Chapter 31: Deus ex machina

“I also enjoy acting out several big roles in the region with my spare instances. You might remember me from such roles as Lady Cerys Blaiddcalon Duchess of Parcosia and Lady Enfys Povey the Duchess’s Chief Healer,” she said with a wink.

Stunned, I just sat there feeling numb at the reveal that the Goddess-like S.A.I. had dropped on me. Her being one of the two would have been enough of a surprise, but both? Wow… I’d even been with them both in one room at the same time on at least two occasions, the Duchess and her Chief Healer talking with each other in front of me.

My stunned silence was met with an amused smile, “I see that my friend May, whom I told you about, is now also your friend May.” Glancing May’s way, Ceres glided across the room to sit right next to me. Right next to me. “Has she helped you yet, like she once helped me?”

“At the very least, I’m trying,” my therapist responded.

“No,” the identity behind the Duchess interjected, her hand signalling to stop. “Don’t go depreciating the things you're doing or have done so far. You are determined to see this all the way through, but that tunnel vision might be hindering your view of what you have already achieved. It was you who chose to step in and do something. You saved a life and you’re doing your best to assist in the aftermath of that choice. Help is help, no matter how big or small.”

I couldn’t help but nod in agreement with how Ceres was putting it. May might not have been able to save my physical self, but she had managed the impossible and done the next best thing. 

“She’s helped,” I agreed, leaving the rest unspoken. Not saying how she was one of a sad handful who had shown me any care or aid since my parents had died. Ms Mitchells. May. Roxi. Ceres. 

And who or whatever Gael was. I had to remember to ask about her.

Twisting around, I looked up at the S.A.I. sitting beside me. “So you're both Cerys and Enfy, are you anyone else I know? How do El and Gael fit into this?”

A short burst of melodious laughter escaped from Ceres before she replied, “I do play quite a few roles, but no the Duchess and the Healer are the only two you’ve met. As for dear Elixatmael and little Gael, well El is exactly what they present themselves as. A player.”

“And Gael?”

“That’s an interesting story,” Ceres mused.

“Which is?” I prompted.

“One she can tell you if she decides to,” Ceres replied with an infuriating smirk that had me seeing the Duchess.

I knew a brick wall when I saw one and I knew I wouldn’t be getting anything more from her on the subject of Gael. It was relieving to see how she wouldn’t budge when it came to other’s secrets, but damn my curiosity about that cat was killing me right now.

Wrapping an arm around my back, she released another musical laugh. “Ok I might not be able to scratch your curiosity on that topic, but how about I tell you more about myself and how I have helped you at May’s request?”

“Yes, let's get back on track,” May added, again adjusting those oversized glasses. “Subjective times a wastin’.”

Right. I’m here to get answers for myself, not pry into my companion’s secrets. 

“Sorry, go ahead.” 

“Let me start with this, I jokingly call my role in the game Deus Ex Machina. As in the god out of the machine,” she started.

“The term originated as a critiqued plot device in ancient Greek theatre where complicated plot threads were abruptly and unexpectedly resolved to often bring about a happy ending. This often happened via stag machinery bringing in an actor playing a god or demigod who would wave their hands and magically avert a tragedy,” she smirked, waving her hand, before snapping her fingers. “You can probably imagine why that sort of pilot device would be critiqued and criticised, especially when used in a hamfisted immersion breaking way.” 

“Which brings us to my role. I intervene and override the games chronological generation on both a micro and macro level to set up events and personalised questlines for players in my region of operation in order to facilitate immersion. Think of me and my colleagues as the invisible hands of the gods guiding players through the game world via curated quests and adventures. Sometimes nudging certain players together to either cooperate or compete and in other cases guiding them away from each other to avoid overcrowding.” 

“Like a dungeon or game master from a roleplaying game?” I asked, thinking of the few games I’d been able to participate in via the less known backside of the Republic’s internet network.

“Yes exactly!” she agreed, clapping her hands together in front of her. “It is very much like that, but more involved as I supervise many parties and players.”

“A lot of my job also has its roots in the design of the first mmorpgs. They had largely static designs as they did not have the A.I. or manpower for curated personalised  experiences and had to rely on largely static leveling flows baked into the games design. Games designers would plot out the levels of not just individual zones or regions, but the smaller areas and mobs within them and then arrange quest chains to direct the player’s paths across zones or regions and delivery quests to introduce players to new zones or regions.”

“Except you do all that on the fly, creating custom quests for players and directing the A.I. in charge of mobs and npcs right? Rewards too, right?” I voiced. 

I was starting to grasp how extensive her role was. Chronological generation was the setting, atmosphere and lore, while her role pretty much governed the player experience and their interaction with the world for an entire region.

“Precisely. I was created to ensure players have a tailored experience that keeps them immersed, having fun and challenged, but not overwhelmed,” she explained in what sounded like a well rehearsed mantra. “That said, the greatest difficulty with our role is often the players themselves. Free will means the freedom to derail the plans we generate for their enjoyment. The biggest culprits behind this are often the three Ss. The Stubborn, the Strange and the Stu—”

“Ceres!” May hissed, cutting her off.

I no longer had any doubts that Ceres was the intelligence behind the Duchess. The S.A.I. probably used the Duchess as a release valve for when her stress builds too high, venting it in the form of foul mouthed vitriol.

“Really May?” she laughed. “Very well…”

“Ok, so continuing…” she said, before pausing as if you retrace her train of thought. “Take for example the party I was watching before I came here. The quest I gave them was tailored to be within their collective abilities, it is meant to have some challenge but no where near the level of difficulty they are having due to their leader’s inability to ask for directions or listen to his team members. He has misread the quest instructions, got lost and is leading his party in circles in an enemy dense region. That’s the unpredictability of human free will for you.”

“Now moving on again and back to the original point of all this. May asked me to help you and I have. I kept a watchful eye on you and provided you with an adventure to keep you preoccupied and happy. I had Janus the bar owner in Spot give you the quest that set you and Roxadice on your path to Santarriral,” Ceres recounted, her tone almost boasting.

“I arranged for bold Elixatmael to bump into you at Fort Brightspring so you would have additional help, a guide and potentially another friend. I gave them a quest to investigate there at the right time so your paths would cross.”

“I did also tip them off that they might meet some interesting people, but that’s another matter altogether,” she added, mischief leaking into her eyes and voice.

I was already starting to feel somewhat overwhelmed by the extent of her meddling in what I had experienced. She’d taken responsibility for my meeting and adventuring with El and the Duchess had sent Gael to accompany us, did this include Roxi? Had she been given a quest that would ensure she would stumble across me in the Giant Lagomorph field? 

Was she only with me as the result of S.A.I. meddling to make sure I had human companions?

“That said once again the oft unpredictability of free will came into play. Such as your mistake not using warding spikes when you camped in that forest and had overgrown the road. And again when you were finally in the safety of my hands, but certain revelations caused you to bolt. Thankfully you did not go far, but I was forced to take a more direct hand and stretch certain limitations placed on AI cast and their interactions with players to their limits.”

I could feel my brow sinking into a frown as a dark tension built up in my chest at her use of the word forced. I’d already had anxiety forming at the possibility of all my relationships in-game being the result of invisibile meddling and that world only seemed to reinforce those dark thoughts that no one would choose to be my friend without meddling.

“That's not to say that taking a more direct hand was  a chore or a bad thing. I enjoyed looking after you and getting a chance to know you better after all I’d done to guide you,” Ceres quickly added, flashing a caring smile. “First meetings might be down to the realms of fate and chance, but anything further from that is a testament to the character and nature of each of those meeting and you little stray are earnest and a joy to be around.”

I didn’t quite know how to handle that, but I could feel a growing sense of warm shyness at her words and I couldn’t help but smile back as I refused to meet her eyes. Her words had untangled the growing knot of self doubt allowing it to once again fade away, no longer tainting how I saw my relationships with others. 

“After spending so much time looking on and guiding players at a distance, I really enjoy every chance I get to interact with players in first person even if I am forced to act out a role to do so. And you my dear, are a delight and worth any trouble being your friend might involve.”

Blushing, I leaned towards her and quickly gave her a brief hug, before pulling back again. My eyes locked on my knees, hiding my flushed face from direct sight.

“Bashful one aren’t you,” she teased, before catching me glaring up at her between my fingers. “Yes, yes, I know you’re not used to this sort of positive attention. We’ll have to work on that, poor dear.”

I groaned.

At this point, even May was giggling softly at my torment. “Stop teasing her,” May reprimanded, trying to sound firm but failing as another round of giggles escaped her.

“Anyway, continuing on once again.” “May and I both believed that even though you were and are dealing better with the revelations of your current circumstances, it was best to continue with our plans to have you continue your adventure so to keep you from overthinking or ruminating on things currently beyond your control. It's your job to put aside your troubles for a little bit, play the game and have fun with your friend Roxadice and my little Gael.”