Chapter Seven
I was eating a freezer meal that paled to the simple fare of Master Lin, much less the foods of Merchant Gwon. I noticed the depleted state of my kitchen and the dusty surfaces. I triggered the restock and let the building AI interface with my housekeeping drones. Flipping through my two-week backlog of messages, most were deleted unread.
Then I saw the Auto-pay Failure notices from my Bank. Jimmy and Patrick’s accounts had been canceled. Checking Social Media I saw that their parents had yanked them from the game and sent them to some addiction camps. Daniel and Hector were now listed as L36 Defender and an L35 Cleric, compared to my only just now official L1 Martial Artist. Both were in a guild, ‘Sons of Light’. I was a little bit envious of them, but even more satisfied with my position. It was odd, but I no longer felt any driving need to join-up with Dan or Hector.
It was as I was eating the last bite of a microwaved pizza I saw the email from Second Heaven.
Dear Account Holder,
In response to popular request, we are pleased to offer an advanced account service. If you meet requirements and pay the additional monthly fee you can waive all the game rules regarding login limitations. The monthly fee will rise from $250 to $350 to cover the increased hardware load.
You, as an advanced user will be required to submit proof of maintenance of your physical body. This maintenance is to include, but is not limited to, neurostim muscle stimulation, monitored IV feeding and waste disposal, proof of fiscal responsibility.
For additional fees, Second Heaven has a small number of Full Immersion pods and will assume full maintenance care.
We hope to see you soon in your new home.
Tempting, so very tempting
=-=-=-=-
I logged back in…
…to find Sifu building a castle of braided grass on my chest. I had wondered if I left my avatar behind or if it faded out. I guess that was clear now.
“Ah! The Traveler returns. Now eat your cold breakfast and get ready, today we start the real training.”
We started running, now I was to use my Chi to run, but also keep a bubble up that slowly replenished what I was using. By the noon meal, I had started to get the idea on how to split my attention to keep both processes running.
Then the bastard, err, my glorious Sifu pulled out a ball and had me toss it from one hand to the next.
“Sifu?” I gasped out, “What is the purpose of the ball, besides distracting me from the Chi work?”
“It will increase your value when I sell you to the first circus we come across. A juggling Fox is quite the rarity.” His laughs made me want to throw the ball at his head. If I had a chance of actually hitting him I might have. “Now, my idiot student. I have two questions for you: Why have you let the ball distract you from proper breathing? What is the purpose of the ball, besides distracting you from your Chi work?”
I almost stumbled as I realized that was exactly the point of the ball. I needed to learn how to keep it all going, regardless of distractions. The bubble slowly drawing in Chi, the pulsing in my muscles, the rhythm of my body’s motion, the breath in my lungs, and the blood in my veins were all one thing in a perfect body. I looked closer at everything and for a few steps it was all in balance. Then I tripped over my own feet.
“The student begins to see. It is a long road to a worthy destination. Provided the student learns how to walk, yet again.” Master Lin was bending over my sprawled body. His arms clasped behind his back.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
That evening I was more mentally tired than physically. I sat back as Master Lin was cooking dinner.
“Student?” He didn’t even look my way. “Who said you could give up proper breathing and Chi circulation when relaxing?”
“Even when tired from a long day?” I sassed back.
“Even when sleeping.”
That night I watched, while keeping my Chi spinning, a trickle of Chi flowing into me. My breath steady and strong as I tossed the ball from hand to hand.
That night I slept in the game, and woke with the sun still below the horizon.
I noticed my breathing was ragged and my Chi stagnant. I had no sooner brought them into line than two more balls smacked into my chest. Holding the three balls I looked at Master Lin.
“Sifu?”
“The circus will pay more if you can juggle three balls.” He then turned back to the stew pot.
“Sifu? Can you teach me to cook like that?”
“Maybe. Once you learn to juggle, maybe.”
I had just started to get the hang of keeping the balls moving, but it took a huge amount of focus. Then we started running, and I started dropping the balls.
I doubt we made more than a few hundred paces by noon.
As we made a cold lunch of bread and jerky I couldn’t get comfortable. Something kept making me look over my shoulder, but I spotted nothing.
“Try reaching out as you do to sense Chi, not with your eyes.” Master Lin’s voice almost startled me.
Reaching out, there, just into the trees along the road. I saw now three clusters of something like Chi. But where Chi was light and warmth, these three clusters looked like swirling clouds of black and red. I gasped at the foul feel.
“When Dark Chi attacks and destroys a soul, sometimes something else moves in. This ‘other’ will attack and spread the infection. From the feel of these, they are old and have consumed and perverted much Chi.”
“Will they attack?”
“Oh yes. The hunt out those who seek to master Chi.”
“Oh. How will we fight them?”
“We? We don’t. This is your trial. Just remember your lessons and keep your mind open. I will watch from here and study which lessons you are deficient in.”
“Sifu? My Chi is depleted from this morning’s run.”
I felt his hand striking me right below my navel. There was a sudden flush as heat poured into me. My Chi and Stamina now full.
“Now, go take care of them.” His hands gesturing vaguely behind me. He then leaned back against a tree and appeared to be napping, except for a parting comment,
“Don’t let them bite you, that would be bad.”
I turned and caught sight of them as they emerged. They would likely stand no more than hip high to me, but moving on four legs they were much larger. They were like gray wolves except there were red slashes and craters in the fur. Bones were visible in some of the wounds. Opening my senses, I saw an almost black cloud of smoke trailing behind them. I focused and saw them.
L6 Rotting Wolf
76/76
L4 Rotting Wolf
46/46
L6 Rotting Wolf
68/68
Almost on its own my sling was out and whirring, the first lead shot in flight as I shifted to the side to put the hard trail underfoot. The skull of the lead Rotting Wolf collapsed, showing the hollow void inside.
Damn, no headshot kills on these zombie things. I looked harder and saw the knots of dark energy. My second shot hit the same wolf at the base of its throat and tore into the creature’s insides.
Aimed Shot Hits!
The smoke poured from the wound as it gave a tortured howl.
The other two echoed the chilling call, as my third shot tore into the open wound on the lead thing.
Aimed Shot Hits! Critical!
It dropped face forward and then began to smoke furiously. The other two charged.
I dropped the sling and tucked and rolled out of the path of the charge. One turned immediately leaping at me, the other seemed confused. As the leaping Wolf went to land on me, I kicked up into its breastbone while my hands struck to deflect the wolf’s head. Its hind claws scored my leg as it was flung away.
Martial Kick hits! It is a Great hit.
Martial Punch hits!
Martial Punch hits!
The Rotting Wolf Kick hits! You take 3 damage and lose 5% Chi
Ahhh! I saw how thin threads of my Chi had been torn from the wounds and led across to the claws. It felt like I was on fire.
The Wolf I had kicked away was laying stunned as I went to climb to my feet. Something warned me and I tucked and rolled away from the other wolf. Again, it stood confused as if it couldn’t quite remember I was there.
I advanced on the wolf I had kicked away and my foot came up in a crushing kick like I was free kicking a ball. The brittle ribs collapsed and I caught a brief glimpse of a tiny worm-like figure before my foot obliterated it.
Now I knew the location of the thing controlling the Wolf’s body, as it jumped at me, I pulsed my Chi and my first slammed through another of the tiny worm-like figures.
“The Soul Leeches enter into a soulless body from one of the other planes of existence. Once they take up residence their bite spreads the taint. If they had bitten you, you would have had just hours to purge the taint from yourself. It is harsh, but a lesson every student must learn if they wish one day to be a Master.”
“So, you knew these things were here?”
“Oh, yes. The Schools watch and follow all such creatures.”
“Isn’t that, I don’t know, dangerous? What if they bit some farmer or an entire herd of livestock.”
“That is why we watch them. Kept in control and safely away from civilization.”
“So, if I hadn’t come by…?”
“Some other school would have sent a student eventually.”
“Harsh, and cruel.”
“Harsh, but necessary. The souls of these creatures aren’t suffering, they were already destroyed. Kept to small groups they are the perfect trial of your skills, as well as a lesson in why no matter how necessary it may seem to cheat one day and take just a little too much. Now let us gather these bodies and burn them. Oh, and idiot student? Why is your breathing ragged?”
I grumbled a bit, but more because it was expected, than any real rancor.