Endless Online: Oblivion's Price: A LitRPG Adventure - Book 3

by M. H. Johnson

  "But think, Val, would it be more in his interest to honor what he implied was a government sanctioned cleanup job, or do you think Dominic would risk the government's wrath just to give info to the target he was supposed to take out?"

  His father's gaze all but castigated Val for missing the obvious. "You took the card and agreed to meet up, so he felt better about letting you go. The last thing you do is go back and meet up at a predetermined site, risking being the target of an ambush. Far better to avoid all contact with the man. If we're lucky, the man who had attempted to steamroll Dominic into taking the contract is a lone wolf, with no further resources once his one bluff ran its course, and no means to strike further. Whether or not that is the case, the best move you can make is to avoid that area of Chicago pretty much forever."

  Val frowned, unable to explain why he had trusted Dominic's sincerity, his sense of the man, somehow knowing he wouldn't dare break his word to Val. But it sounded nonsensical to say the words aloud, like he was placing his safety on pure delusion, and maybe his father sensed his ambivalence.

  "At least wait a few more days, Val. I already have a contact keeping an eye and ear on Dominic's club. If we overhear any chatter involving you, we'll be able to act on it in a heartbeat.

  Val grimaced but couldn't fault his father's logic. "Okay, dad, we'll do it your way. At least for the next few days."

  "Great. Alright, get some rest, son. You still look a little beat. I'll be downstairs in the office. If you step outside, don't forget to reset the alarm, and please don't go beyond the yard."

  Val nodded, happy that their house, oversized for the two of them as it was, had excellent security like a fortress, and multiple stored firearms he and his father were both experts in the use of. Somehow, he doubted too many other souls would be able to sneak up on them the way he had. "Are you still going to hire us some security?"

  "Yes, Val. I'm reaching out. Frankly, I'd love it if we could bring in a man or two in from your old unit."

  Val grinned. "That would be awesome if they were interested."

  His father smiled back. "It would indeed."

  The rest of their breakfast was spent reminiscing over more innocent times, and Val felt much lifted in body and spirit by the time he was comfortably situated in his bedroom once more and refastening his VR helm, eager to see what Julia and his other friends were up to.

  "Hey, hero, check out my Firestream."

  With her silky black hair done up in a no-nonsense bun, Yin was managing to strike a clay target fifteen feet away with a roaring stream of flame, her movements far more fluid and natural than they had been just the day before.

  "Looking good, Yin," he said.

  "And it feels so much more natural now!" Yin declared, wiping the sweat from her brow. "It's still as tiring, but I can bring the magic to the surface almost at will, even if we're in trouble, like I could go from a walk to a sprint if some creep was following me." She chuckled softly. "I can almost imagine casting this in real life."

  Val grinned. "That's fantastic!" He then frowned at his pleased but tired looking friend. "Were you here all night?"

  "No," said none other than Dirk, crossing the field outside the manor with Chris by his side. "But she did get an early start, dedicating herself to mastering her skill set, fit to do any soldier, or contractor, proud."

  Yin brightened with those words. "Hi, boss! I sent back the contract. The treason threat if I dare tell anyone what the hell we're doing was a nice touch. So am I on the payroll now?"

  Dirk chuckled, patting her shoulder. Val noted Yin's smile, the way she was leaning into his touch. "You made a good move, kid. Don't worry, Uncle Sam takes care of his own. And incorporating yourself into a single entity LLC was a smart move."

  Yin looked the tiniest bit embarrassed. "Yeah, well, I've had fantasies about becoming a maverick millionaire for a couple years now, since I was a bored senior. I know that the same government that pays individuals in the service a few thousand and says 'be grateful' are the same folks happy to give corporations millions of dollars for outrageous contracts with zero penalties for failure, then that company turns around and hires a bunch of desperate suckers and gives them all chicken feed, pocketing the difference. It was obvious to me even then that being the middleman or the market maker was the only place to be, and that the folks on the end of the trough working the 9-5 were getting screwed six ways to Sunday."

  Chris's eyes widened. "She thought that through in high school? Most people never figure that out." He flushed. "Hell, I didn't think of it that way, but when you put it like that... anyway, it's great to have a genius like you on board, Yin!" He high fived her and she couldn't help chuckling.

  "My stepfather is a contract lawyer who was smart enough to gain my trust by respecting me and teaching me stuff I can actually use in life. He's the one who helped me set up the LLC just in case I wanted to go the entrepreneurial route, or if I ever got it in mind to set up my own contracting company."

  Dirk grinned. "Sounds like a good guy. Still won't affect your base pay, Yin, but I think you'll find we're not stinting you either way." He handed her what looked like a piece of parchment, Val was almost surprised to see Roman numerals scribbled on it, though he couldn't say why, just that it looked horribly out of place here.

  Yin's features paled. "Oh my god, are you serious?!?" She squealed.

  Dirk kept his smile, but his eyes hardened. Yin immediately paled and swallowed. "You understand how serious this is, yes? You're giving me forty hours a week of your time, minimum, and I can demand more when we hit a critical juncture, like we will soon with our mission. And you don't tell a soul the nature of your work. Not even your stepfather, Yin, I am serious. As far as your family is concerned, you're still working as a barista. And if they manage to crack through your facade, that's when you admit that you're working for the government. Just tell them we saw something we liked with your quick thinking, and you are under oath to give away no details about your work, and your stepfather would be a fool not to take that damn seriously. Are we clear?"

  She jerked a nod. "But ten thousand? I'm getting ten thousand a month, to game with you?"

  Dirk chuckled softly. "Maybe it was smart to incorporate yourself. My boss didn't hesitate for a heartbeat when I call-confirmed, just said 'smart kid, she better know how to keep her mouth shut.' I assured him you were the soul of discretion."

  "Yes, sir!" Yin saluted.

  Chris whistled. "Wow. Ten grand a month. Fantastic, girl! I'm almost jealous," he chuckled. "Anyway, it's great to have you formally on board."

  Dirk chuckled. "You know damn well with your hazard bonus you have nothing to complain about, and you're serving your country in uniform."

  Chris shrugged. "Oh, I'm not complaining. I'm just happy for her, is all."

  Dirk nodded, giving Val a measuring smile. But all he said was. "You ready to train, Val?"

  Val nodded. "You bet, Captain."

  Dirk chuckled. "Just call me by my name, Val. Good for cover, and I like to keep things casual, as long as everyone follows orders when we are on mission."

  Val nodded. "When does the mission start?"

  "Tomorrow at 6 AM, or whenever the last of you gets here. Speaking of which, you're half an hour late, today."

  Val raised an eyebrow, holding Dirk's stare. "I was having breakfast with my dad," he said. "We had things to discuss. Besides, weren't you the one advising me to take it easy today?"

  Dirk smirked. "Alright, Val. And you're right, I do want you to take it easy today. We're starting off with tactics and basic combat techniques. Yin? You're working with Chris. He's going to get you comfortable with firing the dwarven blaster and using sword and shield. Val? there's something I'd like to show you."

  And with a few soft words, Dirk's image seemed to grow somewhat distorted, the light emanating from him somehow brighter, harsher than it had been. "Now watch," the older man said, whipping out his sword and performing a basic series of moulinets wi
th his blade at frightening speed. Val's eyes widened as the arcane cords snapped into focus, thanks to his Arcane Perception.

  "You're speeding up time!" Val whispered. "How the heck are you doing that?"

  Dirk's laughter sounded tinny and sped up, somehow. "That's right, Val. This is this world's version of a tier 1 haste spell. And it doesn't just speed up alertness and reflexes, like stimulants might, with all the resulting side effects inherent in that branch of body magics... no. This spell actually seems to speed up our perception of time by about 10%. Everything else moves slower, and our strikes hit faster, and as a result of even that small bit of added velocity, considerably harder as well."

  Val blinked, chilled by just how potent that ability could be. "But what about light?" he finally said.

  Dirk shrugged. "I halfway think even the laws of physics are a bit screwed here, as we understand them. But this, at least, behaves as Einstein might expect. The outside world tends to redshift."

  Val nodded. It made sense. The speed of light might be a constant, but the frequency would shift and outside light would look dimmer, redder, the more one sped up, and light emitted outward would appear more intense, explaining the subtle brightness of Dirk's attire.

  Val blinked, Dirk suddenly coming back into normal focus. "Alright, Val. Form a Spirit Link with the rest of the party. Yin? I know you have a knack for magic as well, so pay attention while I go over this spell with Val."

  "Yes, sir!" She cheerfully replied.

  Val smiled, enjoying the hands-on instruction, awed to find a sense of the spell clicking into place by the eighth casting witnessed, somehow sensing with his Magesight and Arcane Perception how the spell was put together, tasting arcane possibilities he had never before considered.

  He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and slowly, carefully, summoned forth the exotic streams of power, twisting them into a multidimensional knot. He opened his eyes, closing them abruptly as the harsh light cut into them, everyone jerking at rapid speed, sharp voices cutting into his ears.

  "Shit," he muttered, quickly canceling the spell.

  "What did you do?" Yin asked as Dirk smirked. "You got this strange look on your face, and started to look all, well, dim. And your movements were so slow... oh! You reversed the spell."

  Val chuckled. "I guess I did. How long was I in?"

  "A couple of minutes," Dirk said. "I think, Val, you need more practice. Let me show you a few more times, in case you aren't quite as clever as you had thought, and you might actually need to spend a good number of weeks practicing new spells like normal humans."

  Yin laughed. "Wow, Val. It's going to be awhile before I can move these spell strands at all! I'm surprised you even understood enough to mess it up!"

  Val nodded ruefully. "Point taken," he said, though carefully filing away his experimental failure for later consideration. "Alright, Dirk, show me a few more times."

  The captain nodded, doing just that with pauses to recover his mana, and it wasn't long before a grinning Val joined him, the spell clicking for him at last.

  Congratulations! You have learned Haste: Tier 1 - Level 20 Spell - Corpus/Temporal dependent. - Cost 20 mana to cast. 0.5 mana per second to maintain. Gain a 10% boost to speed!

  Congratulations! You have achieved Rank 1 in Corpus magics! Now you can affect any humanoid body directly.

  Congratulations! You have achieved Rank 1 in Temporal magics! Now you can muck about with time itself!

  Dirk gave a slow, approving nod. "Impressive. Well done, Val. Now lock the spell in place, and let's get in some sparring practice of our own."

  Val happily nodded at that, first watching Yin and Chris pair up, Chris carefully showing her the basics of how to use her blaster against the target before letting go of the handle and withdrawing the sword in one smooth motion, her blaster falling to her chest, secured by the shoulder strap as she withdrew a short sword looking very much like a gladius, and mimed jabbing upwards even as she raised her shield.

  "In such close quarters, that blade will serve us well if we're set up as a shield wall," Dirk explained. "Right now? Far better she know a few techniques well, than many she can't use in the heat of the moment."

  Val nodded. "It's a good combination for her, and if we're covering her sides, careful low stabs with good shield protection might be the best, safest way for her to assist without risking herself."

  Dirk nodded. "Whereas Julia will strike with magic at range, and as for you, dear Val, we still need to get a sense of what your strengths are."

  Val grinned, now fully kitted out in practice gear, sword and shield in hand, Julia having just arrived and looking content to watch them spar for the moment. "I have many strengths. Shall we test them?"

  Dirk chuckled at that, saluting Val with his shield as he closed, and Val was suddenly lost in the most intense melee contest he had embraced since his best HEMA days.

  "That was some fight!" Yin whistled, Julia flashing an agreeable smile.

  "Tell me about it," Val said, rubbing his temple where Dirk had scored the final point of their match. Val knew he was good, better than most HEMA practitioners with sword and shield, but Dirk had been something else. His migration era blade, capable of such devastating chops, weaving about as gracefully as a serpent's head, always ready to strike. And for all that he and Val were about equal in speed, both of them as quick as professional athletes, Dirk's incredible strength allowed him to wield his sword so easily, and swing with such force, that Val had found it exceedingly tough to counter.

  For all that Val had managed more than a few strikes that had surprised Dirk, catching the back of his helm with a V-snap, wrapping around Dirk's shield as he deliberately crashed into the man, or snaking out with surprisingly fast casting blows, clipping the captain's padded helm as Val's pommel arced into a pistol grip, Val had suffered twice as many hits. The captain struck fast, hard, and did not tire.

  Dirk grinned when their match ended, both of them releasing their haste spells in unison. "Well done, Val. You weren't lying when you said you had taken up HEMA. You could certainly give most people a run for their money with your skills."

  Val chuckled, still catching his breath. "You, sir, kicked my ass. Well done, Captain. I'm glad you're on my side."

  Dirk winked. "Play this game awhile, Val. Put your points where it matters, and you might find yourself with the physique of an Olympian, and the strange sense that it had always just been locked away."

  Yin whistled. "That was incredible! You guys were both so fast. To be honest, I wasn't sure who had won."

  "Dirk, for sure," Val said.

  Dirk nodded. "And Val gave me a run for my money. Any foe that didn't respect him would have been spitted on his blade, no matter how good they were."

  "You should see me with a longsword," Val grinned.

  "Oh, hot damn. You practice longsword? We have to spar!" Chris insisted, Dirk slowly shaking his head.

  "Sorry, gents, we head out late this afternoon, so we can hit an obelisk that is close by our target tomorrow. The only skills we should be practicing are those we're going to use. And now that we've all learned some basics as individuals, it's time to master them as a group."

  And the rest of the afternoon Dirk worked them all as if he really was their CO, forcing them to work and fight as a unit: 3 or 4 shieldmen in front, blocking and striking with training weapons against targets while Julia, Val, and Yin all took turns with ranged combat magics, everyone's thighs burning as they practiced shieldwork in half-squats, so Julia could always safely launch fire, lightning, and ice over carefully lowered heads. As the afternoon waned, they began fighting as a cohesive unit, knowing exactly how to respond to the very small handful of commands Dirk had them master.

  Only then did they actually practice fighting in that formation against a handful of guards willing to spar with them, so long as no spells were involved.

  "Awesome training session, Captain!" Yin declared. "And boy do my thighs burn! My sensei wo
uld be proud."

  Val nodded his agreement, all of them refreshing themselves with sangria and snacks, and how odd it was that snacks in this matrix or world seemed to refresh them, though all of them had taken several real-life breaks during the long day's training as well. "For all my training, I'm used to fighting solo, at least in melee, so it's nice to see how damn effective fighting in tandem can be with shields to either side of me, even if it was slightly awkward fighting with my knees bent more than I'm used to."

  Yin nodded. "Tell me about it! Good thing Julia's a tall girl, or you guys would have to crouch even lower so she could shoot spells over your heads!"

  Val nodded. "Making room for Chris's greatsword was a bit nerve-wracking. At least I know he can use it without hitting me, even if I did have to slide left a few feet to give him room for high-low cuts."

  Yin nodded. "High-low is fine. Side to side, even quick and elegant controlled blows, there's no real room. But it was neat when he took second row and was spearing over our heads with it."

  Val nodded. "Talhoffer and other renaissance swordsmen did teach how to use a greatsword like a spear when fighting against single opponents, or as part of a formation as we were. And considering that Chris has a magic sword, I don't blame him trying to make use of it, whatever our formation."

  Yin shivered. "But still, I could just feel the magic radiating from that blood red blade. Like it hungered."

  Val nodded, having also felt the hungry presence of that sword, no matter where it had been in proximity to him.

  "Alright, guys," Dirk said, "let's take a ten-minute break. Everyone hop off, take care of your business, and hop right back on. We're heading out on the veli, and we'll be driving for as long as it takes to reach the next obelisk."