Crystalized Munchkinry - Arc I - Chapter 02 (Patreon)

Building the extractor and generator was a fascinating process to observe, because the moment he issued the mental command, the systems within the relevant sections of his body activated and began using their ludicrously powerful matter control abilities to extrude crystalline matter into the required shapes and functions, causing the already enormous Shard body to expand by several square kilometers.

While construction was underway, he checked on the data he had set up to collect around the tagged person’s Corona, and while the result was expected, it was still reassuring to confirm that the individual was indeed Danny Hebert.

To be absolutely certain, he decided to collect genetic data from both Danny and Annette, reasoning that having a prior understanding of Taylor’s probable DNA would be useful later. Taking a quantum-level snapshot of their DNA, noting that Annette was currently in very close proximity to Danny according to his sensors, he deliberately refused to follow that particular line of thought and instead sent the acquired data to the simulator to analyze.

He also wanted to understand why Shards did not construct additional energy and matter generators after deployment, and after a quick, now far more efficient search through his reorganized memory banks, he discovered that the action was restricted because the Entities feared that the Shards’ tendency to attempt everything would lead to them exhausting available space and dimensions too quickly.

It was a sensible precaution, but since he was no longer the original Shard, it merely made his situation easier, and he briefly considered whether other Shards could be bribed with energy.

His current plan was to grow enough extractors to generate sufficient matter and energy to construct an additional processing organ, effectively doubling his processing speed, after which he intended to build another Simulator and use the combined power to improve his own body at an exponential rate.

The ultimate goal was to create a far more compact, faster, and efficient Shard body, ideally alongside a few breakthroughs in energy and matter manipulation technologies.

Only after achieving that would he begin addressing the Shard-to-Shard communication systems, since he would require additional resources both to defend himself in case of hostility and to go on the offensive if necessary.

To minimize risk, he resolved not to contact any other Shard until the ROB-provided anti-Thinker protections were fully in place, and to further ensure his safety, he wanted Sting available as a deterrent against anyone foolish enough to attack him.

The separate DNA simulations yielded no particularly interesting results regarding humans.

What did stand out, however, was how naturally he thought of them as outsiders, which he found unsettling, as it suggested that his transformation into a massive crystalline, multi-dimensional organism had affected more than just his physical form.

The speed at which he had adapted to his new existence was concerning, and while he briefly considered whether ROB had interfered in some way, he ultimately concluded that even if that were true, there was little he could do about it.

In the end, he chose to document his observations and postpone dealing with them until he was no longer operating under tight deadlines.

Procrastination for the win.

Combining the DNA samples produced more interesting results, as the simulator occasionally generated a human whose appearance roughly matched how he had always imagined Taylor might look, though that was far less important than the insights gained regarding the resulting brain structure.

Using the available systems, he simulated the probable brain in countless configurations, both with and without a Corona Pollentia and Gamma, and examined how every power currently available to him might affect it.

He knew the results would not be entirely accurate and that the entire process would need to be repeated once Taylor was actually born, since even the Shards’ immense computational power could not perfectly predict how an individual brain would develop.

He suspected that if such perfect prediction were possible, the entire cycle would be unnecessary, as the Entities could simply create trillions of brains in controlled environments and run their experiments virtually.

Brains in jars, and everything else fun.

At least, that was what he would have done.

Based on the information in his memory banks, however, the Entities would likely consider such an approach wasteful, preferring instead to use the already existing sapient life scattered across creation.

He also issued instructions to test different positions, sizes, and configurations of the Corona Pollentia and Gamma within the brain, as he was exploring the idea of using multiple connection points to distribute load more efficiently, effectively applying parallel processing principles to reduce strain and trauma on the host.

Since there was no record of such a method in his database, he was likely attempting something entirely new, which made thorough testing essential.

While waiting for construction to continue, which despite its alien nature, was nowhere near the absurd speeds of the Progenitor Commander technology he remembered from the video games, he decided to conduct a survey of the alternate Earth he now occupied.

The planet’s structure and composition matched Earth Bet, but the continents were still in the process of separating, with most of them forming a massive supercontinent reminiscent of Pangea.

The surrounding flora and fauna closely resembled fossil reconstructions he had seen before, although much of it had been destroyed or was dying near the impact site of his arrival, while life continued to thrive further from the center.

To ensure there were no potential threats, however unlikely that might be, and to identify any useful resources, he conducted a comprehensive planetary scan, recording and storing data on everything he encountered.

He had seen too many movies and video games with super-mutating and aggressive environments not to do his due diligence.

Unfortunately, such a scan would be noticeable even to humans if performed near Danny, and potentially to other Shards or even Zion, so he instead configured the Corona connection to collect similar data within a ten-meter spherical area around Danny.

He ensured the system operated in passive mode and included the appropriate identifiers so that any observing Shards would interpret it as routine pre-trigger preparation.

On his end, he programmed the system to automatically categorize and store all collected data, even dedicating a separate folder to three-dimensional recordings of Danny and Annette for Taylor, considering it the least he could do.

While the simulations continued running smoothly, he chose to personally supervise the final stages of the first expansion.

The crystalline structure itself had already been completed, and the software systems were in the process of initializing, so after a brief inspection, he opted to simply observe the process through to completion, knowing he would have ample opportunity to refine the design once the new processing core was operational.

Running several calculations, he confirmed that he had sufficient energy and matter reserves to construct an additional processor core, though reviewing the Shard’s design revealed that such a core accounted for approximately sixty percent of the total structure, meaning this would effectively resemble the creation of a new Shard bud, except that the new core would remain in the same dimension and connected to him.

Upon receiving notification that the extractor had been completed, he ran a full diagnostic, and once everything returned optimal results, he initiated construction of the new processor core.

After a brief preparation phase, the system estimated a build time of six months using all available resources, effectively committing him to observation and simulation during that period.

After considering the implications, he decided to proceed regardless, recognizing that the additional processing power was essential and that there was no better time to undertake the task than now, while his only responsibility was waiting for Taylor’s birth.

With that, he metaphorically pressed the big red start button and watched the timer begin its slow countdown.

Spending six months working with the Simulator, observer systems, and power interface had proven both highly rewarding and intensely monotonous.

It was almost painful to possess such extensive capabilities while being unable to utilize them fully due to the vast majority of available power being diverted into the construction of the new processor, which, fortunately, now had only a few hours remaining until completion.

He was certain that if he still had a human body, he would have been physically unable to stay still from excitement.

The time had not been entirely wasted, however, as his ability to copy everything at a fundamental level around Danny granted him access to books, magazines, and various other forms of media.

It even allowed him to replicate computer drives, reconstruct them, and convert their contents into his own crystalline file format, which he had, after one particularly dull afternoon watching Danny do taxes, decided to call ’crys’.

Surprisingly, only a very small percentage of the collected data consisted of pornography.

For reasons he did not fully understand, however, he could only access digital data after recreating the physical storage medium. Which was a pity, because the internet would have made the waiting much more bearable.

A stable real-time connection required a fully developed Corona, which he did not yet have.

Still, he managed to accumulate a considerable amount of information about both Danny’s surroundings and the broader state of Earth Bet, and from what he could determine, the primary anomaly appeared to be the damage sustained by the original Administrator Shard, which may have been caused by Eden’s death rather than an external attack, though he lacked sufficient data to confirm either possibility.

Observing Danny and Annette as they discovered the pregnancy and progressed through its stages was unexpectedly heartwarming, and he ensured those recordings were stored in one of the most secure sections of his memory banks.

Both because Taylor deserved to see them and, if necessary, because they could serve as leverage, though he hoped it would never come to that.

He also organized and backed up all of his pre-Shard memories, ensuring redundancy in case of future complications.

On the technical side, he continued refining his Corona design within the Simulator, eventually producing a viable configuration that would serve as a minimal initial connection point, allowing additional structures to grow outward rather than relying on a full-sized Pollentia from the start, which he hoped would strengthen the connection while reducing risk to Taylor.

As an added benefit, this design would make it significantly harder for someone like Contessa to simply neutralize Taylor with a well-placed shot.

He also began designing Taylor’s future power set, deciding that while insect control and a basic Tinker package were viable, he preferred something more impressive.

Lacking detailed knowledge of how other powers were constructed and unwilling to reinvent everything from scratch, he chose instead to repurpose existing Shard systems, combining Thinker abilities, minor Brute enhancements, a humorous Changer aspect, and a selection of Tinker blueprints, while leveraging his control over matter, energy, and gravity to create a lightning-based power set.

The fact that he had always liked lightning-based abilities was entirely coincidental.

Obviously.

And he would fight anyone who said otherwise.

As an additional, unofficial benefit, he planned to provide limited portal access and a small storage space, effectively creating a pseudo pocket-dimension ability, while reserving Sting for himself to control, ensuring Taylor – 'Miss I Escalate For Breakfast' – could not inadvertently escalate a situation to the point of attracting Zion’s attention.

While experimenting in the simulator, he attempted to recreate several iconic lightning-based abilities and model their effects on a human body, achieving partial success and hoping that, with further refinement, he could assemble a coherent and stable power set for Taylor by the time she Triggered.

As he watched the remaining time tick down and the new core approach completion, he found himself growing increasingly excited, because once it was operational, he would be able to construct two systems simultaneously or dedicate one core to continuous building while the other handled analysis, simulation, and planning.

Unfortunately, the actual speed of construction would not increase, which was disappointing, though ultimately acceptable given the advantages he was gaining.

A full diagnostic sweep of the system, another brief observation of Danny, and some additional data organization occupied just enough time for the new processor core to finally come online.

The sensation was comparable to having a completely blocked nostril suddenly clear after a severe cold, except amplified thousands of times over, leaving him momentarily focused on the sheer clarity of thought as he carefully examined the newly formed section of his body with meticulous attention, ensuring that every component was properly integrated and functioning before committing to further large-scale construction.

After confirming that everything was operating as intended, he indulged in another brief virtual celebration, complete with an enthusiastic happy dance and a rather unrestrained maniacal laugh, which was more than enough to satisfy his inner mad scientist, before immediately assigning one of the cores to begin constructing another energy and matter extractor.

Then, with something very close to a stereotypical villain’s anticipatory hand-rubbing, he turned his attention inward and began delving deeper into the inner workings of the crystalline Shards.