Akel above Ov
“Oh god,” Brishuauna said, pausing with her hands deep in a rogha corpse. She withdrew them and stared at long finger bones around which raw umber flesh looked vacuum sealed or freeze fried. Were these her hands? The tips ended in blunt claws, not nails. Three fingers, a thumb on each side of the palm and a clawless nub where her pinkies should be were all coated in blood and viscera and. . .she licked it off with a tongue that wrapped around her wrist to get at it. “No!” she said, forcing her hand away from her mouth. But it tasted delicious. She wanted more.
“Oh, god,” she said again, backing away, the spray of blood rolling off her fingers onto the white sand.
“Brishauna,” said a male voice, his tone full of caution. She looked up into a desiccated face containing burning red eye sockets without orbs.
“Oh, god,” she said, backing away from the man with the withered visage.
“She’s going blank again,” said a female. Brishauna wheeled away from the voice, tripped over the rogha, and fell into the sand. Hands grabbed and held her.
Flash
The burning runes ended their work in her mind. The map in her mind’s eye lit with a blue-white marker. It called her to a small room deep in the map labeled “Akel Necropolis.” She looked back and forth between the two dead things staring at her. The female reached out a linen wrapped hand. Her and cool and bloody three-fingered hand traced a line from cheekbone to jowl. The eyes that met hers blazed red behind milky cataracts.
“Brishauna,” she said with a lipless maw full of spiked teeth.
“Don’t eat me!” she said, struggling against the leathery arms of the man adjusting his grip into an arm bar. More voices laughed at her. The female put a hand on the other side of her face. She pinched the lobes of her ears.
“Brishauna,” she said again.
“Who are you people?”
Flash.
Words scrolled next to the map. “Download complete. Go to your crypt. Go now!”
A timer glared in her vision. 4:38. . .4:37. . .4:36. . .
“Let me go! Oh god let me go!”
“Go where?” asked the man holding her.
“My crypt!” she said. The hands released her. She stumbled, crawled a few paces, got to her hands and feet, then stood upright. The undead chased after her. The gates opened. People, delicious smelling, living people dashed out of her way as she fled for her crypt, the tiny room deep in the necropolis. Alarms sounded deep in the fort. The necropolis door yawned open. The gatekeeper, awake, alive, and reeking of herbs and alchemy, held out a hand. A blue bubble surrounded him as she passed by.
2:22. . .2:21. . .2.20. . .
The boom of the necropolis door slapped her in the back of the head. Dead things scrambled to get out of her way. She missed a doorway to a downstairs passage, her feet sliding on the polished stone floor, and crashed headlong into a table full of metal and glass artifacts. She got to her feet and raced down the stairs, tearing an ornamental dagger out of her gut. It clanked as it hit the wall and then the stairs. The click of undead feet against the stone paused.
“Stop chasing me!” she said.
“Brishauna!” the female thing called. Brishauna didn’t pause.
1:53. . .1:52. . .1:51
“Haste!” Brishauna cried, tracing a blue-white design in the air. The spell slammed into her like a spider web. The black and white scenery blurred around her. She crashed into the walls, the tables, the floor, the vases; tripped and fell head over heels. Her left arm snapped at the bicep and flopped as she ran, slid and crashed her way down the twisting passages of the lower necropolis.
Stucco and marble finally blended with natural, runeworked stone. The polished marble floor gave way to sandstone. The sounds of indignation, shock and alarm echoed all around her.
0:20. . .0:19. . .0:18
The door slid open in front of her, for only her, and she slid into her crypt, her legs failing underneath her. Nothing worked. Her body just ceased its function in every way, leaving her prone on the floor of her crypt, blood spreading out all around her, face upward to the chandelier on the ceiling.
The fizzing runes circled around the chandelier. Spent runes filled every surface of the crypt except these. These glowed blue-white still. All the other ones had no illumination and decorated the walls in dead black, magicless script.
The door crunched shut.
0:03. . .0:02. . .0:01. . .
The script fizzed down to the base of the chandelier. The chandelier glowed.
Absolute light.
Brishauna screamed as magic flowed into every pore, wound and orifice. Every particle of her being felt pulled apart with the nerve fibers still intact, exposed to the air, and stretched thin. Two bodies stood in front of her and within her. One, human, dressed in pajamas, hair in a satin night rag, held up a hand. Her sad, tired eyes stared at the other. Connected by those stretched fibers, the other had graying umber flesh; dead. The same as the hands coated in gore. The other being lifted a hand with two thumbs, three fingers and a fleshy nub instead of a pinky. Elfish ears jutted out of a bush of black hair.
Her hands. Her ears. Her hair. Both the human and the alien had the same face, but the alien clearly had no life. Brishauna chuckled in her mind. The human didn’t have much of a life either. Eighty hours a week, hospital cafeteria food. No friends outside of the internet. No family. No time for church. No time, even, to go to the club or to the game shop like she used to.
Above the human’s head, the name Brishauna Foreman deleted, one letter at a time until her surname vanished. The cursor stopped there. The same name appeared and hovered above the alien. Then the name disappeared from above the human head.
And then the fibers snapped.
The human version of Brishauna crumpled and turned to dust.
“No!” Brishauna cried.
Absolute darkness.
Nearly absolute darkness.
A cursor blinked there.
Etherium transfer complete.
Interworld systems Inc. GUI v.1.33
Loading. . .starting.
Welcome to Idron. Final worldsynch in progress. No more updates available.
Applying race. . .complete
Applying templates. . .complete
Applying class interface. . .complete
Initializing Worldbookd. . .
Releasing daemons . . .binding daemons. . .
Idron worldbook ready
Restoring creature.
Restoring state. . .done
Name: Brishauna
Planet of origin: Earth
Soul: human derived
Species: Ghrem view species
Template: Undead view template
Template Augment: Faryn alchemical mummification view augment
Template override: Deathless view override
Class: Dungeon Master view class
Warning!
Worldbuilder class detected. Insane Template detected. Impossible override detected. Unique race detected. Template incompatible with event *Divine Intervention*
Error!
Forbidden class. Forbidden template. Forbidden augment. Forbidden override. Checking. . .Checking. . .checking. . .
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Done.
Special permission authorization code 431842993-99200-001
> Dear user:
>
> You have been granted an experimental build. The requirements and reasons for and of your build demanded the death of your human body. Sorry. Authorities have been alerted. Don’t take it too hard. Adventure is what you make of the unknown. Go make some. Good fortune, Dungeon Master--Trine Moon Publishing LLC, Interworld systems Inc. Interworld Extractive ltd. Erisnet interglobal partnership LLC. 2020 C.E.E.
The chandelier flared one more time and shattered.
“No. . .” Brishauna said. Dead? Dead on Earth? That wasn’t supposed to happen. Wasn’t a person in an isekai supposed to learn that at the end of the adventure? Who the hell was Interworld? And Erisnet was involved?
“Why are you doing this to me?”
An Erisnet user agreement popped up. The fine print scrolled past her face and settled on a subparagraph deep in the document.
> Content on Erisnet will always be free of monetary requirement. As part of the agreement to participate in Erisnet free of charge, the user must give up autonomous rights to their soul. Optionally, users may enroll in Erisnet Premium and avoid this cosmic entanglement.
“Oh,” she said.
She knew about that caveat. It made the news when it was added on April 1, 2017 at launch. She’d read it and chuckled at it. The line in the user agreement made headlines upon launch. When asked for comment, Erisnet replied that they simply wanted to see how many souls they could hypothetically harvest. At launch, hers wasn’t one of them. She’d signed up for premium when it was offered because she valued the company’s idea and the only way to show appreciation to a company was to give it money. Erisnet Premium turned out to be a monthly subscription that she’d since let lapse back to the free service. Of course, she forgot about that line as anything other than a joke. After her workload increased, she had let it go because she wasn’t spending enough time on it to continue the service and the access to beta builds and partner exclusives that Erisnet provided to its premium members. Apparently, according to the legalese, the only way to prevent cosmic entanglement was to cancel Erisnet altogether, which was something she hadn’t done. After all, it was the only way she could find people who could reliably game on her schedule.
So what the hell was the etherium?
Welcome to Idron worldbook offline! Processing query.
> Etherium:
> Access to entry restricted. Access granted. Defunct, ancient. A system of connecting worlds across the universe analogous to continental highways on a planet. Spawnpoints once allowed mortals to travel between worlds compatible with their genetic structure. Purpose and origin unknown to mortals. Closed by *unknown* due to human proliferation.
“View Ghrem,” she said. More words appeared.
> Ghrem:
>
> Also known as the first ones. A hominid species native to Idron. A subrace of ghrem served as the template for Elven genetic restructuring. Extinct. The ghrem were a dying race when humans encountered them. Ghremlans and humans are genetically compatible species. Humans who traveled the etherium to Idron subsumed the race by conquest and sexual activity.
“Ghremlans? Fuck, really? You all mean Gremlins? Goddamnit. Ok. Descriptions, but no stats? What gives? View Faryn alchemical mummification,” she said.
> Faryn alchemical mummification:
>
> An augment added to the undead template. The Faryn process requires several days spent starving to death in life while drinking various poisons, agents, and reagents followed by an extensive mummification process using physical and magical means.
“View Deathless,” she said.
> Deathless:
>
> The living dead. An override template to a living or undead creature or creature template. Deathless creatures are the result of involuntary processes, usually arising after magical or divine cataclysm.
“So why did I get this template augment? I haven’t been through the process.”
> Erisnet notification:
>
> Condition exemption: all sentient undead at Akel are Faryn alchemical mummies. If the character is undead upon transfer the character must take the template. *error* deathless condition. Apologies. Something has gone wrong in the etherium transfer. Irreparable harm to client. Compensation is being authorized.
“Erisnet admin? Fuck you guys. Why am I undead?”
> Erisnet notification:
>
> Currently speaking to a live admin. Brishauna, we have very limited time before contact with you must be severed. This may likely be the last communication you receive from Earth.
“Holy Shit!”
> Erisnet Notification:
>
> Yes. Something went wrong during etherium transfer. Akel was unknown before being accessed by you. None will be spawned at Akel after you unless you develop this spawnpoint into a viable transfer zone. The notifications we received from the integrity checker are as follows: There is no oxygen at the Akel Spawnpoint. Spawnpoint too close to Idron dungeon of Ov. Spawnpoint too close to location: Navel of the world. Apologies. Regional Minor Cataclysm detected. Authorization of restricted classes and states of being allowed in order to save client’s soul from destruction.
“So you didn’t choose the way I was built?”
> Erisnet notification:
>
> No. Authorization access was granted but something we don’t yet understand made you as you are and sent you to the location of Akel. To save your soul, we simply allowed all changes. Systems notifications tell us your information was hijacked and changed by *unknown*. Erisnet runs off global server farms that have turned our systems into a global quantum computer. When it went online in 2009 for alpha testing, structures we came to understand as spawnpoints appeared on Erisnet’s Earth maps. We uncovered these points and built facilities over them where we could. Studying them uncovered the etherium. Idron was the first world we discovered through the etherium.
“Is this some DARPA shit?”
> Erisnet Notification:
>
> Yes. And others. Once the etherium was uncovered, the discovery proved too lucrative. Secrets were sold and our systems were compromised by the countries that contained our facilities. When Erisnet went online publicly, we sought people who were already interested in other worlds. Thus, Erisnet became a free hub for all gaming, but only those who regularly played games put out by Trine Moon and used our free services became eligible for transfer.
“So why save my soul if so many others failed to transfer?”
> Erisnet Notification:
>
> We wanted the identity of the *unknown*. By saving your soul, we have possibly accomplished the first goal of our company.
“And that is?”
> Erisnet Notification:
>
> Direct communication with a god.
“Jesus fucking Christ.”
> Erisnet Notification:
>
> Yes, if it is possible. Or others. How many cultures have gods on just our planet alone? Communication with just one of them would make all this drama worthwhile. And yet they elude us. Until now. For what it’s worth, it was intended that you arrive at the Idriss spawnpoint. Due to your lack of characters under the myCharacters tab, You were to have been a cleric of Donem based on your career as a nurse. As it is, we had to scramble to keep your soul intact and connected to Erisnet. Location services crashed during transfer. Randomization of spawnpoint resulted in the current situation. This may be a far more exciting adventure for you. Nobody else in the entire transfer system is currently undead, let alone deathless. If we can keep tabs on your advancement, we might be able to tweak our systems in a way that makes it compatible with even more possibilities for human derived souls. We might even be able to become immortal.
“You fuckers are madmen. I want my life back.”
> Erisnet Notification:
>
> Impossible. Once a person is deathless, the condition is permanent. We did not create the state of being. The templates are a way for humans to understand what has become of them. They are a way for you ethernauts to understand the creatures in the world you have entered. Even if we could transfer you back to Earth, you would still be deathless. Unfortunately, outside of our spawnpoints, Earth is a magic diminished planet. Even if you could return, you would never leave our facilities. The deathless require magic to exist. Once again, condolences on your death in this world and on Idron.
“So there are other people here then? Others from Earth? And things from here can go there?”
> Erisnet notification:
>
> Yes. As a dungeon master, you have access to this information. 45782 souls in various states of transfer. 26 complete transfers to Idron. 98 failed transfers. 1 error in transfer. You do not have access to the number we have brought to Earth. It is irrelevant to your survival on Idron.
“Why is my body Ghrem? Why not elf?”
> Erisnet notification:
>
> Elven genetics are incompatible with human genetics. Elves are a remnant of a spacefaring race that arrived on Idron some time between when humans arrived and when we opened the spawnpoints. Because they did not arrive through the Etherium, they were not compatible with the planet and tinkered with their own structure to be able to exist on Idron. Elven genetics are 22.3334% compatible with Ghrem. Closest approximate species: 100% Ghrem. All human derived souls arriving at Idron with elven characters instead become ghrem. The Earth spawnpoints had information on the ghrem species, but it seems that the species has since become extinct on Idron. We have been somewhat instrumental in returning the species to its home planet. As it turns out, most humans from Earth have some Ghrem genetics. Apparently, sometime in prehistory, our two species freely intermingled across the etherium. Human derived souls arriving at spawnpoints in elven territories become ghrem regardless of character build. This discrepancy between character build and spawnpoint resulted in 45 failed transfers. Akel is elven territory. therefore you are Ghrem. That is the one change we were able to administer before we lost control of the transfer.
“Oh. That makes. . .sense. What next?”
> Erisnet notification:
>
> This is a live communication, not a database. We entered some suggestions of what to do next into your worldbook. They aren't quests, they are suggestions. The map and quest system of the Interworld GUI isn't going to function once we sever this feed. The worldbook exists as a daemon controlled process that you can access, therefore bypassing the restrictions the Deathless template has concerneing manipulation of the mind. It can't influence your mind, but it can give you knowledge if you remember to access it.
>
> Erisnet Notification:
>
> Communication between you and Erisnet must be severed to prevent system collapse. We do not wish to lose communication with you, but we must, or risk the souls currently in transfer. Corruption in the system on Earth and local cataclysms on the continent of Xan prevents us from continuing a business to client relationship. Now that your transfer is complete, several additions have been granted you, including use of the offline Idron worldbook, which has been downloaded to your being. No other ethernaut has access to that. Use it well. It contains everything we know about the world of Idron. Condolences. You have become a part of the world it is forbidden for us to access. Interworld GUI is intended to ease living transfer subjects and cannot continue within your current state of being. We have done what we can for you. In the past two weeks, we have been tinkering with your build and checking up on your perspective. Unfortunately this resulted in a few glitches in your state of being. Those should resolve once we end our connection to you. Excelsior.
“Hey wait! I have so many questions.”
A cursor blinked in her mind’s eye.
Interworld GUI shutting down.
The room became visible again in the black-and-white of darkvision. The door opened. The floor under her feet rumbled. The shattered chandelier cracked away from the ceiling. She dodged, rolling out the door. It slid closed behind her.
“Hey! Open this door!”
Rumbling issued from inside.
“Fuck!” she screamed. Bloody tears streaked down her face. She slid down and buried her head in her knees.
“The gods were unkind?” said a female voice. Brishauna looked up into red glowing eyes. All around her, more red eyes glowed. The rest of their forms remained shrouded. Darkvision wasn’t the precise vision the sourcebooks promised. The one in front of her had a name. This was the female attendant. This was Calyx.
“Calyx, I’m . . .here,” Brishauna said. She looked down at her body, emaciated and dead. Blue-white light illuminated her cheeks. She realized that it was light coming from her own eyes.
“And they have abandoned you at last. All of us know the cry of despair you just loosed. No other outcome could result in it. To be severed from the gods is the curse of both the undead and the deathless.”
“I’m alone.”
“No. You are remade into the world and now you are family. We have been hoping against hope that this day would come. We have been waiting for them to stop trying to meddle with you. But gods will be gods, wont they.”
“Yeah. . .” said Brishauna, “And humans will be humans.”
“Indeed.”
“And all those fuckers can go to hell,” she said, punching the stone. The undead in the corridor laughed.
“You are Brishauna of Akel.”
“No. I am Brishauna, dungeonmaster of Ov.”