The Dome leader spent a long time in thoughtful silence, then voiced his decision:
“Alright, Ivan. Get in touch with Leng Thumor-Anhu La-Fin to discuss a ransom for his granddaughter, and how much he’s willing to pay us to keep quiet. Your first offer should demand building materials worth forty thousand crystals and the complete removal of Dark Faction divisions from the Poppy Fields node. Let’s see what the old geezer has to say to that. Treat our prisoner as delicately as possible. Feed her, give her decent clothing and provide her a place to rest in a green zone. Alright, on that note I suggest we end the meeting...”
But I couldn’t hold back and asked what I thought was a very logical question:
“Are we really going to just let Minn-O La-Fin go without interrogating her?! She probably has such valuable information! This isn’t right!”
Danger Sense skill increased to level ten!
I realized what would happen as soon as the paladin girl’s huge robot suit started moving in my direction. Then, a painfully familiar many-barreled machinegun appeared in Gerd Tamara’s armored hands:
“Gnat, weren’t you warned never to doubt the decisions of high-status players? There is a Gerd here, and even a Leng. So, this is on you...”
“Go to hell! I'm sick of you killing me!!!” With these words, I moved the Annihilator to my main weapon slot.
Rifles skill increased to level thirty-seven!
You have reached level thirty-one!
You have received three skill points!
You have reached level thirty-two!
You have received three skill points! (total points accumulated: six)
Fame increased to 25.
I got off the first shot, spending the last of the Annihilator’s battery to kill the leader of the Second Legion.
Chapter Thirty-Four. Tumultuous Reception
THE MUTED SCENE after I killed Gerd Tamara was enough to make directors of Gogol’s famous comedy The Government Inspector jealous. Everyone was frozen in panic and didn’t move for several long seconds. It seemed I could even read frightened thoughts that nothing could stop me now, I was off the rails, and either working for the enemy to kill the leadership of the H3 Faction or destroy their command center. Finally, I slowly and smoothly lowered the Annihilator, then put it back in my inventory.
“Gnat, you have exactly one minute to explain your actions,” Leng Radugin said in an ice-cold emotionless tone. Also, his business suit was immediately changed to a suit of armor that shimmered with a force field.
No one took out any weapons, but I understood that these three such high-level players could instantly kill my level-32 Prospector if I misspoke or made one wrong move.
What could I say? It would be wrong to blame it on her bias against me. I understood that perfectly. According to the game rules, a high-status player like Gerd Tamara could do whatever she felt right with simple faction members like me and didn’t have to explain herself or ask permission. So, if she decided to teach me another lesson and shoot me dead, she had every right and must have had a good reason. But as a gut reaction... here I really needed to try to justify attacking the high-status player.
Could I make the excuse that my respawn point was still in the dispatcher tower at the Geckho spaceport, and my death would put me in a tight spot? That was an option, yes. But that would lead to another set of questions and punishments. Why had I disobeyed an unambiguous order to leave my respawn point inside H3 territory? I did not want to give more fodder to the idea that I was disobedient, especially in front of leadership. I needed to try something else... What if I tried an excuse based on game rules?
“After the clip of me entering the Relict base was broadcast to the whole galaxy, I am famous as a member of Leng Waid Shish’s faction. And he is a powerful Geckho, viceroy and master of our Earth. He also has a very hot temper and is famed for his lack of restraint. Killing me to teach me a lesson might lower the authority of Leng Waid Shishish and that would cause a harsh response. All I was doing was taking preventative measures against Gerd Tamara making a crude political error and bringing down the wrath of the Geckho race on our faction.”
“And how does that line up with what you screamed before shooting?” Tyulenev asked spitefully, giving a mocking chuckle and looking to his boss for support. “To be honest, this looked most of all like a personal scuffle. Gerd Tamara really should have asked permission, though. This is the Leng’s office after all...”
Still, the Dome leader cut him off with a gesture, stood in thought for a few seconds, then turned to our diplomat:
“I don’t even know... Ivan, in your opinion, are Gnat’s fears justified?”
Ivan Lozovsky shrugged his shoulders unconfidently, which looked somehow comical given his armored vest, and tried to answer:
“I personally do not know Leng Shishish, but I have heard tell of his vindictiveness and lack of restraint. He would not take a fall in his authority lightly. Leng Shishish rules a huge number of subjects. Most likely, he doesn’t even suspect that a Human Prospector named Gnat exists... Although, that depends on fame.”
“Gnat, what is your fame stat?” Radugin turned to me.
I told them it was twenty-five... actually, twenty-six now, because it just went up a second ago. Clearly, the news of my killing Gerd Tamara had spread quickly.
In response, I heard gasps of surprise from all three leaders. Seemingly, none of them expected such progress. Tyulenev and Lozovsky looked at Radugin, awaiting a decision. Our faction head spent a long time wavering before giving his final verdict:
“Twenty-six... That really is a respectable Fame... Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Leng Waid Shishish has heard of you. I believe Gnat’s fears were well founded. My decision: we will fine Gnat however much it costs to repair Gerd Tamara’s armor suit. Look at the big hole he put in it! By the way, I’d like to look at the weapon that can do that!”
In the chest plate of Gerd Tamara’s heavy exoskeleton, there was a gaping hole big enough to fit a soccer ball through. I suspected it would cost more than one hundred crystals to repair, but I nodded in agreement, realizing I was getting off easy. I was much more worried about the Annihilator. I took it out, but immediately warned them it was not mine and it was critically important that I return it to the Geckho.
Fame increased to 27.
My fame grew again? Hey, keep it coming! It can’t have been from the weapon, though. All three leaders had seen it before. Most likely, it was an echo from killing Gerd Tamara. Now I was getting scared.
My terrible fear that the invaluable Annihilator might be confiscated was not brought to fruition, though. Yes, they were very interested in the weapon. If it still had any power, they would probably want to test it on something or someone. But the battery was empty, which seriously limited what they could do, so I was quickly given the Annihilator back.
“Gnat, you are free to go. I can see that you're staggering in exhaustion, so go get some sleep. Tomorrow, I expect you to give me a detailed written report in the real world about your voyage with the Geckho. We cannot afford any more omissions like this Relict weapon. Gerd Ustinov will calculate the value of the supplies you bought us, and you will be compensated in real money or favors from faction members in the game. Naturally, we will subtract the cost of repairing Gerd Tamara’s armor.”
With those words, the meeting was over, and I was escorted out of the underground command bunker. The first thing I did back on the surface was to change my respawn point to the Capital, so I wouldn’t find myself in such a vulnerable position again. I also put all six free points into Medium Armor, raising it to twenty-eight.
Alright, looks like I’m done. I found the “Exit Game” button in the menu and pressed it. For the first time since I started playing, I was just leaving the game, not dying. I dismissed the prompt to review the results of my game session. I was in no mood and was so tired I could barely think. I’d been gaming nonstop for almost three days!
The first thing I s
aw after opening my virt pod were some dark figures looming over me, then brass-knuckled fists flying at my face. After that, there was only darkness...
* * *
I came to my senses on a gurney in a small brightly lit room, with the characteristic smell of chorine-washed floors, isopropyl alcohol and medicine. Almost immediately, I guessed that I was in the Dome infirmary. I had seen this small medical building from afar before, while walking up the path from the residential buildings to the corncobs. Now, I had seemingly landed myself inside. I remembered the punches clearly, but what happened after that was a mystery.
My whole body ached, my head and the right side of my chest especially. My nose was bandaged and, when I tried to turn over, I discovered that my leg was in a cast from foot to knee and elevated in a sling. Boy, I really got it...
“Kirill, you’re finally awake!” Anya’s familiar voice drew my attention. I turned to look, but the huge bandage on one eye kept me from seeing her without turning my head ninety degrees.
“How long... was I out?” My throat was very dry, so it was hard for me to speak.
“Thirty hours. The doctors say it wasn’t all because of the beating, though. You just needed sleep badly. And you were given enough sedatives and painkillers to put a horse under.”
I raised my right hand carefully and touched the bandage on my face. Ow! Dang that hurts!
“Your nose is broken,” Anya told me. “I saw you when they brought you in. Your whole face was bloody, and your nose was smashed. It was horrible! The surgeons put the small bones back in place, but you shouldn’t breathe through them yet, so they stuffed your nostrils with cotton.”
“And what about my leg?” I pointed to the cast.
“The meniscus of your right leg tore, and your fibula is fractured. Your left knee was wounded as well, but it isn’t critical. They also broke two right ribs, and three fingers on your left hand. Someone beat you severely and professionally, trying to maim and wound but not kill. Do you happen to remember who attacked you?”
I shook my head. I could remember that there were several people, and at least one had brass knuckles, but nothing else. Anya sighed in regret:
“It all happened in eight minutes. That was the exact amount of time the video cameras on corncob fifteen were turned off. Someone knew that would happen and was waiting at your virt pod. Then they beat you up and ran away before they turned back on. Leng Radugin has been throwing a fit for the last two days, demanding they find out who attacked you and why the video cameras malfunctioned. He threatened to punish whoever did it as severely as possible. Investigators have come under the Dome from outside. They're crawling everywhere and interrogating everyone. But I'm not sure they’ll manage to figure anything out. As far as I know, the Second Legion usually works security under the Dome, and that speaks volumes. They all hate you for attacking their living legend, so none of them are talking. No one knows anything, everyone is protecting everyone else...”
So that was it... The Second Legion, Gerd Tamara’s henchmen... They had a motive for the attack. Anya continued, her eyes turned away:
“I'm not gonna lie, lots of people are mad at you. A few times, pissed off players came to see you in the clinic, both Second Legion soldiers and others. They all wanted to have a serious man-to-man conversation about attacking a girl and faction legend. Imran didn’t let them in, though. Our Dagestani friend acted as your bodyguard. A few guys were especially stubborn, and he had to beat them up. You should have seen the pretty shoulder punches, flip kicks, heavy knockouts and even broken bones. No one else tried anything after that. Then Radugin placed First Legion soldiers here for security, alongside normal Russian military. The situation has been under control for some time, but I’ll be honest. Two thirds of the faction hates your guts...”
Anya went silent and started listening to a strange sound from the hallway. It quickly attracted my attention as well. Then came the sound of doors opening, and the girl went pale and jumped away from the gurney. I turned my head to see who it was. In the doorframe, I saw a frail dark-haired girl of fifteen or sixteen with a surprisingly calm and emotionless demeanor.
I hadn’t seen Gerd Tamara in the real world before, and she didn’t quite resemble her game avatar. But I immediately realized who it was. Flanking her, as if in contrast to the frail girl, there were two towering musclemen, each a walking mountain with shoulders as wide as a barn door.
“Wait in the corridor,” the girl whispered to a terrified Anya. “Don’t worry about Gnat, I won’t eat him. I just want to talk. You two also wait for me outside.”
Tamara was using a fairly quiet and calm voice, but it also contained boundless confidence that she was immaculate and could order people around. I couldn’t imagine who could stand up against her will. Anya couldn’t, that was for sure. In her place, I wouldn’t have been able to either. She walked up, stopped a step from my bed and spent a long time just staring at me in silence.
I tensed up inside, having no idea what to expect from the severe paladin. What she eventually said surprised me so much I didn’t know how to react:
“Your eyes are so beautiful... now that I'm used to them.”
What?! That was the last thing I was expecting her to mention. Honestly, I was tired of hearing about them at this point, but I was used to the remarks.
“From our very first meeting I knew you were not a person. More accurately, you're not a normal person like the millions and billions that live on our planet. There’s something alien and dangerous in you. And now I'm entirely certain of that.”
What was she talking about??? Did Tamara seriously suspect I was an embedded agent of our arch enemies? How else could I understand her words? The girl continued:
“Your distant ancestors were wizards or shamans. At any rate, they had magical powers. And in the hundreds of generations since that time, their gift was passed down to you. If you were born in a different place, you’d have become a mage also. But there is no magical training on our home planet, so your gift revealed itself in the form of risk taking and elevated luck...”
Despite my prejudice against Tamara and natural skepticism, I was listening with greater and greater interest. It was very bizarre, but for some reason I believed her without question, like she was telling me a dogma or inviolable truth. And it wasn’t hypnosis, more like a talent for eloquence or speaking self-confidently.
“You’ve probably heard plenty of things about my past.” Here the girl went silent, waiting for me to react. I nodded in silence. “Well, it’s all true. I spent several long years in total darkness, balancing on the edge of madness in an endless dream. I was paralyzed, blind, deaf, broken, and all alone. I heard voices in my head that told me wild stories and encouraged me not to give up.”
“Voices?” I asked incredulously. It sounded like delirium.
“Yes, voices. I understand I really shouldn’t talk about that. It might make people think I’m insane. But it is true. These voices told me that I needed to stay strong, and my time was yet to come. The voices also gradually told me the history of my kind. For centuries, my ancestors were mage hunters. They ruthlessly exterminated all those with magical abilities and eventually they were all gone. And I have inherited their powers. Not only can I sense magic, I can defend people against it. This may come across melodramatic but, if not for my abilities, we would have already lost the war with the Dark Faction.”
I had heard several members of the H3 Faction say: “When Tamara’s around, I’m not afraid.” Clearly, they were referring to her ability to defend against psionic magic. But was that any justification for her unbridled behavior? And was the great and fearsome Gerd Tamara really here just to tell me her story?
“Gnat, to many people in our faction, I am a beacon of hope. I bless and lead the troops into battle, stand on the front lines and embolden our soldiers with my example. I didn’t ask for this role, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Things just came together this way... it's hard to even say how..
. Think of me like an Orthodox Icon or a guardian angel. And some players, due to my young age, think of me as a daughter and project their parental instincts onto me.”
That was all true, beyond a shadow of a doubt. I had seen that most soldiers of the Second Legion regarded Tamara as more than a simple commander. The austere muscle men were ready to die for her, and not only in the virtual game.
“But everything on earth has an opposite. Gnat, I understand the mood of our people. They’re on the edge of despair. You shot me, their Icon, their hope, their holy protector, their angel and even daughter. I swear by my abilities that I did not attack you and did not order it, but still I caused you to suffer. Yes, Gnat, I know who is behind the attack. It was three Second Legion soldiers, no matter how much that hurts me as a commander. I have already given this information to the investigators and Leng Radugin, and immediately expelled all three from my group. And although I have given an order not to harm you, I'm not sure everyone agrees. So, I see only one way out of the present situation. Gnat, I officially invite you to join the Second Legion! Let everyone in our faction know that I approve of your actions and have taken you under my protection!”
It was a tempting offer, but I didn’t doubt myself for even a second. I immediately refused:
“Tamara, I respond badly to rigid order. I have already been punished a number of times for disobedience. I often act intuitively, disregarding logic and common sense. In your team, I won’t be able to be myself and will become a symbol of bad discipline. I’ll probably spend more time waiting to respawn and being shot by you than actually playing.”
“What a pity...” Seemingly, Tamara was upset by my refusal. “Although, you’re probably right. It wouldn’t be right to stuff you into a rigid frame. The leadership of the Dome values you for your unique way of thinking and unpredictability. You know how to benefit the faction in situations where other players would not only fail to do so but would fail to even see the opportunity.”
Countdown (Reality Benders Book #1) LitRPG Series Page 29