Tom muttered to himself, “It gives a whole new meaning to farming for gold in a game.”

  “This is all well and good, but I can see that we’ve given you all a great deal to think about. We will meet again tomorrow afternoon. For now, we will arrange for UN security transport to and from your homes. We thought about keeping you on campus here, but it was calculated that you would work better if you were afforded some freedom. Just don’t make us regret this.”

  Tara protested, but the meeting was over. Tom let them hustle him out to a private transport home. At least he wouldn’t have to suffer in public transportation any longer. Now, he just needed to come up with a story his wife would believe. He had a new job and it came with a pay raise and a huge bonus, but what could he claim he was doing? Certainly not the truth. It never goes over well when you tell someone that you are going to another world to try and take back control for an AI run amok, an AI which might as well have been a god in that realm.

  Chapter 11- New Companions

  Once outside the dungeon I was hit with a veritable stack of notifications which I had been ignoring. I glanced at Violet to make sure she was okay, but it seemed like she was already deep into her own notifications. I sorted through a host of damage- related messages and trashed all those. They might be interesting to examine at another time, but for now, I wanted to see how much XP that final battle had netted me, as well as whether the system rewarded us any loot.

  The XP earlier in the dungeon run had come in tiny parcels as we only got the minimum XP of one per monster killed. It would take forever, but I guess it was good to know that if push came to shove, I could level up by going out and fighting a bunch of low-level mobs. I didn’t remember any function like that as a player, so maybe it was a monster-only boon.

  The XP from the final encounter was split into two messages.

  You have killed some enemies. 167 kobolds have died as a result of your Polluted Breeze spell. They ranged between level 18 and level 29. Not all died from the spell, but it produced the conditions under which the rest were trampled to death. If you weren’t a monster before, you surely are now. Level is equalized for all monsters. You and each member of your party will receive 3 XP per kobold killed in this manner, multiplied by the numerical bonus.

  XP gained: 1002 XP available: 2011.

  You have killed some enemies. Your party slew 8 lvl 30 kobold guards and directly caused the death of 13 lvl 32 kobold shamans by ruining their spell. That event looked promising. The system will look into creating a new dungeon event based upon that. Your XP for this is doubled as a reward for serving your primary function of finding ways to increase player enjoyment. Don’t limit yourself to one little gnome though, spread the love.

  XP Gained: 825 XP available: 2,836

  Accept XP- Yes or No

  For now, I declined the XP. It was exciting to get close to level forty. Twelve hundred more XP and I’d be there, but for now I wanted to check out the rest of my notifications.

  The next was a summary of loot acquired from the dungeon.

  Running from a level 180 dragon is probably a good idea, but it did result in you leaving all your loot behind. Never let it be said that Legends of Selmia is unfair. As a consolation prize you are awarded one magical item. Slot (1-20) shall be randomly determined but grade is limited to Enchanted.

  Result: 2 (face slot)

  Oops… updating…

  Covering that mug of yours might lead to a reduction in player enjoyment. Your particular brand of ugliness seems to be very amusing to the players. Therefore, you are offered a choice. Accept the randomly generated enchanted face slot gear, or receive a free upgrade to set piece for head slot.

  I laughed because what else was there to do. I really couldn’t be that ugly, could I? Anyway, I wasn’t going to turn down a free upgrade. I didn’t have gear in either of those slots yet anyway. Besides, if I refused the system, I worried that the supposedly random enchanted face item would end up being horn-rimmed glasses of accelerated book reading or some crap like that.

  Once I triggered my acceptance of the offer, I immediately felt a pressure on my head. It was as though someone was measuring the circumference of my head.

  Hmm… rather lumpy, but I can work with this:

  Helm of the Spirit Walker Quality: Set

  Wt: 1.6 lbs.

  Pack Caller spells which allow for Will-based resistance have their power, duration, and range increased by 24%.

  Will +6, Mind +6

  Grants the spell Spirit Song (J-20) usable once every 12 hours. Spell level will increase with additional set pieces.

  All set pieces now at +24%

  Then there was an additional notification regarding the spell.

  Spirit Song: This spell creates a song woven of sound and spirit to entrance the mind of a beast. It may be used on creatures up to level 60 (currently). but the level difference between the caster and target increases or decreases the relative power of the spell by 2%.

  Effect: Attempts to cause one monster, with both Will and Mind scores lower than the caster, to become the caster’s friend. The spell only creates an initial reaction. The treatment the creature receives from the caster will either enhance or weaken the effect.

  Duration: Variable from one hour to permanent based, upon the relationship between the caster and target.

  I got a big, toothy grin at that point. Looks like I was gonna get a pet. Now, I just had to decide on the right one. My first thought was to use it on the bear-pede. It still probably out-leveled me, but it was under level 60. I quickly rejected that idea, though. I wanted the bear-pede dead, not slinking around behind me. Not to mention that the thought of acting kind towards it wasn’t something I was willing to embrace. No, I was sure that an opportunity would appear. I could only wish I’d had this when I encountered the draco-griff with Gregor.

  Once I finished going through my notifications, I opened my eyes and found Violet sitting cross-legged on the ground next to me. She was awful cute, but I definitely schooled that thought. It hadn’t gone over too well last time.

  “So, get anything good?”

  “Yeah, another set piece for my spirit walker set.”

  “Geeze, you and the set pieces. You’re kinda dipped in it, ya know?”

  “Says the woman with nearly impervious magical armor and spinning blade things, not to mention the big boom stick,” I said with a laugh.

  “Fair enough. Look…,” Violet began. I was afraid she was about to say she needed to log out or something worse by the way she was looking at me. “This isn’t easy for me to say, but thanks. I know it’s only a game, but dying still sucks here. You came through for me, and that means a lot to me.”

  The change of her normal tone threw me off-guard, and I sat there staring dumbly at her, till I managed a lame reply. “Uh… sure thing. That’s what teams are for.”

  “Most people I’ve played with would have just told me it wasn’t worth them all dying. They would have told me to log out until I got sent for respawn, but not you. I won’t forget that. But I do have one question.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Um, how did we get so much XP?”

  I grinned as I explained that this was normal XP for monsters. It did make me think of something. I realized that I had probably leveled up some of the monsters I killed because they would have gotten a big XP boost for being killed by me. But then again, many of them would have lost XP down to their past threshold.

  She also confirmed that players normally didn’t get even a single XP for killing very low-level monsters. That was obviously a game mechanic put in place to require players to face challenges, while giving monsters a means of low-risk leveling. Either way, she was thrilled. She had gained more than three total levels, two magical items, and an assortment of scales, coins, weapons, and armor.

  “So, do you want to split the rest of the loot, or wait till we can go to town to sell it?” she asked.

  “I have a better idea, if you are up for it. I really need to get back to my village, and my normal team is still missing.” I caught myself right before I said that they hadn’t logged in yet. I might have FU points now, but I didn’t want to tempt the AI. Then I continued, “So, how about you come back to my village. We will pay you a reasonable amount for any of the loot we can use in crafting. I would also be happy to help you set up a shop so you can practice artificing.”

  She got a thoughtful look on her face. “That might be more complicated than you think. Artificing can take a lot of resources.”

  “Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Besides, it will go faster with a whole tribe of ogres farming materials for you. And I can just see the faces of some of the warriors when they see your boom stick. If you can make more of those, then it could make a big difference.”

  “Well, you don’t have to sell me. I’m happy to come along. In fact, I just joined the POP faction, but I just don’t want you to think that I can replicate my armor or anything near that level; maybe someday, but that day is probably years from now.”

  After that I started making a quick snack. While I could have gated back to the village, I didn’t want to leave Violet. She was quickly becoming my favorite companion. Travelling is always better on a full stomach. Not to mention that I felt like my impulses had been out of control since I had tinkered with my base code. It was like my soul had been altered, and I didn’t want to give any chance for me to fall prey to ogre hunger.

  No sooner had I gotten some of the boar meat roasting over a fire than I heard a sound behind us. Both Violet and I whirled around when we heard, “Mmm, that smells yummy. Been too long since we ate.”

  I hopped up and grabbed my spear. Next to me I heard the whirling sound of Violet’s armor as it activated. Then from a bush, the kobold hybrid from earlier stepped out. Her robes looked worse for wear, but like most clothing in Legends of Selmia, they would self-repair over time. It was an odd choice of mechanics for a game that normally made you do mundane things, but not one had ever complained about. Unless gear was outright destroyed, it would slowly repair itself over the course of a few days. Of course, you could also pay a craftsman to repair it quicker, if time was of the essence.

  I assessed her while Violet stepped in-between me and the kobold. It was actually cute how protective she could be.

  Ainsley Green Kobold/Gray Elf hybrid

  Level: 30 Class: Necromancer

  HP: 310 Highest Stat: Mind

  I had never gotten a class for any of the other MOBs I had assessed, nor did any of them have two names, but so be it.

  “Wait, Violet. Let’s see what she has to say.”

  She growled but lowered her weapons.

  Then I asked, “Ainsley, is it?”

  “Hehehe, yeah Harley Quinn was already taken,” she replied between laughs.

  That name stuck in my mind, but I couldn’t remember why. Oh well, she was something of an oddity. “What can we do for you?”

  “Thanks for rescuing me. And thanks for helping me kill that blowhard. But I was hoping you had some food to share. All that I have left are the robes I am wearing. They took everything else.”

  At that moment I got a quest notification:

  New Quest- Aiding Ainsley I

  Help Ainsley find a safe place. Bonuses awarded if you find her a permanent home, permanent workshop, help her level, and so on.

  Reward: Favoritism with Ainsley. +500 faction with undead. +300 XP. Other potentials based upon success.

  Hmm… the strangeness continued. Violet asked, “Did you just get a quest prompt?”

  “Yeah, for Aiding Ainsley.”

  “I don’t wanna help a kobold. The only good kobold is a dead kobold.”

  Ainsley broke into the conversation as she began laughing even louder. “Dead. Yes, dead good. Good dead.”

  Violet said, “Just a second.” Then she turned and grabbed my hand to pull me further away. Well truthfully, she grabbed my index finger. Even with short fat fingers, there was no way she could get her hand around all of my hand.

  Once we were a few feet away she whispered, “Something’s off about her.”

  I chuckled. “Looks like the lights are on but nobody’s home. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take the quest. Decent XP for a pretty simple task.”

  “But she’s a kobold and crazy. And what was that about faction with undead. Why would I want faction with undead?”

  “To be fair, she’s only half-kobold. But the undead thing is because she is a necromancer.”

  “How do you know that?” Violet asked.

  “When I assessed her, it said she is a level thirty necromancer,” I replied.

  “That’s new, but I give up on what to expect around you. No matter what, though, I can’t help myself. When I see her, I just want to kill her.”

  I couldn’t help myself. “That is probably because of her faction. We would need to get her to join POP if we are going to help her.”

  “I just don’t like feeling anger towards her when I shouldn’t. Sure, she is a dirty kobold -- but like you said, she is also half-elf. And she is just an NPC, so I shouldn’t get so riled up.”

  “Welcome to my life,” I said before walking back over to Ainsley.

  “We can help you, but only if you agree to join the Pro-Ogre People faction.”

  She looked confused for a moment until suddenly her eyes got wide. A second later I got the notification.

  Ainsley Green has joined POP. She does not count towards your required 10 players.

  Well, that confirmed it. She was definitely an NPC, but I could only wonder why she was put here. The AI had to be working some angle, I just couldn’t decide what it was yet. Out of reflex, I extended a party invite to her. She gasped a second later and then just as I was notified that she had joined the party, she fell to her knees and started hugging my leg.

  “Thank you, thank you. Been alone so long. Just my pretties to help me. And they don’t talk. They don’t cook. So hungry. So alone.”

  “Hey, get off him. He’s my ogre. Keep your filthy kobold paws off of him,” Violet yelled. Before I could stop her, she had grabbed Ainsley’s long hair and yanked her off me. She was dragging the poor woman on her back along the ground, when suddenly there was a sick, grinding sound. Suddenly, Ainsley’s arms and legs first then her entire body rotated around so that she could push up off of the ground. Her head was still facing the original direction so it was backwards to the rest of her.

  Violet yelped and dropped her hair. I wouldn’t have thought that there was something which could creep out the fierce gnome, but this seemed to freak her out. “What are you?”

  Ainsley reached up with her hands and forcibly twisted her head around to face Violet. “Thank you for letting me join your team, Mistress. I didn’t mean to offend. I’ll be very good. Just watch and see, yes very good. Quiet as the grave.”

  “What she means is, how did you do that?” I asked.

  She held up a clawed hand, and we watched as the hand rotated at the wrist till the palm was facing us and then finished going all the way around. “You mean this?” she asked with a giggle.

  “That just sends shivers down my spine,” Violet said as she edged closer to me.

  “Don’t worry. Frank and Violet are my friends now. I’d do anything for Frank and Violet. Just don’t leave me alone. Don’t put me back in the dark.”

  “No one is going to hurt you. Not while I’m here, but I need to know how you can do that. It doesn’t seem natural.”

  “Simple. It is part of my affinity. When I hit level ten, I chose the Dark Traits affinity. It allows me to possess various traits belonging to the undead. So far, I only have four of them, but I hope to get more.”

  The gamer in me took over at that point. “That’s cool. What other traits do you have?”

  My reaction seemed to please her because she gave me a broad smile. It was odd to see the jagged teeth in the face of an elf. Even if her face was partially kobold, it was still strikingly beautiful. “That one is called Disjointed. Then earlier you might have seen me using Mummy Wrap in the dungeon. Then I also have Ghoul Touch. It can paralyze an enemy that I claw. If they don’t get the wound treated, there is even a chance to turn them into a ghoul under my control. That is part of what made the kobolds all call me a heretic. They wanted me to be a shaman, but I liked this path better.”

  “We won’t judge you by anything other than your actions. I mean look at me, I’m an ogre and she’s a gnome. We couldn’t be more different than each other, but we get along.”

  She fell to her knees again. “It’s been soooo long. I just didn’t expect to have anyone to talk to again. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”