CHAPTER 18
“Alright, I get it,” Kopius said. ”What about the rest of it? What does it do? And how am I supposed to carry all this?”
Oh-jin went on to explain that the small, softball-sized vials were health, mana, and stamina restore potions: red, blue, and yellow, respectively. Each potion bottle restored all of their respective stat. The orange stalks that looked like carrots were, in fact, carrots. They were just the size of an ear of corn and the color was dull. Oh-jin had also mentioned giving him a small waterskin before he was to leave.
Kopius had a growing anxiety inside him. He was not sure if it was fear or wonder giving him the slight feeling of nausea. The more items Oh-jin checked off the list of things to explain, the closer Kopius was to being sent out into the wilderness.
It reminded him of trying out for the varsity baseball team as a sophomore after an injury had prevented him from playing his freshman year. Most of the boys were a full head taller and had all but finished puberty. Cory, though skilled, had heard a lot of reasons from a lot of different people as to why he would not make the team. The older boys did not like the idea of some scrawny youngster trying to take one of their spots, and they were not shy about it either.
He was nervous the night before tryouts, and it was even worse as he suited up. He felt like throwing up until the batter hit the first ball to him, and his instinct took over. It was in that moment of subconscious movement that Cory forgot everything and just played the game. It was the same game he had played his whole life–with a little more speed. His composure returned, his doubts subsided and he’d just played the game. Just play the game, Kopius thought to himself, breaking from the memory. Breathe.
“I have two last items. These will be the most useful to you,” Oh-jin said in his lecturing tone. The old scientist produced a cylindrical piece of wood that was two or three inches in diameter. The wood was roughly six to seven inches in length and appeared smooth on all surfaces. It had the look and sheen of a baton that would be used in a relay race.
Oh-jin held the piece of wood close, like a long-lost teddy bear or an item long cherished. After a few moments of reverie, the old man extended his arm as if to hand it to Kopius, but he shook his head no when Kopius reached for it.
“Quinn,” Oh-jin said in a raised tone, ”Quinn Train, you have a new student.” The two stood there for a moment, Kopius at a loss and Oh-jin with a frown growing on his face.
“Quinn!” Oh-jin shouted. ”I said you have a new student, damn it all!”
After a few more moments, Oh-jin’s head started to bob around like he was listening to unheard music.
“Thank you for blessing us with your presence,” Oh-jin said after a moment, his comment dripping in sarcasm.
Another pause.
“Far be it from me to take you away from your official duties,’’ Oh-jin responded to whatever he was hearing.
Kopius was a bit concerned with the change in demeanor coming from Oh-jin. The old man had lost his aura of pleasantness and now was acting like a person calling a relative they do not care for.
“No, no, those are not your official duties nor a requirement of your position. We have been over this, Quinn,” Oh-jin said while rubbing at his temple with his free hand. “You train the novices in exchange for your… your… luxuries. It is not the other way around! Now accept your assignment and fulfill your duties!”
Oh-jin returned to his nodding, I-am-listening routine.
“Yes, fine, you will not be summoned for some time. Are you ready?” Oh-jin said and then nodded again.
“Kopius, my boy, grab a hold here,” Oh-jin said, instructing Kopius to grab the top part of the wooden looking baton. It was cool to the touch, smooth, with a brown metallic sheen to it. It felt like pulling a cold soda can out of the fridge. Each end was sealed off with a sleek, rounded, rose gold colored cap that gave the impression of an elongated pill container; or a dildo. The cylinder started to warm up and then held a steady, comfortable heat before dissipating back to a slight chill. Oh-jin released his end of the wood, and Kopius pulled it closer to get a better look.
“What is this?” Kopius inquired with awe in his voice. He turned the piece around and upside down, running his hand across the smooth surface.
“That thing is a unique training apparatus, commonly known as a Pugil Staff,” Oh-jin explained. “This and the others like it were cherished items among the wealthy; the powerful. These helped to train warriors with a variety of weapons. A sparring partner to advance your skill faster. Much safer than learning on the battlefield and just as effective.”
“That sounds like a great tool! How do I use it?” Kopius asked.
“Very useful,” Oh-jin emphasized. ”As for using it, well, that will also require mana, like the boots. But when you do have mana, simply do as I did while pushing mana into it.”
“And I will figure out how to push mana from the book, right?” Kopius asked.
“Correct,” Oh-jin said.
“What or who is Quinn Train?” Kopius inquired.
Oh-jin let out a long sigh before he answered.
“Quinn was a respected–feared even–swordsman, a Jinovian icon. He was a preeminent soldier and sought-after instructor. He is also a bit self-righteous and a drunk. Harmless, though; besides his tongue, that is. Trust that Quinn will tell you all about himself… all the time. He will also be able to teach you how to use your swords, among other weapons, but you will need mana to make it work.”
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“And I will know my mana is active when I kick something and set it on fire?”
“Yes,” Oh-jin replied.
“Okay,” Kopius said, rubbing his hands together. “How am I going to carry all this shit?”
Oh-jin started to pat himself down and rummage through the various pockets on his person. He looked dismayed as his searching produced no items. He then snapped his fingers, came closer to Kopius, and presented his hand as if expecting to slap some skin. Kopius resisted the urge to low-five the old man's hand, and a moment later a ring materialized in Oh-jin's palm.
“Whoa!” Kopius exclaimed. “That’s a cool trick.”
The ring looked like granite, speckled with gray, white, and amber colors. Kopius picked up the ring, closed the blank window that popped up, and remarked at how light it was. The ring's texture reminded Kopius of sandstone or pumice. Pieces of amber glimmered in the soft light from Oh-jin’s lab. They looked like individual honeycombs placed randomly about the ring.
“Put it on,” Oh-jin insisted.
“What is it?” Kopius asked.
“It is how you are going to ‘carry all this shit,’” Oh-jin said, waving his hands across the items. “Put it on.”
Kopius obliged, placing the ring on his right pointer finger, and it adjusted to fit. To his surprise, a window popped into his field of vision and something was there. A four-by-four block grid was present inside the window.
“Oh, shit!” Kopius exclaimed, ”I can see a grid!” He closed the window with a thought, then he realized he did not know how to open it back up. “Ah,” he said apprehensively, ”I closed it. How do I bring it back?”
“Focus on the word ‘inventory’ and you will see it. Give it some practice,” Oh-jin replied.
Kopius did as told until he was comfortable with the process.
“Now let us try to put something in your inventory,” Oh-jin said with a smile and placed a book in front of Kopius. “Place your hand on the book and focus not on the book itself, but the book moving into the ring.”
It took several tries, but Kopius felt accomplished when the book finally disappeared and he could see the item in his inventory window. A miniature book occupied one square, identical to the same book but infinitely smaller.
“Very good!” Oh-jin praised. ”Now remove the item in the same manner, except imagine the item in your hand.”
Again, Kopius did as instructed and was successful much sooner. The book dropped from his hand and made a loud thud when it hit the floor.
“Palm up,” Oh-jin said, showing him the proper way. ”Unless you want everything to fall to the ground. Now place these four books in your inventory.”
Kopius did as instructed, and the four books took up four individual inventory slots.
“And these,” the chemist said, gesturing to the fifteen vials.
When Kopius placed the potions in his inventory, they only took up three individual slots.
Nice! Like items stack, Kopius thought with a smile.
“Remove a book,” Oh-jin requested.
“Which one?” Kopius asked.
“Exactly,” Oh-jin said. ”Do you know their titles?”
“No,” Kopius replied in frustration, having just read two of the titles not that long ago.
“Focus on the word ‘book’ and try to remove one.”
When Kopius executed this, all four books appeared in his hand forcing him to do a balancing act before setting them down.
“Well done. Try to remove a health potion now,” Oh-jin said.
“I can’t juggle, man. You really want to clean up that mess?”
“Just try it,” Oh-jin insisted.
Kopius turned his palm up and willed a health potion from his inventory. To his relief, only one potion vial appeared.
“I get it,” Kopius conceded, returning the potion to his inventory. “If I know the title of the book, I will pull that one book from my inventory. What if I have, like, three different swords in here. Are all three swords going to come out?”
“Same as the books, my boy,” Oh-jin said, smiling. ”To avoid that, the sword–swords, I suppose–would need a designation.”
“Like a name?” Kopius guessed.
“Yes, like a name,” Oh-jin confirmed. “You give it a designation, or a name, the first time it enters your inventory. This way you can recall the item by the given moniker.”
“Any name, huh?” Kopius said. ”I could call it sword one, two, and three?”
“If you like to keep things simple,” Oh-jin answered. “Use whatever convention will stick with your memory.”
In the absence of any loot to name at the moment, Kopius put the matter to the side.
“I see sixteen slots to store things. What can’t I put in here?” Kopius asked anxiously, not allowing his imagination to run away with all the possibilities.
“You cannot put anything in that you could not lift yourself,” Oh-jin started to recite, ”living creatures; sentient or otherwise–you cannot remove doors, you cannot take in liquid unless it is contained in some fashion, you cannot store active traps, torches or devices. There may be a few I am missing, but that should cover most.”
Kopius nodded along as Oh-jin had gone down the list. Everything the old man had said was consistent with Cory’s experience gaming, and this further eased the tension weighing on Kopius. His small pangs of anxiety started to lean towards a sense of excitement, an emotion he had not had in quite some time. An emotion he was not quite sure what to do with. He felt like an eight-year-old waiting for their food to settle so they could return to the pool.
“What about the weight? Is it reduced in any way?” Kopius asked, rubbing the coarse stone on his finger.
“Weight is negated,” Oh-jin replied.
“Really?” Kopius said, surprised. “So long as I can pick it up and that other stuff.” Kopius further marveled at the ring, as he was not expecting a full weight reduction. “Do I have to actually pick up the item or do I just have to be able to pick it up?”
“You do not have to physically lift the item, but there are limitations. Even though you may be able to lift a small tree, it is still rooted in the ground. Or, let us say, a dagger tied to a belt. You would not be able to brush your hand across the weapon and place it in your inventory, as it is attached to the person,” Oh-jin explained.
“What if, let’s say, a coin purse was sitting on a table, not tied down or anything, just sitting there?” Kopius suggested. ”Would I be able to brush the purse, as you say, and place it in my inventory?”
“Yes,” Oh-jin replied with some annoyance. ”As long as you can pick up the item and it is not tethered down in some manner, it can be placed in the inventory. Petty thievery is a sure way to lose your hand, boy!”
“I was just asking,” Kopius replied, his hands raised in placation, a devilish grin on his face. “I will keep my pettiness to a minimum.”