Ch 141
"Did we cause this?" Greg asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "I mean, the timing of it—"
"The system didn’t like the fact that I was here," Matt interjected, his voice calm yet firm. "Even in this weakened form, it sees my level as too far above what is meant for the dungeon we just conquered."
"How do you know that?" Emily inquired, looking bewildered. "And also, how did we manage to beat it? The last thing I remember was walking in that underwater tunnel. And why is Matt tiny again?"
Matt sighed heavily as he began to recount the events after they had all been mind-controlled. When he described how he had defeated the mass of tentacles, more than one of them expressed their displeasure, their faces contorted in disbelief. However, there was little they could say, as they had failed to even break free from their trances like Greg had managed to do. Their reactions grew even more intense when he narrated the exchange he had with whatever entity had come to investigate his actions.
“This means the system is actually sentient,” Emily murmured, her brow furrowed as she stared at the notification before her. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, voice trembling slightly. “That must mean we’re completely at the mercy of some unknown intelligence—”
Greg crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t think it’s truly sentient,” he countered, skepticism sharpening his tone. “More likely it simulates sentience on demand to parse complicated problems. From what Matt described, I’d wager the construct he interacted with was a one-off AI, spawned for a single task and terminated upon completion.”
“That seems horribly wasteful,” Rose interjected, tapping her foot nervously, as she shot Greg a frustrated look. “Why wouldn’t the system just reuse it?”
“To preserve impartiality,” Matt said softly, his eyes gaining a distant glimmer as he recalled the experience. “When it sifted through my memories, I watched my own biases melt away from the scenes. It’s hard to explain, but I suspect the core AI architecture remains intact in storage while all task-specific data is wiped clean after each job.”
“Or something,” Greg agreed with a shrug. “Which probably means you won’t be sticking around, Matt—this thing could turn on any one of us if it sees reason.”
Matt smiled faintly and held out the dandelion, its feathery head nearly the size of his palm. The delicate seeds clung to the stem in the void’s weightless air. “This clone can stay,” he said, voice low. “Though after I blow on this, I’ll likely ignore it most of the time. Assuming it behaves as I expect.”
Emily leaned forward to inspect the puffball, eyes scanning its interwoven filaments. “Let me see,” she murmured, fingertips hovering over a small holographic interface that flickered to life around the stem. “When Matthew Pierce exhales on the granted item, the request registered prior to its issuance will be fulfilled. It must be invoked before the post-dungeon cooldown expires.”
Rose frowned, eyebrows knitting. “What request did you make?”
A hush fell. Matt looked at each of them in turn. “I asked to free my body from its current… condition,” he said, voice cracking. “Unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to pick up where we left off. We don’t have much time in this void, so please make the most of it. Emily, I give you full authority to spend our renown points as you see fit. If you can step in as acting leader while I’m cut off from the system, consider it done.”
Emily nodded, determination in her eyes. “Understood. Any chance you can send out a final broadcast before we return to Earth?”
Matt offered her a half-lopsided grin, the stem poised between his fingers. “I’d say the odds are about fifty-fifty.”
As Matt spoke, he blew on the dandelion and watched as the seeds that formed its head began to drift away, transforming into light. The next moment, he found himself back in his real body, outside the sphere of metal, feeling a distant connection to his puppet. Adjusting his posture to a more natural state, Matt swiftly retrieved some dried meat from his spatial storage and began to eat it. Although he felt more or less okay, Matt could sense that his body was in desperate need of nourishment, its energy reserves dangerously depleted from the prior situation it found itself in.
As Matt ate, it didn’t take long for a curious crowd to gather around him as he concentrated on activating the same skill he had used to survive the Owl-man’s attack. The last thing he needed was to be killed by a sneak attack from someone willing to accept the heavy penalties that had been instituted. However, it seemed his worries were unfounded as a frustrated horned rabbit-man, whom he recognized, stepped forward.
“I take it we have you to thank for the current situation,” Rudan asked, his voice tinged with annoyance. “It seems that one shouldn’t underestimate you in any situation.”
“What, did your boss send you running here in the hopes that I would attack you or something?” Matt replied as he stood up and stretched his arms, a slight smirk on his face. “Because I couldn’t care less about you or the rest of Godfrey Enterprises. From where I’m standing, you’re all just a sad excuse for an organization that let an upstart like me make a fool out of you.”
Matt was taken aback to see that none of those present made any moves, while Rudan merely appeared as if he was about to get a headache when he replied. "If you’re trying to provoke someone into attacking you by insulting our organization, then you truly don’t understand how things work. None of us feel any pride in Godfrey Enterprises. We are simply born under their control and raised according to their laws. Thus, if we don’t want to remain weak forever, we strive to join the ranks of its members and deal with the additional rules that come with that."
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"Then why don’t you break one of those rules and tell me your name," Matt interjected. "I mean, if you don’t care about Godfrey Enterprises—"
"I care about my life, and I have to live under them," Rudan interrupted with a serious tone.
"Why?" Matt challenged. "Why must you live under them? What do they have on you that prevents you from escaping with your family to a better organization?"
"That isn’t how things work—" Rudan began.
"Because they all suck," Matt cut in sharply. "Tell me I’m wrong."
"I wouldn’t know," Rudan admitted. "Even as high as I have risen, I know very little about most of them beyond what I have been told."
"Then what would you do if you could leave?" Matt probed further.
"I am not joining Scattered Stars, as that would be beyond foolish," Rudan replied, shaking his head.
Matt frowned, having hoped it would indeed be that simple. Yet, he couldn't be too upset, knowing he'd been reaching just to ask. He realized his next request was what truly mattered and pondered how best to present it as Rudan continued speaking.
"Now, are you going to cooperate, or will you force us to accept the losses that killing you will necessitate?" Rudan inquired, his tone sharp and uncompromising.
"That depends," Matt replied, flashing a confident smile and striving to appear unfazed. "Are you willing to take me to wherever Radoznaormr currently is?"
"And why would we do that?" Rudan questioned, suspicion lacing his words.
"Because," Matt said, leaning forward slightly, "if he's foolish enough to kill me, it will weaken him by several levels at the very least. Even if my calculations are off, I believe he could easily lose over 100 levels if he makes the mistake of ending my life."
At those words, several in the crowd began to mutter amongst themselves, appearing unsure of what was transpiring. Nevertheless, Matt just smiled as he started to walk forward while continuing to speak.
“I think we both know the fate of anyone who tries to kill me,” he declared confidently.
After making that statement, he began to toss out the bodies of all those his party had killed in the dungeon for everyone to see. Finally, to add the cherry on top, Matt tossed out the body of the owl-man, waiting to see what reaction this would provoke. By this point, the crowd looked ready to attack, as he had escalated from merely disrespecting their organization to throwing their deceased members out like they were garbage. Which, aside from the gear on the owl-man that he had yet to examine, they kind of were.
“Why don’t you put away the trophies of those who failed to kill you before someone decides they want to join them?” came a new voice from behind Rudan. A man with angelic white wings and golden blond hair stepped forward. “Rudan, you really should lighten up. Matt here is simply offering to take a direct approach in addressing the problem that is currently causing our organization so many issues.”
“And who might you be?” asked Matt, not trusting the smile the man wore.
"Oh, me? Right, I'm from the Godfrey house. You see, my family runs everything, and my great-great-great-grandfather was the one speaking with you in that sphere when negotiations fell apart. I must admit, you really made things difficult for us, but it seems you've returned to clean up your mess. Now, Rudan, you'll be joining Scattered Stars and leading a rebellion along with the rest of those on the breeding planet you're in charge of."
"What are you saying?" Rudan asked, looking utterly mortified.
"Don't worry, I was never here, and half of those present are to join you in fighting your way to the portal and attempting to get Matt here back to your world. Once there, you are to destroy the portal on your end, as your attempt to overturn the order my family provides was unsuccessful. Thanks to the penalty period, few lives are lost, as the chaos makes attacking a rather dangerous proposition if you don't know your foes' level."
"Is this really what has been decided?" Rudan asked, looking betrayed.
"No, but it sounds so thrilling, and I'm sure that if I start attacking you, it would quickly become all that anyone dared claim was the truth. After all, while you're too weak for me to gain any valuable experience, it would only be a minor loss for me, much better than dealing with Radoznaormr when the penalty period ends. Besides, I'm sure that once I explain my reasoning, my great-great-great-grandfather will agree that losing one planet at the bottom of our ranks is well worth saving the rest of our organization."
Matt felt a wave of nausea as Rudan suddenly appeared beside him, realizing once again that he would be dragged along for the journey. Rudan spoke with a steely determination, "Brace yourself; this is going to be a rather bumpy ride."
"Are you really okay with this?" Matt asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
"I have to be," Rudan replied, a grim expression etched across his face. "Otherwise, I'm as good as dead. I just hope you have a way to neutralize Radoznaormr when he shows up."
"Will he actually make an appearance?" Matt inquired, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Yes," Rudan confirmed, nodding slightly. "If only to taunt you by claiming that the moment you leave, he will destroy the world. He'll likely try to provoke you into attacking him so he can eliminate you without any trouble. Plus, even if he can't kill you, there are plenty of other things he can do to torture you until the system intervenes to save you."
"Fine," Matt conceded, though he couldn't hide his frustration. "But I expect the planet to remain part of Scattered Stars long after—"
"It won't," interrupted an angelic-looking man who had joined their conversation. "Once Radoznaormr departs, we will ensure that order is restored."
"You mean kill all those you've forced into my care?" Matt retorted, his voice laced with disdain. "You make me sick, and I hope this all backfires spectacularly on you and your entire family."
"Pray that when the system reveals your world, it is nowhere near our territory," the angelic man shot back, his tone icy. "After all, I, too, regret that allowing you to live is necessary, as I'm well aware that we've created a troublesome adversary from this mess. Then again, it matters not because your world will fall into the hands of others, no matter what happens in the end."
Matt wanted to respond, but at that exact moment, Rudan seized him by the waist and started running. Rudan's pace was so rapid that Matt couldn't even keep track of it, as Rudan clearly held nothing back. Just moments later, Matt saw the portal to escape looming ahead. They passed through it without stopping, maintaining their speed as they raced through the tunnels that interconnected all the Godfrey worlds, eventually returning to the one where the Darkened Expanse dungeon was located. As they hurried through the winding passages, Matt felt his connection to his puppet strengthen considerably, and he smiled as a plan began to take shape in his mind.
