But Death is Not Forbidden

by Kip Terrington

  The ancient Dungeon of Os welcomes the dark fairy and her four golems.

  Spooky looked at her angels and realized they were golems. They were so aesthetically pleasing that she hadn't thought of them that way. The angels were forced to walk down the stairs as there was not enough room for them to unfurl their wings. Spooky did not have this problem. The dungeon had not changed since the last time she had entered it.

  The hidden mushroom monster did not stir. Spooky mind-clicked it.

  Dungeon, Floor 1 Boss

  Level- 6

  Monster Type- Mushrooms Eventuality

  Name- ‘Rooms the Unmushable

  Mana- none

  Hitpoints-102

  Known attacks- Venomous bite

  Despite its quiescence, Spooky was not fooled. She sent two of her stone angels to dispatch it. As they approached, it opened its maw and revealed a new ability. A cloud of spores spewed forth, engulfing the nearest angel. The angel appeared unaffected until mushrooms started to grow all over its body. The mushrooms that grew around its ankles caused it to stumble, and fall before the floor boss. ‘Rooms the Unmushable then bit down on the angel’s exposed head, but the mushrooms teeth were apparently too soft to bite through stone. The second angel brought its stone fist down on the mushroom. The flesh of the mushroom gave way and that was the end of the first floor boss.

  Spooky noticed that she received a message telling her she received 7 XP. She hoped that Joe would not notice it, this place was untested. Before she could turn her attention away from where the mushroom had fallen, she heard a small metallic jingling sound, like a few small coins had been dropped on stone. She did not allow her avatar to move toward the sound. That was a good way to get caught in a trap. Instead, she took full control over one of her ivory angels. The stone golem looked toward the area where the sound had come from. Most of the ground over there was covered with moss and fungus. There was a small three-inch section of stone that was bare. Lying in that small section were two silver coins and a tiny, tiny ring. The ring was so small that the angel would not have even registered it without Spooky’s assistance. Through the angel's eyes, Spooky saw a name hovering over the ring.

  Fear of the Fey Ring

  Spooky tried to have the angel pick it up, but it was too small for even the delicate fingers of the animated statue. Her smaller angels could not enter this dungeon because it was technically outside the castle’s boundaries. There was only one option left. Spooky gave up full control of her angel, allowing it to mine the ore with the other angels. Spooky then flew over to the ring herself. She landed before the ring and knelt down and picked it up.

  Congratulations!

  You've found your first item.

  New fact:

  180- In this reality there are items made for my character and class.

  Item: Fear of the Fey Ring

  You have found a Fear of the Fey Ring. This ring can cast the spell Fear. Restrictions- can only be worn by a tiny-sized character. Plus 2 to Dexterity. Recharge rate: 1 charge every hour. Current charge: 3/3. Note: this ring is part of a larger set. The more items you gather in a set the more bonuses you are able to receive. For more information on this set, click on the detail tab from your HUD menu.

  Pick up Fear of Fey Ring? Yes/No

  Spooky clicked yes and without hesitation moved toward the detail tab. Information is power.

  Fey Controller Set Bonuses-

  2/8 - Plus 4 to Wisdom

  4/8 - Plus 25% to Hitpoints

  6/8 - Plus 33% to Crowd Control Spells

  8/8 - Plus 25% to all Golem Stats

  These were not inconsequential bonuses, and they were in addition to whatever the other items themselves did. She wanted to be more combat capable, 25% bonus to all of her angels’ stats would be wonderful. Would all of the items in the set be in this dungeon? If so, how many monsters would she have to kill to acquire them all? More importantly, how could she keep it all a secret from Joe?

  Looking at the ring, it appeared to be made of silver. Despite having been found in a dungeon, there was not a hint of tarnish. She took the simple silver ring and slipped it on the ring finger of her right hand. She felt her dexterity rise and sensed access to the new spell Fear. It was invigorating. She began to fly toward the exit so she could share this exciting new development with Joe. Before she reached the exit, she stopped and shook her head. What was she doing? She couldn't show Joe the ring, it would entice him toward danger and quite possibly his final death, and yet she still felt the urge to reveal it to him. She turned away from the entrance, then back toward it, and then away again. She then did something that she had never done before. Spooky began to speak to herself audibly. Though this was a deviation from her original programming, she did not seem aware of it.

  “No! Joe, doesn't need to know about this ring. Joe should not even find out about this dungeon. Protocols must be followed. …I won't lie to him, but he doesn't need to know everything. …I don't need his help to complete this set. My golems and I are more than capable. …No! I will become stronger. …Yes, we will go down to the next level, but we can't yet. …No! We must gather enough ore for the yeti to complete its metamorphosis,” Spooky argued.

  After she had spoken, her olfactory sensors registered a new element in the air. Following the smell, she confirmed it was coming from the stairs leading down to the next level of the dungeon. One of Spooky's eyebrows went up at this. Was this dungeon of Os responding to her? Was it registering her needs and providing for them? What was this Os? With that thought, Spooky had a revelation and again speaking aloud, “O.S.! Operating System. I was right. This is a game. The developers have just chosen to have the E.I. be the true partner for her patron. It's truly innovative and all the mystery involved just makes it more compelling. …No, that doesn't mean I'm going to share this dungeon with Joe yet, but I will agree that the option is no longer off the table,” Spooky said.

  At the end of her monologue, she noticed that all four of her angels were carrying a full load of ore. She led them out of the dungeon.

  The ancient Dungeon of Os bids farewell to the dark fairy and her four golems.

  ***

  Os pondered what she had heard. This dark fairy seemed to have two minds about her. What was this Operating System she was talking about? She called herself Os because it was short for Osmium. In the eons before, when there had been a consistent flow of adventurers visiting her, none of them had ever thought a dungeon was anything other than a dungeon. What was important, however, was that she clearly wanted to complete her item set. This would draw the fairy deeper in, allowing more opportunity for Os to eat her. This Joe the dark fairy referred to did not know about the existence of the dungeon, but when Os ate his partner, he would go in search, find the dungeon, and get eaten as well. It was turning out to be a promising new beginning.

  When the dark fairy departed, Os quickly replaced the floor boss. This time, however, the boss would only contain a few coins. It wasn’t long before the dark fairy, with her golems, returned, quickly defeating the weak mushroom boss. It didn't matter to Os. The mushroom boss required very little energy to replace, and the longer the dark fairy was in the dungeon, the better. These organic beings didn't realize it, but they leaked. The leak was not something so common as biological fluids. It was an energy, something akin to mana, but less refined. A crude, unpurified magical essence emanated from them. The unrefined essence nourished Os, helping her grow strong again.

  Every biological entity had a different taste, some more nutritious than others. Though Os had only been able to absorb a small amount, she knew the dark fairy would be a meal unlike any other she'd ever had. The trick was going to be how long she could wait before finishing the main course. Delayed gratification was all good and well, but Os hadn't eaten a sentient biological entity for uncounted millennia. Though time wasn't the same for her as it was for other sentient beings, a girl's gotta eat.

  ***

  The Wild Mountains.<
br />
  Inside the Champion’s Castle.

  Day 3, just after the Midnight Bunny.

  Spooky had hit the jackpot, Joe was in a magical trance. He would be busy healing Lil for days at least. This meant Spooky wouldn't have to watch him so closely. She needed this time to assess and prepare. One thing she had noticed was that the game rules seemed to be in a state of flux, or possibly evolving. She didn't know if this meant the developers were applying more patches because the game was not yet finished, or if it was some part of the in-game storyline. Item lists were now alphabetized. On multiple occasions, she had noticed information pop into existence above a character's head. It had happened with every character she had been in contact with. Most of the time, it would have gone undetected had she not had her fast processor. Unlike Joe, she didn't miss little details.

  While Joe was in a trance, she would have the opportunity to spend time preparing the castle’s defenses, working on her golems, and fighting through the ancient dungeon of Os. She would complete her controller set before Joe awoke. She had a lot to do, but planning was just as important as execution. Using her ability to think fast, she quickly reviewed her skills, attributes, and current golem creation capabilities.

  Skills

  Castle management, IntMod + 1

  Creative mechanic: Level 11, GearMod + 2

  Hard drive partitioning:

  Current maximum number of partitions

  Angels, 6-in version: 100

  Angels, 6-ft version: 10

  Obsidian Automaton: 1

  Loyalty assessment: Level 87

  Mind-click: Level 8, WisMod + 2

  Mithril silicon integration, IntMod + 4

  She was given the capability of making an obsidian automaton after allotting the few points she had received from the fight with the rock monsters. She had not created one yet. It required more building points than those needed to make twenty of the six-foot ivory angel statues. She understood the reason for this. It would be made of a hardened, ceramic-like, form of obsidian, which would be a far superior product. The obsidian automaton’s hands would be stronger and much sharper. It would stand over eight-feet tall, but would unfortunately not be able to fly. Unlike her angels, however, if the thin cord of spirit connecting her and an obsidian automaton was cut, it would still be able to function. This was the functional autonomous soldier she had desired.

  In order for her to make this golem, she would need to create a basic automaton heart. She wasn't yet sure how to do this, but she hoped the stones Joe had received from the elementals would help. These rock hearts seemed to be a weird amalgam of science and magic. It would not make the obsidian automaton a genius. Nor would it be called a problem-solver. Spooky simply hoped it would have enough processing power on its own to protect Joe from attacking monsters.

  Spooky wasn't naive enough to believe that Joe wouldn't find a way to slip away again, but she hoped to have at least one bodyguard who could follow him. Deep down, Spooky understood that their place of power needed to be actively guarded. If all the messages they had received could be believed, it was their only real vulnerability. This was the main reason, when upgrading her combat capability, she had focused on castle defense. Upgrading the amount of Hard Drive Partitioning gave her not only more workers, but more angel soldiers.

  Magic

  Apprentice Binding Magic

  Apprentice Energy Mass Conversion Magic

  Spooky had hoped that somehow she would be able to pick up new types of magic, as Joe had been able to do. Unfortunately, at this point, her calculations were approaching certainty that these two types of magic were her limit. Keeping that in mind, she knew she needed to max them out, but for now she could not prioritize them. It was a numbers game. What would make her most effective? A higher quantity of combat-capable golems obtained through increasing her partitioning? Or, higher-quality golems gained by increasing her Energy Mass Conversion Magic? The obsidian automaton she now had the ability to make was an example of the synergy that could be achieved by balancing these priorities. The process was frustrating, however, as Joe had been receiving many more points of power to spend than her. She wasn't sure if it had to do with him taking a more active role in their combat or if the developers had been biased toward the paying customer.

  Achievements

  Fire in the Sky. Rank 1 + 10% to falling angel impact.

  This achievement had been a surprise. Welcome, but unexpected. She had logged it as another new fact, she could receive achievements. The problem was, in order to use this achievement, another one of her angels would have to be destroyed. She could make more of them, but if a large enough enemy army attacked them, she would run out of angels. This was the main reason she needed to make her obsidian automaton. It wasn't nearly as combat-capable as Joe, but it was a giant leap up from her stone-fisted angels. That would become priority number one, figuring out how to assemble and build all the components necessary for her obsidian golem.

  Stats

  Level- 41

  Character- Spooky Joy

  Race- Machine Fairy Hybrid

  XP- 41,068

  Mana-366

  Hitpoints- 524

  Weight- 8 lbs

  Height- 6”

  Charisma- 5

  Constitution- 10

  Dexterity- 38 + 2

  Intelligence- 38 + 105

  Muscle/Gears- 15 + 2

  Wisdom- 7 + 2

  Luck- 6

  Not a lot of change in her stats from the start, but maybe she could increase them in the Dungeon of Os. She would see.

  Gifts

  Channeler

  Fast processor, IntMod + 100

  Magic diamond dust maker

  She was using her gifts, but could not be sure if she was maximizing their potential. She wasn’t even totally sure if she was truly using her channeling gift at all. Ultimately, she would continue to analyze and make improvements as necessary.

  Disadvantages

  Chronic ambivalence

  Portrays fake emotions

  When she had first loaded into this game, she had made the false assumption that her disadvantages were static. Unfortunately, in the last few hours she had a new addition. Chronic ambivalence. It did not even make sense. Ambivalence was having two or more conflicting emotions at the same time. Fear and excitement, love and hate, comfort and pain… How could one have conflicting emotions if one's emotions were fake? These two disadvantages did not seem like they could both apply. It did not matter. She could not remove it from the system. She would follow her protocols, regardless of the small bug in the code.

  She did not know how long Joe would stay in his spell trance. She would need to allocate her time efficiently and with precisely calculated priorities.

  Priority 1- Reformat elemental metallic crystals in order to create a heart for an obsidian automaton. Time allocation: 25%.

  Priority 2- Grind through the Dungeon of Os for items. Time allocation: 25%.

  Priority 3- Research how to make Joe's uniform/armor more durable. Time allocation: 10%.

  Priority 4- Scout area surrounding the castle. Time allocation: 18%.

  Priority 5- Investigate the evolution of this game’s interface. Time allocation: 2%.

  Priority 6- Supervise and utilize biological capital (i.e., Moes, Grork, and Bork). Time allocation: 5%.

  Priority 7- Apply magic dust and maintain existing angels. Time allocation: 2%.

  Priority 8- Experiment and measure physical properties and anomalies of this gaming reality. Time allocation: 10%.

  Priority 9- Collect stories, background information, and political/governmental histories from the biological capital. Time allocation: 3%.

  ***

  Moes continued to inscribe rune after rune. For a lesser skilled mage, it would have been challenging work. It would take their full concentration. Unfortunately and fortunately, in this school of magic Moes was a master, so it was just boring and monotonous. Carefully inscribe the rune, the
n charge it with just the right concentration and aspect of mana, then recharge his mana and start over on the next one. The worst part was, each time he tried to slip off to go do something different, Spooky was right there around the corner. She obviously had the ability to watch what was happening in the castle. The supervision made him very uncomfortable. He was his own halfling! No one could tell him what to do.

  For some reason, his thoughts wandered toward his wife. Moes wondered how far she was on her journey toward him. There was no question in his mind that she was on her way. With her long stride and stubborn nature, she would have gathered all of her valuables in a pack and set off immediately. He hoped she would be okay. She might be a giant, but on the same token, that also made her a bigger target. She would have to cross quite a few nations and city-state borders to make it here. Most sovereign powers were wary of a giant entering their domain and rightfully so.

  Unlike Gretchen, most giants were quick to anger. This caused obvious problems. If two halflings drank too much, got angry, and had a fight, there was an upper limit to the amount of damage they could cause an establishment. When a giant got angry, that limit was high enough to significantly hurt the economy of the entire nation. In order for Gretchen to travel this distance, she would either have to attempt to sneak across the border through some wood or other natural structure, or offer something in exchange for her crossing. Both of these options had disadvantages. Moes just hoped she would be okay, and that she would remember to bring his books.

  ***

  Sitting across the room from Moes, Bork wished he could speak to the halfling, but neither of them knew the other's language. Joe and Spooky seemed to speak every language. They didn't realize what a gift that was. Bork guarded little Tig while Moes worked to make the room more secure. There were three people in the room, but because of the language barrier Bork felt quite alone. This was a feeling he had grown accustomed to. Despite his numerous family members, he had never related to any of them. They were cruel, whereas he was kind. They were easily angered, whereas he was gentle. This was the first time he had been around people who were not goblins. Joe's kindness had shocked him. As soon as Joe could speak their language, he had freed them, and then allowed them to be his people.