Speculation & Theories

"Amy's destination is unclear, but what is clear is something… stranger." Raquel explains, cryptically as I reach the two dolls. Beth looks distraught, and the next figure to speak is the computer-like machine I awoke a few minutes ago.

"Master, thanks to your enchantment I was able to study what I've recorded while showing the dolls other footage. This is not the first time that Amy triggered the anti-theft measures that the dollmaker used to protect his texts." The machine reveals, which is unsurprising but highly concerning.

"So she's been trying to steal this stuff before now… Or the dollmaker's enchantments have somehow atrophied." I remark, tragically aware of which of the possibilities is more likely since I am an enchanter and know how our magic works.

I am disappointed by what the machine's words suggest, though I'm also a realist. Beth looks at the floor, even more disappointed than I am. It's a shame that one of the dolls is willing to betray her creator and steal from him.

Truthfully it's a bit intriguing that she can even do something like this. I don't know if Beth and Raquel are capable of betrayal, and I'm not sure if Amy being capable of it is a sign of how advanced she is or how advanced Raquel and Beth are. I guess it depends on one's views of the purpose of artificial intelligence. I glance at the machine as I suddenly wonder about something.

"Wait a minute, when Amy triggered the defensive mechanism in place she dropped the book. How did she trigger the defenses earlier, but there were no books on the floor other than the one she dropped earlier?" I ask. The machine's reply is instantaneous.

"She didn't trigger the defenses here, master. She triggered them in one of the bedrooms." The machine explains, and the monitor I'm closest to suddenly begins to show me recorded footage showing Amy in a bedroom trying to grab something in a wooden box. The bedroom is on the second floor of the observatory and it is pitch black in the room but I can still easily see the bright light suddenly emanate from the box and presumably shock the doll. I shake my head at the sight and resolve to go visit the room before I leave.

I still have other things I need to do as well. I turn to the dolls and think of what to say given the enormous implications of what the machine has revealed.

"Okay, look, we don't know what is going on with Amy. We need to be careful around her, sure, but we don't know why she is doing what she is doing. We need to find her and get her to tell us what she is up to herself rather than assuming she's truly gone rogue." I state. These words seem to calm and soothe Beth, and Raquel smiles sadly at me.

"For now we still don't know where she is. I think jumping to the least charitable conclusions about her based on what we've seen is… less than ideal. Plus there's still other stuff we need to do." I explain, causing my dolls to look at me curiously. I smile mischievously at them as they wait for me to explain what I mean.

"I have more powers than I've used so far. In fact… I have many abilities." I state, before beginning to explain not quite the whole truth regarding my circumstances but at least revealing the breadth of my abilities. This takes a few minutes but when I'm done both dolls are a bit stunned and look at me with newfound respect. I pause for a second and think of what to say next.

"So what I want to do is lay down a blessing on the observatory. If I do so this place will become much harder for the undead to even approach, given the nature of what I'd draw from to power the blessing." I say, causing the dolls to nod at me.

This is true, I can draw power from three distinct sources: nature spirits, eldritch powers, and myself. Two distinct fonts of power can be used to repel undead monsters with ease: celestial beings, such as angels, and nature spirits like Lady Neptunia. If I lay a nature-powered blessing on the observatory it'd make it difficult for the undead servants of the necromancer who sent what must have been a scouting force to investigate the books belonging to the dollmaker to even approach the observatory, probably even from underground.

"The process of laying down a blessing on the observatory should not be a complex one. I will first commune with a local spirit I know of, Lady Neptunia, and ask if I could use some of her power to bless this land. As far as I can tell she is fond of me so it should work out. After that, it should be as simple as expending some of my energy." I honestly remark. My dolls nod at me and then look at me expectantly. I nod back at them and walk over to a nearby table. When I sit down I shut my eyes and I begin to will one of my perks to flare to life: "Communion".

I sense the perk reading my intentions and I am surprised when a split second later I hear a mental version of a phone line ringing. It rings twice before it gets picked up and I hear a soft, sleepy-sounding voice on the other end.

"Hello? This is most unusual…" The voice says, and I immediately memorize the curiously young-sounding voice.

"Greetings, Lady Neptunia. I am Mateo Gutierrez, the cleric and culinary warrior who has been feeding the nereids not terribly far from Oceanos." I state, speaking formally. When I explain my identity I hear a soft giggle emanate from her.

"Oh, I know who you are, silly! There are very few aquatic clerics, and you are the only human cleric to know my name. That's how I've sent you those dreams of my home. Thanks to your evangelism you are far from the only surface dweller to know my name and now I am getting more offerings. Thank you for that, by the way." The spirit tells me, causing me to smile faintly. The revelation that she is the one sending me dreams of the aquatic city is interesting, unsurprising but still quite fascinating. I endeavor to keep my tone professional as I reply to her.

"You are most welcome. I am happy to see humanoids properly respect nature." I state, willing to play to the ego of the nature spirit, for now at least.

"Lady Neptunia, in the days to come I wish to get to know you better. I have been busy during my first few days in my new home, but you have seen how I have done my best to both properly respect the nereids and even to ensure that my neighbors do so as well. I would see to it that those of us who rely on the seas treat your kind with the respect you all deserve. In all ways." I remark, and I can faintly sense the regard with which the spirit holds me rise ever so slightly.

Right now I can faintly feel the subtle influence of various perks allowing me to know more or less what words to say to the spirit. Numerous merchant perks in my possession are strong enough that even though the spirit and I are not in the same room I can still sense, to a limited extent, what she wants. I don't have an exact sense of her specific interests, but I intuitively sense that being respectful to her and treating her as a superior will disarm her.

"Sadly, there are individuals in this world who lack proper respect for nature. One such individual, a necromancer; an arcane foe of all things natural, has turned his foul gaze in the direction of the observatory from which I am communicating with you. My dolls, animal friends, and I were able to defeat the initial deployment of undead minions he has sent to investigate the place I'm currently in but I fear that he will send more someday soon." I explain, and I can audibly hear the subtle cues in her voice that mark her interest in whatever I'm about to say.

"Is there any way that I could borrow some of your righteous might to protect this place from the necromancer's clutches? I completely understand if you choose to refuse this offer, but I do wish to deny the necromancer the knowledge within this place. I also wish to deny him the freedom he currently enjoys but that is a longer-term goal." I explain, and as soon as I finish my remarks I hear the spirit mulling over my request. When she eventually responds I am a bit surprised at what she says.

"Young cleric, I, Lady Neptunia of the Coral Sea, the youngest of the children of King Meranos, will allow you to bless this 'Observatory' in my name. That said, I do have one request. At some point in the next month, I wish for you to journey to my aquatic metropolis and to have dinner with you. My nereids rave about your food and I have tasted the dish you prepared for me. It was delicious and I wish to taste more of your goods." She tells me. I smile triumphantly, happy to see that the seeds I have planted with Neptunia have borne fruit.

I have gone out of my way to be kind to the ocean spirit. From regularly feeding the nereids to going out of my way to explain everything I knew about Neptunia to Ophelia, to even making her something special last night, it was all for a moment like this. I was subtly investing in my future, and to see it pay off in such an adventure-hook kind of way is pretty neat.

"Lady Neptunia, I would be honored to visit your home. I will confer with the nereids sometime soon and make arrangements for the day that I visit you. I will come with a gift that I hope would be deserving of ownership by you." I tell the spirit. She makes a satisfied sound and then abruptly ends the call.

When I hear the "line", for lack of a better word, go dead I smirk softly and open my eyes. I take a deep breath as I feel a strange infusion of energy fill my veins.

I begin to chant something, words that do not come directly from me but from the energy filling my veins. The words are a prayer to the ocean, one of cleansing and life. I find myself compelled to get to my feet, and I feel new power and information surging into me, this time it's the more permanent, more mine, kind of knowledge and power. I am sensing perks flowing into me, ones belonging to clerics, even as I am powerfully compelled to use Lady Neptunia's power to protect this place.

As I continue to chant I watch the air around me take on a slightly blue hue. The tint is soft, only barely noticeable, but my enhanced eyes are capable of spotting it with ease. As it washes over the space I'm in I grin internally. I am successfully blessing this place, and in doing so I am giving it powerful protection against creatures like the undead.

As a reward for my successful bestowal of a blessing upon the observatory, I have been recognized as a true cleric, at least according to a notification that fills a part of my mind's eye. This awards me with the rest of the 100 CP cleric perks I was missing, as well as the "Prophet" perk. "Prophets" are a type of clergy, ones who receive visions from the gods and other higher beings. The fact that I have now become one is intriguing, and is surely something I'll be able to use to my advantage in the days to come.

When I'm done bestowing the blessing the rest of the day passes in a blur. My dolls and I quickly head to the second floor of the observatory, I retrieve the box which contains a strange tome detailing a complex and costly ritual to create a unique familiar. Once we've collected the box, we begin to explore the observatory. I make extreme use of perks like "The Vault" to empty the place of virtually any useful objects inside of it. I collect healthy amounts of things like wood, assorted metals, and magically enchanted supplies like food.

After that, I add the awakened machine to the psychic network that allows me to speak to my golems and the dolls. I say farewell to the monitor, promising to come back soon and leave the observatory with my companions. We lock down the place once we leave, to ensure that it's as safe as possible, and we head back home right as the sun begins to dip towards the horizon.

"So I am not sure what to do now." I confess to my companions. For the first time, no one is driving the mobile tavern and everyone is inside of it. I am using one of my perks to drive the carriage towards the central estate. I am in the process of using some of my perks to do something important.

"What do you mean?" Beth asks, curiously. I turn towards her even as I begin to fuse some of the supplies I collected from the observatory that are now safely stored inside my vault.

"So I, we really, have a few different paths we could choose to pursue for now. I could prioritize Neptunia's request, and thus begin to prepare for the visit to her home. That would allow me to inch closer to becoming a bard, as well as allow me to potentially master more water abilities. We could focus on figuring out where Amy has gone, which is going to be tough. And of course, we could continue to work on doing things like creating items and otherwise making stuff for Oceanos, which would allow us to build up better relationships with our neighbors." I tell the doll, who pauses and begins to thoughtfully ponder what to tell me. Raquel is surprisingly quick to say something.

"Looking for Amy and doing something for Oceanos are probably closer to each other than you think." She states, with a look of healthy confidence on her regal face.

"We only know of two sets of humanoids in this region. The amazons and the humans and dwarves that camped outside of the observatory. If we approach the amazons and tell them about Amy they may know of her already, but if not they'll probably encounter her before we do. They may even already know about the humans and dwarves!" Raquel rightly points out. I acknowledge the correctness of that point and grin at my companion.

"In that case, there are two serious things we could work towards." I state as I begin to complete what I am trying to do. I have successfully fused a handful of disparate components into a book and I will the thing to appear on the table in front of me.

"I suspect that if we prioritize the Lady of the Sea I could raise the esteem she holds me in even further. It wouldn't be a bad idea for me to work on becoming as beloved by her as I can be, especially if we're going to seriously go after Sophia, a pirate, and the necromancer with his undead minions." I state, even as I shut my eyes and begin to pour power into the book in front of me.

"That said, I do like the amazons. I'd love to encounter Atlanta again, especially now that I have more familiarity with advanced enchantments, alchemy, and even designing clothes. If I use Atlanta as a model and advertisement for the items I sell… Well, she was a champion after all." I say, with a wry smile. Of course, a part of me would love to see Atlanta for other reasons as well… But that is secondary to my primary goal. I complete the creation of the book in front of me and I fill out the details of a notification that asks me to specifically customize the perimeters of the skill book in front of me.

Skill books are remarkable objects. These books contain echoes of my skills and knowledge, and if I give one to someone they can use them to experience, in a few heartbeats, what it is like to gain knowledge and skills as though I've personally taught them for a full year. These books allow me to speedily gain students and elevate people who desperately need to learn something like how to wield a sword or how to care for an animal, and I can charge people whatever I want to give them this knowledge. I could use this power to truly remarkable effect in the days to come.

The specific book in front of me relates to the crafting of weapons, and I glance at both of my dolls and ask them to come here and open the book. Beth is the first to do so and when she opens the book her eyes widen as she is supernaturally imbued with powerful knowledge. She hands the object to Raquel, a dazed smile on her lips as she gives the teaching aid to her sibling. Raquel gasps as she feels my knowledge seeping into her mind, and I smile brightly as I watch her breathe contentedly a few seconds later.

"Skill books. Pretty amazing, right?" I ask the two of them, my bright smile one of excitement. I've only been in this world for about half a month and I can feel how much I've done in every move I make.

My abilities become more and more my own every time I use them. Every sword I make, every item I enchant, every time I interact with the animals, I become a more genuine practitioner of any relevant paths. It feels remarkable, and I intend to continue to chase that high.

We arrive home not much later, and as I step out of the Traveler's Dream I am delighted to see the four walls of a large barn not very far from the estate. The thing is not completed yet, but it is much farther along than I thought it would be. I also see Gerald the guard-golem patrolling the area not far from my home.

I silently use the strange psychic network that tethers my golems, dolls, the nameless machine, and I together to call all of the golems except for Sara the Scout and Mammon the Miner to the area in front of the estate. When we've all gathered together I bring the lot of us into the area I've begun to consider my home. I make us dinner, eager to continue to feed even my newest servants due to the nature of one of my first pathways to power: that of a culinary warrior. I also make a meal for Mammon, sad that I can't make one for Sara.

Eventually, I find myself in bed. I have decided to spend the night alone, something I do somewhat frequently, and in moments I am underneath warm, finely pressed sheets and drifting off to bed.

The transition between being awake and falling asleep happens nearly instantaneously. I go from lying in bed and perceiving my real-world surroundings to standing upright in a strange, darkened, modern reception area over a span of time equal to the number of times it takes a heart to beat a handful of times. I curiously study the area until I hear distant footsteps that slowly grow louder as they draw closer to me.

When it feels as though several minutes have passed since I first heard distant footsteps I am surprised when a figure I can recognize rounds a nearby corner. Rebeza, the strange eldritch being I rescued from the clutches of a depraved pirate, is quickly approaching me in this strange dreamscape! A radiant smile is visible on her face as she draws closer and closer to me, never stopping until she is right in front of me. When she reaches me she studies me brightly for a second before her eyes widen in a delighted smile.

"Have you mastered 'Networking' already? What a remarkable accomplishment for someone who has only just gained psychic abilities!" She says as she begins to dart around me and view me from every angle, something I don't doubt she's doing for the sake of studying me in ways that I probably can't even begin to fathom.

"This means you're a telepath! That's so interesting. I never imagined that you would have an innate affinity with telepathy." Rebeza remarks, her shock and joy mixing in her voice. I smile faintly at her.

"Hello, Rebeza. How are you doing? Enjoying your freedom?" I ask brightly, and when I ask these questions the powerful archdemoness grins childishly at me.

"Well, I mean… I am, but I am one of the few in my retinue with freedom to enjoy!" Rebeza tells me, her voice mixing both the haughtiness of a child whose imagination is being nurtured and also the excited delight of a temptress with her eyes on what she hopes will be her next plaything. I can tell from her voice that she has something to tell me related to what she has just said and so I decide to embrace my situation fully and ask her to tell me what is going on.

This question makes her laugh excitedly as she begins to ready herself to tell me a story concerning her peculiar circumstances.