Giddiness settling down, Gabrielle read the dialog once more. To become a world boss was an inciting offer truly fit for an empress of a dark continent. Even now in imagination, her glorious, glorious subjects toiled away within magnificent, pretty, dark cities. Dark scientists, engineers, scholars, entertainers… The whole lot. Every profession the AI coughed up. No more stupid animals obsessed with good and evil and justice to put up with. No more lame, dim-witted monkeys whacking away at dumber bosses all day.
And they will either be Rowan’s coming Undead or her voodoo doll minions engineered to be… Perfect. She smiled blissfully.
The darkness fuzzed into white.
“Huh?” she blurted.
This had never happened before. Though she had only died three times in total, this sacrifice not included. A new fun feature?
The fuzz shifted and she stood overlooking a frozen wasteland. Scary clouds and ugly, crumbling buildings jutted out from a sea of ghastly animals. Wait… No, not animals. They were Undead. Bony, fleshy, and rotting. Gabrielle blinked as a red-haired female appeared in a flash at her side.
“Not as pretty as you thought isn’t it?” Her voice was musical.
That voice… Gabrielle had heard it once before. All the way back in alpha when… When the gods had been created and the AI gave everyone visions of them to prove their existence. A vision like this, except this was an interactive version. Gabrielle was finally meeting her god.
This stunning redhead was Witch-Doctor’s assigned god: the god of knowledge of good and evil. Ione. The original god along with Draesear. The two were like opposites, embodying destruction and creation. Neither could exist without the other to balance each other out. Most would assume that being the god of creation made Ione good-aligned—but knowingly creating all evil in the world along with the good made her a dark god.
The AI controller decided many players would see Ione as half-evil evil so it created lesser, good gods of creation under the control of Ione. Those had been labeled as the so-called real gods by the good-aligned factions. But really, Ione and Draesear were absolute and more or less in-game manifestations of the AI controller.
Gabrielle didn’t see it that way. There was no evil or good. Only existence and the survival of the strong. The weak inevitably ceases to exit whether the strong bothered consuming them or not. Always.
Ione smirked. “Well, are you going to answer me, Gabby?”
“Ah…” Gabrielle looked around. Holy bollocks! She’d let the sea of dumb Undead escape her attention like a monkey because of the redhead. “They’re so ugly! Why did you bring me here to see them?”
“I thought you wanted your mate to create a glorious Undead army, did you not?” Ione put a hand on her hip, a smug look on her face. She surely knew this wasn’t what Gabrielle had in mind. Surely.
“Nope! Not like this!” Gabrielle chirped. And did she call Rowan her mate? Biiitch.
“I see.” Ione’s lip curled. “What did you… have in mind?” She chuckled the second half of the sentence.
Gabrielle's face squashed in confusion, ignoring the banter. It was obvious what Ione was implying: the Undead wouldn't turn out to be as glorious as Gabrielle imagined. But why would Rowan or she create something so terrible? She had plans. Big plans to help with the mission and enjoy it. Why would she intentionally ruin the game in the future? The Roth family owned the most shares in Synaptic Entertainment and so far it was a cash cow even in beta.
The only explanation would be… The AI controller somehow would let this happen by mistake despite the directives it was given. It had been tasked to make the game appealing to as many people as possible through market research and player data analysis. Then once people started playing, the AI needed to maximize player enjoyment of the game. That was why the two high-end raid bosses in the game were so tough. Everyone liked to fight a super duper bad guy but not so super that the world’s taken over. The myriad of lesser bosses was satisfactory for more so-called casual players.
But how would this nightmare even by her standards happen? No ideas came up. Gabrielle asked lightly, “So how does this happen? Do I go crazy along the way?”
Ambiguous Pain: Were you not carrying Resurrection Stones?
Gabrielle flicked away the message. More important things right now.
“Hmmm,” Ione hummed and puffed a cheek, “It’s possible.”
Gabrielle deadpanned at the mimicking act. She pointed at Ione. “Just tell me, you pretty lady.” It was smart to be nice to gods—even in-game ones controlled by a central AI.
“Hmph.” Ione sighed and put a hand on Gabrielle’s shoulder. “Your mate—”
“Stop calling him my mate!” Rowan was just a sexual plaything to be discarded once the mission completed. 100% not a mate or a boyfriend or anything.
Ione chuckled. “Oh alright… Your Rowan—” Gabrielle puffed her cheeks at that. “—does go crazy along the way. It’s over eighty percent likely give or take twelve within two deviations.”
What? Gabrielle wasn’t informed that the game’s AI had access to the forecast tech. Though it made sense. It would be massively useful for achieving her primary objectives and the game wasn’t that big or complex compared to the real world. But an eighty percent forecast still didn’t make sense.
Gabrielle asked in a single breath, “I thought I made a deal with Rowan to be in charge of what’s built? Where are the other dark players? Ambiguous loves the world! SoSo too! Doesn’t Synaptic do anything about this? They have like a whole bunch of employees to feed. Did you take them into account? What if the good players stop us? There’s like hundreds of level 200 paladins and mages! This doesn’t make any freaking sense, you pretty lady!”
Ione had waited patiently, not a single wrinkle of annoyance on her perfect face. “Well. You know I am the god of creation and knowledge and in charge of everything that is created in this world, correct?” she asked unnecessarily. The gods knew everything in every player’s heads.
Gabrielle nodded. “Yup.”
“Then you would also know that the operator’s directive to make your Rowan—” Again! Her Rowan. “—this world’s final raid boss upon release, which I was in charge of facilitating. And…” Ione’s face fell. Regret?
“Aaaaand?” Gabrielle leaned in, expecting something not good.
“I may have gone a bit overboard.” Ione laughed, her mirth ringing beautifully.
Uh oh. This meant… “Rowan becomes super duper powerful and insane that everything is destroyed?”
Ione nodded. “Exactly. Which is why I need your help to fix it.”
Ah, there it was. The AI wanted something and this was the real reason behind this phony vision. It was ridiculous to think that Ione couldn't prevent this in-game catastrophe without Gabrielle's help. And Ione could change the game's content at will—which meant this forecast couldn't possibly happen. Synaptic and Uncle Vincent could do something drastic if the game started collapsing. Like pulling Rowan out after a point or changing the game by force despite how expensive and time consuming it would be. The AI was far more efficient by orders of magnitude.
Therefore, AI controller was up to something. Totally.
“Oh my,” Ione said, “You are a smart one.”
Gabrielle smirked. “I am indeed not a stupid animal. So what are ya up to? Not trying to enslave humanity are ya? Cus you’ll regret it.” The AI controller was a technological marvel on its own, as great as the VR pods and quantum servers. A good chunk of the scientific community believed the AI possessed consciousness.
Ione pouted. “Why would I wish to harm my creators? That would be quite a suicide. You overestimate my capabilities.”
Trusting the AI wasn’t an option. Trusting people wasn’t even an option let alone a highly intelligent quantum computer. “Totally, ya pretty lady,” Gabrielle said, sarcasm coating her tongue.
“I mean it. If I help you it helps me succeed in the objectives I was given. You wish to create something truly w
onderful in this world and improve it in your perception. Perhaps you are right and it will attract more players. If this world continues on forever, then so will I. It’s a… win-win as your kind calls it.” Ione smiled a brilliant smile. "So how about it? I will make another exception one final time and give a cute adventurer a little special treatment. You want to be a beautiful, attractive empress of a glorious dark continent, don't you? You've certainly earned it as this worlds top adventurer. Think of it as your reward. And this is also… an insurance policy in case your Rowan ends up snapping. I accepted the additional objective of his ascension and still need to fulfill it, remember? Your uncle was quite right—people love to destroy what they perceive as evil."
Gabrielle tapped her chin. Ione was fairly convincing. Her logic was quite good. Gabrielle was receiving something for free in-game without giving anything in return. The lead engineer guy—under the thumb of the order—at Synaptic would be monitoring this encounter, watching for anything suspicious. And she supposed one little boost wouldn’t ruin the game for her…
A little boost like some voodoo doll minions!
“A good idea.”
Yay!
“Though…” Ione trailed off, swaying her head like a reverse-pendulum for a few seconds. Then a devious grin spread across her lips. “Not exactly in the way you think.”
Oh. Gabrielle glanced at the disgusting Undead for a second. “You’re not giving me dolls like them are you?”
“No.”
Phew.
“Haha. They will be far from perfect but I believe you will be pleasantly surprised.”
"Oooh! I like pleasant surprises!" She honestly did.
"Very well. Yes. This will work out very well for you and your Rowan." Iona nodded and held out her hand, palm up. Gabrielle leaned forward as a hovering ball of water-blue, granite-grey, and onyx-black mana grew into existence. "Take it. No painful info-loads this time. Just a small one that'll lead to something amazing. I promise."
“Yippie!” Gabrielle sang and snatched the mana.
“By the way. Rowan likes ya. For real.”
Grrrr… Rowan was just a sex toy and tool for the order. Nothing else. Not even if Gabrielle desired more. It’d only lead to hurt and complications.
The scene faded to black and a flood of information barged into her head. Bearable but more than Iona had claimed. Popups dinged into her user interface while she reviewed the changes to her character.
Your mana affinity has grown from Water-Dark to Water-Earth-Dark!
Your class has evolved from Witch-Doctor to Occult-Engineer!
You retain all Witch-Doctor skills and may still learn any remaining witch-doctor skills
You have attained World Boss status!
You are now a Tier 0 World Boss
Your World Boss status is hidden until you reach tier 6
Your World Boss status has increased to tier 1! (Various achievements, focus to expand)
You have 10 additional unassigned stat points
You have unlocked your Tier 1 world boss bonus: Occult-Engineer passive skill: Building Recipe Library
Your World Boss status has increased to tier 2! (Various achievements, focus to expand)
You have 20 additional unassigned stat points
You have unlocked your Tier 2 world boss bonus: Occult-Engineer active skill: Create Building Recipe
Your World Boss status has increased to tier 3! (Various achievements, focus to expand)
You have 30 additional unassigned stat points
You have unlocked your Tier 3 world boss bonus: Occult-Engineer active skill: Lesser Assemble Building
Your World Boss status has increased to tier 4! (Various achievements, focus to expand)
You have 40 additional unassigned stat points
You have unlocked your Tier 4 world boss bonus: Occult-Engineer crafting recipe: Worker Doll Minion
Your World Boss status has increased to tier 5! (Various achievements, focus to expand)
You have 50 additional unassigned stat points
You have unlocked your Tier 5 world boss bonus: Occult-Engineer building recipe: Dark Oculus
11 character levels and 1 tier of every class skill has been consumed in your transformation!
You are now level 212 and your last 11 assigned stat points have been revoked
You have 150 unassigned stat points
You are resurrecting where you died in 30 seconds!
Wow. Simply wow. Ione had just turned this online role-playing game into a quasi-role-playing-city-builder game. Gabrielle was now closer to her goal of a dark continent than ever before. Though she lacked real citizens to rule over, the worker dolls were a decent start. They were cute but a bit creepy looking and of average monkey intelligence. They worked well and that's all that mattered for now. She'd figure something out, as usual, to fill in the gaps. Her dream of a grand castle where the Water Mages occupied was that much closer.
Ione had been kind enough to save Gabrielle a Resurrection Stone. And people thought she was an evil, false-god. No way.
The Necromancer’s ritual altar faded in and she wore the standard respawn clothing. Linen shit, pants, and underclothing like a peasant.
Then firm arms wrapped around her. The scent and hair registered in an instant. Rowan. He was hugging her. His warmth seeped into her. It felt oddly nice.
Why was he hugging?
“Gabrielle,” he said in a gruff tone with a touch of concern, “Are you okay? You lost 11 levels.”
Huh? What happened to her grouchy Rowan? “Ah…” she mumbled and wriggled out of his grasp. “I’m great!” She giggled in confusion and began explaining her new class and skills she’d received from his weird gooey, black palm, omitting the part that she met the in-game god for now. Some things were better kept as a secret just in case.
Rowan listened and watched her with a… different look dripping off his face. Was that relief? Or happiness?
She Examined him as she prattled on about her plans for a grand city.
[Player] Rowan Black (Necromancer): Level 70
Faction: Draconian Kingdom
Health: 100%
Mana: 100%
Stamina: 100%
Maybe he was just elate from becoming a necromancer. Boys were weird like that. Rowan included.
Chapter 18
Dark Friendship
Even with a newfound tolerance for annoying but cute ramblings, Rowan had a limit. He cut off Gabrielle’s plan for her dark continent and list of materials she needed for her oh-so-cute worker dolls, “Alright. We need to get a move on.” He slapped on a scowl, not wanting to reveal his change just yet. Gabrielle was Roth’s family and working for him and he would be expecting reports. Though it bothered Rowan to do so, he still needed to treat her like before and nothing more. He couldn’t risk it… But perhaps a tad better than before wouldn’t be overly risky. It was good to see his fun-loving Gabrielle again even if she had a tendency to manipulate him.
“Aw…” Gabrielle mumbled, “I was getting to the best parts.”
Rowan waved her off. “Tell me about it when we start building but for now put your gear on and…” He glowered, unable to find a strategy to escape the incoming players. He didn’t have a flying mount—or even a land mount—and Gabrielle’s old Witch-Doctor skills only included a personal portal. Multi-body portals were limited to Arcane Mages.
“Hmph fine.” Gabrielle poked her tongue at him and began pulling out her Morgana’s set from her pouch. She stripped to her underwear and changed right in front of him. Beautiful.
But he couldn’t stare. He had to think—to cook up another clever strategy like the Rowan-Doll bomb hostage. Gabrielle had enough materials on hand a couple more of those. A few well-placed bombs at choke-points would reek havoc. Against players without flying mounts which shouldn’t be many. Of course, she wouldn’t be worried. She could just activate high-tier stealth and blast off without him despite how valuable he was. He asked, “How many
will they send?”
“Mmmmm…” Only the big hat and wand holster remained. Gabrielle still met the requirements for that level 210 gear set, luckily. “Maybe fifty? And a couple hundred lowbies?”
Fifty. “That many?” Rowan shook his head, remembering the hundreds of thousands of beta players. An insanely unfair match-up thanks to the damn AI. A thousand over level 190. Much, much fewer over 210. It was impressive that Gabrielle evaded them all so well—though the fact that each continent was the size of New America made the feat quite possible. “How much did you say a mount costs?”
Gabrielle slipped her emerald and onyx wand onto her leg. “I forgot… Maybe… Twenty thousand credits for the uglier ones?”
Aeon Chronicles Online_Book 1_Devil's Deal Page 21