System Break - Chapter 127: Brewing Darkness

It was just the two of us.

Purple clouds botted out the sky and my bird was gone. I fought the dark mood which tried to swallow me.

Gisael reached for my hand and I lifted her easily. The sight of her – her beauty and strength – was like food to the starving.

I smiled at her. “Just us now.”

She looked behind at the mountains. “She is there. She is not gone.” Then she looked at me. “I will miss her too.”

We ran to the mine as a stopover before heading south. I walked the perimeter and searched for signs of activity. Gisael followed with her bow in hand.

“No one’s here,” I said. “I would see their cores.”

“Even in the mine?”

I titled my head to the side. “Depends how deep and how big their core is. Think of it like a fire. Some people have a tiny candle and others have a raging bonfire.”

“Who will work the mine?”

It was not something for a Svartalfar, we didn’t even consider the people for such work. “We have a few options.”

I walked down into the open pit in front of the entrance. It was the shape of a shovel’s blade with the entrance on a man made cliff. The tables and flimsy structures erected by the folk from the fort lay unused and worn by the elements.

Lightning flashed in the distance and heavy thunder followed. I looked towards the source.

“It is a ways off, the time from the lightning to the thunder tells us this,” I said.

Gisael nodded. “It is near the lake.”

“The fort is near the lake.”

The Reach was a fort on a lake in the northern part of the island. An area we agreed to protect from monsters. I had not planned to approach it until we had someone more diplomatic with us. Whether it was Sakaala or Ailen. Even Kysandre who looked like them and knew their ways.

Gisael inspected a lean-to. “This is good enough. I do not wish to sleep in the mine.”

I shrugged and she prepared a campfire. She broke some of their abandoned furniture and had it burning brightly without much fuss.

I examined her core and said, “You should learn qi-stamina. It is a brilliant technique.”

“I am not yet mastered strength and speed.”

I laughed. “Me either. They share a common structure. Stamina will allow you to run much faster over the plains and fight at the end.”

She stared at the fire. “I would like to do what you do.”

I explained the patterns, areas and flows then watched as she practised. It was her fourth manual technique and with each one the flow came easier. It was the pattern that was hard to explain. I picked up a twig and drew criss-crosses on her skin. “It pulses like a heartbeat. Control the flow.”

“Who will work the mine?” she asked and continued to practise.

“I think men from the Reach are our last option,” I said as I watched her. “Then there are the mountainfolk. We could ask Reyas to send some men who want the work and we pay them. But there may be resentment and they barely work it now. I think they would rather hunt and fight.”

“There is one option which may work best. But I would have to dream walk and discuss with Ailen and Sakaala.”

“Snow can pass a message to Mother,” Gisael said.

I laughed. “And Dark Bear cannot?”

“You want a clear message,” Gisael said. Her eyes were bright with humour when she tried to tease.

I waved my hand. My faith in Dark Bear’s ferocity was unwavering but with his reliability it was low. “Fine. Tell Ailen to meet me tonight.”

We ate, made love and then I slept.

.

My bot lifted me from the pod and placed me in the large chair with precision. I felt like a piece of meat on a giant padded fork.

I remembered the hacker who’d set everything up and wondered where he was now. He had a smart mouth which made me laugh. I was alone for twenty minutes before Ailen’s pod beeped. We had no way to message Sakaala other than in here, so she was unaware of the meeting.

“Do you have a regular time you meet with Sakaala?” I asked.

“Sure. We can leave each other messages and set meetings.”

“Oh yeah,” I said and felt like an idiot. My mind remembered this world like a dream and I barely thought about it.

Ailen checked his computer. Probably for the messages or meetings he just mentioned.

“So what’s up?” he asked. “Do you want a report on the noobs?”

I laughed. “Not really, they’re your problem. I’ll help when I can. No. I had an idea about the mine I wanted to float past you.”

“Sure,” he said. “They piss me off to be honest. They’re better than me.” He laughed dryly.

“It’s the qi-count,” I said. “It’s like having natural talent for a sport.”

He nodded. “Yeah I know. What’s your idea?”

“More recruits. Dokkalfar ones.”

“Oh,” he said. “I don’t know if Redmond is ready.”

“Work it out.” I laughed. “Send him a message. I will be there in a few days to fetch Sakaala and he can come with me.”

Gan grimaced. “You know the Chancellor will know our every move. He’s the one to send to the request to the gatekeepers.”

I’d promised to keep the shaman’s secret, so I said nothing regarding his identity. “We should break his monopoly.”

“I know,” Ailen said. “If you can find a way to reach the gatekeepers I need to know. It’s a mission for me and Jia.”

“Mother said she talked to them.”

He grimaced. “She probably won’t be helpful if I ask. It should come from you.”

I laughed. “She can ask for Dokkalfar adventurers.”

Ailen shook his head. “That helps us now, but we need to contact them ourselves.”

“Leave it to me,” I said.

“The company is searching more databases and has a new survey underway. We’ll find a new batch with high qi-count.”

“They have to want to work the mine,” I said. “Look for people who love the idea and have a strong character.”

He smiled. “Good point. I’ll set up a profile. No point putting born warriors into a menial labour position.”

“Look for people like Redmond. Knowledgeable nerds who love crafting. From what I saw the Dokkalfar are not qi wielders like the Svartalfar or Mountainfolk. I couldn’t see any innate abilities and their warriors were weak in qi. Barrin was the strongest and he was a crafter.”

Gan’s eyes widened with recognition. “They use qi to craft. Redmond will know. So that narrows down our search. I think we won’t find many who fit the profile fully.”

“I’ll be back with Redmond in a week. More if the portal storms delay us.”

“Okay, I’ll get the search done by then and then you’ll need to discuss with Mother. We’ll know the numbers who fit the profile and make a decision how many to bring in.”

“Done. I’ll see you later. Gisael is waiting for me.”

“Wait. What are your stats like? I want to know how far I’m behind after the reset. And we need to compare your qi manipulation to the others.”

I laughed. “You were behind on your first day.”

Stats

.

-Body-

Strength, 28

Speed, 27

Agility, 26

Stamina, 26

Toughness, 32

.

-Qi-

Qi Core, 37

Qi Manipulation, 11

.

“There,” I said.

“Shit,” he replied. “I’ve got nothing over twenty and my manipulation is two.”

“Toughness may be something to do with all the wood Mother inserted. You could always try that.”

He grimaced. “No thanks.”

I grinned. “No pain, no gain. Anyway. I need to go.”

He nodded. “Okay, see you.” He turned back to his virtual keyboard and continued to type.