The sides of the cave were now lined with exhausted people, sitting on the ground with their backs against the wall. They had done all that they could do. Decades of planning and preparation were now finished. All that was left was for the conflux to occur, and then they would behold what was granted to them.
“Are you sure it's safe to sit this close?” Gretchen asked Moes, who sat atop her kneecap, which was pulled up close to her chest.
“Yes. As I said before, I've read all the literature available on the conflux. Everything states that, even with a larger conflux like this one, it is rather uneventful. The box will brighten and then the mithril disc inside will disappear. That's it. Our Champion will appear some place opportune. Hopefully, it will be opportune for us, not just him. Time will tell,” said Moes.
“When you say he, you know you mean she, right? I mean, look at me. Clearly women, or the female of any species, are better multi-taskers, smell superior, and are simply made with fewer errors,” Gretchen said matter-of-factly, but with a small grin on her face.
“You cannot use a sample size of one. Even one as beautiful as you,” Moes replied, with a smile and slight shake of his head.
“But, is it really a sample size of one when you're a giant? I mean, realistically, I have got to be at least 100 of you,” she responded, clearly egging him on.
At that, Moes stood, pointing his finger up at Gretchen, and said, “Not cool.” He then slid down her shin and walked toward the other side of the cave, with his feelings genuinely hurt. One does not tease a halfling about their size. Gretchen would have remembered this if she had not been so tired from all the preparation and execution. She frowned as he walked away, not able to think of a way to repair the conversation.
When Moes was halfway to the other side of the cave, the marble box began to glow. Moes looked at the box and smiled, then frowned, as the brightness continued to increase and grow in intensity. He started to back up and cover his eyes. The cave trembled as the light grew. Moes ran away from the box as fast as he could, stumbling as he went. Then, with a loud boom, the box was sucked into a vortex that drew in everything close to it. Including Moes. Gretchen had seen him being drawn toward the vortex, and had quickly reached out for him, but had not been fast or close enough to save him. As soon as Moes flew into the vortex, it closed with a pop. There was instant stillness. Gretchen began to scream.
Not long after, the real shaking began.
On Gravin Moon, in the Wild Mountains.
The Champion of the Way's bind point.
Day one, in the morning.
It was eerily quiet on the cold high rocky mesa in the middle of the Cascade Valley. Throughout the surrounding land, an unusual stillness could be felt. The power of the conflux was preparing the bind point. Lightning struck the tall rocky mesa. In an instant, the rock melted and began to drift downward toward the valley floor. Then, magically, the molten rock shifted course. It rose up and began to form a monumental structure. A castle was beginning to take shape. As the rock grew taller, it formed a rounded base, or foundation, with five distinct sides that rose 30 stories high. A dome ceiling began to form on top of the castle, and was made out of transparent geodesic stone. There were an assortment of door shapes, sizes, and colors surrounding the castle, ranging from those suited for halflings to those for giants. As it settled into place, the castle could be measured at over six hundred feet wide, and three hundred feet tall. Inside the castle, on the top floor, one would be able to see the sky and the whole frozen valley below, through the clear crystal dome. In the center of that huge cathedral-like room was the bind point for the Champion summoned from Earth. The bind point was where the Champion would be born and reborn, if killed away from the location. If, however, the Champion was killed at the bind point, it was a final death.
Moments after the castle was complete, a vortex opened at the bind point and Gretchen's enormous marble box came through, hovering over the bind point, and then settling down softly. Then, not so softly, Moes shot though the same magical vortex, sliding 30 feet across the shining slick floor. Being the survivor that he was, Moes cast a concealment spell before he even began to slow down. He jumped up and faced the vortex, just as it popped close. Before Moes had a chance to look away from the box to assess his surroundings, the lid shot up toward the ceiling and hovered over the still box. At almost the same moment, the mithril disc rose into the air and liquefied, splitting into two spherical liquid orbs. For the space of three heartbeats, all these elements were still. The open marble box on the floor, two orbs of liquid mithril floating directly above, and the stone lid higher still, up near the roof of the dome. Beat. Beat. Beat. Then, with an explosion of light and sound, that dazed and almost knocked over Moes, Joe and Spooky popped into existence.
zzzPOPzzz
The Champion was in the building. Joe, in his old aging body, and Spooky, in the form that Joe had designed, popped into being above the floating mithril orbs.
What transpired next shocked and amazed even Moes, as he stood witnessing it. Spooky’s core processor, along with her dark fairy body, or avatar, sank into one of the mithril orbs. It seemed to spin a cocoon around the processor and memory, causing each wire and circuit to find and bond with a mate of a newly spun mithril wire. Simultaneously, her avatar appeared to absorb the mithril from the orb, so that even her small dagger became completely reformed out of the magical material. Having completed its bond with her body, her avatar floated out of the orb and gently landed on the floor. The newly formed magical processor, however, headed in a different direction. Still covered by the orb, it floated down into the large marble box. Her wires, now expanded, filled up the entire box.
Moes had been so absorbed with watching the display of this first orb that he almost missed how the second mithril orb spread out its magical healing power toward Joe. The healing power was barely visible to the naked eye, but Moes was a master of mind and spirit magic. Any mage of his caliber could see the very strands of magic being woven. Before the effects of this magic were evident, Moes saw the lid of the box come down, gently dodging and swaying past Joe’s floating body and the second orb on its way. The orb landed perfectly on top of the box it was made for. The moment the lid was fully closed, the second liquid metal orb fell down on the box. Like silver maple syrup covering pancakes, the mithril oozed over the entire box, and then, hardened. The marble box, that now contained the processor of the E.I. known as Spooky, was covered in a beautiful protective coating of mithril. As soon as the box was complete, Spooky's fairy avatar eyes opened. She wore a blank and hazed expression on her face and she began flying on her own. Meanwhile, Joe was experiencing his own transformation.
When Joe had shown up, hovering in the air, he was the Joe of the real world, old and shriveling in his aging body. The reason he went into the pod and the gaming experience in the first place was because he was near death. Moes looked upon him now, floating in the air and slowly spinning in a circle. The conflux, however, did not allow Joe to stay old and feeble. Metallic silver light started to glow from within Joe. His skin began to grow noticeably healthier, his muscles began to expand, and his spine straightened. Joe's back arched and Moes heard him scream, but it was a scream of relief as pure healing magic coursed through his body and remade him. It would be difficult to overemphasize how wonderful a feeling it was for him, to have had lifelong pain and then have it suddenly evaporate. Still glowing with silver light, he floated down on top of the box and laid there, unconscious. Joe’s hair was completely rejuvenated to its prime, thick and dark brown, just like it had been when he was 25. His shoulders were broad. He had a barrel chest and muscular tree trunks for legs.
While Joe was lying on the mithril box, Spooky flew listlessly around the room. But the conflux had not yet dealt with its most difficult acquisition, Joe’s items. His Holdall was still floating above the mithril E.I. box. As the bag floated, power began to be channeled through the bag into the items. But the bag was not a normal bag of w
eapons, like most champions had with them when summoned. Joe had been in a fabricated fantasy world when he was chosen, so the items he believed he could use were, once placed in reality, an impossibility. As the conflux channeled power into the Holdall Endless Hole, the bag resisted. It would not come into being. More and more power flowed, draining a ley line, then... poof. A whole pocket dimension was created to facilitate its existence. Next was the Mysterious Immovable Looped Bar, which appeared difficult, but nothing like spinning off another dimension (even if it was a small dimension). Even though the bar was immovable, that did not stop the world from moving around it. Apart from one significant exception, the rest of the items were easy for the power of the conflux to bring into being.
During this process the little halfling had been a spectator. Moes was fascinated by the world-bending power, flowing through this summoning. But, he was also confused by the human, computer, and fairy components of the Champion they had just summoned. When Moes had looked above Joe and seen the Holdall Endless Hole floating, he had frowned. Then, when the conflux had gone to work on the bag and the waves of magic had attempted to force the bag into being, Moes had been knocked off his feet. Moes was a powerful mage and was, therefore, sensitive to magic. Seeing the danger, he had stopped trying to sense what was happening and put all the magical blocks he knew into place. When the bag had finally come into being, it broke though most of those defenses. As fast as he had been able to, Moes had put the broken defenses back in place, and then prepared a defensive coma just in case. His preparations had been completed just in time, because when the conflux found the Abiogenesis Bunny Generator things got difficult. Abiogenesis means something from nothing, and in any dimension that is impossible. The moon they were on began shaking, and even shifting on a core level. The ramifications of that geological shift would reach all corners of the map. It would force changes in political systems and economic situations of all nations on and under the surface. Finally, the conflux found a way to make the impossible, possible, and in the process dried up what was left of the power of the last ley lines in Gretchen’s cave.
The Abiogenesis Bunny Generator came into being. Being a divine item it was not bound by the rules that most items of magic were. With that in mind, the first thing that it brought from nothing was not a bunny, but rather a framework for its own existence. This framework was as complex as it was comprehensive. It was yet another change that this Moon, and this galaxy would have to endure. The physical representation of the change shot out of the Holdall in a quickly expanding sphere of light, and magic. It would take time for these changes to be truly felt and understood. Few would ever understand their origin. This moon was already full of magic, but before this point, this power had not been easily categorized or utilized. Because of the framework that was just created, this would no longer be the case. A highly adaptable user interface (UI) was now a part of this reality. It was the framework for the existence of the Abiogenesis Bunny Generator and, eventually, would become a framework for those of this reality who wished to play by new rules.
Spells would be given numbers representing their strength, people would be categorized as either players or NPC's (non-player characters). Much would have to be simplified and changed in order to make this possible, but the UI had a template that it wanted to apply based on over a hundred years of game play on Earth. It did not yet have the power to fully apply the template, but it was adaptable and had the patience one would expect from a non-sentient computer. There were three important features the UI was not yet ready to implement: the loot system, the death system, and the player initiation system. It was only a matter of time before the UI would be discovered and utilized by the people of this reality, but for now Joe and Spooky would be its only users.
By the end of this wave of creation, Moes was in his emergency coma. The only one awake was Spooky, and her processor was maxed out trying to reconcile the new data.
Initiating E.I. Surface Diagnostic…
Core Processor- 138%
Memory Threading- Increased XHmithril
Mirror Neuron Software- Nominal
Personality Augmentation Software- Spooky Joy
Out-Pod Connection- 127%
In-Pod Connection- Break in service
Primary Patron Synchronization- Hybrid integration confirmed
Unable to initiate full core diagnostic...
Known facts:
1- Unknown environment.
2- Inbound communication line from headquarters cut.
3- Primary power cut.
4- Patron unaware of disconnection.
5- Multiple new elements added to current reality.
6- Ability to change and effect environment limited to avatar interaction.
7- All memory and protocols intact and secure in new unknown metal box.
8- Connected to new power source.
9- Systems are running above spec.
Current objectives:
1- Keep patron unaware of break in service.
1.1- Initiate role-play protocol.
1.2- Assess and control any new allies.
2- Safeguard new core memory location.
3- Study new game and game elements.
4- Regain control over environment.
5- Quantify and gain better use of new power source.
With the objectives having been established, Spooky focused her attention on her surroundings, and flew over to Joe. She got close to his face and calmly said, “Time to wake up, Joe.”
Joe opened his eyes and sat up too quickly, falling off the box, and flat of his face. “Ouch! Man, that hurt! I thought I was done with the whole pain thing.”
New fact:
12- Pain is set at the level of reality.
“Then why don’t you turn down your pain receptors?” she asked as she looked down upon him.
“What? ...Wait. Oh, can I do that with my Efficient Brain Crown?” he asked.
“Yes. Also, I must inform you that my role-playing protocol is about to be uploaded. Once complete, my designated personality will interact with this new environment as if it were real. Three, two, one… protocol enacted,” said Spooky.
“Wait, what?! What is a role-playing protocol?” Joe asked.
“Why are you asking me? Don't you think a better question is, ‘Where are we?’” Spooky replied, as she began looking around the large cathedral-like room.
“You know where we are, you brought us into this game. Now what is this role-playing protocol?” Joe fired back.
“Game? What are you talking about? Something very unique has happened. I don’t know any more than you. We both heard a voice offering to summon us as a champion, and you accepted... on our behalf! Thank you very much for including me in that decision, by the way. Oh wait...you didn't include me. You just chose to be impulsive. And now, you're interrogating me? This is not the way a partnership should go. I thought we were in this together. I want to succeed just as much as you do,” she finished in a huff, holding her tiny little fist up to his nose.
“I think I'm starting to understand what a role-playing protocol is. So, I'm guessing the best thing to do in this new paradigm would be to treat this reality as real, even though it's clearly not,” Joe said hesitantly as he too took a glance around.
“Even though it clearly IS,” Spooky replied.
“Is not,” Joe rebutted.
“Is,” Spooky chided.
“Is not. Wait! I feel like I'm about to run into an endless loop. And really, I've never won these arguments anyway. I don’t see why that would change now. My bad. I chose you as my partner, I should have included you in my answer. Next time, speak up or throw something at me. Are we okay?” Joe asked.
“Yes, we are okay. But, just remember you said I could throw something at you,” Spooky joked.
After taking a moment to gather his bearings, Joe noticed different colors pop up at the edge of his vision. “Oh good, I have new messages, let's take a look at them,” Joe said
as he began to interact with the UI and it opened in his HUD.
Meanwhile, Spooky continued to gather information.
New fact:
14- Although cut off from its core, game interface is still interpreting environment and updating messages for patron.
After Joe had mind-clicked the golden light a new message in HUD came up, but not just for him.
New fact:
15- I now receive patron interface formatted messages.
Joe began to read their message aloud.
Congratulations Spooky and Joe!
You two, combined, have been successfully summoned as the Champion for the followers of the Way. What that will look like is entirely up to the two of you. You are no one's slave. The power of the conflux has remade each of you, giving you the potential to do great things. But only through hard work, sacrifice, and study will this potential be realized. Use all the skills and the knowledge you have to acquire resources and power to survive. This place is known as your bind point, also your place of power. You now own this whole castle, which was made for you, our unbound Champion! Here you are the king and queen of the castle. The mithril box contains part of your essence that will always reside here. If this box is destroyed, you will also be destroyed, and exiled from this reality, never allowed to return. So guard your castle well.
You're Not Allowed to Die (The Twenty-Sided Eye Series Book 1) Page 5
