Bob appeared in a cave. Wind howled with cold that would make any mortal person freeze to death in just minutes.
As Bob walked his gnomish features changed, casuing him to grow and expand until the face of Lo’kal passed through what looked to be a solid wall and looked upon a massive cavern.
Skylights allowed cold light into the room.
It was warm in here.
A metal walkway went from the wall Lo’kal had entered, between the large black boxes that extended to either side of the cavern and towards a silver pod.
Lo’kal took a breath, excited, scared, guilt and warmth of what he knew to be love passing through him.
He didn’t spare the humming black boxes a second glance as he walked over to the silver pod.
The silver outside of the pod became translucent, showing a thirties woman.
She had an athletic build to her body her face was beautiful but serious. Her tanned skin was framed with silver hair that complimented her features.
Lo’kal touched the outside of the pod, it hurt him everytime to see her like this.
“It’s time to wake up Anna,” Lo’kal’s voice soft as the black boxes started to pick up in their pace.
Emerilia Administrator Command Panel
Do you wish to wake Emerilia Administrator AI 24681 (Anna)
Y/N
“Yeah,” Lo’kal’s throat catching with the emotions that were filling him.
The black boxes started making more and more noise, lights blinking on the side of the standing pod.
Red lights turned to yellow and then green down the side of the pod. It took days but Lo’kal didn’t move. Days was little to him as he used his remotes to view Emerilia.
Finally the pods doors opened.
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For a few moments Lo’kal just looked at the woman laying inside, scared that the procedure hadn’t worked.
Her eyes opened, looking around the cavern and falling on Lo’kal he held his breath as his eyes watered. He’d spent so much time around the humans that his own reacitons had become similar to theirs.
“Anna,” His voice filled with relief and nervous excitement.
“Hi Dad,” Her serious face split into a smile that made Lo’kal’s heart jump. She pushed herself out of the pod and wrapped her hands around Lo’kal.
“Oh my girl, I’ve missed you so much,” Lo’kal said, only coming to her shoulder as he put his hands around her, not wanting to let go.
“I see that from all the records of you sneaking in here to watch over me,” She said her voice soft and also filled with emotion.
Lo’kal laughed and they pulled apart slightly, Anna looking down at him.
“Something big must’ve happened for you to wake me,” Anna said.
“I found one, I found a Bleeder,” Lo’kal smiled.
Anna tilted her head, blinking rapidly.
“Wow, that does change things.”
“And I have had my administrator rights for looking over the other affinities revoked. Its as you guessed. The Empire cares little about actually suppressing the other aggressive species, now they just want to use Emerilia as a massive life or death coliseum. Blood and death to appeal to the masses. They’ve lost sight of Emerilia,” Lo’kal sighed, he was weary and his creation had been turned into a blooduy form of entertainment. “They’re allowing the affinities the ability to have magical creatures and champions as long as they use their own power.”
Anna’s hands balled up in fists.
The reason Lo’kal had needed to put her to sleep was because of that anger, her anger towards those that used her people. She didn’t just watch the humans, she lived among them for millenias, watching the actions of the Jukal Empire as they introduced the gods, added in more portals, stopped killing off races that were bent on killing and destroying everything in their path.
She’d countered it, dropped pieces of information and aided in the people of Emerilia and the players growth of skills and knowledge.
Everytime the Empire added in new things, they ordered Lo’kal to change the rules to make Emerilia more ‘interesting’.
She’d finally come to him asking him to put her to sleep, if she stayed in Emerilia then she would stop just aiding the players and people. She would start leading them against those that wished to use them.
Lo’kal was the closest thing she had to a father and family, she trusted him completely and he had abided by her wishes even if it left him alone for millennia.
He’d left her systems hooked up to Emerilia so as her physical body had been sealed away her mind had continued to browse through the information.
She’d seen the strain it had put on Lo’kal sealing his daughter away for three thousand llonely years.
Anna’s analytical functions had been shifted to a quantum computer to assist him to balance Emerilia’s forces.
Her father was a great man, but he was also an emotional creature and she loved him for it all.
“So the time has come,” Anna said, looking at her father.
“It has,” Lo’kal nodded holding her eyes.
Anna nodded slowly as the cavern felt like it chilled a few more degrees.
She smiled after a while as her data banks caught up with relevant information.
“It has been a long time father,”
Lo’kal’s smile was as happy as it was sad.
“Too long Anna, too long. Though there are many interesting people that I must introduce you to,”