Condition Evolution 7: A Litrpg / Gamelit Adventure Read online

  Condition Evolution

  Book Six

  By

  Kevin Sinclair

  Copyright © 2022 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 2022

  Thanks

  Thanks as always to my wife, Victoria Sinclair, for all your priceless help with editing and publishing. To my editor, Alicia Sit and to Elias Dantas and Mario Skraban for some top-notch proofreading. And Eko for yet another amazing cover!

  Contents

  Chapter 1 The Plan

  Chapter 2 Sneak and Smash

  Chapter 3 Hunters

  Chapter 4 Friendly Faces

  Chapter 5 All Hell Breaks

  Chapter 6 The Day The Mud Dwellers Died

  Chapter 7 The Leftovers

  Chapter 8 One in a Million

  Chapter 9 Companions

  Chapter 10 You Duat.

  Chapter 11 The Generation Gap

  Chapter 12 Finding Harmony

  Chapter 13 The Good Old Days

  Chapter 14 Second Time’s the Charm

  Chapter 15 Corrections

  Chapter 16 Ham and Cheese Scruncher Please.

  Chapter 17 Separate Ways

  Chapter 18 Shiver me Timbers

  Chapter 19 Bopping About

  Chapter 20 Take a Load off

  Chapter 21 Omnipotentish

  Chapter 22 Busy this time of year for the Uninhabitable Zone

  Chapter 23 I wish Nothing but the Worst for you Both

  Chapter 24 A Fleeting Departure

  …Incoming from Shaun…

  Next Up!

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  LitRPG Group

  Chapter 1

  The Plan

  “Havok, it’s okay, man. You’re okay. Look You’re all straightened out,” I said pleadingly to my now physically, if not mentally, repaired axe.

  It didn’t appear that any amount of cajoling or forcing Omni into him would break his stupor. I could hear some very vague and distant sounding mumblings, but I could neither enter his mind nor reach him in any other way. My only hope was that, in time, it would get better.

  I was standing in the large industrial forge Ialos had created for Apochros-quality melee weapons in one of the many massive manufacturing facilities that now covered the surface of Hope. This was the new name for E1218 after it had been discovered that Earth was the derogatory term the Fystr had given to all of the planets where humans were stored.

  Since the end of the last battle a couple of weeks ago, the whole planet had become our central base of operations and a hive of mining and manufacturing activity. We aimed to produce as many spacecraft and planetary defenses as we could as quickly as possible, before the Fystr returned with their next attempt against us. It would only be a matter of time before they returned from the battle with the Apochros.

  With the capabilities of the manufacturing synthesizer units, producing the technical components we needed to build. It was a source of amazement to all, as ship after ship was produced. Whether it would be enough to save us from the coming storm was a different matter altogether.

  Taking a long, last, devastated look at Havok, I attached the straps I was now using to carry him with, and slung him onto my back, before going to find Ember.

  She was training still every day, though less strenuously than before due to the extra passenger she was carrying now.

  “Hey!” I said, walking into the training room our apartments surrounded.

  “Any luck?” she asked hopefully.

  “Nope. Nothing,” I answered dejectedly.

  “He just needs to kill some Fystr,” Bella said into my mind. “That’ll bring him around.”

  “Maybe, Bella. It won't be much longer to find out, I reckon.”

  Ember spoke out loud, “So what are we going to do then? Ships are ready. Should we go? Continue evolving other planets?”

  “Well, yeah. Think we’ve got one thing to do first though, haven't we?”

  She grinned wide. “What on Hope do you mean?”

  I already knew what she was driving at, though she would never bring it up again. I smirked. “Time to get married, dear.”

  We both laughed at that.

  “Then we need to move. This Empire isn’t going to take itself over.”

  “Have you organized anything yet? Seeing as you asked me?” she asked, catching me off guard.

  “Yeah, sure I have,” I lied. “Just a few finishing touches. I’ll, er, go and get those tied up now.”

  She nodded. “Yes, I think you probably should.”

  After a brief peck on the cheek and saying goodbye to Bella, I was off out again. Stepping out of the room, I looked left and right, wondering where to go and what to do. Acclo! I thought and brought her up on the comm.

  “Hey, Acclo, I need help organizing some stuff.”

  “Of course, captain. How may I be of service?”

  “I need to organize a wedding ceremony, and I don’t know anyone better than you to help me.”

  “I, er… don’t know a great deal about human bonding ceremonies, but I can learn quickly, captain. If you can give me an hour to hand over the manufacturing and rehabilitation manifestos to others, I will be right with you.”

  “Ah shit, Acclo. Sorry, just forget I said anything. You are literally the busiest person on the damn planet. I’ll find someone else.”

  “Perhaps Elyek would appreciate the opportunity to assist you, and perhaps Chloe, who has experience with the customs of your people? Or one of the other humans from Uprising?”

  “Shit, you are a lifesaver. I should have gone to Elyek first. Don’t tell them, will you?”

  “Your secret is safe with me,” Acclo said neutrally.

  Ending the call, I quickly brought Elyek up on the comm. “Hey, Elyek. Will you help me arrange mine and Ember's wedding? I'm gonna get Chloe involved, too.”

  “Of course, captain. It would be my honor.”

  “Awesome. Where are you?”

  “I am working on the Haven, but I will be finished with my immediate tasks within twenty minutes. I will come and meet with you in the habitation facility. Is the recreational kitchen adequate?”

  “Sure, great, I’ll hunt Chloe down. I thought she could help too.”

  “Of course, captain. Very wise to bring someone familiar with your culture along.”

  “You know me. Wise as an owl.”

  Elyek didn’t bother to respond to that statement and must have gone back to work as the line dropped.

  “Next up, Chloe,” I said to myself, still pacing aimlessly up and down the corridor as I contacted her. “I need help organizing Ember and my own wedding. Any chance you could help?”

  There was a small chirp of excitement before she answered, “I would love to. Why me?”

  “You’re human for a start. I'm meeting Elyek in the canteen i
n half an hour. They’re helping.”

  “Okay, I’ll finish getting ready. Come by my apartment on your way and pick me up.”

  “Will do. I don’t mind getting there early. I could eat a horse.”

  “What’s that?”

  “An animal from my Earth that some people ride sometimes. You wouldn’t really eat it.”

  She laughed and let the line fall dead, and I headed down the sterile corridor to where her apartment was. The massive complex that housed everyone from Haven would have been difficult to navigate in the old days before 100% Mental Clarity as everything looked the same.

  Five minutes later and I was outside Chloe’s door. Forgoing the terminal, I knocked instead and waited.

  The crazy git jumped through the wall shouting, “Raargh!” and waving her hands around.

  “Really. And also well done. Your insubstantial skill is really coming on!”

  “Thank you. I haven’t stopped practicing since I activated it.”

  I nodded appreciatively.

  In the canteen, we each got a meal. Steak veg and new potatoes with gravy for me, and penne carbonara for her.

  She blathered on about anything and everything while I shoveled food in my mouth pretending to keep track of most of what was said. I heard something about colors and bringing out Ember's eyes, but I wasn’t really following.

  Elyek arrived not long after thankfully, and from there, I was able to just answer the odd question while those two arranged the details.

  Two days later and I was standing, facing Ember in a fancy looking open canopy. The sun was shining, the birds were tweeting, and Ogun was offering up some words of encouragement as the officiant of our little impromptu ceremony.

  The entirety of Uprising and many people from Hope including Keira and Vinstan, gathered to watch. There was talk of the symbolism of new beginnings and unions and general shit like that. I just wished we’d both agreed we were married and had a glass of wine out from under the gaze of everyone’s stares. Later that day, we planned our honeymoon.

  Sitting around the meeting table in our compound, the leaders of Hope and of Uprising argued again over which path we would take forward.

  “If they’re bringing a fleet that’s ten times the size of the last one, then how can you be anywhere else but here?” Keira demanded.

  Vinstan nodded his agreement. The two leaders worked remarkably well together, and I pretended to humor them on this, but in reality, there was no way we were camping out here just waiting for the Fystr fleet to return from the Apochros sector. In my mind, that was just inviting all of our deaths. Not to mention that my Universal Instinct railed at the thought.

  “That’s definitely something to consider,” I replied diplomatically. “But I think we need to take a more proactive approach.”

  I could see the defeated look in their expressions. They knew that wasn’t going to happen. I looked around the table, my eyes landing on Ogun.

  “I still believe our best option is to continue moving around the planets in this area and liberating them,” he said. “The more people we can evolve the better our long-term chances are.

  “Only if we are quick enough, and push them fast enough. We don’t know how long we have. Twenty planets full of barely evolved humans aren’t going to stand up to the well-trained, ancient Fystr war machine,” Ialos said.

  “The best method is to remove our enemies' ability to wage war if possible,” Harlek said. “As we have all already discussed, there cannot be many Fystr soldiers left in the Empire. It seems to me that, if we can attack whatever bases they have and undermine their military presence further before their fleet returns, we improve our chances.”

  “Divide and conquer even more,” William said in agreement.

  “I like that plan the best,” Calparr said.

  I looked back to Ialos, and she nodded her assent to the more aggressive plan.

  “Ember?”

  “Whatever you think’s best, dear,” she replied. “You’re the one with the god-like instincts after all.”

  I shrugged at those watching me in anticipation. “Let’s go hunting then. See if we can get more ships and supplies from their outposts. Better in our hands than theirs, I reckon.”

  “We have many of their locations from Ursula’s compound,” Elyek said, pointing at the large screen at the far side of the room.

  A map of the section of the galaxy we were in showed up—the bright center in the far-left corner of the screen. Red dots pockmarked the system to show where Fystr occupied planets and outposts were. Closest to the center was the biggest dot of all: the Fystr home system of Duat.

  “You would not want to take on any of the planets to begin with. If at all. At least for a long while yet. They are far too well defended,” Ogun said.

  “So, outposts then?”

  “Shouldn’t we have Ketar here for this?” William asked. “I assume we’re gonna pick the big bastard up, and he was one of their military leaders, right?”

  “Good point Will,” I said. Before I could even ask Elyek to arrange it, the communication link to Ketar was active. We had to wait a moment before his image popped up on the screen.

  “Ah, we have plans?” he said jovially.

  “Right now, we’re looking at two options. Evolve worlds, or go and fight what remains of the Fystr in the area.”

  “Fight,” Ketar said simply. “If we let them regrow, then it won’t be long before they’re back, better prepared and in greater numbers. The Imperial fleet might have underestimated you, but that will be a turning point for them. They won’t underestimate you again now, I guarantee it.”

  I nodded in agreement with his words. “I think we’re all decided upon that course now. Are you ready to join us?”

  “You better believe I am. We’ve built some ships and we’re ready to go and get some payback. Probably bring a few of the boys with me. Young Wengin and Ivar are coming along nicely.”

  “Whatever you think is best. We’ll probably only bring the strongest we have to begin with. Hope still needs looking after. And the Haven still needs repairing,” I replied.

  “Sure, how many ships do you have ready?”

  I looked to Ogun for the answer.

  “A thousand. Six hundred of which are Hunter ships, which I assume you will want to use for such an endeavor.”

  “How many could we realistically take without leaving Hope too short staffed?”

  “Four hundred perhaps,” Ialos suggested.

  I looked back to Ketar, and he nodded.

  “A solid contingent. You must have been producing quickly,” he said.

  “Yup. Whole damn planet’s a factory at the minute. We should be formidable by the time the Fystr get their fleet back, I hope.”

  “Good, good. There is an outpost not far from here that I’ve been scouting. If we have no other plans, I think it’s a viable option to take first. It should give us access to more of their current information regarding you. Maybe some plans and numbers.”

  “That sounds like a fucking great idea,” William said.

  “Yeah, I agree. Everyone?” I asked those around the table.

  All heads nodded, some more grudgingly than others.

  “Okay, Ketar, thanks, we should be along in a few days. See you then.”

  He gave me an odd salute and the communication ended.

  “Now we just need to decide who goes with us,” I said, feeling good about having a plan.

  “Whoever comes must be the best. We need people who can work quickly and smoothly,” Harlek said, already making it clear that he would be coming.

  “And cause massive damage along the way,” Calparr said, thumping the table eagerly.

  “Frondle can do these things. Frondle is the smoothest and most violentest.”

  “Feck off, Frondle. Yer about as smooth as a pint o’ shattered glass. An’ the only thing deadly about ye is yer feckin arse!” William laughed.

  “Stupid fuzzy head. You as smo
oth as… a… piece of… rough rock! And as deadly as a dead… rock!” He shouted back, rejoicing in his perceived victory and emitting a tiny squeak from his nether orifice.

  Everyone sat up suddenly in concern. A definite hint of burnt rubber and sulfur was now definitely percolating in the air.

  “I think the Klepir could follow at a safe distance behind and gather the debris and damage from any battle you have,” Ialos suggested.

  I clicked my fingers at her. “Brilliant, Ialos. We’ll steal every goddamn thing we can get our hands on.”

  “I like this plan!” Frondle shouted with glee.

  “Should those who remain, look to evolve further planets nearby, still?” Ogun asked. “I feel we can still push that aspect along even if you are intent on causing havoc with our foes.”

  “Sure, I can’t see why not as long as we keep a strong presence on Hope,” I replied, happy with that idea too. We were about to start pushing forwards again, and that always felt good. “Will you two be staying here?” I asked Ogun but taking Ialos in with my eyes.

  “I think in order to push the construction and repairs on the Haven forward that this is the best place for us.”

  “I agree with that,” Ialos said. “I would like to attempt to produce another ship similar to the Haven if possible. Two more even if we have the time. In that way, we will have a far superior answer to those who come.”

  “Hard to disagree with the logic of that. The Haven is a beast.”

  Next, I looked around to my new wife and mother of my coming child. I smiled as I did so, but she did not, thrusting a finger up to stop me speaking.

  “Don’t even dare. Where you go, we go,” she said, patting her stomach. “You wanted this, and this is what it means.”

  I sighed. I had no comeback. “Yeah! Sure, you're coming,” I faked. “But no melee, understand?”

  “If you melee, I melee,” she said flatly.

  “No chance. I have a 1000 constitution. You don’t. Abbey doesn’t melee.”

  “I excel at support,” Abbey said proudly.

  “Oh I’ll fucking support you alright,” Ember said, and combined with Frondle’s little homeopathic brew, our meeting was brought to an end.