Crap, that was a late night. Oh, yeah! ARC, Attributes.
That’s a huge bump – I’m a superhero! Hey ARC, can you cast spells on my behalf?
[No. I can change your attributes and the attributes of others and things. ‘Living things’ may eventually revert to their original values.]
You can save particular coordinates to make teleportation easier, right?
[Yes, I’ll provide a tab for saved locations and notes in your interface.]
Excellent; let’s set up some fail safes, contingencies, and default orders before meeting up with the others – oh, and let’s assign Idler to the ‘Chance to Highlight Concealed’ attribute.
— * ~ * —
“Good morning, Auntie. Ready to meet the adoring public?”
Auntie looked up from the table and replied, “You are so cynical.”
“Not at all; my faith in humanity remains unchanged from my first life. Nothing in my three whole days in Nirvana has shaken it.”
Grumpy starts laughing, “Give in, Auntie. You know he’s right; there will be some crazies in the crowd today.”
She huffs, “So? That doesn’t mean we should dismiss them.”
“Not at all; we should take them very seriously.”
Gilden strides into the room during our conversation, “I’m glad you think so too. The idea of a Nirvana-based religion is too new, and the doctrine hasn’t been revealed to the public, so I don’t expect any acts of terrorism. I do expect that there will be some dissent and disgruntled individuals in attendance. They may not start that way, but there has never been a philosophy that the whole human race could accept.”
“So, do you have a plan?”
Mason joins the conversation, “Actually, that’s our question for you.”
“I have prepared to help end any outbreaks of violence quickly and without killing the participants, and I am ready to assist with other requests. However, as you already know, I do not know about Nirvana’s Dream, and even if I am her Oracle, any faith I have in her is not based on the Dream.”
Grumpy says, “That’s fair. I joined Nirvana before the Dream, and it would be better said to say that the people have hope in Nirvana’s Dream, not faith. I also don’t believe she will reveal anything about the Dream itself today. I think she’s expecting to reveal more about the Dream through you, Jebediah. I firmly believe she will use you as the pressure release valve, and that’s why she’s doing the Oracle thing.”
Auntie adds in, “I agree and based on my prior conversation, I think today she will be announcing hardship changes here in Nirvana as preparation for waking from the Dream. That will bring an amount of upheaval without any religious overtones, and it will also focus the unhappiness regarding change on us. So while we may not experience a lot of religious zealots today, we may have a lot of backlash from what changes she will make to our world.”
“Ok. Is there anything you want me to do to help prepare for the event?”
Auntie shakes her head, “No. Your time is yours. Please come to the balcony fifteen minutes prior to noon.”
“Very well, I think I’ll explore the island and temple a little then.”
— * ~ * —
ARC, Peeping Tom Mode. Instantly, I am transparent and intangible. ARC, Seven League Boots mode, three meters above the ground once we are outside. I start walking towards the docks, passing through any walls on my way out of the temple, each step moving me ten meters.
[I feel it’s important to remind you that your admin status may be allowing you to move through areas and objects that others would not be allowed to penetrate, even with the new magic spells. It would be best if you also were prepared to encounter barriers that your current admin level may not allow you to bypass]
That’s fair; thanks for the reminder. After we leave the temple, ARC sets my z-axis to three meters above the ground as I instructed. That sudden shift in height causes me to stop and let my equilibrium match up with my vision. ARC, in the future, let’s make that a gradual transition of three meters with each step unless I gesture otherwise. It was more than a little disorienting, shifting instantly after passing through the wall.
I’m not flying. It’s more like walking on a glass floor, each step moving me ten meters at a time. It blurs my vision each time I move until I learn the trick of looking in the direction of my movement when taking one of the steps. The advantage is that I can look down and watch what is happening underneath me.
The temple grounds extend a hundred meters around the temple, with a low stone wall marking the boundary. Roads are prepared, complete with sewer access points for water drainage. Plots of land are reserved for buildings between the temple wall and the docks along the streets. People like me are wandering around, observing how the island has already been prepared. Others are steadily moving to the temple grounds.
As I get to the docks, I can see that temple golems are manning the docks and helping boats tie up and cast off. After disgorging their passengers, some boats move off into deeper water to wait and pick them up when called. Others perform a ferry service to move people between Horn Point and Temple Island. I don’t know if it’s getting another name, but that’s what I will call it for now.
Most people are excited to be here. Some enterprising individuals even offer trinkets and food or drink, as if this was a fair or carnival. I guess in many ways, it is.
[Nirvana requests that you teleport to the mainland and create a gate in the obelisk courtyard allowing the people to come and go from the island without having to use the boats. You can create this side of the gate in the plot of land to your left. She has provided the materials in your storage space for the gates, the permanency spells, and the limited wish spells. She would appreciate another spectacle.]
Of course, she would. Ok, give me a moment to think about it.
Disable Seven League Boots, and set my z-axis to +60′ and my XY coordinates to center me over the plot for the gate. Once I cast the spell and the lightning bolt appears, please reduce my z-axis by 2ft/second until I touch the ground.
[Ready.]
I’m already in my Tron suit, so I whisper, “Major Image,” and create the illusion of a lightning bolt striking straight down and hold my hand out to ride it down, just like the villain in “Big Trouble in Little China.” That attracts plenty of attention; instantly, a small crowd has formed. During my descent, I whisper, “Shape Sound.”
In a booming voice, “Guests of Temple Island, witness the power you may be able to wield as you take up Nirvana’s challenges.” Walking to the edge of the plot and turning my back to the crowd, I open my inventory and disgorge half of the building materials onto the plot of land beside me. I then call out, “Fabricate: Gate!”
The stone and metals begin to fly towards the center of the plot creating a grand archway easily ten feet wide and twice as tall. Silver melts and flows into runes along the pillars and the arch, finishing in less than two minutes.
I turn back to the crowd and smile, “Give me a few minutes. I need to create the matching gate in Obelisk Square, then it will open, and you will be able to use it to travel!”
“There is a low roar as the crowd begins talking among themselves, and then there is a shout above the din, “Who are you?”
“You have already heard of me, and Nirvana will present me at today’s ceremony.”
Teleport Without Error.
Appearing 60′ above Obelisk Square, I do it again – because it’s cool, and these people haven’t seen it. Though this time, I cause a little bit of panic as people scramble to get out of the way of the lightning. Once on the ground, I walk away from the obelisk and the road, deeper into the courtyard. Again, in a booming voice, “Citizens of Horn Point, Nirvana wants you to be able to visit her temple, so I come with a gift!” Emptying my inventory of the remaining materials, I call out, “Fabricate: Gate,” and watch again as a matching arch constructs itself. It’s oriented to match the existing traffic flow and, like the first, finishes within two minutes. Once finished, I call out, “Nirvana, here is my offering,” and a flood of gold coins comes out of my inventory ending with a large diamond sitting atop the pile. The people watching me are stunned into immobility at the sight of all this wealth, but their exclamations are easily heard. Speaking over the din, “Please hear my wish, a permanent portal between this arch and its twin on Temple Island.”
The treasure vanishes, and a soft white light fills the archway. Then a global announcement:
| First Gate Established! |
| A permanent portal established between Horn Point and Temple Island is now operational. Want a portal in your city? Seek knowledge at Temple Island! |
Turning to the crowd, “You heard the lady!” I walk through the gate to appear on Temple Island. Facing the waiting crowd, I boom out, “The gate is open! Nirvana speaks soon, so find your spot on temple grounds to witness the event!” ARC, Peeping Tom Mode, and increase my z-axis by three meters.