Epilogue I
Jackie Cruise had been at home when the holo-vid call came. Even now, she still had to sit down and look at the recent call listing to see if the call had been legitimate. A few seconds later a contractual email was sent to her, letting her know that no, it was not a prank.
Contract Form and Non-Disclosure Agreement with Tri-Random-Star Audio.
“They want to use mother’s voice as the audio visual story telling of the computer generated series, ‘Rahul and the Maiden I – VII.’”
Jackie said, still reading the contract and trying to understand how life had gotten here. Apparently since she had no real legal claims to her image and likeness, that benefit went to the sole executor of her will, which so happened to be Jackie.
This was a lot of money, and it was going to her, but she had no real commitments, not truly. Then she remembered her grandchildren.
Ring.
A few seconds later, Tammie, her eldest and mother of two children about to enter University answered.
“Momma, everything okay?”
Hearing that Jackie nodded. “Yeah, I know it has been a while since we last spoke.”
Tammie just nodded, it had been. “Sorry, I just…” Tammie began but Jackie just shook her head and cut her off.
“No, I am just as much to blame for this. Still, I know the twins are getting ready to go to University?”
Tammie said, “yeah, they lost their scholarships, but they will still go.”
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Hearing that Jackie just nodded that was the way of things now. Money drying up all over the place, while the costs of certain necessities kept rising.
“Well, it seems like Grandma came through again.”
“Oh, the estate is finally cleared up?”
At that Jackie grimaced angrily, “no, your uncle Rob is still not giving up his claims to it, but there is another source of revenue that we now have access to. Apparently, your grandmother has taken on a career as a professional narrator for dirty adventuring stories.”
“What?”
“It’s true. She has not only memorized seven complete tomes but has been recorded reading all of them out loud to a book club.”
“Really?”
“Yes, apparently she did so well with her reading of the random stories the AI of the world generate that they changed up her entire class quest line for it. Just to get her to read all seven books.” Jackie paused, before continuing with the next part, “and she did.”
“What? No way? Gramma who said it was inappropriate for me to read ‘Fifty Shades of Tungsten?’”
“The very same one.”
Laughter.
The two started laughing at the antics of their grandmother who seems to at times be both too serious, and too impetus for her age at the same time.
“So she is still alive?” Tammie finally asked.
“Somehow, yeah.”
“Didn’t she get lost in that prissy magic school?”
“She did, in fact that is where this recording happened.” Jackie explained.
“Wow, we are so not telling the boys about this development. If they knew that Grandma who was paying for their ride just went there to read and perform smutty novels to her friends, wait, how does that even work?” Tamie asked.
“You know. I don’t really know. Somehow it is grandma though, through and through. Put her in a world where she has to kill to level up and gain power and she goes complete pacifist.”
“Yeah, why is that?”
“I don’t know, something about being able to feel the ghosts of those monsters she killed.”
“Likely scared her. Though if you have to stop after killing one monster, stopping after killing a behemoth and dropping an entire sky island to the ocean below.”
“Or that time when she almost sparked a war with Legrand.”
“Oh, you know that happened right?”
“What?”
“Yeah, that war between the Maltese empire and Legrand happened. It has only been a few minor skirmishes so far, but it will soon intensify.”
“Huh. Wow, you know ever since grandmother went dark, I stopped paying attention to Maltese entirely. Do you think she will go back?”
“Probably, I mean she does have a lot of leeway there.”
“Huh, wow.”
A pregnant pause filled the air.
“Thanks for calling mom.”
“Yeah, I should probably get going. I will let you know more when the royalties come in. But seeing as I am the source of this, I figured the income would go to the boys. I think that’s what she would want most.”
“Thank you. I think I will have the boys write her a thank you card at the very least.”
“I think she’d like that. Which reminds me, I should probably do the same. Wouldn’t want her to think that we forgot her.”
“No, though I do hope she learns to relax a little.”
“This is her retirement, now she can finally do all the things she always dreamed about.”
“I don’t think she ever dreamed about diving out of a burning war blimp as if traverses your nation while trying to go to a second nation.”
“Yeah, shame that an apparently experimental Trait and Elixir were listed as part of the damages.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Actually, there is one question I have for you.”
“What?”
“Are you thinking about joining her?”