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SOMETHING MUST HAVE happened... Last time, when I walked alone down the huge luxurious hall of the residential floor, there were around one hundred fifty or two hundred creatures of all different races walking at their leisure or talking peacefully. But now, after leaving the hotel, the room was packed tight with Miyelonians. There were thousands of them, if not to say tens of thousands. They were all moving in the same direction, clamoring and fighting amongst themselves. And at that, it was only Miyelonians. I didn’t see any members of other races in the crowd.
What was happening? An evacuation? An attack on the station? That was exactly what I suspected, as I watched the crush in the middle of the room. The Morphian stopped too, looking around and perking her fox ears, even taking a sniff. Finally, Fox said with shame:
“Now we’ve stepped in it... We should have gone through earlier.”
“What’s going on? Is it war?” I asked in fear. The answer I received was strange:
“Worse! One of the four incarnations of the Great First Female has come to the Medu-Ro IV station, the honorable Priestess, Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo.”
I had to admit, I didn’t understand one iota. What exactly was bad about this? How did the arrival of one of these four somehow unusual females have any effect on my plans? In fact, it seemed to be the opposite. The large number of arriving ships meant I would have a better chance of finding a captain to bring me where I was going. I kept quiet for a minute, thinking over what my companion had said and watching the river of Miyelonians. Then, I admitted my ignorance:
“And what’s so bad about that female visiting? Does the Priestess hate other races? Could this be dangerous for us?”
“Not at all. As far as I know, Amiru is the most peaceable of the four current incarnations of the ancient female, who first lived thousands of tongs ago. The Miyelonians consider her the divine founder of their race. But what you see now, these crowds of religious fanatics, they flew here from hundreds of inhabitable systems just for a peek at a living legend. I am not at all sure you and I will be let through to the hall where Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo will be preaching. Even if there is not an official rule against admitting other races, some fanatic might kill us ‘just in case,’ so we can’t harm their saint.”
I was shaken by the unfortunate perspective. Hrmph, rough... Although Fox was completely right. Fanatics behaved just as aggressively in all worlds. What could I say? Even before, I didn’t much want to climb into that dense clamoring crowd, but after Fox’s words I had changed my mind about going down the Miyelonian-filled corridor to the main station. Although I didn’t see why that was so bad. I figured I’d just have to wait for all these religious events to finish, then cross. How long could that possibly take? Actually... I had just a bit more than forty hours left, so maybe there was cause for alarm...
There was nothing to be done, so me and the fox went up the stairs to the second floor and stood on a little balcony, giving us a view of the crowd. In it, there were Miyelonians of various colorings and sizes. More were arriving every minute. The flow had almost come to a complete halt and now the far end of the room was densely packed with newly arrived pilgrims, so the back rows were just squeezing in more and more. Also, many of the newcomers were not feeling patient. I was seeing more and more sparks of conflict using claws, teeth, and sometimes blades. It really was some kind of madness. One could be killed for a place nearer the exit! And some were!
Eagle Eye skill increased to level forty-nine!
Maybe it was because of the danger, but several of the newly arrived pilgrims preferred to hang back, pressing up against the walls and just waiting for the crowd and bloody squabbles to die down. Although their behavior might have had a different motivation. Fox translated the outcries of several especially vehement and rapturous pilgrims, exclaiming that Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo would surely pass through this room. They wanted to see her, make spiritual contact with her divine mystery, and maybe even touch the great Priestess with a hand.
And then, suddenly, among thousands of unfamiliar Miyelonians, I saw a familiar face! Well, not human face, but the pretty cat face of Ayni Uri-Miayuu, the Translator who issued my pass at the registration desk. The small orange cat, somewhat disheveled in the tight squeeze, also wanted to get back to the wall and was now looking around in confusion, not knowing what to do next. Ayni was not so far away, so I called out to her, inviting her up with a wave. Ayni immediately took me up on that and was standing beside me a minute later.
“Kento duho, Gerd Gnat!” The orange cat said, glancing without particular interest at the fox lying at my feet. She then cautiously approached the railing and looked down from the balcony. “Woah! By the Great First Female, it looks even worse from up here!”
Carefully choosing my words as not to give away my intelligent fox, I said:
“I am very bad at Miyelonian, but I think that disheveled black-furred Cleric just shouted that the majestic Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo would come through this room. Because of that and the crowd, some pilgrims decided to stay in their rooms to wait. To be honest, though, I just wanted to see a rare spectacle, which is why I’m up on this balcony.”
“What the heck?!” the fluffy Translator objected. “I am one hundred percent sure that Leng Amiru and her retinue will be following a different route! The owners of the space station have launched a direct elevator especially for her that bypasses all these floors. Also, if that Cleric was speaking the truth, the First Pride Elite Guard would have this place on lockdown! But do you see even a single soldier in white armor?”
I had no idea what the First Pride even was, or why its soldiers should be dressed in white armor. But Fox, actively listening in on our conversation, seemingly did. The fox quietly stood up and walked to the railing, perking up her ears and looking at the crowd, as if signing off on Ayni’s words. And meanwhile, there was another scuffle raging in the middle of the room, this time especially bloody. There was a group of fanatics that had somehow upset another group and glinting blades had come into play. In just one minute, more than thirty Miyelonians went to respawn.
“How horrible!” my roommate said, shocked. “So many deaths, so much anger... That might lead to a war between the prides, which could end very badly indeed. But at my desk, I was told they would soon be suspending document checks at the crossing to the main station. Registration was also put on hold, because we could never manage such a huge number of arrivals.”
Ayni was standing with her back to the Morphian so she couldn’t see, but I noticed the fox turn around and start trotting boldly to the stairs, growing smaller in size as she did. Then, I saw a few flashes of red fur in the crowd. Fox was moving fairly quickly under the feet of the incoming pilgrims. Then, at the very farthest end of the room... although here I wasn’t sure... next to the very exit, a modest orange cat suddenly seemed to appear. And it looked identical to Ayni Uri-Miayuu, who was still standing next to me.
Eagle Eye skill increased to level fifty!
Based on the sudden system message, I wasn’t wrong, and that really was Fox. I suspected the headstrong and unpredictable creature had decided to part ways, take advantage of the lack of control and walk into the station as she was initially planning. I couldn’t judge a predator for wanting to reach rich hunting grounds, and I didn’t tell the orange Translator about “my dangerous pet.” Ayni was still standing next to me and staring in horror down at the rampaging crowd below.
It was possible that I would change my decision and tell her about the threat, but I suddenly no longer wanted to. Three dignified Miyelonians walked unhurriedly up to our balcony. And I knew two of them: the level-17 Thief Tini Wi-Mauya and the level-76 Assassin Ayuk Ukh Miiyauu, whose fluffy tail now served as decoration to my helmet (although after respawn, the Assassin’s tail had regrown). The third guest’s information was hidden, but I suspected he was also a member of the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior. All three Miyelonians were on guard and keeping their hands on the hilts of their weapons.
The Assassin bared his teeth and hissed at the frightened Translator, after which Ayni Uri-Miayuu sharply lowered her eyes and ran away. Anyhow, that very same third and unknown Miyelonian sharply threw his clawed paw forward, catching the runaway by the shoulder, turning her toward him and asking a question. Ayni meowed back, and the stranger let her go, seemingly after receiving an apology.
I thought she would take advantage of this and run away full tilt but, instead, Ayni put on a calm demeanor, turned around and stood next to me, telling me the contents of their brief conversation:
“Gerd Gnat, that guy from the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior just asked if I can communicate with you. And when I said yes, he asked me to stay and translate. The Pride of the Heavenly Warrior guaranteed that I would be unharmed, and they promised to treat you with honor.”
Getting off on the right foot! If the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior simply wanted to kill me, they would have done so right off the bat, then they’d have slain the Translator as not to leave a witness. Well, I wanted to know what these three tomcats were after, and what they considered honorable treatment. I’d hear them out.
“U misi-ni lipir-shi mi Fox?” the stranger mewed out ingratiatingly, and I could tell without translation that he wanted to know about my absent fox.
Ayni fully confirmed my guess.
Astrolinguistics skill increased to level fifty-six!
That’s what I needed yesterday: simultaneous interpreting from Miyelonian to Geckho! Despite the tension of the moment, I was very glad at the rare chance to study Miyelonian through another alien language I hadn’t yet mastered. Overall, I could work things out though, and it had a very positive effect on my Astrolinguistics skill. I decided to draw out this conversation as long as I could. Even if the sullen Miyelonians decided to send Gnat to respawn, I could chalk this up as a win, improving my grasp on the local lingo.
“I mean, who can say where Fox goes? She was just here on the balcony with me, but I guess she ran off. I could call her if you want her so bad! My pet will show up in no time!”
Authority increased to 4!
Authority increased to 5!
Of course, I was bluffing. I couldn’t call the predatory creature even if I wanted to. And again, I didn’t need translation to understand that these Miyelonians weren’t merely here to pet a cute animal. Meanwhile, Ayni translated the following phrases from the Miyelonian stranger:
“I imagine you understand why we’re here. You caused serious damage to the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior by robbing an underage player and, more importantly, punishing him in public.”
“Punishing?! Robbing?! That’s a very strange interpretation of events! I caught a thief who stole something of value from me. I could have punished him by cutting off his tail or shaving his head bare, but I took his young age and low level into account, so I decided to punish him as mildly as I could allow. I just took a small indemnity, not even all his cash. I figure I taught the pickpocket a little lesson: if you’re a Thief by class, then you need to be more careful and pick easier targets!”
My logical and seemingly clear answer caused a long argument among the Miyelonians. Honestly, I had no idea what they were bickering and cursing about for those few minutes, because Ayni didn’t translate. But I took advantage of the free moment, opened my skill window and put all three points into Medium Armor, raising it to 43. That, I was hoping, would at least somewhat improve my chances in the seemingly inevitable duel.
Finally, the orange cat waited for the end of their dispute and said:
“Gerd Gnat, let me say again: you really have a poor understanding of our culture and norms. Taking the tail of a nemesis as a trophy is not a punishment, but a sign of honor and respect to a defeated warrior, recognizing his authority and strength. Such trophies are only taken from honorable and dangerous enemies. If you had cut the tail off little Tini, that would of course have seemed strange for a player of your status, but the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior would not have felt insulted. By the way, let me tell you a secret. They’re afraid of you. One of them is supposed to challenge you to a one-on-one duel of honor, but they just keep trying to force the obligation on someone else.”
Of course, it was nice to hear they were afraid of me, but it didn’t make me feel any better. I knew the true order of things perfectly well. Without Fox or a decent weapon, I couldn’t even handle the nimble Tini, which was to say nothing of his more dangerous compatriots. As for the tail... well, crap... I mean how could I have known?! If they’d have said earlier, I would have taken not only his tail, but all the frail thief’s extremities just to placate his pride-mates!
And meanwhile, the Miyelonian stranger asked a question, which Ayni translated readily:
“And just who are you, Gnat? We can see you are a Gerd, but what is your species and tribe? Who stands behind you?”
That really was a dangerous question. They were clearly probing to see if they could get away with killing me, robbing me, or worse. They wanted to know if any of that could come back on them. Anyhow, I had an answer tucked away for just such a scenario:
“I am from the faction of the respected Geckho Leng Waid Shishish. He is my boss. Maybe you’ve even seen me in the news. I was among the subjects of Leng Waid Shishish who recently entered an ancient Relict base.”
Authority increased to 6!
It quickly became clear that none of the three Miyelonians had seen the news about the discovery of the Relict base. Nevertheless, they had heard of Waid Shishish before, and they had a healthy respect for him. The Geckho military leader’s hot temper was widely famed. I could sense an immediate change in the dangerous Miyelonians’ opinion of me. Where before they saw me as some jerky nobody, who their rules said deserved punishment, now I was firmly in the category of “not worth the trouble.” The Miyelonians exchanged glances again, then the stranger finally changed topic:
“Tini says that your backpack is half full of some kind of powder. Is it drugs? Mental enhancers? Combat boosters?”
I answered honestly that it was pure powdered platinum. All three Miyelonians immediately looked glum.
“Oh come on! More platinum!? Yesterday, the Geckho dragged in a whole box, now you. No, we don’t care about platinum. Rare metals are not our thing. The Pride of the Bushy Shadow handles that stuff.”
A dangerous pause arose in the conversation and I tried to fill it quickly, hurrying to unravel the topic:
“The Geckho with the platinum, did they happen to come in a Shiamiru? Is their captain an Aristocrat named Uraz Tukhsh? It’s just that I know them. I talked with them about the platinum. The Geckho even offered to help me sell mine, but I refused. That Uraz is a born loser, so I kept him at arm’s length.”
“Exactly! A loser, there’s no other way to call him!” the Assassin confirmed eagerly. “Uraz Tukhsh got gummed up in a whole thing here on the station before. He was bragging and squabbling with the Free Captains, so they had to teach him some manners. Actually, yeah! I remember! Your boss flew in with a crew of Geckho cutthroats to pull that Uraz Tukhsh out of prison! But clearly, he didn’t learn his lesson. He raised a big stink here again, refused to sell the platinum to the Pride of the Bushy Shadow, and treated some bigwigs rudely. Then he tried to run. Naive... Who’d let him leave with that cargo! From what I heard, the Free Captain Ami U-Miya from the Pride of the Bushy Shadow intercepted that Geckho loser’s platinum. Plus, he got an automatic processor as a bonus.”
Astrolinguistics skill increased to level fifty-seven!
You have reached level forty-nine!
You have received three skill points!
Yikes... What an uncomfortable moment. My progress bar was totally empty, so my character would lose a level and some skills if I died. If the Miyelonians wanted to punish me, they wouldn’t be getting a better opportunity. So, did they notice I leveled up or not?
Just then, a pause took hold. After that, the Miyelonian who still hadn’t revealed his information said something, and Ayni started to translate:
“Level forty-nine... Congratulations, Gerd Gnat! You’re a strong and authoritative player, and here I thought...” Then I tensed up, guessing I would be challenged to a duel. But I quickly noticed my progress bar had started to fill up from the translating, so the real danger had passed. “You showed respect to the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior by taking the tail of our Assassin Ayuk as a trophy, so Tini’s punishment can easily be forgotten. According to Miyelonian tradition, an adult may only raise his hand to a youngling if they are master and student, so take Tini as your apprentice! From now on, care for him, Gerd Gnat. Tini will obey and help however you like! The Clan of the Heavenly Warrior has no more quarrel with you!”
Ayni hadn’t managed to finish translating before the two fearsome Miyelonians darted away from the balcony, leaving me in complete confusion together with an equally baffled kitten Thief and a bewildered Translator.
