For the Record

Several hours have passed, and Hades and I are still waiting.

What are we waiting for you ask? Nyx and Vulcan to stop talking on and on and on about technical aspects of runesmithing and blah blah blah, blah blah.

Which, to be fair, is my former Assistant’s primary interest, and also something Vulcan literally invented so the mortals could play god with their inventions… so I guess it makes sense.

But it’s still annoying, and I don’t want to be here any longer.

That said, I’m not looking forward to explaining to my wife that her parents are long dead… not that she’d remember them now.

But maybe, just this will finally be the trigger. We’ll see, I guess. I’m still not sure why she doesn’t want me to just magic her memories back.

Whatever, I guess.

I’d long since created a small booth of… whatever my body is made of now… you know what, I’m just going to keep calling it ash. It’s been ash for so long that it just feels natural, especially this shiny black rock powder whatever is apparently the ash of worlds or something… Anyway, I made a booth of it, along with a bed inside. It’s gotten late and Hades has been making her usual fidgeting looks that she saves for when she wants to go to bed even though she doesn’t need to sleep.

And Vulcan hasn’t reacted at all. He hasn’t even looked up, but I already know that doesn’t mean he doesn’t see it. He definitely does.

And I don’t care. It would seem he doesn’t either.

“Just, uh. Just let me know when you’re ready to tell me whatever it is you want me to do so we can move on with all of this.”

…

Still no reaction, aside from the continued rapid conversation between those two.

Sure.

Fine.

Meanwhile my wife has clearly already fallen asleep from her quiet and steady breathing, and occasionally gripping me a little tighter.

…

I’d consider sleeping too, just from the boredom, but I know better. I know the second I slip under, that damned succubus will slip in and it’ll be back to that weird whatever she keeps doing.

And I want absolutely none of it, although I will keep choosing not to recognize exactly what it is. It’s something Astraea was intimately familiar with, but she was of a species that actually had any need or even capability to reproduce like that.

I certainly don’t. I can just break off more of my kin, even if they’re not actually self aware.

…

Wait, am I a piece of mother? Or the big me? Is the big me a piece of mother?

…

…

I probably won’t get an answer to that, and to be fair that’s probably for the best. I’m not sure how I’d feel existentially about… any of that. I’d wonder how much of my will and experiences are actually my own or are just her giving me commands to follow.

Concerning.

…

Well! I’m going to attempt to never think about that again.

***

Literal days of talking later, the god of invention finally fucking approaches me with a request.

“I want you to implement a way for dungeons to eject adventurers without killing them. It’s a long-running project of mine that I’ve never gotten to work the way I want.”

…

“Don’t some dungeons already do that though?” I reply.

Vulcan flatly answers, “Yes, but only beginner dungeons. They have a level cap for monsters, as well as other requirements and limitations like preventing actual monster sentience which eliminates the possibility of real opposing tactics. I want to remedy that. Additionally, Nyx tells me that a number of the innovations in the implementation of the u-comm are your own design, so I want to see what you’re capable of. Take my initial requirements and build something I want to see, something worthy of admission to my home.”

…

Huh.

That’s…

Actually not all that hard.

***

Yes, time consuming, but not hard. Not really.

So as I understand it, he really just wants configurability. Beyond what the Record offers up front, built in.

And I can do that.

…

Mostly because I can alter the ruleset on the Record itself.

Finding the part in the existing ruleset was probably the hardest part, actually. The current one is a sprawling nightmare of information, mostly related to spawn locations and monster types… but once I found the section where only beginner dungeons relocate adventurers who die to the entrance, I simply changed it so it could also be deliberately turned on.

For any dungeon.

…

Hmm.

Vulcan wants to see innovation, apparently…

And he’s watching me expectantly, with a curious look on his face that makes it clear he doesn’t understand the language I’m speaking, which is probably for the best.

I wouldn’t have this angle of entry if he did have the words of creation.

…

…

“This would be easier if you weren’t staring, you know,” I deadpan.

Nyx sighs. “Just get to it, dumbass. You already know we’re waiting.”

“Wait, we!? What are you waiting for? You can leave any time!”

“I’ve finally got an opportunity to speak with the master inventor and you expect me to just, leave? No way. No, not happening. Not now. Not unless he throws me out.”

“Ugh, fine,” I sigh. “Just, stop staring or something. You know what, I have a great idea. Here.”

I’ve been thinking about doing this for some time but never really bothered, mostly because I don’t care. No, if anything it’s simply morbid curiosity.

Do animals have souls, or even Egos to recover?

Well, I’m about to find out.

“{recreate Body}.”

I turn so what I’m doing is concealed from my former Assistant’s view… and when she moves to see I simply form a box of my ash around it. “No peeking. If it works this will be a surprise, and if it doesn’t, well. It will still be a surprise, just not as nice of one I guess.”

She furrows her brow but at least doesn’t complain, although irritation and impatience trickle from our bond. Which, I’ve actually started paying attention to again.

I’m not sure when I stopped. Probably when I was eating mass numbers of mortals, but I digress.

“{restore Anima}.”

…

Well, something happened, so they at least have those…

I can’t help but notice how much nicer it is to do this supplying divinity instead of… well. My own soul as fuel or whatever. Because that hurt. I’m never doing that again.

“{recall AkashicSelf bind}.”

This is the part I assumed would fail if anything was going to. It would indicate my target had already been reincarnated…

But no, I can feel the small blob of flesh inside my ashen box change again. Good. Progress.

Being able to see actual souls is so convenient for work like this.

“You’re… altering a soul. Aren’t you?” the god of innovation cautiously observes.

“Bingo, old man. This one isn’t for you though, sorry. I can make something else for you some other time. Maybe. Probably.”

The last step… this is the easy one. Maybe. Probably.

So I take a completely unnecessary breath and say, “{restore Ego bind}.”

And the contents of the container shift, and not even a breath later begin to thrash.

“I-is that…” Nyx starts, but I cut her off.

Specifically by lashing a feeler forward to grab the newly reformed thing while dissolving its prison…

And that’s when the hissing begins. All it takes is one look at me, because of course it does.

“Philip!”

My personal angel of envy practically flies forward –actually, she Blinks, same difference – and snatches the snarling and spitting ball of orange fur from my grasp.

And promptly begins fawning all over him.

Because of course she does.

“Alright, now that my former Assistant is distracted, I only have to contend with one set of eyes. Isn’t that right?”

Vulcan doesn’t respond, nor did I expect him to.

“But before I continue… maybe you know the answer. You’ve been around a lot longer than I have, after all… a lot longer.”

“Get to the point.”

“I’m getting, I’m getting!” I say with a sigh. “You’re a lot like her you know. Are all inventors this impatient? I’d have assumed otherwise considering how much time you can spend on a single trinket.”

He opens his mouth to speak but I don’t give him the opportunity.

“Is it common knowledge that animals have complete souls?”

The old god furrows his brow and rubs his chin for a moment. “Define ‘complete’.”

“Body, Anima, Akashic Self, Ego… the works.”

…

…

“No. Animals typically do not possess an Akashic Self…”

“Are you sure?”

…

“No.”

“Well I am!” I crow. “The sample size is only one, but behold, Philip, with a complete soul. Hey Nyx, how long ago did the little bastard die?”

“Don’t you dare call him that! And he died approximately three-hundred and forty years ago, give or take half a decade. We held a funeral for him, I still have his ashes on a shelf in my workshop!”

“I see. That was when I was too busy eating mortals, right?”

Ah, there’s two pairs of eyes angrily drilling into me, in addition to his highness’ continue displeasure at my existence. I guess Vulcan wasn’t too busy with whatever knickknack to pay attention.

No matter.

“Well I’m not doing it now, so knock it off.”

Hades for her part just blinks at me. It seems like she…

Wait.

“Nyx, give Hades the cat.”

“No.”

I rub the bridge of my nose. “Gods, she’s not going to hurt him! I just want to-”

“Ph-Philip?” my wife says quietly, eyes wide.

With a small smile I quietly say, “I wanted to see if this would happen.”