Reincarnation

by Timothy McGowen

  Congratulations! Sri Blast has reached level 2, 3, 4 you gained 8% more Sri Control when using Sri Blast.

  “That’s enough for now!” Aetex said walking over, “Let’s eat and we can begin the fun part of your training!”

  My body was shaking from the intense effort it took to stand. I had taken my Sri Energy to zero multiple times and the effects were finally showing.

  Focusing on getting one foot to place itself infront of another I followed Aetex to the dinner hall. My mind was fuzzy and although Sumahon tried to talk to me several times as the meal progressed, I heard nothing.

  It wasn’t until after eating that I began to feel normal once again.

  “You did well for the warm up section of our training today,” Aetex said wiping red juice from his face as he spoke, “You have a knack for Spirit based attacks, now it’s time you learn how to grow your Physical based attacks. This will be different as it is a skill with no basis in an ability. It is called Sri Kata, but just knowing its name will not make you a master of it. Over the next few months we will train your body.”

  I stifled a yawn as sunlight beamed through an open window. Now would be the perfect time to take a nap. My stomach was full and my mind began to wander.

  “I said get up, lazy bones!” Aetex’s harsh words stirred me from my impending nap.

  “We just ate,” I complained, “can’t we wait a few hours before learning something new?”

  “With an attitude like that you wi-“

  “I will die,” I cut him off and stifled another yawn, “I mean no disrespect.” I quickly interjected seeing the look on Aetex’s face. I stood and followed after him.

  Aetex had taken us to an area where several trees grew in a ring, providing shade from the heat of the sun.

  “I will teach you the twelve basic forms of the Sri Kata. Thar, Ghath, Thal, Jhal, Nhath, Fhal, Chath, Khath, Hhal, Nhgal, Thath, Hhath,” Aetex said, “And in doing so it will unlock the skill. We will start with the first Kata form, Thar.”

  My mind reeled at the odd pronunciation of each of the phases. What’s more, the sounds of each brought images of rocks, or sometimes water, or another great fire. It was like each represented more than just their basic meaning.

  “Thar is like stone,” I said, seeing the stillness of an unmoving mountain in my mind as I thought of the word.

  “Close,” Aetex said, “Thar is the form of the unmoving. Watch as I go through the basic Thar Kata.”

  Aetex stood tall and closed his eyes. Then with strong heavy movements, he slammed each leg down in turn, squatting himself downward. Then he slammed his chest with his fists once for each hand and shouted ‘Thar.’ And then he was still.

  I watched him waiting for more, but he neither spoke nor moved. As I watched him, I could sense the heaviness of the kata, the immovable object that Aetex had become.

  “Let’s try to push him over,” Sumahon whispered into my mind.

  I suppressed a grin and waited patiently.

  “Next comes the form Ghath,” Aetex said, letting the stance he was keeping fall. I saw a tension leave his body as he did so.

  “Ghath is fluid like the wind,” I said, trying to communicate the feelings the word gave me.

  “That is correct,” Aetex seemed pleased, “Now follow my movements and learn the best you can, because you will be participating shortly.”

  Unlike the first form, this one didn’t stop. Aetex waved his arms in odd patterns, and his body went from a low squat and bent back, into a high stance with a single foot bend against his opposite knee. Not at any point during the kata did Aetex stop. He was as fluid as water itself.

  “Now,” Aetex said, “Using only the two kata’s I’ve shown you, I will demonstrate their power. Attack me.”

  Quest Received: Draw Blood

  Aetex has invited you to draw his blood. Do you have what it takes to challenge Aetex in Physical combat?

  Rewards: 1 Ability Point, 500 Exp, and Gloves of Power.

  I gaped open mouth at the prompt. Not only would that amount of experience take me into the next level and that much closer to overtaking Aetex, but what were the ‘Gloves of Power’? Intrigued and overeager, I walked forward, ready to prove myself.

  I watched as Aetex took the stance of Thar, and his feet sunk several inches into the ground. My first awkward punch smashed against Aetex’s face. He had tried to dodge or move aside, but he hadn’t needed too.

  I cried out in pain and shook my fist. It had been like hitting a rock. Small bits of sapphire blood covered my knuckles, not his blood, but mine. As I debated whether or not to hit him again while he was in the Thar stance, he switched to Ghath and began to move and bounce on his toes.

  Wind isn’t hard, I reminded myself as I shook the pain of the blow away and readied myself to attack him once more.

  I punched with all my weight behind it and was sure I’d hit him. But at the last second, his weight shifted, and he was clear of the punch. However, all that weight I’d put behind it guaranteed that I went stumbling forward and fell flat on my face.

  “Again!” Aetex cried.

  This went on for the next six hours until Aetex finally called the day of training. I hadn’t learned any Sri Kata skills. Still, I was becoming intimately familiar with what they looked like from hours of staring at Aetex.

  I had gained a few points in my Physical Potential from all the exertion. Pulling up my personal stats, I decided to spent my unspent Base Points. I put all 5 into Spirit, I knew what I was good at, no use in wasting points in Physical yet.

  Name: Neak’o

  Current Path: Sri Projector

  Level 2, 460/500 Exp, Energy: 155/155, Spirit: 45, Phys: 14

  2 AP

  Abilities:

  Lesser Sturdy ( Racial Passive )

  Sri Projecting

  Skills:

  Sri Blast Level 4

  The days turned to weeks as my training continued. My fights with Aetex, or as he called it ‘Kata’ training, took up the majority of my time, and I gained a good amount of Physical points from all the training. It went like this, Sri Blast training in the morning, Kata forms after lunch—I was actually allowed to try and mimic the Katas now—and then the rest of the day Aetex beat the hell out of me.

  He had moved onto using the Kata forms while attacking me as well, and my body seemed to be in a constant state of pain now.

  I awoke on a particularly sunny day and decided I would take this day off. The sun was warming me just right as I lay in bed, and Aetex had been hinting that soon I would get a day off to explore the village that I’d been born in a month earlier.

  As I lay atop my covers, enjoying the rays of sunshine on my grey skin, water cold as a northern breeze washed over me. Through my screams of shock, I heard.

  “Wake up lazy bones. It’s time to train.”

  It was with that particular anger burning in my chest from being drenched in water, that I unlocked my first Sub-skill during that day’s training.

  Congratulations! You learned a Sub-skill of Sri Blast. Continuous Sri Blasts.

  Continuous Sri Blasts: Allows you to use a lesser powered Sri Blast but at a continuous rate. This ability is connected to Sri Blast and shares base damage – half of n. Where n is the energy invested.

  I used the ability again, but this time refused to stop attacking until I had hit one of the damn pears.

  Feeling the energy begin to form, I pushed my hands outward. This time I did the left and then right, one after another. Not knowing what I was evening doing, I kept channeling individual blasts without stopping.

  A steady stream of spherical orbs crashed forward towards the tree and the pears. The first few missed, but the next dozen smashed into the tree. After one hit, a burst of bark and dust made it impossible to see my target. Still, I channeled my frustrations into a
scream and kept firing until finally, I was done.

  The flow of power cut off, and streams of sweat stung at my eyes as I tried to see if I had hit any pears. My breath was ragged, and my knees felt weak, but I must have hit something this time.

  The smoke cleared, and I was able to see the damage. The tree was gone. All that was left was a stump and a scattering of various sized chunks of blackened tree parts.

  Aetex turned and walked over to me, all the while his face was locked in a neutral expression. I tried to make eye contact with him, but he avoided my eyes. A sudden gust of wind brought the smell of burnt wood mixed with the sweet scents from the inner portion of the green village.

  Finally, Aetex stood in front of me and met my eyes. I couldn’t tell if he was angry or impressed.

  “Sorry,” I offered, shrugging and taking a small step backward as a wave of nausea hit me. I had completely wiped out my Energy reserves with that attack. Aetex stepped even closer and raised his hands.

  “Hold still,” he said, “I need to see something.”

  He held his hands a few inches from my chest with palms facing me and closed his eyes. I watched his forehead pinch in concentration and wondered what he was trying to do.

  “He is reading your Level using a skill similar to Inspect! I guess using inpsect at a distance is unique to us, well me,” Sumahon said into my mind, “since I am doing the majority of the work.”

  “I wonder why he is checking it. Did I do something wrong, should I resist him?” Sumahon didn’t respond to my questions, and I fought back the urge to spring backward away from Aetex and lash out at him. Something inside of me did not like having someone so close.

  After what felt like a lifetime, Aetex lowered his hands and met my eyes.

  “Well,” I said, “Is something wrong with me?”

  “Wrong,” Aetex said, raising a rough-skinned eyebrow towards me, “Nothing is wrong. You’ve been growing at an incredible rate. You used a slightly different technique so soon. I knew you had grown stronger, but to have increased your power fourfold. At this rate of increase, you will be a match for me in a matter of months. I’m sure your raw power will plateau eventually… ”

  I checked my notification screen.

  Name: Neak’o

  Current Path: Sri Projector

  Level 4, 1160/2200 Exp, Energy: 105/195, Spirit: 55, Phys: 23

  4 AP

  Abilities:

  Lesser Sturdy ( Racial Passive )

  Sri Projecting

  Skills:

  Sri Blast Level 8 -> Continuous Sri Blasts Level 1

  “I’m going to surpass Aetex in a matter of months!” I exclaimed towards Sumahon.

  “Well technically, if the rate of increase stays steady, which it hasn’t, you would surpass him in five and a half months. Except that won’t be the case. Experience gains plaque eventually, and doing the same thing over and over is giving you less and less experience. By my calculations, it will take you 2874 days of the same kind of training to reach his current Level, and that isn’t even counting the large mass of power he is suppressing.”

  I was about to tell Sumahon to shut up when something he said jumped out at me.

  “He is suppressing his power,” I asked, “how?”

  “I haven’t figured it out yet, but if I figure it out, I will let you know. Now quiet, I’m doing ability research to see if I can figure out anymore new abilities or skills before you get a chance to learn them on your own. I discovered that continuous blast, I just hadn’t told you yet.”

  I just smiled and continued my training.

  ***

  “Meet me outside in five,” Aetex called into the smallest of the dome houses, the one set aside for my use.

  I didn’t respond, but I knew better than to not show up if he called me to join him for training. I wouldn’t make that mistake again. The memory of the cold water spurred me to action, and I was up and dressing.

  It had been nearly four months now and I’d memorized all the Kata forms, but I still hadn’t gained the skill.

  “Maybe I’m not meant to be a fighter,” I said to Aetex as I dodge one of his kicks using the Ghath Kata. Then quickly transitioning into Thar to steady myself from my overextension. A blow to my arm while trying to hold Thar threw me off my feet.

  “You will learn it as all other Erusha have,” Aetex repeated for the hundredth time.

  I jumped up using Chath, the Kata of fire to spur me forward. I rained blow after blow towards Aetex, his transitioned into Khath, the water Kata, and blocked every blow with ease.

  Just as I switched to Hhath, the most balanced of forms, I saw Aetex begin to fall. His foot had risen while in the Nhath Kata, and it left his other foot unbalanced in a puddle of mud.

  I switched to Thal, the swiftest of the Katas, and struck out at his unbalanced leg.

  Aetex grunted in pain as my blow landed, and his body tumbled to the side. I quickly transitioned to Jhal, the steady rhythm of the heart Kata, and unleashed blow after blow into Aetex’s face.

  Aetex grunted once more before a blow landed on my face that threw me off of him and into a puddle of mud myself.

  Quest Complete! Draw Blood

  You have drawn the blood of your master.

  Rewards: 1 Ability Point, 500 Exp, and Gloves of Power.

  Congratulations! You have learned Sri Kata and Sub-Skill Improved Dodge.

  Sri Kata has many forms, but a true master will learn to take the lessons they teach and use them to fight. This skill is passive and gives a 1% times Skill Level to Melee Actions.

  Improved Dodge. As part of learning the Kata you have learned the importance of NOT getting hit. This skill is passive and gives a 1% times Skill Level to Reaction times.

  I wasn’t sure if the system had some kind of messed up sense of humor. He wasn’t completely sure how taking a punch to the face warranted learning Improved Dodge, but he would accept any skill gains he could.

  I looked up at Aetex who was grinning from across the grove of trees.

  “Sorry,” I offered, watching him wipe blood from his lip. I didn’t really feel sorry, but Aetex seemed like that type that could hold a grudge and I was keenly aware that my Physical Potential wasn’t anywhere near his.

  “Don’t be!” Aetex said between laughs, “You are nearly ready!”

  A week had passed since drawing Aetex’s blood and I admired my quest reward.

  Gloves of Power: These items have been infused with Sri and grant the wearer +5 Physical Points while worn.

  They were dark black and the knuckles had a hard covering that protected my knuckles. I had hoped that wearing these would balance the fights closer to my side, but that wasn’t the case. If anything Aetex had decided to stop holding back and now I spent my six or so hours a day getting my face beat in by Aetex’s eager training.

  “You will be leaving tomorrow to go on your first official mission,” Aetex said as I walked out to begin my Sri Projecting training. I’d become quite adept at both Sri Blast and Continuous Sri Blasts, but today I wanted to try a new move. A move that Sumahon has discovered and assured me was legitimate.

  “I look forward to having a day off,” I said back, Aetex had promised months ago that I’d have a free day to roam the village, but that day had not come. Each day we trained harder and harder with less time for sleep.

  “You know what happens when you joke out in the blighted lands?” Aetex asked; he was utterly serious today it seemed.

  “I die?” I asked as I prepared to try for a new skill.

  “Yes,” Aetex answered back, placing a few pears down, “you die.”

  “What was the name of that skill again,” I asked Sumahon in head-speak.

  “FINGER CANNON,” Sumahon’s words echoed through my head, and I flinched from surprise. “It is called Finger Cannon!”<
br />
  I took mental instructions from Sumahon and began to take a stance. I’d learned from Sumahon’s research that using Sri attacks worked best when you arranged your body in special stances that allowed for optimal Sri flow.

  This particular stance was odd. I stood straight backed and knees locked. Then I touched my right hand finger to my shoulder and brought it across my chest, all the while letting the Sri Projecting ability concentrate the energy at my fingertips. Then at the last moment, when it felt as if my finger might explode, I snapped my hand forward and shouted.

  “FINGER CANNON!”

  A concentrated beam of energy shot out towards the tree, and I cut the power a second after releasing it.

  A loud crack filled the air as it smashed into and out the other side of the tree. I missed the mark by several feet.

  Aetex motioned for me to continue, and I did. I spent the next three hours practicing until I was able to hit the mark 1 time out of 10. I am certain that Aetex would have pushed me further, but I was Sri depleted so many times that even after a good rest, I couldn’t manage a hair strand of power, much less stand for too long.

  “Time for lunch,” Aetex called, and I followed him into the eating area. Soon a vast array of food was set out and consumed.

  Congratulations! You learned a skill of Sri Projecting. Skill name: Finger Cannon.

  Finger Cannon: You have learned to concentrate and form a continuous funnel of power in the form of a tightened beam of energy. Damage is calculated the same as Base Sri Blast, but with a 50% additional chance to penetrate on impact.

  Congratulations! You’ve reached Level 5 as a Sri Projector!

  You’ve unlocked Sri Projector Specialization Tree…

  I brushed the notifications from my screen, too tired to finish reading. I felt like I was about to die. It was time to eat.

  ***

  “I have a mission for you. Before I give you the details I need to give you a word of caution,” Aetex said, wiping his mouth and his usual grin was wiped away as well, “You have learned several techniques in an amazing amount of time, but it is far better to be the master of one technique than be the student to many. I would urge you to pick a single move and focus on developing it. Otherwise, all that potential power will be wasted. Your potential is just that, a skilled master of a single technique with a lower overall potential will still wipe the floor with you.”