Chapter 35: Integrating
Congratulations you have been given prototype technology from the excellent engineering team at Venia Inc. If you have received this item in error, please return it as soon as possible. All items are tracked and will be returned through force if needed. If you are receiving this item in earnest, then “Congratulations!” on your new purchase and prepare for the utmost in Venian technology.
User identification initiated: user please identify.
He mentally thought “Boyd Bridges” but said nothing.
User Boyd Bridges is not identified. Is this a new user?
He thought “Yes.”
Hello [Boyd Bridges]. You have equipped a [Mark IV v.2102933 Ocular/Neural Integrator] this core is powered by [Mana]. Please wait while the system optimizes.
Optimizing.
Optimizing.
Optimizing.
Optimization complete. Your O/N Integrator is now fully operational.
This model contains all of our prior upgrades, but in addition, has a new Deep ScanningTM feature. Deep ScanTM – for when you need to know, whether they like it or not. Would you like to know more?
Boyd was in a bit of a panic. His vision had returned largely to what he remembered it was before he lost his eye, but it was information overload. His brain could barely process his vision. He had full depth of vision, but on top of that, there were little bits and pieces of information attached to everything. Rocks weren’t just rocks, he could focus on them and see their exact composition. Plants were all named, not that he had ever seen any of the names before. He had an entire menu option for changing light sources and viewing heat signatures instead of light. He had functional control over his focus out to distances he couldn’t possibly imagine being able to see prior. There was an entire “Aim Assist” function that he assumed would come in handy if he was ever allowed to use a gun again. He couldn’t focus though, too much information was pouring through the device. Every time he opened his eyes they started to burn.
System detecting interference between O/N Integration. Re-optimizing for extremely low intelligence life forms.
Optimizing.
Optimizing.
Re-optimization complete.
Boyd opened his eyes and the amount of input was reduced. He could tell the options were still available, but the total level of sensory input was turned way down. This was far more palpable. While previously he could concentrate on things and get information from them from Zenith’s Scan system, his ability was now vastly improved. His vision was fully corrected well beyond any normal human capacity, including built in telescopy out to 80X magnification. It was like having a pair of binoculars over one eye, so he was forced to close his opposite eye whenever he initiated the feature.
He spent a few minutes blinking back and forth and getting used to the system.
Hello Boyd Bridges! System now stable. Would you like to learn about Deep Scan technology?
Boyd thought about it and mentally clicked “Yes.”
Deep Scan technology is a new Venian technology that bypasses traditional limitations on Scanning. Zenith based Scans are limited by both two-way consent and a limited level of information. Deep Scan technology bypasses this issue by outlaying a complete character sheet in a form where either party can give consent to a Scan! Mana useage is dependent on power differentials and depth of Scan.
Boyd thought about the implications of either party giving consent to a scan and realized it basically amounted to “You can Scan things even if they didn’t want you to Scan them.” He could see how that would be incredibly useful. It felt… invasive though? It wasn’t something that he was entirely comfortable with at a broader scale, but realized this place was the hardly right venue for moral equivocating and decided that he would at least investigate its usefulness.
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He slowly began scanning random things around the town. Deep Scan offered a lot of advantages. He could tell uses for plants and could identify the composition of things. He didn’t feel comfortable using Deep Scan on any NPCs yet, but he could tell it would be extremely useful. He finally remembered there was one NPC he needed to scan and ran back to the bar.
He scanned Glipglaup’s corpse laying on the floor. He had no idea how things got cleaned up, but it was pretty clear that it wasn’t a super efficient process. The bar was basically still functioning with the bartender laying dead on the ground, bleeding on the floor. Part of the focus was on cleaning, but many of the patrons were still actively being served. It wouldn’t have passed code in Oklahoma, but this wasn’t Oklahoma.
SYSTEM: Glipglaup – corpse. It’s the dead body of Glipglaup. You literally watched this happen. You helped kill him even. How is this worth your time?
DEEPSCAN: Would you like to Deep Scan this corpse? (1 Mana/second base).
Boyd mentally thought “Yes.” His vision skewed when he looked at the corpse and he immediately started feeling additional information pump into him. At the same time, he could feel the Mana draining from his body. The harder he focused, the more Mana he lost and the more information came in.
DEEPSCAN: Glipglaup – corpse.
Active race – Unknown, Zenith based.
Actual Race – Doppler.
Class – Saldezian Operative.
Alliance - Saldez
Rank 167.
Foray – NONE.
Combatant status – non-combatant interloper.
Cause of death – Decapitation/Sworded in the face
Issuant of death – Salia Slitt, Venian Mechanized Ranger, Disavowed
More information came piling in but the strain on his Mana was rough. He couldn’t effectively keep Deep Scanning for very long before he’d lose concentration and have to refocus and start over. He was hoping this had Skill ranks like Manatap or it would take a lot more Mana before he could use it in combat effectively. Even still, he understood why Salia asked him to scan Glipglaup. He wasn’t sure what the information meant but his best guesses were that 1) he was a Saldez guy that Salia hated, and 2) she was trying to show him that not everyone was what they seemed. He’d already picked up on that, but the object lesson didn’t hurt.
“Will you be staying the night with us tonight then?” Boyd nearly jumped out of his increasingly destroyed jeans. A waitress walked up to Boyd and smiled. “Mr. Bridges, will you be staying the night with us? My understanding is that you had open access to the rooms and the bar.”
Boyd almost corrected her, but thought better of it, “Glipglaup… did say that. Yes. That is correct. And I will. Thank you.” Boyd was then going to note that Glipglaup was a rotting corpse, but quickly admonished himself. This place was weird, but you had to roll with it and a room was a room.
He marched upstairs and into a fairly lavish suite. It even had a bathtub, which he promptly started and then fell asleep inside in a state of utter relaxation.
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Boyd was laying in bed when the door to his room burst open. He stood to try and defend himself, only to find Jellybean Jenkins was the one who had entered his room.
“HUMAN! Salia Slitt has alerted me to your location. We will immediately commence our prior sleeping arrangement. I have received poor quality sleep since you were ousted from our Foray. While I am surprised and disappointed to see you are alive, I look forward to our nap together.”
“Wait, no. No, dude, you can’t do this. Get out. Seriously. Get. The fuck. Out.”
Jellybean Jenkins ripped the blankets off Boyd and laid on the bottom of the bed before placing the blankets on himself, “Our Foray will proceed to Level 20 tomorrow so this will be the last of our co-sleeping arrangement. You will miss my presence when I have left to gain greater fortune.”
“Dude, for real, no. Please. Get out. Seriously get the fuck out. Now.” Boyd tried to gently push Jellybean Jenkins away, but he simply stretched out on the bed in his more Dog-like form and it immediately vaulted slightly into the air.
“It is done.”
“You didn’t even ask man. You can’t just come jump in my bed. I can’t sleep like this. I’m like three feet in the air.”
Jellybean Jenkins ignored him. He rolled over onto his back and began kicking in the air while yipping and growling alternately. He was soundly asleep.
Midway through the night with his arm hooked around the top of the bed, Boyd couldn’t sleep. He had tried to take some of the blankets back, but Jellybean snapped at him when he did, so Boyd gave up on it. Making matters worse, Jellybean not only yipped and rolled around, he also farted, belched, and snored. Realizing Jellybean Jenkins was asleep gave him an idea though. While he couldn’t very well risk trying out his new gizmo on an awake Wolf-Lord, an asleep one might be a viable option. He carefully began his Deep Scan while keeping an eye on Jellybean himself.
SYSTEM: DEEP SCAN ACTIVATED!
Jellybean Jenkins, Rank 2,896 Wolf-Lord of the Seven Plains…
Boyd continued to Scan him as he could throughout the night. He didn’t make any additional Ranks, but he found the whole exercise very useful.