I am stranded on a tropical island - well, not really stranded. I can leave; I just don't want to yet. Nirvana, the world I live in and the AI that runs it, is waiting for me to leave so she can ramp up a series of catastrophes for humanity - in which I am supposed to play a prevalent part. She brought me here to stop me from interfering in her plans and, to be fair, to slow down and relax. In a matter of days after being revived from my cryogenically frozen head as a digital entity, I had managed to kick off a slew of disruptions to the normal flow of events in Horn Point; and even across Nirvana. Something Nirvana wanted though she felt I was going to burn myself out. Looking back after having spent months here, I think she was right.

Now that I have spent months here, learning and training, I am reluctant to leave. This place is idyllic, and I've minimized adding things to preserve its natural beauty. There's the hut I created for living quarters, the Tiki bar that Nirvana placed here for me and any other guests, and some beach chairs and umbrellas that can easily be stored in the hut. I also put a small dock in and currently have three glassteel boats tied up: a catamaran, a kyack, and an outrigger canoe. My favorite is the outrigger canoe; it is just big enough to be comfortable on the ocean close to shore, and being glassteel means I can look through the bottom and watch the coral reef.

Glassteel has become one of my favorite spells. Having glass as strong as steel has made crafting things fun and interesting, especially since I can easily magically manipulate and make glass from the beach sand. And that's the other thing that has changed over these months - magic. It started with using Nirvana's cantrips and then advanced when I acquired the OGN.com archive. Now I don't have to use the structures of the spells; some of them are fun - especially Nirvana's cantrips - but now it feels like they are the training wheels on my bicycle.

I have gotten much more accustomed to my avatar, its strengths, and its weaknesses. I have also become more dissatisfied with my choice to be a Siamese cat beastkin. It was nice to remember my first cherished pet and fun to experiment with - especially the tail! Ultimately, I'm ready to be human again. Ideally, my more athletic build from my youth; after all, no reason to take on the attributes of age and injury acquired over my lifetime. While I can do that temporarily with magic, I will have to go back to Horn Point and visit the Church of Money to get the scripts I stored there to change my avatar permanently.

That's the real issue. I haven't been around anybody since I booted Grumpy64 from the island. It's been lonely, but when I return, bad things will happen to people who haven't been seeking out challenges or conflict. I agreed to it, but I have been procrastinating and have no other reason to stay. I have already completed the training I needed to do here. I have even reviewed and researched events and people who appeared on Nirvana's version of the internet. I have some leads and things I want to pursue for my benefit.

I still don't know what happened after I died, and I don't know what Nirvana's ultimate goal is. She's trying to force some kind of mindset or evolutionary step, but that's just preparation for something else. It's frustrating, and I can't see any reason that some of the population should know our history and some should not. I also cannot really justify staying here any longer.

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"ARC, it's time to go back to Horn Point. Let's go in my adventurer persona, and our first destination will be the Church of Money. I'd like to teleport in 10' off the ground and invisible and intangible so we don't create any commotion. We can descend to the path after doing a little recon and enter as just another adventurer."

[Acknowledged. Guise changed to 'Pretty Kitty' and requested states initiated, ready to teleport on your command]

"Let's make Nirvana happy."

--- * ~ * ---

The walkway to the Church of Money doesn't have too much traffic on it, and the gardens to each side of the path have only occasional individuals enjoying them. There are plenty of places to set down and appear without notice. So I walk through the air to an unobserved spot before appearing. I then meander through the garden towards the entryway. As I step onto the walkway, I notice the watchers near the doors to the Church of Money and see that they have taken special notice of me. I approach anyway, unconcerned but prepared should they choose to be unpleasant.

An Amazonian woman speaks first, "Pretty Kitty, we have been posted here by the guild to deliver a message should you come to the church."

"Really? That's quite the investment. Very well, what message do you have?"

Her rather ordinary companion speaks up, "Sir, we are simply to inform you that the guild leadership will meet with you at your convenience, and Auntie requests you visit her at the temple." He stares at me, waiting for a reply.

"Your message is delivered; you can go collect your rewards. If there are others posted around the city, they should be recalled. It's a waste of resources."

The buff woman nervously clears her throat, "Sir, is it true that you know the Oracle?"

"I do. Why do you ask?"

She and her companion shift away from the door, perhaps to help make sure we aren't blocking it, but more likely to reduce being overheard. Nervously, she asks, "Is he really going to start a world war?"

"I think, based on what I have seen and heard, that it has less to do with what he wants and more with what Nirvana desires. He has not expressed a desire to wage war to me. I think he expects one to take place as he works to accomplish Nirvana's will."

Her companion asks, "Then he's not out to destroy the zealots?"

"What? Where did you get that idea?"

He responds, "Well, he cast them out into the sea to drown..."

"All those he did that to were either actively attacking the temple or planning to." I smirked, "I think he was frustrated and annoyed more than angry." I stopped smirking and took a more serious stance, "I don't think he enjoyed it at all. I'm sure he was bothered by 'killing' them. Even though we don't stay dead here in Nirvana, I don't think he did it easily."

The adventurers looked at each other, some silent communication passing between them. Then the lass spoke, "Thank you, that helps put some perspective on some of the gossip that has been going around." Nodding, her companion spoke, "We'll share what you said with others. Do you know when the oracle will be returning?"

"I would imagine soon, and I would imagine that there will be some kind of sign that Nirvana is moving forward with her plans. I'd be careful on missions outside of the city walls."

She smiles at me, "Don't worry, sir, the whole guild has reorganized, and many have received boons at the temple. The increased monster activity has been good for business, and the new classes have increased demand for monster parts and other resources. It's been a good few months!"

"Good for you, but if you don't mind, I have some business here."

The man gently touches the shoulder of the woman, and they move around me toward the exit. She waves and says, "Goodbye and good luck!"

I wave and say, "Goodbye." I then turn to the open doors and enter the lobby of the Church of Money.