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

by Tao Wong

  “In addition, the Duchess has made arrangements for any of your Artisan recruits to draw upon an interim loan program to cover any increases or repayments needed. If the Irvina have decided to give us such good clients, we will take them. As for the Combat Classers—”

  The woman’s shark-like grin reminds me that I do not want to get too far on her bad side. There’s a killer instinct in her, one that has nothing to do with blades or spells but is just as deadly.

  Still, I have to chime in. “Let the ones who want to go, go..”

  “Pardon me?”

  “We don’t want any Combat Classers who are scared away by a little blood in the operating room. They’re going to see a hell of a lot more of it on Earth. If they aren’t cutting the mustard now, they won’t do it on Earth. If you don’t believe me, ask Hondo.” I nod at the glowering Weaponmaster who reluctantly nods in approval of my words.

  “Very well then. That shall save some Credits. The ambassador and I will discuss the details of the arrangements to provide additional protection for the Artisans, but there is one last matter,” Oria says.

  “The Master Class attackers.”

  “Yes. Preliminary investigations and analysis show you were targeted by at least three Master Class attackers,” Oria says. “You are, I must say, fortunate that they decided not to unleash their full array of attacks.”

  I grunt but have to admit she’s correct. If they had access to high-Level damage Skills like mine, they sure as hell didn’t use them. Then again, not all Master Classes are geared toward battle. The fact that she knew enough to say what she did means… “You have more details about the attackers.”

  “Yes.” Oria’s lips thin for a second. She looks at Hondo, who waves, sending over a series of notifications.

  “The attackers you faced are a known for-hire network team currently working for the opposition. While we know of their identities and Skills, their location continues to be hidden from us. The current Credit cost of locating the Wolves of the Air Team stands at just over fifty million Credits,” Hondo says. “Two attempts have been made to take them down. Both have failed.”

  “Oh shit. I know that name. One sec… goblin’s children. That explains a lot.”

  “Explain.”

  “You can stop asking your Spirit to research the matter,” Hondo says stiffly. “I was on the second team to take action. What we did not know was that they had set up a counter ambush. Our team was destroyed, leaving only me alive.”

  “How…?”

  “I was left alive as a warning,” Hondo says, his fists clenching. “As the lowest Leveled member of the team, I was considered the most… insignificant.”

  “Thus your fall from grace,” I say, slowly nodding. “And your bad temper.”

  “To scum like you…”

  I wave away his words, ignoring the man as I look over the team details he has sent. That makes him growl more, only to be shushed by Oria.

  Evanline Brae; Scourge, Lady of Many Rooms, Monster Hunter (Goblins, Hakarta, Truinnar,…), more… (Space Lord Level 14) (M)

  HP: 1280/1280

  MP: 5280/5280

  Notable Skills: Space Lock, Aura of Reality, Spatial Prison, Off to the Side, Dimensional Shards, Squish Your Head. Illu’s Blessing of Mana Regeneration

  “Care to explain? Some repetition here.”

  “Space Lord—Master Class version of the Space Mage specialization. Concentrates on altering and shaping space itself and, to some extent, the dimensions that intrude on that space. Space Lock is your everyday Dimensional Lock, just slightly differently flavored. Off to the Side is a wide area spell that isolates a location from outside interference, putting the entire location just a bit off from every other location. That’s how she isolated you during the attack. Threw the area around you a kilometer out of whack from reality, making sure that reinforcements couldn’t just portal or teleport in,” Ali explains, shedding a little light on something I hadn’t even thought to question. Old assumptions about how long it takes police to respond conflict with my own learned experience of jumping from place to place.

  “How come I never got a notice that was happening?” I say.

  “Didn’t affect you directly, just the area. It’s so wide-area that there’s no warning until you bump against the edges. It shifts the entire space, but the rules are still the same. Part of the reason why she needed to use Space Lock independently too,” Ali says.

  I grunt, making note of this problem. “Is this why it’s so expensive to find them?”

  “Partly. Pretty sure the entire team is also decked out and counter-intelligenced up the wazoo. But if where they’re staying is out of sync with normal reality, a lot of normal tracking spells and Skills won’t work.”

  I ask, as a thought strikes me, “Is that fifty million Credits also due to politics?”

  “Yes. The factions that make use of them have invested a significant amount of funds into ensuring their continued existence,” Oria says.

  “Got it.” I turn back to the information as Ali continues.

  “Aura of Reality is the one that forces people back into normal dimensions and also makes Stealthed attackers appear. Space Prison is an extremely hard-to-escape trapping spell that slides you into your own warped space. She used that to great effect against Hondo’s team. The other two are wide area and individual attacks.”

  “Evanline looks to be a pain,” I say.

  “She is,” Hondo says. “Powerful and smart. She split my team, took out our frontline till it was too late.”

  “Damn,” I say, rubbing my chin. “Recommendations?”

  “Your resistances will help against her direct attacks. It won’t stop her prison, which is what she’ll likely use against you if she’s looking to isolate you further,” Hondo says. “Don’t let her.”

  I stare at the rather unhelpful Weaponmaster before snorting. Fine. Time to go shopping then. Next up is the Machine Lord.

  S’Baxu; Exploit 3-x-189, Monster Hunter (Goblins, X-23, Slimes,…), The Lumierre Prize of Artisanal Excellence, Grandmaster Brewer, more… (Machine Lord Level 21) (M)

  HP: 1830/1830

  MP: 3210/3210

  Notable Skills: Machine Meld, Overdrive, Boosted Performance, Gift of Sentience, Networked, MagiTech Rules (3)

  “That’s the gunship pilot, right?”

  “Yup. He’s the most flexible since he can change his gear to suit the situation. Like a gunship to deal damage and run away. He’s also the one who hacked the bubble cars and crashed you.”

  I recall the damage notifications and the volume of fire from those rockets. I assume that’s where things like MagiTech rules come into play. “Lots of firepower, not a huge amount of damage.”

  “Har. That’s because you had Harden, your damage resistances, and gear on. Without it, you’d be singing a different tune. But yes, his max damage is lower overall. He’s more a high-volume-of-fire kind of guy. Less effective against you, but better for dealing with softer targets or Summoners. Overall, he’s probably the least worrisome since he’s not technically a direct Combat Class.”

  “Like Sam.”

  “Like Sam was.”

  I dismiss the status information. If he’s anything like Sam, I could expect a completely different loadout and vehicle the next time we clash. Frustrating that taking out his vehicle would be harder than normal, but nothing to get too worked up about.

  Hurquji Sani, Son of Ze’us, Monster Slayer (Hydra, Goblins, Kobold, Bulls, Harpies, …), Blood Drenched, Duellist, Winner of the Four Ivies, more… (Titan Spawn Level 13) (M)

  HP: 7830/7830

  MP: 3810/3810

  Unique Skills: Demigods Body, Resistance to Pain, Father’s Blessing, Gifted Strength, Demigod Regeneration, Ares’ Blessing

  “Titan?” I say, my eyes widening slightly.

  “Elder race. Not many of them left, since their planet got destroyed.”

  “The System?”

  “Nah. Ze’us, Poseidon, and H
ades got into a three-way tussle and ended up destroying the planet. Happens when you’ve got three Heroics who are relatively balanced,” Ali says.

  “Is Zeus going to be a problem?”

  “Ze’us. And nah. He’s a rather famous negligent dad. Has to be really, with the way he acts. When your spawn number in the tens of thousands—”

  “I thought you said they’re a dying race.”

  “Sure. From a few billion to less than a hundred thousand. That’s one heck of a drop.”

  I give up on arguing with Ali and turn my attention back to the room. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but Hurquji’s your basic brawler?” If so, that’d explain his lack of interaction in our latest fight. No place for a guy who punches when we’re fighting mid-air.

  “If you call a Titan ‘basic,’ certainly,” Oria says.

  “Do not underestimate the Titan,” Hondo says. “His abilities give him unending Stamina and incredibly high resistance to damage. While he might not be able to alter the trend of a battle at the snap of his fingers, the Titan can finish the entire battle by himself if left unchecked.”

  “Hits hard, soaks up damage even better. Got it.”

  My words make Hondo glower at me even more, which I admit is part of the point. Objective complete, I return to my perusal of the Wolves.

  Trols Vroldrons, Webweaver, Monster Slayer (Kobolds, Ussma Flies, Samak Vipers), One Shot, more… (Ryou-ri-rr Level 48) (A)

  HP: 3870/3870

  MP: 2840/2840

  Notable Skills: Target Lock, Charged Shot, Lurker in the Web, Spider’s Camouflage, Weapon of Choice, Stamina to Power, Mana to Power, Triple Tap

  “The Uttu?” I say. “I don’t like that One Shot title.”

  “Relax. She tried it already and failed. She probably got that earlier on. It’s one of those conditional titles—kill a hundred people who are twenty Levels above you with one attack. Nothing that impressive.” I kind of want to protest that yes, yes, it is impressive, but Ali continues. “I’m more interested in that Weapon of Choice Skill. Makes her significantly more dangerous when she’s using a specific weapon, and it’s also a little more flexible than your Soulbound weapon. So long as she designates it beforehand with sufficient training time, it increases damage output by eighteen percent. But they aren’t indestructible. That means if you destroy the weapon…”

  “Boom.” I get more than a few exclamations of surprise from the crowd around me and I offer them a slight smile. “Sorry. Reading. All right, it seems I’ve got a rough idea of what we have here. No dedicated healer, but it seems that’s not been an issue.”

  “They’re an assassination team. They hit hard and fast. And then they use Evanline’s and S’Baxu’s abilities to leave. It’s extremely hard to lock down a Space Lord.” Hondo grimaces slightly. “It limits our tactical options because we have to take her down.”

  “Why?” I say. “They’re mercenaries, right? Isn’t making it too expensive to deal with us the better solution?”

  “What are you suggesting?” Oria says while Hondo bristles.

  “Focus fire on the weakest. Take them down the next time we have a chance. If they start losing people each time they attack, they’re going to be a lot less likely to keep the contract,” I say.

  “Losing an Advanced Classer means nothing to them,” Hondo says. “The loss of the Webweave is negligible. They have churned through many others since my disgrace.”

  “But my point still stands,” I say. “Your way hasn’t resulted in any wins. Also, what’s with this we?”

  “I have been tasked by the Representative to aid you in dealing with them,” Hondo says. “From now on, I shall be accompanying you.”

  “Hells to the no.”

  “John!” Katherine’s voice rises and she slaps the table, drawing my attention to her. “You will take the offered help.”

  “You think I can trust this guy not to stab me in the back?” I say, ignoring the way Hondo bristles.

  “The Weaponmaster will not betray his honor. He has never betrayed his honor,” Oria says, her voice as cold as the wind over a Yukon lake in the middle of winter. “Even the mildest scuff on it sends Hondo into a tizzy of anger and recrimination. His job is to guard your back and kill them. He will not touch you.”

  “Take the Weaponmaster, boy-o. That’s three sentient-trained Master Class killers after you. You can’t win without help,” Ali says. “If you don’t recall, the best we could do was run like hell.”

  I want to object, but the Spirit has a point. I did barely any damage to the Uttu, and I never even got a chance to leave a scratch on the others. The best option I had was to run, and as Oria has already pointed out, it’s likely they weren’t actually trying to kill me. Just pass on a message to back down. Kind of stupid really. If they had done any research, our opposition would know I don’t back down.

  I draw a deep breath, looking at Hondo. There’s a burning anger in there, a sneer that he does not hide. But beneath all that, there’s a solidity to the man too. A bone-deep stubbornness that’s comforting in a way. He won’t run, he won’t bow. He has a personal grudge in this, one that transcends the one he has with me. He’s also probably skilled enough to handle at least one of the Master Classers.

  Which means…

  “Fine. Now, how do we find them?” I say.

  The silence that follows is quite telling.

  Portaling back to our residence takes only a fraction of a second. Mikito is absently walking out of the bathroom, playing with the clasp of her nano-formed collar helmet. She offers me a smile that freezes before she explodes into action, Ghost Armor forming as she moves sideways, polearm appearing in her hand as she points it behind me. I twitch and shift, sword forming in my hand as I spin about before thought catches up with reactions.

  “Hold!” I roar, making my sword disappear.

  Hondo sniffs, one hand raised only slightly to ensure that a lunge doesn’t catch him completely unprepared. But otherwise, the Weaponmaster looks entirely unimpressed by Mikito and her actions.

  “What is he doing here?” Mikito says, lowering her naginata but neither dismissing her armor nor putting away Hitoshi.

  “He’s our newest buddy.” I walk over to the kitchen and poke around the Galactic equivalent of a refrigerator, looking for something to eat. The first shelf carries a series of flat, metal-coated pre-packed meals that I recall being particularly tasty. One advantage of the pervasiveness of sci-fi technology and System Classes is that Cooks and Chefs are very, very talented. I pull out three of the pre-packed meals and walk over to the dining room, eyeing the pair in their silent standoff. “If someone wants to grab the alcohol from the fridge, we can eat and talk.”

  “With him?” Mikito almost snarls.

  “Oh, come on. I’ve gotten over it, and I’m the immature one here,” I say.

  “He really is.” The grumpy Spirit glares at me and floats over to the fridge before yanking out another pair of meals and a case of beer. “Mikito, Hondo’s given his word that he won’t harm John. And now Hondo’s going to give his word not to harm you or anyone else in the party. Right?”

  Hondo hesitates before he inclines his head. “I do. For as long as we share a common enemy, and until we have provided an in-person report to our respective masters, I shall undertake no adverse action against you or members of your party.”

  “See? All good.” I push the meals across the table. “Now, sit down, eat, and let’s talk.”

  I tap the seal on my meal and sit back, crossing my arms as I wait for the meal to be properly heated. While it does that, I fill Mikito in on what happened at the meeting. The Samurai looks less than happy even when she gets the information on the Wolves, but she relents enough to sit down and eat.

  “Where’s Harry?” I ask, looking around. Don’t want the reporter randomly walking in on a conversation he shouldn’t hear.

  “Out.”

  “Is that safe?” I say, frowning. Then I realize who I’m talking about
and shut up. If there’s anyone in our group who would be safe, it’s Harry. Not only do his Skills provide a measure of protection from being targeted, the guild he is in frowns heavily on attacking their people and have, at times, taken steps to make their displeasure known. Of course, if he’s actively looking for the Wolves of the Air and feeds information back to us, it’ll be a problem for his professed “neutrality.”

  “He said so. Wants an interview with them, he says,” Mikito say, meeting my gaze. I see the worry in her eyes, the concern for our new friend. But his job is dangerous, no matter what choices we make.

  “This is the reporter?” Hondo asks.

  I nod. The Weaponmaster snorts loudly, tapping the ready meal and letting the metal roll backward to showcase slabs of meat and carbohydrates. There’s even a good mixture of weirdly colored vegetables, neatly sliced. And of course, the piece de resistance—a triple-layered dessert.

  “You have a problem with Harry?”

  “I have given my word to cause no problems.”

  “Wasn’t the question. What’s your problem with Harry?” I ask.

  “Nothing. I just dislike such creatures.”

  “Creatures?” I frown.

  “Reporters, John,” Ali says around a mouthful of the dessert. As always, the Spirit has started with the sweets. In fact, he’s got both meals open, the desserts from both trays in front of him.

  “What’s your problem with reporters then?”

  “They are the most useless Class. Less useful even than Slime Trainers,” Hondo says. “They spread refuse as badly as any Sanitation Worker and constantly agitate the commoners. They provoke the Combat Classers, delude the Artisans, and embarrass our proper rulers. Well. Perhaps they are not all bad.”

  His last words are met with stony silence before it slowly dawns on us that the Weaponmaster made a joke. By that point, it’s a little too late to laugh, so we end up staring at him in shared embarrassment. In unison, Mikito and I duck our heads and chew on the monster meat.