System Break

The Forest – Unknown Qi World – Earth Year 2031

It was early evening and a light wind cooled my back. The smell of the forest was invigorating. So was the sight of Gisael.

She was talking to Mother in the glade. I don't know why but I could sense the glade, like it was home and the trees circling the glade where protecting us like the walls of a house. A home I dreamt of but never had.

Gisael finished describing the battle and the threats outside the forest. After we left the scene of the feral massacre, and after a little recuperation, we tracked west along the forest's edge and found traces of various monsters.

"What does it mean?" Gisael asked Mother.

Mother looked at me and was silent. Her eyes bored into my soul as if the answer was there.

She looked away from me and up to the sky. "The storm that crossed the sky, it is different from our old home. It was a portal storm that released the monsters across the land."

"Why not here in the forest?" I asked. We had run its length and breadth and found no threats other than the ferals.

Mother looked to the willow behind her and back to us. "It will be the land core protecting us. But we should not rely on it forever. The trolls, you said they ate the cores from the ferals. They will gorge and it will not be long before they cast ravenous eyes on the forest."

"I need to train my skills and abilities," I said. "Then we can take on these trolls and anything else that threatens us."

Mother nodded. "It is a pity you did not recover the feral's core to add to our strength."

"How does that work?"

She looked at the willow tree and back at me. "We add their qi to the land core to strengthen it. Or you can absorb directly into your own."

Mother walked around me looking me up and down. "You are brimming with untapped potential. You are correct, you need to train and grow. And I think you possess the sense."

"Qi sense?" Gisael asked in astonishment.

"He senses the flow," Mother said.

"The what?"

She looked at me and I felt the weight of her gaze. "It is a rare gift. From your actions and descriptions, you can either sense the flow, which is rare, or you can see it, which is unique."

"The blue stuff?"

She paused and tilted her head to the side in ponderance of my words. The three of us stood in silence for a while before she spoke.

"It is not enough, Gisael, you must go and seek volunteers. Tell the clan of Benzhi and petition the gate guardians, they made an offer which we can now accept."

"Him?" Gisael queried Mother's wisdom.

"I'm right here," I replied indignantly.

Mother nodded. "This land was established by the gate keepers and our clan will be intrigued by Benzhi. We should not ask for many, a veteran and a couple of apprentices will do. You will need their assistance, especially if you have to face a troll."

"Why not more?" I asked.

Mother turned to me and considered me a moment. "We take only what we need. It is the way of the people."

"We are not men," Gisael said.

"By men - you mean humans?"

"To the east there is a city of men and to the north, the mountains," Gisael said. "You will see."

"Mountain men are not like the city men," Mother said.

Gisael showed her teeth. "Perhaps not, but they are like beasts."

Mother changed the subject, "Go to the gate guardians, I will make the portal now, then rest, and in the morning, I will train Benzhi."

Gisael stood and walked to the centre of the glade, she turned to look back at me. "Mother does you honour strange one."

While she was talking a shimmering circle appeared behind her, and I could sense the power coming from Mother. Gisael turned back and walked through. The portal closed, and I heard Mother exhale audibly. She placed a hand on my strong shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

She drew in a few shallow breaths. "I am fine. I have been expending my reserves on the land. I will rest now and so should you. We will begin your training in the morning."

Her words created more questions than answers. I was intrigued with this new world.

"Mother," I said. "I think the monsters have something to do with the game. The one I am supposed to be playing."

She looked at me earnestly, her eyes scouring the depths of my soul. "Benzhi," she breathed deeply, and her eyes met mine. "It is no game to us."

Before I could ask another question, she disappeared into the tree. I shrugged and lay down in the comfortable glade. I looked up at the sky and a flash of lightning now and then lit up the clouds. It was awash with purple storms. Portal storms.

Gisael could not protest if she was not here, I enjoyed the grass and the feeling of home.

My mind wandered to the game, and I remembered to check my stats. I was so lost in living that checking them totally slipped my mind.

.

-Body-

Strength, 15

Speed, 14

Agility, 14

Stamina, 18

Toughness, 17

.

-Qi-

Qi Core, 11

Qi Manipulation, 1

.

My body stats had improved, and it was in line with what I was feeling.

I had no idea what Gisael's stats were, but I was sure her speed and agility had to be over 30. My qi on the other hand, remained unchanged, other than a single point in Qi Core.

I wondered what an Affinity was and what I had to do to get one. Maybe it was fire, or lightning or something cool. Or maybe it was wood. Mother was able to shape my spear with her bare hands.

I touched my spear; it was ever present by my side and my most cherished possession in this world. When I thought about it, other than a pouch here and there, it was my only possession. I checked its tip; it was curved on one side only and remained sharp without any maintenance from me.

There was nothing like it on my old world, wood would blunt after the first strike against a tree. I had beaten my spear against trees and ferals and other than a few battle scars it was in perfect condition. I lay it back down reverently and pulled up my skills.

.

-General-

Running, 23.22

Climbing, 28.13

.

-Survival-

Forest, 16.65

Plains, 9.22

Navigation, 16.91

Foraging, 12.13

Tracking, 5.78

.

-Combat-

Melee, 9.72

Defence, 4.79

.

-Crafting-

Fabric, 2.22

.

I studied my new skills and old. Forest was new and had soared over 16, climbing was new too and was 28. It was probably the Svartalfar ability which boosted my climbing, but I wasn't complaining. It was an extremely handy skill it gave us a massive advantage when fighting the ferals.

It finally dawned on me why Gisael was loath to leave the protection forest offered. We could easily escape a troll in the forest, but on the plains was another matter.

Despite all the running the skill had only raised four points. It was probably harder to level the higher it got. I didn't think about it too much, I would learn more as time went by.

The skills and attributes were only a reflection on what I had done, they didn't give me anything. The only things that helped was tree-running. But when I thought about that, it wasn't the game that gave me tree-running it was the Svartalfar.

I still didn't see how qi strike and qi body helped me. I had three abilities but the only one which worked properly was tree-run. I closed my eyes and thought about Mother's enigmatic words until I fell asleep.

<break>

Head technician Shi was reviewing the data when his comm pinged. He sighed, stood, and walked to the director's office.

"Is it ready?" the director asked.

Shi nodded.

"Our supplier said we can send in two more candidates to play with subject eleven, but advised we needed to purchase another native. We need the new pods online so we can send some of our richest patrons. They paid an enormous amount to be first."

"Sir. The simulation is highly unstable, we've still experiencing deaths amongst the first round of test subjects. I must protest it's too early."

The director grimaced. "I know, but they're insistent. They want to be on the ground floor. Hell, they would be test subjects if we allowed them."

Shi bowed shallowly. "At this stage they basically are."

The director smiled. "When the gen 3 pod is finished, we can open up to the wider group of investors. Give them fully formed bodies and outfit them in the cities. And don't worry about the forest players, they signed waivers and accept the risks."

Shi looked at the pod in the corner of the director's office. "Are you still planning on taking up a role?"

The director grinned. "Already have. Got the perfect identity that I can pop in and out of."

"Do you sense the pool on your way in?"

"No. Nothing. I can't tell anything. It's like logging into a game."

Head technician Shi hid his concerned expression with a bow before exiting.

The director gave a satisfied sigh. He approached his pod, lay down and the lid closed with a slow woosh.