Chapter 1 : Nervous tension.

Maik didn't know the name of the guy who spoke up but his opinion of the guy shot up significantly when he spoke up despite the tense atmosphere. “I didn't really make any changes aside from adding to the Charisma and endurance stats.”

Adding ? Yep. I used some of the alteration points we had and slotted them into perception to increase it. Didn't work !

Maik reached up to feel his face and realized that he still had his glasses on. His vision hadn't changed. Lifting the spectacles up, Maik only found, to his dismay, that his vision is still blurry without them. Not only that but now Maik realized that his eyes were even annoyingly itchy too boot.

This is bullshit. We were promised better perception damn it. Angry Displeasure. Its possible that what we experienced was a hallucination ?

Maik's brows furrow and a frown deeply, voice hesitant and uncertain. “Huhh ? I chose to upgrade my perception but I still need glasses.”

A girl, Grace, if Maik remembered her name right, was staring at them with her mouth agape. She shakes her head and then turners her head away in denial while the teacher, Mr. Boyd, spoke up to break the tension. “Now class, we have all clearly had a significant group experience and until we can be medically evaluated by proper professionals nothing is certain. The principles and deans are making efforts to get help to us as we speak and to figure out the current situation so I believe that the best course of action is to act as though this is just another natural disaster like a hurricane. Stay calm and keep a level head...” Despite the clear authority in his tone up to this point his next words lacked the same assurance and were even shaken. “No more talk about... stat windows and modifications.”

Maik and Jose's eyes met and the teen could tell that Jose had seen, could still see, the HUD's display. The same was seen in Skips eyes and anyone else that would meet Maik's gaze. While looking around the room and meeting those gazes, mainly for Maik's own self assurance, Jose spoke up in hesitant tones. “Maybe it was a group hallucination ? I hear about that kind of thing in a movie a while back.”

Skip chimed in. “The one with the 2 magicians fighting each other right ?”

Turning back to them Maik found that we were all nodding, having watched the same movie and talked over the twist ending multiple times. Maik was starting to compulsively rub my eyes at this point, the itch was getting pretty annoying at this point and Jose put a hand on his shoulder before speaking with concern. “Hay, be careful man, your eyes are kinda getting blood shot.”

Maik snorts a laugh before brushing the other mans worries away and his hand. “Phahh... Thanks but I'm okay. Unnnn !” The groan that escaped when a fresh spike of pain erupts in his abdomen wasn't very assuring if the expression on Jose's face was any indicator, but Maik continued as though it was nothing. “They just itch is all.”

Skip, who was still sweating and looking feverish pushed himself up into a sitting position with surprising effort so that he could whisper to the other 2. “Maybe its because you put all your points into perception but its taking a while for the changes to take effect ?”

Jose looks at Skip with concern and Maik looks at him with worry and trepidation, frowning deeply while rubbing his eyes some more and just feeling his body hurt in all new ways. “Fantastic.”

Jose looks around, seemingly to see if anyone was listening in and seems to find someone. Behind and to my right of Maik was the guy who had spoken up earlier about when asked about changes to the stats and all 3 in the huddle turned to look at him as he swallows and then introduces himself. “Hi, I'm Zachary, but most just call me Zak. Mind If I join you ?”

It was Jose who gestured for the guy to sit and Maik scooted over to make room. He looked to be of Italian decent with very short and strait black hair, thick eyebrows and a dimple chin. “Sorry for eves dropping but you were the first person to speak out about....” He leans in to whisper. “The stats. I'm also feeling a strange tension in my muscles that making them stiff and its not going away.”

I see Jose give him a flat look and then sigh. Still, the young man just glances around one last time before leaning back into our huddle and whispering. “Okay. Lets say that this is really happening. Why did you all just make changes immediately and in the middle of the day ?”

It was obvious by the rest of the huddles slack jawed expressions that none of the rest of them had not realized but Maik still had to ask. “Are you saying....” Taking a moment to try and focus, to... command the HUD's display to bring up the stat sheet. “Ohhhh.”

The sheet was dismissed with another mental command a moment later and Maik could see from the others expressions that it was pretty obvious he had opened my stat sheet up just now. Jose was nodding and continues to berate the others in the same stern tone. “Yeah, I haven't made any changes because I wasn't in the right frame of mind when..... whatever this is, first hit.”

Jose gestures around helplessly. Its a somber feeling, one laced with regret. How could we have been so reckless ? Creative was chastised while Primal was indifferent to things like shame.

After a moment of self reflection Maik simply apologized and then proclaimed that he was going to try and meditate, asking if Jose would tell me when the next batch of food showed up but Jose placed a hand on Maik's shoulder to stop him, his tone turning inquisitive. “Wait up. Speaking of your meditation... Do you know what the deal is with the Chi and Aura stats ?”

Maik blinked a couple times at him and just had to ask. “Didn't... Cant you sense what those stats are for ?” Maik was able to intuit their meaning, not as easily as the other stats but still.

Jose shook his head and Zak looked just as curious, though there was a light in skips eyes that said he knew..... Interesting. Sharing our collective finding may reveal more information. So Maik settled back in and explained what I had gleamed to the rest of the group.

Skip adding in some info on the race change options and there effects which Maik hadn't known about. Apparently different races had stat affinities and those stats could be upgraded easier and for fewer points. I bet you he changed race. What do you think he picked ? It seems the different people may have been able to intuit different aspects of the stat sheet, perhaps even the HUD's display. Want know more.

Zak actually piped up to mention that there seemed to be a notification function as part of the HUD's display in their vision now. “Yeah, I received the notification after I dumped most of my points into Charisma.” The other 3 gave him flat looks, or tired to before giving way to light chuckles and shaking heads. “Dudes ! Have you even played D&D ? Or any major RPG for that matter. Charisma is king.”

Before anyone to tease the poor guy any further Jose gave Maik a pointed look, the teen holding his hands up in surrender and then addressed Zak with a reassuring tone. “You okay mate. Its fine. Who doesn't want better dialogue options, right.” Zak huffs But Jose just redirects his attention Back to Maik. “Out with it then. What can you tell us about the Chi and Aura matter ? You've certainly mentioned those terms before today.”

Maik nodded and began to explain the basics of his Qigong practices, even mentioning the purple bar in the bottom left corner of my HUD. This quickly turned into Maik walking the 3 others in the huddle through a meditation exercise for controlling the flow of Chi through the body to build its up and strengthen the mind body connection. “Just like that, breath deep and down into you abdomen. You should feel each breath in your kidneys. As you draw in the air visualize the energies of the heavens being drawn into the halo of your crown Chacra like a vortex. Pull this energy down the front of your skull, between the eyes and into your nasal cavity. Make sure that your tongue is pressed to the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth so that you can transfer the energy to your tongue and down your throat as it makes its way into your longs along with the fresh air. Let the energy piggy back on the O2 as it enters your blood stream to be distributed throughout your body, focusing on getting that energy to your organs first. Liver, spleen, stomach, kidneys small intestine and then large intestine before collecting what is left at your root Chacra, centered at the base of your pelvis.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Jose was having a muscle spasm as the Chi concentrated to densely for him to handle and went wild for the second time. In a panic, Maik rushed over and laid his hands on his friend with the desire to help. Maik felt it. There was an arch or static electricity but instead of making Maik jerk back his senses expanded. He sensed the Chi flowing through Jose's body. Saw the wild wave of energy running rampant in the right leg and with a effort of well, added his own control to Jose's, helping the young man regain control.

Once things were settled with Jose Maik resumed the instruction. “Now this is the tricky part. You need to convince the energy to form a vortex that concentrates the remaining energies into a more concentrated state while pulling energies from the earth up through your legs, adding that energy to the vortex. Then send that energy to your tail bone, up your spine and into your brain, eyes and ears. Whatever is left should be directed back into the halo of your crown and then you repeat the process.”

Jose was not the only one to suffer a muscle spasm, nor was it just the one time. In the end, both Jose and Zak had muscle spasms twice, skip once. Maik goes on to explain that the point of this early technique is to fill the body with enough energy so that one can saturate ones self with enough lesser chi to complete the full route. Saturation wasn't the issue there though, only the utter lack of control.

As first Jose and then Zak took a break, they explained further that they were so focused on Maik's explanation Because they had felt and could still feel the energies flowing through them, though it was chaotic. In fact many people in the class had complained at this point about the absurd number of static discharges everyone was experiences, to the point that it was freaking people out and making some afraid to touch metal.

It was Skip who held out the longest, deep in meditation until he burst out in a hushed voice. “Hahh. I got it. I have the purple bar.”

Jose and Zak brightened and looked hopeful but Maik was more relieved than anything. Supporting evidence for theory that this is not a hallucination mounts. Ohh thank god. Maybe we're not crazy after all. Validation .

Soon after there was a mild commotion as the door opened and a food trolley was wheeled in. Maik, Skip and Zak were all feeling pretty hungry and so quickly excused themselves to get up and head for the line only to share a light chuckle and make their way over together. Jose followed along.

Maik continued to refine his explanation while they stood in line until the same girl who had gaped her mouth at them earlier called out in an annoyed and frustrated voice. “Mr. Boyd, their talking about the... Stats thing again.”

Mixed looks were sent the 4s way that ranged from scorn to interested curiosity but Mr. Boyd's glare was stern. “Daley, you keep that talk to yourself and stop disrupting class.”

What class ? Schoolsss Out For Ever Berrr nee narr nurr. Bitch quite holding up line. I Hunger. But while my creative mind was playing old rock music in the background my intellectual mind answered the teacher. “Yes sir Mr. Boyd.”

And he nodded before returning to his conversation with one of the deans over out of earshot from the class. The tattle tail had a smug look on her face when hers and Maik's eyes met and she gave a satisfied huff. Ohhh you stuck up bitch. It is likely that she is anxious over her lack of control in this odd situation and this small amount of control is what she has latched onto as a coping mechanism. No reason to hold up line. ….... So yeah. A stuck up bitch.

The food was nothing special. We've all had the cafeteria pizza, mash potatoes and green beans with a little carton of milk. Not everything a growing body needs but it will have to suffice. Can we get seconds ? Desire Hamburgers.

The meal helps but hunger still gnaws at Maik after the fact. Skip and Zak look just as dissatisfied but Jose seemed content with the meal, just siting there with his eyes closed.

Is he meditating some more ? His breathing is wrong and his neck muscles are too tense but hes not doing to bad for a beginner.

Zak shoots a questioning glance Maik's way, to which Maik shrugs and replies in a flat tone. “Hes probably giving the Qigong techniques I mentioned another try so that his purple bar shows up. I intend to do the same frankly.” Zak opens his mouth but Maik cuts him off. “I've told you enough to get you through today. I can tell you more tomorrow.....”

Will we ever meet again after today ? Such things are not certain. We already explained things for an hour. He'll be fine. Want Hamburger. Maik glances at Skip but hes already settling into his own attempt at meditation so Maik follows suit. The energies were still sort of moving as the teen had wished but..... If one would to refer to the flows of chi in his body as a plumbing network running through my body that carried the Chi like pipes carried water then his pipes had little pin holes everywhere, leaking chi out in a haphazard way.

Diving down into his being Maik looked over both the nervous system and the circulatory system and for the first time could actually sense them. Maik had certainly tied this technique before but had never even come close to having this level of detail and perception of his inner workings. Was this an effect of the perception attribute boost, or being so thoroughly flooded with energy ? Who cares, its a real mess in here and its casing us pain. Desire Action.

Reining in both the creative and Primal minds to analyze the situation more critically, Maik realizes that the majority of his pain was coming from those holes in the piping and some of the pain was coming from where the piping was poorly placed. Some of the 'piping' had essentially been run right along paths of his nervous system but it was all one way in its flow and looks pretty haphazard. Maik had a lot of work to do.

There were other concerns of course. The fact that nobodies phones were working, what was happening with Maik's family and hushed conversations between teacher and dean to name but a few. However, pain has a way of making you focus on it and what is causing it.

Maik was in no small amount of pain when he closed my eyes to begin meditation and looking inward at what was going on within himself. Again he was amazed by how much greater my perception of his body was and just as he was getting a feel for the situation the HUD changed its configuration. It didn't block Maik's vision but was like a notification at the edge of my peripheral.

Skill / tier 3 : Mind & body connection – Beginner.

Ones over all connection between their conscious will and their physical body.

Interesting. It would seem that there are different categories for our skills based upon their tier. Is this our only Tier 3 skill we have ? Quickly I checked and found that this was not, in fact the only Tier 3 skill that I had.

Bio chemistry – Beginner

Calculus – Beginner.

It would appear that Tier 3 skills are quite advanced. Only 3 ? we Suck. Trepidation. Still, this is promising progress.

As Maik continued to examine his inner workings he came to the realization that the first thing he would need to do I reroute a lot of the plumbing and add return pipes to complete the circuits. Maik further found that when the piping aligned with my blood vessels there was a lot less pain in those areas and the energy flow was much more natural. By contrast when the piping was combined with the nervous system produced the potential to drastically alter and control the energy.

It seems we will need 2 separate systems to get the most out of this new abundance of energy. One for transferring the energy throughout the body and another for controlling more exotic effects. Dude, I'm not sure were smart enough for all that. Depressed. Practice makes perfect. We need only apply our self, like any over exercise. Motivated. All right, lets get started, but where ? Improving our base line should take priority. So pathways on top of the arteries is first. Alright. Agreement. Maik got to work fixing his plumbing.