by Dawn Chapman
“I’d like to get stronger than this,” I said pointing at my arms and legs. “Gotta be able to get about a lot more independently than I am. The health I’ve got doesn’t last very long, and then it starts to dip without rest or refuelling. Can you help?” I asked her.
“I remember those days.” She reached behind her and pulled out something from her pack. “I’ve got a spare one. You can have it. It should make this week a little more worthwhile for you.”
I took the offered bottle.
YOU’VE BEEN GIFTED TRAI’S DOUBLE UP POTION.
DRINKING THIS WILL INCREASE YOUR POTENTIAL FOR EARNING XP.
MAKE SURE THAT EVERY HIT COUNTS NOW.
EVERY ACTION, THOUGHT, AND FOLLOW THROUGH WILL AFFECT YOU HERE ON OUT.
I opened the top and sniffed it. It smelled sweet. Tasty. I took a sip. It was pretty damned tasty indeed.
“Drink it now. It will have time to take effect for when we head out.”
I drank heartily. “Thanks. That will really help.”
She smiled, and I got dressed quickly, walking with her back to our bunks. “If you’re going to hang around, we may as well help you a little, don’t see the harm in doing so. Besides, Rytin wouldn’t have killed you if he didn’t think you’d fit in. He’d have just sent you on your way in a few days when he thought you were safe.”
I made sure that when I entered I was quiet; it was obvious that she’d done the same, closing the door softly behind her. Her brother and Derk weren’t around, but Rytin was dozing on the couch. I didn’t know where to go.
She pointed to the couch. “He won’t wake up. Settle down if you’re not going to get some real rest in a bed. Just close your eyes.”
I glanced to the big guy. “He’s a strange one. I can’t read anything he’s throwing out there to me.”
“No, you can’t. He doesn’t like being readable. He’s spent a long time polishing that skill so no one knows.”
I found it a little sad, but I understood if he’d been let down in the past. His was a skill, mine was an extra. Shade Brain.
“Any idea how many times he’s respawned?” I asked Nehi.
“He told us once when he was drunk. It wasn’t anything spectacular. Just four times.”
“You’re kidding. He’s only died four times while he’s been here, yet you’ve both been killed thirty together.”
Nehi’s smile faded. “Yeah, I never thought of it like that. I mean, I’ve known some of the others who have spawned a lot more times than us. Like triple. But not many with so few deaths. Now that I think about it, it’s actually quite an accomplishment.”
That was my thought exactly. I was also certain he had his memory intact. It felt like he had been here a lot longer than the others. A lot longer.
The more I thought about that, the more I wanted to just get him alone so that I could ask. I wanted to know why he’d dragged me off the field with them. It wasn’t just because they had lost their friend or because I saved his life. He’d seen something. I was sure of it.
I let her leave me and then settled back with my eyes closed. Wanting to get out there, my adrenalin was high, and with a new world to explore who wouldn’t be excited? It wasn’t long before I noticed that he wasn’t breathing shallow anymore, and I opened my eyes to meet his.
“What did you see?” I asked.
I hadn’t thought I’d get the time or place to do so, but here was as good as any.
“What I got was my next mission.”
“Me?”
He nodded. “Strangest one I’ve ever had, but I wasn’t going to turn down the bonuses.”
“What’s the mission say?”
I was more than a little concerned here and worried that it had some other connotations for my future.
“Get you to a safe spot, train you to level five at least.”
“I am not going to hang around here for that length of time,” I said simply, holding his gaze. I was adamant about not doing so.
He looked to the bedrooms. “I know. I also know you’re going to reach that a lot quicker than any of the others ever will.”
“What makes me special?”
“The same thing that made me who I am.” He tapped the side of his head. “Here, I know you’re dying to see it.”
With a flick, he opened up his sheet for me, and I understood something that the others didn’t and probably never would.
Name - Rytin Yakovich
Species - Human/Denti
Year of death - 2608
Class – Ranger
Age = 35 + 21
Level = HIGHER THAN YOU, SHIT HEAD!
Respawns = ?? DON’T BE A NOSY BASTARD
Memories = 94% - 2% lost on duty
Health = 100%
Mana = 102
Nanites = ??
Body Type = ProtoType A10
Structural Integrity = Aluminium and Silver Mix
Internal AI Chip = ??
Skin Strength = 34
Blood Capacity = 71
Healing Speed = 92
Strength = ??
Dexterity = 24
Constitution = ??
Intelligence = ??
Wisdom = 51
Charisma = 8
Luck = 9
It was clear he was not meant to be here at all. Looking at what I could see, I was guessing his level over forty, maybe a lot higher. He was a lot stronger than us, and I really hadn’t saved his life. I’d actually just stepped in front of him and shown him that I was different. So now I wasn’t buying his story. Not really.
“What’s your deal?”
“Call it what you will. Talent scout, recruiter. I spot the special ones, get the opportunity to test them out, see if they’ll make something of themselves.”
Recalling the doctor’s words as I was sentenced to my life here. When they realise we’ve fudged all the entries this year, it will be too late. “You know, don’t you, that they’re fudging the entries? That they’re running out of people.”
“We’ve been suspecting it; you just confirmed it. We should have been long gone from here, but something told me to stick it out a few more weeks. I am glad that I did.”
“What does that mean for us now?”
“We follow the missions, see what comes up. Go with it as we see fit. If anything diverts you from me, tell me. I’ll do the same for you. I don’t know how you got here, or what you’re going to be here, kid, but I do know this system has something pretty special in line for you.”
I heard a cough, and Derk entered, rubbing his eyes. “Thought I heard talking. Is it time?”
Rytin nodded. “Wake the others. We move out in ten.”
Chapter Six
MISSION LOG - KILL AS MANY CRITTERS AS YOU CAN
REWARDS – XP
Y/N
Of course I clicked the Y. This would be the first time out for me on a planet that was alien and with a group of people I hadn’t travelled with before. I kitted up with them in the bare essentials I was rewarded from my wolf kill, checking the Px4 pistol’s weight before I secured it.
Then I checked out the others. I was glad they were higher up the chain of command than me, but it left me feeling pretty underpowered looking at their suits and gear.
I sighed, making sure the sword was in reach and that the dagger was in place and I could get it if I needed. My weapons might be smaller in stats against theirs, but they were all I had, and I wasn’t going to bum anything else off them. They had already been pretty good with the gear and accommodation of me.
“When we leave the compound, just stick close with us. There’s a place we go that usually respawns their mobs every few weeks,” Rytin instructed. “We were there only last week, so we’re not sure if they will be back out; however, beyond there, there are a few spots where we should encounter some that will have respawned. These will be like the M-Wolf, but they will be higher levels. We are looking for them. So be on your guard—they’ll be faster, deadlier.”
I shivered. It wasn’t actually very warm out here. And then I saw why—on the outskirts of my vision, I could see lots of ice. Or what on this planet acted as ice. I pulled my cloak around me tight. It wasn’t working. I hoped that once we got moving properly the exertion would warm me up.
It did. The terrain was pretty up and down, giving my new body a pretty decent workout. I was warm in no time, breathing heavily and sweating.
Rytin glanced my way. “We can slow down a little, but if we want to be back again before dark, we need a good pace.”
“I’m good,” I said. “I need to be sure I can do this and keep up with you all. Should rack up all the XP the system measures okay, right?”
Nehi smiled at me. “That’s the point, but you’ll struggle.”
I felt my face flush. “Don’t slow down. I don’t want to be a burden at all.”
“You’re not, but we also don’t want to burn you out if you’re going to fight.”
I knew he was right, but that didn’t make me feel any better. In fact, it just made me more frustrated, and I flexed my fists, thinking about my reply. “I will keep pace. Don’t worry about me, and I will fight.”
They did slow down the pace anyway, it was just obvious. I was sweating a lot, and they hadn’t even broken out. I would perform when needed—if it were the last thing I did here—before respawning through stupidity. I tried my best not to trip up, moving through the bushes and uneven grounds. I would fight against whatever it was that was out here with everything I had in me. I kept my eyes peeled and listened for the sound of anything untoward.
The sounds of animals fighting echoed ahead. Derk pointed at me. “You’re the one who needs the experience. If you head in there and get a critical hit at the start that will really help.”
I knew it, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to actually do it. However, forcing confidence through my veins, I pushed forwards as Rytin moved out of the way. The trees and terrain were fascinating, and I wanted to take my time to learn all about the planet and to work with it, but I couldn’t be distracted by the scenery with enemies near. All that mattered right now was levelling up quicker than I thought possible. Though I had no clue as to how I would do that. I focussed on my goal.
I headed into the clearing, trying to stay low and not alert the enemies inside. But that was never going to happen. No sooner did my foot touch a branch wrong then I knew my game was up. The loud snap that echoed into the clearing was enough to alert anything to my presence.
I heard them before I could see them. Standing up to face the critters, I swallowed, expecting something the size of the M-Wolf. But no, what was running full pelt at me were several much smaller, monkey-type critters with very long arms and gnashing jaws.
There was no way the gun was going to help me here, even if it had several targeted lasers. I drew the sword and dagger, taking up a stance I thought would best absorb the charge.
I counted seven. Not knowing anything about them I wondered about their name, strength, anything that would help me.
GREATER FOREST DWELLER PUPS = LEVEL 8
IF YOU’RE UNLUCKY TO SPOT SOME OF THESE, STEER CLEAR UNLESS YOU WANT A QUICK DEATH. AS PUPS THEY ARE OFTEN LEFT IN A SAFE PLACE, BUT DO NOT THINK FOR ONE MINUTE THAT THEY’RE EASY PREY! THEIR PARENTS WILL NOT BE FAR AWAY. THE ENTIRE HERD WILL NOT BE FAR AWAY!
Fuck. Level 8! I didn’t want to die again. I panicked, falling back.
There was no way I could get them all. Even a sharpshooter couldn’t, let alone me as a newb. I guessed they weren’t at the M-Wolf levels or speeds.
I called back “Rytin,” before I scrambled back some more and screamed, “Rytin!”
The first one was in reach of me, and I took a swing at it, managing to cut it across the chest. It waited for me to follow through with my next swing and dodged. They were fast learners. I was quickly overwhelmed and fighting for my life. Those teeth. I didn’t know where to hit first. But their gnashing jaws were too much. One attached to my leg, biting down. I screamed just as Reece pulled it off me.
“Damn, if I’d known they were pups, I wouldn’t have sent you in!” Rytin said.
I was shoved out of the way while Nehi, Reece, and Derk quickly dispatched the critters.
“We should move,” Nehi said. “That will have called the parents back if not the whole damned herd.”
I glanced to my bleeding leg and tried my best to rip the sleeve from my shirt to no avail. But what else I saw inside me—I froze.
“He’s not running anywhere with that injury,” Nehi said kneeling before me.
“Get it strapped as best you can. We can’t defend this area,” Rytin said.
Nehi reached into her pocket and pulled out a few items, a bandage and some sort of jar.
“This might sting, but you are vastly low on nites, and you’re going to need a boost to get them started. Self-healing isn’t an easy replication.”
“Nites. Replication?” I questioned, eyes on my leg as her fingers delicately touched what looked like metal.
“Your nanites, nites. Yes, they replicate.” Sounds of breaking branches, and bellows echoed around us.
While the others made sure we were safe, I asked Nehi. “What really is a denti? What am I?”
“This here,” she pointed at something shiny in my wound, “is your skeleton’s skin. The outer flesh is needed because you do have organs, and life pumping through your veins, but you’re not human.”
I nodded. I knew it. I’d read about it. The human mind transferred to nothing more than a computer with alien flesh. Downloaded. We were made to think we were going to be human, and when we first woke even with no memories we would feel and see flesh. Even as we later learned that we weren’t, we would already understand and be fodder for the war. It was an adjustment that they’d no doubt perfected over the years. One that they now weren’t worried about us discovering.
“So what’s the flesh I am from then? Are the organs grown here?” I asked, thinking that most of this body was human, that it may have been grown, like in the pod I had stepped out of.
Her brows furrowed. “There’s a lot of conjecture to what denti truly are.” She looked at me and shook her head. “Think of them as your host. That is the only way you’ll accept things.”
Host? Not human? I mean, I looked human. On the outside, at least.
Yet here, now. This was terrifying. I had no actual body. If I died here, I would simply keep on being downloaded into another shell, another denti.
Nehi handed me the jar. “I haven’t had time to process it. Just scoop some out and eat it.”
I looked at the contents, tiny black dots inside a gloopy-looking gel.
On closer inspection, it was actually eggs? Ugh.
I unscrewed the lid, and the smell hit me first. Nehi started to wrap a bandage around me, and I quickly scooped up some of the glop and put it in my mouth. I then swallowed. It tasted lumpy, like I knew something was alive going in. I gagged.
INGESTED = EMAI EGGS
MINERAL AND VITAMIN ABSORBED
HEALING BOOST X 10
I guess that was a good thing.
Nehi pulled tight. “That should hold pretty well.”
When she held out a hand for me, I took it, and she yanked me up.
I tested it. It hurt, but I thought I could walk about on it. Even if it was a hobble.
“Good to go,” I said to Rytin, who looked more and more on edge. He threw his head back the same way we came, and I started to walk.
It wasn’t long before I realised it wasn’t feasible. The pain was too much.
I grabbed Nehi’s hand, and she whirled around to me. “I’m not going to make this. Get back to the base. Wait for me.”
She smiled at me, nodded, and took my pistol and sword from me, handing me her far better rifle. “I can afford to lose mine, but you can’t. Give them hell, kid. We’ll wait on the other side for you.”
LASER RIFLE – QUALITY – GOOD – DUAL MANA CORE UNLOCKED FOR ANY LEVEL
WEIGHT – 5.8LBS
INTACT 99% BATTERY CAPACITY AND REG UPGRADE 100 SHOTS FOR 38% DAMAGE
RECHARGE FROM OWNERS OWN MANA POOL POSSIBLE OVER TIME
YOU’RE SPOILT NOW, KID. DON’T LOSE THIS GEM—EVEN IF SHE SAYS SHE CAN AFFORD THE LOSS, SHE WILL BE PISSED! BATTLE MAGE RANK 1 ACHIEVED!
Oh, wow. Three hits to most critters and they’d be dead. That was fucking awesome! Seeing them move out without me tore at my heart. But I was a let- down. I was gonna get them all killed if the whole herd came down on them. And that wouldn’t do. Their respawns had been minimal, and I wouldn’t be a good team player if I wasn’t willing to lay down my life for them. I knew it, they knew it, and I did the only thing I could to help earn their respect.
As Rytin was about to leave my view, he turned and gave me one last look of respect. No words, just a nod, then he vanished.
All I could hear was the pursuing enemy, looking for revenge. I was sure. I didn’t know if it would be just the parents of these pups or more. I just hoped that if I got in a few shots, I might take a few down. Even if I didn’t, I hoped this death would be as quick as the last. I somehow didn’t think it would be.
Trees up ahead of me swayed with the sheer size of the forest dwellers heading my way. Painfully I hobbled behind a large tree, hoping that it might give me a little respite in leaning on it and protection as they loped into view.
I breathed in. Slow, steady. One breath, then another.
Patience wasn’t a thing for me, and I tapped the side of the gun, noticing its sheer slickness in my hands. I wondered how much this one had cost. Compared to mine, it was a godsend. The device hummed in my hands, and I checked its ammo. There was more than enough to see a few hundred critters die, but I knew I wouldn’t get that many before I was overrun.
I didn’t hesitate to aim and fire as the forest dwellers burst through the treeline with a terrifying roar.