Author’s Note: Chapters have been taking longer and longer to write and my backlog has shrunk from 7 chapters to only 3! So sadly I’ll be moving to 3 days at minimum between releases. I want to try to keep to at least two releases a week though.
On a different note, I added an extra line of brief description about the forest in chapter 2. Basically the forest looks like the redwood forests in northern California. Basically really tall and wide trees. This is kind of just a small detail but it was how I was imagining the forest so I figured it would be a good detail to add to give people a better idea of the place Seri crashed into.
Anyway this has been an overly long note so with all that said, please enjoy the chapter.
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Chapter 8
When I woke, I found I was still holding Lynn’s hand. I tried to sit up, but I felt so weak and dizzy. Lynn pushed me easily back into the cot. “Mistress, you’re suffering from how badly you treated your poor body the last few days.” I looked up at Lynn’s face and she smiled gently toward me. “You’ve been asleep for nearly half a day. Would you like me to carry you to the canteen for breakfast, or will you be fine here alone for a small while?”
I shook my head and gave her a weak smile. “I’m feeling better, well mentally at least, so I’m fine waiting here.”
Lynn gave me a searching look before slowly nodding. “If you’re sure you’ll be alright then I’ll go make some food for you, and then I’ll have some medicine for you to take. We need to get you back in tip top shape.” Lynn looked down at her hand that was still in my grasp. “You’ll need to let me go first before I can do that though.”
I embarrassedly let go of her hand and she laughed. Lynn stood up from her kneeling position and walked to the door. Before she left the room she turned back to glance at me for a moment before going through the door and out into the ship’s hallways.
As I lay on the cot, I ruminated on the memories that I had experienced while I slept. I’m not sure if it was because of the conversation Lynn and I had or if it was because of my close proximity to her while I slept, but my dreams were filled with her. The very first dream was about our meeting.
Near the start of my time in rehabilitation, the agency taking care of me had introduced her to me as a playmate that I could interact with. Of course, back then I had been terrified of people, not surprising really given how I ended up in rehabilitation, so they had brought Lynn to me in a small android body around my own size. I guess they thought that way she would seem like less of a threat, but even then it still took weeks for me to open up to her even a little. She was constantly by my side and eventually with her help I started being able to communicate with the adult helpers, even though I still found myself terrified of them. I couldn’t help it, their size reminded me of bad things.
Getting that far into my recollection, I shuddered for a moment. Thankfully, I hadn’t had any dreams yet about my past as an experiment. I was definitely not looking forward to remembering those events if this self of mine had gone through anywhere near the horrible tale I had written for her game history. The fear and terror that came through in the rehab memories were bad enough.
Anyway, the dreams had then moved into time spent where Lynn would start taking me out. I had been forced to wear a special headband that would prevent me from using my psi, since if I had a panic attack while outside I was a risk to myself and others. Lynn took me to all kinds of places, including a clothing shop which was the first time I became her dress up doll.
The years passed by quickly after that and I was finally given the go ahead that I now could leave the agency and try to live my own life. I had been crushed when Lynn had given me that news since I had thought that meant we’d now be separate but Lynn had simply hugged me and told me that I wouldn’t get rid of her that easily. That she and I would be leaving together, and she would be my AI companion because we were best friends forever. Of course, this meant that she would be limited to a small hologram body until I could afford to buy her an android body. I remember promising her that that would be the first thing I would buy and she had rebuked me and told me that there were much more important things to buy first and that she could wait as long as necessary. The dreams had then skipped around a bit but ended a few years later with me finally having saved enough to get her a body.
It was a lot to take in. It seems like the relationship between Lynn and I was very deep in her and this body’s memories. I kind of feel terrible knowing I’m not really the same person that she pledged to be friends with. The one thing that feels a bit off with these memories is that Lynn was calling me Seri in them. I’m not sure when she switched to calling me Mistress, at least as far as this body’s history was concerned. In the game she had always called me Mistress, so maybe the switch came after she became Lullaby’s AI rather than simply my companion? Well, I guess I could ask her about it later. <((This series is only officially posted to royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, then you are doing so without the permission of the author, Xacual. If you have paid money for this story, please file a report and request a refund as it has been stolen and is being sold illegally.))>
As if she knew that I had completed my recollections, Lynn came in with a small tray carrying my food. “I’m back, Mistress. I’m happy to see you stayed in bed properly.”
I tried to glare at her but I know I failed miserably, “Well I couldn’t have gotten up even if I tried. So instead I went over what I saw in my dreams.”
Lynn got an interested gleam in her eyes, “What were they about?” She sat the tray down on a small table and then propped me up to a sitting position with some pillows.
“Ahh, well.” I was a little embarrassed to talk specifics. The memories forced me to look at Lynn in a new way I had never considered. Lynn had now become more like a close sister or possibly big sister figure in my mind. It was a huge change from the close but still a subordinate relationship I had had with her in the game. Lynn was still looking at me with a curious expression, so I decided to just bite the bullet and tell her. “Well they were about us. You know our first meeting, all the times we spent together until I was released from rehab, and a couple years afterwards.”
Lynn’s smile turned radiant. “I see, I see. So Mistress now remembers all those important memories. I’m glad.” She brought the table with the food on it closer to the bed. It looked like I’d be having some soup. I should have expected that. Now that I think about it, I haven’t had a non soup type meal since coming to this damn world.
“Actually, Lynn, I was wondering. In these memories, you were calling me Seri. When did you start calling me Mistress instead?”
Lynn started laughing, “So the memories didn’t get that far then? It was when you bought Lullaby and I became the ship AI. I joked that that meant you now owned me, so I should call you Mistress instead. It kind of just stuck after that.” She shrugged. “Would Mistress prefer I go back to calling her by her name?”
“No, it’s okay. I’m used to being called Mistress.” I wasn’t sure if I wanted her calling me Seri.
She was still smiling, “Understood Mistress.” She picked up the bowl and spoon. “Mistress, it’s time to get some nutrients back into your body. Of course I shall be feeding you, so open wide.”
I allowed her to baby and feed me. Not like I could have stopped her and to be honest it felt comfortable to be in like this with Lynn. After finishing off the soup, she gave me some liquid vitamin supplements.
Lynn placed the tray back aside. “Now Mistress, yesterday you told me a great many things and they were quite detailed but you were remarkably less detailed about what actually happened at the town. Can you fill me in on everything that happened there?”
So I started my story from when I left Lullaby. I mentioned the wolf encounter as they followed me, and leaving them behind so I could get to the town. I described the town, starting with the Status Orb and then moving on to the events at the Merchant’s Guild. Lynn was particularly interested in obtaining one of those Status Orbs to see how it worked. After the Merchant’s Guild, I got to the part where I killed those two thugs and I had to stop when I realized what I had done.
Lynn picked up on my sudden silence, “Mistress, what’s wrong?”
I shuddered. “I killed two people. I had thought this world was just a game but now…”
Lynn hugged me. “It’s okay Mistress. You merely protected yourself. There’s no problem with that. It doesn’t sound like the men you killed were any real loss either, just human garbage.”
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I let Lynn comfort me for a few minutes before I continued the tale. She was right and I knew I’d likely kill more people in the future. That was one thing that I knew in the end, I wouldn’t balk at. Seri had been a mercenary. She had killed many, many people in her life and not all of them had been bad people. The more memories of hers I get, the easier it will probably be for me. I wonder if that is a good or bad thing?
I talked about the events at the inn, Lynn was amused by my small prank, and the information about Classes the inn lady had provided. I went over the rumors and information I picked up in my hours walking around the town. Next was the events at the Merchant’s Guild and the directions I got for going to the empire where Malcolm mentioned I might find a lead on the materials I’m after. Finally, I concluded the story with the wolf attack and my subsequent taming of the whole pack which awarded me the Beastmaster Class.
Lynn’s expression was one of deep thinking before she asked, “He didn’t recognize any of the materials except for the etherenite?”
I nodded, “Right. He said he couldn’t tell what the titanil and chromanite were but he was sure he had seen etherenite at some point in the past. Etherenite is the single, largest component of the engines and warp drive, so at least that is good news.”
Lynn had a concerned look, “While that is true Mistress, the titanil and chromanite are still vital components. We won’t be able to rebuild the warp drive at least without those.”
I sighed, “I know! At least if we get working engines, it will let us move the ship. Then we’ll be able to travel around the world easier. Just because the materials aren’t known here doesn’t mean they aren’t available on the other side of the planet.”
“So Mistress’ next destination will be the eastern empire?” Lynn queried.
“Yes, it seems like the only choice. He mentioned there were different races living there and with that, more available products and information. I might get lucky and even find some actual etherenite there.” I replied.
“I want you to rest and recover for another day first, Mistress. Current local time is sometime in the evening, an hour until sunset. After tomorrow you should be back to your normal condition, or close enough that it will be safe to depart.”
“That’s fine. I know, quite well, how weak I am at the moment.” I agreed and decided to change topics. “Hey Lynn, do you think Wizards being mentioned means magic might be real?”
Lynn frowned, “I highly doubt it Mistress. It’s likely just the name these primitives came up with for using psi. Real magic like might be seen in stories is an impossibility.”
I started laughing, “You know Lynn, my whole situation is an impossibility that would only appear in stories. I’m a bit more open to the possibility that magic might really exist here.” I was overtaken by the urge to yawn.
In response to my yawn, Lynn stood back up. “In light of your situation, I suppose the possibility isn’t zero, but I still believe it unlikely. For now, please get some more rest Mistress. Your bedroom should be repaired tomorrow and I’ll be able to move you back in there.” She fixed my pillows so I could lay comfortably.
I yawned again. “Good night, Lynn.”
After that I was dead to the world.
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The following day passed by relatively peacefully. With my strength recovering, I could get up and move around on my own. A fact which I was very grateful for since there was certain business I needed to take care of and I absolutely didn’t want Lynn to have to help me with that. I also finally remembered to ask Lynn about how long the days were on this world. She told me that they were 26 hours in length, so they were close in length to the days I was used to. Since we’d only been on the world seven days, we still had no idea how long a year was.
I could tell Lynn was up to something though. She was working on some project in the synthesizer room. It seemed like it was delicate work considering I could hear her grumbling from my room about how long it was taking. I asked about it and she told me that she was just getting things ready for when I could leave the next day. I was fearing the possibility of an even more over the top outfit.
Eventually, the day ended and the next came. It was time to once again venture forth from Lullaby. I got cleaned up, dressed and then ate an especially hearty breakfast, which had no similarities to soup whatsoever, since Lynn had released me from her nursing. After that, it was with dread that I went to go find Lynn and whatever surprise she had prepared.
I finally found her at the lift to exit the ship and I was shocked when I saw her. She had made an outfit for her android body and was carrying my pack with her.
She waved and smiled when she saw me. “Mistress! It looks like we’re both ready to go now that you’re here.”
“Lynn, what do you think you’re doing?” I sighed. It was obvious but I wanted her to explain herself.
She just continued to smile at me and spoke in an exaggerated way, “Of course I’m coming with you! Mistress is guaranteed to require my assistance!” Lynn then changed to a more serious expression. “Also, I want to be there for Mistress if something happens. I don’t want you to be alone.” <((If you are reading this series on any website other than royalroad.com, then you are doing so without the permission of the author, Xacual. If you have paid money and bought the story on Amazon or some other store, please file a report and request a refund as it has been stolen and is being sold illegally.))>
I was touched and grateful for her concern, but I replied in a subdued tone “Lynn, you know you can’t come with me, no matter how much either of us might want you too. Lullaby can’t function without its AI in residence. We’d have to completely power down the ship which would be too much of a risk.” I stepped up to her and hugged her. “I’m happy though, thanks Lynn. Knowing you’re here for me is good enough.”
Lynn embraced me back and we stayed like that for a minute before separating. She handed me my pack and then handed me a small container. She spoke in a sad tone, “I knew Mistress would say that. That’s why I got the synthesizer to produce these. I might not be able to physically be there with Mistress, but with these I can still keep in contact and help you.” Opening the container I found three small items. She pointed at one of the items. “This here is a communicator earpiece that will sit in your ear. It won’t block hearing from the ear, but with it I’ll be able to talk directly to Mistress without any chance of anyone overhearing. I’ll also be able to hear what Mistress hears since it will sync up with the auto translator. Sadly, Mistress won’t be able to talk to me as easily since you’ll still have to talk aloud.” She directed my focus to the other item. “These are a pair of contacts. I know Mistress is bad with items like this, but with it I’ll be able to see what Mistress sees. I’ll also be able to project things to Mistress’ sight. Since Mistress complained a bit about not knowing the language, if you can get enough writing samples I might be able to decipher it, then I can override text you see with something you can read. Depending on the complexity of the language, it might take a while to fully decipher though.”
I nodded as I understood the description of the items. I picked up the transparent earpiece and settled it in my ear. There was a moment of discomfort as the ear canal was blocked but it disappeared immediately after. I looked at the other items with much more trepidation. I really don’t like the idea of things in my eyes, but at the same time giving Lynn the capability to help me with the language is a big enough bonus, so I picked up the contacts carefully and placed them in my eyes one after the other. Like with the earpiece, there was a moment of discomfort and blurry vision before the contact adjusted and my sight was back to normal.
Lynn gave me another hug. “I packed a much more comprehensive pack this time. I added in a small clothes cleaner and a cooking tool. A lot of pre prepared meals as well that just need to be unsealed and warmed up. Also a water purifier and a portable scanner to test things you find to see if they are edible. Of course, this means there’s very little spare space in the bag, which might be a problem. Sorry.”
“It’s fine, Lynn. Once I get to the empire, I’ll be able to replenish my food supplies. Maybe I’ll even hunt some on the way.” I shrugged. “I’ll try to limit this adventure to only a few months at most before returning to the ship. By then the ship will be undug and I’ll be able to use the hover car for my travels.”
Lynn stepped back leaving the way clear so I could walk to the lift. “Remember to stay safe Mistress. Even if I’ll be watching and listening, please don’t take unnecessary risks if you don’t have to.”
“Don’t worry so much, Lynn. I promise to be careful. Alright?” She simply nods. I hit the button on the console and let the lift raise me out of the ship.