System Break

The dark bear sucked nectar from my finger. One of the gatherers showed me the wasp nest high in the trees and let slip it was his favourite food. What made him grow was pure qi from the land core, but the qi rich wasps produced a nectar of the gods. 

It was not abundant, and I was warned to take only a fraction.

"Where is blondie?" I asked him and he showed me an image of Reyas and Gisael.

"Really? Hmm," I said and rolled to my feet. Before I could go in search of my pair of enthusiastic lovers Ailen and Sakaala dropped down from the trees above.

"Hey," he said.

I looked at them both.

They looked at the bear.

"Linked?" Ailen asked and I nodded. "Shit," he said. "When do I get an animal companion?"

"This is no normal animal," I said. "He can understand you. Well, a little."

Sakaala reached out to pet him and he nipped at her. She pulled her hand back in a flash.

"He's playing," I said and sat back down on a log. "You came here for a reason?" The bear put his chin on my leg and eyed Sakaala.

"Yes, she is yummy, but you can't eat her."

She grinned at the bear. "He has good taste." Then she looked at me. "We're going to see father tonight. We're hoping he has good news."

I nodded. "Ah, I see."

"He wants you to live with us. Get a new pod so you can go home now and then."

I shrugged. "I really don't care about that. But if it takes the chance of being unplugged by an unhappy technician out of play, then I'm all for it."

Ailen met my gaze, "But to move you, you'll have to log out and there's a risk. We'll have the best surgeons on hand, but you have to agree. We won't do it if you're not okay with that."

"Why do I need to change pods? Can't I just stay in my current one?"

Ailen glanced at Sakaala. "You're hardwired. Practically you're not in a pod. You're on a special bed with wires in your back."

"Okay, so you move me, when?"

"We don't know. We'll find out tonight I hope."

"What if it coincides with the tournament?" I asked.

Ailen frowned. "Then we deal with it."

"Five days?" I asked and he nodded.

"Do we know where we're going?"

"Dawnharbour, between the Dokkalfar and Demon bird it can't be hard to find."

"True, it's a city."

"Maybe we should take some Dokkalfar to introduce us, so they don't try and kill us at the gates." Sakaala said.

"Smart."

She smiled at me. "You're the one who told me. They won't react well to our appearance, but they're used to trading with the Dokkalfar."

"Barrin did want to sell the adventurers weapons directly," I said.

Ailen stood. "We'll get going. See you in the morning."

Sakaala snuck in a pat on the bear and then followed her brother.

The dark bear picked up his head. He sensed blondie. "Is she your sister?" I asked.

The answer was negative. Perhaps they were a mating pair.

Gisael appeared with blondie in tow. "We go to see Mother," she said and kept walking. I stayed on the log and the dark bear ran after her. 

Reyas rested a hand on my shoulder and whispered in my ear, "All of us." She grabbed my hand and pulled me behind her was she walked to the glade.

"Your axes will be ready tomorrow," I said, and she laughed.

"I know," she said and pulled me along.

"Is this some sort of surprise?" I asked – I was growing suspicious.

She shook her head. "I have no idea what's happening. I just followed Gisael all day." 

We gathered around the willow, the three of us, Mother and the two bears. The sun had set, and the last rays of twilight were receding. 

Mother greeted us each in turn taking us by the hands and staring into our eyes as was her way. 

She sat and we made a neat circle with just enough room for two bears to stick their snouts in between our knees.

"You are friends with the boy," she said.

"Yes. Does he have a name?"

"You tell us," she said.

"Darkbear?" I asked him and he gave his approval.

Reyas peered at me. "You like simple names," she said and laughed.

I shrugged; she was right. "The girl can be blondie," I said, and the name was met with blunt refusal from all the women. 

"No," they said in harmony.

"Snow," Reyas said. To me she looked more like dirty snow.

Gisael tilted her head to the side. "Snowdrop."

Mother nodded. "Snowdrop and Darkbear." Then she looked at me. "You have linked?"

I nodded.

"Help them link with Snowdrop," she asked.

"Can they?"

"Snowdrop can."

I patted Gisael's and Reyas' stomach near where their cores were situated. "Inside here is your core. It's the size of my fist and filled with your qi. From here it travels through the pathways in your body and it's what powers your innate abilities."

"Reyas," I said, and her attention was focused entirely on me. "When you run fast, the qi travels from your core down your legs. It follows the pathways at first and then it licks your muscles like water running down a stick. When you jump a small amount of qi bunches in your muscles, here, here, here and here." I pointed to her leg muscles, her calves, and thighs at different locations.

"Then it releases when you jump. This is all happening without you consciously knowing. Sort of like breathing. You can breathe without thinking about it, but you can also take control. At the moment, for you, it's like your heart pumping blood around your body. It just happens, you're aware of it but you have no control."

Gisael glanced at Mother who nodded a singular time.

"Gisael learned to push her qi when she learned qi-blade. So, I know it's like breathing for you. All you have to do is decide to do it."

I patted Darkbear. "When he wanted to connect to me his qi flowed from his core and out of his mouth.

"You can see it," Reyas said. She had known, but it was finally sinking in what it meant.

I nodded.

"Do not tell anyone this," Mother said. "It is a unique ability and if others find out it will bring Benzhi trouble."

"Really?" I asked and she nodded.

"Many can sense qi. It is a rare affinity, but so is lightning, fire and wind. Only one other is known to be able to see qi. This is a unique affinity and if the powerful races find out they will hunt you - to befriend or possess you."

I didn't like the sound of someone possessing me. I shook my head trying to clear it.

"Okay, when Snowdrop reaches out, I will tell you. It's up to you to push out your qi and touch hers. Even a tiny bit will do it I think."

I leaned over and rubbed blondie's head. "Ready?" The light-coloured baby Kodiak sniffed, and I opened my sight.

I marvelled at her pathways as a stream left her core and travelled towards Gisael. "It's coming to you Gisael, reach out."

Her face contorted like she was constipated, and I stifled a laugh. "Keep going Snowdrop, all the way to her core." The mystical beast did most of the work and then something new happened. She pulled Gisael's qi stream with hers and it moved towards Reyas.

"Okay Reyas its your turn." Gisael looked confused. "Stay calm Gisael, she's bringing you with her. Go with the flow, let it happen."

"Push Reyas, like you're going to jump." Snowdrop did most of the work, but it was good to see her push her qi consciously even if it was a couple of inches. The pair were certainly a lot more talented than Ailen and Sakaala.

"It is done," I said.

"I can see through her eyes," Gisael said. She sounded impressed which was a rare emotion for her.

Reyas put her hands on her ears. "Too much," she said.

"Calm down Snowdrop. I know you're excited but it's not fun being flooded with all your thoughts." When I spoke to Darkbear he could sense my thoughts, but Snowdrop had to listen and interpret my words. She understood enough to calm down.

I patted Darkbear. "Calm is good, excited is bad." He whined and protested that he was always calm. I just laughed.

I peered at Mother. "What now?"

"Go and come back with many cores. The mystical beasts eat much."

I chuckled. "We're already doing that."

She patted Snowdrop. "Yes, you are. It is easy for you."

"Are they intended to be mates?" I asked.

She met my gaze. "It could come to be. But they are intended to protect the forest and connect with you."

I slapped my forehead. "Smart." I chuckled. "They can talk to us if there's trouble and we're far away."

Mother smiled and nodded. "And when they are grown, they will be powerful." I didn't doubt her after seeing magic goat in action. And it was only a goat - these were fucking Kodiaks.

It was fully dark now and past our bedtime. I stood, stretched and grabbed Gisael's and Reyas' hands. "Time for bed," I said and pulled them to their feet.

As we walked back to our tent, I wondered how Ailen and Sakaala were doing with their father.