Your disposition with Amets has changed from neutral to neutral+.
“Now that you’ve prepared lunch for the masses, the goddess willingly gives you a boon. What do you seek? Health, magic, or resistance to bowel movements?”
“Wait…What?”
“Just messing with you kid. You don’t get a boon from cooking that you don’t earn yourself.”
“What does the goddess do, then?”
Amets shoveled up some rice. “Aside from making people uncomfortable? And maybe serving as a place to come back to life if you’ve been unfairly hacked to death by a miscreant? We can also adjudicate jobs, which I’ve always thought was strange.”
“What is job adjudication?”
Amets rolled her eyes again. “Fine. But after I tell you, we’re getting another pint and you have to tell me a story from your before time. Fair?”
Flor nodded.
“You know about the base job system, right? No!? My goddesses, what do they teach you plebes? Should I start before then? I guess I must. Pour me a beer, though. That’s a love. So, you started as about a nothing, right? Typical of a birthing. But the next day you’re fully qualified to pick up a sword or a pen or a pitchfork. The goddess guides you, and I’ll be honest since you’re players…you’re directed to pick a path of scribing or fighting. From there, you split. Those that pick scribing keep on scribing until they become skilled enough to level up. And those that do get another choice - keep on scribing as a scholar, maybe adventure a bit but still focus on party members as a cleric, or do magics as a wizard.
“The fighters enter the stage as a brawler. With enough effort, though, they also have a threefold path. To become a leader of men, a bruiser who focuses on maximizing pain to others, or a fighter willing to learn the various weapons out there and how to use those weapons to destroy others.”
“You’re describing job branching. Is it possible to do multiples?”
“Those that do, do it poorly. This…” Amets gestured generally, “…environment should be fluid, and is not designed for combat. So, pick what is best for you.”
Flor took a sip, realizing her mug was empty.
Amets raised her mug, “Another?”
Flor said, “No.”
“It’s hard to find good people to drink with around here.”
Something like resolve rose within Flor. “Listen. I’m…we’re tired of being run around here. How do we exit this game?”
“Can’t help you there. I’m stuck in it myself.”
“What is our in-game objective, then?” said Flor.
“You’ll have to figure that one out on your own.”
Exasperation set into Flor. “Do you at least have a cat here that I can pet?”
----------------------------------------
Congratulations! You have pet a cat!
You have met Monsieur. {Cat 021 is a Chartreux called Monsieur, although his real name is (indecipherable). As the temple cat, Monsieur has armed up his cohort and is well prepared to reject the entrance of moths and other flying insects. There is a serious under sight against the termites that chew on the temple’s beams, though.}
Congratulations! You have unlocked Daemon 2!
Flor remained vigilant since the last time a daemon had surprised her and she had fallen off a roof. Nothing happened after she waited a minute. “Alastair, did you get an advanced daemon notification?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Yes. We probably have to summon them.”
“Amets, do you mind if we summon our daemons here?”
“Sure. Just don’t let them drink my beer.”
Flor selected the daemon interface and called on Kec. Flor was sure she felt the additional weight as Kec materialized in her pocket and climbed up on her shoulder.
“You rang, madam?”
“What!? You talk now?”
“Well, I spoke before,” said Kec. “Although you couldn’t understand me until you unlocked that portion of the interface.”
Alastair had called on ETC. The bunny-bird was flying around his head chattering away with great animation. It was distracting. “Amets, can I use the room next door for privacy?”
Amets nodded and said, “Sure. Wait? You don’t mean the kitchen? Dapper little chipmunk looks clean, but what if you’re in there and a health inspector comes in? Ha! Kidding. We don’t have those here…”
Flor took Kec into the foyer and sat on the floor. “So, I’ve been calling you Kec. Are you okay with that?”
“I prefer the use of my full name. It is Kester Elliott Callach, so you don’t have to check your interface.”
“Kester Elliott Callach is a mouthful. How about just Kester?”
“That may be an acceptable compromise.”
“Other than talking that I can understand, what new abilities do you bring, Kester?”
“You should now be able to see your accumulated rage, which currently stands at four.”
“About that…what does rage do?”
“Rage has a few functions. It may also drive you mad, as in insane, and make tactical errors in normal conversations. Sometimes you can inflict extra damage in combat. The full capabilities of rage are slightly more complex than that. I can recite the manual definition if you like.”
“No, no. That’s adequate. {Really, she should have listened. She’s overlooking an important factor that might influence how she played the game.} Other than rage and talking, what else have we unlocked?”
“Well, though me, or other advanced daemons, I can provide you supplementary information, similar to how I just did about rage.”
“Can you give me an example related to cats?”
“Of course, madam. There are one hundred forty-four pet-able cats in the Sheljour Isles. Thirty-two of those reside in West Shilgrave. You have petted twenty-one of those one hundred forty-four.”
“Can you tell me how the advancements work? It seems we unlock them more slowly than we did initially.”
“It’s based on the Fibonacci sequence, so yes, further advancements will unlock more slowly. You’ll receive your next advancement at thirty-four cats.”
“Can you tell me what those next advancements are?”
Kester shook its head no. “I am not allowed to share that information with you.”
“Okay. Can you explain why we have to make up our objectives? Why aren’t there game-defined objectives?”
“There should be. Let me check.” Kester went into a trance and emerged a bit later. “Curiously, that should have been one of the first advancements unlocked. I can see your current objectives and translate them to you.”
“Yes, please. Finally.”
“They are tiered. I shall begin with the higher level and work my way down. The highest listed objective is to complete the island. Below that is to complete the city, then bring the mayor to light.”
“Is that all? Take out the evil mayor? Complete the city? Are there specifics on how to complete the city?”
“While I’m only a daemon, madam, I infer that completing the city links with bringing the mayor to light. But you have already completed several objectives along the way. Would you like me to read those, as well?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“These are sequential, based on when you accomplished them. Remove the manacles. Find employment. Complete, for brevity, this-or-that puzzle. Craft an item. Pet a cat. Visit the Procession. Join the Search Party. There are more.”
“We have been a bit aimless. Yet we’ve accomplished more than I realized. That adds some clarity.”
“Happy to help, madam. Is there anything else I can assist you with?”
“Where do you go when I unsummon you?”
“As an artificial being in a simulated environment, I simply reside alongside your interface.”
“Is there anything else you recommend I ask you?”
Kester looked thoughtful. “That’s a bit more open-ended than I’m allowed to answer. But, seeing as I am ever present, you only need to summon me again to ask anything that comes to your mind.”
“Oh, that’s a good one. Will NPCs react if I keep you out while moving around?”
“Daemons are a rarity amongst the population. You might be noticed more if you do so, but I’m unlikely to cause random characters to interact with you. However, you have seen the result of at least one interaction with a character who has an aversion to us.”
“Huh. Okay. We’ll, Amets doesn’t seem to mind, so I’ll keep you out for now.” Kester climbed on her shoulder as she walked back into the lounge. Alastair was still chatting with Etc, and Amets was observing their interaction.
Alastair looked up with a goofy grin on his face. “Etc gave me some good pointers on doing the cryptograms. I might be able to complete one next time I try, which according to Amets is probably necessary if I remain on the scribe path.”
“That’s good. Did you ask him if he can confirm we can find the items necessary to craft the temporal chrono?”
“Oh, no. That’s good, though. Where can we find a case, a spring, an escapement, and a gear set?”
The skavader said, “The advice the shopkeeper gave you is as good as any. You haven’t even looked yet. Try the clock tower.”
“Well, I guess we ought to get to it. And to make some more batteries. Thanks, Amets, for not being a typical terrible church.”
“Come back if you want to talk more or chop more vegetables or just drink beer, yeah?”
“Yeah, we’ll be sure to do that.”