Executor Rising: A GameLit/LitRPG Adventure (Magnus Book 2)
Page 1
Contents
ALSO IN SERIES
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Epilogue
Thank you for reading Executor Rising
ALSO IN SERIES
Glossary
LitRPG Group
ALSO IN SERIES
MAGNUS
TERRA NOVA
EXECUTOR RISING
PRIME WAR
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One
XVII-32043-β:Legatus stood inside the Arboretum’s geodesic dome, fixing his uniform for the fourth time. Fidgeting, he paced the smooth metal surface that was the orbital space station’s floor.
It was just a routine meeting with the Consilium, nothing more. He had nothing to worry about, nothing to hide, or so he desperately reminded himself.
Moments later, the Apoadeid Consilium phased into sight, plugged into his hovering mobility chair as always. Lacking organic appendages of any kind, he relied on the chair’s four protruding mechanical arms to manipulate nearby objects. The Legatus had always wondered how it felt to remain trapped in such a contraption for most of his life, unmoving.
The Consilium’s thick leathery neck protruded from its mass, but instead of a face, a metal faceplate adorned with a red visor was fused directly onto his hide. A common configuration for the Apoadeid, one of the three founding races of the Dyn. Broad tendrils fell down the back of its neck like organic dreadlocks, adorned with colorful glowing rings—proof of his many accomplishments. With mottled hide and a shape that resembled a fleshy cone, one would think this fat lump would be of no import, yet that was the furthest from the truth.
For this was a Consilium of Ubiquity Prime, second in authority only to the Forum of Primes.
“Legatus,” he belched with a grating, modulated voice. “This is the first I have seen you in this place. I take it your Zevans find these surroundings attractive?” The hover chair spun as the Consilium craned his leathery neck to look up at the giant blue planet that loomed above.
“Yes, Consilium,” the Legatus said, lowering his head in deference. “As you noticed, we are aboard the Space Station 78-234, in low orbit around Planet IV-3259, the home of the Zevan. This arboretum contains a sampling of the various flora found planetside. It helps to keep the air here clean while providing a nice view for the Dyn stationed here.”
“Curious. Yet not to my liking, sadly.”
They walked together for a moment in silence before the Consilium spoke once again. “If I recall, you are grooming a male of your kind, are you not? As always, I struggle to understand your strange customs. But this brings you pleasure, yes?”
“Very much, Consilium. Raising my son has been one of the greatest joys in my life. I am humbled that you remembered him.”
“I am glad to hear it. I have no doubt he will grow to contribute as much to our cause as you have. Now come, we have much to discuss, and my time is short.”
“As you wish, Consilium.” The Legatus gestured towards a path through the artificial forest.
“First, I would like an update on the progress of the Zevan indoctrination.”
“Yes, Consilium. The indoctrination proceeds according to design. While the lesser beasts are easily and rapidly converted, they prove to be of only limited use in combat.”
“We had predicted as much. What of the Zevan and their magic?” He scoffed as if to refute the existence of such a ludicrous thing.
“Yes, that is the term the locals use. We continue to study its mysteries, and while progress towards a scientific underpinning is slow, we have learned how to leverage their abilities in combat. The results are quite promising.”
“I am happy to hear it. The Forum of Primes has decided to move up the timetable.”
The Legatus’s eyes widened in surprise. “Ubiquity Prime managed to convince the Forum to let him?”
“Indeed, our glorious leader biases towards action far more than the others. The third planet of System L-1138 continues to develop and advance. The time has come for the culling. Yet space is vast.”
Hovering, the Consilium eyed the various trees.
“As the Dyn continue to expand into the Milky Way and beyond, logistics become an increasingly insurmountable concern, even with the transit gateway Network. Deploying Seed ships to the far reaches of space has proven to be unworkable. We need more forward operating bases, and sheer force in numbers.”
“I understand, Consilium. Though Ubiquity Prime wishes to leverage the indoctrinated to assault L-1138, it is a pity to lose the seed world for the Zevan. It will hinder our prospects for any further Ultimator candidates in this area, and potentially set back our magic research.”
“It is true, but Ubiquity Prime considers it an acceptable loss, and so it shall be. He wishes to initiate the Reaping within a year’s time.”
“Just one year?” The Legatus panicked. “I’m afraid we will need more time! We’ve only just begun to weaponize Zevan magic. Without further improvements, they risk being useless in battle.”
“Then accelerate your research, Legatus. Ubiquity Prime has greenlit an unlimited budget for this project. Take as many researchers as you need. Surely you are not lacking in Zevan; you have an entire planet full to reap after all,” he croaked as his hover-chair extended a mechanical limb up towards the planet.
The Legatus shook his head. “If we kidnap any more Zevan, we may very well have a mutiny on our hands. Our relationship with the locals is tenuous as it is.”
“Legatus, you did not come into your position by chance. It was earned through determination and perseverance. You will find a way to deliver the Prime’s army on schedule. These primitives pose no threat to us.”
“I understand, Consilium. I will deliver,” he said, bringing a fist to his chest as he dropped to his knees in deference.
“Good. There are a few other developments I would like to bring to your attention. As it pertains to the future of the
Dyn, I trust you to keep it in absolute confidence.”
“Of course, Consilium,” the blond Dyn responded, navigating his way around a low-hanging vine. They had walked far into the Arboretum where its tall trees formed a dense canopy, darkening the area such that the only light came from the strips embedded along the pathway. It made for quite a believable recreation of the Zevan homeworld, though the Legatus was far too nervous to appreciate it.
“First, as you know, tensions have been rising in the Forum. The other eight continue to go against our own Ubiquity Prime, and his feud with Jeyes Prime has reached new heights.
“Meanwhile Vowron Prime pushes his fleet to the outer reaches of the Andromeda Galaxy in the hopes of becoming the sole member of the Founding Forum to lay claim to that galaxy. We can safely ignore that crazy fool.”
“Yes, Consilium, I understand.”
He glanced at the nearby waterfall. “Jeyes Prime is our real concern, though I doubt you will encounter any interference from his forces this deep inside the Milky Way. Once we secure the human homeworld, he will have no recourse but to retreat.”
“I see now why Ubiquity Prime wants to accelerate his schedule. It would seem that the Forum is less stable than I had thought.”
“Indeed, these are dark times for the Dyn. None of the others have acted out thus far, but if they do, we will be facing a full-blown galactic feud. It would set us back by centuries. Legatus, I fear that it is only a matter of time.”
“I swear to you, Consilium, I shall not let Ubiquity Prime down.”
The Consilium went silent for a moment, then spun his hover-chair around and locked his visor with the Legatus’s eyes. “As the rulers of our society, we must be the bastions of perfection. You have proven yourself a capable leader, and I know you have been aiming for a position on the Consili. Succeed in this initiative, and the title of Consilium will be yours. I will vouch for your candidacy myself.”
“I am beyond words.”
The Apoadeid nodded. “The Dyn above all.”
“The Dyn above all,” the Legatus echoed.
The Consilium’s holo-projection winked out of sight, leaving the Legatus standing alone in the middle of the forest. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d held. To think that the balance of the Forum may very well hinge on his efforts! The pressure threatened to send him into a panic, but he soon collected himself; this was not the first time he had led such an operation. The Indoctrination wasn’t what concerned him. It was that damned traitor who had somehow slipped right through their fingers. If the Consilium ever found out…
He walked to the exit of the Arboretum and summoned his aide, who, as usual, appeared in an instant. To this day, he had no idea how she managed such impressive responsiveness.
Despite her mechanical appearance, she was very much a female. Belonging to a Dyn-acquired race called the Qephyx, she resembled a perfectly round glossy-black metal sphere, replete with various antennae and appendages that deployed on command. Lacking eyes, a mouth, or facial features of any kind, one could easily mistake them for some kind of floating drone. Yet their spherical housing was merely a shell, an armor that contained a carbon-monoxide-rich atmosphere in which their organic body resided, bonded to their technological skin.
“Legatus?” came her synthesized, feminine voice.
Ushering her into his office, he asked, “How goes the search for that bitch?”
“We are monitoring the Artificer’s every moment via the Insights global satellite network,” the aide rattled off in an emotionless monotone, “however, subduing her has proven challenging without mobilizing our heavier forces. She rides a tamed vairo-syken that moves thrice as fast as our chariots’ maximal velocity, though our recent retrofits should help in that area. She also has some type of radar interference ability, forcing us to rely on visuals. In addition, the vairo-syken has proven capable of destroying our craft.”
“I wonder. Did we identify the one seen traveling with her? Is she controlling an Ultimator?”
“No sir, all of the Indoctrinated are accounted for, and it is impossible for the Uninitiated to display such powers. We have not had such an opportunity to identify the male she is traveling with.”
“Ridiculous. Despite all of our overwhelming technology, you’re telling me we can’t catch one girl?”
“Sir, only our Hasta interceptors can outpace her vairo-syken with ease, but as short-range parasite craft, they must be launched from a Tensa mother ship. As you are aware, the chariots are built primarily for intimidation and peacekeeping, not pursuit.”
It wasn’t just that, no. Everything had seemed to go wrong this past week. Orders were mysteriously lost, chariots were sent to completely wrong positions. It all reeked of inside manipulation, of Resistance meddling.
“If only this planet had a real Dyn military presence,” he muttered. “Any one of our orbital assault weapons would have done the job.”
“Shall we deploy the Tensa? Of the four stationed on this planet, one can be mobilized immediately.”
“No. I cannot field our capital ships without Consili approval, and I would rather not worry them by requesting reinforcements. We shall make do with the forces we have here for now. How go the chariot retrofits?”
In truth, if this blunder ever reached the ears of the Consilium, he could kiss his promotion goodbye, or worse. No, this had to be handled discreetly. Deploying the Tensas, or even the chariots en masse, was bound to reach the Consilium’s ears. He may have gotten away with the show of force at Kyron, but actually sending them all out would not be in his best interests.
“Finished, Legatus. The retrofitted chariots boast over double their previous maximal velocity, and shedding their heavy armor has further improved upon that.”
“Recall all but the retrofitted chariots; we need to be smarter about this. I take it you have already simulated all possible flight vectors?”
“Yes, sir. We have already taken into account both the animal’s and the Artificer’s behavior and have placed chariots at key locations. Between Insights and the chariot’s sensors, we shall ambush the—”
The Legatus glanced at her when she stopped talking. “What’s the matter?”
“I am happy to announce,” she said in her usual deadpan, “that we have trapped them.”
The satisfaction painted upon the Legatus’s face could not be bought with any amount of wealth in all the worlds.
Two
“They’ve found us!” Nova shouted from atop Eiga’s back as the vairo-syken swooped down into a breathtaking canyon situated deep beneath majestic ice-clad mountaintops.
“Magnus, did you hear me?” she yelled again into his ear, trying to overcome the biting arctic cold and the howling winds.
“Yeah. Fuck! There’s no winning this game, is there?” MC slurred as he wiped the blood dribbling down his nose.
He’d been keeping not only Midar going to guide Eiga, but the energy dampener too. With it, they’d at least been somewhat successful in avoiding the Dyn’s global satellite network. Eiga’s speed had helped in that department, easily outpacing the lumbering hovercrafts. It was the only reason they were still alive.
“Magnus, they have a chariot within range and it’s keeping pace with us. We need to lose it before they open fire!”
“I know! The hell’s up with that, anyway? Were they always this fast?”
MC deactivated the energy dampener and the splitting headache immediately subsided, prompting him to sigh in relief at the unending pain’s absence. Stealth wasn’t useful now that they’d found him, and the ability couldn’t tank their attacks, anyway.
The dampener had leveled up by leaps and bounds during the course of the past week and could now be projected to cover Eiga entirely—essentially becoming a personal stealth field generator. Still, keeping it active 24/7 was impossible. That and the fact that he had to keep a hole open to fly Eiga with Midar meant that their stealth wasn’t perfect.
The chariot had decl
oaked right above them at six o’clock. Its microwave emitters opened fire, boiling Eiga’s wingtip. The great beast dove, roaring in pain as he whipped his wyrm-like neck around in rage. A massive red beam erupted from his maw, squarely hitting the ship. Eiga played the beam all over the craft, to no effect. The golden magic barrier that perfectly wrapped around its hull nullified any magical attacks.
“Eiga, buddy, we’ve tried that before. You know that doesn’t work!”
The vairo-syken shrieked at the chariot in frustration. A sentiment shared by all three of them.
“Hold on!”
Nova increased her grip on MC’s waist as he instructed Eiga to bank and dive again, nearly clipping a nearby frozen peak as they lost altitude. The angel yelped as her stomach lurched.
The mountainside would act as a barrier to the chariot’s offensive weaponry, but at best he’d bought them a few seconds.
MC wasn’t done, though. He glanced back at the receding mountain to relocate a massive chunk of rock right in front of where he thought the chariot would appear. He expected to hear the scrape of metal-on-granite, yet there was only silence.
The chariot had instantly trained its bottom-mounted guns on the rock, melting it with a high-power laser right before impact. Whatever was left was blown apart by the chariot as it passed right through.