System Break

The whitecloaks guild hall was three stories high and made from timber, copper and a smattering of stone. The ground floor was filled with round tables and chairs in the front with a kitchen and storerooms in the rear.

The top two floors were the sleeping quarters and by the size I guess it was fairly cramped. Compared to our guildhall in Dawnharbour this place was a dump.

The members who were reset had not returned. It would probably take days if not a week and I had no idea how they'd arrive. The land core here in the city would be the fastest, but they didn't use that method in Dawnharbour. If they came by ship from the portal at the edge of the island they would arrive in Dawnharbour tomorrow and then have to travel here.

Death in this game was hardcore. Not only did you lose all your skill progression - it could take you days to make your way back to your guild. Nasty for a game you paid mega bucks to play.

Despite being a dump it was clean and welcoming. 

"Hail," Ying said and waved us over. He peered at Peppin while we approached and sat. "Where is Sakaala?"

"She's getting our latest agreement written up. We don't trust this duke as far as we could throw him."

Ying chuckled and nodded. "I know the feeling. He promised so much and has delivered so little. The only thing which is as advertised is the number of monsters. The territory is ripe with them. But then he taxes the hell out of us. We were given this all free, but there are fees for anything his aides can imagine."

I passed my pack to Gisael who stowed it with hers. When she returned she sat on my lap rather than a chair, put her arm over my shoulder and rested her head on my upper chest.

Peppin looked around for a chair while Trick and Sandor watched her warily. 

"Ok," Ying said. "I gotta ask. What's she doing here?"

"She's coming north," I said.

"Why?"

"Ask her."

Peppin ignored the implied slight. "To train under the forest protector," she said. She was loyal to her father and left out all the gory details regarding the duke, lack of qi and stunted growth the protectors here experienced.

I nodded at Ying. "You should come too."

"You want us to come to your forest?"

I shook my head. "You are looking at the new owners of the Reach. It would be best to train men in the fort and its near enough to the forest. We have plans and I'd like your guild to become part of them."

"Like a feeder guild?"

"No, allies if you like. It's dangerous up north. If you think monsters are plentiful down here you've got another thing comin. I need manpower. You need better training,  accommodations and treatment."

"I'd have to discuss it with my council," Ying said.

"I'm in," Trik said.

"Me too," Mal said.

"Aye," Sandor said.

"I guess we have a majority in favour," Ying said with a smile. "Tell us what we're in for before we sign on the dotted line."

"The fort is small compared to here," I said. "A hundred folk survived the ork attack and …"

"Orks?!" 

"You beauty, orks!"

Ying waved his hand indicating they should be quiet.

"So you won't have the luxuries you have here. But we have artisans and Dokkalfar are coming to work the mine. We will build a skilled community of craftsmen and fighters. In exchange for your protection work, you'll be outfitted, trained and fed. Lodgings won't be much, but they'll be yours and you can improve them over time."

There were nods from Ying and his inner circle.

"What about your plans? What can you tell us?"

"I've been scouting the island as we travel about. I know we can sail from the fort to Loctris and Dawnharbour and maybe even here. We'll be able to trade and travel quickly, move around regular folk via the water rather than land which is much more dangerous. We're going to build some ships of our own and docks as well. That much I can tell you."

"That's amazing," Ying said. "I love the idea of sailing around instead of having to run everywhere. You know they don't have horses here and we refuse to ride donkeys."

"You're better off learning qi techniques to enhance your speed and replenish your stamina. Then you run everywhere. But I agree, I like the idea of sailing too - especially for the common folk."

Ying leaned forward and asked softly, "Can you teach us this?"

"To our allies. We can. But I warn you it's not easy. Nothing good comes easy."

Ying smiled at his companions and they all nodded excitedly. He looked back at me, "Okay, what's the catch?"

"There are a few," I said honestly. "When you learn a new technique, don't put it in your quickbar otherwise all adventurers could have access to it in the future. I don't know where you will come out if you die and reset, but that could be sorted with a ship. I won't put you under an oath or a command, but there will be an expectation that you help when needed like any good ally would."

"How do we do stuff if its not in the quickbar?" Mal said. He then sipped some ale from his large wooden mug.

"Do you have a quickbar button to drink?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Oh okay, so I just do it?"

I nodded. "Eventually you will do it without thinking. Like breathing. But at the start you will have to consciously do it."

"But how do I move my qi?" Mal asked.

"Lift your arm in the air," I said, and he complied. "How did you do that?"

He looked at me and then stared at his arm. "I … I dunno. I just thought to lift it."

"But how?"

"It's neurons," Trik said. "You have neurons in your nervous system just like your brain. They take the message without you consciously knowing what's going on."

I waved my hand at Trik in dismissal. "The lesson works better if you don't know about neurons." I laughed. "But it's the same. Your qi is part of you. A dormant part that you can discover and encourage it to flow. I think men used to do it in ancients times, but we forgot."

I pointed to Peppin. "She has been training her qi since she was a child." 

Her eyes narrowed and she stared at me. "I want to train with you. I do not want to train these amateurs."

"You will do both," I said.

She made a noise with her mouth closed that sounded like an acceptance under protest.

"Where to next?" Ying asked.

"We will go to the fisherfolk at Dawnharbour once Sakaala returns."

Ying looked around the room. "We should come. At least to Dawnharbour because our guild members should arrive there after reset. It won't even look out of place."

Trik thumped the table. "We don't have to stay here or do anything. I just realised we've been doing whatever one duke or another decrees. We've been free all along and just allowed ourselves to be corralled."

Ying nodded. "Yes, but we were new to this world. We needed to find our feet."

"Oh, I almost forgot," I said. "How you manage qi is all wrong. You should use Mother's method."

"Mother? Who is Mother?" Ying asked.

"She is the spiritual leader of the forest," I said. "But don't worry about that, she doesn't care about the fort. It's her method to empower the land core and grow your qi core."

"Is it a requirement?" Ying asked.

I shook my head. "I'll leave it up to you. But it's what I advise in order to grow your inner core."

"What do we do?"

"We put most of the qi we retrieve from monsters into the land core. Then each day we eat a tiny amount of condensed core we take from it. This is the way."

Peppin nodded. "I believe it works."

"Most?" Ying asked.

"I keep a couple of small cores on hand for a big fight."

Ying nodded. "Yes, I saw you eat them when you fought the Gargscarab."

Sakaala come through the entrance. "What did I miss?" she asked, and everyone laughed. She looked around at the faces like she was the butt of a joke.

Ying stood and announced. "We're going to be neighbours."

Sakaala peered at me because she knew the plan. "You work fast."

"Do you have the treaty?" I asked her and she held up the same leather tube. 

"It's more like a contract of sale, but yes, we have it."

"I think a round of drinks is in order," Mal proclaimed.

Sakaala sat down next to me and smiled sweetly. "We don't drink. I think I told you this a hundred times."

Mal frowned. "It ain't natural."

Ying stood. "A toast to our friends and new adventure in the north."

Peppin raised her mug along with the adventurers and the rest of us glasses of water. 

"Cheers." Was said all round.

"We should head out," Peppin said and I caught her meaning. The best way to avoid complications with the duke was not to be here.

I moved slightly and Gisael jumped to her feet. "Okay," I said and looked at Ying. "How fast can you pack?"

He shook his head. "Go on. We'll find you in Dawnharbour."

"Run fast," I said.