The Sleeper Must Awaken

by Kip Terrington

  ***

  As Spooky flew out of the castle, the biting cold froze her tears. She gained in distance and elevation. As she flew, she spun around, flying backward to view her castle from afar. It had changed during its short existence. A bright light rotated at its precipice, and below that, visible through the geodesic dome windows, a movie played on a large screen. In some ways, those were the least of the changes to the castle. The most noticeable difference had been the people.

  On every side of the castle, she saw yetis patrolling. Most of them should be sleeping. Who told them to do that? The yetis were not alone. A few of the them carried recently freed slaves. The yetis and the mutilated citizens were diligently scanning the countryside looking for threats. It made sense. One set of eyes was advantageous, but two strengthened their defenses, especially when yetis couldn't see everything. Spooky marveled at their dedication and inexplicable comradery. If it hadn't been so cold, she may have allowed her eyes to well up again, only this time for another reason entirely. Somehow the unifying force of Joe, coupled with the dangers surrounding them, had led yetis and former slaves of vampires to willingly work side by side. One more precedent that Joe had unintentionally set.

  She hovered far enough away that all she could hear was the wind. Spooky scanned the horizon, losing herself to the massive amount of data her sensors provided. She breathed deep. She sensed no immediate threat from any direction, though she did detect a slow change in barometric pressure. For a moment, she activated her binding sight and observed the line connecting her to their place of power and, once again, toward the line that traveled straight into the sky, on to infinity. As she released the sight, chills ran up her arms and spine. There was something different about that line.

  “What? …No, I’m tired. Why do we need to overclock for a bit? ...What do you mean that’s classified? I thought we were going to stop with all the secrets. ...Fine, but I won’t hide this from Joe, we’re done with that, you agreed. …I’ll be getting a short nap in soon, overclock or not. …Yes, we do sleep,” Spooky argued with herself.

  Ignoring her frustration, she fell back into the data. The weather was about to change. Opening her eyes, she watched as dark clouds rolled through one of the high mountain passes. Filled with charged particles, the clouds sparked with multiple flashes of light every second. This would be the first storm witnessed by the newly built castle. Spooky took note to be prepared for possible leaks. Suddenly, a loud wailing screeched out.

  “What kind of storm sounds like a squeal?” Spooky asked herself. Closing her eyes, she realized it wasn't the storm, which was still a far distance away. Her connection to her castle enabled her to hear within it, despite her absence. Focusing on the auditory input, she concluded that actual pigs slogged down the hallways. She needed to return, if only to shepherd the swine to their designated area. Luckily, several of the new citizens had training in animal husbandry. She hoped pigs weren't any more difficult to care for than the animals they were accustomed to.

  As she glided down toward the castle, she wondered if she would be able to find and hire a Chief of Livestock Operations (CLO), just as Joe had hired a sheriff. They would need to understand the care and breeding of animals, beyond the basic knowledge of feeding and collection of manure. Hopefully, she would find someone equal to the task.

  Silently, she sighed. She knew she was just keeping herself busy in order to give Joe more space.

  Chapter 9 - There’s Something You’re Not Telling Me

  Day thirteen, mid-morning.

  Leaning forward, Joe placed his forehead against the shower wall allowing the waterfall to run down his neck and back. Because the UI had chosen to give him a skill upgrade in bathing, it wasn’t necessary for him to clean his body every 24 hours …but he still found the old practice rejuvenating. A daily dose of warm running water seemed to ease away a small amount of his accumulated stress.

  He had spent several hours of the night producing pigs, goats, sheep, and chickens for their livestock floors. He could have done nothing but raise animals from the dead for a year and still not been able to fill his castle. Afterward, he had gone for a hard run outside of the castle. He needed the release of energy, and who wouldn’t enjoy the luxury of a body capable of intense exercise after the tiring acceptance of an aged body?

  His three yeti guards had been unable to keep up, so he had circled back to keep them close. He had wondered if their programming allowed for an increase in Muscle/Gear stats with exercise. Once his guards had been barely able to lift their legs, he had guided them back and told them to hit the showers. They had looked at him inquisitively, so Joe had just shrugged his shoulders and asked them to speak to Spooky.

  Finishing up his shower, Joe began his grooming routine and split his focus so that he could assign his newly acquired points of power.

  Power and Stat Allocation

  Note: Not all levels are created equal. Work hard and distinguish yourself to prepare well, and you may receive more stat and power allocation points.

  Joe

  Level 63 through Level 65-

  You’ve received 2 points of power.

  You’ve received 2 points of stat, allocated based on achievement:

  Plus 1 to Dexterity

  Plus 1 to Wisdom

  Wisdom?

  Normal Magic options

  Magic choices available

  Apprentice Fire Magic- cost 3 (1/3 credited)

  Journeyman Force Magic, ConMod +2 - cost 9 (3/9 credited)

  Journeyman Mind Magic, ConMod +2 - cost 9 (3/9 credited)

  Journeyman Portal Magic, ConMod +2 - cost 9 (3/9 credited)

  Master Life Magic, WisMod +5 - cost 30 (9/30 credited)

  Note: additional requirements not met.

  Master Spirit Magic, WisMod +5 - cost 30 (9/30 credited)

  Note: additional requirements not met.

  2 points of power available. Allocate all points.

  Joe did not even bother to sift through the magic available through his Empathetic Learning gift. He navigated through the drop-down menus and selected Fire Magic, quickly clicking yes at the prompt. It was time for a magic that could deal real instant damage. Plus, it was cold outside.

  You are now an apprentice in Fire Magic and have gained new spells.

  Fire Magic

  New spells acquired

  L2 Lesser Heat Ray- This spell concentrates the caster’s fire mana and forms it into a one-foot diameter ray that has a maximum range of 50 feet. In order for this spell to be effective, the ray must stay on target for over one second. The damage increases the longer the ray is focused on one place. Sleeping under a heat lamp can be pleasant, but be sure it is not set too high.

  L3 Lesser Fire Shield- This spell allows the caster to place a shield of fire on themselves or a fellow group member. This shield is not a barrier to damage, rather it deals a small amount of fire damage to those who come in contact with it. It is a universal truth that all hugs should be warm.

  L4 Molotov’s Beginning- This spell produces a glass sphere containing a fist-sized amount of flammable liquid that can be thrown as far as 35 feet. The target of this assault is smothered in flames upon contact. Is there anything more palatable than a warm cocktail, especially after a long day of walking through the snow?

  Hybrid Magic

  New spell acquired

  L4 Healing Fire- Some injuries cannot heal without the necrotic tissue first removed. This spell does both simultaneously, by burning away the offending tissue and healing the rest. Never forget that sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.

  Finally! Joe had a few spells that could truly be force multipliers. Throwing around some Greek fire might be a new way to deal with vampires who refuse to stay dead. Opening up his character sheet, Joe assessed how far he had come.

  Level- 65

  Character- Joe

  Race- Human Machine Hybrid

  XP- 65,748

  Mana- 486

  Hitpoints- 1,107


  Weight- 2,350 lbs

  Height- 7ft 8in

  Charisma- 36 + 16

  Constitution- 31 + 45

  Dexterity- 20 + 4

  Intelligence- 27

  Muscle/Gears- 27 + 2

  Wisdom- 15 + 1

  Luck- 35

  His greatest stat was his constitution and he understood why, but it was frustrating not to have gained more in strength. Earlier, when he had tried to rip a tooth out of a vampire, he had torn a muscle. His knowledge of leverage and placing oneself in a good position mitigated his lack of raw physical power but he needed more umph.

  Professions

  Amateur Hobbyist Cartographer

  Skilled Hobbyist Crier

  Journeyman Healer (Primary)

  Joe made note that he needed to take the time to learn a new profession every day. The more you know and all that. Scrolling down, he saw that his gifts had not changed and his skills were mostly unaltered, aside from his mind-clicking ability gaining a few levels.

  Gifts

  Empathetic Learner

  Sight of the Encourager

  Skills

  Chameleon, ChaMod + 1

  Creative Mechanic: Level 13, GearMod + 2

  Grappler: Level 80, ConMod + 8

  Innate Courtly Etiquette, ChaMod + 2

  Journeyman Bather

  Mind-click: Level 8, WisMod + 1

  Multi-Plane Hands

  Penetrating Steel Silver Claw

  Pierce

  Rock Eater

  Rock-Woven Skin, ConMod + 5

  Sapphire Vision, ConMod + 2

  Space-Age Alloy Big Boned, ConMod + 15

  Stryker: Level 41, DexMod + 4

  Unrivaled Vocalist, ChaMod + 4

  Joe skipped past his list of magics and contracts.

  Achievements

  Aura of Authenticity. Rank 1

  Aura of Benevolence. Rank 3, ChaMod +3

  Let My People Go. Rank 3, ConMod + 3

  Open Book. Rank 1

  Stick to Your Guns. Rank 1, + 10% to Pierce

  You Ain't So Big. Rank 2, + 20% attack & defense against higher level enemies

  Disadvantages

  Fear of Silence

  Sporadic Lack of Focus

  His character stats were getting daunting, but that was how games like this always seemed to go. And, really, the complex character augmentation was one of the main aspects he enjoyed about RPGs. He was pleased to see that his Lack of Focus had been downgraded to sporadic.

  Now it was time to jump into a whole new set of numbers—this Castle Progression System that Spooky had been hiding from him. As he opened the menu, a wave of backdated messages hit him. It felt like the early pop-up ads from less reputable internet sites.

  Carefully, Joe deleted all the old messages and instructed the UI to display the current status. Once again, it was just too much data. It not only showed how many people he had, but also all of their individual skills and professions. It even presented an in-progress report on the widening of the trench outside the castle.

  As he watched the numbers readily uptick, Joe assumed it was a real-time assessment, accounting for each industrial scoop of dirt pulled out of the trench. Before Joe investigated into the minute details of his budding civilization, he looked for a general overview to gain his bearings. Luckily for Joe, the UI was highly customizable and user-friendly. He sifted through the menus and refined the options, adjusting the amount of detail he would see and how it would be organized. Once it was closer to his liking, he opened the Castle Progression System again and looked at the first main category.

  Castle Progression System

  Castle Class: Mammoth, Level 1

  Castle Defenses: Low

  Fortifications:

  Inner Wall: 300ft high, 5ft 2in thick

  Outer Wall: small earthen mound

  Trench: 15ft deep, 11ft wide

  Archery Towers: none

  Magical Shield: none

  No. of Automated Aerial Golems: 15

  No. of Automated Ground Golems: 1

  No. of Militia: 385

  None of that information was too surprising, but the one thing that did perk his curiosity was the number of ariel golems available. Spooky and he had leveled up a few times and Joe would have assumed her number of golems would have increased more significantly. He made a note to ask her about it the next time he saw her and moved on to the next section.

  Castle Facilities: Low

  Beacon of Freedom, + 87% trust in Monarch

  Forge: unfinished

  High Security Brig, - 16% to high crime rate

  Kitchen: military grade, + 20% to capital morale

  Livestock Floor: 1% of capacity used

  Master Private Apartment/Workshop: deluxe grade

  Mile-High Crystal Theater, + 10% to capital morale

  Textile: mithril-equipped

  Treasure Vaults:

  Little Yeti Vault: Current residence- 61

  Food Storage: 100,000 sqft

  Ore Storage: 100,000 sqft

  Water Closets: 20 ct, + 14% to capital morale

  Joe smiled. Sixty-one yeti children. He would need to visit those adorable balls of fur soon and, at the very least, say hi to Tig. Looking at each morale boost, Joe nodded his head. It made sense to him. Hot food to eat, a place to wash and refresh oneself, and entertainment to boot. This place was an oasis. The morale boost was an obvious consequence. Joe moved on to the next section.

  Castle Population: Low

  Adults: 408

  Alchemists: 4

  Blacksmiths: 2

  Bodyguards: 4

  CLO: 1 -50% disease in kingdom’s livestock

  Livestock Workers: 25

  Mages: 28 Note: most seeds blocked

  Master Mage: 1

  Sheriff: 1 + 50% to feeling of safety in the kingdom

  Slaves: 4

  Tailors: 22

  Unassigned: 317

  Children: 155

  High-Risk Prisoner: 1

  Low-Risk Prisoner: 1

  Most seeds blocked… just like he thought. Joe wondered if the UI would have assessed the former vampire slaves for magic if he had not discovered the Life Seed in the dwarf, Rod, earlier. Not a question for now. What did CLO stand for? Joe pondered for a moment before realizing it would make sense to simply ask Spooky as she was the most likely candidate for assigning the jobs currently listed.

  Joe finished grooming and received the tiny amount of XP the UI handed him for completing these daily quests. After putting on his uniform with the same crisp efficiency he had done when he was young, Joe walked to the door of his suite and opened it.

  “Hey, Spooky, if you have a minute, I'd like to speak with you,” Joe called out into the hallway, a little unsure if it was still okay to do this, considering their current relationship status. Sure enough, after a moment, a small trap door on the ceiling of the hallway opened and Spooky fell through, catching herself gracefully with her wings.

  “Hey, Joe, what do you know?” Spooky said instinctively before covering her mouth with her hands.

  “Yeah… maybe don't use my late wife's catchphrases anymore,” Joe said.

  “It just sort of popped out, sorry. You wanted to speak with me about something?” Spooky asked.

  “Yes, I did. Come on in, I have more than a few questions,” Joe said as he opened the door for her to fly in from the hallway. Joe walked over to his composite chair, built to handle his weight, and sat down. Spooky looked around and realized she had never made a place for her to sit in his room.

  “Mind if I design a place for me to sit really quick?” Spooky checked.

  “Sure. Although it might be a bit weird talking to you if you're on the floor,” Joe said.

  Spooky smiled and gave him a wink. She began to glow, emanating a multiphasic light, and a tiny little swing extended down from the ceiling. The two ropes holding the swing looked like braids of flowers. Spooky sat on the flat wooden seat and swung h
er legs gently back and forth.

  “Ask away, big guy,” Spooky said, swaying slightly above his eye level.

  “First, is that super-girly swing now a permanent fixture in my man cave?” Joe accused.

  “No, worry not. I'll roll it back up when I'm not using it. I wouldn't want to spoil your decor,” Spooky reassured.

  “Great. Second, what's a CLO?” Joe asked.

  “Chief Livestock Officer. I hired an elf, named Frank, who used to be the manager of a noble’s stable. He has twenty-five helpers with him now. That's more than he needs, but I figured you would continue to add to our herds in the coming weeks,” Spooky said.

  “Good, that's wonderful. You got to build the machine that builds the machine, right?” Joe remarked. Spooky raised a questioning eyebrow but made no further comment.

  “Anyway… one of my other questions was about how you assigned your most recent points of power. We got quite a bit of experience when I killed that Phased Devour. I'm sure it was enough for you to upgrade magic or skills. I only ask because I was checking out the Castle Progression System and I noticed the number of golems you can control hasn't gone up recently. I know I take time to assign my points, but I remember you saying you assigned them the moment you received them. Is that still the case?” Joe asked.

  “Yes, I believe so. Wait, no. I haven’t used any of those points yet. Hmm… I’m sorry, Joe, I’m not quite sure what happened. As I said before, I am in charge of speaking for me right now, but I don't control everything,” Spooky covered.

  “Yeah, okay, that whole dual personality thing, it’s a hassle. Is there some box in the menus I could check to fix that?” Joe asked.

  “If there is, I haven't found it, but maybe it's good I haven't assigned my points from your most recent fight yet. When we started, you allowed me the opportunity to give you input on what you chose. Perhaps you could help me choose now?” Spooky suggested.