advanced Classes. And wipeouts from badly planned expeditions.”

  Harry nods dumbly, though from the interested looks he keeps sending after the expedition group, he’s obviously still considering it. I dismiss the thought, knowing I can’t stop him. Anyway, most expedition quests have minimum standards and a test for those who come along. In a place like the Forbidden Zone, hangers-on are just burdens.

  “How about you, toots? Interested in joining an expedition?” Ali says to the characteristically silent Mikito.

  “Maybe. As a Master Class,” Mikito says, shifting her grip on her naginata. “We have something more important to focus on now.”

  “Good point,” I say, cutting off Ali. “Anything I should know that isn’t on the general description?”

  Mikito seems to ponder the question. “Multiple monster types. Snakes, four-legs, simian-types. Mostly smaller, so hard to hit but with a lot of hit points. Tendency to attack in groups, using basic team tactics. Lots of herbs and other collecting quests. Variety drops as you get deeper in but value increases. Mi
nerals too.” I nod, even if most of that knowledge was already in the official information for the dungeon. “Maps are useless. Jungle moves, so you’re constantly bushwhacking. Trees are alive. Lots of poison attacks. That’s about it. What kind of quests did you get?”

  I wave, sending over the information rather than speak. I doubt there’s any difference, considering Mikito and I are part of the same guild. Harry joined a completely different guild, one that focused on support Classes like his. I know he’s picked up a number of low-level quests for the area, but I also know he’s mostly along for the ride here. Considering how old this particular dungeon is, there’s little to be gained from reporting on it again.

  “Same as mine,” Mikito says disappointedly. “No special requests for the Master Class?’

  I ignore her tone, knowing she’s mostly teasing. “There were two escort requests for Advanced Classers into the more dangerous portions.”

  Unsaid is the fact that I turned them down. So all we’ve got are a bunch of collection quests for various loot drops from the dungeon. It’s not particularly exciting, but considering how often this dungeon is farmed, it’s not surprising.

  As we talk, we finally reach the front of the line.

  “Statuses,” the robot intones, and we all flash the relevant part of our guild standings. The robot assesses the information before it speaks. “Please pick portal start location. Please take exit tokens. Store tokens carefully. Emergency teleportation exits will be fined as per dungeon rules 1.9.12.4.1.”

  We each grab one of the tokens that are deposited in the slot and put it in our inventory. Mikito takes charge of picking our teleportation location, choosing one that is two-thirds of the way in, close to but not in the main zone for Master Classes. Once the robot acknowledges the choice, the portal doorway changes color and we step through, entering our first alien dungeon together.

  The first thing that gets my attention upon arriving is color. Trunks are a dark brown, nearly black, color. Instead of multiple shades of lush greenery, the leaves are all a sickly yellow and orange. Most of the leaves look like large ferns, branches spreading outward in expansive, sky-covering foliage. Occasionally, fruit and flowers can be seen, ranging in color from pus-yellow to garish pink. The whole ensemble makes the entire thing like a bad trip, or at least, what a bad trip looks like when Hollywood gets to work. I’ve never experienced one myself, and with my current resistances, it’s something I never will.

  Hallucinogenic poison resisted

  Right. I tap my helmet, watching it extract from the banded metallic collar around my neck to cover my face completely. A second later, I’m breathing clean, clear air as the helmet filters out the slightly acrid, poisonous scent.

  I turn toward Ali, who floats alongside. “Poison?”

  “Eh. Humans don’t handle the breakdown of the plant matter here well.” The Spirit shrugs, looking perfectly at ease.

  I try not to get annoyed. Mikito came in with her helmet on, as did Harry, so they probably never even realized I was unaware. Guild warnings probably missed the fact or ignored it, since it seems to be a human frailty. Eyeing the surroundings, I wait for the Japanese lady to lead the way. Right now, I’m just the muscle, since Mikito’s been here a few times.

  After a few awkward moments of no one moving, Harry speaks up. “I’m done with my videos if anyone was waiting for me.”

  “Great,” I say. “Mikito?”

  “I’m ready.”

  “Good.”

  Silence descends again, and still, no one moves. Awkwardly, I add, “You going?”

  “Me?” Mikito tilts her head, meeting my gaze directly. “Aren’t you leading?”

  “Well, normally, but you’ve been here before.”

  “No, I haven’t,” Mikito says. “We’ve been a couple of locations back, working the edges of the Advanced Class region in here. I wanted to slowly work them in.”

  “Right, but you’ve been in the dungeon before.”

  “So?” Mikito says with a shrug. “It’s not that hard.”

  I growl then throw up my hands, deciding to stop arguing. Fine. If she wants me to lead, I’ll lead. It’s not as if it’s that big a problem. Since the deeper we go into the dungeon from the physical entrance, the more dangerous it is, I decide to cut parallel to the gate. This way we’ll be able to stay in roughly the same level area, keeping us safe. At least till I have a better idea how dangerous this dungeon actually is.

  Having decided on what I want to do, I communicate it to my friends. Ali flies ahead, taking over scouting. With his insubstantial body and ability to fly, the Spirit is a good scout. Especially after I make him go visible. His initial presence can and does elicit occasional attacks from dumb plants, fast teaching the rest of us which forms of vegetation to avoid.

  There are giant flowers that spit acid or poison, vines that are so sticky a single touch binds you to them. After that, other vines drop from above, wrapping you around and slowly constricting. There’s this set of fungi-looking biomatter that glows gently then explodes in bright light, blinding and flash-frying the area around them. Amazingly enough, the plants that exist next to the flash-shroom have grown to withstand these attacks. I spend a moment staring at the entire mini-ecosystem in fascination.

  “The purple plants that look like rocket ships? The ‘thrusters’ get charged up by the explosions. When it’s ready, the entire thing launches into the air, spreading the plant’s seeds. Now, are you done?”

  I grunt, accepting that Ali wants to keep moving. I admit, the alien ecosystem before us is absurd. Part of me wonders how much the System changed, how much has evolved because of the Mana density flooding the space, and how much was part of the original planet’s biology. Unfortunately, academic musings are cut short by another threat, this time from a partly-sentient tree that expels its sap in a sticky, rubbery offense.

  White Sap Tree (Level 67)

  HP: 2138/2138

  MP: 378/430 (Limited)

  Conditions: Rooted

  “Don’t you dare say it,” I say, snarling as the white gloop that covers my left arm pulls me closer to the tree. I conjure my other sword, sending a Blade Strike to cut apart the tree.

  Mikito looks wide-eyed and innocent while Ali is too busy laughing.

  “Anyone going to help?” I growl when I realize that it’s not a single tree but a stand of them.

  As I finish throwing a series of Blade Strikes at the now-spurting group, the cat-serpent creatures who’ve been stalking us launch their attacks. Of course Harry manages to avoid getting targeted and Ali’s too high up, so it’s Mikito and me who bear the brunt of the entire attack.

  Mikito cuts one creature apart as her polearm spins, the Samurai dancing under the onslaught that flows around her. Since my off-hand is still gummed up, I take a different tack, conjuring additional blades with Thousand Swords and interspersing the blades between the monsters and me. As one bounces off a sword as claw and blade meet, I get a chance to assess our attacker.

  Wild Clomix Type 4-3 (Level 89)

  HP: 763/780

  MP: 237/438

  Condition: Camouflage, Soft Paws, Poison Claws, Shard Bite

  I dance backward, moving outside of the ring of protective blades but giving myself some space to throw my Blade Strikes. The Clomix are fast, dodging my attacks with hops and jumps as they close in on me. Swooping down from his spot above us, Ali tackles one of the Clomix, smashing it into the earth as he solidifies himself. Then, straddling the creature, the little Spirit actually punches it, doing a good imitation of a ground-and-pound.

  I admit, I’m distracted. The sight of a portly, olive-skinned, goateed Spirit straddling a writhing alien monster breaks my brain for a second for some reason. I cut and throw Blade Strikes on instinct, but the mechanical motions are easy enough for the remaining three Clomix to move around. Legs bunched, one jumps for my throat. Another goes for my lead leg, and the third prowls around to my side, ready for me to commit.

 
; I block the first attack and pull my leg away from the second, but the third Clomix takes the opportunity to pounce, claws digging into and finding purchase on my Soul Shield. Then its mouth widens, distorting, before its teeth clamp onto my Shield and literally rip a hole in it. Surprisingly, the Shield is still present and attempting to close, but it’s stopped by the Clomix’s neck in the gap.

  “What the hell?” I snarl, pommel-striking the creature’s head again and again.

  By my side, Mikito’s extended her polearm again, using the weapon to cut apart the remaining stand of White Sap Trees as she ducks into their midst. The Clomix follow the woman, somehow avoiding being targeted by the fauna while they harass her.

  Focusing on my own problem, I crush the monster’s spine, watching as it flops onto the ground and out of my Soul Shield. The exhilaration of a job well done lasts only long enough for another monster to tear into my ankles, its poisonous claws sending foul liquid into my bloodstream. Stabbing it and its friend is entirely too satisfying, as is burning down the group of trees with a Firestorm once Mikito retreats. I’ll admit, the Firestorm is probably going a little overboard, though the fire soon gutters out. Whatever these trees use for wood, it isn’t half as flammable as Earth wood.

  After that, I use one of the many dissolving potions that had been recommended and sold at the guild hall to get rid of the gunk on my arm. While I’m sorting myself out, Ali flits between bodies, looting and storing everything important.

  “Well, that sucked,” I say quietly, stretching my previously injured foot. I get nods from Mikito and Harry, who finally ended up getting hit by accident by one of the trees. The entire fight wasn’t particularly successful even if it wasn’t dangerous. More annoying. “Let’s try to do better.”

  Mikito snorts. I offer a rueful half-smile. Yeah, it’s my fault for getting distracted by the alien ecosystem. I give my brain a mental walloping, reminding myself that I’m not an academic but an Adventurer. Fight to survive, not stare at things while they bite off my face. Focused, we trek forward, looking for more trouble.