Now, I needed to memorize the numbers and coordinates. And I needed to make sure I had it dead on, because whether or not I’d make it home depended on getting this right. I read the text a few times, then repeated it by rote and checked. No errors! Now, quickly into the game to write it down in my diary so I could be sure not to forget or lose this invaluable information!
As soon as I stored the note in the virtual world, the game reacted with an improvement in Cartography:
Cartography skill increased to level forty-six!
Great! Now, before leaving the safe hotel capsule, I should spend up my free skill points. I had a whole twelve. I placed seven into Astrolinguistics, raising it right to fifty-five. I was very interested in the skill requirement at that level for reading the thoughts of aliens. Now, I just had to take the Psionic skill after my character reached level fifty, and that was no longer so far-off. Then, Gnat would be able to read all kinds of thoughts! Mega cool!!! The most obvious application was exposing Dark Faction agents along with other unreliable players and those inclined to working for the enemy, which would immediately make life easier for the H3 Faction.
But as for spending the five remaining points, I thought for a long time and, in the end, all five went into Sharpshooter, raising that handy combat skill to twenty-seven. Alright, now I was ready for new adventures! After I unlocked the door, Fox the fox, already waiting at the door and clearly hungry, said in admonishment:
“Be careful now! If Miyelonians have taken an interest in you, they probably already know where you’re staying. So, there might be enemies waiting for you right next to the capsule!”
I used Scanning but didn’t detect anything dangerous. Still, just in case, I equipped my Pulse Rifle and waited anxiously for the metal blinds to raise very, very slowly. And when they were open, I took a look down the empty hotel corridor. I shook my head in reproach, called Fox a coward and alarmist, then headed for the exit.
However, Fox knew Miyelonian society much better than me, and I really should not have been mocking my companion. We didn’t even manage to make it out of the hotel before it happened. I had to admit, I made a big mistake. At first, I blinked through the attack. I only saw a fast-moving shadow flicker by to my right but didn’t manage to react or even register it. My Danger Sense kicked in, but it was too late. I grabbed for my weapon but didn’t know how to help. I just stood there like an idiot and watched Fox bite a furry gray figure by the throat as it thrashed, flailing with flashing blades in a vain attempt to strike the Morphian.
You have reached level forty-eight!
You have received three skill points!
I didn’t take any part in the uncompromising battle, so I was surprised to get experience. Fox had enlisted herself as my pet, so technically the algorithms were doing the right thing. What difference did it make how you killed an enemy? An animal sicced on an opponent is a weapon just like a blade or blaster, even though the pet also took a share of the experience unlike a rifle or axe. So, who did “my pet and I” just take down?
Only when the toothy fox had unclenched her bloodied fangs and dropped the breathless body at my feet could I see that the remains belonged to a Miyelonian by the name of Ayuk Ukh Miiyauu from the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior, a level-76 Assassin.
Pride of the Heavenly Warrior? I was reminded that the little thief I’d punished was from that very clan. Was this revenge for shooting an underage pickpocket with my Pulse Rifle? Seriously? And actually, there he was. I noticed the level-17 Miyelonian thief watching me from a balcony. Realizing he’d been spotted, the little thief Tini Wi-Mauya hurried to hide.
“Too bad no items dropped. Just the body. You can take the tail, but the rest is mine,” the hungry Morphian said. I didn’t argue.
Tail of Ayuk Ukh Miiyauu, Level-76 Assassin (trophy)
Fame increased to 39.
Authority increased to 3!
While I attached a second tail to my helmet, I tried to stand with my back to the ghastly feast and ignore the disgusting crunching and chomping behind my back. But it was no small feat to abstract myself from all that. For some reason, it got to me on the deepest level. Maybe it was because I noticed only yesterday that Miyelonian blood was the same red as mine, and that their body structure was quite similar as well. So, there was a primordial disgust in knowing someone was eating a humanlike corpse. I was grossed out to even be nearby, which was to say nothing of watching. I would just be vomiting if I was watching.
“Alright, that’s it, I’ve had my fill!” Fox clearly could sense the whole bouquet of my emotions.
I turned cautiously, expecting to see bones picked clean or streaks of blood on the walls and even ceiling. However, there was nothing of the sort. The only reminder of the bloody meal was a damp spot where the body had just been. There were no remains, nor traces of blood. The Morphian hadn’t left a thing. A foolish thought came to mind that Fox had devoured the Miyelonian together with his clothes and shoes. But I immediately corrected myself. No objects had dropped as loot, so there wouldn’t have been any footwear for the space fox to chew through.
“Gerd Gnat, I no longer require feeding. I’ve had my fill. And you, as far as I understand, will be fighting back disgust for a while before your appetite comes back. So let’s not waste any time and make straight for the passage to the main station.”
I looked again at the wet spot, all that was left of the Miyelonian killer. I glanced dubiously at the fox licking her lips in satisfaction. Her body hadn’t even changed although she’d just swallowed a victim the same size as her. Was I bringing a living terror into this space station, and thus becoming the unwilling coauthor of a ghastly and bloody page in its most recent history?
“I think I’m starting to understand why you want to reach the main station! After all, thousands and thousands of creatures live there, and it’s a huge area, where a Morphian could live for years, eating only reckless victims as it changes bodies and slips away!”
I felt as if my heart froze in my chest for a few seconds, like a set of icy fingers reached out and touched it. However, the wave of alarm and fear brought on by Danger Sense quickly passed. Fox then, just like a person, turned her head and commented on my accusations:
“Gerd Gnat, what you described would only fit an unintelligent NPC animal. The mind of a Morphian contains somewhat greater dreams and aspirations than simply filling one’s belly.”
Chapter Fourteen. Foundling
SOMETHING MUST HAVE happened... Last time, when I walked alone down the huge luxurious hall of the residential floor, there were around one hundred fifty or two hundred creatures of all different races walking at their leisure or talking peacefully. But now, after leaving the hotel, the room was packed tight with Miyelonians. There were thousands of them, if not to say tens of thousands. They were all moving in the same direction, clamoring and fighting amongst themselves. And at that, it was only Miyelonians. I didn’t see any members of other races in the crowd.
What was happening? An evacuation? An attack on the station? That was exactly what I suspected, as I watched the crush in the middle of the room. The Morphian stopped too, looking around and perking her fox ears, even taking a sniff. Finally, Fox said with shame:
“Now we’ve stepped in it... We should have gone through earlier.”
“What’s going on? Is it war?” I asked in fear. The answer I received was strange:
“Worse! One of the four incarnations of the Great First Female has come to the Medu-Ro IV station, the honorable Priestess, Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo.”
I had to admit, I didn’t understand one iota. What exactly was bad about this? How did the arrival of one of these four somehow unusual females have any effect on my plans? In fact, it seemed to be the opposite. The large number of arriving ships meant I would have a better chance of finding a captain to bring me where I was going. I kept quiet for a minute, thinking over what my companion had said and watching the river of Miyelonians. Then, I admitted my ignorance:
“Not at all. As far as I know, Amiru is the most peaceable of the four current incarnations of the ancient female, who first lived thousands of tongs ago. The Miyelonians consider her the divine founder of their race. But what you see now, these crowds of religious fanatics, they flew here from hundreds of inhabitable systems just for a peek at a living legend. I am not at all sure you and I will be let through to the hall where Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo will be preaching. Even if there is not an official rule against admitting other races, some fanatic might kill us ‘just in case,’ so we can’t harm their saint.”
I was shaken by the unfortunate perspective. Hrmph, rough... Although Fox was completely right. Fanatics behaved just as aggressively in all worlds. What could I say? Even before, I didn’t much want to climb into that dense clamoring crowd, but after Fox’s words I had changed my mind about going down the Miyelonian-filled corridor to the main station. Although I didn’t see why that was so bad. I figured I’d just have to wait for all these religious events to finish, then cross. How long could that possibly take? Actually… I had just a bit more than forty hours left, so maybe there was cause for alarm...
There was nothing to be done, so me and the fox went up the stairs to the second floor and stood on a little balcony, giving us a view of the crowd. In it, there were Miyelonians of various colorings and sizes. More were arriving every minute. The flow had almost come to a complete halt and now the far end of the room was densely packed with newly arrived pilgrims, so the back rows were just squeezing in more and more. Also, many of the newcomers were not feeling patient. I was seeing more and more sparks of conflict using claws, teeth, and sometimes blades. It really was some kind of madness. One could be killed for a place nearer the exit! And some were!
Eagle Eye skill increased to level forty-nine!
Maybe it was because of the danger, but several of the newly arrived pilgrims preferred to hang back, pressing up against the walls and just waiting for the crowd and bloody squabbles to die down. Although their behavior might have had a different motivation. Fox translated the outcries of several especially vehement and rapturous pilgrims, exclaiming that Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo would surely pass through this room. They wanted to see her, make spiritual contact with her divine mystery, and maybe even touch the great Priestess with a hand.
And then, suddenly, among thousands of unfamiliar Miyelonians, I saw a familiar face! Well, not human face, but the pretty cat face of Ayni Uri-Miayuu, the Translator who issued my pass at the registration desk. The small orange cat, somewhat disheveled in the tight squeeze, also wanted to get back to the wall and was now looking around in confusion, not knowing what to do next. Ayni was not so far away, so I called out to her, inviting her up with a wave. Ayni immediately took me up on that and was standing beside me a minute later.
“Kento duho, Gerd Gnat!” The orange cat said, glancing without particular interest at the fox lying at my feet. She then cautiously approached the railing and looked down from the balcony. “Woah! By the Great First Female, it looks even worse from up here!”
Carefully choosing my words as not to give away my intelligent fox, I said:
“I am very bad at Miyelonian, but I think that disheveled black-furred Cleric just shouted that the majestic Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo would come through this room. Because of that and the crowd, some pilgrims decided to stay in their rooms to wait. To be honest, though, I just wanted to see a rare spectacle, which is why I’m up on this balcony.”
“What the heck?!” the fluffy Translator objected. “I am one hundred percent sure that Leng Amiru and her retinue will be following a different route! The owners of the space station have launched a direct elevator especially for her that bypasses all these floors. Also, if that Cleric was speaking the truth, the First Pride Elite Guard would have this place on lockdown! But do you see even a single soldier in white armor?”
I had no idea what the First Pride even was, or why its soldiers should be dressed in white armor. But Fox, actively listening in on our conversation, seemingly did. The fox quietly stood up and walked to the railing, perking up her ears and looking at the crowd, as if signing off on Ayni’s words. And meanwhile, there was another scuffle raging in the middle of the room, this time especially bloody. There was a group of fanatics that had somehow upset another group and glinting blades had come into play. In just one minute, more than thirty Miyelonians went to respawn.
“How horrible!” my roommate said, shocked. “So many deaths, so much anger... That might lead to a war between the prides, which could end very badly indeed. But at my desk, I was told they would soon be suspending document checks at the crossing to the main station. Registration was also put on hold, because we could never manage such a huge number of arrivals.”
Ayni was standing with her back to the Morphian so she couldn’t see, but I noticed the fox turn around and start trotting boldly to the stairs, growing smaller in size as she did. Then, I saw a few flashes of red fur in the crowd. Fox was moving fairly quickly under the feet of the incoming pilgrims. Then, at the very farthest end of the room... although here I wasn’t sure... next to the very exit, a modest orange cat suddenly seemed to appear. And it looked identical to Ayni Uri-Miayuu, who was still standing next to me.
Eagle Eye skill increased to level fifty!
Based on the sudden system message, I wasn’t wrong, and that really was Fox. I suspected the headstrong and unpredictable creature had decided to part ways, take advantage of the lack of control and walk into the station as she was initially planning. I couldn’t judge a predator for wanting to reach rich hunting grounds, and I didn’t tell the orange Translator about “my dangerous pet.” Ayni was still standing next to me and staring in horror down at the rampaging crowd below.
It was possible that I would change my decision and tell her about the threat, but I suddenly no longer wanted to. Three dignified Miyelonians walked unhurriedly up to our balcony. And I knew two of them: the level-17 Thief Tini Wi-Mauya and the level-76 Assassin Ayuk Ukh Miiyauu, whose fluffy tail now served as decoration to my helmet (although after respawn, the Assassin’s tail had regrown). The third guest’s information was hidden, but I suspected he was also a member of the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior. All three Miyelonians were on guard and keeping their hands on the hilts of their weapons.
The Assassin bared his teeth and hissed at the frightened Translator, after which Ayni Uri-Miayuu sharply lowered her eyes and ran away. Anyhow, that very same third and unknown Miyelonian sharply threw his clawed paw forward, catching the runaway by the shoulder, turning her toward him and asking a question. Ayni meowed back, and the stranger let her go, seemingly after receiving an apology.
I thought she would take advantage of this and run away full tilt but, instead, Ayni put on a calm demeanor, turned around and stood next to me, telling me the contents of their brief conversation:
“Gerd Gnat, that guy from the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior just asked if I can communicate with you. And when I said yes, he asked me to stay and translate. The Pride of the Heavenly Warrior guaranteed that I would be unharmed, and they promised to treat you with honor.”
Getting off on the right foot! If the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior simply wanted to kill me, they would have done so right off the bat, then they’d have slain the Translator as not to leave a witness. Well, I wanted to know what these three tomcats were after, and what they considered honorable treatment. I’d hear them out.
“U misi-ni lipir-shi mi Fox?” the stranger mewed out ingratiatingly, and I could tell without translation that he wanted to know about my absent fox.
Ayni fully confirmed my guess.
Astrolinguistics skill increased to level fifty-six!
That’s what I needed yesterday: simultaneous interpreting from Miyelonian to Geckho! Despite the tension of the moment, I was very glad at the rare chance to study Miyelonian t
hrough another alien language I hadn’t yet mastered. Overall, I could work things out though, and it had a very positive effect on my Astrolinguistics skill. I decided to draw out this conversation as long as I could. Even if the sullen Miyelonians decided to send Gnat to respawn, I could chalk this up as a win, improving my grasp on the local lingo.
“I mean, who can say where Fox goes? She was just here on the balcony with me, but I guess she ran off. I could call her if you want her so bad! My pet will show up in no time!”
Authority increased to 4!
Authority increased to 5!
Of course, I was bluffing. I couldn’t call the predatory creature even if I wanted to. And again, I didn’t need translation to understand that these Miyelonians weren’t merely here to pet a cute animal. Meanwhile, Ayni translated the following phrases from the Miyelonian stranger:
“I imagine you understand why we’re here. You caused serious damage to the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior by robbing an underage player and, more importantly, punishing him in public.”
“Punishing?! Robbing?! That’s a very strange interpretation of events! I caught a thief who stole something of value from me. I could have punished him by cutting off his tail or shaving his head bare, but I took his young age and low level into account, so I decided to punish him as mildly as I could allow. I just took a small indemnity, not even all his cash. I figure I taught the pickpocket a little lesson: if you’re a Thief by class, then you need to be more careful and pick easier targets!”
My logical and seemingly clear answer caused a long argument among the Miyelonians. Honestly, I had no idea what they were bickering and cursing about for those few minutes, because Ayni didn’t translate. But I took advantage of the free moment, opened my skill window and put all three points into Medium Armor, raising it to 43. That, I was hoping, would at least somewhat improve my chances in the seemingly inevitable duel.
External Threat (Reality Benders Book #2) LitRPG Series Page 14