“Very funny, Shaun. So, how are we going to learn to link our Interface Room with our eyes?”
“I don't know, just try, I suppose,” I replied to Ember.
She spoke to Havok instead, “So, you think he somehow just overlaid his internal vision over his actual vision? I’ll have a try.” She closed her eyes to enter her Mindscape. I loved how hungry she was to do well with the Mental Skills we had developed. As I sat there watching her though, I instinctively knew that she had gone about it the wrong way. Why would you need to close your eyes? That’s just backwards. If you wanted to improve your eyesight, then the opposite would be true.
I decided I’d try to levitate. However, instead of going to my Interface Room, I just imagined what I had seen in there being projected through my eyes. It barely made sense to me, just you get a certain feeling when you're in that room; you have much greater peripheral vision. Nothing happened at first. I did feel a weird sensation, a slight tingling in my eyes. I focused on that feeling, trying to push life into it, then something happened. Nothing dramatic, only I felt my vision begin to slowly broaden, spread out almost. I knew I was on to something, so I forced it to the point that it actually began to hurt. I thought of the time when I had transcended, and that pain led me to, sort of, the next level. With that in mind, I knew this was worth doing. As long as I didn’t get kicked out of my body. I suspected that I wouldn’t, and I trusted Ember to find me somehow. I forced onward. Feeling a snap, my vision disappeared altogether.
“Shit, Havok. Help! I’m blind!”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I can't see a damn thing, Havok! Help me, dude! I've got too much I still wanna see!'' I said, panicking.
“Shaun?” Ember's voice sounded from the darkness. “What's up? What's wrong with you?”
“I’m blind. I can't see anything!”
“I know what blind means, Shaun. Now, what the hell did you do? Havok, can you do anything?”
“I’m looking now,” Havok replied, “There doesn't seem to be any damage. I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“Shit! Oh, Shaun. What have you done? Can you see anything in your Mindscape?”
“I never thought of that,” I said, quickly jumping into my Mindscape. Relief flooded me as I could see again, in the Mindscape at least. Ember appeared next to me. “I can see in here,” I told her. “Let's check what my Interface Room shows.”
Upon entering, we saw the large screen that usually let me see what I would view through my eyes. My heart sank when I saw it was black. “Oh shit, what have I done? I’m blind.”
“Wait. What's that in the corner of the screen?” Ember said, pointing out a very small, flashing, blue line of text in the bottom corner. She was over to it before me and began to read it out, “‘Visual update in progress. Merging visual functions. Estimated time to completion, 2 minutes and 39 seconds.’ Oh Shaun, I think you're gonna be okay, you insanely stupid, amazing man. It looks like you’ve done it again! I'll wait to see if you're okay, first. Then, you need to tell me what you did.”
“Thanks for hedging your bets, Ember.”
“I'm hardly going to risk going blind just because you did, you idiot. Let’s just see how this plays out.”
We were down to a minute left on the timer. “I'll just wait in here. I'd rather be able to see,” I told Ember. The vision screen flashed to life, once more showing the room we shared in the Veiletian compound. It looked the same as before, and I was relieved.
I went back to my normal state. My vision was back, albeit weird and disorientating. It reflected the same powerful vision of the Interface Room but more… so much more! I could see nearly everything in the room. It was like my memory of the room had combined with my senses. It was fucking weird, awesome and totally natural all at once. I could now appreciate that I’d never have been able to do this with my Cognition Room as a shit-tip.
“Hey, Ember. This is pretty cool,” I said to her expectant face.
“So, how do you do it?” She asked impatiently.
“Imagine you want to levitate, while at the same time picturing what you can see when you’re present in your Interface Room.”
She closed her eyes.
“No. Keep them open,” I instructed.
She tried once and failed to replicate the feat. Frustrated, she said, “I need them closed. I can't imagine seeing something without closing my eyes. I can only see what I can see,”
“Keep trying. You’ll get there. I felt a tingling at first. Look out for that.”
She continued to try with her eyes closed, so I decided to see if I could levitate without my Mindscape. I tried, and only started floating up in the bloody air! I’d only bloody done it! This was amazing.
I brought some objects into play, raising them up in the air. I was still unsteady, but I had jumped massively in terms of my ability. Havok broke into my thoughts: “We can adapt our fighting style now. I should be able to drink more souls already.”
My mind put the brakes on, screeching to a halt. “You’re fucking with me, dude! Drink more souls?”
“I can see how that sounded a lot worse than I intended. I was trying to be cool, and admittedly I normally am, even if I do say so myself. Although I accept that I may have overstepped the mark a bit there. Let me rephrase: I can already see how we’ll be a much more effective fighting force. Our enemies will fall before us, which will benefit us both. Was that any better?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, man,” I slapped my thigh, laughing my ass off. “Seriously though, if anyone else heard you say that there’d be some worried people around. Keep the soul drinking on the down-low.”
“I will, Shaun. Now let’s see some more of your ARSE skills.”
“My arse skills?”
“Yes, ARSE! Your ability to Affect Real Shit Externally with your mind.”
“Havok, old pal. That acronym was both brilliant and shit. But I appreciate the effort, and we’ll continue to use it.”
“Shaun, I accept that my acronym was shit, only how do you know what an acronym is?”
“Beats me, Havok. If I was to take an educated guess, it quite possibly has something to do with the clearing of one's Cognition Room, thus gaining vastly improved recall speeds and memory capabilities. Unexpectedly, my vision takes into account that which I’ve seen and imposes it upon my projected images with what I assume is near to 75% accuracy.”
“Oh no, Shaun! You’re talking like you're clever. Please stop it. You’re ruining your charm.”
“Whatever you say, Havok. I think you're probably right. People have an expectation of me, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint them,” I laughed “But I see and understand so much more.”
“Good. Keep your burgeoning intellect well hidden. You're much more fun like this.”
Ember came around just then and I switched my focus back to her as she began to speak, “No luck. I don't know what the hell you did. Has it allowed you to do everything without going into your mind?”
“Well, I think so. I've not done much yet.”
“How are you going to get me this skill, Shaun? You're not getting ahead of me.”
“Ha! You’ve already tried once, and she wouldn't listen. This is going to be an interesting conversation,” Havok said.
“Fuck you, Havok.”
“If only.”
“What? That doesn’t even make any sense!”
“She’s looking at you, waiting for a response.”
I quickly moved on, “Ember, it's like I told you. When I did it, I just thought closing my eyes would be the opposite of what I wanted to achieve, so I thought about how it would feel to overlay my Interface Room with my real vision. I won't lie, it involved a little pain, but now I can kinda see everything around me. Focus on what I said, until you can feel like… I don’t know, like they’re actually trying to merge together. It hurts in the way transcending did. Only you just have to force through it.”
“There has to be a
nother way. I’ll try it out again though.” She kept her eyes open, staring at the wall. I saw her wince in pain.
“Keep going, Ember. You can do it,” I encouraged.
I actually sensed the moment that she broke through; I don’t know whether it was a look on her face, or a change in the aura around her.
“Shit! This is freaky-deaky. I’m blind as a bat. I'm going to check in my Mindscape to make sure everything is as it should be.” I left her to it. Within about three minutes, she was back in her body. “Here it comes, Shauny baby. Eyesight level two, on its way,” she paused for a moment. “Oh, wow. This is weird. It feels right, though.”
“It’s pretty cool, huh?”
She didn't reply. She suddenly levitated over to the far wall of the room. It was a little ungainly, but it was fast. Within an instant, she was back next to me. “Shaun, you're a goddamn genius. I don’t know how you do it, but keep doing what you do!”
Before we could practice anymore, there was a knock on the door. I answered and found Elyek standing there. “Ah, finally! Are we to be freed from our prison?” I said, smiling at them.
“It was not a prison. You were allowed to go to the gymnasium, were you not?”
“You know prisoners are allowed to exercise, right Elyek? At least in Earth jails.”
“You were not held as prisoners, Captain.”
“I know, Elyek. I’m only messing around.”
“Oh, okay. Enough of that now. We should go to collect Calparr. It’s time to vet our potential new crew members. He should be in the gymnasium.”
We went for Calparr and found him doing pull-ups at an extraordinary rate. “Hey dude, time to go.” I said.
“One moment. I’ll grab my things,” he said, then returned a minute later looking fresh as a daisy.
As we walked along the corridors, I spoke with Elyek. “I really don’t know much of your people, other than what you’ve told me, so I hope you’re okay to conduct the interviews for the most part. You know what we’re looking for, and probably how to spot someone unsuitable from your race. At least, much better than we ever could.”
“Of course, Captain. It would be an honor to act in this capacity, and it also makes a lot of sense.”
Ember gave me a pat on the back. “Well done, Shaun. It's always a nice surprise when you use your brain for a second. Keep up the good work.”
I growled internally, feeling her tone was a tad patronizing, but quickly let it go, taking it in the good humor Ember intended.
C10
Come out to Play
Arriving in the hall, I was blown away by how many Veiletians were in the place; it was crammed. Once we arrived, the loud clamor of multiple voices dropped, to be replaced with silence and stares. It got uncomfortable quickly, so I smiled and waved, with a cheerful, “Hey, everyone!” Amazingly, this didn’t help. If anything, the awkwardness grew.
“My people!” came the commanding voice of Prefector Kalika bellowing to the roomful of Veiletians. “Is this how you make a good impression on those who bestow you the opportunity to become a crewmate on their prestigious ship? You have been greeted. Do not be so discourteous as to not return that greeting.”
There was a palpable atmosphere of shame and embarrassment from everyone I could see in the room, as a disjointed chorus of “Good day to you all” rang out from – I assume – everyone’s mouths.
We continued our way to the front of the room, where the elders sat. “Hi again, everyone. So, what are we supposed to do now? This all feels a little awkward,” I said, addressing mainly Kalika.
“Take a seat at the table and interview everyone who wishes to go with you. Make a shortlist. The people who still wish to come with you after the two-way assessments will be matched up with your shortlist. From there, we’ll have a good idea who is to be recruited,” Kalika replied.
“There are like, 300 people here. This could take days,” I said, dismayed.
“Then it will take days. We must not rush these choices,” added another of the council members who had spoken yesterday, but had not given their name.
“Right. I'm not sure that’s going to work for us,” I said, turning to address the crowd. “Everyone! I’m glad you are all thinking of joining us. We would be proud to have you all with us. Alas, that cannot be at this moment in time. In the future, we hope to have more ships, and even a base from which to run the Headquarters of the Uprising. Our vision is that more of us can work together to make this galaxy a safer place. With that in mind, I have a few specifications to find the most-suited candidates.
“You know what we plan to do. If you really want to be part of that, make your way to the right side of the room. If you’re just here to find out more about us, or are unsure if you even want to join, go to the left side.”
People began to move. Havok chuckled in my head.
“This is preposterous and not how things are done here. Everyone is given a fair chance,” one of the council members complained. It was taken up by a few others.
“Sorry, guys. I’m not meaning to be rude. We just have to be realistic here. We don’t need people who are unsure of themselves, or of being part of the Uprising,” I said quietly, then turned back to the crowd. It had parted, leaving only around a hundred gathered on the right-hand side; great for sorting, but annoying that so many had come essentially to waste my time.
I continued, “Brilliant, thank you. Those on the left may leave.” There was a grumbling of discontent as people began to file out. I really had no idea what they expected to happen. The elders were complaining again, too. I just blocked them out. This was potentially for everyone's benefit.
I glimpsed Kalika and saw she had a small smile on her face, which was good, because I intended to continue with my sorting. “Okay, everyone else. Now, I’m really sorry we have to cull your numbers; the council has only permitted us to take ten of you, until such a time as we can prove our good intentions and behaviors towards Veiletians. I must ask you once more to split into groups. As it stands, we’re going to be a mercenary group, so can you please divide to the right side for those that are competent fighters, and over to the left side for those who are not confident fighters.”
A stream of deflated, dejected faces flowed to the left side of the hall, leaving around 30 in total who considered themselves as skilled in the art of fighting. “Right,” I smiled. “Of those of you in the remaining group of fighters, whoever has medical knowledge and abilities, come stand by the desk to be evaluated.”
Four came up to the desk. I spoke with them as a group. “Are you still happy to join the Uprising after what you’ve heard so far?” They nodded in unison. “Excellent. If you can all go to speak with Elyek, they will carry out the final stage of vetting and answer any of your questions.” They walked over to Elyek, who looked taken aback, even though we’d agreed to it earlier.
“You 26 remaining, raise your hands if you have any experience of being part of a ship's crew with expertise of your own.”
Eighteen hands went up.
“Excellent. To the rest of you, I’m very sorry we cannot recruit you at this time. We have our shortlist of candidates. Thank you for coming, and when we increase our capacity in the future, we hope you can join us. We’d love to have you on board.
“As for those who are left, please form an orderly line to speak with Elyek.” I sighed, turning my attention to the councilors.
One of the councilors spoke: “You have treated our people with great disrespect. I am beginning to rethink if any should be allowed to leave with you.” He was encouraged by nods of agreement from the other council members. All except Kalika, who remained silent.
“I haven’t got the time for time-wasters, when there are those who genuinely want to come with us. I don’t want to take people into war zones who cannot fight. I need people with fighting skills and expertise to operate a ship. If you think any of my filters were unfair, or disrespectful, then I don’t really know what to say to you to change
your opinion. I can only discuss thoughts and opinions that have a basis in reality.”
The speaker was about to begin an angry retort, when I cut him off. “I’m also curious as to your relationship with your own people. I hadn’t realized you were an oppressive governing body.”
“What!” he spluttered, “That’s outrageous. How dare you!”
“Hey, hey, hey,” I said, calmly raising my hands up in a submissive gesture. “It was you who said you’d not allow your people to travel freely, which, by the way, nearly all the other council members seemed to agree with.
“Don’t be too saddened. I hear it’s almost impossible for power not to corrupt, even for the pure souls of Veiletians.”
There was a gasp at that statement. Ember glared at me. Havok laughed his ass off. I think I must have overstepped the mark. Thankfully, Kalika intervened and saved me from my own mouth. “I’m sure Councilor Mirlek misspoke. We do not, in fact, prevent our people from exercising their freedoms. We only seek to protect them from the cruelties that various other members of the galaxy wish to inflict upon our race. Despite that rather indelicate sorting of prospective candidates, I do see the merit in its efficiency. I am also impressed that you have handed over the finer details of the interview process to our Elyek. You seem to be at least aware of your own shortcomings. I find myself both insulted and impressed by your straightforwardness. Perhaps, an ally who is so direct will be beneficial to our Veiletian council, who are by nature, indirect,” Kalika chuckled.
“Listen, we’re happy to be your ally, but I have to ask: can we take everyone that’s left after Elyek’s interviews? I promise we’ll look after them like our own. We will return when we can so you can see they are safe and happy to continue as part of the Uprising crew.”
I could sense angry responses building in various councilors. Again, Kalika calmed them down. “It is not what we agreed, Captain Shaun. However, there really isn’t any valid reason to begrudge this request. Although you will have to move in smaller groups, and you must promise to care for our people. We are placing much trust, and dare I say hope, that you can help change the fortunes of the Veiletian people.”
Condition Evolution 3: A LitRPG / Gamelit Adventure Page 10