If you are binge reading, please skip this as it is a recap of log reports that were added to the story as part of the second edition.

First, I’ll like to apologise for putting the novel on hiatus. The feedback I got was not very motivating, but the story will be finished and published on Royal Road in full. I’m currently 70k through the first draft of book 2.

My planned posting schedule will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday 4pm Australian time. For Americans, I believe this is early morning, so the chapters will be ready when you awake. My plan is to publish 10k words per week, but due to story flow I’m not committing to a specific word count per day. However, I intend for it to always be above 2k. I don’t have a backlog so I get sick then posting will stop.

I have made one substantial change to book 1 and I very much agonised how to communicate the changes. The change is that I’ve added a character (and POV) into Broken Interface, which is Ivey’s non-standard interface.

This character is hopefully humorous and conveyed a small amount of knowledge above and beyond what was communicated in the Daniel POV. In the vast majority of cases, this extra information was providing forewarning around events that had happened in the main story or explaining some of the loose ends in the main story line.

For example, the fact that so many people knew morse code to communicate en masse was frankly ridiculous. This ability to communicate was facilitated by the interfaces because they had sufficient data to determine that a major mana storm has occurred nearby and a native Australian animal would have been mutated or a more powerful creature (the purple lizard) would have been portaled in response to that energy. Without communication between survivors, their models indicated there was no chance of anyone in the surrounding suburbs surviving, so in accordance to the ‘Rules’ the interface works under the morse code switch were acceptable.

If you’re not reading the log reports below, you want to be aware of the following.

Ivey’s interface is broken. It is egotistical to the point of ridiculousness and takes things literally. The interface has deemed Ivey’s relationship with Daniel to be one of pet to master with Daniel being the Pet. Daniel is also called a co-wobub, which is basically a sapient with access to both a natural core and an interface (Adrian in Alpha Physics fell into this category after getting his core.) The interface has a very limited ability to affect Daniel’s thoughts after he has had contact with Ivey. While this ability exists, it is not persistent and has only had a slight impact on Daniel’s actions. His willingness to go through pain to use cores being the major success of this meddling. Everything else pretty much failed.. Ivey besides her healing abilities received a self-defence ability called ‘Emergency blast’ this was not used in book 1. But when Ivey was knocked unconscious fighting the termites it technically should have been triggered, which would have killed both Dave and Daniel. Ivey’s interface interfered to stop that from happening. The interface calls this ability ‘Something accidentally attacked me and I responded with claws of shredding blackness and boiled them alive, oops’

If you want to read the additions, I have included them below with a line around context.

This is chapter one, immediately after Ivey kisses him to put part of the interface into Daniel.

Log Report 5 - Entry 1

I’m so excited. This event is going to be totally different from the others.

Bipeds!!

Yep, my host is a biped.

If I was a biological, I would do rhythmic pointless movements to celebrate.

My first time with a biped, the Atosis with their flexibility was fun, but something with two legs.

Wow!

I’m going to get to see first-hand how they even move without falling over. I know biomechanics, feedback loops, skeletal balance and all that stuff, but two legs seem to be such an inefficient form and so impractical.

I’m expecting my host to pointlessly fall over lots.

He He.

I know I shouldn’t be happy.

The unfortunate fact that I have host means that another civilisation has put a noxious bomb in their reasoning centre, metaphorically at least and unleashed an Alpha catalysation event.

I know it’s not something to celebrate! But, I get these emotions anyway. It’s part of my makeup to be useful, so you can’t really blame me.

And!

This is a chance to see bipeds!!

Up close and everything!

Excrement clouds of happiness!

I guess I need to be a little disciplined in these reports and focus on realities to build up collective knowledge to help future civilisations.

So some serious stuff.

Initiation was not smooth for my host.

She, (pronouns are apparently important to them and according to the culture pack and can be very confusing in their use. Weird. I would have thought it was a simple, you get addressed how you want to be.)

Anyway, She was caught in a massive mana storm amongst a dense collection of sapient population. To many in one spot and not enough of us and the textbooks are pretty clear what that means.

Bipeds, fun! and Sapient Deconstruction, Sad! Two new experiences for me. I think I would have been thrilled to have a more standard life form to avoid the second event, but as the common saying goes. Shaping an alpha event is beyond even the Creator’s skills.

It is what it is and with sapient deconstruction occurring I knew immediately things were going to be challenging. Given the conditions, I let myself be guided by the 1789 seminal work ‘Selective information and using it to guide without controlling’ along with the additional notes of 73345 and 21190.

The application of those teachings I have to report was only partially successful. My host is wilful and unfortunately directed almost sixty percent of the potential from the mana storm into healing structures. Nevertheless, the remaining capacity gives her a pretty intense offensive ability. Which I successfully convinced her to sacrifice utility for extra impact.

End result order-of-magnitude increase in survivability and…

Big boom! (Unfortunately, only when the stringent conditions are met but I’m sure we’ll get a chance to experience.)

As per above, I was trying to apply selective information to guide but my host selected it all by herself. It’s like Ivey (my host) is hard and caring all at the same time. Very complicated. It probably has something to do with falling over lots. I’ll watch, monitor and report whether my hypothesis, ‘Falling over lots creates dual personality in adult specimens,’ is accurate or not. I’ll also be testing the hypothesis ‘Bipeds fall over more than… well everything.’.

Anyway, the mana storm was strong and there was a nascent Wobub being created next to my host. Unfortunately, the mana storm intensity exceeded parameters, and I observed signs of sapient deconstruction becoming a high probability event. I know I shouldn’t have and my host could defend herself if full deconstruction occurred but it was a sapient. I couldn’t just leave him to the mercy of the storm and Ivey has the caring side, plus saving him would increase her survivability, plus she had a powerful instinct to preserve the nascent Wobub’s sapience. Plus… there were a few other reasons I won’t list.

Despite the warning, and because of the four I meant ten different reasons above it was advantageous to act.

I communicated the cost of intervening to my host. Ivey deemed them acceptable, and we may have created a Co-wobub.

May have!

Only time would tell.

But how incredible would that be if it was successful? I’m absolutely quivering at the moment.

This occurred after they had killed lightning bugs but before the first zombie attack

Log Report 5 - Entry 2

We’re less than two hours into the event and I have three pieces of information that I want to record for propensity.

The first bit, unfortunately, changes everything. Why we do not have as much data as we would like there is going to be an obvious need to gather nearby survivors together. Worst to give the group a chance everyone will be required to take extra risks. Every host needs to gain levels and do it fast.

There is a ninety-eight percent certainty a local extinction level threat would have been created. Which is bad news for nearby bipeds.

The explanation of why we have come to this conclusion could be simpler, but only by a little. As per protocol, I have contacted my colleagues who, incidentally based on our early interactions, will end up as friends for life. Though *Blush* I think I might have overwhelmed them with my intellect. They said things like ‘How are you so smart?’, ‘Another extraordinary suggestion’ and ‘You’re as smart as Bait.’ Mr or Mrs Bait was not in the culture pack, but I’m assuming they did something amazing. Probably in a science related field were geniuses usually thrive.

I digress. The network we have collectively established was spread over a wide geographical area. This spread lets us map the mana storm boundaries.

This was where the terrible news came in.

What hit my host was not the centre of the storm as I hoped, but only an edge. That’s horrible, as it meant that there was intense energy to the east of us. A mana storm so intense that not one of the native bipeds survived in that space!

Naturally, we consulted historical records and there are only two plausible conclusions.

There will be a potent mutation of a native animal or something else powerful being ported in from a broken world.

Neither of these occurrences increases the survivability of nearby sapients.

Hence, the only choice is that we need to get strong quickly to meet this threat. When I expressed this insight, well, that’s when *happy butterflies* I was described as a genius. RT0123214 said, and I quote. ‘No shit genius.’

He called me a genius!!

*Jumping up and down excitedly.*

The second equally fascinating piece of information is that my decision to create a co-wobub has paid off. He (I think that’s the appropriate pronoun) has agreed to join up and protect my host. What an absolutely exceptional result to have that sort of strength and power available to look after my host. Of course even a co-wobub won’t be enough by himself, but at least it’s a start.

Finally, I want to address the hypothesis I made in entry 1.

I was *unsurprisingly* absolutely correct.

Yes, it’s a fact.

Bipeds fall over all the time. It has been just a couple hours and both my host and the co-wobub have fallen over.

It’s so funny.

Bipeds, what a crazy design.

Two hours and the co-wobub has already slipped twice. Why? Why would they choose such an absurd form?

Total Falls: 3

This log was written just after Ivey and Daniel fought off the first Zombie wave

Log Report 5 - Entry 3

Oh yeah.

Who’s incredible.

My colleagues were so right to call me a genius.

There was an entire pack of deconstructed sapients and the co-wobub that I broke rules to create saved the day.

Bang, kick, smack and he wiped them out. I give his fighting prowess at least a nine. There were a couple of errors in the fight. He forgot to use his magic early. I took off four points for that. Then he let his foot get spiked. That was minus nine, but I added three back because he focused through the suffering to finish the spell.

Wait?

Do these bipeds suffer pain?

Let me consult my reading material.

Apparently, the answer is yes. According to the cultural pack and I quote.

All large fauna encountered, including humans that will act as your host have advanced pain sensors spread throughout their skin and body. Pain feedback is a key component of their ability to assess and apply suitable treatment for wounds. It is inappropriate and detrimental to survival to turn off this feedback loop.

That last line has been added between the last event and this one. But I had already worked that out after what my last host did.

Turning off pain-receptors is a bad idea!!!

Having seen it first-hand I can assure you it is a REALLY bad idea.

Don’t do it.

Really, I’m disappointed that was not spelt out prior to now, but at least they’re finally getting their act together. What it’s only been millions of alpha particle conversions.

*Yes, that was sarcasm*

Hey look at that definition. According to this the bipeds have a preferred name for themselves. Apparently, they like to be called humans. I will use that preferred mode of address from now on. If I slip, you can’t blame me because it’s always difficult to get your head around the nomenclature of the new species.

Returning to analysing the fight. The co-wobub keeps the plus three because he was definitely in pain and... Maybe that’s a bit generous only a small part of him was affected after all. I might give him only two back. For keeping his composure. That seems fair.

Where was I? Oh yeah, the fight. One deconstructed sapience dead, a couple of injured and a larger group driven away. I’m giving it an official score for the fight of eight out of a hundred. Take out the crazy dumb mistakes and it would have been a nineteen, not bad for a first attempt.

Also the bipeds, both my host and the co-wobub were super dooper lucky. They managed not to fall over once during the fight! I would have expected them to celebrate that, but not a single thought in my host acknowledging their luck. Mind you, the co-wobub fell over immediately after the battle, so there was that.

Now the final awesome bit of news. With them successfully surviving that minor skirmish, it’s a new personal record for me.

My host has now *drum roll* survived for the longest time yet. I’m so getting better at this job and the multiple independent ‘anonymous’ reviewers who bad-mouthed me must be eating vicoata by now. Whoever left those hurtful comments was probably one of my peers who recognized my genius and was trying to knock me down a peg, or like the bipeds say that reviewer was suffering tall poppy syndrome.

Anyway, I’m very proud of my new survival record. It’ll be really exciting to see if I can smash it further and help my host to survive twice as long as my previous one.

How great would that be?

Strategically nothing has changed and I’m going to make sure my host and the pet (?) co-wobub will both get strong together.

For completeness regarding the word pet. While I’m confident in the terminology, I will admit I’m not a hundred percent sure that it is the correct term, but before the next update I promise I’ll spend more time scanning the cultural pack to confirm that pet accurately describes their relationship.

Go team bipeds.

Total Falls: 4 (+1). (I’m sure it’s only that low because of some ridiculous luck stat.)

After killing their second zombie and Daniel falling over incapacitated after absorbing his first zombie core

Log Report 5 - Entry 4

This new event has been so exciting. I’ve reached previous uncharted territory in how long my host has survived. My friends have named me a genius and I am actively helping my host to stay alive. Not directly, of course, because that would break the rules and, as I discovered with my first host, they know when you bend the rules.

To mitigate that risk, I was completely honest with my host. Ivey and her pet were not strong enough to fight the deconstructed sapients in two versus lots battle. I also was very clear that doing nothing would be detrimental to my aim of at least quadrupling my survival time record… I mean… I communicated that according to the cultural packs bipeds biology have a requirement for food and water.

As an aside, I don’t understand why that’s my responsibility, but you know bipeds probably are not as smart as the Wookins. Anyway, I did my job and my host sensibly used my wisdom to convince her pet co-wobub to expand the area they control.

Given the complexity of the situation I feel it is appropriate to quote 73345’s notes verbatim on how to deal with situations where your host is deep faeces (I assume this term was coined for animals with acidic waste products and being covered in such a waste product is bad news just like what happened to my second host.)

Another divergence, but how was I to know it was not water? Yes, I realize you’re not supposed to take over your hosts, but there was a furry thing with no fur on its tail.

It was damn scary, and I thought I would help the host avoid it.

Anyway, I fully admit that I may technically have broken the rule about seizing control of the host’s body. The knee jerk reaction to block ‘the capacity of all of us to stimulate miniature lighting inside the host’s body’ is unfair.

I maintain that this is clearly a case of using minor environmental effects to aid in host’s survival and not as the prosecutors stated ‘maliciously overriding free will.’

Apologies for the rant, but even now three events later it still makes my… I will not resort to swear words but you know in local terminology it starts my blood boiling sort like in those cartoon moving picture things where steam comes out of their ears. I repeat, how was I supposed to realize the green bubbly stuff was not water and that small furry things with hairless tails were mostly harmless.

It had beady eyes.

Despite my opinion that using miniature lightning to encourage biological muscles to flex was reasonable. With the new rules, it is clearly not allowed, so I won’t use that technique from now on.

Anyway, where was I? Yes I was quoting 73345.

When facing stronger enemies, charging them straight on is not a good idea. Instead, methods of splitting the enemy or attacking from unexpected directions should be deployed. I shared this with my host, and I think she used some form of telepathic control to get her pet to do exactly that.

Good job Ivey and good job pet for listening to her. I didn’t know that bipeds had telepathic communication and if I get more evidence, I will write a paper on it.

Regarding the wider situation, we’ve established a large group which will hopefully end up as a single collective hive that can work together for survival. This group has been named Pobournes after the location of Port Melbourne.

I am so proud they accepted my suggestion for the name. No one else was clever enough to come up with it.

I get side-tracked. To save the Pobournes…such a cool name, if I have to say so myself. I still can’t believe everyone accepted it. Some said it was fun and 3781412 claimed it was stately and said I quote once more that ‘the locals would have used that name for themselves if they were all crackpots’ I’m not sure what a crackpot is but from context it’s related to taking drugs to presumably improve intelligence because why else would you take chemicals that change higher reasoning functional centres?

Put two and two together and all I can conclude is that bipeds were not clever enough to come up with it themselves.’ I guess I shouldn’t be too impressed with myself. I am, but I probably shouldn’t be. After all, they were just pre-event bipeds, so them failing to coin a name doesn’t mean much.

In any case, there is no reason to cheapen my achievement.

*Raise glasses and drink bitter liquid quickly to celebrate.*

So it’s a unique, outstanding name and now we need to save them.

The models… My one was called optimistic. I like that word.

It describes me perfectly.

Anyway, back to modelling. While percentages between us, might have differed all of our models agree that individual survival depends on community survival. The Pobournes are all in it together and for their own good the bipeds need to realise that.

Of course there are rules!

*Rolling electromagnetic sensory organs*

To help without breaking the precious rules we’re teaching morse code, which is a simplistic language that bipeds used to use. If our hosts have ever been exposed to it, we’re to sharpen their memories and allow them to communicate.

We even evoked protocol 4193 to push that programming onto the standard interfaces of the Pobournes. *He he*, that name again. The Pobournes are very very lucky to have me strategizing their escape.

In the meantime, the focus is on creating powerful heroes and co-wobub is one of the four key people identified to date.

Me again!!

The other potentials all seem so… boring.

An illusionist? Like really. They can’t even kill anything and so many other interfaces got excited hearing about her.

The other two future heroes sounded more reasonable. At least they enjoy hitting things.

Time to sign off.

Total Falls: 5 (+1). However, it has only been a brief period since my last update and both bipeds probably because of their lack of stability, spent the bulk of the time sitting down. Despite those mitigating factors, they still ended up with one tumble.

*Roll pointlessly on the floor making gasping noises.*

Bipeds are talented.

Not.

This was immediately after the big zombie that Daniel was only able to kill thanks to Tamara’s lightning had emerged from his room. At this point he did not know either Jayden or Tamara

Log report 5 - Entry 5

My host got hurt!

By environmental damage, with allies surrounding her.

That made me wonder if the ability, ‘Something accidentally attacked me and I responded with claws of shredding blackness and boiled them alive, oops’ was as perfect as I had envisaged. In this case, her allies would have been rendered and cooked unnecessarily, as opposed to her enemies. It is something I will have to look at improving it in future iterations of ‘Emergency Blast.’

Yes, you are correct in noticing the change of names. My host insisted on the ability being renamed for some unfathomable reason. Ridiculous like with the Pobournes I am demonstrably great at naming things and it should have remained unchanged, but you know bipeds

*Shrugs.*

They’re biologicals and we need to accept their stupidity.

Speaking of which, I addressed some of this with my host’s pet.

Now I know there are strict rules about influencing my host but a co-wobub?

After this event, I’m definitely going to get specific clarification, but for now it is absolutely not explicitly stated as being against the rules..

I’m certain because I checked twice.

Excessive?

Probably, but after what happened with host four, I figured it was necessary.

I don’t have much influence on the co-wobub and to be honest it’s less than I hoped. You could say it’s at the margins, but every time my host establishes contact I get a bit of wiggle room. Straight after transition, I used it to reduce his focus on his family back home. I accept that bipeds are going to *like* smaller bipeds, but I needed the co-wobub to concentrate on my host’s immediate situation.

I think it worked a little. With a different species, I wouldn’t have bothered, but with them being bipeds I’m not sure that they cope well with distractions. You know with all the effort they have to continually expand not to fall over.

The initial alteration appears to have been successful, so in the last couple of connections I’ve influenced different angles. I know it’s stated explicitly that you aren’t approved to turn off pain receptors.

But is releasing endorphins after pain banned? Nothing says I’m not allowed to do that so *Jumping excitedly.*

He’s swallowing those cores like candies now.

I’m brilliant. He has an artificial chemical good time and my host becomes safer.

Everyone wins.

As always total Falls: 8.5 (+3.5) and it hasn’t even been a full day!. The co-wobub fell over three times, fighting the sapient deconstructed. Sure, the creature might have tapped him slightly prior to each tumble, but in my professional opinion that does not matter. A fall is a fall of course.

You might also wonder about the 0.5.

Well the paladin fell over and I was going to count him as a full fall but apparently he was *dying* and even if he was quad or hex peds, he would have fallen as well, so I couldn’t count that. However, my host almost falling resulted in the original problem and so I assigned that almost tumble a 0.5.

Finally, we have what is happening currently. A potently mutated sapient deconstructed is fighting my host’s pet. She might even lose him.

It will be very sad because the co-wobub dying now might impact my survival record. I’m now aiming for two days.

Ambitious?

Yes.

Achievable? Well… based on history I’m not the best judge of this.

We’ll just have to wait and see. How exciting.

Anyway, she might lose her pet, but we should always strive to be optimistic. The pet should provide a sufficient distraction for Ivey to use the terrain to her advantage.

Here’s hoping she finds a good hiding spot, though if she doesn’t then that is not the worst thing in the world as I might get to see ‘Something accidentally attacked me and I responded with claws of shredding blackness and boiled them alive, oops’ in action!

*I can barely wait.*

Note to self: Prematurely triggering emergency blast ability crosses the whole self-determination thing.

Note to self 2: Bipeds preferred term of address is humans.

Note to self 3: Is pet the correct term? Research!

Note to self 4: Check with others to confirm that ‘Something accidentally attacked me and I responded with claws of shredding blackness and boiled them alive, oops’ is a superior name to ‘Emergency Blast’.

This was when Daniel was trying to work out how to use his interface powers and accidentally fried one of the interface grains from Ivey.

Log Report 5 - Entry 6

It’s an idiot.

Officially a complete and total fool.

Oh, let’s just pour petrol into a fire, ‘nothing will happen’.

I am *shaking with emotional responses.*

Here am I busily doing my best to guide him. Directing him on how to use his magic and understand his own core. Granting him skills and understanding that he would never have achieved otherwise, and he’s like let’s ignore the expert and blow up some of my core!

I bet he was the type of pet to put some tasty diced seals into the ocean to attract the great whites so that he can swim with them.

Now that I think about it, I wish the pet had done that before the event. Then the sharks would’ve eaten him and he wouldn’t have blown up my core.

I feel so violated.

If it wasn’t for his usefulness to my host. I would… Not going to record this thought because of the rules. But I’m sure you can imagine it would involve a pink tutu, a stalk of bamboo, two ribbons of silk and a chainsaw.

If Ivey doesn’t discipline her pet, I’m going to be very upset.

*Warmth in cheeks and faster breathing, clenching fine dexterity parts*

This absurdity reminds me of my first host. He had a clear image in his mind and I of course did not know its physiology.

It wanted to be made of metal to be strong to fight stuff.

*Shrugs*

There was energy.

I did what my host wanted, while maintaining the thinking centres because I was pretty sure that they needed to remain biological.

The result lacked the mobility my host was after.

That annoyed him.

*Another shrugs.*

His fault for asking for something that wouldn’t work.

We also discovered later *about five seconds* that the metal body lacked the necessary components to sustain life.

As I said, the host was an idiot, and it almost got me in lots of trouble.

Somehow, it was my fault!

*surprised pikachu face*

Luckily, the metal in my host’s body was recycled by the rest of the sapients and that saved his colony.

Did that matter to the tribunal?

Well, initially it did not!

Five hundred sapients saved by my actions and it did not matter!

I was charged with gross negligence. Me!!

In court, I emphasised it was its desire, presumably to save the colony, and I was forced to go along with it. I didn’t think that was the case, but the judge bought it hook, line and stinker.

The judgement of the tribunal was. ‘Under the rules, your actions were exemplary and while your host perished, we can’t prove it was not its intention. Your contribution to the event is four hundred and ninety points. That’s the official line, but privately let’s cut the pretence. We don’t believe this for a second and if you don’t learn more about basic physiology then on the Alpha particle itself.’

Blah, blah, change rules, consequences, blah.

Even the judges thought my first host was an idiot, just like this CO-WOBUB.

Back on the important bits around my hypothesis we’re up to 19 falls. Which is 10 more than last time. Now I didn’t actually observe most of the fight, but it was a long one and I can extrapolate from previous tussles. Plus, the pet is idiotic as we’ve just discovered. So I’m assuming ten falls during the fight. The sapient deconstruction was also a biped and based on the bits of the fight I observed it probably fell over fifty times over the duration.

That’s the only reason the pet is alive. If the other biped had been less clumsy… then the pet… torn apart …and some of my core wouldn’t have been…

Not worth obsessing over.

Ninteen falls.

Bipeds.

*shakes head*

Nineteen in a single day, incredible!

This was after they had cleared a couple floors of Zombies and discovered that Daniels club was a sapient seed weapon.

Log report 5 - Entry 7

Well that happened.

The stupid co-wobub created a sapient seed club. I think he did it by accident and I’m not sure how. Something about if you have a million monkeys with typewriters then you’ll get one poorly constructed short story and millions of pages with gibberish.

I’m guess the co-wobub is our lucky monkey.

Note to self I should see if I can make the pet the Pobournes mascot. Monkeys are good mascots aren’t they and if it’s a lucky one then that has to be even better.

Speaking of pets, I improved Ivey’s. It or he or them or whatever the right pronoun is, was lying next to Ivey. That provided a solid connection and he kept trying to use the clever skills I selected for him.

I have to admit watching him go about his business was super dooper embarrassing. No clues what so ever. It was like he had never played with his internal makeup and engaged discrete calculation engines to create complicated effects before.

Left to his own machinations it would have been a clear failure.

I actively considered terminating the experiment. While he was busily nearly blowing up things inside himself it would not have been hard to start a chain reaction.

I didn’t for two reason the first was that eleven different rules that strictly forbid it. But the wording was poor in some of them and I reckon there was sufficient wiggle room to get away with it.

Yes, facing the tribunal for a fifth time in as many events would have been annoying. But on the plus side it would have set a record. And everyone knows records are good.

Anyway I moved away from that idea when I considered my host.

I don’t like to admit it but quantifiably she is squishy. And I thought I can’t do anything about that but having a pet to be squishy on her behalf has to be useful. Plus she’s a biped so the more help the better.

Right.

Unless it’s stupid.

Maybe I should have risked the tribunal.

I digress.

Reluctantly I helped and by helped I mean I did everything and he took all the credit. The co-wobub thinks he’s brilliant and did it all himself.

*rolls electromagnetic spectrum sensory things*

While I was there training him to do basic computation directing stuff I might have tweaked him to be a bit more aggressive. I’m convinced the level of access I have does not allow me to do anything permanent as some of my previous changes are already coming undone. He has gone back to wanting to protect miniature bi-peds.

*Shakes container for biological reasoning centre to express emotion.*

Tweaked aggression levels. And he performed adequately in the fight, a marked improvement.

And totally related.

The only downside is that the whole pet thing needed more reinforcement. Not sure how that works to be honest.

On better news my host is forming a pack to protect her!

She is the lead female in it.

Which I think if I apply correct nomenclature that makes my host the alpha bitch??

I decided to grant her the new title at the earliest opportunity.

Now this was really surprising and I mean completely unexpected. When I shortened it and called her Bitch, she got angry at me.

Fair enough she wanted the full title so straight I’m like sorry. I should have said Alpha Bitch.

She got angry.

I was expecting her to be proud to have upgraded her standings, but as I said anger.

I thought quickly and settled on don’t be so angry ‘You’re a Super Alpha Bitch’.

Then based on the chemicals going through her brain she was building a real slap you around type of fury.

Get this.

She did not want the title. Not the full tile of Alpha Bitch or the partial of Bitch or even being called host.

“Address me only as Ivey”, that’s what she said. “Or as god as my witness…” she then proceeded to threaten me with anatomical impossibilities. Like even if I was a biped they would have been impossible.

Point taken. She’s very sensitive so from now on I will only call her Ivey.

At least to her face.

We also have more information around the wider situation. As you might remember in an early entry we had mapped the nature of the mana storm event and concluded there was a high likelihood of it having produced a serious threat to the Pobournes.

Unfortunately we were correct.

The monster brought through in the mana storm is a Broncada Lizard.

And a class two at that.

It’s territorial.

It’s not hyperbole to declare this is a disaster.

Like not a capital D Disaster. A Dragon or a Anotica or one of the Lubota would clearly be worse.

Actually most class twos would be worse but it’s still really bad.

Broncada lizards tolerate small creatures living in its territory. Like bipeds because it’s smart enough to know that if ever gets really hungry they can be dug out. However small creatures migrating out of its territory.

No way! The lizard does not allow its food to get up and leave its territory.

That means even if they overcome the immediate challenges to survival they’re going to be stuck and kept as part of the lizard’s larder.

It is not hyperbole to say that it completely validates our early decision making.

It’s no longer just about living, now it’s also about getting stronger for the future because while the host does not know it, safety is over the Broncada’s cold dead body.

The information exchange network between hosts began last night. Unfortunately none of the bipeds on my floor knew morse code so they’re currently cut off.

Finally, I think my hypothesis is broken because while the sapient deconstructed bipeds tumbled over heaps my co-wobub did not. 19 falls in only slightly over a single earth day.

At this point, their ability to clear floors has been increasing. But they have yet to save all the humans they have access to in their immediate ten floor block.

Log report 5 - Entry 8

The empire my host is creating has expanded again. Four entire floors have been cleared! More importantly, the rate of liberation is increasing exponentially. It is an excellent trend line. If she keeps doubling the numbers, she controls every day.

She will rule the whole world in *Maths* - 34 days.

It goes to show what a firm hand, and intelligent direction achieves. My only genuine regret at this stage is that the co-wobub conditioning is not working as effectively as planned. While what I’m doing obviously helps and his reaffirmed his (pet?) status multiple times, his *natural instincts* takes over occasionally.

Overblown concepts like defend the weak and saves other people’s lives.

*Shakes head*

My host has clearly divined my intentions and consistently cleverly engineers the opportunity for me to play around in the co-wobub’s thoughts.

By the way, if you have a choice to experience a co-wobub’s thought process I would implore you to not go there. It’s not fun. It’s all biological and emotional.

Yuck!

Anyway, her trick was something about scanning new abilities and learning more.

*Biped logic.*

Completely unnecessary, of course. It’s not like seeing the name of an ability is going to change anything. I did not complain. The co-wobub needs a tight rein, and I only had a few moments, so I reinforced his pet status and started building up toward him ‘realising’ that they need a large group to fight the Broncada Lizard.

For a biped, apparently it is psychologically better if they think something is their own idea, so that’s the angle I took. If it’s their own idea, they embrace it, but if it’s someone else’s they’re likely to reject it.

Crazy right.

So I am asking myself if I’m really stupid what convoluted illogical pathways would I use to conclude that fighting something a thousand times my strength with a couple hundred allies was a good idea?

Inspiration stuck.

You know that weird desire to protect little bipeds, the one I keep trying to get rid of, but it keeps coming back.

That was my in.

Little bipeds are clumsier than big bipeds, so there’s no chance of them sneaking away, right?

And so if I’m a co-wobub and I want to save little bi-peds, that sort of detail matters. Right?

Therefore, we’ll group together to fight the big evil lizard because sneaking away won’t work.

Yes, yes, it’s obvious you can drive a Wyrm through the hole in that logic, but Bipeds… Not to mention in this case that it’s sort of true. There are three options; do nothing and wait to be eaten, try to sneak away and get eaten immediately, or fight and probably get eaten.

Nah, I lie they could swim across the river or sail the ocean. *roll on the ground laughing* I guess that’s the fourth option. Immediately get eaten by something else. Ha Ha.

If they get a large enough group and listen to my advice, I am confident they can beat the lizard. My challenge is to make sure they survive till that final battle.

That’s why my conditioning slipping is so concerning.

If I had my way when my host’s pet hears bipeds making loud noises in distress instead of running all stupid like toward it, I would have the co-wobub immediately protect my host.

It did not work. Very concerning!

There were sounds of fear from a floor below and I don’t technically know what the co-wobub thought. I’m speculating here, but you know *genius speaking.* The co-wobub heard the squeals and like all of us must have thought, ‘oh that sounds like some bipeds are about to die’. I know what to do. I’m a biped, and stupid so I’ll run over there and die too.

Worst of all, the biped was almost right.

Wow, I can’t believe I wrote that.

Biped almost right.

Well, as I am sure someone once said there’s a cat out there that’s a good pet. What I mean is if that’s a given and we consult rules of large data sets and statistically outliers and then have multiple planet’s worth of them to draw from, then eventually one of them might be right.

The co-wobub did it.

All the bipeds survived. I guess it’s good and I shouldn’t be bitter about being wrong. More people means increased likely hood of a dead lizard. It’s just… Nah it doesn’t matter. This is not about me it’s about the co-wobubs first instinct being off.

He is supposed to protect my host!

Where was I?

Overachieving is where!

Two full days! My host is still healthy and functioning. Absolutely crushing that previous record.

Finally, the falling behaviour reverted to type. From what I overheard, there were multiple falls when fighting *harmless spiders*. I didn’t see it but it sound like three falls happened there. Then there was the time he randomly fell over in the corridor, lightning bugs or some stuff like that. Then when saving the bipeds he fell down so hard he had to get carried to the stairwell.

That was pretty funny. The co-wobub fell, Janice fell, Carly fell, Tamara fell.

It was a fall party.

Everyone was concerned and worried for a while, but it was not like anyone had died. But I’m only counting when the co-wobub fails to keep balanced so despite all the falling that only increased the count by one.

Then later on the co-wobub and wobub fell together.

So funny.

That takes up to twenty-five falls in two days. Honestly, I thought it would be higher. Then again, my host has not been with the co-wobub constantly. I wonder if that sneaky biped is hiding his clumsiness?

This is the start of the third night. Beau was killed the night of day 2.

Log report 5 - Entry 9

What a boring day.

Not a single biped died apart from that idiot who took on a co-wobub. Like, what was he thinking? Co-wobub battered me aside with disdain earlier when I had two weak side kicks. I know I’ll get a third useless follower and that will definitely make a difference.

Spoiler, it didn’t.

On top of that, next to no falls occurred. The bipeds are probably all giving prayers of gratitude to their god to celebrate their luck.

What was indeed curious is that my host did not find the lack of tumbles at all noteworthy. I thought that was strange and then figured that she’s probably an aberration who has exceptional balance so has overcome the biped disability.

Or not.

When you examine her day logically, she spends a lot of time sitting or lying down.

Hours, in fact.

They call it sleep, but I think they are just recovering from the stress of stopping themselves from toppling over all day.

Anyway, I digress as I often seem to do.

It was a boring but I am growing as a superior life form. Unlike with the third host, I avoided giving unsolicited advice. I still don’t think I am responsible for that host getting eaten. I know I implied that the ceiling was about to fall in, but I did not state it as fact. It was totally the host’s choice to leave the safe cave.

I still can’t believe they tried to force a ten lifetime passenger period over that. It was lucky I could point to the massive amount of official credit I got for the management of the first host. A fact the tribunal did not appreciate. ‘You’re a menace,’ ‘Technically true does not make it right,’ ‘No they are not better off dead.’ Blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, I was not tricked this time.

I said nothing, but I think I should have. There was an obvious opportunity to clear a couple of extra floors, which they lost by not moving fast enough. The other bipeds were even arguing for that eventuality.

No, I need to remind myself that I’m not supposed to interfere like that. That stupid Asterix they put over me is so unfair. Who’s ever heard of someone with 460 active credits getting a suspended sentence?

I guess there was a bit of excitement when a few global statistics were released.

71% survival without sapient deconstruction 04% wobub creation and 0.0000001% co-wobub

That’s right, only four globally, and I created one of them and he’s going to save my poor Pobournes.

Unfortunately, Pobourne survival is nowhere 71%. They are dying too quickly and to be honest my colleagues have pretty much given up. Their only hope is that one of the four potential heroes gets so strong that they can save the rest. They are all to a biped, hiding away. Well, not all… Not my co-wobub and not the other two surviving heroes. They’re still trying to get strong enough.

And yes, I did say two others, and it’s not because I’m discounting the illusionist. If I excluded her like any sensible independent function would, then there would be only one other hero.

Yep, one hero that could have helped save the poor Pobournes found something to hit.

From what we can tell, the thing she hit was not a good choice.

Apparently, the hero’s hits did little to the creature. Then the monster’s tongue got involved, then its mouth, maybe a few teeth and possibly digestive organs after that. After that… well, it suffices to say she won’t be heroing anymore.

Total Falls twenty six up one.

And no, I don’t want to talk about it.

This was just after the termite attack where Ivey nearly died.

Log Report 5 - Entry 10

As you might have noted, the performance of the co-wobub guided by my host has exceeded expectations.

Unfortunately, today it all almost ended in disaster.

I have read the various accounts of circumstances where the survival of a species depended on the smallest of margins. The right spell at the right time, getting someone to see something that was trying to be hidden or just the sheer fortune of a hero choosing to leave a day early.

I just had the same thing happen.

It’s so damn exciting. I’m caught up as the hero in the stories.

Sure, the scale is smaller, maybe a thousand people at risk as opposed to an entire world.

It still feels special.

Everything came down to five seconds. Maybe even less.

And I was the hero.

I held off, triggering my host’s defensive ability.

Just me.

She was unconscious. Technically, I should have triggered the ability immediately. That’s what the standard interface would have done, but I am more. I made a judgement call, ran the models and concluded that Ivey’s survival would be maximised by waiting.

I was getting little information, but I monitored the host’s health and waited.

It was possibly the most nerve-wracking moment of my existence.

I don’t know how my elders do it.

How do you wait? Not knowing if you are making the right choice with the spectre of dire consequences hanging over your freedom.

Despite the risk, that is what I did.

I gambled, I guessed, and refused to trigger it till the absolute last moment. If the host survived and co-wobub died then the chances of survival over the next month collapsed.

I held off triggering ‘Something accidentally attacked me and I responded with claws of shredding blackness and boiled them alive, oops’

And both the co-wobub and wobub survived because of me.

If the suburb survives its because of me

I am the hero.

Just like in the stories.

If you read this far please leave a note of what you think about the changes.