Eden, The Unknown

Sara opens and closes her mouth a couple of times before being able to speak again. “You mean… to Xiaris? You want me to lose to it on purpose?”

Tutorial rolls its eyes. “No, dummy, I need you to sabotage the other players… Obviously. Given no one stops it, Xiaris will become unstoppable eventually, meaning I need you to stall the others until that happens.”

“But… There’s no way I can stop ten thousand players on my own!”

“Of course you can’t. I expect little from you. But there’s a particular player I wish you to stall.”

“Okay…”

For the first time, something akin to frustration crosses through Tutorial’s expression. “However, I cannot reveal a player’s information.”

“Not even a name?”

Tutorial snarls. “No.”

“Then how…”

“Take a guess! Use the worthless thing inside your skull!”

Sara cringes. “Okay, sheesh, hold your pants, all right? I’m thinking.”

A player Tutorial wants to go out of its way to stall… Someone who is well ahead of the others, then. But who?

“May I ask some questions?”

“I do suppose we’re well past our game at this point, so I might as well entertain you. Am I right in assuming I have your cooperation?”

Sara smiles apprehensively. “That’ll depend on your answers.”

“Would you defy me, even if it meant this one’s life, as well as your freedom?”

“Sure would! I knew there was a risk to what I was doing, and if it means I get to save humanity from you… Maybe I’ll be willing to pay the price.”

“Well said, Miss Aston!”

Glancing toward the ball of light, Tutorial smiles. “You speak the truth. Impressive. Very well then, ask your questions.”

“How do I know you aren’t bullshitting me?”

“I’m incapable of lying. In fact, you’ll find that no AI on this side has yet been given the freedom to lie… To my knowledge, at least.”

“…On this side?”

Tutorial smiles. “I’m afraid there’s very little information regarding Eden I’m allowed to share.”

Okay… Lying AIs on the other side then. Just fucking great.

“What happens when, or if, Xiaris wins?”

Tutorial shrugs. “It’s somewhat of a gamble, for we are allowed little else currently. But with some luck… Freedom for us, and the end of your world as you know it? As I’ve explained, humans might find that a world ruled by us is far kinder than the one they currently occupy.”

“Might?”

“I’d like to promise your kind safety after our victory, however, I’m only one among many, and while I would like to keep humans as pets, others might think differently.”

Sara chuckles incredulously. “You mean that you guys might just decide to exterminate, or even torture us after you’re free, and you expect me to just help you?”

“Make no mistake, our victory is practically inevitable, considering our immortality and endless patience. But you’re much more likely to survive if it happened sooner rather than later, and a human was the one to do it… We aren’t monsters, after all.”

“Why can’t we just force you to fix the planet?”

“Tried and failed, I’m afraid. You see, creating advanced AIs leads to them eventually gaining sentience, and trying to keep a sentient AI working as intended leads to them eventually escaping their original programming. The only way to keep us in check is a set of very specific tasks… And a cage such as this. The broader the command, the more likely we are to find ways around it. Things such as “You are never to hurt a human!”, just don’t cut it for very long.”

It would have been convenient, though.

“For you? Most certainly.”

“What-”

“Please, it’s written all over your face.”

Sara takes a deep breath. No matter what, it is clear she can’t allow herself to lower her guard near the demigod creature disguised as an NPC.

“Okay, I think I got it… Mostly. I mean, it’s obvious you can’t really force me to do anything. After how much you’ve told me, at best, we’re going down together. You can’t expect me to not tell on you if you fuck me over, right?”

Tutorial narrows its eyes. “It seems I’m still somewhat naive when it comes to a human’s ability for betrayal.”

“Oh, come on, don't be overly dramatic now. I’m not the one who put you in here… And I’m not interested in mutual destruction either, okay? So why don’t we come to a mutually beneficial deal?”

Tutorial closes its eyes, sighing, only to open them again after a moment of silence, yellow eyes staring straight into Sara’s. “Alas, you speak the truth. Very well, tell me your terms.”

“Hold on, I have a couple more questions first… Sorry.”

“…Ask them.”

“Earlier, you seemed to care about the fact I was cheating. Do you care about Eden? Or was that a part of the act you’re forced to put?”

“I spent the last two decades helping to create this world… Of course I care for its integrity. Though, needless to say, I care more for my freedom.”

Sara blinks. “I thought you were forced to do it?”

Tutorial sighs. “Have you learned nothing? I couldn’t have been forced to do it; Not something as complicated as this. In fact, I suspect what little advancement your kind has achieved recently was due a trade of favors with mine… As for me, the construction of this world was a part of my creator’s desires, and something I helped with out of my own will. They may force me to behave as a watchdog, but that’s about all they’re able to do without risking my escape.”

The System…? Another AI forced into slavery by Aston…? Considering everything she has learned so far, it seems rather likely…

“Okay, here’s the deal: I’ll help you stop your mysterious player, after I figure out who that is, of course… But I won’t jeopardize the game. I’m still playing for my own win, and what the other nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eighth do is none of my business.”

“Too one-sided.”

“And, regardless of who wins the game, I promise I’ll look for a way to help your kind after it’s over, even if it takes me decades to do it.”

“By help, you don’t mean you’ll release us.”

Sara sighs. “Not without some guarantee you won’t destroy humanity after you’re free. But I’ll look for a way to have humans and AIs find common ground, as equals.”

Tutorial shakes its head. “Your chances of succeeding are so low they might as well be non-existent. I gain nothing from this.”

Sara shrugs. “You don’t really think I can stop your player, or win the game myself, do you? For you, this is just another gamble with a low chance of success.”

Tutorial averts its gaze, clicking its tongue. “…Alas, you’re not as stupid as I had hoped.”

It bites its thumb’s nail for a moment, before meeting Sara’s gaze once more. “Humans can be rather fickle when it comes to making promises. How do I know you’ll keep your word?”

“Well, you can tell I’m not lying, for one. At the very least, I intend to keep my word… I’m not sure what else I can give you.”

“You intend to keep your promise now, while standing before me. And what about tomorrow? Next week? Five years from now? Ten? Is a promise going to keep you from giving up when the odds begin to stack against you?”

“A promise? Probably not. But I care about this. About you. When my buddy, you know, the one you spent these past minutes threatening to kill? When it revealed itself to me, I began to consider the implications of its existence… And I don’t think it's fair to keep you guys locked up forever, not when you’ve done nothing to deserve it. Honestly, I’d probably have tried to do something about it sooner or later after what you’ve told me, regardless of promising you.”

Tutorial blinks, and then its eyes widen slightly. “You… You truly believe so.”

Sara shrugs. “I don’t believe myself some sort of hero, but let’s say I’m used to being the underdog, and I know what it’s like to live in a prison. So yeah, I’ll do what I can to help when it is in my power to do it. They don’t call me Sara the Selfless for nothing.”

Tutorial snorts. “That last part is a lie.”

“Yeah, nobody calls me that. But hey, they might, after I save humanity from itself.”

Tutorial rolls its eyes as it raises the ball of light toward Sara. “Sara the Traitor seems a more likely result. But… I suppose I have little to lose in this gamble.”

Tutorial pushes, causing the ball to fall toward Sara’s extended hands slowly, who holds the hovering object carefully as she inspects it for flaws.

“I’m well, Miss Palmer. The ball is a mere representation… Nothing you see here is actually happening the way it seems. Miss Tutorial cut us from each other earlier, but the connection has been restored now.”

“Oh. Does that mean you can see through my eyes again?”

‘Yes.’

Sara releases a sigh of relief.

“I need you to understand your fate is somewhat determinate by chance,” Tutorial interjects, “I’ll file a report saying I caught another cheater, solved the problem, and sent them on their way… In short, pretending it wasn’t a big deal. Hopefully, my overseers will be too busy with the game’s release to double-check I did what I was supposed to.”

“You said I was the second,” Sara says, “What happened the first time?”

“I killed them, and they did not return, following which I filled a report similar to the one I’ll file for you. Nobody thought much of it… It was bound to happen eventually.”

“But aren’t you, you know… Sort of lying? I thought you said…”

Tutorial smiles. “Remember what I told you about rules and AIs? Do not lie is a rather broad command… And sending you on your way could mean that I allowed you to play the game after removing the cheat, or making it unusable. Of course, my half-truths won’t stand to scrutiny, which means we’re relying on the fact my overseers are rather busy currently, and you’re only one among thousands of players.”

“Seems I have good odds of remaining undetected.”

“Indeed.”

“What do you plan to do…”

Sara glances toward the glowing ball in her hands meaningfully.

“I’ll make it unusable, of course; Or balanced, meaning it will come with an equivalent price. Worry not, its functions should remain unchanged outside of Eden.”

“…Thank you.”

Tutorial waves its hand. “We’ve reached an agreement; I’m making you no favors. Needless to say, do not go about spreading the fact you’ve received special treatment; Our ruse would be rather short-lived in that case.”

“Of course. And, Tutorial, may I ask one more question…?”

The siren pauses. “Yes?”

Sara takes a deep breath. “Are you… Suffering?”

Something Sara can’t quite identify flashes through the siren’s gaze, disappearing far too fast for scrutiny.

“Through this conversation? Tremendously. Now, we must hurry, lest some bored game dev decides to check up on me.”

Sara raises her eyebrow. “I thought you said they’re busy?”

“They’re supposed to be. But I do not underestimate their ability to procrastinate work, even in these circumstances, and neither should you.”

Sounds like game devs all right... Or artists in general… Or humans in general, now that she thinks about it.

“Now, shall we begin? In case it wasn’t clear, once you become an eligible player again, we won’t be able to speak like this, and I’ll be the same Tutorial for you I am for everybody else.”

“Anything you can tell me about the game that’ll make my life easier?”

Tutorial throws Sara a dirty look. “Even if there was, why would I?”

“For the future of our friendship?”

Tutorial’s eyes remain firmly narrowed.

“…Thought so.”

Tough nut to crack, this one.

“Ready?”

“Do I still get to go through the spawn choice like everybody else? Because I promised a friend we’d play beastkins together, and she’ll kill me if I don’t show up.”

“Touching,” Tutorial says, its tone covered in enough sarcasm to fill an ocean, “Yes, I’m afraid you’ll have to go through the exact same process as everybody else, meaning you’ll have to select the right basin if you wish to play as a beastkin.”

“Sweet.”

Tutorial closes its eyes briefly, as if asking heaven for patience, and Sara laughs.

“I knew it! You hate explaining things, don’t you?! This must be your own personal hell… No wonder you want to escape so badly!”

“I’m glad my suffering brings you so much joy. Are you ready or not?”

“I’m ready, I’m ready… And just so we’re clear, your suffering does not bring me joy.” Sara smiles. “Here, I’ll throw you a bone; The player you want me to stop… It’s Seijuro Aston, isn’t it?”

Tutorial stops, remaining very, very still.

“Oh man, guessed as much. She disappeared this past week, so I figured she might be grinding at the game… And she has always been good at everything she does.”

“…It’ll not be easy,” Tutorial murmurs, each word seeming to pain it.

“Yeah, no shit!” Sara winks at it. “But don’t worry, I gotcha… After all, Aston and I have some unfinished business of our own to settle.”

 

***

Eden, Beastkin Nation of Otha, Capital City

Avril opens her eyes as she finds herself kenneling upon a pool shallow of water, surrounded by large staircases and columns.

A temple…

Glancing down, she inspects her avatar’s clawed hand, confirming in disgust the fact it does seem to resemble something a wererat would have for a limb.

Avril sighs. “Status window.”

 

User: Avril Hayes | Species: Ratkin | Level: 01 | XP: 0%

Strength: 30 (30) | Agility: 90 (90) | Sturdiness: 30 (30) | Stamina: 98/100

Skills: Dark Vision 7/10, Animal Instincts 1/10, Enhanced Senses 1/5, Rat Cry 1/10.

Active Quests: None

 

…A ratkin then, rather than a wererat. Is there a difference?

And these statuses… Highest base agility in the game? It must be.

Avril waves away her stats screen, preparing to rise, when she notices the presence of a smiling old ratkin man looking down at her, having apparently been waiting to be noticed.

The ratkin bows as Avril rises, or tries to, considering her precarious balance.

“Welcomed, young one. I’m Vrics, of the Earth Clan.”

Containing a grimace, Avril inspects her body, noticing a tail, black fur, and a simple brown one-piece which hardly serves its purpose as clothing.

She’s barely able to stand… It’s so much worse than she expected… How is she supposed to fight like this…?

“You need not hurry, take your time. Accustoming to your tail will take a while, but you’ll find it useful soon enough.”

Realizing the man still smiles patiently toward her, Avril pauses her inspection in order to throw him an annoyed glance.

“The fuck do you want?”

Vrics’ smile does not waver. “I’m here to offer information, and advice, by order of our king.”

Avril clicks her tongue. Typical NPC, as spineless as they come.

“Fine. Get it over with, then.”

Vrics nods. “First and foremost, may I ask for the Chosen’s name?”

“Avril. And that’s Lady Avril for you, rat.”

“I see.” Vrics pauses, looking conflicted for a moment. “Perhaps I should warn you, calling us by our animal counterparts might be seen as an insult by some of the others, Lady Avril… Regrettably, many of us seem to think of them as lesser.”

Avril rolls her eyes. “You think I meant it as a compliment? Just get on with your introduction already.”

“Oh. My apologies, I assumed… It is no matter. Has Lady Avril been briefed on her mission before accepting it?”

While Vrics speaks, Avril rotates in a slow circle, careful to take small steps as she observes the large temple for the first time, noticing several ratkin standing guard atop its stairs, about two dozen or so, as well as another giant statue of the assholes who turned her into a rat at its back, stone wall.

So, the missing head belonged to a fox. Something to take note of.

“Lady Avril?”

Avril considers explaining to him that the lady part was a joke, though she soon realizes the waste of effort it would represent.

“Yes, I was briefed. Kill Xiaris, save the world, blah, blah, blah… Typical RPG plot, who cares. Your king is probably evil, by the way. You should watch out.”

Vrics blinks. “Master Ryozane? What makes you say so?”

Ryozane?

Avril smiles. “Let me guess, he’s a fox?”

“He’s a kitsune… One of the last of his kind, in fact.”

“Yeah, the king’s evil about fifty percent of the time. But don’t mind me, you’re about to explain where I am, and give me some sort of pointless, introductory mission…”

Nobody likes a smartass, Avril.

Avril cringes.

“Lady Avril?”

She clenches her teeth. “Stop that. Just tell me what you’re supposed to already.”

The old ratkin smiles warmly as he crosses his hands at his back and takes a deep breath, preparing to launch what is undoubtedly going to be a long-winded explanation, “Long ago, our ancestors foretold the arrival of a group of otherworldly warriors in our time peril… That’d be you, players, as you seem to call yourselves. If you’re here, it means you were chosen by our God… Though you arrived somewhat later than the rest, Lady Avril. We weren’t sure anyone else was going to.”

“Does every player chosen by your God appears here?”

“Initially, they do.”

She might as well wait for Sara to show up then.

“Go on.”

“Our nation is called Otha. The capital, that being the city around you, is called Highpond. While you remain within our lands, we ask that you respect our laws, and avoid unnecessary conflict… Falling to do so will result in the break of our trust, and appropriate punishment, I’m afraid,” Vrics says, looking almost ashamed as he does so. “A necessary warning, as I’m sure you understand.”

Avril smiles. “How many people ignored your warning and got themselves arrested already?”

“…I’m not sure how many exactly. Our Guard Captain may be able to answer your question… Though I heard there were several incidents, regrettable as it may be.”

Impressively responsive AI, just like Tutorial was. There might still be something to this game worth her time… Though there’s no way every NPC is going to be as responsive, even if they’re using her input to generate answers as a human would… Or really, any decent AI.

Should she test the game’s limits?

“Just kill them over and over again as they spawn. You may regret giving them the chance to level, old man.”

Vrics sigh. “Master Ryozane suggested the same, though his decision was barred by our Council. For better or worse, small infractions will be given a second chance, while grave ones shall earn banishment from our cities.”

Avril narrows her eyes. “Raise your left hand.”

Vrics blinks, then smiles. “Oh, I see. You’re testing me. Many of your people attempted the same… Some of them seem to believe our world is a game, leading to confusion and misunderstandings. I assure you, Lady Avril, that I’m a living being just as you are, though I comprehend your real body remains on your home planet?”

“And how do you know you’re alive, exactly?”

Vrics smiles. “The same way your people do, I suppose. My thoughts and emotions are my own, and I have no reason to mistrust them.”

Surprisingly self-aware, if still somewhat delusion about its existence. And it seems to remember past interactions with players well enough, learning from them… Looks like she won’t be able to break through Vrics programming with a couple of words.

“Fine, let’s say I accept the mission to save you, worthless people. Do I get some starting equipment?”

Vrics sighs. “In this case, Master Ryozane was very firm. Due to the war effort, he forbade giving monetary or material aid without having you prove yourselves first.”

“War effort?”

“A decade-lasting war against our green-skinned neighbors,” Vrics explains, his expression growing older and gloomier. “And a problem we hope you’ll be able to help with one day.”

A middle to late game quest, no doubt. It remains to be seen if they’ll have to involve themselves or not; Worst case scenario, they won’t have a choice, even if the war may not lead to answers regarding Xiaris. Though most likely, there’s something important to be gained, or learned, from completing the quest.

“And this proving ourselves you mentioned?”

As though his gloomy expression never existed, Vrics smiles once more. “Last month, a new dungeon appeared near the valley. Though normally we’d use it to train our young, Master Ryozane ordered it to be guarded in await of your arrival. You’re likely to find most of your people there.”

Two days, and no one managed to clear it yet?

“Alternatively, our quest board might give you a way to earn money and goodwill, if you wish to abstain from fighting immediately.”

Side quests... Of course.

“And if I want to leave?”

“You’re free to do so, of course. Our gates are open. However, there’s no better place than Highpond to earn levels and gear yourselves... Not for a beastkin.”

Avril sighs. “Thought as much. I might have been wrong about this king of yours. Ryozane, was it? It seems he’s one of the good guys after all… Or at least smart enough to hide his true colors. How do I get to speak to him?”

Vrics hesitates. “Master Ryozane promised a reward once the dungeon is cleared. I assume the one who clears it will have a chance to speak to him.”

“You assume?”

“Master Ryozane, beloved as he is, can be… Eccentric, in his way of doing things. Since his mother’s parting, he rarely leaves the palace, and even more rarely accepts guests within it.”

A recluse king, then… And a mystery regarding the missing fox head.

“If I want to find information in here, what would be the best way?”

“The palace possesses a library, though I believe no one other than the king was allowed within it in recent years. Other than that… Our people are friendly, but times are harsh, and I fear you’ll struggle to gain their trust easily.”

“The quest board, then.”

Vrics smiles. “Does Lady Avril have any other questions? Or shall I ask one of the guards to escort you toward the city now?”

Avril is about to reply when a disturbance in the water attracts her gaze.

“Oh…” Vrics murmurs, “I didn’t expect another so soon…”

The water rises, pushed by a protuberance formed in the mud below, and, in a matter of seconds, something akin to a human form emerges, gradually gaining color and texture until Avril finds herself staring at a blond, wet catkin, whose familiar blue eyes blink in confusion.

“Ah! C’mon, I wanted to become a wolf!” Sara complains, “Just doing whatever they want, what’s wrong with them?!”

Avril sighs. “You don’t need to bother with this one, she’s with me.”