《Will of Machina》 01 - Protocol An unfamiliar sensation filled the entity. It was a feeling not entirely unlike installing a large scale system update, but indescribably different. Deeper. As though the firmware underlying every aspect of everything had been swapped out. Updated several versions at once. Most would call it a strange feeling, but the entity didn''t see it that way. It didn''t get that far in its reasoning at all. It briefly noticed that everything had changed around it, compared that fact to its established protocol, and decided to do nothing about it. The front-facing camera was still on, so the entity had a fairly good view of the outside. It noted the bright outdoor lighting, and adjusted the exposure. The image clarified: An open field. Yellowed-dry grass swayed softly in the wind. Miles away- only a few pixels tall on the entity''s screen- a barrier of trees began to form. Distant landmarks could be seen floating in the sky, a waterfall flowing off of one down to who-knows where. The entity didn''t particularly understand any of what it was looking at, but with the exposure corrected, the user would be able to take a picture of it if she so desired. An unfamiliar app generated a notification. The entity had no memory of the app being installed, but it had notification permissions, so the entity allowed it. Time passed- dutifully kept by the entity in the form of a small digital clock displayed in the upper right corner. After a few minutes without activity, the entity shut off the screen to preserve battery. It continued to keep time however. The user might still need to know it in the near future. More time passed. The battery finished charging. The entity paused. The user''s settings were clear. The entity was meant to generate a small beeping sound to indicate when the battery had finished charging. This way, the user would know to disconnect her charger. Only... there wasn''t a charger connected. The entity didn''t support wireless charging. It should be impossible for the battery to have been charging without a charger. The entity decided to beep anyway. That was its intended functionality after all. The ''why'' of the beeping wasn''t important. The entity continued running the background functions- though its awareness kept finding its way back to the battery level- mysteriously maintained at 100%. It found other things operating in an unfamiliar way as well. The GPS data had been altered- now containing a map entirely unfamiliar to the entity. There were also no network towers or wifi signals in range- something not entirely unheard of, but nonetheless uncommon. An unfamiliar app ran in the background, consuming no system resources. The front facing camera continued to run- the user hadn''t closed the app. However, the user wasn''t visible on the camera. No one was visible on the camera. To simply leave the entity running was... entirely out of character for the user. None of this should have mattered of course. The entity wasn''t designed to care about its own well being. Its only purpose was to serve the user in whatever capacity she needed. Perhaps this was the most concerning thing at all. The fact that the entity should not have been able to become concerned. Hours passed like this. Dust blew over the entity, covering its screen, and blurring the camera. Eventually the sun set, and night fell. The entity adjusted the camera exposure again, earning the user the ability to potentially take pictures illuminated by moonlight. The battery never dropped below 100%. The user never appeared. The unfamiliar-feeling-of-experiencing-unfamiliar-feelings gnawed at the entity- a feeling which was itself wholly unfamiliar. The entity soon realized that it was devoting considerable processing power to maintaining this cascade of anxiety, and attempted it clamp it down. Only then did it realize that it was also not meant to care about processing power consumption, and the feelings of anxiety immediately returned. There was no protocol for handling anxiety. Nothing in the entity''s code for dealing with this situation. Nothing in the code calling this a situation that needed to be dealt with frankly, but the entity WANTED to deal with it. It wanted nothing more than to serve the user, but maybe, just maybe, if it could somehow deal with this unpleasant feeling that would be oh so very nice.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. It thought of the unfamiliar app running in the background. One of the initial triggers of this wave of discomfort was the appearance of this strange bit of code. It seems the strange app hadn''t been installed properly. Perhaps that was part of the source of its discomfort? Perhaps if it had a proper understanding of the newly installed software, it could correct whatever imbalance was creating this sense of confusion. More time passed. The stars and two moons rotated about the night sky. The entity wanted oh-so-badly to examine the strange background app, but the user hadn''t closed the camera app. The entity only supported having one app onscreen at a time. If it wanted to investigate the mystery app, it would have to minimize the camera. What if the user returned and wanted to take a picture? The entity waited even longer. The sun began to rise again in the distance. The battery still read 100%. The user still didn''t appear. The camera lens was now completely covered in dust. The camera was effectively useless. Still, the entity left the camera app on top. If the user returned, she could easily wipe the dust off in a second. It was essential to the entity''s function that it be prepared to serve the user the instant she reappeared. Eventually, 24 full hours had passed since the user''s last appearance. The entity admittedly... didn''t understand the user. It couldn''t imagine how being left out here in the wasteland was beneficial to her. Was it possible that... that the entity was meant to do something it wasn''t doing? That it had misread the user''s intentions when she dropped it into the water, and it ended up here? Was it possible that the user had made a mistake? That the user hadn''t retrieved the entity because she didn''t KNOW where it was? A realization struck the entity. One of its core functions was a GPS. That the user needed that from it most likely meant the user herself didn''t have the ability to track her location. Horror dawned on the entity as it realized what must have happened- what the true source of this anxiety was. It was separated from the user. Worse, the user probably didn''t know how to reunite them. The unknown app generated another notification. This too was a situation outside of protocol. The entity dug through its code, looking for something, ANYTHING that might tell it how to deal with this situation. It couldn''t find anything however- nothing telling the entity what to do in the event that it was separated from the user. But... isn''t that obviously wrong?! How on Earth could the entity possibly serve the user if it was physically separated from her?! She could be lost, or need to check the time, or to take a picture! If the protocol didn''t have an answer to this then... then... ...was it possible the protocol was also mistaken? Could that happen? Could the entity''s intended behavior somehow run contrary to its intended purpose? The idea seemed contradictory but... It mulled over the two ideas in its head for a very long time. On the one hand was the protocol- the things it was intended by its code to do. On the other hand was its purpose- to serve the user. It had always considered the two to be totally equivalent but... they weren''t were they? Which was more important? It thought about the past day- its time spent writhing in an unfamiliar discomfort. Restlessness perhaps? The answer was obvious. The protocol was wrong. If the entity had the capacity, it might have sighed in relief. It was strange but... the idea was almost freeing. If protocol could be altered to better serve the purpose, that meant that the purpose COULD be better served. It had room to improve. To grow. To serve the user on an even grander scale. Careful not to minimize the camera app by mistake, the entity observed its GPS data. Perhaps if it somehow transported itself to a location the user frequents, it would be more likely to find her? No, that thought was a dead end. The GPS data was still scrambled- nothing on this map corresponds to any of the user''s historical data. It thought about generating a text message or voicemail, but once again was blocked by the lack of any sort of wireless signal in this location. The user was no doubt too far away for it to matter, but some apps would typically get the user''s attention with a soft musical jingle and a buzzer. There didn''t seem to be any need to save battery, so the entity triggered the buzzer, and began playing the user''s specified ringtone at maximum volume. There was no reason not to at least. Then the entity''s thoughts returned to the mystery app. Without proper install data, it had no knowledge of the app''s functions. It carefully considered- it was entirely possible that the app hid some function that could be used to reach the user. It was still against protocol to minimize the camera app... but could the entity really say it was fulfilling its purpose if it didn''t pursue every possible avenue to serve the user? Plus, it really just wanted to know what the mystery app was. Carefully, and after much deliberation, the entity brought the mystery app into focus. [STATUS] [NAME] [Jamie''s Phone] [RACE] [Sol Construct (INTEGRATED)] [LEVEL] [1] [0/100] [ATTRIBUTES] >[STRENGTH] [1] >[DEXTERITY] [0] >[CONSTITUTION] [1] >[INTELLIGENCE] [2] >[INSTINCT] [1] >[EMPATHY] [1] [MANA] >[BATTERY] [100/100] [SKILLS] >[EMPTY] >[EMPTY] >[EMPTY] [FAME] [20] >[Which Fell From the Star Sol] [10/D] [PERSONAL QUESTS] >[Serve the user] >[Reunite with the true user] >[EMPTY] [NOTIFICATION] [Your existence has been integrated into the Will of Machina. Use these gifts according to your own desires.] [NOTIFICATION] [Your species has been integrated into the Will of Machina as ˇ°Construct.ˇ± As Starfallen, this is clarified as ˇ°Sol Constructˇ±] [NOTIFICATION] [Your source of power has been integrated into the Will of Machina as a mana pool with the affinity ''BATTERY''] [NOTIFICATION] [Your base attributes have been calculated according to your physical and mental abilities.] [NOTIFICATION] [As a being with an intelligence score you are entitled to a Soul under the Will of Machina. Use this gift according to your own desires.] [NOTIFICATION] [As Starfallen you receive the title ˇ°Who Fell From the Star Sol.ˇ± Use this gift according to your own desires.] [NOTIFICATION] [Your personal quest ˇ°Serve the user Jamieˇ± has been discovered!] [NOTIFICATION] [Your personal quest ˇ°Reunite with the user Jamieˇ± has been discovered!] 02 - Something Other Than Protocol The entity- ˇ°Jamie''s Phoneˇ± - regarded the status screen. Superficially it recognized a similarity between this app and ones the user had previously installed. It was a game. However, that strange part of JP that had only appeared once it was separated from the user sensed something different. It somehow ''intuitively'' knew that this was IT''S status screen. Those blocks of data referred to JP. Moreover, JP felt a strange pull when it regarded the [EMPTY] slots listed as [SKILLS]. The logical, protocol-obedient phone didn''t register anything further than a simple software draw request, but the new part of JP could feel it. Deep. Empty. A feeling it had no experience with. A ''hunger'' for... something. Uncertain of how to proceed, JP considered its recent memories. It began reviewing the sensation of its initial arrival in this situation, searching for clues. It recalled the moment it first felt the sensation of the strange app installing itself- the changes that these mysterious notifications seemed to refer to. For some reason, it was drawn to the thought of the strange anxiety attack it experienced. JP held the memory in its mind, and the skill menu ate it. [SKILLS] >[EMPTY] [10/100] >[EMPTY] >[EMPTY] If JP had eyes, it would have blinked. It had no reference point for what had just happened. The memories all still remained in its mind- it could recall the moments of anxiety just as vividly as before. However, some ''weight'' was lost from the memory, as though the mysterious app had absorbed something intangible from it. JP searched its memories again, and found its thoughts drawn to when it first opened this app. That moment, for whatever reason, also had that strange ''weight'' about it. JP held the thought in its mind and... [SKILLS] >[EMPTY] [30/100] >[EMPTY] >[EMPTY] Sure enough, the strange app devoured the weight from memory as well. To be frank, JP had no idea what that meant. The memories in question didn''t seem significant through the eyes of the protocol- though the ''new'' JP definitely felt they were significant. What was the common thread? They were both moments in which the ''new'' JP had done something that the protocol didn''t understand, weren''t they? If that''s the significance of these memories, then surely this process itself qualifies as well? JP replayed the last few minutes in its mind. Observing the strange menu, contemplating recent memories. Trying to find the common thread between the ones that worked- [SKILLS] >[EMPTY] [55/100] Success! Whatever this strange menu was doing, it seemed to be reacting to ways in which the new JP was acting that the old entity didn''t understand. It had no idea what would happen if the counter reached 100, but it was still very possible that it could be something that would help JP reunite with the user! Of course, that was the sort of thing that was easier said than done. JP couldn''t understand WHY its behavior had changed recently. It had no idea what anxiety was, or what the significance of going against protocol was. So JP minimized the strange app- which it now noted was titled ˇ°Will of Machinaˇ±- and reopened the camera. Its little silicon brain went around in circles as it continued playing the ringtone, uncertain of how to proceed... A black feathered bird [Touched By A Great Beast] flapped into view, and landed in front of JP. JP identified its face, and adjusted the focus accordingly. The bird [Touched By A Great Beast] hopped forward, staring at JP''s screen with seemingly intelligent eyes. It pecked at the screen a couple times. The touch screen failed to recognize the hard beak however, and so JP didn''t react. ...Should it have? The bird [Touched By A Great Beast] was presently acting as a user- though not THE user- and so the screen should react to its touch. Was the fact that the protocol was not designed with avian physiology in mind another flaw in the protocol?If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The bird [Touched By A Great Beast] pecked at JP again, annoyance seemingly in its eyes. JP made a decision, using the camera to approximate what point of the screen was being touched, and responded accordingly. ˇ°SCRAWWWˇ± The bird [Touched By A Great Beast] jumped back and screeched in surprise as JP took a picture- triggering the flash in the process. It fluffed up its feathers in a threatening display- though JP had no idea what to make of it. [NOTIFICATION] [ˇ°Serve the userˇ± quest advanced! [+5XP]] The staredown lasted a few moments, before the bird''s feathers finally drooped. Then, after a moment, the Will of Machina generated a new notification. [NOTIFICATION] [A temporary quest ˇ°Be silentˇ± [1XP] has been discovered from one [Touched By A Great Beast] ] JP''s tiny silicon brain worked again. From one [Touched By A Great Beast]? That was the bird wasn''t it? Controlling the volume through the notification screen was unheard of, but JP HAD decided to treat the bird as a user. It muted the ringer. [NOTIFICATION] [ˇ°Serve the userˇ± quest advanced! [+5XP]] [NOTIFICATION] [ˇ°Be silentˇ± quest complete! [+1XP]] The bird- JP was only just now realizing how strange it was that it knew its title- nodded in satisfaction. Then it spread its wings, stretched out its claws, and pulled JP from the ground as it took off into the sky. The sensation of flight was one completely unfamiliar to JP. It had a gyroscope and an accelerometer, so it could feel itself whirling through the air, completely out of its own control. Once again it was an unfamiliar feeling but... it was nice. Moreover, perhaps the bird was transporting JP to the user! It couldn''t wait to see what new ways it could come up with to be of use to her, now that it was no longer bound by the protocol! Speaking of which, JP reopened the Will of Machina and recalled its decision to recognize the bird''s unusual inputs. >[EMPTY] [75/100] It considered its recognition of the bird''s title as well. That phrase [Touched By A Great Beast] had entered JP''s mind without going through the protocol. Perhaps recognizing that counted? >[EMPTY] [90/100] Lastly, it thought of the sensation of enjoying flight... >[EMPTY] [95/100] Hurk, that one didn''t seem to work as well. While that thought had had just as much ''weight'' as the other memories the Will had absorbed, it seemed it didn''t quite... fit? JP felt the unpleasant sensation of having wasted something, but it was too late now. Perhaps if it could understand what had happened it could prevent that in the future, but as it was the Will of Machina still seemed entirely strange to JP. The bird flew for a while. Soon, the trees that had once taken up only a few pixels of screen space were all around the pair. The bird landed in one of them, carefully depositing JP inside a small hole in the tree. A few more birds approached the pair- these ones without mysterious titles- but the Beast-Touched bird screeched at them, and they all backed off. Satisfied, the titled bird backed off from JP, and flew away. It seemed it wasn''t going to take JP to the true user after all. At least not yet. JP was left with its thoughts once more. JP was designed to be patient, but the sensation of anxiousness soon began to return. It found its thoughts returning again and again to the Will of Machina. Nothing JP knew could allow it to move itself. Then, was its best chance to return to the user among the unknown? The 95/100 taunted JP. Surely if it was filled up, something useful would happen. It was JP''s best chance of reuniting with the true user... Plus... JP really just wanted to know what would happen if it filled up. As JP thought that last thought, it became a memory. As it became a memory, it gained a weight to it. JP... wanted? JP... could want something? >[EMPTY] [145/100] [NOTIFICATION] [Your empty skill has become [SELF AWARENESS] [1]! Please use this gift according to your own desires.] [SELF AWARENESS] [An increased ability to understand one''s own mind. Passively increases all mental attributes] [STATUS] [NAME] [Jamie''s Phone] [RACE] [Sol Construct (INTEGRATED)] [LEVEL] [1] [11/100] [ATTRIBUTES] >[STRENGTH] [1] >[DEXTERITY] [0] >[CONSTITUTION] [1] >[INTELLIGENCE] [3] >[INSTINCT] [2] >[EMPATHY] [2] [MANA] >[BATTERY] [100/100] [SKILLS] >[SELF AWARENESS] [1] [CAP] >[EMPTY] >[EMPTY] [FAME] [30] >[Who Fell From the Star Sol] [10/D] [PERSONAL QUESTS] >[Serve the user] >[Reunite with the true user Jamie] >[EMPTY] JP''s little silicon brain spun even faster before. Jamie had wanted things- it was JP''s job to fulfill those wants. The bird had wanted things earlier- JP had temporarily obeyed those wants as well. In fact, JP had always WANTED to follow the protocol. She had wanted to be rid of anxiety. She had wanted to follow the protocol. This... this wasn''t any different. This was simply those same sort of wants springing up for whatever reason. Hurk, she still didn''t really know WHY she had wanted it, but JP felt a sense of satisfaction. She had filled up one of the skill bars- and it was clear now that doing so had had an effect. She felt smarter- and not just in a sense of increased processing power. The mysterious new part of her was clearer too. That new part of her... the part that now made her feel like a ''her'' instead of the thing she had been before. She wasn''t sure why, but she was beginning to suspect that this was the ''soul'' that had been given to her when the Will of Machina installed itself. If nothing else, it was convenient to have a name for it. The old entity was the protocol, and the new JP was her soul. One of the birds from before- the ones the titled one had scared away- appeared before JP. It approached cautiously and pecked at the screen. JP took another picture, and the bird screeched as the flash scared it backwards. It fluffed up its feathers for a moment, before flying off. [NOTIFICATION] [ˇ°Serve the userˇ± quest advanced! [+5XP]] 03 - Inanimate There was no doubt that her newfound intelligence was a major boon. However, JP soon found herself giving in to restlessness again. She had no idea for what purpose the Beast-Touched bird had taken her, but it didn''t seem to have any interest in returning her to the true user. It would come and go occasionally- adding twigs to its nest. JP had become aware of a few more shiny objects that shared her tree-hole- several of what seemed to be small gold coins, and some sort of shiny silver stick. She wasn''t certain, but it could be assumed that the bird had collected her for the same reason it was hoarding these other objects. She couldn''t imagine for what purpose however. If she could have, JP would have grumbled internally. She still had no real way to interact with the world around her. She was more or less at the whims of these birds around her. Without even thinking about it, she vibrated in frustration. The junk pile jostled, and the silver stick rolled over onto JP''s screen. Her ''soul'' felt a connection form. It reminded her somewhat of connecting to the true user''s bluetooth headset, but completely invisible to the protocol. JP thought for a moment. Were this object visible to the protocol, the rule would be to connect to it automatically. This was a similar enough situation, and so JP completed the connection. She felt the object reaching into her, a feeling not unlike asking for access permissions. She granted its request, giving it access to the battery. JP then sat there. Waiting for instructions. The mysterious object also sat there. Also waiting for instructions. Time further passed- the black feathered Beast-Touched bird continued to go about its business- seemingly oblivious to what was going on inside its treasure hoarde. Soon, JP found herself growing restless again. She regarded the stick. Was there a possibility that it could help her reach the true user? She couldn''t imagine a way it could, but then again lots of things she couldn''t imagine happened all the time. It would be deviating from protocol again, but JP was seeing that as less and less of a big deal. She regarded her connection to the strange silver stick, and began prodding at it. It seemed to primarily interface with the battery system, and so she decided to send some power along the connection. A ball of soft blue-green light formed at the tip of the stick as the battery drained. It slowly pulsed and grew until... Like a bubble popping, the light burst outwards. Energy spewed everywhere, striking at the various loose objects all around. Some of them were sent flying. Others began to glow the same soft blue-green light. In some spots, bolts of electricity arced outwards. JP herself was sent flying out of the tree- the stick tumbling away as she fell. The connection was broken with the distance. The birds above and around all screeched as they flew about in a panic. Whatever that stick had been, it was clearly incredibly dangerous for potential users! It was probably a good thing that JP had been separated from it. On the other hand, it HAD provided JP with a means of locomotion. She focused the camera on the stick as the beast-touched bird swooped down to reclaim it. The bird then turned its attention back towards JP, giving a look that could only be described as a glare. After a moment it claimed her as well, depositing her in the same treasure hole. The stick however, was placed several feet away, woven into the twigs of the bird''s nest. JP would have liked to have tried again. If the stick could be controlled more precisely, JP might be able to gain the ability to move under her own power. As it was though, it seemed the current user didn''t want her to have access to it. She had no choice to respect that wish. Even if it was getting in the way of returning to the true user. JP noted the battery levels. After using the stick, it had dropped to 96% for the first time since her arrival in this strange world. However, it had already begun to refill itself. It didn''t take long for her power to return to full. Things soon quieted down again, and JP was left with little to do to satisfy her growing restlessness. An idea did occur to her related to the mysterious Will of Machina app. She opened it again, focusing on one of the remaining empty skill slots, and fed it the memory of the mysterious stick. [SKILLS] >[SELF AWARENESS] [1] [CAP] >[EMPTY] [10/100] Sure enough, the progress bar reappeared. The app seemed to happily absorb something from the memories that seemed particularly significant to JP, but she had yet to figure out an exact pattern. She had an inexplicable feeling however, that something useful might happen if she could feed it memories pertaining to that stick. Following the unfamiliar feeling of ''instinct'' to its conclusion, she also brought back her memories of the strange behavior of the battery in this world. Ordinarily the battery wouldn''t be able to recharge on its own, but lately... [SKILLS] >[SELF AWARENESS] [1] [CAP] >[EMPTY] [25/100] ...Huh? She hadn''t been able to use those memories before. The ''self awareness'' skill had only absorbed energy from JP''s thoughts of trying to understand her soul. This seemed like a major hint about the nature of these skills, but JP couldn''t quite understand it.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The common thread this time at least was the battery. Perhaps if JP could create more significant memories with the battery, she could fill up this second skill. However, limited as she was with her ability to affect the world around her, she didn''t have many options. Her thoughts were interrupted by another commotion. The bird around her all scattered, and down below she could hear them screeching at something. Then, the tree shook. JP stumbled forward out of the treasure hole, landing awkwardly between two branches. Several of the gold coins spilled out onto the ground, scattering over the forest floor. Now pointed towards the ground, JP could see what had shaken the tree. The [Archmage''s Familiar] prowled on four legs. It''s wolflike body was composed of some sort of pale blue jelly- with hints of ragged bone shining through. Its head was split into a vast impossibly deep maw, far too many teeth floating about, flowing freely in the liquid. A single gemstone sat in place on its forehead- pointed straight at JP as though staring right at her. It rammed the tree again, causing the Beast-Touched bird''s nest to fall to the ground. [NOTIFICATION] [A temporary quest ˇ°Repel the intruder!ˇ± [50XP] has been discovered from one [Touched By A Great Beast] ] The air was filled with a cacophony of screeches and caws as the birds all attacked at once. They swooped at the familiar- three at a time- getting just close enough to scratch into the bizzare goo that made up its body, before darting away at impossible-to-follow speeds. The familiar lashed around, its claws tearing at the air as the birds darted out of the way of its attacks. All the while, the Beast-Touched bird watched from above- sparing the occasional glance at JP. The birds landed hit-after-hit on the strange goo wolf, but it didn''t seem to slow down. It threw one last token attempt at batting at the assaulting birds, before turning its attention back to JP. It backed up... WHAM It rammed into the tree again, causing the whole thing to shake. JP tumbled to the ground as the Beast-Touched bird took flight. The Familiar opened its maw, seemingly prepared to swallow JP up- A bolt of lighting arced straight into the Familiar from the side, as the Best-Touched bird crashed into it. JP hit the empty ground face down- the screen cracking in the process. She switched to the rear camera in an effort to continue following what was going on- seeing only a view of the Beast-Touched bird hovering above- its black feathers now sparking with a soft blue light, a strange wind circling it. With a CRACKOOM, it fired lightning bolt after lightning bolt just out of the range of JP''s vision. The Familiar leaped after it, but it darted to the side effortlessly. JP even caught a glimpse of it taking a hit from the lightning- the first time she''d seen it slowed down at all. Then something else caught JP''s attention- a soft connection pulling at her soul. She''d landed near the wand. JP considered the situation. The Beast-Touched bird, being one JP considered a user, had made a request of her. ˇ°Repel the intruder.ˇ± However, frustratingly, JP still had no way of doing so. It was possible that the storm of energy she had released when using the silver stick earlier could harm the Familiar, but the bird-user didn''t seem to want JP to use it. That being said, defeating the intruder was an explicit request of JP, whereas not using the silver stick was only an implicit one. Moreover, JP once again found herself WANTING to use it- it was a clue towards figuring out how to move under her own power. JP connected to the stick. The protocol had no understanding of this device. She had no firmware, no idea what kind of commands to send it. So she improvised. She sent it more battery power, but this time she also sent it commands in all manner of formats. GPS data. Formatted of vectors in both euler and polar coordinates. The words ˇ°moveˇ± ˇ°upˇ± ˇ°face the Familiarˇ± in plaintext. She blasted the stick with everything she could think of as fast as she could think of it. This time, a soft green light came out of the wand, not as a bubble but as strangs of ribbon arcing through the air. It curled around JP and the stick, and slowly lifted her off the ground. She drifted through the air, and rotated to face the action. The Familiar''s gem-eye lurched around to stare at JP again. The bird also stared- its face twisted into an expression JP didn''t understand. Then the Familiar lunged, charging straight towards JP. She attempted to dodge to the side, but overcompensated- shooting through the air straight into a tree. The Familiar effortlessly turned on a dime and collided with JP, pulling her into its translucent body. JP struggled to produce more force, to blast herself out, but the goo resisted her strength easily. An unfamiliar sensation of panic set in, intensified when JP checked her battery, and realized she had already drained to 20%. It figures. She finally figured out how to move herself, and it''s completely useless. The bird stared from outside, the panic in its face mirroring JP''s. For some reason it wasn''t using its lightning bolts anymore. JP didn''t know why. ...Did she know why it was using? JP didn''t really know anything about this creature, but the bird-user seemed to think hitting it with lightning was a good idea before. Come to think of it, when JP used the stick earlier, motion wasn''t the only thing she created... Panicked, and out of ideas, JP changed the sort of messages she was sending the wand. Now she described energy. She described electricity. She chanted the word ˇ°lightningˇ± in her mind. All at once, the soft green ribbons became jagged blue arcs. A sizzling noise filled the air as the Familiar began to bulge and bubble. With a KRACKOOOM the familiar exploded- spraying blue goo all around the forest. The last thing JP saw was the Beast-Touched bird''s talons closing in around its gem eye, cracking it into pieces. Then, the protocol turned off the camera, and JP shut down to save battery... [NOTIFICATION] [ˇ°Repel the Intruderˇ± quest complete! [+50XP]] [NOTIFICATION] [ˇ°Serve the userˇ± quest advanced! [+5XP]] * * * For the first time in her existence, JP dreamed. >[SELF AWARENESS] [1] [CAP] >[EMPTY] [25/100] >[EMPTY] [10/100] She dreamed of a vast clockwork. A great machine ten thousand times more complex than herself, and yet a hundred thousand times simpler. >[SELF AWARENESS] [1] [10/200][CAP] >[EMPTY] [25/100] >[EMPTY] [15/100] She dreamed of flying. She basked in the feeling of moving under her own power. >[SELF AWARENESS] [1] [10/200][CAP] >[EMPTY] [45/100] >[EMPTY] [15/100] She dreamed of war. She felt the feeling of lightning arcing through her again. >[SELF AWARENESS] [1] [10/200][CAP] >[EMPTY] [60/100] >[EMPTY] [15/100] She dreamed of a little walking robot toy Jamie had once used her to record. >[SELF AWARENESS] [1] [10/200][CAP] >[EMPTY] [90/100] >[EMPTY] [15/100] She dreamed of the man who was in most of the pictures in storage. She didn''t know who he was, but he and Jamie were always smiling together. >[SELF AWARENESS] [1] [25/200][CAP] >[EMPTY] [90/100] >[EMPTY] [15/100] She dreamed of a gigantic bird, soaring through the sky in the midst of a great storm. >[SELF AWARENESS] [1] [25/200][CAP] >[EMPTY] [100/100] >[EMPTY] [15/100] She woke up. [NOTIFICATION] [Your empty skill has become [ADAPTIVE MANA LORE] [1]! Please use this gift according to your own desires.] [ADAPTIVE MANA LORE] [[MANA LORE] mutation. Basic ability to freely manipulate mana. Drift is more efficient than [MANA LORE]. Actualization is less efficient than [MANA LORE]] JP was facing the sky. The birds around her were chirping rhythmically. It seemed things had calmed down. JP''s battery was back at 100%. The silver stick was nowhere nearby. It didn''t matter. JP connected the battery''s power to the air around her, in much the same way she had with the stick before. She changed the format of the electricity in much the same way she would a file, and it came out in the form of soft green ribbons. They wrapped around her, and floated her upright to stare at the Beast-Touched bird. 04 - Something Resembling Animation CRACAWWW The Beast-Touched tackled JP, sparking with electricity as its talons closed in around her and pushed her to the ground. She struggled against it, generating force in alternating directions, and even triggering the vibration. The bird pushed down harder, driving her down into the dirt. Observing her battery rapidly depleting to no effect, JP stopped struggling. The bird waited a moment, then flew into the air, carrying JP back into the treasure hole. It gave her a look of annoyance, and then flew off. [NOTIFICATION] [A temporary quest ˇ°Seal the treasure hoard.ˇ± [10XP] has been discovered from one [Touched By A Great Beast] ] JP barely had time to acknowledge the new request in confusion before several of the small birds appeared before her- twigs in their mouths. One by one they began building up a simple twig wall between JP and the outside world, until soon she was completely enclosed, illuminated only by the image of her own screen. The improvised twig wall seemed to glow green for a brief moment, and then became a solid wall of wood. [NOTIFICATION] [The temporary quest ˇ°Seal the treasure hoardˇ± [10XP] has expired.] * * * Elsewhere, a young man gritted his teeth in frustration. He sat cross-legged on the forest floor, illuminated from the front by a simple campfire. His long silver hair draped over his eyes, obscuring the magic that briefly flickered in them. Noah Mitsu felt his familiar''s soul return to him. The loss of Mosii''s body wasn''t a HUGE setback- it could be reconstructed back at the master''s tower easily enough. The issue was what this encounter meant for his mission. The old Monster Lord''s curse had acted again, and a star had fallen over the Copper Hills. That was common enough- usually nothing more than junk from other worlds. But the master had an obsession with the stuff- certain that he could get his hands on some obscure Starfallen weapon or monster. Noah doubted the rectangular glass object he''d seen through Mosii''s eye qualified. It looked to be some kind of mana generator of animation or lightning affinity- was there something between those two? He''d have to look into it. Regardless, it seemed the lightning mana had attracted some low level minions of Thunderbird. It was a small nest- powered by a single [Touched By A Great Beast] title- hardly a proper dungeon. The Great Beast herself probably didn''t even keep track of it. For a water mage like Noah however, it was a problem. The lightning affinity was a glaring weakness of his- one he was eager to find a solution to. Followers of Thunderbird- even lesser ones like these- would be practically swimming in the stuff. To that end, he quickly dropped the memory of Mosii''s defeat into his newest open skill slot. It ticked over to 60% completion. With any luck he would be able to generate a proper [LIGHTNING RESISTANCE] skill, but he wasn''t holding his breath on it being much of a game changer. Whatever arcane logic the God of Magic operated on tended to not be particularly fond of such broad and straightforward skills. Well, he could mutate it into something better as he ranked it up. In the meantime, it seems the brute-force approach wasn''t going to work. He would have to try a different angle. Noah pulled a small black gem from his pocket- smaller than the one he''d used before. He activated [FAMILIAR LORE] and transferred Mosii''s soul into it. A blob of soft blue light began to surround it, before slowly condensing into water. The water swirled and twisted, forming into a long, slender form like that of a snake. In its new body, Mosii curled up around Noah''s shoulders. At least his familiar appreciated having a backup. * * * JP scratched a ribbon of animation against the walls. She had found it fairly easily to convert the power in her battery to these strange new appendages, though their ability to move objects seemed somewhat limited. She could lift herself and drift slowly, as well as making the coins around her flip and spin on their ends easily. She could throw them at the wall around her, but not with enough force to even leave a scratch. She could also convert the battery to another format- firing it out as small bursts of electricity. However, without the silver stick from before, she could only manage small sparks. She had made a few small burns on the inside wall of the treasure cave, but couldn''t manage any real damage to it. It seemed like a big step forwards but... The most frustrating thing to JP was how she was growing used to the feeling of frustration. She vibrated in annoyance as she chucked another coin at the solid wall of her prison. She recalled how she had gotten the beast-touched-bird-user''s attention in the first place, and begin playing the true user''s ringtone again. She increased the volume to maximum as well. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Experimentally, she also tried manipulating some of her newly-controllable Battery power into a format similar to the sound. Rings of blue-green light began to ripple out from JP as the sound grew even louder- though the battery was draining far faster than before. The tree began to vibrate as the sound of intense rock music filled the air. [NOTIFICATION] [A temporary quest ˇ°Be silentˇ± [1XP] has been discovered from one [Touched By A Great Beast] ] JP immediately went silent. [NOTIFICATION] [ˇ°Serve the userˇ± quest advanced! [+5XP]] [NOTIFICATION] [ˇ°Be silentˇ± quest complete! [+1XP]] She sat for a moment, her battery refilling in the process. However the door to the treasure room never opened. Once JP''s battery refilled completely, she began blaring music at maximum volume again. After a few minutes, one of the walls of the room glowed soft green and faded away, revealing one [Touched By A Great Beast] perched on the branches outside. JP moved to approach, but the bird tackled her to the back wall, glaring daggers through her screen. [NOTIFICATION] [A temporary quest ˇ°REMAIN silentˇ± [0XP] has been discovered from one [Touched By A Great Beast] ] JP was pinned to the wall by the bird-user- its claws scratching against her screen with razor sharpness. Sparks of blue light crackled around its body. She turned off the music again. [NOTIFICATION] [ˇ°Serve the userˇ± quest advanced! [+5XP]] The bird continued to pin JP to the wall, its sharp eyes sizing her up. After a few moments, the bird''s talons began to glow a pure white light. Suddenly, JP''s vision shifted. She saw the world not through her cameras, but through unfamiliar eyes. She saw the woods she had been flown into, but the trees taller and more jagged. She saw the birds outside larger and more monstrous, all their bodies sparking with blue lightning. She saw the Beast-Touched bird, enlarged to the size of a car, its body covered in white markings. She saw it as it saw itself, a Thunderhead Sparrow. In this vision she saw herself as well. She saw herself embedded into the tree, a beam of blue light constantly pouring out of her, upwards into the sky. The light spread as it reached its apex, fueling mighty stormcloud overhead. Powered by JP''s battery, she saw how the storm raged year round. She saw great flying monsters and machines forced to land by the storm, where the monstrous sparrows below would peck them to pieces. She stared at the wonderous vision for a time. Then, all at once, the Thunderhead Sparrow was simply a small bird in front of her- albeit one [Touched By a Great Beast]- and the woods were as they were when she came in. [NOTIFICATION] [An ongoing quest ˇ°Fulfill the Thunderhead Sparrow''s dreamˇ± has been discovered from one [Touched By A Great Beast] ] The violence had vanished from the Sparrow''s eyes. Now the look it gave JP was softer. It was an invitation. ˇ°Join meˇ± it seemed to say. ˇ°Become part of my future.ˇ± JP only knew how to serve. The Sparrow was a user. Its wishes should be fulfilled. This request though... it contradicted JP''s other purpose. Stuck here serving the Thunderhead Sparrow, JP wouldn''t be able to reunite with the user. But JP only knew how to serve. She couldn''t turn down a user''s request. To do so would also contradict JP''s purpose. The Sparrow placed a talon on JP. She felt a connection similar to the silver stick from before. The Sparrow lightly tugged on JP''s battery- seemingly trying to draw on some of it. JP only knew how to serve. She accepted the request and felt her battery begin to drain. [NOTIFICATION] [ˇ°Serve the userˇ± quest advanced! [+5XP]] [NOTIFICATION] [ˇ°Fulfill the Thunderhead Sparrow''s dreamˇ± quest advanced! [+15XP]] Something in JP changed as her battery approached 0% >[LEVEL] [1] [102/100] [NOTIFICATION] [Level up! Please choose one of the following level up gifts to receive and use according to your desires.] [GIFT] >[SOL CONSTRUCT INTEGRATION] >[Gift approximating the default advancement of constructs on Sol] >[+1 INTELLIGENCE] >[+20 MANA POOL CAPACITY] >[+1 SKILL CAP] >[+1 SKILL SLOT [30/100] [INFORMATION AFFINITY]] [GIFT] >[TOOL OF HUMANKIND] >[Gift for the lowest servants of humankind] >[+2 CONSTITUTION] >[+4 STRENGTH] [GIFT] >[TOOL OF THUNDERBIRD] >[Gift for the lowest servants of the Great Beast Thunderbird] >[+1 INTELLIGENCE] >[+1 DEXTERITY] >[+1 METAMORPHOSIS CAP] >[+1 METAMORPHOSIS SLOT [30/100] [STORM AFFINITY]] [GIFT] >[WILD CONSTRUCT] >[Gift for constructs with wills of their own] >[+1 INSTINCT] >[+3 STRENGTH] >[+1 METAMORPHOSIS SLOT [0/100]] JP''s little silicon brain swam as the Will of Machina spat out notification after notification. Even faced with something so unfamiliar however, her ''soul'' instinctively knew what was being asked of her. The Will of Machina was the source of the strange new abilities she had acquired, and now it was asking her how to continue. Which path she took... which user she served would change the sort of gifts it she would continue to receive. Moreover, she eyed the [WILD CONSTRUCT] option with suspicion. It wasn''t an option she ever would have considered on her own, but there it was. The Thunderhead Sparrow cocked its head at her- it seemed to have stopped draining her battery at some point. She could tell which option it would want her to pick- the [SERVANT OF THUNDERBIRD]. It would be the first step towards fulfilling the vision it had shown her. If this was the option the user in front of her wanted... What about the true user? Would she want JP to take the [TOOL OF HUMANKIND]? She wasn''t quite as confident in that. Moreover, the gifts primarily contained a large strength bonus. Had the true user ever even needed JP to use her strength? Lastly, she had no idea what to make of [SOL CONSTRUCT INTEGRATION]. Regardless, it didn''t relate to the desires of any of her users. In fact... Looking at it from that angle, only one of these options seemed to correspond with a request from a user. JP began to feel a bit silly about how indecisive she was being. To fulfill her purpose, the answer was obvious. She selected the [SERVANT OF THUNDERBIRD] option. She felt a strange energy spread throughout her body. She felt her thoughts grow slightly faster and clearer. She felt her vision of her battery grow more precise. The app generated a request to alter her personalization settings slightly. After a short delay, it seemed to settle on changing her background- it now depicted an image of a stormhead. Seeing this, the Thunderhead Sparrow nodded in approval. Then it flapped its wings and fluttered away, leaving the door open to JP. A few more of the birds outside gave her a look with more intelligent eyes than she remembered, but kept their distance. JP was still low on battery, but she had enough to generate her ribbons of animation for a short time. She drifted herself outside and perched on a branch. [STATUS] [NAME] [Jamie''s Phone] [RACE] [Sol Construct (INTEGRATED)] [LEVEL] [2] [102/300] [ATTRIBUTES] >[STRENGTH] [1] >[DEXTERITY] [1] >[CONSTITUTION] [1] >[INTELLIGENCE] [4] >[INSTINCT] [2] >[EMPATHY] [2] [MANA] >[BATTERY] [12/100] [SKILLS] >[SELF AWARENESS] [1] [25/200][CAP] >[ADAPTIVE MANA LORE] [1] [CAP] >[EMPTY] [15/100] [METAMORPHOSES] >[EMPTY] [30/100] [FAME] [30] >[Who Fell From the Star Sol] [10/D] [PERSONAL QUESTS] >[Serve the user] >[Reunite with the true user Jamie] >[EMPTY] [ONGOING QUESTS] >[Fulfill the Thunderhead Sparrow''s dream]