System Break

The dark green troll leathers wrapped her tightly. Her beautiful form was still apparent especially when she arched her butt into the air. Using her core strength Gisael lifted her chest off the ground as she drew her bow which she held horizontally.

An arrow flew and while I watched it, she drew another, and it was in the air before the first landed. The first feral in the tower crumpled out of sight moments after the arrow pierced its eye and through its skull. 

The second opened its mouth to scream when her second arrow struck him in the mouth and out the other side of his face.

They were both down and I watch their qi cores twinkle, but they didn't move. I crouched low and snuck towards the hill as quickly as I could while remaining quiet. Gisael was behind me with an arrow at the ready.

Demon bird watched over Nej, but the light was fading. I would rely on my qi sight which could see cores through flimsy tent walls and in the dark of the night.

I kicked a rock and stifled a curse. As it bounced and hit another rock and I winced. I knelt and peered up the dirt path; there were no hurried movements, but a core bounced its way towards the tower.

I turned and tapped Gisael, then pointed at the dark shape. She spotted it when it walked past a torch, then she tracked it until it put its hands on the ladder. An arrow sliced through its neck and it collapsed at the base with a gurgling cry.

Two more jumped at the noise and ran to inspect. 

I didn't wait and bolted up the rest of path. Gisael peeled off and made for the tower.

Alarm and panic rippled out through the rudimentary fort and the gate began to close as I approached. Two ferals pushed frantically and when my foot met the wooden structure it cracked the pathetic excuse for timbers.

I swore and pulled my foot free then pushed with both hands while the two ferals skidded backwards in the dirt. The gate wobbled, I was over it, so I grabbed either side and ripped it from its hinges then threw it down the hill. 

One feral stared at me in shock and I wondered where the other was. I leaned back and planted a foot squarely in its stunned face; you could hear the sickening crack of bone when the impact was made. It didn't fly far, I basically kicked it into the ground. When it landed its body twisted at an awkward angle. I checked its eyes and they were glazed over; it wasn't getting up soon - if at all.

The camp was now in total pandemonium. I didn't have to hunt for ferals they were charging me. I guess they had a lot of practise at base defence because of all the monsters in the area.

They came at me with spears. I know a thing or two about spears. When they stabbed, I grabbed and flicked. I had to be quick because there were so many. But my size, strength and qi-strength added in I was able to make them fly with a small flick. It was like fighting angry, dirty, and ugly school children.

The entire camp was focused on the monster at the gate. At first there was ten, then twenty and now almost fifty of the bastards were taking up the area from the totem pole to me.

They hardly noticed when arrows began to pepper the edges and Gisael was taking out any on my blind sides. Sakaala and Ailen were at the rear of the camp shooting them in the back. The thing had wooden walls and Svartalfar could stand on them with little problem.

I roared as I punched and kicked. Each blow laying out a feral who would probably never get up again. I picked one up and threw it into the crowd. The shaman was at the rear and he was focused on me as well. I could see his qi swirling inside his body and just waiting to get out. 

It wasn't good that he stood near the totem pole and was drawing in its power as well. Even with three expert archers and a raging stag monster it takes time to kill fifty ferals. 

The shaman's qi streams spread from his staff and through the crowd of ferals. They became enraged, their eyes glowed and they began to foam at the mouth. Gone was any cunning - they began to attack me like rabid dogs.

I was used to being on the front foot, but their ferociousness and increased strength made me skip back. I began to fight defensively and cursed not having a spear. One latched onto my arm and bit down. I kicked free of another. Now that one was attached to me, I slowed and more began hurling themselves at me.

This new rabid tactic worked a treat with their size, numbers, and sharp teeth. The shaman was no idiot. Well excepting the fact that Reyas had crept up behind him and carved his skull wide open with one of her new axes.

Qi shield doesn't work well if it's not on because you're unaware of your attacker. 

When the shaman fell the ferals howled. His berserker spell ended, and they began to dither or run for their lives. We killed as many as we could, but quite a few made it into the hills.

When I approached the totem pole the centre of the camp was clear except for Reyas. She looked at me and said, "Did you get bit?"

My arm was bleeding and I needed to wipe off the feral saliva for my own comfort. "Want to swap next time?"

She beamed a smile at me. "You'd never let me." Then she looked at the totem pole. "This it?"

"Yeah," I said and looked for Gisael. She ran into the camp a few minutes later bow in hand and loaded.

She looked at the four of us. "Nej?"

"Ailen, Sakaala go get Nej and the packs. We may as well sleep here tonight." They took off and I looked at Gisael.

"I got four more, but some escaped." She didn't look happy.

"They ain't going to do much with no shaman and," I looked at the totem pole. "What do we do with it?"

"The stories talk about capture and merging."

I knelt in from of the totem pole. "I doubt they owned the plains, maybe it's just this little hill."

Reyas stood beside me. "I cannot tell you about the land core of the mountainfolk. What I know is meant to be kept secret and that is not much."

"If you think about it, you'll realise I saw it."

She gasped and then frowned. "I see. Tell no one please. I'll be responsible."

"It wasn't you who ordered me there, but my lips are sealed."

Gisael knelt on my other side. She reached out and touched the totem and then looked at me. "What will we do?"

"I guess I'll try and take it. See how that goes. Any objections?"

There was silence while they waited for me to act.

The land core had some similarities to one inside a living thing. But they were denser, I could sense that much in its swirling hues of blue. They weren't round or oval either. This one ran up the totem and into the ground below. There was a bulb at the base and it looked like a bright blue thermometer. 

"Here goes." I reached out with my hand and qi when I connected, I was surprised that my UI popped up. 

-Land Core Controls-

.

-Bank-

Deposit

Withdrawal

.

-Territory-

Shield

Nourish

Tax

Spawn

Expand

Colony

.

-Communication-

Ancestor

Colony

Gatekeeper Summons

Gatekeeper Payment

.

"Oh shit," I said. "You're not going to believe this. My world has a system for this thing."

Gisael eyes narrowed. "Like your quickbar?"

"Yeah. Like that. There's one called Gatekeeper Summons and Payment."

Gisael nodded. "We give gatekeepers qi in exchange for help. The portals are something only they can do."

"Did you have to pay them for the forest?" 

Gisael shook her head. "You will need to ask Mother, but I do not think it was that way. It is not like here with qi in the old forest. We did not kill monsters every day and we did not have qi to waste. Here it is in abundance."

"We're not leaving it here," I said. "Let's try and dig it out like we do with a monster."

Gisael shook her head. "This will not work."

"Then how do we take it."

She thought. "Mother makes a vessel with her qi when she feeds the land core to us."

I racked my brains trying to remember if I saw her do anything. I had started using qi sight more and more, but I didn't use it all the time. And I changed my tune more recently, trying to learn more about it. I took the study of it more seriously now. There was only one time I watched her feed us and I was more interested in the land core.

I tried using my UI, made a withdrawal and it just began to fill my qi core. There was other that could make a withdrawal and I tried Colony. It made its own vessel and the qi began to poor into it. I held it and let it grow. When there was a warning, I ignored it. When it wanted to stop, I told it to continue. I drained the whole thing into the colony vessel.

"There," I said. The land core remained, but it was a husk.

"Did you use the system from your world?" Reyas asked.

"Yes, it's finally useful for something."