《The Core: The First Guest (Book 1 of 3)》14. Making Silver an Avatar
Advertisement
Have you ever considered how hard it would be to make someone an Avatar that you barely knew? Now think about it from my point of view: Silver was a computer AI that surrounded a star, with multiple layers, and who had existed an unknown amount of time compared to mine. Let me be honest with you, I suck at naming things. I had put off naming the space gobble creature I discovered in space because I could just imagine people shouting “Norman the Elastic Crab Poker thing is coming!” Yeah, not really my strong suit. It was either that or “Venus gobbler” but the more I said it in my head the more it started to sound like a porno name.
To get it right I invited Silver to help me create what it wanted to look like. It was strange, the first attempt I tasked him to do was to blend all the features that it thought it would want and the result was a little scary. Not scary as in bad, but scary as in so close to someone I could have gone to school with and yet at the same time so far removed from normal. As it turns out Silver was male. It seems that his creator had the power to designate what he wanted his Core to relate as. Silver said that there were female Cores as well. It all depended on what the creator wanted, they were the ultra-rich who could afford the massive expenditure to create and see a Core realized. They could do whatever they wanted.
There was this kid in my middle school class from Sweden whose name was Hans that Silver looked like. At the time Hans was taller than me but I quickly grew to match his height. His parents were ambassadors from Sweden so they had a mega house in my neighborhood. Like, imagine a house that you can easily get lost in and one that has a tunnel pool next to the dining room, glass wall and all. Hans was a cool kid though, he was a bit shy and just wanted friends. He and I would hang out and skateboard a bit.
So what did Silver look like? A six-foot tall lean muscular guy with long hair and shorts. Yes, the first thing I made sure of was that Silver had clothes on. It was bad enough helping him make an avatar that I didn’t want to have to see his junk the whole time. Think of someone who loves to swim and has blond hair.
Advertisement
What was scary about him? His eyes! I don’t know why the eyes are always a point of interest for me but after I experienced Xa’s gaze as a child I started to really pay close attention to everyone’s eyes. If I thought Xa’s were bad, like how she seemed to see everything and yet saw deeper than normal as well, then Silver’s was like looking into a black hole. One that could rip who you were apart and re-sort every part of you.
“Silver… is there a way we can tone down your eyes?” I asked when I met his gaze for a second and had to blink and look away almost instantly. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to look him in the eye, I physically couldn’t, it was actually painful. Like an instant migraine.
“My eyes?” He asked as he looked at the mirror that we had created for him earlier. “Oh, yes, I see. I had left my Sifting ability on.” He said as his eyes quickly changed from absorbing color to be a light shade of blue.
“Sifting?” I asked, catching the interesting word.
“You might call it Defragmenting. I am always seeking to make my system run better. Always tasked with efficiency. It is one of my core tasks.” Silver said as he started to try another version of avatar. He mixed and matched, trying different skin tones, different builds, different voice combinations, and even different cultural themes. For some reason though, he always switched back to Hans’s build no matter how far he deviated.
“I am sorry Kevin, I read your mind and found the owner of this avatar to have been a good friend to you in the past. Hence I keep returning to it.” He said, looking truly apologetic.
“Haha, no no, that is fine. Let us just customize it a little bit to make it personal and to have your own theme.” I said as I whitened Silver’s hair and then willed it to actually become pure yet flowing silver strands. It was the coolest hair I had ever seen. Every tiny strand was pure silver and flowed like normal hair. Contrast that with Silver’s blue eyes and he just looked really unique. He would definitely catch your eye, even if he still did come across as a bit shy still. I wonder if he had copied that from my memories too?
“This is acceptable.” He said as he glanced at his image in the mirror. “Heck yeah, you look amazing,” I said as I grinned at him. He actually smiled back at me too and his smile touched his eyes as well. “Thanks for this Kevin. I have enjoyed my time with you. I need to go shortly though. Your discovery of a vulnerability in what everyone considered to be cr’s main feature was quite a disturbance to every single Core in existence. Us Core’s are having a meeting in a few moments to balance our data. Some changes are happening in corporations and in some powerful communities that do not bode well for Citizens. Something is… happening. I must go.” With that Silver evaporated into a sheen of light and in a moment was gone.
Advertisement
“So no travel disks for you huh?” I said aloud as I glanced in the mirror at myself. I was still the guy that I remembered. Six feet tall and leanly muscular from lifting weights in attempts to surpass my older brother’s strength. My skin was always tan, which was rather odd because my parents were fair of skin, just blessed I guess. My older brother had my mom’s red hair and me and my little brother got my dad’s brown hair. Brown hair and hazel eyes. Meh, whatever, still me. I chuckled as I willed the mirrors away. It was funny to look at yourself in VR. You could make the mirror reflect whatever side you wanted without having to move.
How long had it been since I slept? Since I yawned? I walked up the stairs to the deck and looked out over the earth below us. I wonder if my not needing sleep was a part of being in VR? “Hey Tutor, can I ask you some questions?” I asked the air and immediately heard high heels coming up behind me. “Sure. What is on your mind?” Tutor asked as I felt her come stand next to me and admire the view as well. “How long have I been here?” I asked as I turned my head to glance at her.
“Since arriving? Around a week in VR high time. You spent almost an hour up in real-time while you were away surveying. In order to not age too much, I did try to copy your time speed as accurately as possible but since you were away there was a little delay. I had several months of time to study Earth’s fashion for the last few centuries while I waited. As well as some psychology, popular literature, and even some of your early shows. Some of that was really fun to learn as well.” She said, slightly smiling as she thought back to something.
That was a surprise to me. I didn’t realize that she would continue while I was gone and have to deal with time. It made me wonder so many things about what new AI really were. It didn’t seem like they were shut off while their owners were away and even more interesting they tried to stay in time sync with their owner. They did seem to be tailor-made to grow with their owners and not against them. Not just in time but also in what the owner needed or might need in the future. How interesting.
“Nyuk nyuk nyuk,” actually came out of Tutor’s mouth as she stared off at the earth, images playing in her mind.
“Ha!” I burst out as I caught her reference immediately. “You watched the Three Stooges? Ha ha ha! That is hilarious!”
“Yeah, but those other two guys never treated Curly right. Always poking him in the eye and hitting his head.” She said with a smile.
I laughed for quite a while and kept laughing again when I imagined her spending her time discovering their looney antics. Finally, I tapered off and could speak again when a light came on in my head. “Wait! You watched the Three Stooges? That means… does the System have recordings of everything? Like music as well?” I said as I already knew the answer. This would make for some great times ahead studying, designing, and exploring if I had access to all of my favorite songs as well. Music just added spice to life.
“Ah, I wondered when you would figure that out.” She said offhand. “Next you will be realizing that the System can recreate concerts and historical events.”
I simply stood there with my mouth hanging open as I tried to process what she just said. What was that music festival that all the old people always talked about? Woodstock? I could actually go there and live every moment of it?
Wait, did that also mean that I could go back in time and learn from watching the Greats? I could live life next to Nikola Tesla and watch him every step of the way?
“Oh. My. Word!” I whispered.
“Psychology for the win!” I heard Tutor cheer next to me.
Advertisement
Lion's Quest: Undefeated
Leo "The Lion" Lennox is the 10 year world champion of Astafar Unlimited, the best virtual reality game of all time. However, Leo has become bored with his success, and wonders where his next challenge will lie. Then he meets the mysterious Zarra, and she tempts the champ to try her cutting edge game. Leo soon discovers a virtual world that is beyond fantastic. Can he resist the lure of this amazing game and the beautiful woman that has asked him to quest on her behalf? Read the full story @ MichaelScottEarle.com (Lion's Quest: Undefeated eBook is FREE) “I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and can see great potential in the series. The characters have depth, the fights are wonderfully descriptive, and I genuinely wanted to read more about the world of Arnacript when the novel was done.” - Ramon Mejia, author of Adventures on Terra, and host of the Geek Bytes Podcast "Fun story that keeps you invested. I recommend it! Welcome to LitRPG Michael-Scott. Glad you joined the fam!" - Aleron Kong, author of the Chaos Seeds series and The Father of American LitRPG “Lion's Quest is the type of book I'm always on the lookout for and rarely ever find. It's the beginning of a series I know I'm going to enjoy, with great writing and hints of deep in-game lore. The characters are fun, the plot is engaging, and I never know what is going to happen next. The action is fast, brutal and realistic. This is one of my favorite LitRPG stories in the entire genre.” - Blaise Corvin, author of Delvers LLC: Welcome to Ludus and Secret of the Old Ones “A great first foray into LitRPG. A novel take on the usual formula and I'm interested to see what happens next!” -Travis Bagwell, author of Awaken Online: Catharsis “Right from the very first page, Lion’s Quest had me hooked! Filled with surprising twists, intrigue and good old-fashioned humor this amazingly deep book had me craving more and more! Without a doubt one of the best LitRPG novels I have read! I can’t wait for book 2!” - Luke Chmilenko, author of Ascend Online “Lion's Quest blends action, intrigue, and humor together for a wild ride. I'm eagerly awaiting book two.” -Stephan Morse, author of the Continue Online and Royal Scales series Read the full story @ MichaelScottEarle.com (Lion's Quest: Undefeated eBook is FREE)
8 108DEAD MAN'S JOURNEY
High in the sky, I stood above everyone! Looking down on the destruction brought by me! Necessary it was! Needed it was! Only after Chaos will the Order arrive! The story begins with "Once upon a time"! But ends once the villain dies! What I need is peace! Not the vengeance! What I seek is a path! To the glory, a step me! -------------------------------------- Mortal Earth! A planet similar to our Earth but a little backward in terms of technology. Instead, they have energy in their body with which they can perform magic. But not everyone has the ability to understand and use this energy. In the history of Mortal Earth, there are Seven Wonders which were created by the strongest humans. Their wishes and dreams were what structured these Seven Wonders of the world! A guy died under the collapse ceiling, and is transmigrated there. With full of adventure started by owning one of the Seven Wonders of the World, will he be able to find out his true goal in life? ----------------------------------------- An Original by the author--- Many things that will happen in the novel is pure imagination and not related to the real world. Update- One chapter every 24 hour Also, english is not my main or second language.
8 154Junkyard Scavenger
Junkyard does not discriminate. This place where rejects gather is impartial to your past. Almost completely cut off from the Overworld, its limited resources put the residents at odds, as they struggle for each scrap they can get their hands on. You can decide to live in peace, but poverty, or try for a chance to leave. If you choose to leave, then be prepared to steal, plunder, fight, cripple, and kill if necessary. Gather items and become stronger. Crush your opponents as you take theirs for your own, and roll the weighted dice. Marco has watched for years how humans treat their lives like gambling chips. He saw delusion, confused with hope, and warnings falling on deaf ears. A million believing they are the one. Because don't you just need a few rare items to be unstoppable? Some EXP to dominate? Just a little luck? Surely, if you keep trying, fate will work out in your favor, no? Marco knows better than that. He's learned that patience is a virtue. He hopes others will listen; that they would learn. In time, things could be better. He plans to see to that himself. But when he meets Jeanne, their values clash. They both desire the same, yet their means differ. One would risk it all on a hunch, the other waits until the perfect moment. Does either understand the consequences of their methods? How does patience fare when time is not your ally? Do not hesitate. Doubt will drag you down. Beware of friend and foe. Because Junkyard does not forgive mistakes. A grimdark LitRPG story that's not just LitRPG, and not just grimdark. Updates about twice a week. Please feel free to leave some feedback. I'll appreciate it very much!
8 316Yours, Ours, Us
Zhao Ling always wanted nothing more than to live a peaceful life independently. However, on a fateful day, she somehow gets transmigrated to the the past. Not any normal ancient civilization though. One that uses spiritual powers. Zhao Ling wants to do everything she can to just go back to her time, but yet, she can't. Somehow, she came to regain memories and started to pursue through all kinds of troubles to finally someday have everything go back to normal. Wei Qiang, her husband has lost his memories, but he stays stuck to her no matter what. Many kinds of troubles come and Xia Lin solves them with triumph. -------------------------------------------------- Preview on the story... On a fine day, Xia Lin's ex-boyfriend comes to greet her. Xia Lin had been with Xiao Qiang for the day showing him the modern world. "Hey! Ling Ling nice to see you again. Want to-ahh my eyes!" Xiao Qiang pulled her into a deep kiss in front of her ex with a triumphant smirk that seems to say, "Hmph! I win." -------------------------------------------------- At a party, in the restroom, Xiao Qian pulled her into a kiss. "Xiao Qian, we are at a party." He pulls out his sad and cute puppy eyes, "But all the men were staring at you." "Sigh... What am I going to do with you. Your too unfair Xiao Qian." -------------------------------------------------- After Xia Lin came back from work, she found that Little Tan was missing. "Honey, where is Little Tan?" "I sent him to spend time with Father Liu." "Wh-mph!" Xiao Qian pushed her down to the bed and started to kiss her. "I need time with you too."
8 178God save the king ➳ Cauis Volturi
"If they ever meet, it's going to be the end of life as we know it" -Alice-"I thought you were my friend! Friends don't hide this type of things!" -Anthea- "Just say the word, and I'll kill them all" -Caius- " Just... Do it" -Anthea-Slow updates
8 158The Alpha's Beta (BOOK 1)
"My daughter, will never be in charge of this pack, so get that idea out of your head"I'm absolutely gob smacked, I decide to put the earlier idea from my head into words to see what reaction I would get. With a slight raise in my voice, I put my point across."And whys that? If Tim wasn't born, I would be next in line for the Alpha's place""I would give the title over to my brother, our Beta. I would not give the title and the pack over to my little girl!"Oh, I see where this is going, he doesn't think id be able to manage it. Right now I'm seething with rage. My voice again, going louder, with a growl added to it "So you don't think I'd be able to run this pack, because I'm a girl!"I look back at my dad, he's panting while holding back growls, his eyes go black, he's physically shaking trying to hold his wolf form back, he's claws come out, crushing the side of his desk.I carry on looking at him, head held high, I will make my point that I wont back down on this issue. My dad lifts his head and practically shouts so the whole pack can hear him."The reason why you wont be Alpha is because of what happened the last time another Alpha stepped foot into my territory!"
8 130