My endurance points were gradually falling, and I was starting to get tired from so much running. Another five minutes, maybe six and I’d have to change to a walk. In this indefinite nerve-wracking situation, the only good part was that my progress bar was filling up slowly but surely. So, even if my Prospector managed to die in the labyrinth, my character would respawn.
My scanning icon turned purple again. I immediately made a scan and looked at the map. Another circle thirty steps in diameter, including part of the room with ramps I had run through. What was more, based on the map, I would end up back there soon. I’d chosen the wrong hallway. So, a minute later, there were two corridors marked with a piece of torn-off cardboard.
Just one unchecked corridor remained on this level, but I decided to go up. I was now running totally at random, ignoring some forks and diving down others. A few times, I saw holes in the floor, which I had to jump across, and another time I had to crawl through a small section of corridor with a low ceiling. Then suddenly... I was in a circular ramp room. What was more, some hallways were already marked with cardboard! How?! I had gone up already!
But there was no time to fill my head with such questions. I was already down to less than ten minutes. I went down a floor and was no longer running so much as keeping up a fast walk with short bursts — my endurance was hovering around zero.
One more scan...
And then, when I had almost no hope left, I saw the outer edge of the maze on the map! The circle of halls and walls just ended on one side! I also noticed a marker on an internal wall very near me. I hadn’t seen anything like it before. I got my bearings and turned toward it, then found an unusual section of cracked wall. Probably, this wall was weak, and could be broken...
But what was the point of breaking through if I had already seen on the map that I could also go the normal way?! I didn’t break the wall, just ran to the outermost hallway. Perhaps the exit was somewhere there.
Unfortunately, I did not find an exit in that section. All paths led back to the center of the maze. But I did discover something else — a part of the outer wall with cracks! If I broke the wall here, I'd be outside the maze!
* * *
After breaking a hole in the wall, I emerged into a dark void. There were just six seconds left on the timer. I fell painfully face-down from a decent height onto sand, which knocked the wind out of me and made my nose bleed. My clothes were all dusty, my knuckles were bloody, and both of my tennis shoes were now tattered and untied. My health bar was balancing somewhere around thirty percent, while my endurance had been at zero for some time. But I made it!
Five stat points received
Scanning skill increased to level two!
Cartography skill increased to level two!
Fame increased to 1.
“Strange way of leaving the maze. I see Leng Radugin finally followed our sage advice and stopped giving his recruits information about the Labyrinth.”
This was said just a step from me, and with a strange and entirely unfamiliar accent. The voice was dull, quiet and too distant, as if it belonged to someone who didn’t care what happened to me.
Writhing in pain, I raised my head... and struck gazes with a pair of worn metallic boots about size twenty five if not thirty.
Kosta Dykhsh Geckho. Clan Waideh-Dykhsh. Level-56 Diplomat
An alien! I could not afford to make an impression of weakness and worthlessness. It might reflect badly on the whole human race. I gathered my strength and got to my feet, though I was still stumbling after the fall. The huge furry humanoid towered over me by two heads, carefully looking with his piercingly black eyes and tusked grin, as I tried to stand upright. He had the very same metal armor as the extraterrestrial from the video clip. And perhaps, that was Kosta Dykhsh.
I bowed respectfully, hoping it would look like a gesture of deep respect, and not an inability to stand.
“Greetings! My respect to the great and powerful civilization of Shiharsa!”
In response, the diplomat made a cough or laugh. It was like a muted bark through tightly clenched teeth.
“I see, Gnat, that you were told about my race. But stop trying to express reverence. It doesn’t come across as sincere. But I want to know, did you pass the labyrinth test?”
“It was hard and, I seemingly had an unusual method, but I think so,” I smiled with my bloodied lips. “I got five points to improve my statistics.”
“Five? Excellent result. That means you did not know about the maze. Usually, the Leng of your faction prefers not to risk it. One in the hand is better than two in the bush. His words. Recruits learn the way through the labyrinth by rote before entering the game. Sure, they get just two points, but that’s guaranteed. I'm glad your commanders have allowed newbies to risk it and test their mettle.”
I got embarrassed and lowered my gaze.
“Yes, well, no one said I was allowed. Everyone was busy because of the Dark Faction attack, and I just walked in.”
“I was a bit perplexed by your outfit,” the humanoid shook his head in reproach like a person. “Oh, your bosses are gonna give it to you tomorrow. What do your people say...? Ah! You’ll get knocked into next week!”
“How do you know? I passed the test! No one judges the victors!”
But Kosta Dykhsh was certain my punishment was inevitable. As it turned out, the problem was not only my badly-considered risk. The diplomat told me that, when newbies first enter the game that bends reality, they their inventory contains everything they had on them in the real world. It was the only way to bring the things we needed to survive and grow the colony into the game.
Dielectrics and superconductors. Circuit boards and processors. Batteries and molybdenum steel springs. Machine parts and rare materials such as lanthanoid alloys or transuranium elements. Every newbie was supposed to carry useful cargo for the needs of the colony. Everything we couldn’t produce or didn’t have the resources for. Plus, thermal lenses, optical and collimator sights, hard-to-produce bullets and detonators, and personal weapons...
The more the diplomat told me, the gloomier I became. First of all, I no longer hoped I might not get chewed out. Now at the very least because I had not brought any useful things and had thus disadvantaged our whole faction. Second, what was I supposed to equip myself with? Just keep running in this ragged jean jacket and torn tennis shoes?
Chapter Seven. First Night
I COULD NO LONGER see the maze. There was just sand, the odd short bush and the somewhat distant treetops of a dense tall forest before the crimson horizon. I shouted in surprise that the Labyrinth was gone, and Kosta Dykhsh explained that the mysterious structure appeared only at the very beginning of the game, was not part of the main world, and was impossible to return to. The Geckho diplomat told me he had been standing on the doorstep of his home and listening to the far-off battle when I just popped into the air ten feet up and splatted into the earth ten steps from his dwelling.
I had already seen the hemispheric metallic structure nearby. It looked like a tent or small yurt, with a dull greenish light emanating from it. It was giving off the tempting aroma of roast meat and aromatic spices. But only after the diplomat reminded me did I also notice the distant flashes on the dark horizon and strange crackling sound.
“The enemies are attacking your main base,” the diplomat explained, yawning carelessly and demonstrating his large sharp predatory teeth. “They already managed to get through to the second row of fortifications. I don’t remember them ever getting this far before.”
“Shouldn’t the Geckho be supporting us?” I asked hopefully, which made him truly surprised.
“Whatever for? Both you and your opponents, as well as all other factions on this planet are vassals of the Geckho race. We do not intervene in your internal struggles. We merely trade with all and take our tribute. If your world is attacked by the aggressive Miyelonians, though, or anyone from the Meleyephatian horde decides to found a base here, we will defend you.
That is our duty as your suzerains and protectors.”
We spent a bit longer standing there, watching the flickers of the far-off battle, then Kosta Dykhsh lost interest and turned around, preparing to return to his tent.
“Tell me, diplomat, are there many races in the cosmos?” I asked somewhat belatedly, and the Geckho stopped.
“There are plenty. And all races are different. They each have their quirks.” The diplomat considered such an answer sufficient and was preparing to end the conversation once and for all, but I stopped him again.
“Kosta, how might one learn to speak the language of your kind?”
The furry giant didn’t even try to hide his surprise:
“Gnat, why would you want to do that? You're a Prospector, not a Diplomat or a Translator. You're never gonna have to talk with any Geckho other than me. I know the language of your faction, and that is well enough to communicate.”
But those seemed like empty pretexts, and the diplomat was clearly happy to see me expressing interest in his language. So, I answered with a slight bow:
“You are a great space-faring race with a great culture and history. You possess colossal amounts of knowledge in various spheres of science. All that is extremely valuable to me, and humanity as a whole. There are probably a huge number of texts with truly invaluable information for my people, but they cannot be understood without knowing Geckho...”
The furry giant gave a bark of approval and a line of text appeared before me:
Kosta Dykhsh offers you the Astrolinguistics skill. Would you like to take this skill?
Of course! For some reason, I was certain that the Geckho diplomat was nowhere near the only representative of the alien civilization I would meet in the game that bends reality. Understanding their language would be a huge plus!
You have taken the skill Astrolinguistics level 1.
A heavy furry paw came down on my shoulder, which made me somewhat bend at the knee. With a reassuring pat, Kosta Dykhsh barked in approval:
“Gnat, you're the third person in the whole H3 faction that wanted to study our language. I like that you do unusual things. That’s just how the game is played. Don’t stay in the confines others make for you. So then... if Leng Radugin and his retinue scold you too much, refer to me. Tell them the Geckho race approves.”
After these words, the furry giant wished me a good night and crawled into his tent. I meanwhile batted my lashes, looking at the lines of text that ran by:
You have reached level two!
You have received three skill points!
Fame increased to 2.
Attention!!! All skill points that have been saved for more than 24 hours will be lost if your character dies.
Well, well! Level two so fast! And I met a Geckho diplomat! Now life will get easier!
* * *
Walking a bit further from the tent in order not to embarrass the Geckho or disturb his sleep, I sat down on a boulder covered in dry lichen. It was still warm from the daytime sun. I opened my character’s stat table and familiarized myself with all the numbers unhurriedly and thoughtfully. I needed to use my stat and skill points to eliminate weak spots and reinforce my strong sides.
Yes, I understood perfectly that newbies were advised against taking this important matter into their own hands and expected to rely on experienced mentors. But in videogames, I preferred to think through my own development plan rather than copying others or taking advice. Also, the Geckho Diplomat had advised me to forge my own path.
Five free points... Very little, if you think about it. Where would they find the greatest use? Above all, I was interested in Constitution — my weakest stat.
A character’s Constitution determines the total number of Hit Points and Endurance Points, as well as resistance to disease, poison and radiation. Higher Constitution will speed up healing and decrease bleeding time. Characters with high Constitution can hold their breath for longer, and are also more resistant to corrosion, encumbrance and high gravitation.
Considering how hard it was for me to finish the newbie Labyrinth, this game must be very difficult and hardcore. There were a huge number of challenges and dangers before me, and my character’s survival would depend on hit points and endurance points, which were derived from Constitution. My pitiful ten points there were not good enough. So, I’d invest two points in Constitution!
My health grew right to 211, and Endurance to 125. It even felt my lung capacity increase, my ribcage expand, and my turtleneck stretch and rip a bit. Also, the fine abrasions on my hands and face immediately healed over. It was an amazingly pleasant sensation to suddenly feel healthier! It took massive effort, but I resisted the temptation of putting another point or two into Constitution. No, enough. Moderation in all things.
Now, Perception. After all, it was not just the aggregate of vision, hearing and other senses. For my Prospector, it was the most important statistic, as it directly determined the success chance of my scanning. So, I added one point, raising it to twenty. I instantly perceived that change as well. The dusky evening around me became sharper, and the cannonade of the far-off battle was now more distinct.
On to Intelligence. After all, it was not just for mages. My Prospector would have to work with all kinds of electronic scanning devices and other complex high-tech instruments, so Intelligence would certainly come in handy. One more there.
There was just one statistic point left. Increase Strength? It was a good idea. I'd be able to carry more spoils of war. And my muscles would grow visually, which was also a plus. Or should I go for Agility? Or another point in Perception?
But then I realized I was totally ignoring one statistic — Luck Modifier. It could also be improved.
A character’s Luck Modifier increases hit chance with any type of ranged weapon, success in gambling and critical damage dealt.
Attention! For the Prospector class, as with any other class, the Luck Modifier does not increase discovery chance but there is a certain chance the things you find will be of higher value.
It sounded, of course, tempting. But I wished I knew what that chance was, at least approximately. Ten percent or, maybe, just one one-hundredth of a percent? The difference was very, very significant. Was it worth the trouble? By which I meant, was it worth investing in the Luck Modifier?
After a minute of thought, I decided to take the risk and spent my last free point on the Luck Modifier, bringing it to +3.
I finished with the stat points, now onto skills. There were three points to spend here. It was irrational and dangerous to save them up for the future in the game that bends reality. Unlike most games, just one death could burn them up. So, I needed to use them, if not right away, then at the very least within twenty-four hours.
Scanning, as Gnat’s main skill, seemed to be the obvious choice. But I could level it simply by periodically activating the icon, which I was already doing every time the skill reloaded. Cartography? That, it seemed, was leveling all on its own...
Probably, it would be wisest to place the points into skills that I did not yet understand how to level. For example, Electronics or Astrolinguistics.
Electronics skill increased to level two!
Electronics skill increased to level three!
Astrolinguistics skill increased to level two!
Now, all my points spent, the time had come to go somewhere. I couldn’t just sit all night on this stone, after all. I stood up and looked around. It was totally dark. There were bright and unfamiliar stars in the sky. I wasn’t such an astronomy enthusiast, but I could find the Big Dipper, Orion’s Belt or the North Star in the night sky. But I didn’t find anything among the millions of pulsating stars. I also dismissed a thought about the Southern Hemisphere quickly. There was no Southern Cross either. So, I was not on Earth...
* * *
The warm night wind rustled my hair, thousands of crickets were fiddling frantically, and bats occasionally flew overhead. If not for the colored bars of life, hung
er and endurance, the progress scale, and the map before my eyes, I might have taken the world around me as genuine.
Where to go? There was a scary black forest on two sides, dense like a solid wall. A fearsome howling sound was coming from somewhere beyond those trees. Clearly not the best place to walk at night, especially unarmed. And so, I decided to head toward the distant cannonade where my faction’s soldiers were holding the line. I laced up my raggedy tennis shoes, then went to find my allies.
I had no idea what I would say to them or how to explain my appearance. But probably, they would at least hear me out and tell me what to do, where to go and how I could help. I walked straight through a flattened field until I hit upon a road. First, I saw it on my mini-map, then a minute later, I was standing on the dusty well-trodden path with clear tire tracks. Right or left? I chose left at random and saw a sign a quarter mile later at a fork. Two wooden arrows pointed the way to the nearest structures:
Prometheus Technology Complex 2 miles
Shooting Range 0.5 miles
I had no idea what they did at the Prometheus, and I wasn’t sure I’d find anyone there at night anyhow. The shooting range was much closer and probably under guard all day and night. That meant there would be people there from my faction, and that I would be able to go to them for help and explanations about the game.
In both directions, there were fields of a tall strange grain. Before I’d managed to go half way to the firing range, to messages jumped in simultaneously:
Scanning skill increased to level three!
Cartography skill increased to level three!
Not bad, not bad at all. My scanning radius grew noticeably. I activated the icon again and, on the roadside one hundred feet away, I saw a group of round red markers. Danger? I crouched down at once and quietly crawled off the road on my stomach into some high grass. A short while later, I managed to see the enemy:
Field Pest. Insect. Level 4.
Countdown_LitRPG Series Page 5