Voidborn - A Sci-fi LitRPG

Malan tried to ignore the surge in curiosity as the notification informing him of an increased level faded away from the corner of his vision. Questions about that, about the gathering of Celestial Energy and all the changes and impossible things that had happened since the bonding could wait. Had to wait.

All he could focus his mind to at this moment, was the relentless thundering of his weapons as he strafed the moon’s surface, and the howling of the dying beneath him. His heart thundered in his ears, and the constant stream of fire that rained down upon the planet’s surface tore most of the creatures they met apart in front of him, severely wounding those it did not.

Every shot knocked loose a little more of the weight he’d spent the last two years carrying, and each notification of an Abyssal creature dead by his hand felt like a personal demon literally slain by his own hand.

The felt Tanwen’s concern in the back of his mind, a mix of worry that control of him had been given to someone so obviously revelling in bloodshed and pain—even if upon the richly deserving—and also worry for Malan as a person. Another day, another enemy, and either feeling might have stopped him. But not today. Not after all he’d been through. And not this enemy. Not after all they had taken from him.

So caught up was he in catharsis and revenge, that he didn’t notice the one thing that could stop him in that moment.

The Abyssal Fiend’s gangly appendage almost caught him completely off guard halfway through another strafing run, crashing down from above into his port-side shield’s like a war hammer. A burst of panic from Tanwen gave him just enough warning to veer violently away from the attack, and the monstrous arm only grazed them.

From something so high level, however, that was enough. Alarms blared in his ears, and the world span, the impact send him spiralling away through space. He managed to right them in mid-air and threw all of his effort into surging away from the creature as his weakened shields pulsed and flickered flame-red around them. He glanced down at a flashing red notification at the bottom of his vision and swore softly to himself.

Warning: Shields at 7%. Take immediate emergency precautions.

Their shields had been creeping up since take-off as the damage they were taking stopped, but when that blow hit, they had gotten back up in the high forties. One strike that barely grazed them had nearly shattered their shields completely. Another like that, and it would most likely be curtains.

A bead of sweat rolled down his face, and Malan gritted his teeth. Almost by instinct he felt for the Celestial Energy powering the ship’s systems and gently guided as much of it as they could spare toward the engines, trying to open up some distance between himself and the creature. He glanced back, his connection to Tanwen allowing him to see the Ship’s surroundings through his own eyes.

Despite his efforts, they had only created a slight gap between themselves and the Fiend. Malan suspected their only saving grace was how much smaller and more nimble they were than it. Otherwise, the writhing tentacles still reaching out ahead of the Fiend to take them would have quickly torn them to shreds.

Warning: Shields at 11%.

Malan grimaced. Not nearly enough to survive another hit, and he could feel the energy supplies of the ship beginning to wane the harder he pushed its systems. The feeling was very much akin to the beginnings of exhaustion setting in, which fit in with everything else that had happened so far. Tanwen—all the Starbound—did not operate as ships in the traditional sense. They were extensions of the Pilot.

And, unlike regular ships, fuel did not power them. Instead, they appeared to draw in the ambient Celestial Energy around them and use that to power themselves. No human scientist had ever found a way to harness it for power as far as Malan knew, which even further proved they were not human in origin.

“What the—” he muttered, as another notification flickered across his vision.

Optional Quest Available: Flight of The Sparrow

Ensure the remaining crew of the Sparrow escape alive. Mission Rewards are available.

It took him a moment to pick out the form of the Sparrow in the distance, especially knowing they shouldn’t even be here. Fortunately, his displays responded to his needs, highlighting the location of the ship carrying Elena and Thaddeus within his vision.

“Why the hell are they still here?” Malan hissed, before dropping into a steep, twisting dive.

His distraction had given the Fiend the chance to catch up, and a mass of grasping limbs surged toward him, forcing him to weave through them, and redouble his focus on keeping power to his engines. The downsides to his and Tanwen’s somewhat symbiotic relationship were growing clearer the more danger he got himself into. In any other craft, maintaining top speed was as simple as not shifting the controls.

However, as Tanwen responded to his thoughts, if he broke concentration, it would affect his results.

“Apologies, Malan,” came Tanwen’s voice from what felt like all around him. “At such an early time in our partnership, our Synergetics skill is still at a baseline. The more we invest in that stat, the more I will be able to respond to your will without your direct input—among other benefits.”

It was good to know that this was a weakness that could be remedied with time, but there were more pressing matters to deal with, and he didn’t have the mental bandwidth remaining to work out how for himself.

“It’s fine. We’re both new at this. More importantly, can we open communications with the Sparrow?”

“I can. At this distance, however, it will draw a small amount of power away from our engines.”

“How about we drop our shields instead?”

“That will leave us vulnerable. Our shields systems cannot be restarted immediately from zero.”

Malan nodded. “Do it anyway. We need to prioritise keeping our distance from the Fiend—I’m not sure how long I can keep out of its reach if it catches us.”

“Understood. Hailing the Sparrow.”

There was a soft fizzle of energy that pulsed around them as his shields disappeared, and a small bar in the bottom left of his vision emptied entirely. A clicking sound echoed around the bridge, followed immediately by static-ridden shuddering and metallic tearing.

“Malan?! Holy shit, Malan—is that you?” Elena’s hoarse voice cut through the background noise and static, exhausted and firm in equal measure.

Malan grinned. “Alive—for at least another few minutes at least. How come you haven’t jumped yet?”

There was so much more he wanted to say and ask. About their situation. About Beric. About how damned happy he was it was more than just himself still breathing, but the importance of keeping them all doing that overrode it all.

“Jump drive is stalling again—won’t open the portals fully. We’d try to fix it, but Thad is piloting whilst I’m keeping these gargoyle looking bastards from ripping us to shreds.”

Another large metallic clattering pierced the static, and Malan was able to make out the grinding sound of the Sparrow’s refurbished mining laser—the only thing they had that passed for a weapon. He narrowed his eyes, making sure he had created enough distance between him and the chasing Fiend before focusing his attention upon the distant Sparrow.

In response, a series of red squares appeared around it. Half a dozen of them in total, kept at bay by the crimson beam of the mining laser.

“Ranged scanners show hostiles surrounding the Sparrow, attaching themselves to its hull,” Tanwen said. “That is the reason the Celestial Nexus is not allowing them to System Jump.”

“Got it,” Malan said, a plan forming in his mind. They could not dislodge the creatures without destroying the ship, so they’d have to force them another way. “Elena. I’m coming in fast and hard with company. Your jump drive isn’t broken—you just need to get rid of your hitchhikers. I’ll take care of it, but you need to be ready to jump the second they’re clear.”

“Roger that. What the hell are you planning?”

Malan grinned. “Something incredibly stupid—but I can’t think of another way to get you out of here before those creatures tear their way through your hull. Now power up those jump drives and be ready to get out of here.”