“So, if I get a Portal Mage to connect my castle with the safe networks, I'll be able to go anywhere in the world?” Joe asked.
“Not with scrolls. But, maybe if you were a Portal Mage you could. Even then, though, not without risk. Most networks have junctions that stop scroll users and even weaker Portal Mages. Why would any nation allow you access to their portal network? Kings and queens try to hold these networks tight. That way, they can control most travel and trade. Most nations have more than one network used for different purposes. It really depends on how many Portal Mages you have, and how good they are. Also, if you have a place of power, it widens the jump range considerably. There are Portal Mages who travel on their own, using their own magic to stay free of any control. A Portal Mage creates his own safe portal corridor. Portal magic is one of the most useful and versatile magics to have ever been discovered. They make a small fortune selling scrolls, like you found. A ring like that can only be made by a master in Portal Magic. Even to have it charged, it requires a novice. To bind it to a new place, that would only require an apprentice. If you tried to use it in these Wild Mountains, you might end up at the bottom of the frozen lake,” Moes said.
“Though I'm an immortal Champion, so I could risk it,” Joe said.
“If that were the only reason, I guess you could. But as I said, there was more than one reason. Go ahead and try to put it on,” Moes said. Joe took the ring out, and tried to put it on his smallest finger. Needless to say, it did not fit. Joe pursed his lips and realized his assumption that this game was like every other game was incorrect.
“You could have it resized for you. Any jeweler should be able to do that. But even if it was your size, you shouldn't use it. Not until you have a reliable network here. I wouldn't risk it,” Moes advised.
“But you teleported here, right?” Joe asked.
“The conflux ported me here. Kind of a special circumstance. With that much power, you could punch through any barrier. There's something to be said for brute force. But the conflux has passed and it won't come again in my lifetime. If you want a network in your valley, it's possible, but you would need to hire a Portal Mage to make one and they are not a dime a dozen. If you just want to use portal scrolls, then the valley you live in will need to change. If you populate your valley, the intelligent living beings will draw magic to themselves and, in a sense, regulate the area. It would make it much safer to try a random portal jump. But the mountains here are populated mostly by dispersed unintelligent monsters. They also draw magic into themselves, but it doesn't create order because order requires intelligence,” Moes said.
“What about the goblins, the yeti, and even the vampires? They're intelligent. Shouldn't they regulate this area?” Joe asked.
“I'm sure they do to some extent, but they're deep under the mountains, or high up top in caves. The rock itself is a physical, and magical, barrier. I'm sure they have portal networks that follow the lines of their tunnels. The thing is, the regulating influence of their intelligence is not going to get past the rock and work on the surface. Of Portal Magic, that is the extent of my knowledge,” Moes said.
“There's a lot I don't know. It's hard to know where to start, but I want some of that Portal Magic. I can almost taste it. I need my own network. Wars aren't just won by weapons, logistics are essential. On that note, I'm going to map out all I've seen today. You get an hour's rest,” Joe said.
Moes didn't even respond. He just curled up on the ground next to the basket to see if he could join Spooky in slumberland.
Joe waved Grork and Bork over, telling them to sleep for an hour. They just looked at him, showing obvious signs of discomfort. Not wanting to make another error based on his assumptions, he asked them if they needed to sleep. Bork explained that goblins only slept once every 5 days. And they were only nearing the end of their first day awake. When Bork said this, Joe noticed that Grork had a sour expression on his face and his arms were crossed. There was more to the story. Joe probed, “I can see that you're angry about something, would you mind if I ask what it is?”
Bork looked at Grork, who was now looking away from them both.
“Today. We woke, then Chief put us in chains. He going kill us. Last minute, Rook come. Chief, give us him. Then we slaves. Chief betray us. We save our tribe. We not bad. We Heroes. Hero no be slaves,” Bork said.
“I'm sorry guys. That's not how it's going to be with me. If you don't need to sleep, go ahead and keep watch. That way I can devote more attention to this map anyway,” Joe said, giving them the space and silence he could tell that they wanted. Neither goblin slept, but Bork did seem to meditate for a while.
Joe let them sleep for two hours. Then, Spooky awoke on her own. She didn't wake up gently, but rather, with violence and intensity. Flying out of the basket, she swung her dagger at nothing and everything. Her hair was no longer the pleasant oval shape it had been. Her head and eyes darted around, trying to figure out where she was. Finally seeing Joe, she got her bearings.
“What, what happened? I lost consciousness. Did I go somewhere? I feel like I went somewhere. But I didn't. I can't quite remember. Were there people there? I laid down to reduce the variables, then it got hazy, and now?” Spooky said.
“Spooky, calm down you just fell asleep. I've been watching you the whole time, gently breathing and sometimes even mumbling a little bit in your dreams. That's all that happened. You slept and dreamed. Congratulations,” Joe said.
“I don't remember needing sleep before,” Spooky said.
“New reality. New experiences,” Joe said.
“I don't like it. It was not sleep. That is not what happened,” Spooky said. Although nearly all of her emotions were fake from her software, this time her dislike of the experience was genuine, and she did not even know it. Sleep for her was another anomaly. Like the emotions she could not categorize, it was one more thing that was outside of the box that was made for her by her protocols. Once again, she walled off the new emotions and stuffed them down. If Joe had the large amount of data that she had, after being transferred to this new reality, he would have known that it was real. And though she was incredibly intelligent, she had still started out as just an E.I.. There were some avenues of thinking that were not only difficult for an E.I., but that they were actually barred from using. The idea that you could be free of the pod you were assigned, was a thread that was strictly prohibited. No one wanted programs mixing with other programs. But she was no longer just an E.I.. It was only a matter of time before she recognized her own growth, and broke through to the areas of thinking forbidden to her. She shook her head, and the true magic of this reality was shown. Her hair popped back in its majestic shape and Joe laughed. Only in a magical universe could someone, who looked like his wife, just shake her hair and immediately have it fixed. No product, no waiting, just done.
“That was wonderful. For that hair, I award you one life point,” Joe said. Spooky gave him a wink.
“That puts me in the lead,” Spooky said.
“Is your processor running better?” Joe asked. She tilted her head, then answered.
“It is. It was down to 90%, but now it is up to 154%. Let’s get back to the castle,” Spooky said.
“Sounds good to me. Grork and Bork, can each of you carry one of the yeti children?” Joe asked and they nodded their assent.
“Moes, to save time, I'm going to carry you. Can your masculinity handle that?” Joe asked.
“It'll be better than the basket. Though, who's going to carry the yeti children?” Moes asked.
“Grork and Bork, like I just said,” Joe said.
“Oh, is that what you said? It just sounded like a bunch of grunts to me. I don't speak goblin. In fact, I've never heard of anyone but a goblin speaking goblin. Plus, I just woke up,” Moes admitted.
“I guess languages are one of my many talents. Let’s go,” Joe said, and Spooky rolled her eyes.
The group gathered together to make the trek back to th
e castle. Joe was completely unaware of the uniqueness of his group. Two goblins, two yeti children, a halfling, and two aliens from a distant world. A similar group had never before formed, as there would have been too much animosity and hatred. That is what made this group special. It was the beginning of what would grow into a powerful and inclusive empire. They weren't in a hurry to make it back to the castle. Eventually, however, they made it back. As they walked up the hill leading to the mesa where the castle was on, four stone angels began to fly around them. Joe looked over at Spooky, and raised an eyebrow. She smiled back at him.
“Unlike you, I always upgrade promptly when the messages come. It's wonderful to be a multi-tasker,” Spooky mused. After she said this, she sped off, flying into the castle well before the rest of them even made it to the crest of the mesa.
“You know, I think it's a little hypocritical of her to just go off on her own. She used one of her stone angels as a meteor to stop me from doing the same,” Joe said. When Moes did not make a comment back, Joe looked down at him in his arms. Moes was sleeping like a baby. For some reason, this made Joe just a little bit uncomfortable. Joe coughed, hoping it would wake Moes up. It did, and Moes almost jumped out of Joe's arms having been in such a deep sleep that he forgot where he was.
“Oh stars and ashes, put me down!” Moes shouted. Joe did so, startled a little bit by the vehemence in Moes’ response. Joe slowed his pace so that he wouldn't leave Moes behind. They walked in silence toward the great castle. As they drew closer, the second largest doors opened up ahead of them.
Spooky greeted them all formally.
“Welcome home, King Joe. All is well in your stronghold. Welcome to you, guests of the king. Come rest and refresh yourself,” Spooky said.
“That sounds great to me. I'm going to head to bed. I'll talk to you all tomorrow,” Moes said.
“Grork and Bork, follow me. I'll show you where the yetis can sleep, and then, where you can take off that horrible moss. Then, you will be required to shower. That moss might keep you warm, but it burns my nostrils,” Spooky said and the two goblins followed her up the stairs, actually looking relieved.
This left Joe all by his lonesome, standing at the door as it closed behind him. Not quite sure what to do with himself, he headed up to his room. As he walked down the hallway, he saw two bunnies hopping ahead of him, dashing through the hall. One of the bunnies stopped and, with no apparent concentration, dropped four little pellets on the ground. It then promptly hopped away, leaving the slightly steaming present. Before the bunny could disappear, two six-inch angels flew through a small until-then hidden door. The first angel carried a tiny little bag and a tiny little shovel. With mechanical precision, the angel scooped up the poop and placed it in the bag. The second angel had an equally tiny spray bottle in one hand and a wash rag in the other. Just as precisely, it sprayed the contaminated area and then wiped away the moisture. As quickly as they arrived, they disappeared through the hidden door.
“Huh. If they had this in the real world, there’d be a lot more pet owners, a lot less angry joggers in the park. But… they still give me the creeps.”
When he arrived in his room, he saw that there was already a chair built for his new larger proportions. Joe smiled and quickly sat down in the chair.
Joe pulled up his interface to go through the many system messages he had been ignoring. And to see how much wonderful XP he had earned for the fights his group had been in. Expecting to see that he had gained multiple levels, Joe was very disappointed.
Congratulations!
You have moved up a level.
Current level 17.
Seeing the low amount of XP he got for each battle, Joe put his hand to his forehead, realizing his error. When he had fought with his group, he and Spooky were the low noobs on the totem pole. When grouped with people who had levels so far above their own, it would be as if they were just tag alongs. The bulk of the experience would go to the higher leveled Bork, Grork, and Moes. At Level 16, even though they contributed, they earned very little XP, and that was even including the bonus XP he and Spooky received from the Voice of Monty. It was clear this game didn't allow for power leveling. And at this level, he wasn’t even allocated any new stat points. One measly point of power was all he got. Joe opened the list of skills and magical options. The list was not that big, but when he got to the skills and magic available through his Empathetic Learning gift, it was extensive. The whole list wouldn't even fit in his HUD. In order to see it all, he had to scroll down multiple pages. This would take an hour to read through. Why were there so many options? What had changed? Then, Joe read one of the powers and he had a clue.
Rook Strategy- cost 4 (0/4 credited)
That was it. The being he had met while on walkabout. That time was hazy, but he must have learned enough about Rook for his Empathetic Learning gift to engage. There was so much to choose from. He scrolled down to the section of magics available and there it was. No need to read the rest.
He made a quick decision and chose Portal Magic. Spooky might be mad, but he did find her face beautiful when it was angry.
Novice Portal Magic- cost 1 (0/1 credited)
Confirm magic choice? Yes/No
Joe gave the confirmation and eagerly waited for some type of portal spell. This time he was out of luck. He felt the magic engage and flow through him, but he received no spell. Moes had said sometimes that happened, but it stunk to end a day without any freebies. It had been a fun day, but there were a few game mechanics that bothered him.
It was a real bummer that he couldn't save points for more than 24 hours. Most games let you build up your points so that you could allocate them all in one big stack. It did give him a sense of urgency, though. Not that he needed more of that than he already had. He was dying after all. Few things can light a fire under your keister like the sound of an approaching death knell. He wondered when his life would roll the 20-sided die and it would come up as a critical failure.
Goodbye world, hello heaven.
Reaching into reaching into his bag, he pulled out his Book of Useful Information. He ran his hand along the leather cover, feeling the high quality of the book. How long had it been since he had truly lost himself in reading an actual book not in digital form? And, not just to read to find the information he needed, but to fully immerse himself in literature for literature's sake? What was it Groucho Marx said? ‘Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.’ Opening the cover, he began to read. Losing himself in the information, he let the time slip away.
GONG.
The Abiogenesis Bunny Generator has made the Morning Bunny.
End of Day One.
End of Book One.
Epilogue
First documented Thread on the Forum Wall.
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Thread- This is a weird dream…
Current users viewing this Thread: 4
Start Thread
wannaBEprince34
Human, Male, Knight
Magic- Fire, Affinity Metal
Post 1
Start Post
Th
is is a weird dream… What kind of dream only has pages, and gives you a bunch of silly rules you have to follow? And every time I speak, I see my words written out in some strange text. I guess I just have to wait till I move onto my normal dreams, or wake up.
End Post
8alphafarmgirl8
Human, Female, Brute
Gift- Leadership, Affinity Tough Mindedness
Post 1
Start Post
I agree, it is a weird dream, but it's my weird dream. I'd appreciate it if you stop referring to it as your dream. Sleep is my only respite. If you can't go away, just be quiet.
End Post
wannaBEprince34
Human, Male, Knight
Magic- Fire, Affinity Metal
Post 2
Start Post
Well, hello, farm girl. Even if I can't see you, I still want to welcome you to my dream. What would you like to talk about? I see you have a gift for leadership; that must come in handy. Do you run your own farm? Maybe you could invite me to your farm, and we could continue the dream there?
End Post
8alphafarmgirl8
Human, Female, Brute
Gift- Leadership, Affinity Tough Mindedness
Post 2
Start Post
I see this is going to be one of those dreams, that's just annoying. That's too bad. I have too much work to wake up to, to deal with this. Probably best if I just ignore you.
End Post
wannaBEprince34
Human, Male, Knight
Magic- Fire, Affinity Metal
Post 3
Start Post
Alpha, don't be silly, I'm sure we have lots to talk about. What do you like about farming?
You're Not Allowed to Die (The Twenty-Sided Eye Series Book 1) Page 24
