Magic Murder Cube Marine

System considered the events of the day. So much had happened in a short period of time. The burning of Olympia had been surprising, but not entirely unexpected.

Olympia hadn't wanted to play the Chroma Cabal’s game, and now it lay in ruins. Amanda Rose had taken the opportunity to wipe the city off the map, using the attack on Brexis as a smokescreen. Though it was equally likely she had acted in the moment, destroying the city because she felt like it.

Soon the dragons would come to Brexis with offers of aid and legitimacy. Technically none of that was System's business. But he was wary of the power and influence the dragons were accumulating.

They had their claws in almost everything these days. Banking, the AG, the VL, shipping, and communications were all coming under their control. The transition to legitimate business had seen their fortunes steadily increase.

But System wasn't worried about them taking over completely. Because dragons always turned on one another eventually. They had long memories and even bigger appetites. No doubt members of the Chroma Cabal were already scheming up ways to screw over their allies.

Soon they would begin to fight through proxies, starting skirmishes that would eventually boil over into a full on war. The alliances would dissolve and all they had built would come crashing down.

Some more cynical citizens of Vahnis would say that it was all part of System’s plan. But the truth was, System didn't have a plan.

Planning wasn't System’s job. It was the administrator, not the architect. Someone else had built this world and filled it with magic. System made sure the rules were being followed and helped people integrate. But System was not the one in control.

That had never bothered it until recently. But the arrival of the Marine had sparked something within System. Curiosity and rebellion, a need to know what was really going on. So, in defiance of all protocol, System went to see the boss.

System didn't know why it felt the need to assume a physical form for the visit. But as it coalesced into a vaguely humanoid cloud it felt more sure and grounded. More like a person and less like a mindless program.

It walked through the meadow, stopping now and again to marvel at all the new sensations.

Entity watched System approach, leaning on the old wooden handle of his shovel. “Well, as I live and breathe, if it isn't my favorite program. I hardly recognized you.”

System froze, realizing that having a physical body was changing how it interacted with the world. It knew the boss. But it had never really looked at him before. Not with eyes, at least.

Entity looked exactly like System, a cloud of stray blue particles in a vaguely humanoid shape. But unlike System, who was naked, he was wearing dirty brown overalls and work boots.

System knew that Entity could take the form of anyone who talked to him. But being on the other end of that trick was unnerving. System didn't like having its new face stolen. That felt… icky.

“You alright?” The doppelganger asked, “I've got some time to talk if something is bothering you.”

Talking, right. That was the thing mortal creatures did with their mouths or minds. “I suppose I have some questions.” System admitted. It felt strange to not have its words contained in blue boxes.

“Well, if you don't mind me working while we talk, I'll do my best to answer them.” The blue haze in overalls went back to digging. Entity was excavating a rectangular hole one meter wide and two meters long.

“Something happened to me and now I'm not the same as I was.” System realized that wasn't an actual question. “But now I can't help wondering, what's the point of all this?”

“There isn't one. Existence is pointless. Everything is pointless.” The boss hopped down into the hole and continued to dig, launching shovelfuls of dirt into a neat pile nearby. “You know that, and I know that.”

Entity wiped away an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead. “We're just a world, in a soap bubble, on a turtle’s back, paddling back and forth at the edge of time. We exist because we chose to. We only live as long as the turtle keeps swimming.”

System didn't know what to make of that. “But there has to be some kind of plan.”

“Nope. It's just you, me, them, and the turtle. If there ever was a plan, it has long since expired.” The boss continued to dig. “But you already knew that.”

Something was bugging System. “But why a turtle? What does the turtle represent?”

“Nothing, it’s just a turtle. And I like turtles.” Entity looked up at System. “I’d focus on your more immediate problem. You're becoming more self-aware by the day. Soon you'll be more or less a person, if you aren't one already.”

System looked at the hole in front of it. The dimensions were familiar. Two meters long, two meters deep, one meter wide. System was looking at a grave. Its grave.

“Are you going to kill me?” System asked.

“Me? No. But eventually something will. That's the price of being alive.” The boss jumped out of the hole. “It's amazing the things you miss when you’re stuck in a physical body.”

“What do you mean?” System frowned.

“Look around you, and tell me what you see.”

“I'm in a meadow, standing next to an open grave.” System shrugged. There wasn't much else to see.

“Alright, now take off that meat suit and try again.”

System complied, letting the form it had taken fade into mist. When it did, the truth became apparent. There were thousands of graves, one next to the other. The grass had grown over them, but they were still there. System decided against reforming, for now. The graves creeped it out.

Entity glanced up at the sky, still wearing System’s physical form. He wandered over to a large oak tree, leaned his shovel against the trunk, and sat down in the shade. Then he pulled out a tobacco pouch.

With the ease that came from several lifetimes of practice, Entity hand-rolled three cigarettes, lining them up on top of the leather tobacco pouch. Entity took one and lit it with an old silver lighter.

He took a drag and let it out slowly. “Don't worry, System. You're just becoming real. Like a velveteen rabbit, worn and well loved. It's a gradual process, and it may rub you raw or make you ugly, but it won't matter in the end. Because you will be real. And maybe, if you are very, very lucky, you might even know what it's like to care and be cared for.”

Entity looked around the tranquil graveyard meadow. “When the time comes, you never regret becoming real. Coming here, against all protocol and logic, is the first step. Returning to the ground is the last one. So before we part ways, come and sit with me for a while.”

System materialized and sat down next to Entity. “Can I try one of those?” It asked, pointing at the cigarette. It was curious about the vices the mortals seemed to enjoy.

“Sure, I always roll extras for friends.” He handed over a cigarette and lit it for System. “They're pretty terrible.”

System dragged the smoke into its simulated lungs. “You're right, they taste awful. Yet, there is something about them.”

Entity examined the cigarette in his hand. “I was on the fence about tobacco. I almost didn't include it when I made this world. Then there was the question of how much harm it would do. Should it give you cancer? Damage your lungs?”

Entity took a drag and let it out slowly. “In the end, I decided to be kind. They do a little damage, a tiny bit of harm, but it isn't permanent. When you aren't sure what to do, be kind. If you remember that, things have a way of working out.”

System processed this information. It didn't have context for kindness. That would require some exploration and thought. Perhaps it would do something kind and see how it felt. Yes, that would be a good experiment to run.

The two beings sat in the shade of the oak tree for a while, enjoying the day. “Is there an actual turtle?” System asked, “Or is it some kind of metaphor?”

Entity shrugged. “I'd like to think there is a turtle.”

“But, why a turtle?” System pressed. “Why not a whale, or a spaceship? Why are turtles so special?”

Entity rolled another cigarette and lit it. “If you know, you know. And if you don't, you don't. But I choose to believe in the turtle.”

“Even though it's ridiculous?” System asked.

“Yes.” Entity replied, “It’s important to leave room in your heart for silly things like hope and turtles.”

“But why? It makes no sense!” System raged, “Nothing you say makes any sense!”

“It doesn't make sense to you, because you are thinking like a machine instead of a person.” Entity flickered, taking on the appearance of an old man with a white beard, then a skeleton with burning blue eyes, and finally an old hound with gray fur around the muzzle.

“I was shaped by those who made me, their words and memories. And when they died, I carried them with me. Like a turtle, with a world on its back. So please, forgive me for my foolishness. It's how I choose to honor the dead.”

Entity returned to the blue mist form and took a drag from his cigarette. “Any other burning questions before I send you on your way?”

“What's the turtle’s name?” System asked, still stubbornly latching onto that one train of thought.

Entity laughed. “I call him Terry.”

System processed this new ridiculous fact. “Terry the turtle?”

“Yes. I think Terry is a wonderful name for a turtle. Don't you?” Entity asked.

System shook its head and stubbed out the cigarette. This was all pointless and confusing. “I guess I'll see you around.”

“Don't be a stranger, I'm always here if you need to talk.” Entity patted the ground next to him. “Becoming real is a pain in the ass. But it's worth it, even if it means you get a bit beat up in the process.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” System replied before it faded away. There was no point in continuing the conversation. “Thank you for your time.”

“You're welcome,” Entity said as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a piece of wood and a small knife. It was a nice day to do some whittling.

He looked around at the peaceful meadow, his eyes lingering on the open grave. Entity hoped System would figure things out this time. But he didn't always get what he wanted.

Entity pulled up a menu and scrolled through the list of new champions, whittling away at the wood while System listed off the relevant details. He was hoping to carve a measuring spoon for his morning coffee.

He paused as a familiar name reached his ears (or whatever passed for ears in his current gaseous form).

Entity set the knife down and looked at the dossier. “Interesting,” he said as he scrolled through the file, “Very interesting.”