Chương 68: Chapter Sixty Three: How To Build A Real Boy

Inflamed by her ignoring my call to action, I decided that if you wanted a job done right–I forgot the rest but I'll just have to do it myself. For safety's sake, I nudged her arm. Come on. Don't make me make you. Grimacing at the prospect of being bound by an order Mel reluctantly followed me to the middle ring of the field. This better not be one of her ruses. Unaware of the impending danger lying in wait, dark hair bleached with blue streaks is pulled every which way by a fretting hand.

Slender fingers pulled pixels into existence to be manipulated at will like fabric. Weaving screens to be pushed away once they serve their purpose. How can he do that? Where is that slacker when you need him? Was he replaced by this person? Did he sneak in through that hole? Are we somewhere else entirely? Creeping closer despite the whirlwind this boy had kicked my thoughts into like a basketball, I stopped just out of his line of sight. Now what do we do?

Turning to my hostage–AHEM–sidekick, I nodded in the guys direction and she physically cringed which made me swallow some baby puke. Seeing her haunted disposition make the duck face was not on my bucket list. Mel looks down at me with her giraffe neck and back at the guy minding his business in my head. Then it clicks for her, and she nods at me before disappearing in the tall grass. The sun beats on my back as I tried to make sense of that ambiguous signal. What is that duck and roll?

I shook my head no but I don't think she saw it. Her stance was barely discernible from my position but the way she was preening? Solely focused the way you'd see on an animal strikes back documentary? Eyes on the prize. I think I got it. Mimicking her hunting prowl— At once we leaped to action! Pummeling the earth beneath us with our flat feet and tackling the useless male to the side. Sputtering grass out of his mouth, the intruder fought to retain control of his limbs, "Hey! Stop it!"

The almost genderless voice surprised me but I had long committed myself to ensnaring the trespasser—and maybe having Mel extract answers from him the hard way. Does she know how to water board people? I think I've seen it on TV. Damn it!

"Stop kicking me!" I slapped the bottom of his feet and he kicked back even harder. Finally satisfied with the restraints, Mel moved one leg over to straddle him to the ground.

"Who are you and what did you do with Penguin?!" Two hands pulled at his collar bringing him nose to nose with her. I sat on his legs to keep him steady, while Mel interrogated him. Slapping her scaly back frantically, the poor bastard screams so hard his lungs shake.

"It's me! It's me! Stop it!" Melinoë screamed in his face like a banshee."Liar! Give him back right now!" The collar is wrung into mere threads beneath her gentle touch. Ripping at the seams and becoming crumpled beyond repair. Thoroughly incensed, the boy started on the weakest link, "Oh my—Ria! You're always trying to turn me into nuggets or tenders. Whenever you get petulant and upset, you give me chicken duty!" Two elven ears perk up as an impossible idea becomes more likely to be true every minute, Next.

"Mel! We secretly spend money behind Ria's back whenever she gives us chicken duty!" Pause. Melinoë stopped hitting him. The playful hint of astonishment in her expression fades as bottomless blue pixels forming irises lock with unseen orbs watching his every move. Bleak authority mettles her will to continue playing along and a misaligned spine straightens, not finding any more interest in contributing to the song and dance. Her neck cracks but she doesn't let him up.

Miseria's iron grip loosens on the legs of the wily boy as the stareoff continues unknown to her, "Excuse me?" Releasing the frozen chicken legs entirely, Ria moved up on her knees to inspect the new face before leaping back in shock, "Penguin?!" Ew! A sweep of shaggy dark hair framing wide innocent eyes that could hold the entire world in them if not for the odd sparkle belonging to a metal surface burning under direct ultra violence. No. This has to be a nightmare.

My jaw drops but there's no flies to be wary of here. Although I'd never truly seen him in the light(since there isn't any in the space)… It's him. Unbelievable as it seems my pesky bird had grown limbs. Stronger and longer than mine. Something in my chest twisted at the change. Somehow seeing him as human as he could possibly be made… It felt like psychological warfare. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Gross.

Trying to push the blaring warning signs down to a place no one else could see I tried to focus on the important part. The one that would help me forget that disgusting—Right. Let's not forget what's important here,"What the fuck do you mean you spent my money behind my back?!" I need that! Penguin pauses. His head tilting to the side on an axis before a practiced smile splits his face into something amiable and mischievous.

"Nevermind that. Ria! Look at your status!" The chipper tone is closer to what it was before but it's still off. Penguin ever the gentleman pushes Melinoë toppling over to the ground without a care. Squawking in protest, she gives him a hard kick on the way down and scrambles to hide in the tall grass. She's gone. I gave the moving huddle traveling away a cursory look before focusing on the problem at hand.

"My status?!" Enraged, I shook my fist in the air, "What did you do with my money?!??" Holding his hands up in surrender, he winced at the sharp pain in his side, and pleaded with me the way he always does." Ria. Any damage to the system admin must be repaired immediately. Please do not attempt to harm me again!" The teary eyes that aren't actually tearing. His lips aren't even moving. They're just perfectly still in that irking pout. Whatever he's imitating drains all the fight out of me. I hate this. I hate it.

Why do you look like that? Frozen in place, he continues pouting with the same exaggerated weepy expression. I called out without taking my eyes off of him.

"Status." The familiar blue page opened up in front of me. As much as I wanted to keep him under my hollow scrutiny, something in the board scratched the corneas of my eyes. Something other than him is different. But what is it? I knew that stupid ball was trouble. [Miseria Noxcissa Duccanes.] [Level: 10] [Race: High Dark Elf, Pureblood Vampire,] [Age: 1] [Health: 1500/1500] [Mental Energy: 800/800] [Strength: 10] [Vitality: 13] [Intelligence: 20] [Agility: 10] [Skill: Telekinesis] [Skill: Psychic Perception] [Skill: Cognitive Overload] [Skill: Aura Manipulation] [Skill: Psychic Barrier] [Skill: Pet Space] [Skill: Culinary Novice] [Skill: Novice Gardener] [Equipment: None] [Balance: 5279 GD]" I got an upgrade?" It passes through my lips but I'm not so sure. I don't even remember my previous stats.

The heat must be getting to me. Sweat collects above my lip and I wipe it away. I never was one for pretty weather or daylight as it happens. Never liked robots either. Especially ones playing human. When he hears my voice it's a choice to look so jubilant. His entire face lights up and his eyebrows reach the sky exposing the whites of his eyes.

"We got an upgrade! It's wonderful, Ria." He sounds so proud of himself, but I'm just frozen in utter revulsion. I feel like I'm going to throw up. Involuntarily I start backing up one foot at a time. Why does this feel worse than the day I met him? It comes to me like a bolt from the blue. He is literally wearing human skin. That's why. His hands flap by his sides instinctively, but when I don't respond with my usual annoyance or… anything he just lets them flop down.

Eyes rolling in his head as he tries to generate another victory dance. That's my annoying flightless bird, alright but no. Just no. I can't accept that. Forcing my shoulders to relax a little, I let them fall just below my ears as I feigned nonchalance.

"What are all these skills? I don't remember buying any of this?" Icebreaker. Keep it light. Go along with what it wants to keep it talking. All of the old rules fall into place. Suddenly the sun feels like it's been cranked up a million degrees. Taking a deep breath.

"Did you buy these without my permission?" I'm going to wring his neck if he makes me go through 'the change' again. Creepy or not. Penguin smugly answers with crossed arms.

"You didn't have to. You earned them independently, and I recognized them as legitimate skills." He waves a hand modestly, "No need to thank me." Sneering at his utter lack of humanity subsequent conversational skills, I guffawed actually tickled by the way he just put that. Balled up fists unclench and I fade into our usual banter. I had no intention of doing that in the first place.

"Do I want to know what else you did behind my back? Anymore permanent mistakes on my record?" As in did you do anything else to me? He sounds a little miffed but unsurprised at my ungrateful reaction.

"Well, I did tell you that skills are non-refundable from the beginning. But…I do have a little gift for you." What the hell did he do?

"Save it." I turned hair flying in the wind. Wind. We have weather now. Does it also rain? Do we have seasons? That wasn't there yesterday so I stalk off into the distance to cool off. Maybe I should just go home. This doesn't feel right.

"No. No." He stumbles over with two left feet after me and I pick up the pace. The heavy thuds disappear and then he's right behind me. Yanking my arm back towards him. Warmth spreads through the joint and my heart skips a beat at the unbrokered contact. Metal forgotten. The pulse hiding in his fingertips echoes in my ears and a vague acidic feeling bubbles from the impact. He's not alive. He's not. Don't let him fool you. I'm one heartbeat away from slapping his hand off me but he withdraws before I can.

Still standing a little too close for comfort. At a few inches taller than me, dark hair falling over those soulless fragments of a motherboard. He's just a bot. Not a boy. He clears his throat and I look elsewhere to the ring of trees guarding the field. Where's Melinoë when you need her? He resumes fishing for more profit to be made with a con man's fishing rod, "You're going to like this. Look!" He pointed to our immediate left, and I spared a glance in that direction.

"Neat."

"You're not looking. It's not even here yet. Wait, Ria." The edge to his voice swipes at my sore arm.

"Please." Lowering my gaze, to avoid his. It's just a bunch of grass and more trees. The shadows of my lashes converge making the picture even harder to see. Can I? Snap! Enhanced vision carried over from reality allows me to examine it with greater clarity, some of it is taking on a purple tint similar to the grass in the real world. I can't believe that worked. Is it better pet-feed? What are we looking for? When can I go home?

The grass moves with the spring breeze and a glimmer of something clear serves its abstract purpose. Black hair hiding twitching pixelated pointed ears sway with the wind and fade whenever they're not strong enough to stay grounded in the space. Unusually red eyes overtake the coal black that used to reside there, "Is that water?" The image solidifies a little better. It is. I bet if the wind changed directions I could smell it too. Penguin doesn't answer, too absorbed in his own thoughts or code.

Asking again, Ria continues walking but this time in the direction of the body of water, "Is that a pond?" The closer I get, the more I notice the difference in detail, even the way the air feels has changed. The closer I get to the sole source of water the cooler the air feels on my bare arms. A reprieve from the mid summer heat that doesn't belong. Why did they change it? Is there something I need this for? If I cup my hands towards the sky will it open up for me? What is all of this for? For my enjoyment?

Do I get a TV if I ask for one? If I had opened that orb earlier would the same result have been achieved long ago? Or did they know I would need it today? Reeds brush the crimson dress wrapped around my willowy frame. At least she had the sense to buy something for me. A little more accustomed to the possibility of change I pointed to all of the seemingly free new additions to my user experience.

"What is all of this? Why is there a sun, trees, and a pond here? How are we going to afford this?" Penguin appeared right beside me and grinned to himself.

"It came with my system upgrade. There are a few other benefits as well."

"More?" He nodded spritely and cupped his hands around his mouth, "Boo! Penny! Come out!" The megaphone quality returns and I plug my ears.

"Do you have to be so loud?"

"I apologize, Your Majesty." He did a fake clumsy bow and I kicked him away as usual but the big clunker just fell on his ass.

"..." I hate whatever's wrong with him. Boo? Where is the little guy? I haven't seen him in so long. Reeds pulled together and swung back as a small mound moved at top speeds through black shoots of grass. A small black cat leaped out of the grass. My smile grew at the tiny void making its way to us and promptly dropped. Trailing behind the kitten was a hulking butterfly. WHY?! Is that thing also going to grow legs?!