Chaotic Craftsman Worships The Cube

“So, guess who’s being dragged along for some bullshit,” Ben said as he got to the realm that night, finding both Myriad and Helori at work while Nare was off for whatever reason. “I’ve been pulled to act as an observer for some rank one quest. I don’t suppose either of you know anything about it, do you?”

“Hmm? I haven’t heard anything on the matter but I’m not exactly most involved in the affairs of any major guild. Helori?”

“Why would I know, I have enough other work to focus on. Why, what’s the quest?”

“Some sort of observation thing. Me and Thera and from the sounds of it a few others are off to judge some fighting force that’s been put together but if you don’t know anything then it’s fine. Even if we’re going to be watching them fight some demon swarms, with Thera there I don’t think it will be that big of a deal.”

“Mmh, well be careful anyway,” His god told him. “It still really hasn’t been that long since you got back.”

“It will be fine. Anyway, a lot of more important things to talk about. Namely, seeing the world’s mythic-ranked items and I also finished one of my many projects. Mostly at least, I need some help to really finish it.”

“Then start with the first if you’re going to need help later. What did you think? Impressed?”

“Impressed, annoyed, and more than a little exasperated. They were all interesting and I’ve already been able to apply a bit of what I’ve seen to my work but honestly, the fact that we have not one but two items whose purposes have been lost to time makes me want to rip out my hair and seeing that at least one is one-hundred percent being mismanaged in a time it really could do a lot of good is literally just as bad. I’m trying to ignore all of that though to instead focus on the bright side.”

“Well, ignoring any quirks of fate that left the creators of some of them too dead to explain their purposes, what do you mean mismanaged?”

“Myriad, I think that should be obvious,” Helori sighed, the look in her eyes telling Ben she was in complete agreement. “The staff of Yuhano belongs in the hands of those who’d be able to truly take advantage of it, not one of its maker’s believers who’s only trying to get to the second tier of all things. I won’t deny it’s a masterpiece but Yuhano’s brethren who inherited it after they passed are all too hard-headed on the matter.”

“Yeah, what she said. Why am I always being called out about wanting to be paid when the fate of the world is at stake only to find out that an item that powerful isn’t going to any of the four I would say are best suited to using it? If I’m ever called out about being greedy again I feel like that’s a point that needs to be brought up.”

“Uh, to be honest, I was unaware of this. Helori?”

“It’s exactly what you’d expect,” She said dismissively. “They view it as an artifact of their lost world belonging to their people. Not exactly unexpected given that’s true of pretty much every mythic item but this mismanagement here is really to a disgusting degree. There’s been talk about it before up here but it’s largely squashed to avoid turning into some big fight. Of course, we really are past the point where that’s a fight we need to be having, perhaps I’ll finally start it in our next meeting.”

“You should,” Ben agreed. “And… Wait, you said its maker’s brethren inherited it?”

“That’s correct.”

“Meaning he’s dead?”

“She, but otherwise yes. Where’s this going?”

“This is going to why the hell are half of the mythic items on this planet made by dead gods? The archive and Inux, the two stupid balls and now this? Isn’t the survivorship of these gods way too low?”

“Ben, you have to appreciate the fact that it wasn’t just mortals who’d died when their worlds were invaded,” Myriad told him. “Those who descended on their believers and were killed or even some who stayed in their realms but stayed behind to keep fighting while their others took their people to escape and were eventually lost in ways we can’t guess at. Plenty of gods have died as well, if they didn’t then I’d say there’d probably be twenty to forty percent more in this world than there currently are.”

“Huh, okay, good to know I guess. Suppose it’s good to remember that the divine are all also being wiped out among all of the planets too.”

“In the end, we largely share our fate with our people but enough of that depressing topic. What have you made that you’re so excited about then?”

“Oh that, right. Guys, I’m going to need you to either show me some meat and vegetable cells on the deepest level you can or else find me a god that would be able to. Preferably the most nutritional ones you can get me, although it might take either some discussions or experimentation to see how much of that I’ll be able to preserve.”

“Alright, we should be able to find you someone but why? Are you looking to materialize mass volumes of food to distribute? I suppose when using your coat it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that you’d actually be able to make quantities that could feed the world.”

“No, close but not quite. Although I guess I could do that too if it was necessary, it wouldn’t actually be super hard but that wasn’t the reason. Like I said, I’ve solved one of my goals. You’re officially looking at the inventor of the materializer, a tool that can do exactly what it says on the box.”

“You’ve figured out how to make an item that can materialize?” Helori asked in excitement, pushing past Myriad to get right in Ben’s face. “How did you manage it and to what level of complexity can it handle?”

“It took making and trapping some souls to get it to work and while I could probably technically make something of any level of complexity, the more it is the more souls it takes and I have to teach each individual one what to do so I’m going to modify each one to make them as simple as possible. All I need is some knowledgeable gods to help me out and then I can get up and out to work.”

“Then wait there, I’ll find some who might know and don't hate you and be right back.”

She was gone before either could say a word, leaving Ben to fill the silence.

“...I feel like mentioning she’s looking for ones that don’t hate me was a bit unnecessary.”

“You didn’t exactly win any friends when you asked to be rewarded with job levels and tricked everyone out of a massive amount of faith. Myself included I might add.”

“Man, what part of ‘I literally helped save the planet’ are all of you guys up here not getting? Did you ever consider that maybe it’s messed up that I had to resort to trickery to be sure I’d get rewarded and you all still quit before it was done? Why am I thinking about dying for this stupid world again?”

“I’d personally be plenty pleased if you changed your mind on that.”

“Pff, and yet that somehow is only going to change my ninety-nine percent chance of dying to one hundred. If I give up and put myself in less danger I somehow put myself in greater risk.”

“That’s only because you’re a pessimist.”

“I’d be thrilled if you could somehow turn me into an optimist then.”

“That would be easier if reality itself didn’t seem to hate you. If we win and survive in the end, you really should turn your next bit of research to asking if there really is some sort of innate luck to the universe that’s previously gone undiscovered. Knowing you is giving me doubts.”

“Sure, if we win and I finish decoding and simplifying the summoning spell then that can be my next priority. And if there is then just watch, I’ll find a way to beat it. Before you know it, coins are always going to land on heads around me and fortune is going to come flying my way.”

“It is good to have dreams. Speaking of luck then, any more with finishing your job, maybe some new levels too?”

“No and no but I at least think the first should be soon. If I’m not done with world killer before my quest I will be right after, all at the low, low cost of maybe damaging my soul some more.”

“...You seriously can’t keep that up.”

“Not only can I but I can officially do it even more without having to worry as much. Falk made me something that should help and I already wasn’t shy about putting it to use. By my estimates I’ll have my next one by tomorrow depending on how I work things, leaving only one more to go.”

“Incredible that you’ve turned one that should have lasted a normal person multiple lifetimes into one you're on the verge of completing,” His god sighed. “You really have become a bit too good at finding ways to optimize your existence, even if you’re breaking yourself repeatedly to do it.”

“Hey man, you guys can’t give the world a path to power and then expect it to go unused. I just happen to try to use it very, very well.”

They continued to talk while they waited until eventually, Helori returned with Jagal and another god, giving Ben the chance to learn what he needed to in preparation for the day beyond.