But that was easier said than done. A sweat broke out all over my body from the nervous energy — I wanted to run, scream, jump, but I stayed strong. Once again, it was like back in the trials, barely holding on. I guess some good things do come out of them.
“Stick him with a regeneration syringe.” I heard unease in the first player’s voice. “I don’t like his reaction. He should have woken up…”
“Unbelievable… He’s so weak that he couldn’t do anything about the blocker, but he killed our brothers… How?”
“We’ll see once the game is over. Give him the shot.”
You hacked the protection of vehicle LTS-VI.
Control gained over LTS-VI.
Flyer showed me how Shartun Po came over, needle in hand, and bent over my body. I remained motionless, waiting for the syringe. The assumption was that the player’s protection would be down in that moment. It was the only way it could give me the shot.
The syringe buried itself in my stomach, and I did two things simultaneously. Three, actually.
The first was to jerk my right arm toward the mercenary’s body. While it was in transit, Fang appeared, stabbing right through Shartun’s suit.
The second was to simultaneously flip the LTS-VI over and bring it to a sudden stop, nose pointing up in the air.
And the third was to grip my chair tightly with my left hand to keep momentum from pulling my body upward. Not expecting that maneuver, the mercenaries flew out of the vehicle like corks from a bottle, one of them, of course, already turned into a rotting statue. Fang slid out of it with an unpleasant squelch.
I apparently had a problem with counting, because there was actually a fourth thing I did right then. The vehicle got the order to soar directly upward as fast as it could go. Flyer showed me how Shartun smacked into Garlun, breaking the latter’s concentration. But Garlun quickly kicked its suit into gear and flew off after the crazed vehicle.
Ten seconds later, I’d put enough distance between me and the player to turn the flying vehicle back right side up and start easing around in the other direction. There was no pursuit — Garlun was too busy checking on its brother. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any messages telling me I’d defeated the latter, so that meant the regeneration syringes were apparently able to cope with the necrotic energy. I need to pick up some new levels quickly. That was the only way I was going to be able to take them on.
Garlun let me turn around and fly back to the safe zone without giving chase. A timer immediately appeared. Apparently, the system had decided I hadn’t been gone long enough, so I only had six more hours to be in the zone. Flying over where I’d been captured, I noticed the troops below. They were gathering their weapons and piling the bodies. There was no reason to risk it, so I flew on by and stopped a few kilometers from the edge of the location. The Tsarter mercenaries definitely weren’t going to be able to reach me there.
I’d found out quite a bit of new and intriguing information while they’d had me. For whatever reason, Five was looking for me. And that was some serious firepower — the fifth-strongest player in the hexagon after the Tsarter group. It wants to talk to me, but about what? The whole thing was strange. But most importantly, I knew what the owner needed from our planet. It wasn’t the resources I’d chalked the whole thing up to. No, it was some kind of blood. Could the fairytales about the dead god and the adamantium his blood turned into be true? Is it really all that simple? I needed to find the digger and ask it a few questions, though I could only assume it was more heavily guarded than the general itself. I’ll come back to that later.
The troops got there two hours later. Flyer had let me watch them burn the bodies and march onward, burdened by their weapons and the weight of the wounded. They noticed me from a good distance away. As the group stopped, their weapons were trained on me. I stood next to the vehicle and held my hand up to show empty palms.
“Don’t shoot; I’m human!”
Two stepped forward, the rest holding back to keep me in their sights. They looked ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. Noticing how practiced their movements were, I made sure to stay still. I really wanted to know who they were, where they’d come from, and what they were doing there among the hordes of monsters.
My perception told me who they were long before they got to me. Two players at level twenty, the giant’s name was Dread Varlon, two heads taller than me, and with him was Nelly Oich. A woman? Indeed, the soldier walking up in the wrinkled and battered uniform was, in fact, a woman.
“Take your helmet off,” Nelly said. Her voice was normal, as was her appearance and figure. Just a tired woman around thirty-five or forty who could have been my mother.
I followed her request, though I took it more as an order.
“Your name, brother?”
“Mark Derwin,” I replied, taken aback.
“That Mark Derwin?” the man asked. There was something about his voice that I instantly disliked. It was singsong, low, the kind soldiers don’t have. And his appearance… Of course, everything was fine with his body, as the nanoparticles had turned humanity into Greek gods, but our faces had remained unchanged. Our habits were the same, as well. The darting eyes and smacking lips told me something was off with Dread.
“The very same,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
The pair relaxed. Nelly looked drawn, her face instantly taking on years as her shoulders dropped. She signaled to her troops, who slung their weapons and came over.
“Do you need regeneration syringes?” I asked, glancing over at the wounded.
“No, brother,” Nelly replied. “We don’t use the game. If their lot is to die as cripples, so be it.”
“What do you mean, you don’t use it?” I asked, my wonder growing. “You’re players, you get levels for your gameplay, and you’re taking out monsters. You can’t not use the game.”
“My son, it’s so sad to hear that you’re as lost as everyone else we’ve met,” Dread said unexpectedly. “You need to be saved like the rest of humanity.”
“Lost? What are you talking about?” The longer the conversation went, the less I understood. “There’s a game, and it came to our world. We’re supposed to win and rebuild whatever little is left after the game is over. What do you mean, lost?”
“There’s so much you don’t understand, my son.” Dread made a sign over me, and it finally dawned on me who I was talking to. A priest! He was in uniform, but he was a priest nonetheless. “The more you use the gifts of the enemy, the more you become enmeshed in his nets. The more your sin takes root. Repent and pray. Fight only with righteous weapons of war, and your faith will protect your soul, give you the strength to emerge victorious. Open up to wisdom. For if god is with us, who can be against us?”
I just stood there, unsure what to do. The last thing I’d been expecting was a bunch of fanatics.
Damn it!
Chapter 9
THE TROOPS refused point blank to fly on the game’s devil machine, as they called the LTS. And hiding it in my virtual storage elicited even more curses and cocked weapons. The group took a step back, apparently shunning me as a sinner. But when I led them firmly to a road with a parked bus Flyer had pointed out to me, they warmed a little. I was even allowed to carry one of their wounded. With my strength, it was much easier for me, especially seeing as how I could fly.
“So, where are you going?” I’d decided to accompany them to the city.
Lanky Dread exchanged glances with Nelly. The latter nodded.
“He’ll be cleansed, Father. We have to believe. That’s all we can do now.”
“You’re right, Sister.” The holy man made another cross in my direction. “We have to believe.”
Nelly laid a map out across the seat. And it wasn’t the kind you got at a news stand. No, it was so detailed it had to be military.
“We’re on our way here,” Dread said, jabbing a finger at one of the cities. “The saint’s relics are there, and they’ll help us protect
Earth.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you aren’t going to make it.” The name of the city the troops were headed toward was all too familiar. “That’s where the main boss in our hexagon is located — the general. There’s no way you’re getting close.”
“God is on our side,” Dread replied. “He will not stand for the outrages of the devil’s beasts.”
“It’s up to you, of course.” I wasn’t planning on trying to disabuse them of their holy notions. “And where are you coming from?”
“The north.” Nelly unrolled the map a little farther to show a fairly broad area. “There aren’t any monsters left there, and if we can break through — ”
“When, not if, my daughter,” Dread said.
“Yes, Father. When we get our hands on the relics, we’ll clear our lands of the unclean. And then we’ll get to work on other countries.”
“Wait, that’s what you’re trying to do?” I asked in surprise. “Pick up some relics and use them to get rid of the monsters? That’s why you’re here?”
“No, we had different orders from command at first,” Nelly said. “We were supposed to find stations pulling some kind of stones out of the ground and report back with their coordinates for an air strike. But Father Dread opened our eyes to how things really are. Earth’s problem isn’t the stations; it’s fading belief. This is all punishment for our sins. And so, because of that, we got rid of the stones and set off for the relics. They’re all that can help us now.”
“You got rid of them?” It was a day packed with surprising news. The idiots had found some noa only to toss it aside, and I wanted to know what had happened to it. “Where? When? Do you even know what they are?”
“Demonic rocks, and that’s all we need to know,” Dread replied with a grimace, his already unpleasant face turning downright revolting. “The faithful have no need of them. They were forged in the fires of Gehenna, and that’s where they belong!”
“They’re right here.” Nelly’s military background kicked in, and she pointed to the spot on the map where the noa was. “We buried them in the ground, returning them to where they were taken from.”
I was about to say something, though I stopped short. Something was off. But what is it? Checking the map one more time and making a mental note of the location, I realized that after our first meeting, the detachment had headed due south. The noa was buried just a hundred kilometers from the nearest concentration plant. But then, they’d turned on their heels when they suddenly remembered their faith. The moment of inspiration had been too sudden, in fact. Not good.
“Have you had these beliefs for long? When did you decide to head off for the relics?” I asked, trying to feel around for the train of thought that was evading me.
“Yesterday,” Nelly answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world, not even taking her eyes off me. “That was when we rescued Father Dread from the monsters, and he began to preach. We saw the light and realized where our salvation lies.”
“Humanity will be saved, my son,” Dread said. “Our sins will be washed clean as soon as we get to the relics. And you should come with us.”
“Of course,” I echoed, not looking to contradict. There was something about their behavior I didn’t like at all. Something was fake, though I couldn’t put my finger on what. I could only hope I’d figure it out later.
“So many people!” one of the soldiers exclaimed when we drove into the city. Long processions of regular humans were trailing into the city along the same road we were using, and I finally noticed some variety. Middle-aged men and women were mixed in with the elderly and children. The game apparently hadn’t gobbled up all of them.
“I need to preach to them!” Father Dread said. “So much pain and suffering in their souls — I have to help them be cleansed, help them find themselves!”
For a second, I started to doubt the impression I’d been building of the guy. He was right. Many of the elderly were having a hard time coping with their transition to monster and back, and they really did need help. Help from a pastor, mentor, clergyman. Anyone who could give them a kind, uplifting word.
“I’ll make that happen,” I said. The old man I’d left in charge of the location was enthusiastic about the open-air session, as he also understood where his people were coming from. The larva hulk and the remains of the tubs were hauled away from the square, the holes were hurriedly filled in, and an hour later, an enormous crowd had gathered to hear the word of god. The people weren’t even just in the square; they were peering out of windows, crowding on roofs, and clambering up onto streetlights. Everyone wanted to hear how everything was going to be okay. If not in that life, then in the next.
When the clergyman started speaking, the crowd fell silent. Even the children were quiet, everyone stunned by the deep, melodious, measured voice Dread was speaking in. And actually, while what he said was simple and banal, it was to the point. He talked about the trial we were facing, about how we needed to stand up under it and keep moving forward, about how important it was to push through the hardships. We needed to be strong and daring, all of that. But one thing I didn’t like was that he held up an enormous cross and demanded that everyone follow him in his quest for the relics. And the reason I didn’t like it was that the crowd fell into line without a second’s hesitation. Cries rang through the square: Lead us! God is with us! They were taken up by more people, and soon the entire crowd was clamoring in one voice about how they were willing to follow Father Dread wherever he led in order to save their souls. Phones and all the other game items the new converts had picked up over the previous few hours were tossed to the ground. In fact, I’d never seen such an instant transformation, with the weak, terrified group suddenly turning confident and fanatical. It certainly felt like they would have rushed the monsters with bare hands regardless of the casualties if Dread had ordered it.
Something buzzed in my left hand. Glancing down in confusion, it took me a few moments to realize what the tablet was doing there. In fact, it was only when I held it up and read the message that I stopped short. Goosebumps ran down my spine, and a sticky sense of fear gripped me. Quickly slipping my helmet back on my head to make my outfit airtight, my senses returned. The bastard! I’d been right all along about him.
The shot was lost in the hubbub of the crowd, though it was right on the money — the cross the clergyman was holding aloft shattered. The raving followers froze as if held on a string, and I flew into the air. And with Valkyrie trained on Father Dread, who was staring at the remains of the cross in surprise, Raptor pulled up an unpleasant message:
A forbidden level 6 hypnotic device was discovered in your location.
“Stop him!” Dread bellowed, having quickly regained his senses. A finger jabbed in my direction. “He’s the devil!”
Nelly and her troops instantly reacted, though they were still just a second too late. I was invisible and hurtling away from the crowd. The last thing I wanted was hypnotized players firing at me — they would have shredded my protection in a few instants. But I didn’t want to kill Dread. Something told me that would have just made things worse, and I’d gotten used to listening to my instincts.
“Where is he?!” The clergyman spun around helplessly, trying to catch a glimpse of me. The soldiers, meanwhile, scoped in every time they saw the slightest movement in the air. Their training was impressive. Alighting next to the podium Father Dread was speaking from, I activated my camouflage field and studied him. He was definitely human — there was no doubting that. The only problem was that he wasn’t behaving in a very human matter, and that demanded further attention.
“Mark Derwin is evil! He must be destroyed!” Dread continued his sermon, still unable to find me and turning the subject from salvation for lost souls to the annihilation of a player that was a bit too nimble for his liking.
Note! A forbidden level 6 hypnotic device was discovered in your location.
Devices discovered: Dread Varlon�
�s phone, transmitter, consciousness block (22 units).
Another cross appeared in the clergyman’s hands, and the motionless crowd once again broke out in ecstasy. The only difference was that that time they thirsted for blood. My blood.
Whoever had prepared the clergyman for that meeting was incredibly strong. It took thirty tries before the game finally gave in to the 2% chance I had of hacking the equipment.
You hacked the transmitter and consciousness block protection.
Block!
There was a metal clang as the cross dropped to the ground, Father Dread’s arms no longer strong enough to hold up the suddenly heavy object. The soldiers and the clergyman himself were next to collapse to the ground. From what my drone told me, they were all unconscious. Once again, the crowd fell silent, stunned by what they were seeing and still under the spell of the mass hypnosis. I turned my invisibility back on and flew up onto the platform. From there, I grabbed the phone, picked up the cross, and stripped everyone of small earpieces that looked like portable transmitters. Finally, the crowd livened up. There were gasps when they saw me, though none of them were eager to chop me up any longer.
Pearl of the South (World of the Changed Book #2): LitRPG Series Page 12