“I hit almost every target I aimed at,” Vlad said with a smirk on his face.
“Me too,” Nate said.
“Yeah,” I said. “We are pretty good with firearms. Yet while we’re good at hitting stationary targets, I figure it’ll probably be much harder to hit a moving one.”
I reloaded my pistol and thumbed on the safety lever. Before tucking the handgun in my waistband, I took one more look at it. Not only did it look different from handguns in 2020, but it also was way quieter. Most of the people on shooting ranges used earplugs to muffle the sounds of gunshots. As to us, we did not need earplugs. Compared to weapons in 2020, our pistols were way quieter.
We then checked out our abilities to get the hang of them. As it turned out, it was very easy to use my Active Ability. All I needed to do was think of it. As soon as I did so, I teleported—blinked—fifteen meters forward in the direction I was facing.
It was a really good ability. Thanks to it, I could suddenly approach our enemies from a flank, attack them, and then use the ability to quickly get away. The only problem was the cooldown of my Active Ability. Sixty seconds seemed like overkill to me. Sure, I had allocated one skill point into the Ready for Action skill, which had reduced the cooldown by ten seconds, but fifty seconds was way too long too. I would probably allocate the next two skill points into the same skill because I figured I was going to need to use my Active Ability a lot in battle.
I also would like to learn the Reacher skill to improve the distance of my Active Ability. The current distance I could teleport—blink—was fifteen meters.
I also checked out my Ultimate Ability. I activated it with a thought. Nothing around me seemed to change. However, my body became half-transparent, and my movement speed got somewhat increased. In the description of my Ultimate Ability, it had been said that I could not attack and could not be attacked while this ability was active because I was in so-called void space.
While I was half-invisible, I left a trace of light behind that lasted for a few seconds. I placed an entry human-sized teleport and continued to move around the room with increased speed. The maximum length of the teleportation tunnel that I could create was fifty meters. So when I was about forty-five meters away from the first portal I had created, I created another one—an exit portal—with a thought.
The initial duration of the Ultimate Ability was thirty seconds. However, as soon as I placed the exit teleport, my Ultimate Ability got deactivated and I became fully visible again.
I stepped into the exit teleport and instantly stepped out of the first one, covering the distance of forty-five meters in the blink of an eye.
My teammates also tested out my portals to get the feel of it. The portal that I had created first was called an entry portal, the other one an exit portal. But we could use both of them all the same. When we entered one portal, we immediately stepped out of the other one, and vice versa.
Since the portals were human-sized, they could be entered only in a single line. It was impossible for all of us to get into a portal all at once. We should keep it in mind. In battle, it could be the difference between living and dying.
The lifespan of the portals was thirty seconds, so half a minute later, both of them ceased to exist.
I noticed one curious detail. In video games, the player had a head-up display that showed a health bar, experience bar, and other useful bars and indicators. However, there was no HUD in my field of vision. In spite of that, I knew exactly when I would be able to use my Active and Ultimate Abilities.
I also wondered about armor. I had read the descriptions of the four classes, so I knew that a Front Line warrior could wear so-called power exoskeletons or exosuits. However, there was no information about whether or not the rest of us needed to wear body armor.
I asked that question to Echo.
“Yes, warrior,” the AI replied. “You can wear various ballistic vests. There are three types of body armor: Level One, Level Two, and Level Three. The Level One body armor protects your upper body from small arms and light weapons. The Level Two body armor can protect you from more powerful weapons. And the Level Three body armor offers full-body protection and can protect you against heavy-caliber firearms. There is also a fourth type of body armor called a powered exoskeleton. However, only a Front Line warrior can wear this type of body armor.”
“How do we get body armor?” Nate asked.
“You can purchase it in the Preparation Room,” Echo replied.
“So the Level Three body armor is the best,” I said. “But it must be pretty heavy, right?”
“That’s correct,” Echo replied. “Wearing the Level Three body armor drastically impedes your movement speed.”
“So since I’m a Flanker, I shouldn’t wear heavy body armor, right?” I asked. “I mean, I need to move fast. I take it mobility is very important for a Flanker, right?”
“I cannot advise you on this,” Echo said. “You are a warrior, so it is up to you to decide which body armor you should wear in order to achieve the best result possible. You have got to decide for yourself which skills you should learn and which body armor you should wear. I cannot give you a piece of advice here. It is up to you, warrior, to come up with a tactic that will advance your team’s performance.”
“I understand,” I said.
Suddenly, something zipped past me with a whoosh. I whipped my head in that direction and saw a flying drone move swiftly toward the holographic mannequins. It got within thirty or so meters of them and opened up with its machine gun on them. The surface of the holographic mannequins rippled like water where bullets hit.
I remembered that a battle drone was the Active Ability of the Damage class. Which meant that the flying robot belonged to Vlad.
The drone fired away at the targets for a few seconds, then ceased fire and flew back. Upon reaching Vlad, it came to a hover a couple of feet above his head.
“Wow,” the blond Russian exclaimed. “That’s awesome!”
We turned our heads to look at him.
“Hey guys,” he said, meeting our eyes. “I just realized I can give my drone mental commands. Isn’t it awesome?”
“What commands?” Nate asked.
“Commands like ‘stay close’, ‘attack nearby enemies’, ‘scout the area’, and whatnot,” Vlad replied.
“That’s useful,” Nate said approvingly.
Vlad then shifted his eyes at me, and an unpleasant smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “The Damage class is so amazing, Dave. I’m really glad I play as Damage. It’s a shame you didn’t get to play this class.”
Ignoring his lame and obvious attempt to push my buttons, I said, “Actually, I’m starting to like my own class.”
“Don’t be jealous of me, dude,” Vlad said with a smirk.
“I’m not jealous of you,” I said.
“Uh-huh,” Vlad said, looking at me with a sly smile on his lips, obviously not believing me.
I did not care whether he believed me or not.
My Active Ability had already recharged, so I decided to use it one more time. I looked in the direction I wanted to blink and teleported there with a thought. I was starting to take to my Active Ability. Probably the Flanker class was not so bad after all. I had not lied to Vlad. The Flanker more and more seemed to me like a fun class to play as. As to Damage, it seemed pretty dull and clichéd.
Suddenly, I heard somebody talk to me.
You’re in danger. Be careful.
Only then did I realize that the strange voice was in my head. I instantly realized it was my Passive Ability in action.
The voice had not said what kind of danger I was in or where to expect it. I quickly looked around the spacious room. When I wheeled around to look behind me, I saw Vlad aiming at me with his pistol. There was a sinister smile on his face.
“What the hell are you doing?” I snarled at him.
“You know, I’ve been wondering about something
,” Vlad said.
I silently waited for him to go on.
“You think it’s real life, right?” The blond Russian asked.
“Of course, it is,” I said. “So put your gun down, for Chrissake.”
“Well, I can prove that you’re wrong,” Vlad said. “I can prove that we’re inside a video game.”
“How are you going to prove it?” Asked Nate who stood several meters to Vlad’s right.
A wide smug grin spread across the Russian’s face. “I’m gonna shoot Dave in the face.”
He was being serious, that was for damn sure.
“Are you fucking out of your mind?” I snarled at him.
“You think it’s real life,” Vlad said. “But it’s not. It’s just a video game. Very realistic, yet just a game. And you can’t die in video games. When your character dies in a video game, it gets revived so you can continue to play. That’s what happens in video games. And that’s what’s gonna happen when I kill you. You will revive as if nothing happened to you.”
“Don’t shoot him, please,” Alyson said quietly, her eyes wide-open with fear.
Vlad ignored the girl and kept his pistol aimed at me.
“Wait a goddamm minute,” I growled.
“Don’t be afraid, Dave,” Vlad said. “You’re not gonna die.”
“I’m not afraid,” I said.
Surprisingly, I was really not scared. Rather, I was pissed off. I wanted to punch Vlad in the face more than anything at that moment. I really wanted to beat some sense into him.
“Echo, are we in real life or inside a super realistic video game?” I asked.
“You already asked me that question, warrior,” Echo said. “And I already answered it.”
“I know,” I said somewhat annoyingly. “Humor me and answer the question one more time, will ya?”
“Of course, warrior,” Echo said. “As far as I am aware, you are in real life and everything around you is real.”
“What will happen if that idiot shoots me?” I asked.
“If he fires his firearm at you and inflicts a mortal wound upon you, you will most likely die,” Echo replied without any emotion whatsoever. The AI did not care at all if I died or not. Which was probably another proof that he was just an AI and not a real person monitoring us and pretending to be an AI.
“See?” I said, staring daggers at Vlad. “Echo says it’s real life and that I’ll die if you shoot me. So put the freaking pistol down.”
“Of course, he says it’s real life,” Vlad said. “Did you really expect him to say otherwise? He’s just an NPC, and non-playable characters don’t know that they aren’t real persons. They think they live in the real world and everything around them is real.”
Sure enough, I had not expected another answer from Echo. I had already asked the AI the same exact question, so I knew his take on this. I was just stalling for time. My Active Ability would recharge in thirty seconds. As soon as it got recharged, I would use it to blink forward. The current distance of my Active Ability was fifteen meters. Since Vlad stood about ten meters from me, I would materialize behind him. By the time he would realize where I was and turn around, I would have my own pistol drawn and pointed at his head.
The Russian seemed to be about to pull the trigger. He adjusted his aim slightly and held his breath.
“Listen to me, dammit,” I said desperately.
“I’m done listening to you,” Vlad said.
“Have you noticed that you don’t have a health bar?” I said quickly. “None of us has a health bar. But in video games, you have one so you can see how much health your character has. But it’s not the case here. We don’t have health bars, which means it isn’t a video game. It’s real life. If you kill me, I won’t be revived.”
It gave Vlad a pause. He seemed to be hesitating now. It was good. I was not trying to get him to come around. I only wanted to buy myself some time. I needed to stall for a few more seconds. As soon as my Active Ability recharged, I would instantly use it to get out of Vlad’s line of fire.
Ten seconds more and my Active Ability would be available.
Still aiming at me, Vlad frowned as if deep in thought.
“Put your gun down,” Nate suddenly said.
I turned my head to look at him. The British guy was pointing his handgun at Vlad.
The blond Russian glanced at him, and his face twisted in anger.
“What are you doing, bud?” he asked. “I thought you shared my view that it was just a video game. Don’t tell me you changed your mind about this.”
“There’s no way to tell for certain which is the case,” Nate said calmly. “Which is why we have to treat it as real life. At least, until we know for certain.”
“You gotta be kidding me,” Vlad said. “This is a video game. Why do you guys have trouble admitting it?”
“Put your gun down, Vlad,” Nate repeated. “Don’t force me to shoot you.”
My Active Ability had already recharged. I was ready to use it with a thought as soon as something in Vlad’s behavior or his body language indicated that he was about to fire his pistol at me.
He watched me for another second, then sighed and lowered his pistol.
“Whatever,” The blond Russian said and shoved his pistol into his waistband and pulled the tail of his shirt over it.
Seeing that he was no longer about to shoot anyone, Nate lowered his handgun too.
I eyed Vlad for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on in his mind.
“So you are sure that we’re inside a video game,” I said, “yet you don’t want to be shot, huh? That’s interesting.”
Vlad shot me an angry look.
“What are you getting at exactly?” He asked.
“You’re afraid to die too,” I said.
“Are you stupid or what?” Vlad barked. “I’m not afraid to die. It’s just a video game, goddammit. If Nate had shot me, I would’ve revived. There’s not the shadow of a doubt about that. So why should I be afraid to die?”
“Why did you put your pistol away when Nate threatened to kill you then?” I asked.
Vlad seemed to calm down. He gave me a small smile and said, “I just don’t want to antagonize your guys. We’re a team after all. Moreover, in most of the video games, the player loses some of his or her experience points and may even level down upon dying. It might be the case in his game too. So I just didn’t want to lose my experience points, that’s all.”
“We have nothing to lose yet,” Nate mentioned. “We haven’t received any experience points yet. None of us has leveled up yet. If you call up your Class Menu, you’ll see that you have no experience points to lose.”
“Really?” Vlad said and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I didn’t realize it at that moment.”
I silently eyed Vlad for a moment. A thought crossed my mind that the Russian might have been in a state of denial. He had been claiming that we were inside a video game, yet deep inside, Vlad might have had doubts about this. Which was why he was not eager to take a bullet in the head.
We used our abilities for fifteen minutes more to get the hang of it and then decided to leave the Training Room.
I thought about my Passive Ability. It was useful. It had warned me when Vlad had pointed his pistol at me. However, it had not told me what direction the danger had been coming from nor what kind of danger I had been in. I figured that later on, I would be able to learn some skills to make my Passive Ability more useful.
We walked to the open vac-tube and put our weapons and ammunition in there. We then turned and stepped into the elevator car. I stepped to the touchscreen panel and glanced at the screen. There were three buttons on it.
> Control Room
> Training Room
> Preparation Room
The second one was grayed-out because we were currently in the Training Room. So I pressed the last one. However, nothing happened. I punched the button
again, but the door remained open for some reason.
“What the heck,” I said.
“Why the door won’t close?” Alyson muttered behind me with fear in her voice as if she was expecting something bad to happen to us.
As soon as the question was asked, Echo replied, “Warriors, I told you that you would not be able to leave this level with weapons on you.”
“What?” Nate said. “We put our pistols in the vac-tube.”
“One of you still has a gun,” Echo replied. “Which is why the elevator will not work.”
I turned around. As soon as I lay my eyes on the blond Russian, I knew it was him who kept his pistol on him. There was a visible bulge of his handgun under his shirt.
“Why haven’t you put your gun in the vac-tube?” Nate asked.
I tensed. While Vlad still had his pistol on him, the rest of us were unarmed. I did not like it. If he decided to open fire on us, he might be able to wound or even kill some of us. Sure, there was no real reason for Vlad to shoot any of us, but as we already knew, one could expect anything from that crazy Russian.
My teammates seemed to be feeling the same way. Alyson stepped behind the British guy. As to Nate, he inched closer to Vlad as if getting ready to tackle the Russian if he drew his pistol and pointed it at any of us.
Vlad must have realized what we were thinking because he let out a short laugh and then said, “Relax, guys. I just totally forgot about it.”
Vlad pulled his pistol from his waistband, holding it muzzle down.
“How could you forget about it when a minute ago, the rest of us were putting our pistols into the vac-tube?” Nate asked.
Vlad shrugged his shoulders and elected not to answer the question.
“Anyway, we now know that we can’t leave this room, having our guns on us,” he said.
“Echo told us the same thing,” Nate said.
“Maybe I just wanted to verify that,” Vlad replied with a sly smile on his face.
“You don’t trust Echo, huh?” Nate asked.
The Weaponized: The Complete LitRPG Series Page 8
