“No, Dryads cannot wear armor of any kind. Most of them don’t even wear basic clothing and think nudism to be natural and attractive. Dryads also consider it natural for men to stare at them. I had to explain to my wife that nakedness is not always viewed as normal in human society, and Nefertiti agreed to cover her body at least somewhat.”
I personally had no problem with the Dryad’s appearance. Really, if you think about it, why should a Meleyephatian Programmer be able to walk around the starship in just a toolbelt, but not a Dryad Artisan? And even Gerd T’yu-Pan, who was once very embarrassed to see Gerd Tamara naked, had seemingly already grown used to his underling’s wife’s appearance and had no problem with it. But Denni Marko on the other hand was thunderstruck, staring wide-eyed at the unusual NPC. And that earned him some grief from Valeri. I could sense the waves of annoyance and jealousy emanating from the Tailaxian lady from here.
Psionic skill increased to level ninety-six!
Successful Perception check!
I slowly lowered a hand and allowed the invisible Little Sister to sniff my palm. And after determining the creature’s position, I even risked trying to pet the dangerous Shadow Panther. And she was just fine with that.
“You’re finally learning how to treat Little Sister!” a stream of thoughts from Valeri rang out in my head. “She missed you, captain. As, by the way, did I.”
Valeri-Urla was teasing me again. But I didn’t respond to the Tailaxian’s provocative message, just turned my attention to the three remaining newcomers. There was another I already knew:
Svetlana Vereshchagina. Human. Human-3 Faction. Level-94 Assassin.
Though I knew her as the phy-ed instructor for Human-3 Faction newbies, she was also a capable First Legion killer. I wonder who is training newcomers under the Dome now. Wearing a form-fitting Dark Faction temperature-regulating scout suit, she was smiling carelessly although I could feel her internal tension and lack of confidence. I could have read her thoughts if I wanted, but I didn’t. I had no questions or remarks for my new teammate. Svetlana was a strong fighter in close combat and a clear boon to our boarding team.
I turned to the remaining two. A light-haired young man in a shapeless ghillie suit and a blonde lady in a track suit the colors of the German flag. Very similar faces. Twins? That looked very possible, although they were of different genders:
Destroying Angel. Human. Human-6 Faction. Level-78 Gunfighter.
Grim Reaper. Human. Human-6 Faction. Level-72 Sniper.
And they both went by a nickname? They were standing very close to one another as well. Unusual. Noticing my interest in the newcomers, giant boarding team leader Gerd T’yu-Pan walked up:
“Captain, I only took four people from the whole list of candidates you sent. And it wasn’t that the rest were bad fighters. Nothing of the sort. There were some very solid candidates from the First Legion, and the Second Legion too. There was also a Monk from the Chinese Human-1 Faction I liked. He had an intriguing hand-to-hand combat style. But I was instructed to take only the best of the best, and only those that wouldn’t shine too bright and would be willing to bust their butts and work as part of a team. Kisly made an immediate impression on me. He was much stronger and more dangerous than his level might suggest, able to hit any target at two hundred yards with short machine-gun bursts, and seemingly able to even outdo Geckho in feats of strength. Svetlana has also proven herself a master killer.”
“But these two?” I nodded at the two Germans standing nearby. “Their level isn’t too impressive. Seventy. Most of the people in the crew are already ninety or above. They’ll be the farthest behind.”
“Destroying Angel is a seven-time champion of your world and a two-time Olympic champion in a sport involving cross-country ski racing and ancient rifle marksmanship. I think it’s called biathlon. Nimble, high endurance, deadly. She also has a solid grasp on the language of the magocratic world and is quickly making strides in Geckho as well. She can understand us right now perfectly well, for example. And yet, she’s standing still as a statue. I was never able to make her flinch even though I was really trying and provoking her on purpose. If I’m not mistaken, her name is Laura, but she doesn’t respond to that name, only to the nickname Destroying Angel. But she can shoot fast as lightning and with deadly accuracy. Look!”
T’yu-Pan suddenly threw a small red crystal toward the hangar ceiling – the lowest denomination of Geckho currency.
“Fire!”
The shot was nearly instantaneous. Despite my high Perception, I had a hard time telling exactly when the snub-nosed rifle appeared in her hands. In the space of a second, the weapon was stashed back in her inventory and the crystal had been dashed to a sprinkling of red dust.
Eagle Eye skill increased to level eighty-three!
Okay, impressive! And she was a seven-time world champion and a two-time Olympic champion. A true star of the Human-6 Faction! It was definitely worth letting her join Team Gnat, despite her fairly modest level.
Her brother (and it really was a twin brother, I was not wrong) as it turned out had not taken to sport and instead pursued the life of a professional soldier. A shooting instructor. A sniper with real-world combat experience. T’yu Pan turned on his palmtop and started reading off the places he’d served, words unknown in his world. Iraq. Afghanistan. Syria. The Central African Republic. Then he was sent to play the game that bends reality in the ranks of the H6 Faction.
“I think he even shot me once in Karelia,” the Shocktroop laughed with no resentment, turning off his computer. “And there’s another interesting peculiarity. When brother and sister are working together in a group, they both get a twenty-percent bonus to accuracy and action speed.”
Well, well! Interesting to know that twins had that feature. I’d have to ask Basha and Vasha Tushihh if they also got bonuses from working together. And if the German soldiers got bonuses from our Bard on top of that, they’d make a truly spectacular pair!
When I’d finished meeting the beginners and looked at the time, I had my team line up and told them their mission:
“As I’m sure you’ve all realized, we’re at war with some Miyelonian pirates. Veterans of Team Gnat already know, but I’ll explain for the newbies. The Pride of the Bushy Shadow has been trying to trip us up for a long time, and brawling with them is practically a daily occurrence at this point. Those cosmic scoundrels only understand the language of force and, after every beatdown we give them, they go quiet for a bit to lick their wounds. In the past we would hole up for defense. But for the first time, we’re truly stronger and can go teach the local Bushy Shadow just how bad they messed up when they decided to go against us!”
Authority increased to 65!
My crewmembers started buzzing. I heard war cries from all directions. After I said that, no one was afraid of the pirates anymore. In fact, they were raring for a fight.
“Captain, I have a question,” raising his hand before like a schoolboy, Space Commando Eduard Boyko stepped forward in his heavy exoskeleton suit. “Sorry for interrupting your fiery speech. But there’s something I’m failing to understand. When was it that we holed up and defended ourselves exactly? When we broke into that dock and pinned the pirate captain to the wall by the ears? Or when we attacked and capture the pirate treasure vault on Medu-Ro IV?”
“I bet he means a bit earlier, when we captured the pirate interceptor in open space,” Tini the kitten answered Eduard with a predatory smirk.
I smiled and didn’t tell my friends off for poking holes. I understood that it was just nerves before a fight and Eduard was trying to show off to the new girls and boasting of his past feats. So I simply continued:
“When I said we holed up, I was talking about our most recent encounter when we were just seven against fifty pirates. We had to defend ourselves and repel an attack. But you know my rule: the best defense is a good offense! So now, with the balance changed, we are going for the kill! And we will come at them with excessive f
orce to make a point. We’ll even have to be extra cruel so we don’t merely win, but smack the Pride of the Bushy Shadow down so hard they’ll never want to tangle with us again. We have around four hours until the pirate pride’s main forces get to the station. Let’s spend that time intelligently and wipe out the Bushy Shadow’s fighters to get the pirates shivering in fear! We’ll destroy and capture everything the pirate pride owns here on Kasti-Utsh III. And after that, we’ll secure our flanks and be ready to greet pirate leader Big Abi and his goons right at dock and try to take them out there along with their starship! We’ve got four million crypto riding on this, that’s twenty-eight million Geckho crystals. A lot of money. A damn lot I’d say. That’s what the winner of this war stands to gain. And I am planning to spend a significant portion of it improving the starship and buying the very best weapons and armor in existence for my crew! So, let’s get this party started! We’re gonna tear them to pieces!!!”
Chapter Eleven. Preparing for a Counterattack
THE FIRST TARGET I selected was hangar 7-226 in the seventh maneuver tunnel. It was where we’d manipulated the registration service terminal into jamming the two pirate interceptors in together. The station services had yet to uncover our meddling and Ayukh and San-Doon were back on the frigate using the thousands of security cameras to keep tabs on the station. The Navigator had just sent me a message that our opponent was concentrating forces in hangar 7-226 – both the pirates who respawned after the last unsuccessful attack and the other members of the pride of the Bushy Shadow. There were more than forty armed players, including some with heavy weaponry, which the old Navigator said included mobile rocket launchers and plasma cannons.
Our march down the corridors of the space station with two gigantic Immolators in tow did not go unnoticed and the pirates were well prepared to resist the dangerous heavy robots. I don’t know whether our opponents were planning another attack or about to hunker down and go on defense, but I decided not to squander the opportunity and attack while all my foes were concentrated in one place instead of dispersed throughout the gigantic station.
I placed the rattling several-ton Immolators at the tail of the procession, and sent the flying drone out in front, then led my armed squadron down the corridors of the station. The Miyelonians we saw on the way pressed themselves against the walls in fear, many taking out cameras and filming our march. By all appearances, this was an unusual sight for the residents of Kasti-Utsh III. That was when I realized that I had never seen huge combat robots here on the station before. That gave rise to a few vague suspicions and I called up the orange Translator to figure them out:
“Ayni, as a former station employee, is it allowed to use heavy military vehicles in an official war inside a station?”
“No, of course not,” the Miyelonian said without a second’s doubt. “It is not allowed to use powerful gravity or thermonuclear charges either. That kind of weaponry could blow up a whole hangar and damage other parts of the space station as well.”
The fluffy kitty winced in pain as an Immolator tried to fit into a gap that was too narrow and low for it, taking down a billboard hanging above and leaving a sizeable dent in the plastic wall. Hrm... You could definitely track our procession by the wake of destruction. And the Immolators had yet to even fire up their cannons!
“Then why hasn’t anyone stopped us?” I asked, hoping for clarity.
Gerd Ayni bared her teeth happily, tousling her whiskers and showing her flawlessly white sharp little teeth:
“I was wracking my brains over that myself before our reunion with the rest of the team. But then I realized that the rule against using such weapons in narrow corridors on the station seemed so obvious that they never actually bothered to come up with a punishment for violating it. No one ever thought someone would actually break it! I opened the rules for Kasti-Utsh III visitors to make sure and it actually doesn’t contain any penalties for using heavy or excessively destructive weaponry. I suspect they will add one later today. But for now I say go for it, captain!”
Gerd Ayni was obviously cheered up by the bureaucratic oversight. And it really was funny. But that Miyelonian administrator’s cock-up was only to our advantage. Just then, Uline Tar walked up closer to me and quietly said that she had completed my mission and secured the rights to the platinum mine. But the Trader hadn’t told me the concrete details just yet because financial agreements between the starship’s co-owners were supposed to be kept between us.
“Captain! The pirates are carrying tanks of gas into hangar 7-226!” the old Navigator’s alarmed voice rang out in my headphones. “I can’t tell what exactly they contain. It could be toxic. The Jarg also guesses poison gas. And another thing, captain. The Journalist who was interviewing the guy from the Pride of the Bushy Shadow before is there. It looks like she convinced him to take her with so she could report live from the scene.”
Poison gas? An outsider in the combat zone? I stopped short and turned to my companions. At the very best half of my players had spacesuits so, if the pirates released toxic gas, it could mean out serious trouble, taking out half my crew in one fell swoop.
“Uline, our newcomers urgently need gas masks at the very least, preferably space suits. Look around for somewhere nearby where we can quick buy what we need.”
The Trader took my request completely in stride and, turning on her palmtop, started examining offers. At the same time, I turned to my business partner for a consultation – did we stand to land ourselves in hot water if we accidentally harmed or even killed a member of a pride that was not involved in the official war?
The furry Geckho lady tore herself from the screen of her palmtop, rolled her eyes back thoughtfully, fell silent for five seconds, then honestly admitted that she had a poor understanding of Miyelonian tradition. Instead, Miyelonian Medic Gerd Mauu-La Mya-Ssa gave an answer:
“Attacking outsiders and especially killing them is categorically forbidden. That would be a very serious crime! And war with another pride does not serve as justification!”
“Yes, that is true, Leng Gnat,” Gerd Ayni Uri-Miayuu cut into the conversation. “I suspect that the pirates took the Journalist specifically to use as cover. That will not only turn law enforcement against us, it will make the Pride of the Sweet Voice demand compensation or even join the war on the pirates’ side.”
Okay then, I see. I’d have to take the outsider into account. I ordered my crew not to harm the Journalist under any circumstances. Beyond that, I mentally told the Immolators and Small Relict Guard Drone to immediately cease fire if there was a risk of hitting any neutral character. I was not at all sure that such a complex order would be properly understood by the robots, but it ended up working.
Machine Control skill increased to level ninety-nine!
Mental Fortitude skill increased to level one hundred!
The system messages were nice but nothing special. Briefly glancing at them, I was planning to get back to the conversation, but... before my eyes appeared a new message, which was blinking to draw attention:
ATTENTION! You may now choose your first specialization in the Mental Fortitude skill.
What? I have to admit, I was baffled and even somewhat taken aback. I’d been in the game that bends reality for almost a month and a half at this point, but this was the first I was hearing about skills having specializations! If I told someone that, they’d laugh at me. But how was I supposed to know? Most players thought me something of an expert, asked me for advice and followed my example. Although... here I was reminded that my wife’s ghoulish grandfather Gerd Avir-Syn La-Pirez once uttered the phrase: “Just wait ‘til you find out what happens to skills at level one hundred fifty.” To be honest, I didn’t give that the proper attention at the time. So seemingly, another specialization would become available at level one hundred fifty, given this was my “first.”
So, how does one go about choosing a specialization, and what kind of choices are there? I opened the game menu and starte
d flipping through tabs. There it is! The information was located in the skills tab, and I started examining the text closely. Okay then, plenty of intriguing options:
Control more than one creature’s mind at the same time.
Increase mental attack range by 300%.
Increase mental defense by 50%.
Reduce Magic Point expenditure for maintaining mind control by half.
Reduce impact of negative Intelligence difference.
Complete immunity to having images, feelings and emotions read from your mind.
I suspected that choosing the last one would completely break Morphians’ ability to read pleasing forms from my mind to adapt themselves to. Well, it would be hard on any race that orients itself on emotions or images in other peoples’ brains rather than thoughts. Without that kind of feedback it would be extremely hard, if at all possible, for them to appease someone. It would be an obvious choice in a universe teeming with Morphians. But given that the dangerous predators had practically been driven extinct, the perk was practically useless. Although who could say? There might have been other races out there with similar abilities.
In any case, I didn’t choose that specialization. I also skipped over the second to last one. With my 33 Intelligence points (38 even, with the rings) encountering a creature with high enough Intelligence to trip that perk would be a vanishingly rare occurrence. And saving Magic Points was also irrelevant to me. With my high Intelligence, I was doing just fine for mana. But I did spend some time mulling over the first three options in the list. I felt like I needed all of them. Defending myself from mental attacks, increasing my mental range, and controlling several targets simultaneously. Finally, I made my choice:
A Jump into the Unknown (Reality Benders Book #5) LitRPG Series Page 13