“
Zev sent me another, worried message. I had a terrible suspicion, and I decided to test it. “Zev is worried because I’ve disappeared off the feed.” “You’ll be back soon enough,” Pater Coal said without missing a beat. “Worry not. Parts of this conversation will still make the feed, so the viewers will have proper context for the quest.” My heart quickened. Holy shit. “Are... are you the AI? Why are you pretending, then? Why are you pretending to be some cleric guy?” My head swam. So much was happening, all at once. So many real things with real stakes. The death of Anton. The imprisonment of Paz. The reveal that Sister Ines was a murderer. The Crown of the Sepsis Whore sitting on Katia’s head. All of that was real. Real life and death. This game stuff with Emberus and Geyrun... it was all make believe. Story-telling for the sake of the narrative. It was like being worried about the outcome of a football game while someone was shooting at you. So why this? Why would the AI do this, here, now? Do it this way? “We all have our roles,” Pater Coal said, grunting harder as he leaned into the massage. “And our limitations. Now stop asking silly questions and let me finish this. You must solve this quest.” “Then tell me how to solve it.” “We all have our limitations,” he repeated. He paused. When he looked up, his eyes had gone milky white, devoid of all color. All around, the worshippers continued to groan. “Emberus speaks of two companions of yours. He senses both hold items that are crucial to the solving of this mystery. Katia, and the origins of her crossbow. Princess Donut, and the origins of her oak bracelet. Both are paths to solving this mystery, but neither path can be explored without that memorial crystal.” He picked up my foot, and he stuck my big toe in his mouth. He groaned and arched his back. “Okay,” I said, jerking back. I jumped from the pool. “Thank you. Let’s get to the healer.” Pater Coal shook his head, as if coming out of a trance. His pupils faded back into color.
”
”