by M. Coulray
When the world was done with me, I gasped on the floor for what felt like an hour. At least Votess hadn’t been here to watch this particular show. On the other hand, maybe she knew a little more about this Paladin business. I started to wish I’d waited for her, then pushed those thoughts aside. Wondering about what might have been wasn’t going to change anything.
As you have chosen to enable the Framework: Paladin of the Returned Goddess, all unused skill point rewards have been consumed.
Would have been nice to mention that skill point thing, I griped to myself. Still, I wasn’t about to complain.
The race change thing was a little odd, but I had experienced the Divine right inside my own existence. I held up my altered arm and examined it briefly. I was definitely not fully human anymore.
When I was sure I was ready and completely done, I pulled up my status.
Daniel Descouteaux, AKA Denel
Titles: Paladin, Sacrifice, Teacher
Framework: Paladin of the Returned Goddess
Race: Human, Divine-Touched
Level: 16
Attributes:
Strength: 12 (ATK bonus: 20%)
Endurance: 12 (Vitality/level bonus: 2)
Agility: 11 (Accuracy/DEF bonus: 5%/1)
Intelligence: 11 (Mana pool multiplier: 1.1)
Willpower: 12 (Resistance bonus: +22)
Charisma: 14 (Disposition bonus: 20%)
Luck: 12 (Bonuses unknown)
Derived Attributes:
Vitality: 292
Mana: 341
Traits:
Gift of Tongues
Skills:
Sword Fighting: 5
Barrier Magic: 5
Alchemy: 4
Diplomacy: 2
Assess Target: 2
Skill Instruction: 2
Spells:
Barrier Rank 5
Talents:
Channeled Barriers
Freeform Barriers
Faithful Defender
My spells were altered. What was Freeform Barriers? Faithful Defender? I checked the two talent’s metadata.
Freeform Barriers grants two effects. First, it allows the caster to tailor the shape of the barrier to his or her desire, subject to the limits of the Barrier Magic skill. Each skill level in Barrier Magic allows for 20 square feet of barrier. For reference, a medium humanoid requires approximately 20 square feet of barrier to enclose. Each separate barrier requires a new casting of the Barrier spell.
The second effect is that the caster can tailor the barrier to permit or block any damage type he or she has experienced. Each damage type requires a separate casting of the Barrier spell.
Tailoring the barrier to a specific subtype of a given damage type will result in a 50% increase in DEF rating, at the cost of being ineffective against all other subtypes.
You have unlocked the following damage types: Physical, Status Effect Magic, Elemental Magic, Divine Magic, Level Drain.
Faithful Defender reduces the cost of barriers when they are cast on those of the same faith as the caster, or of faiths officially allied to the caster’s faith. The Returned Goddess is currently allied to no faiths. Current cost reduction: 25%
Well, that made things much simpler and yet much more complex. I’d have to start paying attention to what spells I cast on who. On the other hand, I’d gained the ability to shape my barriers and tune their protection without having to buy any more spells! That was pretty damned nice. Faithful Defender was just plain awesome. I didn’t know what it would take to align Minolt with the Goddess, but I hoped we could make it happen. I’d have to talk to Mika about that.
The Barrier spell itself was a lot to take in. The entire description had changed, it seemed.
[Barrier]
Skill: Barrier Magic
Rank: 5
Target: Freeform
Maximum base physical DEF: 10 (1 DEF/6 Mana)
Maximum magic damage absorbed: 250 (Spell rank 5 x 50)
Maximum status magic resisted: Skill level 5 spells (Based on Barrier Spell Rank)
Duration: Channeled
Reserve cost: Variable with damage type blocked
Physical: 6 Mana/DEF
Magical: 50 mana (base cost 100, Barrier Magic skill cost reduction 50%. Maximum cost reduction: 80%)
Status Effect: 50 mana (base cost 100, Barrier Magic skill cost reduction 50%. Maximum cost reduction: 80%)
Barrier will drop if the caster runs out of mana.
I’d have to do the math, but it looked like I’d be able to protect what I was beginning to think of as my party pretty easily. I wasn’t looking forward to having to experience new kinds of damage to protect against it, but what can you do.
I’d also exchanged Knife Fighting for Sword Fighting. That was kind of paladin-ish, I supposed. It actually worked out well for me, because Votess had gifted me the orichalcum sword. It fit well in my new, taloned hand, and when I took a fighting position, it felt natural.
I’d gotten more or less what I expected, just tailored to my own talents. I could protect people and also fight enemies as needed. Hopefully I wouldn’t be an embarrassment on the front line any more. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that a paladin of the Returned Goddess wouldn’t be stomping around in plate armour and using a sword and shield. They’d be defending companions and using their skills to protect those important to them, in whatever way they could do best. I imagined that I’d be seeing a few new paladins with some very different skillsets in the future.
I’d also lost Cooking, it seemed, as well as Trade. I’d miss the former, but Jin would no doubt handle it from here. As far as Trade went, well, I guess I wasn’t cut out to be a merchant anyway. Still had Alchemy, which was a win!
My attributes had definitely gone up. I was faster and tougher and stronger. I guess you don’t get to be a holy warrior and a wimp at the same time.
My night was easy and I slept well. When I woke, I had the strange feeling of a dream that I could almost remember, but as I tried to recall it, it slipped from my mind. Whatever it had been had left me feeling pleasantly energized and with a sense of focus on the coming days.
Things were very different in Goddess Watch, and the next few days only made it clearer that life was going to get interesting for us, in the Chinese proverb sense. Mika’s former adventuring company had undergone a lot of turmoil after Votess sacrificed their levels to empower the Goddess. Being reduced to level one had pissed them right off, and I was sure there would be consequences.
“They’re welcome to come to us,” I said. “We’ll send them packing.”
Mika looked nervously at me. “There’s not just that, though. A couple of them have said they’ll be coming for you in real life, too. I’m actually a little worried about you!”
Ah, shit. I’d never actually told Mika the whole deal about me and this world. Maybe this was the right time. “Actually, Mika, I’m not too—”
“Daniel.”
The voice that interrupted me was instantly familiar. My body tensed and my adrenaline system went into overdrive. Liara. I looked up and there she was, flying above us. Although she was unarmed, that didn’t mean a goddam thing. Around me, lizard folk shouted warnings and called for help. Mika drew her holy blade. I didn’t make a move. No weapon we had could harm Liara. She was basically a power unto herself, a GM in the game world. I knew from bitter experience.
“What the fuck do you want?” I might not have drawn my sword, but keeping the anger out of my voice was impossible.
“I’m here to tell you some… news.” Liara’s face didn’t betray any emotion. Not a big surprise, given that she’d thrown me down here like garbage just a few short weeks ago.
“Good or bad?” I stared up at her.
“That’s up to you.” Liara lowered herself until her feet were just barely above the level of the walkway. “You’ll be free to live how you want from now on. Plus Ultra Realis Enterprises will no longer interfere with yo
ur life, as we have what we needed.”
“What do you mean, no longer interfere? What bullshit did you pull?”
“Nothing serious, I assure you. You’re… alive and well, are you not?”
My mouth opened to spew more anger at her, but then I closed it. After all, I was happy here. I’d made friends and helped people improve their lives, and dumping me in the Mitselheim Swamps had turned out well for me. I flexed my Goddess-gifted hand. “Yeah. I am, no thanks to you. Is that all you have to say to me?”
“No. Pursuant to our agreement, we are obligated to inform you of any legal issues that might arise while you are under our care. I am here to inform you of a change in your legal status. Daniel Descouteaux, you are deceased according to American law. As PURE is your legal guardian, we have disposed of your remains in accordance with the agreement.”
“What?” I shook my head. “Dead? Remains? What the fuck are you taking about? I’m right here!”
Mika stepped up beside me. “How can he be dead when he’s still in the game?”
Liara stared at me, and I realized she was waiting for my permission. I gave her a short nod. It was all I could spare from trying to process this.
“Daniel Descouteaux was part of an experimental full-immersion trial. His body was altered to place him in the game permanently. Now that his physical body is dead, he exists only in the world of Aelterna. As such, he is the first truly digital citizen. Additionally, the presence of a digitized human in the game world allows PURE to present the case that Aelterna is in fact a legitimate presence in world politics.” Liara smiled at me. “You are the first, but you will no doubt not be the last, Daniel. Goodbye.”
Liara flickered out of existence, like a hologram, and I fell on my ass. Dead? Digital citizen? What the actual fuck?
Mika knelt beside me. “Denel? Are you—”
“No, I’m not all right.” I was angry and frightened and completely overwhelmed. I couldn’t get my breathing under control and my heart was pounding hard enough that I could feel it in my throat. “I’m dead! I’m dead!” The walkway was hard under my hands and knees. It was real to me, and it was forever.
The sound of running feet announced the arrival of Votess and two guards. I couldn’t stand to greet them, but it didn’t matter. Votess knelt down beside me, opposite Mika.
“You are not dead, Denel. You are here, with us.” She reached out her strong arms and carefully wrapped them around me. “Feel my touch. You are here. I am here.” Her hug was awkward and hard and too strong. I didn’t care.
I fell into my friend’s arms and let go of my emotions. Tears fell. After a moment, I realized that Mika was holding me as well. Neither of them spoke. They let me sob until I was finished, and then they held me until I was ready to stand again. It might have been two minutes. It might have been hours.
I am here with you, Denel.
Had I actually heard Her?
When I stood, my friends held me steady until I nodded that I was all right. I wasn’t done dealing with the information I’d just received, but I was ready to go on with things. Really, what had changed? I was here for life regardless. I wondered when my body had died. Was it just now? Was it a while back? Was it that night of the unremembered but pleasant dream?
Had I ever really been alive in here? Had I died the moment they hooked me up to the system?
With that thought, I realized it didn’t matter. I’d been prepared to live in Aelterna for the rest of my life, and that was still the plan. I looked at my friends, who were as real to me as any I’d had in the other world. Realer, in fact; they’d never left me even when death itself was between us.
“Fuck ‘em,” I said. I stood up and wiped my arm on my sleeve. “This is my world, and it’s always gonna be. We’ve got work to do, folks. Let’s get to it.”
Epilogue
The boardroom was dark, once again lit only by the screens that showed life in Aelterna. However, instead of displaying multiple different views, the screens were conglomerated to show one enormous vid feed. The subject, of course, was Daniel Descouteaux.
The man with the bland face smiled. “Everything is proceeding as we predicted. The subject has been dead for six days, but the digitized presence remains intact. Yes, we’ve been integrating him with other players, including both hostile and non-hostile encounters. The subject’s ego is unaffected. No degradation of memory, personality or intellect detected whatsoever.”
Three other figures stood in the room with him, all of them staring at Daniel/Denel on the screen. The central figure spoke. “How soon can you start digitizing others?”
“As soon as you provide them.”
“And the other research?”
The man with the bland face pressed his lips together. “Reification of digitized intelligence is more challenging. However, we believe that—”
The central figure waved his hand. “I don’t care about timelines or excuses. If this works, then we’ll have all the time we need. This is immortality.”
“Just so,” said the man with the bland face. “How shall we proceed?”
“Go public. Offer the digitizing tech to anyone willing to pay. Put up a couple for lottery, and we’ll pick up the tab. We’re the government; we can afford it. But make no mistake: the focus is on reification. We have the cloning tech. You are the last piece of the puzzle.”
Without another word, the central figure turned and left, the other two men shadowing his footsteps. The man with the bland face turned back to his screen. “Now, how do we deal with you,” he whispered to himself.
Denel’s face stared back at him, unseeing and unaware that decisions were being made that could affect him forever.
Thank you!
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Mitch