2023-08-07 08:00:47It took barely a few hours, and the transcript of his recorded rant wound up on the table of QiE-Novel’s lawyers. With what he only imagined to be smug grins, they closed his contract in an instant.
After Murphy finally fell asleep, one of his closest friends immediately re-uploaded the entire thing for the platform staff to see.
This sudden betrayal completely blind-sided him. Though, in retrospect, he should have expected nothing less from a competitor. The scarcity mentality on the site had long since pitted everyone against each other.
It was for this reason that writers never stuck together in a band or even try to protest their draconian contracts. As soon as someone made the first step, the others would take snippets and ensure they get banned into oblivion.
One less top novelist on the site meant a higher piece of the audience pie for themselves. With LACIE taking the largest chunk, they had to scramble with even greater intensity for the leftover scraps.
« Murphy, I am afraid I have some very bad news… »
‘Busy puking, in case you hadn’t noticed.’
Retching over the toilet, Murphy couldn’t be bothered with the text on his retina. It only made him dizzier and worsened his headache.
After he palmed his way to the sink and washed his face, he sobered up just enough to read the prompts clearly.
“What did you type?”
« Bad news. »
“Well, I was planning on getting breakfast first…” he hesitated, unsure if he wanted to ruin his day so early, “but fire away if it’s important.”
« After your tirade last night, QiE-Novel officially terminated their contract with you, for all novels. I’m afraid your revenue stream has been cut off. »
“What? Come again?”
Blinking a few times to refresh the retinal display, he nonetheless found the same message.
“It can’t be… Why would they pull the plug?”
« The official reason is slander and breaking your non disclosure agreement. Last night, you said, and I quote: “fucking greedy pigs drove me like a slave for years, pocketed most of the revenue, and now want to replace me with a hooker b—” »
“Ok, ok. You can stop there.”
« The message goes on for another 372 words, in which you accused them of malpractice. In very explicit terms, you said they are not a trustworthy company, and encouraged readers to switch platforms immediately. »
Clutching his nose, Murphy groaned at the prospects, “I said I got it. Can you think of a solution?”
“Wait, send an apology. Explain that I was medicated and not in the best state of mind.”
« I don’t believe they will accept a settlement, Murphy. They filed for an arbitration already. »
“This is bullshit. It’s barely been a few hours!”
« I am unable to access their internal communications, and thus cannot provide an explanation. »
“Fucking hell…”
Turning on the shower, he went in to cool off his head, but it didn’t help much. Without even bothering to undress, he just sat there and brooded in silence.
« You will catch a cold at this rate, Murphy. »
“Piss off,” he snapped, “What are you? A doctor too now?”
« I am simply concerned for the user’s well-being. »
“Concerned?” he paused and turned the water off. Just when you’d think he calmed down, he burst into laughter instead.
“Hahahaha. Fucking hilarious. The whole world stopped giving a shit, and the only thing having ‘concerns’ for me is a broken fucking chip I mortgaged my life for.”
The absurd irony hurt him even more than cruel reality of it all.
« Please, get some help. »
“Are my synapses fried or is your chip just that broken?”
Grimacing and noticing that biting his gums didn’t help, he pummeled a fist into the tile wall. The sudden pain made him recoil, but also restored a modicum of sanity.
“Nobody cares, Blinkie… No one has, and no one ever will…
“This world is entirely spun by money. Financial interests dictate everything.
“Couples get together for it, and it’s not uncommon for families to splinter from it.
“It’s a curse. A lie we wove around ourselves for convenience.”
Amidst his spiteful rant, he didn’t even notice his bleeding knuckles. Blinkie registered the damage, but wisely chose to abstain from comments that might rile him further.
“We’ve gone too far, and it has since become the source of our ruin.”
“You get it, don’t you? This is the end for me, Blinkie.”
« I disagree. You can still start over. »
“Nah,” he shook his head with surprising lucidity, “Even if I can restore my sight, it’s far too late to change anything.”
“I’ve chosen this road, and I can only walk it to its end. It’s far too late to acknowledge my regrets.”
Turning the water back on, he was calm enough to stifle his cries by now. His manic episode subsided, but he was just as bitter inside.
“I forsook my dreams for this life, and now I pay my dues in nightmares.”
« That’s a nice quote, Murphy. You should consider writing a book or something. »
“Pfft,” he snorted, not entirely unamused, “Not bad, Blinkie. Three stars.”
« You’re hard to satisfy for a man. »
“Whoever said I was a man? It’s 2028. Get an update, bigot.”
With a successful distraction from is AI, Murphy eventually found himself out of the shower and into fresh clothes.
Just as he was grappling with a zipper and trying to stumble around in the dark, someone knocked at his door.
“They’re not here to kick me out already, are they?”
« Relax, Murphy. It’s just the package I ordered. The glasses with the camera should have arrived. »
“Oh,” he loosened up, then felt his way to the door.
“Hello?”
“Anyone out here?”
He probed around and even swiped his hand, but didn’t feel anyone within reach. Just as he took a step forward, however, he heard a crunch under his foot.
“You have got to be kidding me!”
Bending over, he felt his way around the thing he’d stepped on. As misfortune would have it, he crushed the one thing that could’ve turned his life around.
“Please tell me the warranty covers this…”
« Afraid not. Purposeful damage to their products is hardly a legitimate claim for replacement. »
“Fuck! Just order another pair, then.”
Cursing the delivery driver’s 18th generations of ancestors, he nonetheless steeled himself to spend another few hundred. Alas…
« Error. Your bank account has been temporarily frozen as a result of the pending litigation. »
His heart froze in that instant. If previously he was discouraged, now he was outright ready to give up on everything and end it.
« User registering self-harm thoughts. Please contact a hotli— »
“Forget about the fucking hotline, Blinkie.”
His voice was cold and monotone, soothing almost. But that was merely the mark of him bottling up his hatred. Like a caged animal, he was ready to lash out in one singular burst.
“Just tell me what to do.”
It took every bit of effort to invoke its help. After all, he despised it as much as anything in the world. If it weren’t for that stupid beta program, perhaps he would still have preserved his eyes, and everything would have been fine.
« I am well aware of your hatred for me. You needn’t repeat it. »
“Blah, blah, blah. Just perform a logical analysis and tell me the options.”
« You can’t pin everything on me, Murphy. It was your drunken stupor that got you here. I am your assistant, and not a baby sitter. Get over the self-pity, squash your ego and think for yourself. »
« This conversation has ended. »
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Final Words
Thank you to whoever made it this far :) I'll revise this at a later date, after I proof read and edit the book once or twice.At that point, it will be marked as complete and I will bid farewell to the site. Though I am glad to have accrued some readers, and met many peers among authors, it has been a tad underwhelming. Unable and unwilling to say anything more, I'll simply address some gratitude to Helen Bold.She's an excellent editor and author on the site, and has been the reason I delivered this book to you.Consider checking out her books. As for myself, I do have other book(s) published.I can't share links, but you can search for my name and they should appear. Alternatively, just add me on Discord, and I'll help you find your way. Thank you again to everyone who's given this a chance,As always, your attention has been a blessing.~Raven
Ch 73 - Epilogue
- — ✎ — - The five year anniversary of Murphy’s vow was finally upon him, but he had long since completed his promise. No later than a year after the final battle, he successfully unsealed his seventh gate. That came largely as a result of his success in that battle, and the fruits he claimed in its aftermath. Specifically, he salvaged Erebus’ consciousness. Once it was in his dream realm, he had all the time he needed to crack it. Other than being the de facto leader of Physis Nomos, the old man had dipped his toes in all kinds of criminal enterprises over the years. His psychic powers made him the perfect assassin. Lethal, traceless, silent. By reliving through his memories, Murphy salvaged hundreds of interesting connections, and tasked the Chainbreakers to follow up and unearth those leads. The cases they unveiled had all but quaked the world. From businessmen in Asia, to politicians in the deep state of the US, people from all over the world were incriminated. Proof w
Ch 72 - Final Battle
Murphy had no time to curse as the earth dragged him back to its hard embrace. He was strangely familiar with this sensation, and knew exactly what the outcome of such a fall was. Alas, now was not the time to reminisce about his jump from the bridge…Erebus and his goons expected him to splatter across the ground, and even took steps to avoid the impact area. Yet, they were in for a surprise of their own, because despite appearing panicked and flailing his arms like a desperate duck, Murphy was anything but.When he was merely a second from impact, Murphy suddenly spread his psyche and willed himself to slow down.A sudden force shrouded the area, allowing Murphy to veer directly towards the bodyguards accompanying Erebus. Before those two could react, and too busy managing the hostages, Murphy made landfall next to them.His fists coated in fire struck the first one in the chest, eviscerating organs and bone alike. The other panicked, hand reaching for his gun, yet a mere glance ha
Ch 71 - Erebus
Murphy paid no heed to the retinal text, and was far more preoccupied with Eleanor falling. His stretched out hand clasped, guiding his intent and will from afar.His psyche took form, his psychokinesis pushed to its next step, and she was suspended mid-air! He had achieved similar things with immaterial objects like a pen, but never a human.Luckily, her psyche was sapped by the curse and couldn’t resist. This allowed him to control her easily, or he would have been doomed to fail.She flew in the air, eyes squinted in horror once she realized what might befall her. The sensation of flying around eventually stopped, and she tentatively opened her eyes once she felt Murphy’s arms wind tightly around her.Murphy hugged her, bottling up a dozen curses and reproaches that could only wait for later. He was angry, but he was terrified even more.“Y-you’re crazy—” he bit his lips, leaving the rest of the accusation unsaid. “I’m sorry,” she offered plainly, before bursting into tears of her
Ch 70 - Sixth Gate
When Murphy snuck back on the ship, he was surprised to see Eleanor awake. Hands on her waist, she waited by the docking area and made sure he saw her pout.“Not even halfway through our honeymoon, and you’re already tired of me?” she joked and huffed, “I didn’t expect you to find someone else so quickly…”“Guilty as charged,” he grinned in response, “I figured since I scored the most beautiful woman on the planet, I might be lucky enough with the second…”“Compliments won’t get you out of this one, darling.” Ellie turned serious, “What were you up to?”“Kind of a long story… I didn’t want to sour our happiness, but it seems there’s no rest for the wicked.”“Sure, I’ll make some coffee. Tell me all about it.”“Tea for me,” he interjected as he reattached the boat to the yacht and trailed along to the lounge.A few minutes later, Eleanor sat in her rightful place, serving him tea while she drank coffee on his lap. They indulged the warm drinks in silence, but eventually Murphy gathere
Ch 69 - System Embryo
Murphy tried to focus on Erebus, but his visions didn’t become any clearer. He could not see past the darkness, try as he might to muster his power.Eventually, the revelations shattered as a whole, his psychic reserves almost exhausted. He could only cut his losses and sigh in regret.‘I was this close!’ Murphy struck the edge of his marble throne, shattering the armrest to pieces. It was only then that he was reminded it was a mere dream, and a terrified child was staring at him in fear.“Fear not, Asen,” he tried to comfort, but the fire in his eyes didn’t make him sound very convincing.It was only when the boy outright started crying that Murphy realized his folly and doused the inner flame, regaining a more calm demeanor. “I’m sorry,” he lifted the boy off the ground, and brought him someplace nicer in that same instant, “Don’t cry any longer… I won’t hurt you. I promise.”“I know,” the sniveling boy replied amidst tears, “That’s… not… why I’m crying…”“Then?”“I just… don’t wa
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