Condition Evolution 3: A LitRPG / Gamelit Adventure by Kevin Sinclair (early readers .TXT) 📗

closed. When I lay down next to her, they flew open in a flash. “Wow! You really upset Havok,” she stated. “He said you didn't want to use him anymore.”

“No. I didn't. I just said he can't do things I tell him not to do when he’s in my hands.” I sighed and rolled to face her. “I told him to stop when Heiliun was mourning his wife. I knew he would have had to die eventually, but that’s not how I would’ve killed him. Havok didn't listen and carried on anyway. Fuck it, Ember. I can’t trust him if he’s gonna do shit like that.”

“He really, genuinely loves you, Shaun. You need to talk to him. He’s beside himself.”

“I will. Goddamn it. I don't need this shit.”

“That's what being a leader is about. You can't just enjoy the sweet captain’s privileges without all the hassle that comes with it.”

“Why not? You do.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I do. But we’re not talking about me, are we Captain?”

I growled, “Right. I’m gonna talk to him again.” I closed my eyes. I could feel her nestle into me and couldn't help but smile. That one little act of affection relaxed me more than an hour in the shower did.

I let myself drift into Havok’s Mindscape. “Alright, you damned axe. Where are you hiding?”

His form appeared before me; he looked sad. I don't know how, perhaps duller, smaller. It was hard to put my finger on, nonetheless I definitely got that impression.

“Okay, dude. I love you, okay. You're like a brother, or something. But you have to think about how this shit looks, or just fucking listen to me. I know it doesn’t matter to you because you're a different kind of alive, or life-force… fuck, I don’t know. That guy gave up his life to mourn his wife. Yes, he was a dick. Yes, he would’ve had to die anyway, but I have to think about the way people die sometimes. What you did made me look like a vicious, uncaring shit, and that's not who I am. As much as I do want you by my side, you have to promise to stop if I ask you to in future.”

He let out a long, sad sigh. “Okay Shaun, I'm sorry. Though I still don’t really understand, and I just want to freely slaughter all of our enemies. I accept that you have responsibilities, and I don’t want to hurt your ability to lead. So I promise it won't happen again. I’m going to do everything else I do on my own though to make sure we're safe. Just don't ever abandon me.”

“I won't, dude. I definitely won’t. Just try to remember, I’m not a 4000-year-old, bloodthirsty axe, and I can’t afford to think like one.”

“Ha, ha, ha!” Havok laughed. “That position is already taken!”

“Okay dude. And seriously, aside from that, thank you so much for everything you do for us all. You’re amazing.” With that I left his Mindscape.

Ember was still snuggled right in. Barely awake, she asked, “How'd it go?”

“We’re good now, thanks. How are you doing by the way? We both survived this encounter unscathed, but damn, that was crazy back there.”

“I’m good, and proud of you. It was a tough situation. You handled it well.”

“We were lucky again, Ember. Our people fought bravely. We're still surprising them with our strengths and abilities. That's not gonna last forever. And as you kindly reminded me during my speech, there’s millions of fuckers after us.”

“It's a big old universe. We can just keep hitting the bastards and running.”

“Until they finally corner us.”

“That's why we're trying to build an army, dipshit.”

“I know, I know. I suppose we're training as hard as we can.”

“Yeah. We’re doing everything we can, and we still have a fuck-ton of things to learn. Don't feel demoralized. We're gonna be good. Promise.”

“Don't listen to me. Let's just keep doing what we’re doing.”

“Exactly. Now, rest that crazy head of yours. It's been a shit-house of a day, and it’ll feel better tomorrow.”

“Should I be sleeping? We’ve just left what was essentially a war zone. Will our crew not need me there?”

“They need you fresh and sane. Not whatever you are now. You did a hell of a lot of the heavy lifting back there, too. So shut your eyes and get your ass to sleep.”

I did as Ember commanded. Thoughts ran sprints in my mind, and I could see no way of getting to sleep; then it was morning.

I took my time getting dressed. I was much calmer than the day before. I still had contrasting feelings on everything, but I was able to deal with it now. Ember got ready alongside me, and we chatted about the smaller things. It was a nice release.

By the time we made it to the bridge, I was actually feeling pretty good. I took Havok with me. I thought he could probably do with the bonding time after our tiff.

“Good morning, Captain, Ember,” Miraek said as we took our seats. “We’re around eight hours out from the relay station.”

“That's quick. Have we picked anything up to be concerned about?” I said, somewhat relieved that it was Miraek flying and not Hwista; I didn’t know how I could look them in the eyes after the order I had given.

“No, Captain,” Miraek answered, “everything looks as we would expect, although we are being extremely cautious. The Hunter ships have much faster propulsion engines than any of our bigger ships, so they are out scouting in front and at the rear. I hope we will have plenty of warning should anything untoward approach.”

“That's a great use. Good to know we have that extra layer of security now. Any news on Ogun’s condition?”

“No. I don't believe anyone is actively trying to revive him at the moment.”

“No, of course not. Now is probably not the time,” I replied.

Miraek nodded and concentrated on the terminal at the pilot’s station.

“Sounds like everything’s okay. What are we gonna do about all the