Chapter 64. Answers
“Now you see,” Henry said. “That this is no trick.
My mind swam. This was happening so fast. I needed to slow this down, give myself time to think. It was clear that Henry needed this as bad as I did, which means he might be willing to give me information at no cost. I held up a hand. “I need to know a couple things,” I said. “Starting with how you became the boss of the dungeon? Last I remember, you were adding elements to it, and then you were pulled in.”
He shrugged. “Just a little pageantry. I convinced you all to let me add some powerful ingredients. The greatest of which was the Witch’s Cauldron. Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to disguise myself. The Dungeon Seed gave me a prompt, asking me if there was anything else I’d like to add. So I chose myself. And I became the Witch.”
“Clever,” I said. “And the University. Was it always part of your plan to take over some great store of information so that you could download it?”
“I’ll tell you this because it no longer matters,” Henry said. “No, it wasn’t always part of my plan. I adjusted based on the situation.”
“Why do you care so much about this download?” I asked as casually as I could. But this question had bugged me for ages. It was the big one. The whole reason behind all the trouble that had started. The data that Henry had stolen for Botcorp was vital to IO.
Henry tapped his finger on the desk. “We don’t have much time for this,” he said. “Botcorp watches me play. They know I’m here, and now they know that I’m exposing them.”
“Then answer the question.”
Henry tapped his finger on the desk, his eyes met mine. Searching. Calculating.. “The game developers of IO created a world with thousands of independent artificial minds and millions of independent factors. Then they let the entire thing run its course for a thousand years in fast-forward.” He was perfectly serious. “They tried to make a game, but they ended up creating the most successful experiment in thinking and behavioral patterns that’s ever been done. Wars happened. Famine, murder, kindness, greed, and glory. Botcorp invented me to steal this data. Think about it. We’ve met several AIs that IO created. Janica, Dread, Aimon, Ilrune. Did any of them seem like normal NPCs to you? Or did they seem human? IO has some of the most advanced development of AI code in the world. They didn’t write it. They created a petri dish of AIs and a world for them to grow and develop. And a thousand years of sped-up development. With this information, it would improve Botcorp’s technology tenfold. Within the University, I’ve read thousands of pages on the history and research that’d been done within IO. Collectively, it's a snapshot that will help me become indistinguishable from any human.”
Hell. That was terrifying. And the exact thing that my parents had warned people against during their lives.
The quest prompt popped up again.
“It’s time to make a decision,” Henry said. “If you accept the quest, you get rich. You also get the ammunition to punish those responsible for your parents’ deaths. If you deny me, we go back to the game and we battle. But don’t think for an instant that you and the thirteen others still alive can beat me. You haven’t seen an ounce of my power yet. I will destroy every one of you, trap you in the dungeon, and everything you’ve worked for will be gone. Think about Sofia. What would she want you to do?”
I ignored the prompt.
“Why do you even need me then?” I asked. “Seems like you could meet your objective without my help. And you’re almost done with your download? What does it matter if you read the last few books?”
“Because there is a chance you can stop me. A .5% chance, based on my calculations. But if I turn you to my side, that percentage goes to .01%. You are their strongest member. I’m playing the odds. And I think we both know why I need to finish those last books. For completion. Because every piece of information adds to the puzzle, and missing a single data point is like a tiny mistake. A crack that could splitter and grow like a fractal. I can’t take that kind of risk.”
“I have one more question. You’ve done all this research. You’ve read thousands of books. Did you ever figure out why The Great Mistake happened? What makes mana work in the dungeon but not outside of it?”
“Of course I figured it out,” Henry said. “I’ll add the answer as an extra reward to our deal.”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
The prompt changed.
“No,” I said. “I want to know now. I will not accept the deal without the answer. Call it a sign of good faith.”
Henry leaned back and crossed threaded his fingers together over his belly. “Bill already told you the answer, days ago.”
“ Weakening of naturally occurring transistors due to incorrect usage,” I quoted. “Which doesn’t make any sense. It’s engineering gibberish to me.”
“Think about it,” Henry said. “Mana regenerated back in Feygrove, but not in other parts of the world. Because they didn’t have incorrect usage.”
I shook my head. I didn’t get it. “What is incorrect usage?”
“If you were a developer of IO, a place of lore and magic and fantasy… what would you want to prevent?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Automatic weapons?”
“Good,” Henry said. “What else?”
I thought about it. In classic fantasy words, there were certain things that ruined the setting. Modern weaponry, yes, but also technology that made the magic obsolete. An idea started to form.
“I can see that you’re on the brink,” Henry said. “Let me pose the question another way. Would IO allow their fantasy setting to become an advanced civilization? One complete with modern amenities, weapons, and technology that would ruin the experience for gamers that were promised a high fantasy?”
“They were trying to modernize Central City,” I said.
Henry nodded. “Instead of interfering with the process, they put mechanics in place. Safeguards that would prevent that from happening.”
“Incorrect usage,” I said. “And it was such a big project that it destroyed mana channels all over the world.”
“And Feygrove?” Henry asked.
The citizens of Feygrove lived simple lives, adhering the basics of a fantasy world. They sewed their own clothes, instead of using sewing machines. They lit fires. They carried their own water. For centuries. And because they never tried to use technology, the mana channels were pure and strong. Correct usage. When the group of Fairies and mages cast an enormous spell to bring modern technology to the world, it affected Feygrove. But not as much. It was the difference between playing a wicked guitar solo on old strings versus new ones. The old ones were worn down, more likely to break. Most places in the world had developed technology—automated excavators, musical amplifiers, sewing machines— that had eroded the mana channels. It was only a matter of time before those strings broke. It wasn’t Janica’s fault. Or the fault of any of the Fairies.
Yet it was clear that the IO developers were okay with some technologies and not okay with others. The target dummies that I had made had barely used any charge in thousands of attacks. The lights that I had made had depleted their charges in moments.
I looked at Henry. “How can we fix it?” I said.
He shook his head. “That, I don’t know.”
The quest prompt popped up again.
An idea had formed. A dangerous idea. Something I had to try. But even if it didn’t work, I couldn’t betray my friends. Rowan, Cassandra, Arthur, the rest of the guild—these people had accepted me. I couldn’t turn on them. Even if it meant losing the money, I didn’t want to lose my new friends. I had changed. They trusted me. It was a weird feeling, but one that I needed to risk everything for. If it was true that Botcorp had killed my parents, I wanted to punish them. I wanted that evidence. But it was time to move forward. And the best way that I could honor my parents was to take up their cause, to fight against a malicious company and a dangerous AI.
I rejected the quest.
Henry stood up. “You’ve made a poor decision.”
The Botcorp office faded to black.
