But Death is Not Forbidden

by Kip Terrington

  “How dare you question me! I was the one who brought this mithril to the table, and now you claim it shouldn't be wasted on me? I offer a service that can be done by no one else and yet you doubt. My power is great, but I suppose weak-minded fools cannot be blamed for being blind to the truth. Cast your spell again and listen to my words,” Rook said.

  “Don't argue, Cecilia. Just cast this man his spell,” the king said. Cecilia grimaced and placed her hand on the table.

  “VERO,” Cecilia said and the table once again glowed white.

  “I am not a man,” Rook said and the color of the table did not change, “Give me one mithril bar. Give me 200 slaves of various value, and give me snow teams to transport the slaves. Recommend that at least three nobles and their knights accompany the slaves into the mountains. Those who return will believe they have found a Grand Place of Power in the mountains. If the Noble’s Alliance sends an expedition, that expedition will also believe there is a Grand Place of Power in the mountains. I am extremely skilled at deception. It would take a significant army to convince the vast majority of people that there was no Grand Place of Power in the Wild Mountains. If one of your enemy’s armies were committed to make that happen, however, then the pressure would be taken off of your kingdom. I have a servant in the mountains. His very presence will ensure the success of this deal. It wouldn't surprise me if eventually some of you were convinced. As I said before, I'm skilled at deception,” Rook said. Cecilia lifted her hand and sat back, astonished that every word he had said he believed to be true.

  “That kind of confidence is worth a mithril bar. Cecilia, get him his slaves and don't skimp on the value. We want to help him sell this lie. If we can pull the refugees from the Noble’s Alliance into the mountains, we will have saved our kingdom. We might even get lucky enough to pull troops from the Third Elven Kingdom into the mountains. Let them waste their time wandering in the cold. Also, whichever nobles the small council decides to send with the expedition, we need to make sure they are not of high importance.”

  “It will be done, your majesty.” Cecilia said.

  Chapter 7 - Lil and Tig

  “Spooky, where are you?” Joe called as he began searching the castle. His first stop had been the Little Yeti Vault, but as she had not been there and the guys didn’t know where she was, he continued to wander about. He had found several empty rooms. The castle itself was enormous and Joe began to realize that if Spooky didn’t want to be found, she wouldn’t be. He thought about their last interaction and how upset she had been when he had made allocations without discussing them with her first. He had told her he would let her be a part of the process, but she was just an E.I. An E.I. who, apparently, knew how to give the cold shoulder. He didn’t like that he had fallen through on a commitment, as he had always tried to do what he said he would. She had been right, in that he had chosen that time to consider his point allocations. He had spotted the Unrivaled Vocalist before and had wanted it, but hadn’t wanted to explain himself to Spooky. He should have been up-front about it. If he could find her, he would apologize.

  As he walked, he drifted toward the bottom floor. He hadn't had a chance to check it all out yet. This castle was quite complicated with its multiple sets of stairs of different sizes to fit the different races of this reality. As he walked around, he noticed that a particular area of the ground gave off a different tone when he stepped on it. Since getting the Unrivaled Vocalist skill, his ear was much more sensitive to different sounds. He turned toward the area that had produced this peculiar sound. It had almost sounded like there was a hollow area below the ground floor. Before he could investigate further, Spooky showed up. Remembering the original reason he had begun walking around the castle, Joe turned his attention toward Spooky.

  “Spook, can we talk?” Joe asked.

  “Not here. Anyone could hear us. Come on,” Spooky said, as she led him to a room with a large round carpet. Joe remembered the room. He even saw a little hair that had been shed where his first vassal had slept on the carpet.

  “What did you want to talk about?” Spooky asked.

  “I messed up. I told you that you could be part of the process when I allocated my points. Then I purposely excluded you. I should have done what I said I would. I'm sorry,” Joe said.

  For a moment, Spooky felt respected. This time she waited a moment longer before repressing the emotion.

  “Will you let me be a part of it in the future?” Spooky asked.

  “I will, but the final decision will still be mine to make. One more thing, you haven't let me be a part of your decisions. If we're partners, as you say, then I should have some input into your decisions as well,” Joe said.

  New Fact:

  178- Joe's willingness to initiate confrontation has risen by 12%.

  “Joe, you have so many other things to do, things that are much more important than my decisions. In good conscience, I can't weigh you down with all that information, which you wouldn't enjoy. Trust me, you don't need or want that information,” Spooky said. Joe hadn't been playing the game for long, but he already knew he didn't like how hidden his assistant was.

  “No, Spooky. You were upset when I didn't include you, and I can understand why. The best way I’ve ever found to avoid conflict in close relationships is to be open and honest about what's really going on in our lives. So, if we're partners, I will need you to share with me as well,” Joe said.

  “But, wouldn’t a little mystery be nice?” Spooky asked.

  “There's enough mystery in this game already, without us hiding things from each other and therefore creating more. And with that said, there's something I wanted to talk to you about,” Joe began.

  “Wait, is this one of those times when someone apologizes just so they can yell at the person they just apologized to?” Spooky asked, feeling cornered.

  GONG

  The loud gong rumbled through the castle, and the surrounding countryside. Joe clicked on the system message that accompanied the gong.

  The Abiogenesis Bunny Generator has made the Evening Bunny.

  “We need to get up to the top floor! Otherwise, we're going to miss the rise of the Night Lights. Anyway, you're forgiven. All is right with the world,” Spooky said as she flew away like a cockroach when the lights are turned on.

  Congratulations!

  You have been given the option to exchange one achievement for another.

  Exchange Solo Me-o. Rank 1 for Open Book. Rank 1? Yes/No

  “Spooky, I'm going to make a decision. I know you can hear me. I'll wait 60 seconds…” Joe said, fully understanding that she was avoiding answering his questions. Then clicked yes and was freed of the dubious Solo Me-o. Part of him had liked the Solo Me-o, after all, it can be good to be self-reliant. The problem was the negative aspect. Minus 10% to trust is a big deal when you're trying to obtain a quest out of an NPC.

  Achievement earned!

  Open Book. Rank 1

  You wear your heart on your sleeve and speak your mind. Your wish to be open and honest in all of your dealings shows through.

  Reward for Achievement: Aura of Authenticity. Rank 1

  In all of your dealings, people will be 10% more likely to believe you have nothing to hide. Special note: This aura can stack with other good-aligned auras.

  Warning: use of this aura for deception carries stiff penalties.

  Joe smiled. He couldn't believe how many silly surprises there were in this game. Maybe the level of pain in this game was set too high, but he could get over that. He was starting to feel like a whiner anyway. He heard a horrible sound. It was a cross between a child scream and a rock slide and it came from somewhere inside his castle. The yeti children must have just woken up.

  Joe ran to the stairs and headed to the center of the castle where the Little Yeti Vault was being made. When Joe came to the first door that led to the room where the yeti children were kept, he saw Grork. Despite the screaming, Grork did not appear bothered. He was leanin
g up against the wall, reading the book of rules that have been provided to him. As Joe passed by, he heard Grork chanting.

  “I no steal. I no kill. I pay tax.”

  Joe closed the door behind him because the next door could not open unless the first was closed. In the second holding room, the screaming was much louder. Joe again closed the door behind him and finally was granted entrance through the security rooms. The two yeti children were huddled together in the center of the room, screaming. Bork was as far away from them as possible, huddled against the wall in a fetal position, holding a bunny. Moes was standing on a raised platform, covering his ears and frowning. Spooky was flying in a circle around the children, trying to calm them down but having no success. In fact, the children’s screams seemed to only get louder.

  It was at this moment that Joe recalled an old drill sergeant from his past. First, in the goblin language, he yelled, “Stop cowering on the ground. Stand up straight at attention. Double quick, Bork.”

  Then in yeti, he called out, “Spooky, give them some space. The children need to know we mean them no harm.” The children, having understood him, both focused their attention on him. Joe noticed this and knelt down so that his face was closer to their eye level. He opened his bag and pulled out a piece of iron ore, setting it on the floor in front of him. He then did the same with some tin, silver, cobalt, and finally a small blue sapphire. At some point, when Joe was setting out the stones, the children had become quiet. They were clearly still confused, but they recognized wealth and it shocked them. This was Joe’s intended purpose. Now that he had their full attention, he began to speak to them.

  “My name is Joe. We rescued you from the hunters and are keeping you safe until your parents can come for you. You are in no danger here,” Joe said.

  After he said this, a prompt came up.

  Activate Aura of Authenticity. Rank 1? Yes/No

  Activate Aura of Benevolence. Rank 1? Yes/No

  Joe quickly clicked yes to both questions. The questions were a little surprising as Joe had thought the auras themselves were passive. Apparently, Joe had to activate them. He wondered if they had a time limit to them. His eyes locked with the yeti girl who was the older of the two children. It was obvious she had been trying to decide if she could trust Joe.

  Another message popped up in Joe's HUD.

  Successful trust check.

  “I Lil. He Tig,” Lil said.

  “It's wonderful to finally meet you. Over there, holding the bunny, is Bork. The fairy hovering behind me is Spooky Joy. The halfling up on that raised platform over there is Moes. Now that we've introduced ourselves, is there anything I can get you?” Joe asked. The young girl nodded her head again and looked at the stones Joe had laid before them on the ground.

  “Food. I hungry. Tig hungry,” Lil said in a serious tone.

  “That's not a problem, we can provide you with whatever food you need. You can have meat, vegetables, or stones, if you wish. I see that you're eyeing the stones that I've set out. Please, take them all. No one goes hungry in my castle,” Joe said. Lil jumped forward leaving her brother on the bed. She began to eat the stones, starting with the sapphire. Her brother apparently didn't have the same appetite that she did, because he just watched her eat. Before she finished, he began to cry. Joe wasn't sure what was happening, so he pulled out some other stones and laid them beside the boy, but this didn't help.

  “Why are you crying, Tig? You can also eat if you want,” Joe coaxed. Tig shook his head.

  “I no hungry. I sad. Lil child no more. I want grow too. I hope she live,” little Tig cried. Joe was not sure what to do. Spooky got Joe's attention.

  “Joe, she's eating that ore fast and a lot of it. It's been minutes, but my sensors are already indicating that she's grown a few millimeters. I think Tig understands what is happening. That's why he said she's not a child anymore. I think she's going to need a lot more ore,” Spooky said in their native tongue. There were tears in Lil's eyes, but she kept eating.

  “These good rocks. So good, but need different rocks. Need dirty rocks. These too clean,” Lil said through ragged breaths.

  “We can get you different rocks,” Joe said as he began to quickly pull out various types of ore and ingots of refined metal. Lil's eyes went wide when she saw some of the ingots. She picked up an ingot of pure copper and smelled it, then licked it. But as she assessed it, she began to shudder.

  “I shouldn't. It too good. But smells so pure. Maybe I not die? Maybe strong enough? I eat! Worth risk!” Lil said, triumphing over her fear. She swallowed the ingot whole and began doing the same to other ingots of refined metals. Tig saw what she was doing and began to cry more.

  “No Lil! Now you die. I be alone. Stop! No eat those!” Tig yelled. At this point, Joe began to wonder if he had made a dangerous error of ignorance. That was when the screaming began in truth. Having finished off multiple ingots, Lil held her stomach and began another ear piercing wail. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she began to convulse violently.

  “Joe, her health is dropping fast, we need to do something or she'll be dead in minutes,” Spooky said urgently. This was not the way he wanted to greet the children of his vassal’s tribe. Deep down, he knew he could fix this. It was a game, in any game there's always a way to solve a problem. This was just a puzzle he needed to figure out. Sure, this one had a time limit, but that was okay. He began to organize what he had to do in his mind. He needed to slow her declining health. Joe knew it was only a stopgap measure, but he began casting his L1 Lesser Healing spell. White flared from his hand and Lil began to glow, regaining a small amount of her health. Tig saw the white and knew what it meant, though he had never been a firsthand witness to healing magic before. He had been told stories about his grandmother, who had been a powerful healer, the last one their tribe had been blessed with. Healing was rare, too rare. Seeing that Joe wasn't immediately giving up on his sister, he stopped his crying. Maybe she wouldn't die.

  As he prepared for another healing spell, Joe gave everyone else their marching orders. What he wanted to do was rather simple. Everyone needed to get up to his place of power. He didn't know how long he would have to continue to heal Lil and, at this point, the only way he knew how to recharge was at his altar. Getting through the security doors was a hassle. They took time to open and close, especially since they were sized for yetis. Two angels carried Lil on a stretcher while Joe walked alongside, healing her as they walked up the stairs. Luckily, before Joe ran out of mana, they made it to his place of power. Joe inwardly chuckled at how they must have been the weirdest looking emergency medical team to ever exist-- a huge stone-skinned man still half-dressed because of surgery, two goblins attired in Russian military fatigues, a glittering fairy with set of armor and weaponry sporting a beautiful afro, a halfling mage dressed in a weird robe-jumper hybrid, and finally a few small and some large stone angels in the periphery.

  They set up a bed near the altar where Lil laid unconscious. It was already clear that they would have to replace the bed with a larger one soon. Lil was growing fast. Even though she was unconscious and not currently eating, her body was still digesting and putting to use the unhealthy amount of metal she had consumed. The metals she had eaten were highly refined. Without Joe to heal her, she would have died. No yeti was used to such pure metals. The stress of being kidnapped had caused her to reach her time of metamorphosis early. Yetis went from being a child to a full grown adult within weeks of the onset of their metamorphosis. Normally the tribe spent months preparing for this milestone. They would gather the necessary ores and hope that the yeti child was strong enough to complete the process. Ironically, the stronger the bloodline, the less likely the child would survive the metamorphosis. Lil’s father was Bridcha the chief and he was the most powerful yeti in their tribe. It was unlikely his children would survive a metamorphosis, particularly one so ill-prepared for. The only reason Bridcha had survived his metamorphosis was because of his mother. As an accomp
lished healer, she had spent the last of her strength helping him complete his metamorphosis. Lil did not know how lucky she was. Without Joe healing her, she would have never reached adulthood.

  Tig was clearly happy his sister had made it past the first hour of metamorphosis. This meant the chances were good that when he awoke in 23 hours she would still be alive. He had done his best to explain to their rescuers what was happening as Joe continued to heal his sister.

  Joe sat atop his altar while Moes sat beside him. Joe's feet almost reaching the ground, while Moes’ feet dangled, never even having a chance. Lil was still lying there beside them, her ankles already overhanging the edge of the bed. In the few hours since her metamorphosis had begun, she had doubled in size. She was now over six-feet tall. It looked like her body had used up most of what she had eaten, and would probably wake soon, only to eat some more. Having realized their mistake, Spooky had gone out with her angels to mine ore. Most of it was iron ore. Joe asked her where the ore came from, but like always, Spooky evaded Joe’s question and didn't provide a straight answer.

  Moes tried to help Joe with the healing but he was afraid most of his spells might interfere with the yeti’s metamorphosis. Instead, he directed his spells toward Joe. Helping him think faster, encouraging his spirit to regain mana quicker, and generally be a better healer. Though the continuous healing had been tedious, it had not been without its rewards. An hour and a half in, Joe received a message.

  Life Magic

  Spell acquired

  L1 Lesser Life Link. Allows a stationary individual to draw a small continuous stream of Life Energy from a nearby mana pool. Drink up, the water's fine.

  The spell took some of the pressure off Joe. He cast it on Lil, connecting her to his place of power, as the spell provided a small amount of healing along with other positive effects. Then he cast it on himself, and then on Moes. In this way he was able to keep his mana almost topped off, even with the continuous casting of the healing spell.