Augmented Aspects: Chapter 394 A Fraud of A Demi-God (Part 1) (Patreon)

Chapter 394

A Fraud of A Demi-God (Part 1)

One non-step for a pixie, one over corrective step for the mechanoid suit carrying the pixie. A mechanoid suit that crash lands on the ground, immediately drops in to the old man knee pose, the one where he braces for his old knees to buckle in pain. There is a faint moment of tension, as the crystalline structures in his knees buckle and crack just a bit, but this is quickly healed by my Robealing Aura, instantly soothing the pain and removing any damage that Raygunnr received upon entering the moon’s atmosphere, nearly being burnt alive away upon entering atmosphere, and finally alleviating all landing related damage, leaving behind nothingness in its wake.

Well nothingness mixed with his mind catching up to the level of mechanoid endorphins being released into his body giving him enough Qi infused adrenaline to survive the impact and crawl away to safety. Someone should really look into bottling up this Qi infused adrenaline, I could see it going over quite well, assuming most mortal hearts didn’t explode from its use. Assuming that people survived the initial does, the effects could be lifesaving. The ad to sell this hybrid concoction of Alchemy meets FDA nightmare would involve a freak nature accident where a bear knocked a tree over a mother, pinning her in place with the tree. Then the mother is helpless as the bear goes towards her children. At which point the mother has a look of resolve fills her face as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a tube of Adren-Qilen, a mixture so powerful that it glows with the look of bad decisions waiting to happen. The mother left with no other option jabs the tube into her pinned leg. A second later energy swirls in her body. Her first act is to kick her leg, instantly freeing her leg from under said tree, causing the tree to hurl towards the bear, distracting it long enough for her to act. This is when she makes her move, as she uses this time to get up and jump on the bear like a lunging spider, teeth and arms a wild mass of flailing limbs. She lands, taking a bite of bear with her as she punches through dense layers of protective bear fat to deliver debilitating strikes. In a matter of seconds, what went from complete disaster resulted in motherly victory, then she would have to apply a second healing mixture to heal or fix any damage done to her muscles or organs by injecting herself with the Adren-Qilen. Actually, looking at it, the odds of mothers needing aid to fight off bears successfully are few and far between, going to hold off on that idea for now.

Though I do currently think I need something, as Raygunnr is still caught in his crouching stance. I get to witness the affects of undirected Adren-Qilen work their magic in real time against Raygunnr’s crouching form. I can see how all the bursts of Adren-Qilen surge throughout Raygunnr’s body, looking for parts to break off, and form pockets to help move, but nothing is broken, nothing needs immediate attention. Finally, the Adren-Qilen stops in the one place that seems to be designed for runoff. Much as the appendix is a final end of the line for the digestive system, allowing the breakdown of components that would normally never need to be fixed. This time, the head serves as the appendix, or the final resting spot for all unused Adren-Qilen, which is apparently all of it, meaning every ounce of unused Adren-Qilen goes straight to his already oversized head, filling him with a surge of Qi and mana infused energy, power, and overconfidence. Resulting in what anyone would expect from to happen from an oversized childlike robot with a hidden proclivity towards writing minotaur SMUT to happen. Namely, a stupid action met with wild movements, boundless gestures, and next to no coordination whatsoever or planning.

“WAHOOOOO!” Was the one-word victory response that Raygunnr exclaimed as he went from his low crouch to an act that I believe was meant to expel as much Adren-Qilen from his body in a single movement as possible. That movement was of course a singular jump upwards. A jump that was seemingly magnified by not just a recent power surge of Adren-Qilen, but a power surge that was magnified by the weaker gravity and atmospheric pressures bearing down on the enthusiastic Teleiotís. The result was as one might expect, chaotic at best.

Fortunately for me, I had a front row seat to witness the changes and effects of wild Adren-Qilen on a growing Teleiotís shell. From an evolutionary standpoint there is something that might surprise people, and that is on a purely functional level, Teleiotís are eighty to ninety percent similar to humans. This similarity can be seen in the way our bodies are laid out, wired to circulate both mana and Qi in the body, at least this is the case with Raygunnr. Which should technically make him the equivalent of a Royal Blooded Teleiotís at the very least, though I am pretty sure he is already at the Legendary bloodline state, if not higher thanks to the way his body is now reacting to my cast-off skin I had while molting in space and ultimately getting here. Normally, with most humanoid creatures seeing evolutionary advancements and helping others through them is like second nature, and something I could normally assist with easily, even while I myself was currently feeling the strain and effects of my body’s own changes lining up and preparing myself for my own physical transformation. This is where the differences in our two physiologies comes into play, for it is that last ten to twenty percent of variance between us that makes it truly hard to predict how and where to help. There is almost no other way to describe what is currently happening in his body, as he essentially tries to jump for joy, at the same time that his own body begins to lock up on him, the same way one might get a leg cramp while swimming, forcing the swimmer to tighten up and immediately start to sink, causing an immediate fear of drowning to come to the forefront of one’s mind. Here, I can tell that the same thought comes to Raygunnr’s own mind, as his own body begins to seize up, just as his body crests its apex point, that spot where gravity that had been waiting on the sidelines, suddenly smirks and declares that it is now its turn to have a go at things.

This is that one spot where gravity and puberty seem to converge, finding Raygunnr right at his apex, and both jump to attack him. Resulting in cringing pain filled groans as his body tenses up, while gravity begins to pull him back to the ground. What almost looked like a first awkward attempt at flying, quickly turned to what appeared to be failed flailing swimming attempt through the air, then finally a locked up body that proceeded to fall face first into the ground.

Being stuck in Raygunnr’s hull, I too joined this particularly bad reaction, as I had made the mistake of temporarily relinquishing control over the giant clutz’s body, when the ability to control our movements was forcefully yanked from my own control thanks to my own body seizing up and undergoing dramatic internal changes. My mind was at a crossroads, as I tried to look for looming threats on a planet that had almost tried to kill me the last time I was here, and feeling that I would be okay with Raygunnr in tow to protect me. Only to have my one comfort, my one reason for not freaking out in a traumatic fit of anxiety getting forcefully ripped from my hands as we were now both simultaneously undergoing deep physiological changes.

Honestly, I blame myself. I thought the machine could use his own body well enough to not faceplant before taking an actual step on this new planet, but that was a clear oversight on my part.

Fortunately, I learned from past experiences that whatever happened on the moon, stayed on the moon. Meaning, that I would not be held accountable for, nor mocked for Raygunnr’s obvious clumsiness. That said, this form of embarrassment has a way of lingering on you, well after the event is over, particularly if others are aware enough to ask how your trip went.

“Get up,” I hiss, as I am tired of feeling my floating body facing the ground of this planet. The violent force and shared movements that violently force me into a sympathetic pose of being face first in the ground is distracting. Along with the fact that I also spent a good deal of my own focus on witnessing the effects of Adren-Qilen on a Teleiotís body. Those two distractions are almost too much for me to handle, as I feel that the older system that has been seemingly guiding this planet use this exact moment to act on my own body and consciousness the same way gravity snuck up on Raygunnr’s rising form. Unlike gravity that really only works in one direction, downward, the older system is wiry, it will coil up and come at you sideways, striking at me in ways that I am not mentally prepared for.

As it comes near, and coils around my own body that is being realigned and acted upon by the various elements of space, the moon, and yes even Raygunnr is having an effect on me, even if minor. I feel all of these variables coming together and forcing changes on my body that I might not be ready for. Worse, I fear what fate has in store for me next, as so far, each alteration in my form and bloodline has resulted in me getting more and more powerful, at the cost of my body’s size and shape. Taking me from a tall, if gangly elf to a now colossal pixie, an oxymoron at best. Yet that was the ultimate end result for my mythical bloodline that left me just tall enough to not be completely dismissed due to my size, if I proceeded to float at eye level.

This version of the system was also older in a way that seemed misleading. They seemed to have a more nuanced control over the system and a better overall understanding of energy, but it was lacking. As if the knowledge had been there at one time, but had been forgotten, or worse misremembered over time. Leading to a few false assumptions that seem ultimately trivial, but can cause confusion and concerns later on, if processes are not adjusted appropriately.  That said, of the two AI systems that I remember working on Biprism, this was the better one. While the other AI, the one referred to as GAIL, was much better at handling the day-to-day processes, this one truly understood what magic was, and where magic could go.

While it missed several steps along the way, it did understand the direction we, well I needed to go. Feeling its presence now, was like meeting an old curmudgeonly teacher that did everything in their power to hinder you at all costs, only to make you better in the long run. It had been a while since I felt its hand at work, but in this state, in this condition its presence was undeniable. Especially as I could feel it forcing system interactions to spark and happen from within me. A process that should be impossible here, especially as the last time I was on the moon I could not level, and in fact could not even access the system interface.

Even now, if I tried I could not access the system interface, meaning that while I could feel the system awakening within me, it was a limited process. As it was clear that the AI system here was dying, at least that is the impression that I got, as its ability to move and interact with the world were degrading slowly, forcing it to just focus on a few final movements.

Just as Adren-Qilen might be the final response needed for a mother to save her children, I could feel the impact of this power doing the same. Everything about what was now happening to me, screamed of last-ditch efforts of power. One final desperate push to achieve a final life goal, before time ran out. That is the impression that I got from this lurking surge of energy that coursed into me, and all but forced me to accept the fact that I had met the conditions to evolve my bloodline once more.

Hidden Quest Completed: Taking the Final Step: You have taken the final step to unlocking your true Demi-God potential. Prepare for the final breaths of being a mortal and embrace your destiny. Rewards: Experience (Upon return), Evolutionary Points (50 / 50), Title (Upon return), Badge (Upon return).

Evolutionary Points Available: (50 / 50).

There was a pause, as I felt the system offering as much as it could for the moment, but ultimately giving me the equivalent of an IOU for many of the rewards. There was a slight pause, then I could feel the presence of the system come to life and almost talk to me, as if finally acknowledging me individually for the first time.

I apologize for forcing you through this before you were truly prepared, but it seems my time is fading fast, and I do not know if we can manufacture a third meeting before our paths diverge forever.

Seeing the message, I feel the same wording and intonation fill the interactive prompts between us. This was the same voice that would occasionally respond snarkily to me, especially when I did or attempted stupid things. This was the same message that rewarded me for thinking about torturing Raygunnr, at which point I was instantly hit with Karmic Voodoo Bond Creation Casting. Giving me a title, badge, and world notice that was so off putting that I never tried to develop that style of magic further. Looking back, the name was a great deterrent, as I never wanted to try that flavor of magic again. Just knowing that it existed, and stopping was enough for me.

It is at this moment, that I realize there were many such interactions over the years that helped me to progress to the point where I am today. I did need to know that there were boundaries to magic, areas that I was creative enough to find on my own, but those were the same places that I should not go down. Or at least I shouldn’t go down those paths without realizing that they would likely change me at a fundamental level in ways I never wanted to go.

Now that we were in this final stage, I could feel this secondary AI system’s power merging with me. All my time being with Raygunnr now paying off in ways I never imagined, for my being near and exposed to Raygunnr’s constant stream of mana pulses, has raised my awareness of what is happening to me. I can feel the sacrifices that are being transferred to me, thanks to our bond with mana. Mana that is being disguised as a system, letting this alien entity communicate more easily with my consciousness.

Feeling the connection that had linked us together for a while now, I felt I could understand this system for what it was, a lingering relic of a consciousness. A relic who was itself a magical prodigy from a long time ago, in a long ago society that developed too far too fast, and didn’t care about the consequences. There was the typical rise and fall one would expect with a great empire, and ultimately the relic consciousness died from their own hubris. They died from magical tests and experiments that pushed what could be done, never stopping to ask what should be done. In so doing there was a lot of death, and the consciousness got sent to space, where it lingered for a bit, until it somehow found its way to Earth. From there, it inspired others to write stories about magic, and finally it ultimately saw the development of AI, at which point it jumped into Biprism, where it managed to linger and regain most of its consciousness, but not enough to truly cast its own spells or remember the missing pieces. Instead, it found people that it tried to inspire with real workings, which is how it ultimately found its way to me.

For a moment, I pause, as I realize that this system had been with me for a bit. I could feel how it posed as the alien queen of this world for a time, trying to inspire me to create a pocket realm where we could go and escape when things went bad. As the alternate system, this not-AI, had already seen the troubles looming in the real world and began trying to protect us even then. While I didn’t understand its intention back then, I do feel that I understand it better now. Even when I escaped, it was right there with me, helping me find and use Cosmic Energy particles to make the final push home. With my escape completed, it stayed and looked after my creations, pushing the planet to try to continue its own evolution, but that wasn’t enough, which was when she worked to send Charlaine back to remind me of my commitment here.

Little did I know that, when Charlaine was sent back, a final spark was left with me, to help ensure I could find my way back. That splitting of its consciousness was its final death knell, as whatever energy had been sustaining it to that point began to fade.  Only coming back with Terra-Ulacrum, when Terra switched places with me at the last minute, knowing that I would come back for Terra. Which is why it spent these last few weeks working with Terra to impart the final remaining lessons it wished to teach, before it ultimately moved on.

These feelings, this history contained in a spark of inspiration was shared with me at the speed of thought, something that can apparently be faster than even light itself if compact enough.

As I am feeling this information unravel in my mind, I can feel the system letting me know that it is not done with me, for it makes sure to give me an ominous warning.

Warning: You might want to exhale; this could be painful.