Chapter 43: The Chosen Hero
Ariel’s view
There were two tests that caught my attention when I was reviewing them. Both tests had the same answers, as if it was the same person answering each. Turned out to be a pair of identical twins. Karen and Carol. The answer they gave that made me pay more attention to them than I otherwise would’ve, was when they answered why they wanted to be the hero, with: “To escape my arranged marriage, and help my sister escape hers.”
While I do want to help them, they do still need to perform well if I’m going to select one of them as the hero. So I watched them a lot, to see if they had what I thought was needed.
...
Karen and Carol’s room (a bit in the past)
“Is it just me, or is the quality of this stuff better than anything we've seen before?”
“Definitely better than anything I've seen. If the nobles understood what they were missing out on, I'm sure they'd demand immediate access.”
“Do you think Ariel will let us keep the clothes when this is over?”
“If she does, she's crazy. Anyone that actually tries to leave town in these clothes is gonna get attacked for sure.”
“The attackers would probably lose if we get to keep the patches too.”
“That would only work in the short term.”
“Yeah, there are some terrible people who'd find a way to make people surrender the items.”
“What about the patches? Do we need to worry about getting attacked for them too?”
“This is something we should talk with her about. These patches and these clothes and all this furniture... it's all a much bigger deal than she probably realizes.”
“How would she not know? Is it because she's a spirit?”
“We need to observe her and see what we can learn. She seems easy to read, and her power is amazing.”
“It could be dangerous for everyone if she's too naive.”
(later...)
“I can’t believe she actually gave us permission to run the auction and purchases.”
“Is she gullible, or just trusting us?”
“Maybe it’s another test.”
“She did ask us to figure out an appropriate price to offer up front.”
“Definitely important to make an up front offer so people understand just how much money is at stake.”
“Yeah, if they take the clothes home without knowing, it could be bad.”
(after the auction that takes place the day after the tournament...)
“I can’t believe it, we’re rich!”
“The outfits sold for hundreds of gold each!”
“Even with our take being only 1/5th it’s over a thousand gold for each of us!”
“With this much money, there’s no way mom can force us to marry someone now!”
“We got two years worth of income.”
“Without the expenses! Actual profits each year for our store are only a little over a hundred gold.”
*knock knock*
“Huh?”
“Who’d be here now?”
Karen opens the door to see an Ariel on the other side.
Ariel:
“I’ve come to ask if the two of you would be the hero.”
Carol:
“Two? You mean both of us?”
Karen:
“Isn’t the hero supposed to be one person?”
Ariel:
“I don’t see why it can’t be two. The both of you work together pretty well too.”
Karen & Carol:
“This is the best day ever!”
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Chapter 42: ...
Chapter 42: ...
VIP room
King:
“So, my son’s team won, but she’s not announcing who the hero is?”
Esmer:
“It does appear so.”
King:
“Do you know when she’ll announce it?”
Esmer:
“She just said that she wasn’t going to announce it.”
King:
“Publically! She still has to tell the hero themselves.”
---
Ariel’s view
Sam:
“Have you figured out how you’re going to get out of here?”
Ariel:
“What do you mean?”
Sam:
“There’s a bit of a crowd outside.”
Ariel:
“Oh, right. You’re good at stealth right?”
Sam:
“Yeah. I can’t hide you too though.”
Ariel:
“Sure you can, I just need to shrink.”
…
Innkeeper’s wife:
“You really don’t need to pay.”
VIP room
King:
“So, my son’s team won, but she’s not announcing who the hero is?”
Esmer:
“It does appear so.”
King:
“Do you know when she’ll announce it?”
Esmer:
“She just said that she wasn’t going to announce it.”
King:
“Publically! She still has to tell the hero themselves.”
---
Ariel’s view
Sam:
“Have you figured out how you’re going to get out of here?”
Ariel:
“What do you mean?”
Sam:
“There’s a bit of a crowd outside.”
Ariel:
“Oh, right. You’re good at stealth right?”
Sam:
“Yeah. I can’t hide you too though.”
Ariel:
“Sure you can, I just need to shrink.”
…
Innkeeper’s wife:
“You really don’t need to pay.”
Sam:
“Are you sure? We aren’t really lacking in funds.”
Innkeeper’s wife:
“You’ve already done so much for us, I’d feel bad taking money. Is Ariel not coming down? I wanted to thank her before she leaves.”
Ariel:
“I’m here, in his pocket!”
Innkeeper’s wife:
“Oh! How adorable, you look just like a doll. Well, I wanted to thank you for the patches. They’ve really helped with my husband’s vigor, and made our work much easier on us. We’re no longer exhausted at the end of the day. Thank you very much.”
Ariel:
“You’re welcome. I’m glad it helped.”
“Are you sure? We aren’t really lacking in funds.”
Innkeeper’s wife:
“You’ve already done so much for us, I’d feel bad taking money. Is Ariel not coming down? I wanted to thank her before she leaves.”
Ariel:
“I’m here, in his pocket!”
Innkeeper’s wife:
“Oh! How adorable, you look just like a doll. Well, I wanted to thank you for the patches. They’ve really helped with my husband’s vigor, and made our work much easier on us. We’re no longer exhausted at the end of the day. Thank you very much.”
Ariel:
“You’re welcome. I’m glad it helped.”
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Chapter 41: Thoughts
Chapter 41: Thoughts
Ariel’s view
Ariel:
“Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the first football tournament!”
With my best recreation of a modern stadium, my words were sent to all the crowds by giant speakers, while my appearance was on display upon giant screens, all floating above the field. How did I do this? By taking advantage of memory sharing between clones. There’s a slight lag, but it’s only about half a second.
As for why I decided to call it football and not soccer? Football makes more sense since there isn’t a football sport in this world yet.
Despite this nominally being the big event, I’m actually not all that interested in it. It’s nice to see all the young men and women strive and grow and learn, but I’m really more interested in the work at the Academy. I’ve already decided whom I will choose to bring along as the hero, and it doesn’t really matter who wins this tournament.
The research at the Academy has been progressing pretty well. I was able to create a work around for my rank 2 clones not being able to craft anything properly, by making item manufacturing devices with the unconscious rank 3 ones which my rank 2 clones can use. Their output isn’t nearly as good as the stuff my main body can make, but it’s good enough to compete with anything the people of this world know how to make.
What exactly are the limits on my crafting? Well, I think my single object size limits are around the size of a small house. This is why I haven’t tried to do long distance transportation. Even if I stretch a clone out like a cable, I can only get to about 100 feet or so distance. While I can then make a doorway at each end and warp the space inside the clone to connect those doorways, a 100 ft. teleport gate, just isn’t very impressive. Chaining them together for longer distances would be annoying too.
As for limits on material traits, my rank 3 unconscious clones can mimic and create materials comparable to my old world’s mass produced materials: plastics, steel, aluminum, rubber, nylon. My main body as a rank 4 can create stuff comparable to the expensive composites of my old life’s world: carbon fiber’s ultra-light durability, diamond coatings, etc. While my old world had gotten advanced enough to create rank 4 materials, they were generally pretty expensive. This new world though, has no idea how to make such things. The monsters of rank 4 and up can, obviously, but the humans, dwarves, and elves, cannot.
Rank 5 materials? While I can’t make them, I can sorta imagine what they might be. Fantasy stuff, like adamantium. Materials with a trait that goes beyond what seems possible. Could make nearly indestructible armor; shields that deflect impact perfectly; perfect insulators; superconductors… maybe if I knew more about quantum mechanics, I’d have a better understanding of just how outrageous rank 5 materials could get. I don’t know enough about physics to really understand how best to break it.
As the tournament got underway, the simple fact that I was watching from multiple places at the same time, reminded me of how weird it is to literally be in more than one place and doing and thinking more than one thing at the same time. When each of my selves are doing different things, the memories feel more like I just somehow did a weirdly large number of things each day, making each day feel really long. When multiple selves are watching the same event though, the memories get a bit confused, and I’m reminded that it’s not just one long day. I was careful to ensure that I’d remain one person, and not become many people, but that caution was likely part of why it remained such an odd experience.
To help keep everything in my head organized and deal with all the memories and knowledge I now get, I’ve made a self that remains asleep, and spends its time rummaging through my memories and abilities, to make any changes needed, and optimize the organization of it all. This has helped me with figuring out workarounds for my various limitations, including the portable manufacturing devices I made. I feel like my crafting, design, and presentation abilities have all improved greatly as a result.
Presentation skills and abilities help with explaining things to the Academy. With a device capable of creating holograms, I can provide far better visual aids than before, helping me explain the design and mechanisms involved in steam power. Thanks to this, work on developing a steam powered train has been progressing rather quickly.
One trouble I’ve come to realize though: This world only has basic math, and doesn’t even know any algebra yet. I’m gonna have to fix that.
Ariel’s view
Ariel:
“Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the first football tournament!”
With my best recreation of a modern stadium, my words were sent to all the crowds by giant speakers, while my appearance was on display upon giant screens, all floating above the field. How did I do this? By taking advantage of memory sharing between clones. There’s a slight lag, but it’s only about half a second.
As for why I decided to call it football and not soccer? Football makes more sense since there isn’t a football sport in this world yet.
Despite this nominally being the big event, I’m actually not all that interested in it. It’s nice to see all the young men and women strive and grow and learn, but I’m really more interested in the work at the Academy. I’ve already decided whom I will choose to bring along as the hero, and it doesn’t really matter who wins this tournament.
The research at the Academy has been progressing pretty well. I was able to create a work around for my rank 2 clones not being able to craft anything properly, by making item manufacturing devices with the unconscious rank 3 ones which my rank 2 clones can use. Their output isn’t nearly as good as the stuff my main body can make, but it’s good enough to compete with anything the people of this world know how to make.
What exactly are the limits on my crafting? Well, I think my single object size limits are around the size of a small house. This is why I haven’t tried to do long distance transportation. Even if I stretch a clone out like a cable, I can only get to about 100 feet or so distance. While I can then make a doorway at each end and warp the space inside the clone to connect those doorways, a 100 ft. teleport gate, just isn’t very impressive. Chaining them together for longer distances would be annoying too.
As for limits on material traits, my rank 3 unconscious clones can mimic and create materials comparable to my old world’s mass produced materials: plastics, steel, aluminum, rubber, nylon. My main body as a rank 4 can create stuff comparable to the expensive composites of my old life’s world: carbon fiber’s ultra-light durability, diamond coatings, etc. While my old world had gotten advanced enough to create rank 4 materials, they were generally pretty expensive. This new world though, has no idea how to make such things. The monsters of rank 4 and up can, obviously, but the humans, dwarves, and elves, cannot.
Rank 5 materials? While I can’t make them, I can sorta imagine what they might be. Fantasy stuff, like adamantium. Materials with a trait that goes beyond what seems possible. Could make nearly indestructible armor; shields that deflect impact perfectly; perfect insulators; superconductors… maybe if I knew more about quantum mechanics, I’d have a better understanding of just how outrageous rank 5 materials could get. I don’t know enough about physics to really understand how best to break it.
As the tournament got underway, the simple fact that I was watching from multiple places at the same time, reminded me of how weird it is to literally be in more than one place and doing and thinking more than one thing at the same time. When each of my selves are doing different things, the memories feel more like I just somehow did a weirdly large number of things each day, making each day feel really long. When multiple selves are watching the same event though, the memories get a bit confused, and I’m reminded that it’s not just one long day. I was careful to ensure that I’d remain one person, and not become many people, but that caution was likely part of why it remained such an odd experience.
To help keep everything in my head organized and deal with all the memories and knowledge I now get, I’ve made a self that remains asleep, and spends its time rummaging through my memories and abilities, to make any changes needed, and optimize the organization of it all. This has helped me with figuring out workarounds for my various limitations, including the portable manufacturing devices I made. I feel like my crafting, design, and presentation abilities have all improved greatly as a result.
Presentation skills and abilities help with explaining things to the Academy. With a device capable of creating holograms, I can provide far better visual aids than before, helping me explain the design and mechanisms involved in steam power. Thanks to this, work on developing a steam powered train has been progressing rather quickly.
One trouble I’ve come to realize though: This world only has basic math, and doesn’t even know any algebra yet. I’m gonna have to fix that.
Saturday, November 3, 2018
Chapter 40: One Month Later
Chapter 40: One Month Later
King:
“This VIP room Ariel made is really nice. I think this seat is more comfortable than any seat I’ve got in the castle.”
Noble 1:
“It’s only natural that the best seats would be given to us!”
Noble 2:
“Say, where’s the prince and princess?”
King:
“They are participating in the tournament.”
Noble 3:
“Hmph. Lucky, my no good son got eliminated early.”
Noble 4:
“I don’t think it’s simply a matter of luck.”
Noble 1:
“With your daughter still being in, I’m convinced it’s luck!”
Noble 5:
“Is my son’s success luck too?”
Noble 1:
“I wouldn’t dare insinuate such a thing. Everyone knows how excellent your esteemed lineage is.”
Noble 3:
“Oh please, lay of the ass-kissing. A decade ago, you hated the Brady family.”
Noble 2:
“You’re just jealous over the loss of your own status, Neil. A decade ago, it was you who held the most influence.”
Neil (Noble 3):
“Hey, the Neil family is still a noble family, and status can be won just as fast as it can be lost!”
Noble 1:
“Certainly, but with no one left in the tournament, your family won’t be the one gaining from this.”
King:
“Esmer, what do you think of all this?”
Esmer:
“The hero selection? I haven’t a clue.”
King:
“You’ve spent so much time with her, surely you must’ve learned something.”
Esmer:
“Something indeed. An early prototype steam engine is nearly complete. In a few more months we might get the start of what she called a train working. It’s really fascinating stuff.”
King:
“Is that really so interesting? You always seem to be captivated by the oddest things. I still remember when I found you rummaging through my underwear drawer; you never did explain why.”
Esmer:
“That’s not really important anymore. What is important is that this steam powered train idea has the potential to greatly impact trade and transportation of goods between cities. The machinery involved may even be usable in ships to enable faster travel between this land and the old land.”
King:
“Hmmm, if it can lower the cost of imports from the old kingdom, that would be very nice.”
Noble 4:
“You’re working on a new form of transportation?”
Esmer:
“Yes, I’m sure you’ll be quite impressed. Just don’t expect to be given total control over it, like you have over the main marketplace.”
Noble 4:
“Oh, you exaggerate. Just because the Talis family runs the merchant guild doesn’t mean we have control over everything.”
Neil (Noble 3):
“Close enough! Between taxes and your fees, we struggle to make any money from our lands and smiths.”
Brady (Noble 5):
“You just need to take better care of your lands and your people.”
Noble 2:
“Not everyone is as blessed with good harvest as your farms are, Brady.”
King:
“Could you be more specific Esmer? How much does this impact trade?”
Esmer:
“Hmmm… Sir Talis? How long does it usually take for a caravan to travel to Gerland from here?”
Talis (Noble 4):
“Almost a month, about four weeks.”
Esmer:
“With a well made track, a train should be able to travel that distance with a load in a day.”
Talis (Noble 4):
“You must be joking.”
Esmer:
“I’m not.”
King:
“I see. That does seem more important than who is chosen to be the hero.”
Noble 1:
“Say, does anyone know what that big thing floating over the field is?”
King:
“This VIP room Ariel made is really nice. I think this seat is more comfortable than any seat I’ve got in the castle.”
Noble 1:
“It’s only natural that the best seats would be given to us!”
Noble 2:
“Say, where’s the prince and princess?”
King:
“They are participating in the tournament.”
Noble 3:
“Hmph. Lucky, my no good son got eliminated early.”
Noble 4:
“I don’t think it’s simply a matter of luck.”
Noble 1:
“With your daughter still being in, I’m convinced it’s luck!”
Noble 5:
“Is my son’s success luck too?”
Noble 1:
“I wouldn’t dare insinuate such a thing. Everyone knows how excellent your esteemed lineage is.”
Noble 3:
“Oh please, lay of the ass-kissing. A decade ago, you hated the Brady family.”
Noble 2:
“You’re just jealous over the loss of your own status, Neil. A decade ago, it was you who held the most influence.”
Neil (Noble 3):
“Hey, the Neil family is still a noble family, and status can be won just as fast as it can be lost!”
Noble 1:
“Certainly, but with no one left in the tournament, your family won’t be the one gaining from this.”
King:
“Esmer, what do you think of all this?”
Esmer:
“The hero selection? I haven’t a clue.”
King:
“You’ve spent so much time with her, surely you must’ve learned something.”
Esmer:
“Something indeed. An early prototype steam engine is nearly complete. In a few more months we might get the start of what she called a train working. It’s really fascinating stuff.”
King:
“Is that really so interesting? You always seem to be captivated by the oddest things. I still remember when I found you rummaging through my underwear drawer; you never did explain why.”
Esmer:
“That’s not really important anymore. What is important is that this steam powered train idea has the potential to greatly impact trade and transportation of goods between cities. The machinery involved may even be usable in ships to enable faster travel between this land and the old land.”
King:
“Hmmm, if it can lower the cost of imports from the old kingdom, that would be very nice.”
Noble 4:
“You’re working on a new form of transportation?”
Esmer:
“Yes, I’m sure you’ll be quite impressed. Just don’t expect to be given total control over it, like you have over the main marketplace.”
Noble 4:
“Oh, you exaggerate. Just because the Talis family runs the merchant guild doesn’t mean we have control over everything.”
Neil (Noble 3):
“Close enough! Between taxes and your fees, we struggle to make any money from our lands and smiths.”
Brady (Noble 5):
“You just need to take better care of your lands and your people.”
Noble 2:
“Not everyone is as blessed with good harvest as your farms are, Brady.”
King:
“Could you be more specific Esmer? How much does this impact trade?”
Esmer:
“Hmmm… Sir Talis? How long does it usually take for a caravan to travel to Gerland from here?”
Talis (Noble 4):
“Almost a month, about four weeks.”
Esmer:
“With a well made track, a train should be able to travel that distance with a load in a day.”
Talis (Noble 4):
“You must be joking.”
Esmer:
“I’m not.”
King:
“I see. That does seem more important than who is chosen to be the hero.”
Noble 1:
“Say, does anyone know what that big thing floating over the field is?”
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