Condition Evolution 2: A LitRPG / Gamelit Adventure Read online

  Condition

  Evolution

  Book Two

  By

  Kevin Sinclair

  Contents

  Copyright © 2020 Kevin Sinclair

  Thanks

  C1 Life Begins at Twenty-Eight

  C2 How to Train a Roofer

  C3 Mind your own Business

  C4 Raising the Bar.

  C5 A Brave New Supply Station

  C6 Shit!

  C7 New Friends

  C8 High Steaks

  C9 The Butcher of Xzonico

  C10 Flight of the Navigator

  C11 Outcasts

  C12 A Quest!

  C13 The Plot Thickens

  C14 Role Play

  C15 Ship Shop

  C16 A Bountiful Escape

  C17 A deal with the Devil

  C18 Uprising Inc.

  Copyright © 2020 Kevin Sinclair

  All rights reserved

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and situations portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination.

  The Author has no medical experience whatsoever and is in no way offering dietary or health advice. Any situation herein, are purely of the authors imagination.

  All resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

  For more Information email:

  [email protected]

  First edition October 2020

  Thanks

  First of all, I’d like to thank my wonderful wife Victoria, for her support and acceptance of my obsessive nature.

  My children, Ewan, Lydia, William and Alexander who keep me on my toes, and provide unexpected plot twists every day.

  To the Guildmasters, for all your help, support and friendship. Just a thoroughly fantastic group of people.

  To my beta readers, Steve Kenny, Jeff Walsh, Joe Jelliff, Denny Johnson, Jim Auwaerter and Dantas Netos, for your time and amazing feedback.

  To my Editors, Ewan Sinclair, Victoria Sinclair and Weston Mathews for your excellent work.

  And Eko for another amazing cover!

  C1

  Life Begins at Twenty-Eight

  The obvious choice for any sane person was to immediately thrash around in a wild panic. Waking up strapped to a bed in an unknown, metallic room, was not on my bucket list.

  My first thought? Intrusive alien experiments, prompting a primal need to get off that bed, quick. Try as I might, the straps held my entire body firm. This only increased the ferocity of the wild animal I had become.

  A single, beautiful voice magically took away all my fear,

  “Hey, hey. Calm down.”

  A dreamlike version of Ember moved into my vision. She looked different and yet the same, at least to my messed up head. I really didn’t know what the hell was going on, but for a small bubble of memories that had resurfaced when I saw her. It wasn’t a lot, but it gave me a little perspective.

  “I’ll unstrap you. Just stay calm. Okay?”

  “I’m really out! I can’t believe it.”

  “You are, but you’re gonna wish you weren’t,” she said, working on the straps.

  It felt good to be free. I pulled myself up into a sitting position on the bed, and took in Ember properly. There was no doubt this was the same woman from the body language and facial expressions that I’d already seen. She was wearing a sleek one-piece uniform, black and navy in colour. Jet black hair, falling just past her shoulders.

  “What’s going on, Ember? I only remember bits of what happened and what you said.”

  “It’s better if Ogun delivers the full rundown,” she said, picking up a pouch from the table, “this is his area of expertise. I only found out two weeks ago, remember?... Probably not. I’m still completely out of my depth and terrified and I can’t imagine ever not being. It’s all very intense.” She pulled a straw from the pouch and twisted off the end, handing it over to me.

  “What’s this?” I asked curiously.

  “You drink it. It’s like a smoothie packed with all the stuff your body needs.”

  “You mean there’s no food?”

  “Yeah. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of food, but your stomach hasn’t seen any action for near enough a year. These will help kick-start your digestive system, so you don’t blow chunks when you first eat.”

  “Okay. That makes sense, though I’m bloody starving!” I slurped down the pouch, grimacing at the gritty texture. “Can you at least say where on earth we are, and why they had me strapped down?”

  “Yeah fine,” she said with a strained smile. “Those are definitely simple enough questions to answer, though you won’t like the answers. I know I sure as fuck don’t.” Her smile turning to a frown as she spoke.

  “They tied you down, so you didn’t fall out of the bed. We’ve been under constant attack until about a day ago and the Thoth, that’s this ship by the way was all over the bloody place. From what I’ve heard, we’ve only just managed to escaped. Oh, and you were also thrashing around like a toddler having nightmares,” she grinned. “As for your second question, well, we aren’t on Earth.”

  “Wha’?” I squawked, showcasing my manliness.

  “We’re in space.”

  “Space?”

  “Yes, Shaun. Space. I see you still like asking stupid questions in the real world too.”

  “What the fuck am I doing in space!”

  “Trying to get the away from seriously pissed off aliens,” she said, deadpan.

  “How are you so chilled?”

  She looked deep in thought, before piercing my soul with her gaze. “What other choice is there?” Then she leaned forward conspiratorially, “I’m not chilled. I’m like a duck on the water. Calm on the surface, but paddling like fuck underneath.”

  “Right. Well, at least we’re in it together,” I said it without thinking. She gave me such a genuine smile in return that for once I was glad my mouth worked faster than my mind.

  “You're so right. I can’t explain how happy I am that we got you out in time. Even though I’m stronger than I ever thought I’d be, I don’t think I could do this without you.”

  “You seem to be doing okay so far.”

  “Yeah, but knowing you were here’s been comforting. Even if you have been unconscious for over a day.”

  “What can I say. I put people at ease when I’m unconscious. It’s a skill,” I quipped. She chuckled and my life was instantly a little better.

  “I’ll wait outside while you get dressed. There’s some clothes that’ll fit, in that locker.” She pointed across the room towards it.

  “Oh, thanks. Will do,” I said, as she departed. The door was automatic and opened as she approached. When it u I let out a big exhale. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend what was going on. I shook my head and decided to pretend everything was fine. With a deep calming breath, I pushed all the thoughts and confusion deep down into the recesses of my mind. It’s where I hid everything I didn’t want to think about. Healthy, I know.

  I eased myself off the bed, feeling a little unsteady. But surprisingly, by the time I made it to the locker my legs felt strong.

  Inside I found a jumpsuit identical to Ember’s, though bigger obviously. With it stood a pair of boots and some underwear. I whipped the hospital gown off and quickly replaced it with the pants, catching
my reflection as I did so in the locker door mirror. A strange sensation hit home. I wasn’t fat anymore, nor was there any saggy skin to my huge relief. But, looking over my new body disappointed me. Ungrateful, right? I’d become accustomed to the physique I’d built in Anatoli, not this pale skinny form.

  I was possibly thinner than the time I spent lost in that forest, shitting myself to near death. I gave my head a wobble. Come on Shaun, this is still a hundred percent better than before Anatolia, I told myself. I’d bulk up a bit when we weren’t being chased by whoever.

  Next, I noticed my hair was cut short, in near enough the same style as when I’d entered the chamber. Strange. Did they cut my hair while I was in there, or had they stopped it from growing altogether? I decided I didn’t care. I had more pressing issues to deal with, such as being on a fucking spaceship!

  I finished getting dressed in a hurry, surprised at how well everything fit. At first, I had toyed with the idea of having a shower, but I seemed spotless and odor-free somehow.

  I left the room through the same door as Ember. She was leaning against the corridor wall waiting for me.

  “You scrub up nice.”

  “As do you, Ember.” I walked over and gave her a hug. Relieved when she hugged me back. When we parted it was only slightly awkward.

  “Right, then. Let’s go see Ogun,” she said, heading off down the futuristic corridor. I followed right behind her marveling at every detail as we went.

  At the far end of the corridor we reached some cool double doors that opened quickly and silently. On the other side was an awe-inspiring room filled with terminals and screens. Several people worked at the terminals, all dressed in the same outfits that we wore. One thing I had noticed about everyone, was that they all looked in wicked shape with not an inch of excess weight anywhere to be seen. I suppose that would make sense if they’d all been through Anatoli.

  One gigantic screen filled the whole side of the room. It didn’t take a genius to work out that it was showing the outside of the ship. Streaks of white, cut through an otherwise pitch-black backdrop. We must have been traveling fast from my understanding. Information I’d garnered purely from watching sci-fi shows.

  Professor Ogun, or probably Captain Ogun now, sat in a chair looking at a small screen to his side. As we approached, he looked up.

  “Shaun! Fantastic. You’re awake,” he cried, jumping straight up from his chair. “We have quite a few things to discuss. Please come with me.”

  He then shouted to a tall, brown haired woman he called Astrid to take over command. He beckoned me to follow him to another room. I still couldn’t get over the sheer size of the man as he walked in front of me.

  We entered what turned out to be his office. He sat down behind his desk and gestured for me to take a seat.

  “I imagine you have a lot of questions, Shaun?”

  “Just the one, really. What the fuck is going on?”

  “Fair enough,” he laughed. “Let me start by offering an apology. I lied about the true purpose of your therapy. I have in fact, embroiled you in a conflict against my people. But before you judge me, I must first give you some of the backstory.”

  “Okay. Hit me with it, Professor.”

  “Call me Ogun. No other honorifics are necessary.”

  “Ah, okay Ogun.”

  “Now, to my story. Approximately seven thousand years ago, my people, the Fystr, were around a few centuries more advanced than the people of Earth are right now. That is not only technologically, but on an evolutionary level too. We had tapped parts of our minds that had previously remained hidden. By doing this, we learned how to extend our lives.

  “As you would expect, the majority of our race continued to procreate, and it did not take long for our planet to become seriously overpopulated. Around that same time, we had become a competent space faring race.”

  “So, you settled on other planets?” I guessed.

  “Yes, we did. The Fystr settled on any habitable planet we found, displacing any alien species we came across along the way. If they did not leave the planet, we annihilated them.”

  “Wow! Your people are serious dicks,” I stated. Horrified by the sort of people who would eradicate entire races.

  “Yes. I take some solace in the fact I was not born during the conquest phase of my race's galactic expansion, but what came next, is perhaps worse.”

  “What the hell could be worse than that?” Distaste colored my words.

  “With my people there is always a way to make it worse. Even with our technology and mental advances, settling on a new planet was not easy. Those difficulties became exacerbated, when the Fystr leadership on our home planet began to demand ever more taxes and resources.”

  “Always with the taxes, huh?” I said with sarcasm.

  “Yes. Legalized robbery seems to be ever present in all societies. Many of the newly colonized planets rebelled. But while they had been fighting the harshness of space and dealing with the difficulties of settling on new planets. Fystr Prime had spent the years furthering both their mental and scientific capabilities, empowered by the resources and taxes claimed from their interstellar empire. With rebellion springing up, the solution was simple. Tighten, restrictions across all planets, take more from them and become ever stronger, while they become ever weaker.”

  “Hey, Ogun. Not meaning to be rude here, but what has this got to do with me being skinny and in space?”

  “I’m getting there, Shaun. Try to take this in please. It is important you know the truth,” he continued with his monologue. “The oppression resulted in many wars. Fystr Prime, along with a number of the oldest settled planets, that were home to many of the Fystr ruling class. Needless to say, they won outright.”

  I nodded my head like I knew what the fuck he was talking about. I really didn’t. But I must have convinced him because he continued.

  “They crushed every rebellion, brutally forcing each planet’s inhabitants back to tribalism by culling their populations and destroying all of their technology. Unfortunately, it did not stop there. They must have predicted further unrest, as they systematically suppressed each and every planet under their control.”

  “What! That’s an insane thing to do to your own people, especially when they hadn’t even rebelled against them.”

  “My people are thorough if nothing else, Shaun. They weakened each planet enough to prevent any future rebellions, while still being able to produce the resources that the Fystr so crave.”

  “It’s a shame none of the planets were able to hide any technology stuff, and sneakily build themselves back up,” I said. I loved a good underdog story.

  “I am sure many did. But it would have availed them nothing. The Fystr installed a caretaker to watch for such things and guide each worlds development. Someone to organize resources for transport and prevent future generations from unlocking their true Potential. It wouldn’t do for humans to rediscover the abilities that were lost to them.” He paused for a moment, then continued, “I am the caretaker of your planet, if you hadn’t guessed.”

  “Holy shit! That’s deep. So, humans on Earth are actually the same as you, Fystr?”

  “Yes. Though your race has regressed somewhat from an evolutionary standpoint, you are still from the same ancestry.”

  “So, why are they coming for us now?” I asked, looking puzzled.

  “Because I had an epiphany. Your society is approaching a crossroads in mental development that I am supposed to act upon and outright stop. This would involve mass slaughter, wars, or plagues, plunging your world back into chaos. I could not do it to you all again. You are after all our people, our children. I instead used the game therapy to push you through the evolutionary process. Somehow, they discovered I had not put the expected protocols into action and warned me I had a year to do so. You will remember the rush to get you in the game?

  “Funnily enough, I can remember that detail.”

  “For whatever reason, they must not ha
ve fully believed my assurances and instead sent a small fleet to check on my progress. Obviously, they were unhappy with what they found and decided to arrest me, and here we are.”

  “Fuck me! So that’s why we're running away now?”

  “Yes. We could not resist their forces.”

  “So, is Earth toast?”

  “They seem content to monitor the planet at present. There is another compound of improved humans in the Ukraine who are in hiding, they have not yet been discovered, but have reported to me when there has been no major damage done. It helps that their facility is deep underground.”

  “It holds more people like me?”

  “Yes. Like you. Potentially, you are all now as powerful as a Fystr, although you must undergo much training. My hope was to have even more like you and create a powerful army enough to defend earth. I was too late.”

  “So, I’m like a superhero now? That’s pretty cool. But can I ask; why me? Or Ember, for that matter. Was there something special about us? We were both totally broken people when we came to you.”

  “It is an uncomfortable truth,” he sighed. “Simply it’s because you would not have been missed. I don’t know every method by which information gets back to the Duat. I had to be coy in my actions.”

  “Well, that’s a bit shit,” I said. “I can see where you’re coming from though. So, what’s happening now? I get we’re in space, but do we have a plan?”

  “Escaping their clutches, first and foremost. “We need supplies and I hope at some point to get back and protect Earth.”

  “Right. And I suppose thanks for not destroying the Earth when ordered to.”

  “Oh, I do like you Shaun,” Ogun said slapping the table. “I have awoken over two hundred subjects and one hundred and fifty-three of them made it past level twenty in Anatoli. That means they made the grade and evolved if you like. One hundred and fifty-three evolved humans, and you are the first one to thank me for not destroying your world.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said, and as an afterthought added, “I must’ve really made the grade if I reached level forty. Ember too.”