But Death is Not Forbidden

by Kip Terrington

  For a moment, Spooky took control of the automaton from afar, forcing it to stretch its legs and stand tall, reaching its full height of eight-feet. Its powerful arms hung down to its knees. It looked bizarre, standing on its large taloned feet. Using her control, she caused it to open up its chest cavity. Hidden seams spread apart. Carefully, she placed the heart in its place, and then closed up the chest cavity.

  Spooky released control of the obsidian automaton. It bent back down in a crouch, hands touching the ground. It paused. She decided to try a three-step verbal command.

  “Obsidian One, turn around, walk to the window, and then walk back,” Spooky said.

  Awkwardly, Obsidian One pivoted on its feet and turned around, making a scratching sound on the tile floor. It took a few successful steps forward and then fell on its chest, having not used its hands to catch itself.

  Obsidian One continued to struggle with walking. It was less successful than a newborn colt. The noise that it made with each fall gave off an awful screeching sound. It wasn't until Obsidian One scratched one of the geodesic dome windows that Spooky decided they needed to go practice somewhere else.

  Spooky tried to take mental control of the obsidian automaton’s body, but couldn't seem to obtain the proper connection. She could only run her commands through the heart, which had not yet mastered control of its body. Spooky could tell that it wanted to obey. It just couldn't yet. The heart needed help. It needed someone to guide it.

  Spooky instructed Obsidian One to stay still, than she flew over and carefully opened the chest cavity. The stone heart sat there, looking lonely and afraid, at least as much as a perfectly-formed piece of cobalt could. Using the flexibility only a fairy has, she embraced the stone heart and wrapped herself around it. The chest cavity then closed around her. The porous stone provided enough air for her to breathe but she was held snugly in place with little room to adjust her position around the heart.

  With patience and persistence, Spooky helped Obsidian One learn how to crawl. Together they made their way down the stairs out onto the snowy mesa. Though the valley was bitterly cold, Spooky felt only warmth as she embraced the cobalt heart.

  GONG

  The Abiogenesis Bunny Generator has made the Morning Bunny.

  As Spooky trained Obsidian One, it progressed quickly. It was a much more rewarding and intimate experience than Spooky seemed to understand. The automaton may not have been able to fly, but with its long legs and long arms, it moved faster than a cheetah. Spooky carefully guided and instructed the cobalt core on how to take full advantage of its golem body. With Spooky at the controls, Obsidian One was a 2-ton acrobat. It didn't take long for it to become a sort of game. Spooky would take full control and perform a graceful move, than she would allow the cobalt core to try to replicate it. From an outside perspective, it would have looked like Obsidian One was fighting invisible enemies. Spooky displayed a move, than the heart repeated it. Over and over and over. Display. Repeat. Display. Repeat.

  Day seven.

  Again, the midnight gong brought Spooky back to consciousness. This time, she realized she was still inside of Obsidian One, embracing the cobalt heart. Though it could have been disconcerting, Spooky was not claustrophobic. She was in a secure environment. She realized that as she had been in stasis mode, her golem had continued to practice its combat moves.

  Spooky watched as it continued to practice, and she assessed its progress. Its movements were not yet graceful, but they had a deadly functionality about them. Although it would not win a ballet contest, it would be unlikely to lose a brawl. For now, this would be enough. There were other priorities that also required her time. She instructed the chest cavity to open and unwound herself from the embrace of the cobalt core. After she exited, Obsidian One stood still, waiting for orders. One last command couldn’t hurt. The black obsidian stone glittered under the bright Night Lights.

  “Obsidian One, perform a back-flip, and then a Punch-Out!! uppercut,” Spooky said. Without a moment's hesitation, the golem sprung into a back-flip, catching itself with one hand while landing back on its feet. It then sprung forward, swinging its right hand in a lightning-fast uppercut. With its fist paused in mid-air, the automaton froze as if striking a pose for a magazine. Spooky flew in a circle around Obsidian One. Though it was not classically beautiful, like her ivory angels, it did have a cut-crystal aesthetic that one could easily appreciate. “Well-done, Obsidian One, please assist the other golems in digging the trench on the vulnerable side of the mesa,” Spooky said.

  Obsidian One tilted forward in a slight bow and brought its right multi-taloned fist up across its chest. It promptly turned around and followed Spooky's orders. Was that some type of barbaric salute? Spooky had not programmed that into the golem. The automaton had existed for a day. As the new day had dawned, she could now complete her five repetitions of the first two levels of the dungeon.

  ***

  GONG

  The Abiogenesis Bunny Generator has made the Morning Bunny.

  Grork and Bork stood, watching over the Little Yeti Vault which remained yet unfinished. When he had been awake, Bork had truly enjoyed playing with the little yeti child. He wished Tig was awake for longer than an hour a day, but physiology was physiology. In his discussions with Tig, it seemed to Bork that the child was learning goblin at an extraordinary rate. Bork wondered if yeti children learned while they were asleep, as the two goblins would often talk while Tig slumbered.

  Grork began walking around the room, looking through the book Joe and Spooky had given them. The larger goblin filled out his winter-style military uniform. Looking at him, Bork felt a small twinge of envy. It would have been nice to be a little wider in the shoulders and have a bigger gut. Bork reached in one of the many pockets of his uniform and pulled out a piece of hard cheese. Both of the goblins had taken full advantage of the open kitchen provided for them. In the whole of their lives, neither of them had felt so strong. Bork knew whole tribes who would have sold themselves into slavery for one-tenth the daily allotment of food provided here.

  It had been quite a shock when Grork had explained that while both Spooky and Moes had died, they had later come back to life. They knew it had something to do with the message that had announced they had all become players. Bork had received the message from the UI as well, and the advent of becoming a player had already become incredibly useful. For one thing, he was finally able to converse with the halfling. Moes had been surprised that Bork would even want to talk. One of the first questions Moes asked Bork was about the bunnies.

  “Every time I see you, you seem to be holding a bunny. Is it because you want to make sure you're never without food?” Moes asked.

  This question had shocked Bork.

  “I would never eat a bunny. You won't understand this, but they will be a key in saving my race from extinction,” Bork said.

  “You have got to be kidding me. How many mentally unstable people are in this castle? That's great, really great. I'm excited for your people. I hope you and the bunnies form a lasting bond,” Moes said with a little too much sarcasm.

  It was lost on Bork, as the UI did not yet translate sarcasm well.

  Moes would not allow himself to believe that Bork was unlike other goblins he had been in contact with. Having the ability to communicate with Grork and Bork was not a bonus in Moes’ opinion. He was forced to work with them in the Little Yeti Vault, but when it was completed he hoped to limit his contact with what he considered to be a race with no conscience. Moes felt that Joe’s inclusion of goblins in his kingdom was taking the philosophy of the Way one step too far. Do not oppress the weak. Live and prosper, together, in harmony and diversity. He wondered if goblins were capable of upholding this creed. Moes didn't like yetis and felt that they couldn't be trusted, but compared with goblins, they were as innocent as doves. In some ways, Moes really liked Joe. He seemed like a nice guy and had some good humor at times. Deciding to become the absolute monarch of an unpopulated re
gion was one thing, but choosing your first citizens from what could be considered the criminal races was another thing. These might be the decisions of a gentle ruler, but not a smart one.

  Moes felt there was nothing he could do. Joe was a Champion of the Way. When Gretchen got here, together they would figure out what needed to be done. If somehow she had become a player as well, they might not need a Champion for the Way. Even with the one life, she was a formidable opponent. With a reset, they could build a kingdom around her.

  Moes looked at Grork and Bork, and gave them a fake smile as he left the Little Yeti Vault. He wished he didn't have to split his time between this yeti vault and working with the former slaves of the vampire. Working with these damaged individuals was so much more fulfilling. He had never had access to such a diverse amount of mental and spiritual guinea pigs. Not only was he able to help people who truly needed it, he found it was also the most effective way to study the mind and spirit. He had made more progress in developing new and unique spells in the last few days than he had in the preceding two years. He spent particular attention on the yeti as their minds were completely foreign to him. The whole group of slaves had been through such terrible torture that whole swaths of their memory had to be completely blocked out, and blocked out not just from a superficial mind level, but on a deep physiological level. Utilizing his Spirit Magic, their bodies would not remember the torture. In the long run, it would only give these patients a slightly better quality of life. Moes doubted any of them would be useful to society considering how few limbs they still had attached.

  Despite being a master of Spirit and Mind Magic himself, Moes gave more weight to the impact of a physical disability on the quality of life then on the potential of the mind. Moes’ life experience had been a sadistic instructor. Where optimism could have resided in Moes, there was a pessimistic practicality. Although he cared for these poor individuals, Moes was unaware of the injustice in his cold predictions. At best, he believed that some of them would eventually become useful in helping them understand cross-species breeding. As he saw it, the Moon on which all of them lived was unforgiving. The weak rarely survived long.

  ***

  Lil looked upon the man who continued to provide her with undivided healing attention. Her ultimate loyalty was to her tribe, but attacking a man such as this would be against their very core principle of survival. His first inclination was to help her, but Lil felt it had been naive. At her current rate of growth, she could be a serious threat. Joe didn't seem unintelligent. Was it possible he believed he was strong enough to deal with any threat? Whatever the reason, Joe's investment in her would give hope to her people.

  Lil could feel the connection that Joe had formed between the two of them. This magical link gave her strength, but she felt that it was also helping her know him. She thought she could see why her father might have chosen to kneel to this man. He was foreign, as were his ideas, but he was strong and mysterious. He had pulled large pieces of ore from a tiny sac that should not have been able to contain it. As he sat there, his body still pulsed with a consistent pattern of light. Suddenly, Joe flashed with a significantly bright white light, and then returned to his prior pattern of light. Lil’s eyes widened. Yet another question about Joe she couldn't answer.

  For days, without interruption, Joe had allowed power to flow through him. He was already much more attuned to his Healing Magic than any of his others. His consistent re-cast within a trance had equated to months of focused practice on healing. Joe was unaware of the advantage he had been given through his unlimited access to a place of power. With this Life Link spell, he could cast healing spells indefinitely. Becoming a master in any discipline of magic required perseverance, study, and even luck. What Joe was currently engaged in was a brute-force approach to learning. With a constant flow of magic running through one’s body, one can't help but retain an understanding of what it really is. If it hadn't been for this intensive time of learning, Joe might never have been capable of the mighty feat required of him in the quickly approaching confrontation.

  ***

  GONG

  The Abiogenesis Bunny Generator has made the Noon Bunny.

  Spooky wasn't sure if it was the UI or the Dungeon of Os, but something had decided that she no longer deserved much experience points from completing the first two levels of the dungeon. She had gone through them five times and had not gained a single level. This, of course, meant that her time in the dungeon was less productive. She was able to gather the flower petals, but not much else. She didn't yet fully understand how the flower petals were so resistant to damage, but they were a wonder to study. As she couldn't currently define their basic makeup, she could not replicate the effects with her magic.

  Her marked success in studying the flowers had come in her ability to build a machine capable of weaving the flower petals together in a strong black fabric. She decided to make additional uniforms for the goblins and Moes. The size difference between Joe and the others was extreme enough that she could use less fabric in making their three uniforms than in making the one for Joe. If Joe had not been so large, she could have put together two uniforms. Instead, she had enough fabric for one uniform and quite a few patch kits. If she had been able to perfectly replicate the damage resistance ability of the boss flower, the patch kits might not have been necessary. Nevertheless, the black fabric would be durable and provide limited protection against both physical and magical attacks. In order to maximize this protection, gloves and a hooded mask could be attached to the uniform, nearly sealing the occupant in.

  The sewing machine she had created was extremely basic. It had a wheel that could be manually turned by one of her golems. The fabric itself was so tough that it would have quickly ruined an iron needle. Luckily for Joe, his Holdall had contained a sewing kit, and the needles were quite serendipitously made of mithril. So, she attached it to the basic sewing machine, and with the efficiency only a machine could provide, Spooky put together Joe's uniform.

  You have manufactured a high quality item: Tailored Black Durable Fatigues.

  Congratulations!

  You have added a new castle facility. Your textile is now mithril-equipped.

  Castle Facilities: Few

  Treasure Vaults

  Little Yeti Vault: unfinished

  Food Storage: 100,000 sqft

  Master Private Apartment/Workshop: deluxe

  Textile: mithril-equipped

  Kitchen: military grade

  Weapons Manufacturing: none

  Spooky half smiled, the UI was once again giving her a message she did not need.

  GONG

  The Abiogenesis Bunny Generator has made the Evening Bunny.

  The uniform was finished, and the patch kits already put in Joe's Holdall. This meant that she had now accomplished her first priority and the prototype of her third priority. She began to review and assess her progress.

  Priority 1- Create the heart for an Obsidian automaton. DONE.

  Priority 2- Grind through the Dungeon of Os’ first two floors for experience.

  She had realized just a few days ago that this priority had to be changed. The new priority would read:

  Priority 2- Make safe and efficient progress through the Dungeon of Os, maximizing experience and loot.

  She moved on to the next few items.

  Priority 3- Research how to make Joe’s uniform/armor more durable. Prototype complete.

  Priority 4- Scout area surrounding the castle.

  She had been relatively successful in accomplishing this through use of her golems, but she needed to spend more time using her avatar in order to take full advantage of its superior sensors.

  Priority 5- Investigate the evolution of this game’s interface.

  She had made some progress on this and, in doing so, had observed the UI asking for suggestions and guidance on its naming system. It had also begun to implement a new death system and player selection system.

  Priority 6-
Supervise and utilize biological capital (i.e., Moes, Grork, and Bork).

  This had been pretty straightforward. She had been surprised to find that Bork had a solid knowledge of alchemy.

  Priority 7- Apply magic dust and maintain existing angels.

  She had kept up on this and was happy to see the connection with her golems was growing stronger.

  Priority 8- Experiment and measure physical properties and anomalies of this gaming reality.

  This had been a problematic venture. Although she knew her sensors were extremely accurate, the measurements were all over the place. One day, gravity would be Earth standard, but the next day, it would be Earth standard + .02. One day, a specific measurement of gasoline would produce 4 BTUs of heat, the next day it would be 7 BTUs.

  Priority 9- Collect stories, background information, and political/governmental histories from biological capital.