-Damn. I wish I was still at the MIRE - I sighed. - Eh, then everything was a million times easier…
-Right, sorry I cannot afford to keep all of my employees here the whole day. Then we’d definitely be able to keep your standards… - she said with a considerable spite in her voice.
-I already told you that’s not the issue of manpower. I am just missing technology, that’s all.
-Are you telling me that you’d be able to just fix all this with technology? - laughed Jacob. - Yeah, right.
-I am serious. And it would be more a source of intel than anything else…
-What? Your technology is so all-knowing, huh?
-I wouldn’t say all-knowing, but close to it. Imagine a hive-mind of all information available to people on the palm of your hand.
-That does sound too good to be true… - said For, a bit skeptical.
-I don’t blame you. It was not perfect, there were flaws, but it definitely beat the way things are here. Looking through libraries, asking people, bleh. Too much effort for too little gain, you know…
-Wow… something like this had to be hard to come by…
-Nah. It was just as simple as asking. “Hey, Il, what do you know about Axelrod?”. It’s…
-King Axelrod, current ruler of most of the Suo. First person that has attained relative immortality via use of Origin Crystal. Founder of numerous Guilds, important figure in research of magical binding and void artifacts. Currently at war with the last of the First Arrivals. Do you require to know more?
Everyone froze solid, absolutely stunned and speechless.
I didn’t ever expect to get an answer, and definitely not from the glaze-eyed Goldie. Using that weird robotic voice to boot.
-What the fuck.
Yeah, that. I think everyone in the room shared that thought all at once.
-Er… so that’s how the information would be presented…? - said Kon quietly, breaking the awkward silence in which we were now staring at Goldie.
-You don’t answer me but talk to him?! - Jacob was flabbergasted. - And what the hell is that? Immortality? You know about the Origin Crystals?!
Of course, he didn’t get a reply. Goldie was back to staring into space.
-How the hell do you know that?! - I finally managed to say. - And why are you telling me that?!
This time, he was silent.
-I guess that was a one time thing? - muttered For, also perplexed.
-I don’t understand what’s going on any more… - moaned Jacob, sitting down on the floor.
-Mor, try asking a different question! - Iloa was the calmest person, or just the first one that managed to get herself to think clearly. - Something else that he shouldn’t know! Or ask him to tell us more!
Right. He asked me that…
-Caleb, can you tell me more? More about Axelrod? - I tried continuing the… er, article? I guess.
But the reply didn’t come. Just like with Jacob, he was staring into space with no visible reaction.
-Nothing? Hm…
-Can anyone explain what the hell just happened?! - yelled, now annoyed, Jacob. - Who was that one talking! It was clearly not my brother! What’s this creature that is posing as him?
-Could it be that it’s Odar…? Or something like him? - pondered For.
-The werefera…? Aren’t those things supposed to be intelligent? - I said, not fully understanding what we are dealing with. - But this thing is more like… hell, it is just like a piece of technology…
-A void artifact…? Like that thing you brought to Axelrod?
-My brother is a… technology?! What do you mean?!
-Not “a technology”, made using… you know, never mind the explanation, but if he is, there’s a lot more questions to be answered now - I said. - But that one can be easily tested.
-Tested? How!?
-Give me a knife and I’ll show you.
I think I sounded a lot more intimidating than I wanted to, because both Jacob and For looked at me with fear.
I rolled my eyes.
-I didn’t mean it like that. Sure, do it yourself. As far as I know, no piece of technology is going to bleed while stabbed.
The explanation didn’t help my case.
-Oh, come on, you can just poke him. But I doubt that’s the case… It’s impossible really. It would’ve meant that this place is far more advanced than even MIRE was.
-Is that really so impossible? - asked Kon.
-It’s not. But if it was, we’d be already found, imprisoned, killed, the elven war won and maybe not even started in the first place.
-How do you even…
-Maybe instead of asking, Jacob, do go and check. If I am incorrect I will give you an explanation, because I am not going to be spitballing…
Jacob still was unsure, but stood up and approached him cautiously.
Even after unsheathing a blade, Goldie didn’t move a muscle. Same as when the blade reached his hand and red blood started dripping from his finger.
-See? Told you. Still as fleshy as all of us… Well, most of us. I honestly don’t know if that’s a good thing…
-Not a good thing?! That my brother is still himself?! Or…
-Yeah, I’d not go so far as saying that he’s himself… That’s the problem… There's only one thing that I can think of in this current situation that would explain this… at least a little bit.
-Why do I have a feeling that it’s connected to the Origin Crystal…?
-Because it is.
-Everything wrong is connected to that damn thing… - muttered For. - The more I hear about it, the less I understand…
-And you said that it’s so powerful and amazing… Well, anyway, yes. I think somehow, Axelrod managed to stuff an Origin Crystal inside him. And it is now taking over.
-Taking over?! Why?
-That is a good question. No idea.
-Right… why did it… why did it answer? - asked Jacob. - It’s… it was like it was reading something from a book.
-Yeah…
-Yeah, and by the way, why did you call it ill? What, you think that thing might be sick?
-Sick…? What are you…
Now she was the one confusing me. I didn’t say anything like…
Wait. I used the name… but why did it react…?
-No, not sick. I used a name. Il, short for ILMA. It was how we were asking for information… the name of our… helper, but she’s…
-I still hate that you used her name as the codename for the project…
-Do I need to remind you that it was not my idea? Blame your husband.
-I will add it to the list. Right after this weird abomination of…
-Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It still can be just a coincidence…
-Like hell it is. Come on, try it again. I bet it’s going to work, though.
I didn’t want to say, but I had a feeling that she was right.
-Damn, I hope we are wrong… - I mumbled to myself and took a big breath. - Okay. Let’s see… ILMA, please tell me more about Axelrod.
-Axelrod, currently aged 42 years old visually and biologically. Chronological age is more than one hundred, the birth date cannot be clearly defined. Place of birth cannot be defined. Race: human revenant. His last known location is the capital, Arbo. According to this individual, he currently is in a stalemate with a leader of the elves, who has captured his wife, Melle, and his child, Ilma. Their whereabouts are unknown.
The reply came with the robotic voice right from the Goldie.
Damn. So she was right… But how in the hell did she…
-What. The. Fuck.
Jacob was clearly not happy.
-What do you mean “this individual”?! What are you?!
No answer.
-You need to ask her directly - I explained, slumping onto the nearby chair. - And that, is, I have no fucking idea how, ILMA.
-Ilma?! Who’s Ilma?! Who are you Ilma!?
The last one was directed at Goldie. This time the answer came right away, and I don’t think it was one he wanted to hear.
-ILMA. Infinitely Learning Magical Algorithm. An artificial intelligence developed by the MIRE, Magical Institute of Rediscovery and Education. Currently inhabiting the body of Caleb Moi. Reason: unknown.
-There you go - I said in the silence that fell on the room. - Even she has no idea how she got here.
-I mean… wow.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
For was more amazed than anything.
-I knew that you were weird, but to make something like this…
-I never said I did. I just know people who did - I shrugged.
-Can those people get that thing out then?! - asked Jacob immediately. - What is that even?
-I already explained multiple times. It is an artificial intelligence, or, in simple terms, man made person, or at least as close as we could get to creating one.
-Is that the thing you said you used to get all that information…? - asked Kon, clearly amazed by this development. - Wow…
-It’s not a “thing” - I said, a bit annoyed. - And not exactly. What I used was the network which she was connected to, functioning as a very effective assistant.
-Wait… so she can do all those things…? Look for information, and all that?
-Sure. But the problem is that the network doesn’t exist here any more.
-And how can you be so sure? I mean, yeah, you are far away from your home, but… maybe it’s not…
-I doubt that, but hey, we can check - I said, shrugging. - ILMA, what’s your network status?
-Global network: offline. Cannot connect. Local network: offline. Cannot connect to the MIRE database.
-There you go.
-What does that mean though? How did we end like this?! If that’s something… or someone that you know, why in the hell did she attack us? - asked Jacob.
-That is another good question. Go ask her.
-Er… Why did you attack us, ILMA?
-Reason: unauthorized access to the heart chamber. Unauthorized use of magic. Unauthorized access to the MIRE building.
-But this is not MIRE!
She had no reply for that.
-I assume that she got a bit confused after… appearing inside your brother. I can’t blame her, she was not designed to randomly appear somewhere like that.
-So why isn’t she attacking now?
-She can’t. No magic.
-Like that stopped her before. She slugged the trio downstairs pretty badly.
-And you think that would’ve worked on you?
-Of course not!
-Precisely. Especially after seeing what happened. I assume that she got them by surprise. And since for us it’s out of the question, she wanted to use magic. Then it failed. So she literally has no way of attack.
-And you’re telling me that she figured out that just after looking at us?!
-Yep. She is smarter than any of us. Even without access to databases and previous records, she can think logically and is a lot more efficient than any human. It’s essentially superior in this regard.
-In this regard? From my standpoint she looks like, straight up, an upgrade from a regular human… - pointed out For.
-She was supposed to be - I muttered. - But she isn’t yet. She lacks quite a bit.
-Yeah… she sounds… weird.
-That’s… well, that is just a small issue. She did have a voice, but I guess the weird transfer to your brother has broken that part… or maybe it is just the lack of access to the MIRE that broke…
-She did sound a bit different once or twice… - mumbled For.
-I’d love to hear all about that Institute of yours and your job, but, please, tell me, what the hell can we do now!? I can’t just leave my brother like that! - Jacob was clearly not amused about the state of current affairs.
-I have absolutely no idea - I said flat out. - It’s not something I thought I would see… especially after seeing MIRE in ruins…
-To think that our project would survive longer than our whole MIRE… that’s… something…
-And to think that we essentially succeeded… somehow…
-I realize that the main issue here is your brother… but there’s another problem that is connected. How the hell are we supposed to be sure that she won’t attack us again? - asked For.
-Already told you that she’s not that dumb. If there’s no logical way to proceed, she will just wait on standby.
-And that’s good and all, but that still doesn’t prevent the situation where, I don’t know, we are weakened by something. Or one of us is missing. Looking mostly at you, Mor.
Right. Even without magic I was still one of the most dangerous people in the room. And most durable. For was probably right that it was just my presence that stopped ILMA from attacking again.
-Yeah, yeah. You’re right. But I think I can still fix that… ILMA. Add currently present people to the list of MIRE employees.
-What the hell are you…
-Operation currently unavailable. Access is restricted.
-Huh…
-Weird. I’d have thought that I’d still have clearance… Did someone mess with her after…
-It’s more likely that the whole appearance here has wrecked just more than her connection. She probably is less than useful…
-Yet she had some info that was pretty interesting…
-Sure, thanks to the fact that she’s possessing Caleb.
-Right… I was wondering, how the hell is he still not awake… I would’ve thought that he’d woken up by now.
-You really think that he’s still there?
-You said it yourself. His mana is strange, like the mix of two. Meaning that there’s something still besides her inside. After all, if it was just really her, we’d recognize it instantly, wouldn’t we…
-I guess…
-I never agreed to be an employee of your weird institute! - protested Jacob, but I just shrugged.
-I was only doing that so she wouldn’t attack any of you on sight. But as you heard, it failed. I assume that’s thanks to the lack of crucial data that was lost when we appeared here…
-Yeah, I was about to ask that… how in the hell did she appear here?! Inside his body to boot?
-ILMA, how did you appear inside this body?
-Historical data unavailable.
-Oh great, so we won’t even be able to know that - I muttered, annoyed. - ILMA, can you at least tell me how long you are in this world?
-Question unrecognized. No parameter known as “this world”.
-Should’ve known better… she still thinks that we are still in the MIRE after all…
-”This world”...? - asked For, a bit unsure. - Are you serious? I mean, I know that you are definitely not from this country… or the continent even… But is that really true…?
-You tell me - I shrugged. - In my world there definitely were no waterfalls on the edge of the world that were shrouded in mana.
-Shrouded in mana…?
-Right, you can’t see that… We’ve been near the edge recently and I was able to see the falls. The area behind it was covered in mana. While a bit far, I could tell that much.
-That’s… strange.
-Strange? More strange than the whole waterfall on the edge?
-Very - she said passionately. - Are you sure that you are correct?
-As much as I can be… - I said, a bit intrigued. - Kon saw that too, right, Kon?
-Yes… although for me it was a very thin layer… but it was just probably because of the distance…
-Are you positively sure that it was not just a spray of water or something?
-Yes! Why are you so adamant about this?
-That’s… concerning. See, I… There is a little bit more to the Edge… all the Edges as a matter of fact.
-Oh great.
-Less than great. See… I knew that the castle was built on the leyline… maybe not broken, but still. And it’s the same with all the other Edges, or guild headquarters.
-So all of them are called Edges?
-Because they are all placed at the edges of the world. And not as the “world” in a physical sense, that 's where the waterfalls are. It’s the place where the leylines end. They do not go further than the Guilds.
-So what? You think that the end of the leyline marks the end of the mana?
-Isn’t that the case?
-You tell me - I shrugged. - I come where the leylines stretch through the whole world. We don’t have something like the edge that would just cut off everything. The closest thing I can imagine would be space, but I’m not so sure about that either…
-Space?
-Right… Well, first off, I lived on a large ball. A planet, suspended in an infinite void. Space is just the area between us and any other planet.
She gazed at me with skepticism, but did not comment. Probably for the better. After all, in her eyes I probably looked like an insane person. To be honest, she was looking for me like that too.
-Let’s not think much about the shapes or whatnot - I said, seeing her distaste - but what does the fact that I’ve seen some mana near the waterfalls matter? For all we know that’s just some residue left there because of some accident or something.
-Or just that barrier that we’ve seen - reminded me Kon.
Probably getting some help from Iloa.
-Barrier?
-Yea. When we were on that island, we saw a large tablet with some kind of magical transporting spell, I think. We assumed it was to either make people turn away from the edge, or something that would save them if someone was to fall off.
-Something like this doesn't exist! You can’t just have an infinite portal like this!
-Oh, you can. And I’ve seen something like this already, although on a very small scale in comparison.
-What?! Where?! When?!
-A while ago? Why are you so interested? - I asked, a bit curious. - What, you want to protect your island like that?
-No! I mean, that is an interesting idea, but…
-And it could even work! We do have a source of mana, a good base to place the spell… hm…
-Yeah, but it would be kind of pointless with all those anchors floating about. You’d be able to just teleport inside without issue.
-Now, when you mention it… do those even work now? I mean we messed up the whole setup quite a bit.
-Hm…
-...this magic is forgotten! I have only been able to read some mentions of it a long time ago, in the old tomes from… that place.
-Well, I am happy to tell you that there’s a place that uses that magic pretty easily. And you have under your custody at least one person that is responsible for its maintenance.
-Who?! Don’t tell me…
-It’s Jack - I nodded. - I couldn’t believe it either. But both of us were tinkering with it, too. I never thought much of it. Why are you so shaken about this?
-Shaken?! It’s something that my ancestors wrote and I thought I would never be able to see it again! Where is it!? How can I do it?!
-Okay, hold your horses. We have more pressing matters at hand. And besides, if you agree to take those kids under your wing, Jack for sure will have to at least make you pass through it. And if you are persistent enough you definitely will be able to read the incantation.
It seemed like she was pondering something.
-You aren’t kidding? Is it really that easy?
-Er.. yeah? I can’t see the problem? - I said, taking a peek at Kon, but he just shrugged.
I guess he also didn’t think much of it.
-Fine. I will do it then. Where are they?
-Island not far off from the coast of Kruro, I think? - I said, trying to remember the place. - I am not sure if it has any name…
-That close?!
-Yeh. Just don’t try and leave right now, we…
-I know, I know! Besides, I still have questions. Like, you said that you’ve seen another one somewhere? Where?!
-Ah, right… Although I am not sure that it’s the same, it was in the place we landed after we… experimented a bit.
-Yeah, you mentioned that. Any distinctive features? I want to find that place too!
-Not really. Somewhere close to the edge though, a small rocky island. Doubt you’re going to find it on your own.
-With that description, surely not.
-Don’t blame me. It was really that barren. Underground was more interesting.
-Yeah… the prison… something that’s been flooded…
She started thinking frantically, like she was trying to remember something.
-Say, do you think it’s possible that you’ve found another Edge?
-Yeah, Kon and the others mentioned that…
-I mean, that’s possible… - said Kon. - But I don’t really know which one nor if it was really one…
-Yeah… Edges are pretty hard to pin down…
-Weren’t they supposed to be on the “edges of the world”? Doesn’t that narrow down the search quite a bit?
-Yeah, and what? You think someone has time or enough resources to send an expedition to look for them? And why would they even do that?
-Also - I realized, listening to her - why do you even want to search for them? Since they are guild headquarters, don’t you just need to ask a mage from one?
-Oh sure. But you first need to find one of them, right?
-Well, I found you.
-I would like to say that was a bit of an unusual circumstance. Besides, Red Mages are quite open, so even without your anomalous appearance, you’d be able to track us down. We did have the security for a reason.
-Hm. Okay, what about Blue? Don’t they work for Axelrod?
-Yeah, sure. But try getting the information out of one of them. Good luck with that.
-Well, you might be able too… you have Eicam and Abes under your command.
She looked at me with confusion.
-I understand Abes, he’s worked under Charsh, sure. But Eicam? What does he have to do with that?
-Er… he is with them too? Or was? - I replied, a bit put off.
-What the hell are you talking about? He’s been with us for a long time.