Liberty and Death: Chapter 30
Chapter 30
“Uh, hello…. Luxholme?” Cora asked, looking around for any kind of indication everyone else had heard the voice that sounded the way Molly Weasley felt.
Judging from the confused looks everyone was giving the air, the answer was yes.
‘Yes, Mistress Light!’ the air said, with those same warm tones. ‘Oh, it is so nice to be able to speak with you, and to serve once more!’
Yo, [Big Sys], is this you doing a bit?
YES AND NO, BUT MOSTLY NO, NOT AT ALL. YOU COULD THINK OF HER AS STARTING OFF AS A TINY PART OF ME, BUT NOW…. WELL, SHE’S LUXHOLME.
“Happy to have you, Luxholme,” trying to match the house’s warmth to mask her own unease. It seemed wise, to do her best to befriend the AI that probably controlled her house. Especially if it was as crazy as the one in her head. “I’d, uh, love to know a bit more about what you do?”
‘Of course, Mistress Light, of course!’ Luxholme gushed. Cora wanted to correct her on names, but was a little worried telling this AI she wasn’t Linnea would cause her to shut down, or explode or something.
The air shimmered in front of her, forming one of those info panels that, until now, had just been in her head.
[Luxholme, Level 1 Household]
[Master: Linnea Light(Cora Casanova)]
[Members: 1 (Integrated), 15 detected un-integrated]
[Functions: {Auto-Accounting I}, {Member Co-ordination}, {Endurance Boost(Minor)}]
[Available Titles: =Majordomo=, =Captain of the Guard=, =Quartermaster=, =Disciplinarian=]
When Cora focused in on those [Functions], they expanded just like skills and cyberware.
{Auto-Accounting I}: provides the [Master] and any indicated [Members] an exact accounting of finances, including assets, cash on hand, sales and expenses from [Integrated] ventures, as well as an approximation of current food stores longevity based on spoilage and consumption rates. Assign a =Quartermaster=, or upgrade this function, to access further granularity and a more complete inventory.
{Member Co-ordination}: Provides the [Master] the ability to fully view [Status] information of all [Members]. In addition, allows the [Household] AI speech within its walls, in order to better co-ordinate member efforts.
{Endurance Boost(Minor)}: Provides all members a flat +5 endurance within [Household] walls. Applies to [Master] regardless of location.
Holy shit that all kicks ass!
The accounting alone would have been something Cora paid out the nose for back home, to get it done by a supercomputer was fucking gravy. She was interested to see what happened when she assigned a =Quartermaster=.
The endurance boost was also amazing. Compared to some cyberware, +5 didn’t seem like a lot, but she thought she had a skewed view of cyberware’s prevalence. This would mean everyone in her house had roughly twice the [End] of your average joe. A tickling at the back of her mind told her that was probably just meant to work slaves harder, but it also meant defense would be easier, and they could do more with the few people they had.
{Member Co-Ordination} however, was what Cora was really excited about right now. It was becoming clear instant communication was a real advantage in this world, or at least her podunk part of it. Having it anywhere within these walls, and the [Party Array] for expeditions, was a game-changer. Plus, it meant she got to snoop.
“Luxholme… uh, can I call you Lux?” Cora asked.
‘Of course Mistress Light!’ Lux answered. ‘Would you like to change my name?’
“Oh, no, that’d feel… wrong. You’re you, right? Luxholme is a nice name, just a mouthful. I want to be able to talk to you like a person,” Cora explained.
The air around her got noticeably warmer, but in the most pleasant way possible. It was like being hugged by a warm summer’s breeze.
Looks like she liked that, Cora thought with satisfaction, laughing as the wind tickled her hair.
“Lux, you are amazing,” Cora gushed, quickly picking up on the house being a bit of a sucker for praise. “Those functions alone are outstanding. Could you answer a few questions for me though?”
‘Anything, Cora!’
“Wait, what?”
‘Oh, did you prefer Linnea? I’m so sorry, [Big Sys] told me you prefer Cora!’ The house sounded distressed, and Cora hated it. She was so nice that it was almost physically painful to think she’d hurt… her? It was also weird she’d absolutely decided the house was female.
“No, no,” Cora cooed, finding a comforting side of her that had never seen much daylight back home. “No, Lux, I do prefer Cora. I was just surprised you can hear [Big Sys].... could you hear them when I’m outside, as well?”
‘Of course Cora!’ Lux said, once more as chipper as anything.
FUCKING GAME CHAAAANNNNGGEERRRRR!
Cora couldn’t help letting out a whoop of excitement, doing a Mario-ass jump of joy.
“You are a godamn godsend, Lux!” She gushed, once more feeling a warm wind wrap her up. Instant communication between herself and her base? Even filtered through [Big Sys], that was excellent. Reinforcements, the ability to respond to attacks, coordinating efforts… fuck, Cora was just now realizing how much she would’ve missed cell phones.
“Okay,” she breathed, trying to calm down, “that aside, can you describe the titles?”
‘Of course-’
A half hour of explanation and questions later, during which the people in the courtyard had begun to get over the amazement of their dwelling coming to life, Cora had a pretty good grasp on what everything meant.
=Majordomo= was essentially a role custom-made for Mike. It gave its holder very nearly the same level of authority over the [Household] as the [Master] had, and the ability to parcel out access as well. Also, they received a +5 bonus to both [Int] and [Cha], though Cora was unsure exactly how far that went for those less solid stats. It also ‘improved household efficiency in accordance with holder’s mental stats’ but that was so nebulous Cora didn’t really pay it any mind until she saw it in action.
=Captain of the Guard=: another one that seemed an easy choice on the surface, but Cora hesitated. The Title gave a flat +10 to any two physical stats while inside the [Household], and allowed the holder to, effectively, see through walls within the house, able to see friendly, hostile, and neutral silhouettes of anyone in the house. Cora had very much seen the title, and planned to immediately give it to Iain, but let's be honest: she wanted Iain with her. Still, she might have to make the hard choice to start leaving him behind, and take Trish instead, due to the final effect: Provides a bonus to any combat training undertaken with the =Captain of the Guard= commensurate with their combat experience. Cora didn’t think Trish was a slouch in the experience department, but Iain clearly had at least 10 years on her, maybe more, and Cora wanted the people in Luxholme able to defend themselves.
=Quartermaster= was incredibly useful, but another without an obvious choice. It was definitely going to be filled though, due to its first benefit: in conjunction with {Auto-Accounting} having someone assigned to this position allowed for the creation of a small [Virtual Inventory] accessible by the [Master]. Cora had pressed both [Big Sys] and Lux on how exactly that worked, but they were either unwilling or unable to expand on its mechanics; basically Cora just had to accept on faith she’d be able to access a small pocket dimension about the size of a briefcase that could contain money or trade goods.
Hell of a lot better than carrying a purse.
That alone was amazing, literally magic, but it also had other benefits. It increased efficiency of material and food usage household wide by 5%, which didn’t make any sense, given that food was food and material was material, but was no more or less magic than the pocket dimension, so Cora didn’t question it. No stat benefits for this one, but shit, who cared?
=Disciplinarian= was the one where Cora started to wonder if she could trade out available roles. Whoever had done the initial setup for Luxholme had obviously intended it to be a slavers den. This role was the ultimate prison guard, a flat +10 to strength and imparted a 50% penalty on all Physical stats to any [Member] (Besides the [Master] or =Majordomo=) that the holder engaged in any kind of hostile action.
There was a small part of Cora that wanted to slap it onto Hawk, but fuck, there was no way she could trust the woman not to abuse it. The only other real option was Tri– Wait. She’d been waffling between Trish and Hawk, but that was stupid. There was one person in her entourage that both desperately needed [Str], and she could without a doubt trust to not abuse the other [Members].
Kyra it is, Cora thought with a grin.
The education and pondering session was brought to an end by Mike, who stormed out through the Courtyard doors.
“Cora!” He yelled, “Care to explain why the fucking air just started talking, then told me I was calculating the godsdamned taxes wrong?”
‘You were so close, Mike! It isn’t your fault you don’t have the tax codes in your databanks,’ Lux’s voice seemed to follow him out the door, and he spun, swiping at the air, before spinning back around to gape at the glowing Heartfruit tree, which it seemed like his mind had only just processed.
“Wha-,” He gasped, “The Grove!!!”
“Calm, Mike,” Cora cooed, closing the distance between them and reaching up to lay a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, the house is… more or less alive now. Get cozy with Lux, as soon as I figure out some of these mechanics, you two are gonna be working reaaaal close!”