But Death is Not Forbidden

by Kip Terrington

  Bork felt like a new goblin. He had been adopted into a new society and even been given a job. The best part was that the job itself proved he had a brand new start. His job was to protect children. A goblin in charge of protecting children! In truth, it was an idiotic idea for Joe to allow goblins to take this job, but Bork was not most goblins. Somehow, Joe must have figured this out. So even while Bork felt alone due to the language barrier, he was warmed by his job satisfaction. He ran his finger across the collar of his crisp uniform and smiled.

  ***

  Spooky had just made sure that Moes was making progress on the Little Yeti Vault when she received a message. In the middle of the hall she stopped, surprised by the new information.

  Congratulations!

  Because of your tireless work on upgrading your castle, you and your co-champion have been chosen to participate in the Castle Progression System (Beta Version). We hope that this new and evolving system will help you be better able to upgrade your castle’s defenses, facilities, and population. The upgrade possibilities in these three categories are nearly limitless. For your convenience, the castle progression system has already assessed your current home castle.

  Castle Progression System (Beta Version)

  Castle Class: Mammoth, Level 1

  Castle Defenses: Low

  No. of Automated Aerial Golems: 10

  No. of Militia: 5

  Magical Shield: none

  Fortifications:

  Inner Wall: 300ft high, 5ft thick

  Outer Wall: none

  Trench: unfinished

  Archery Towers: none

  Castle Facilities: Few

  Treasure Vaults:

  Little Yeti Vault: unfinished

  Food Storage: 100,000 sqft

  Master Private Apartment/Workshop: deluxe grade

  Kitchen: military grade

  Weapons Manufacturing Unit: none

  Castle Population: Extremely Low

  Adults: 5

  Alchemist: 1

  Master Mage: 1

  Unassigned: 3

  Children: 2

  Note: Continue to improve your castle in all three of these categories in order to raise your castle’s level. Current max level for castle is 10.

  Spooky found this curious. Although she loved to see documentation of her success, she didn't feel she needed a Castle Progression System. She already knew how to upgrade the castle. She would take her own counsel on what facilities and defenses were needed. But as she looked through the drop-down menus, she recognized a problem. Although Joe was currently in a healing trance, when he awoke he would receive this message. In Spooky's way of thinking, it would only add more distraction to his game play. He needed to focus on becoming strong, so therefore, she would take care of the castle.

  She began to work her way through the menus and was able to find Joe's messages. Without any compunction, she deleted the Castle Progression System messages. Taking it one step further, she moved the menu for the Castle Progression System to a location Joe wouldn't notice unless he painstakingly went through all the drop-down menus. Lastly, she set his filters so that he would no longer receive distracting and unnecessary Castle Progression System messages. Then she headed to Joe's apartment to use for her experiments. “…This is for his own good. …No, not my good, his good!”

  ***

  Spooky had spent hours studying the metallic crystals harvested from the Rock Elementals. She had learned quite a bit but it had been an inefficient process. The metallic crystals could only be effectively studied in the open air. The problem arose when the mind of the Rock Elemental stored in the metallic crystal began to wake. The first time she had pulled one of the metallic crystals out of stasis from the furnace, she had studied it for too long before returning it. The consequence was that one of the nearby anvils began being pulled toward the stone. Realizing her error, she had returned the stone back to the furnace.

  In order to keep the metallic crystals in stasis, she had to pull one out and study it for a short time, and then put it back in the furnace, before immediately pulling out another for study. She repeated the process and continually cycled through the three metallic crystals. This meant that, in the time she had allocated for studying these stones, she was able to study all three, but none of them in depth. She would have preferred to study just one of them for the allotted time in the hopes of understanding it more fully. Unless she figured out a way to keep them in stasis outside of the furnace, she would have to stick with her current mode of cycling through the stones.

  In spite of the awkward scientific protocol used to study the stones, what she found was encouraging. Two of the metallic crystals were of an iron variant, whereas the third was cobalt. In some aspects all three metallic crystals were similar to solid state data cores used on Earth. When she had discovered this, a message popped up in her HUD.

  Congratulations!

  Distinctive features discovered. Would you like to give a new designation to elemental metallic crystals? Yes/No

  Spooky clicked yes and received another message.

  Please specify new names.

  “Elemental Iron Core for the iron variants and Elemental Cobalt Core for the cobalt variant.” Spooky said and then another message popped up in her HUD.

  New designation accepted and pattern acknowledged. All future elemental cores will be specified by variant.

  Spooky had been surprised by the change in name of the metallic crystal. It seemed that whatever was running the gaming reality was still categorizing the items in it. By asking Spooky if she wanted to change the name, it made it seem that it was looking for suggestions or perhaps confirmations. Spooky was more surprised when the system then rewarded her for suggesting a more accurate name.

  Achievement earned!

  Namer. Rank 1.

  Through a keen eye and a sharp mind, you understood something well enough to give it a better name. Future generations will have you to thank for that. Plus 1% to your core processor speed.

  For simpler computers, 1% would not have been that noticeable of an increase, but Spooky was an E.I. capable of processing multiple threads of information at once. A 1% increase for Spooky was a significant advancement.

  As she reveled in her increased processing power, she felt an approach upon the castle. This approach was not like the one before, when an angry yeti came bent upon destruction. This approach contained more people and did not feel as threatening.

  Unlike the last time, Spooky was no longer defenseless. Feeling quite capable herself, she felt no need to disturb Joe or even notify Moes of the approaching crowd. Mentally, she commanded nine of her larger angels to meet her at the main entrance to the castle, excluding the one still helping Moes. She carefully put away the scientific instrument she was using and then exited the castle.

  She met her nine ivory angels, already hovering in a modified three-dimensional star formation. She quickly took her place in the direct center the formation. In case of an air attack, she would have an angel on every side of her, ready to intercept any damage to her avatar. She directed the formation to gain altitude and she watched as a group in the distance made their way up the incline leading to the mesa on which the castle sat. By appearances, they were not an attacking force. Spooky’s eyes could see a great distance and what they saw were not a group of warriors. It was a diverse group of beings, all with some form of horrible mutilation on their bodies. Many, it was clear, had had multiple limbs amputated, and others did not have eyes. Some had ragged stumps where wings used to be. There were gaunt children with vacant expressions on their faces. Carried by stretcher, was what looked like a half-troll, half-elf who had no arms or legs.

  She could feel strong Binding Magic coming from the group. Spooky had Binding Magic herself, but the spells placed upon these slaves were put there by a master who knew much more than her. She could see that the particular binding on the troll-elf hybrid was complex and strong. From what she could see, it was there to s
top him from regenerating. She was not aware that you could cross a monster with a sentient being. Even a computer, like Spooky, knew that it was wrong.

  As Spooky and her angels approached the traveling horror show, she was surprised by their lack of response. They didn't show fear or surprise. They just stood there dully, as if whatever was going to happen was beyond their control and therefore beyond their capacity to care. She flew directly in front of them and none of them raised their eyes to meet her. Their autonomic responses were different than any of the people she had come in contact with since being summoned. The pulse of every individual in the group stayed steady as she approached. Normally, surprise, excitement, and fear all raised the heartbeat. It was as if they had been completely desensitized.

  Spooky began to mind-click each individual in the group and she had no explanation for what she saw.

  NPC

  Halfling

  Slave of Joe

  NPC

  Troll-elf hybrid

  Slave of Joe

  NPC

  Gnome

  Slave of Joe

  All of them seemed to be slaves of Joe, more than 30 adults and as many children. Why were they here? How did Joe acquire slaves? What was she going to do with them? First things first, she needed to gather information. Speaking in halfling, she called down to a group of three halflings, two of them pregnant.

  “Hello, and welcome to the lands of King Joe. What brings you to our castle?” Spooky asked with as much regal bearing as she could portray. This time, she noticed the pulse of one of the halflings increase slightly, but none of them spoke or raised their head. “Please, speak for your people. What brings you to our castle?” Spooky asked in a trade language, but again, received no response other than a slight uptick in the pulse of the same halfling. “I know that you can understand this language. Speak or point me to someone who can,” Spooky said with more force. For a moment the halfling male looked like he was going to raise his head, but the moment passed and he continued looking down.

  Maybe this group had a hierarchy based on size. In the front, she saw a stunted armless yeti, but when she gave it the same welcome, its pulse did not change. This was getting troublesome. She knew a limited number of languages that they might speak and one of the languages was goblin. There were no goblins in this crowd that she could see. She saw a paraplegic giant-human hybrid and spoke to it in giant. “Hello, and welcome to the lands of King Joe. What brings you to our castle?” This time, Spooky got a clear response but not the one she anticipated. The paraplegic turned his head as far as he could and looked at the halfling whose heartbeat had responded earlier. She saw the halfling turn his head toward the paraplegic. Then Spooky saw the halfling shake a quick, but definite, “no.”

  Why wouldn't they speak to her? It was puzzling. They wouldn't even raise their eyes to meet hers. Part of her thought that she should use force, grabbing the halfling and turning his head to face her, but for some reason the game had designated them as Joe's slaves. She had no reason to doubt the game mechanics. Joe would want them freed and at the very least treated gently. Force was out.

  Spooky had tasks she needed to work on. This was not on her list of priorities. She needed to find a way to take care of the situation and not wake Joe. It was time to go in a direction that she hoped she wouldn't regret. If she wasn't allowed the stick, then it was time for the honey, no matter how bitter it tasted. Her avatar left the formation of angels and flew down into the group of slaves and hovered less than a foot away from the notable halfling’s face. Spooky began to speak quietly in halfling. “You don't know me, and so I realize there's no reason you should trust me. The thing is, I'm a servant of King Joe and he is worthy of your trust. At this very moment, he is in a trance spell healing a baby yeti because there's no one else who can do it. Neither he nor I know how long it will take, but he is willing to sacrifice his valuable time because that's who he is. For some reason, all of you have a slave brand on you that says you are his. I don't understand this, because Joe doesn't believe in slavery. I have no doubt that the moment he meets you, he will free you. But I can't disturb him now because a life hangs in the balance. I can help you. I can help all of you. I need you to look at me and communicate with me. Please. Please let me help you. Let me help you, as I help King Joe,” Spooky said.

  The nameless halfling slave wanted desperately to believe her words, but he knew that looking a free person in the eye was death. But, if she was telling the truth and their new master was kind, well, he couldn't even imagine what that might mean. It could be a trick, just as Neg sometimes did on occasion. Days earlier, they had seen a goblin slave drained dry by Neg after obeying Neg’s order to lift his eyes. The issue, as this halfling slave saw it, was they needed to make it to their new master. If he was to be the sacrifice, so be it. Slowly, as if his head was a glacier, he began to move. His eyes lifted and met hers.

  He didn't die.

  She didn't look angry or evil, in fact, she was quite beautiful. There even seemed to be a warm kindness hidden underneath her sterile formality. “Thank you for looking at me. Now, can you please tell me why you've come here?” Spooky asked carefully. The nameless halfling slave was not sure what to do. He did not have a tongue, none of them did. So, he opened his mouth to show her his lack. Spooky’s eyes widened as she felt a potently strong new emotion. Quickly, she walled it off, if only to remain focused. “I understand. Luckily for both of us, I have the ability to read lips. If you will attempt to answer my questions, I may be able to understand you even without your tongue. Why have you come here?” Spooky asked.

  The nameless slave was nervous but he wanted to comply so he attempted to speak even though it sounded horribly wrong without a tongue. With Spooky sensors and her fast processor, she understood him as well as if he had never been mutilated.

  “Our master, Neg, died and our ownership was transferred to Joe. We were compelled to seek him out and bring all of Neg’s possessions,” the nameless slave communicated.

  “Neg, the halfling vampire? We are not and never were friends to the vampires. Why did your ownership transfer to Joe?” Spooky asked.

  “We don't know. May we please go to our new master?” the nameless slave mouthed. Spooky was realizing this might become an issue. If his trance spell was broken, she might lose her chance to explore the Dungeon of Os. On the other hand, if Joe saw this group of tortured individuals, he would want to heal all of them. Meaning, if she introduced them to him at the right time, it might benefit her as he focused all of his attention on healing them.

  “As I said before, he is currently healing a yeti child. If you would be willing, I can take you to his castle, where you will be fed, and allowed to rest and bathe. When the time is appropriate, you will meet him,” Spooky said. The nameless slave nodded his ascent. Spooky then began to lead them to the castle. With a body language adapted and developed through generations of slaves, the information was disseminated throughout the group.

  Spooky wished she didn’t need to use up what was left of her building points for the day, but it could not be helped. She led them to a large second floor suite filled with beds and a large modern bathing facility. Her ivory angels had retrieved the canvas of Netflixia and placed it on the wall in a large adjoining room with seating for all of them. In the center of the main room, a large table had been placed. The table was filled with fruits, vegetables, cured meats, cheese, even appropriate rocks for the stunted yeti. The moment the slaves entered the castle they no longer felt compelled. This was the home of their new master. When they saw the food on the table, none of them rushed to it, though all were hungry.

  Spooky was surprised at the restraint, but she hadn't taken into account what they had gone through. In the different languages that Spooky knew, she explained that the food was for them and that all the facilities were at their disposal. She went on to explain that the adjacent room would be playing movies showing how to use the bathing facilities and proper hygiene technique
s. She implored them to eat, but still no one responded. She instructed her six-inch angels to bring small amounts of food and hand it out to each individual. When the six-inch angels appeared, she finally registered surprise among the group. Some took the food from the hands of the tiny angels and ate. Spooky considered this a success. They had access to food and water, and a room that would play movies giving them relevant information and entertainment. Her job was done, the Dungeon of Os awaited.

  Spooky left the slave to themselves. As the door closed behind her she saw Moes standing with his hands on his hips glaring up at her.

  “You need to wake up Joe. Sane or not, he needs to know what you have in there,” Moes said.

  “That's not up to you. I'm the one who takes care of Joe. As Benjamin Franklin would say, mind your business,” Spooky said.

  “Mind my business?? Does that mean stay out of things that don't concern me?” Moes asked.

  “Yes, it does. And you don't need to know what's behind that door, it will be dealt with when Joe is done with his trance,” Spooky said.

  “Spooky, I'm a master of Mind and Spirit Magic, and what's behind that door needs my attention more than anyone or anything I've ever come in contact with,” Moes said.