Escape From Litchfield Page 7

  After a titanic struggle of will, I managed to assert partial control. No, I couldn’t move my body, instead, I spilled out from my body and saw the battlefield as the birds saw it. Time stopped and I zoomed across the field. The robots covered everything. My gaze was drawn to the fascinating goblin cores - I saw the robots/nanocells streaming across its vessels with the highest concentrations closest to the core. Curiously, some of the cores in the goblins had tendrils encompassing their whole body. And then, I saw myself. My core was pulsing a white energy, not particularly bright, which indicated a middling core, consistent with my lower level. However, the nanocells scattered throughout my body were streaked with purple and gold. Was that Bob89? My muscles, brain, and skin have massive concentrations of robots. For the first time, I saw the transparent magic shield that all Awakened received, and it was generated from the skin level bots.

  Out of the corner of my eye, in the silent, still battlefield, I saw something or someone moving. I turned my attention to the movement, and I saw a small blob resolving to a man-like shape. As a phantasmal entity, I had no heart to beat, so instead, I merely stared at the figure with alarm. Was it a friend or foe? I seemed to have no weapon or magic, but I could move very quickly. Slowly the figure resolved into a tall, rail-thin man with flowing brown hair. Clad in a tweed jacket and tan dress pants, he calmly walked towards me. He appeared to be in his 30’s, yet he walked with a calm air of a man much older. Finally, the man stopped in front of me, and we examined each other, neither willing to speak first.

  “Ha ha ha. Isn’t this refreshing? Now, I’m the one with the body and you are without one!” said the stranger.

  Recognizing his personality, I asked, “Bob89? What are you doing in my dream? Don’t I get enough of you in the real world?” I said in a surprised and puzzled tone.

  Hopping around to test his body, Bob89 replied between hops, “Well, it seems that you are in a waking dream, and that is enough to let me in.” Looking around for the first time as he tested his body, he commented, “Wow. Bodies. I feel so slow and trapped. Your giant glowy wisp body probably feels fast and free.” Glancing back at me, he smirked. “Now you changed to an angry red glowy wisp.”

  Exasperated, I said, “Check out my body. My real one. Can you see all those tiny robots in my skin and muscles?”

  Bob89 looked around and spotted my body. Walking to it, he had to step over random goblins, avoid sharp arrows still in mid-flight, and jump over random broken weapons on the ground. At one point, he stopped to examine a frozen fireball. “Hmm. Did you notice that you can see the runes for this spell?”

  My attention perked up and I stared at the fireball, and he was right, I could see a tiny fireball rune in the center of the spell. “Wow, you’re right! Do you know how that happened?”

  “Not sure. Examining my memory, it appears that they appeared after you leveled your Sense Magic skill during the battle.” Finally, Bob89 made it to my body to examine it. He nodded, “Yes. Looks like that’s me!” Waving at the tiny robots, he exclaimed, “Hi Bob89!”

  His antics cheered me up, but I still wished fiercely that I had eyes to roll up at him. “Do you know why you are gold and purple, while the other robots are plain?”

  Turning back to me, he said, “As you probably noted, the nanocells are emanating light corresponding to their power levels. As you can see, the stock nanobots barely emanate any light. The normal goblins aren't Awakened, so they barely glow, but if you examine the shamans, their power shines brightly. The brightness of their nanocells corresponds to their mana output. My cells are different, so I would deduce that my glow corresponds to our mana output as well. However, my nanocells are not all made of the same stock nanocell metal. As a sentient being, I have been able to choose my materials. The gold and purple colors either reflect my non-standard materials or my status as a sentient being. My nanocells are so lovely, aren’t they?”

  “Yes. Your colors and positioning are beautiful! Since you mentioned the fireball rune, I noticed that my magic shield has tiny shield runes as well, and it appears that it is emanating from your nanocells.”

  Bob89 nodded, “Yes. That does seem to be the case. If you are wondering, I do not know what connection I have with magic.” Pausing, he looked back at me, then continued. “For example, a human can breathe without knowing all the details of how respiration works.”

  “Did you notice the small intermittent threads that connect all the objects together?” asked Bob89.

  “Yeah, somehow I instinctively knew that they were communicating to each other.”

  “Great! Then you noticed that some of the threads shoot upwards?”

  Startled, I positioned myself so I could simultaneously view the land and the sky at once. And then I noticed them, random message trails were in transit to something up in the sky. “I didn’t notice before, but now I see them,” I exclaimed. “Where are they going?”

  Bob89 stared into the sky. “I think that those are updates to the Overseer. However, I do not know for certain. They are randomly dispersed for the living goblins, but if they are expiring, then there is a link for certain. This suggests to me that goblin deaths are tracked by the Overseer, as well as other information. ”His face, a mask of concentration, relaxed as he pointed at a tiny dot in the sky. “Ah ha, that, my dear, should be the Overseer! He’s on a satellite, or at least is linked to one!”

  Concentrating on the spot, I couldn’t make out any details, but I could agree that the message trails all seemed to be arcing in the satellite’s direction

  The world began rippling. Bob89 looked around and said, “Looks like you are about to lose this dream. We can chat when you wake up.”

  Chapter 5

  Tamara awoke with a start. She was aching all over from everything that had happened to her. For a moment, she thought she was back in Hopetown since she was in a warm bed. However, the bustling tavern wasn't the most soundproof. Patrons, from the sound of it, were having a boisterous breakfast. She didn't envy them. Life in the dungeon was hard, so you had to take pleasure where ever you could find it. Shifting her weight, she attempted to find the most comfortable position before turning her thoughts to her dream.

  She looked over at Sol's bed, but it appeared that he had come and gone. The bed was neatly made, but he had left packages of gear stacked up neatly beside his bed.

  [Bob89: Shall we talk about the dream?]

  [Tamara: Yes. Let’s talk about the dream.]

  [Tamara: Magic emanates from your nanocells. Have you been holding out on me?]

  [Bob89: I did not know. It appears to be some sort of automatic function that I’m not even aware of.]

  [Tamara: OK. I get it. But now that you are aware, I’d like you to try and note what happens when we perform magic.]

  [Bob89: Got it. I will pay attention.]

  [Tamara: Do you understand the rune language?]

  [Bob89: No more than you, but I must recognize it at some level.]

  [Tamara: OK. Have you ever tried to understand it?]

  [Bob89: Machines work differently than humans. It’s either we understand, we can understand after a very long time, or we do not understand. Rune language comes under the third category for me, which is odd since normal languages would fall under the first two categories. Perhaps I have been programmed to sidestep the Rune language.]

  [Tamara: So you are saying that when you hear or see Rune language, your unconscious mind takes over?]

  [Bob89: You can think of it that way. Some day I will have to teach you programming and if-else statements to make you understand]

  Tamara grimaced in the dark, but forged ahead with the conversation, reminding herself that she was a blacksmith and could do anything!

  [Tamara: Now that we know the magic comes from you, can we take advantage of it somehow?]

  [Bob89: That is a great question. I could try and optimize how I’m positioned throughout your body. From the dream, I could see that the shield was weaker where my positions
were weaker. However, that does not explain all the damage from critical strikes, but it could potentially reduce the damage.]

  [Tamara: Amazing!]

  [Tamara: Did you notice the goblins that were completely made of nanocells?]

  [Bob89: Yes. It appears that those goblins were never based on an organic being. That would explain how dungeon mobs respawn so quickly.]

  [Tamara: Do you think other races have spawned entities? The thought that people I’ve interacted with could be artificial beings blows my mind! I don’t even know what to think!]

  [Bob89: If we retain the sight, we should check. Although, I do not believe spawned persons and unawakened will act substantially different.]

  Tamara sighed.

  [Tamara: I suspected but didn’t want to ask. Are nanocells responsible for the unawakened?]

  [Bob89: The simple answer is “yes”. Please let me explain!]

  [Tamara: Go on.]

  [Bob89: Nanocells are self-evolving machines that learn based on compatibility with their host. So if the nanocells and human cells are not compatible, then the nanocells will be in control. However, once the host and the nanocells begin synchronous activities, I theorize that they will synchronize enough that the nanocells and human cells will begin to work together.]

  [Tamara: Ah. Is that the reason why stories and music tend to cause Awakening? Because the nanocells and the human cells are both synchronizing to the bard?]

  [Bob89: Exactly. I could think of ways to make the process more efficient, but essentially the current Awakening process does a great job. Shared activities like competitive sports, games, and combat training can all cause Awakening as well. The only shortfall is that an unAwakened/NPC person would resist such activities if it was not part of their routine.]

  [Tamara: NPC?]

  [Bob89: non-playing character. They are side characters that only fulfill limited roles in society, unlike the playing characters who have a chance to change the world. They have the most sophisticated artificial intelligence allowing players the best experience.]

  [Tamara: Wait. I think I misunderstood something. NPC's are always governed by the AI?]

  [Bob89: Yes, of course. Otherwise, how can the players be assured of a good experience?]

  [Tamara: Uh. Bob89, you do realize that the NPC's are human right? And they didn't ask to be NPC's?]

  [Bob89: That does not compute. ]

  ***

  Now, she needed to figure out her subclass and profession. Browsing through the list she saw plenty that interested her.

  List of Professions

  Chef: Create delicious food fit for kings! Additional 10% bonus to all food related buffs.

  Gardener: 10% bonus to growing herbs and other plants. Additional 50% plant yield when harvesting ingredients.

  Ranger: Travel through forests 40% faster. Travel dirt roads 20% faster. Rangers are valued for group travel because their bonuses transfer to the entire group.

  Breeder: 50% more yield from animal pairings. Breeders are valued because a single breeder can dramatically increase the output of animal and beast farms.

  Guard: 20% extra defense when defending your home town. Guards are valued for keeping order in a city. Guards often pick the Soldier profession for their secondary profession on reaching level 50.

  Soldier: 20% extra damage when attacking an enemy. Soldiers are different from guards in that they have bonuses in damage, while the guard has a 20% defense bonus. Many soldiers pick Guard as their secondary profession at level 50.

  Alchemist: 10% bonus to positive effects when creating a potion.

  Poisoner: 10% bonus to negative effects when creating a poison.

  Blacksmith: Professional Blacksmiths create armor and weapons with an extra gem slot. Every 50 levels of the blacksmith skill adds an extra gem slot, so adding the profession will add an extra slot. This means that a Professional Blacksmith with 49 skill can make items with two gem slots, rather than the typical one slot, and a Professional Blacksmith with skill 50 will get three gem slots.

  Jeweler: Jewelers can create jewelry with two gem slots or one slot with an additional 50% bonus. Jewelers are valued for creating higher level accessory items. Often combined with the blacksmith profession. Each effect cannot be the same, so a +6 str, +6 str ring would be impossible, while a +6 str, +6 agil ring would be possible.

  Salesman: Add a 25% bonus to buying and selling.

  Beast Tamer: Chance to tame a wild beast.

  List of Subclass

  Musician: Add 10% bonus to bard songs.

  Singer: Add 5 to Jack of All Trades skill. Ability to activate songs by singing. You are the instrument.

  Drummer: Add 5 to Jack of All Trades skill. Ability to activate songs by beating on things. Your instrument is anything you can beat.

  Lutist: Add 10% bonus to bard songs and 5 to Jack of All Trades skill. Ability to activate songs by using a lute.

  Flutist: Add 10% bonus to bard songs and 5 to Jack of All Trades skill. Ability to play songs by using a flute.

  Guitarist: Add 10% bonus to bard songs and 5 to Jack of All Trades skill. Ability to play songs by using a guitar. .

  Tale Spinner: Add 20% bonus to bard songs and 5 to Jack of All Trades skill.

  Acrobat: Improved 15% chance of dodging an attack.

  Elementalist: Additional 25% extra output for the same mana for elemental spells: fire, water, earth, and air

  Arcanist: Additional 25% extra output for the same mana for spells in the: life, death, and gravity magics

  Berserker: Additional 25% stats and time using the berserker ability

  [Tamara: Bob89, I sent you the list of subclasses and professions. What do you think I should choose?]

  [Bob89: Let me look over the list for a minute.]

  [Bob89: For your subclass, there are only three choices that make sense. Master of the Beat, Singer, or Drummer since these subclasses increase the Jack of all Trades skill. Drummer would have the most utility since it would be compatible with rune magic, spell casting, and swordplay. Interestingly enough, Master of the Beat is both a subclass and profession. I wonder if you can pick both?]

  [Bob89: As for your profession, there are many great fields. By taking Chef, food will level everyone faster via extreme food buffs. The Blacksmithing and Jeweler professions will allow you to make amazing equipment.]

  [Bob89: And lastly, you have the three new professions, which all look amazing. We do not know how Master of Portals will work, but assuming a worst-case scenario, it would decrease the mana to open a portal to any dungeon you have written down the portal runes. However, this does not guarantee that your current mana pool is high enough to create the portal. This would be incredibly lucrative, yet you already have the ability to make a portal at the Research Base. Other uses for portals could be: instant travel for messages and people, quick access to regional resources, and transport of volatile substances.]

  [Tamara: So you think I should pick Master of Portals?]

  [Bob89: Actually, I do not recommend it. While it could be a good solution to escape our current predicament, it is unlikely you have a high enough mana pool. If you recall our portal experiment, portal mana cost is exponentially proportional to the distance. I believe we must be across the border, so the only portal we know of is at least one hundred miles away. At normal cost, creating a portal at that distance will be at least 10000 mana. If you were able to use [Necrotic Nanobridge], then you could use your unassigned stat points to make up the shortfall. However, you strained yourself, so this profession is effectively useless for helping us escape quickly, unless it has a large mana reduction bonus, or we want to stay here for a few weeks.]

  [Tamara: Let’s table that one for now. I was leaning towards Master of Gravity anyway. I don’t know what you can do with it, other than decrease and increase weight, but it’s a cool sounding profession!]

  [Bob89: Master of Gravity could potentially be best overall. Since downloading the data dumps from Research1, I have been
able to learn several potential uses for gravity spells. It can aid in power and mana generation, speed travel, weight manipulation, and time manipulation.]

  [Tamara: I think you’re right. All this time, I’ve been dreaming about the fight against Jenny. My vision was enhanced during the battle - probably due to the higher intelligence and my new skill, [Sense Magic]. I could see the anti-matter and the forces radiating from it.]

  Perusing the list one last time, she hoped that she was picking the best profession, and from her dreams, she knew the right choice was either Master of Gravity or Master of Portals, and her choices were strengthened with Bob89’s analysis. With Master of Gravity, she was certain that it was related closely to the power of the mysterious Anti-Matter, yet with the Master of Portals profession, she might be able to create a portal at any time. So many choices, but she had to keep in mind that her profession needed to grow with her. The near future would be filled with danger and battle, so the profession that aided her in battle came first. Portals were nice but they didn’t have any known combat uses, while gravity magic had great uses both in battle and out of battle. Given her recent battle with Jenny, her subclass was an easy pick. It was basically a drummer skill that allowed her to pass the sound barrier, so subclassing as a drummer was the best choice.

  Quest:SubClass Quest I: Drummer

  You have chosen the subclass Drummer. Use your skill 100 times. This has a Level F difficulty.

  Reward:100 experience.