Change

by Tony Corden

  Leah returned to the Tower and Gèng induced deep-sleep for two hours.

  As soon as she awoke, Gèng said, “John contacted me and suggested that this afternoon would be a good time for him to evaluate your archery skills.”

  “That works for me. Can you let him know I’ll be down in about fifteen minutes? I need to have an afternoon snack before I do anything else.”

  Fifteen minutes later Leah exited the main building to find John and several others practising with the bows. Leah knew that some in the Switch used bows for hunting bush-turkeys and kangaroo. Leah watched their form and realised she was judging them by the standards Lady Flèche would use. John was accurate, but his form would never satisfy Lady Flèche, as he hardly used any muscles except those in his arms, and his shots were out of sync with his breathing.

  As she approached, he turned and said, “Take your pick of bows and show me what you’ve got.”

  The rest of the archers placed their bows on a table John had set up and stepped back so Leah could make a choice. She looked through them all, testing the draw and finally settled on a simple bow similar to the first bow she used in Dunyanin. Leah examined the arrows, and though all were straight, several had poor fletching. She picked the ten best and placed them in a quiver over her right shoulder. Leah walked over to John who said quietly, “Ok, now I want you to shoot as accurately and quickly as you can, without going beyond normal human speed.”

  “How many arrows do you want me to shoot?”

  “All ten!”

  “Ok! But let me shoot one to test first, I’ll grab one from the table and be right back.”

  Leah grabbed an arrow and looked at the target John had set up. It was only twenty-five metres away. She nocked the arrow and aimed at the twelve o'clock position on the outside line of the circle he had drawn. She was pleased to see that all her practice had transferred to the real world and the arrow ended up close to where she wanted it to be.

  John quipped, “You’ll have to do better than that to impress me.”

  Leah smiled and then took some deep calming breaths. Breaths, that in Dunyanin would presage her Ki speed. She reached behind and then one after the other she shot all ten arrows. She placed the first nine of them in a circle around the target with the arrows roughly equally spaced and the final arrow embedded close to the bullseye. She had purposely kept her speed lower than when she played in Dunyanin.

  She turned to John and said, “If you want we can move the target back a bit. My virtual instructor also has a set of moving targets. I imagine if you had the guys throw things in the air that would work just as well.”

  He just stood still staring at her and then said, “If you are still offering, then I’ll go get the chip on Monday. That is enough for now. Tonight if you are free I’d like to check just how strong and fast you are. Can you be in the gym at nine?”

  Leah thought about what she needed to do and said, “No. The earliest I can be free is ten.”

  “Good! I’ll meet you outside your room at ten. Now go, I’ll retrieve the arrows for you.”

  Leah left and headed for her Pod where she decided to do one lesson from all of her Community College Courses. She knew she should do another test at MIT but didn’t want to get behind in the courses she had already started. By the time she had finished them, it was dinner time, so she spent an hour with her family. Both her mother and father wanted to discuss the meeting and her impression of the candidates.

  After dinner, she showered and made her way to Dunyanin, appearing in the Forest to find the others had disappeared, as expected. She was preparing to teleport to the edge of the river when she heard a twig break somewhere behind her. She dove forward and to her right, at the same time she equipped Baris and a knife. She twisted to land on her back and then continued the roll to bring herself upright and ready to face an attack. A large panther-like creature landed in the space she just vacated and turned to face her. Its shoulders were level with hers, and so it was looking her in the eye. Instead of fur, it was covered in scales that were mostly black, but turned a dark violet at the end of each paw.

  SCALED MANATHER (Level 240) 57600HP (12000EP)

  “Gèng, what’s a Manather?”

  “The bestiary says they are large cat-like creatures who absorb mana. It coalesces on their extremities in the form of scales. It can manipulate the mana into simple spells. The mana scales are highly resistant to any form of magical attack.”

  The Manather was watching Leah and slowly easing its centre of gravity lower as if to pounce. She unequipped the knife and cast chain lightning expecting it to have little effect except to give her time to find a strategy. She was stunned when the lightning simply vanished against the scaled pelt, and the Manather identification flashed briefly

  SCALED MANATHER (Level 242) 58564HP (12100EP)

  It snarled and opened its mouth wide and gave a deep throated and primal roar. Leah was disturbed when she heard an answering roar from nearby. She cast chain lightning a second time hoping for a similar result. This time she was ready for the roar and equipping Guzeltuya’s Bow she fired an arrow through the wide open mouth. The Manather’s HP dropped rapidly, and she stepped forward and brought Merdiven down hard on the sloped forehead. Its HP bar was blinking and she re-equipped Baris and thrust it forward and through one of the swirling purple eyes. The Manather was dead. She stood still for some time expecting a member of its pride to appear and attack. When it didn’t, she harvested the Manather

  You have harvested:

  1 Manather Pelt*

  2 Vials of Manather Blood**

  * Note: These are sometimes used to make clothing resistant to magical attack.

  ** Note: As a vampire, you may enjoy the benefits from this delicacy, it provides a two-hour buff which allows you to absorb the magic of any magical attack.

  Leah smiled at the first indication that the choice to be a vampire might have ongoing benefits. Instead of heading for the river she went looking for the Manather she'd heard nearby. Half-an-hour later and she’d found and defeated the other Manather, as well as a small swarm of amphitheres. She visualised the bank of the River Tehlikeli and teleported there. After stringing the ropes in readiness for her friends’ arrival, she spent seven hours making forays into the forest while she waited. She returned every hour or so, but it wasn’t until almost five o’clock, when on her return she found Eli, Elsa, Matt and Rana waiting for her.

  Once Leah joined the others, and after several minutes of catching up, Eli said, “So what now? It is another two hours to Göskel-Orman. What is your next step Atherleah?”

  “I need to visit the King and assure him that the House is under my control and that he can send his subjects to settle on my lands. I assume that there has been an announcement and that Travellers are already heading for the Forest.”

  Elsa interrupted and said, “Yes. The announcement was yesterday, and I expected people to already be on the other side and trying to get across. I’m a little concerned that no one is there.”

  “I put the rope bridge across several hours ago. Maybe people have already used it and disappeared into the forest. Anyway, after that, I need to be on my way as fast as I can to the Port of Tekne and from there by boat to Ticareti where I’ll meet my friends. What are you three going to do?”

  “We are tempted to come with you but will probably stay here for a while. Your lands will have new dungeons, and we are here at the start of the explorations. It is too good a chance to miss out on. My only worry is how we will get across the river. Any chance you can leave the bridge up? Until a town is formed there won’t be a resurrection point on this side of the river.”

  “I will leave it up, and I’ll also give you the coordinates of the place Namus and I decided was good as a starter town. We already added a resurrection point. Let’s divide all the loot from the trip to the house, and then you can decide what to do next. After that, I will cross the river and head back.”

  The three friends deci
ded to cross the river and stay on the other side that evening. Eli went first, followed by Elsa and Matt. As Matt was making his way across the river, Leah turned to Rana and said, “I am sorry I have been unable to travel with you so far. Has leaving the House been the experience you expected?”

  “I had no expectations Lady Atherleah. I just knew that I needed a change. Fighting with the unchanged has been challenging. I have had to learn new skills. If I had been by myself, I would have simply misted through the Forest and thereby missed the challenge of battle.”

  “You must teach me to Mist. I have the skill but have yet to practise it. Also, as we are companions and sisters you should call me Atherleah.”

  “Sisters?”

  “Well, both you and I have been changed by Namus. If he is our father, then we are sisters.”

  “What you say is true. I shall call you ‘Atherleah’ or ‘sister’. I shall not need the rope but shall mist across the river.”

  Leah teleported across and then said goodbye to Elsa, Eli and Matt. She said, “Keep in touch. If you still want to join Clan Guàn then message me, and I’ll set up a meeting.”

  Leah and Rana started down the trail to Göskel-Orman. When they were out of sight of the others, Leah said, “Rana, what did you do while the others slept during the night?”

  “I rested. I understand that you travellers visit other worlds and I enjoyed the safety of their camp.”

  “It is almost three and half hours running to reach the city. I have only an hour, and then I must leave to visit several other worlds before returning tomorrow at six. Are you comfortable to make your way toward the city on your own? If so, I will teleport to the city, visit the king and prepare for tomorrow’s journey down to the sea.”

  “I can do this. I shall meet you outside the city tomorrow at six in the morning.”

  Leah stepped away and teleported to the outskirts of the city and hurried to the palace where she was kept waiting for almost forty minutes before being able to see the King. After greeting him, she said, “Your Majesty, I have visited the Ebony House and taken control of it. The land is wild and dangerous, but it is now open for your people should they wish to build homes, villages and towns to live in. Travellers are now able to enter the land and harvest its resources.”

  “Well done Markiz Atherleah. We are pleased and will make this option known to the people. Already travellers have started to arrive in the city headed for the Deep Forest. The city abounds in stories of how dangerous it is. This will certainly bring even more travellers through my lands, and my merchants are pleased. Do you have anything further to speak with me about?”

  “Only one thing your Majesty, as well as Lady of the Deep Forest I am the Lady of Heykel. I have claimed the Marble Mine and cleared it of the beast who lived there. I know that many in your kingdom believe the mine is rightfully a part of their heritage. I would see the mine used and am willing to assign the administration of the mine to Göskel-Orman if we could reach an agreement on the distribution of profits.”

  “Surely it is for the King to assign the status of Lady of Heykel.”

  “With respect, your majesty, the mine is outside the borders of your realm. I would entertain allowing you priority access, for a percentage of all profits.”

  The King sent for the Minister of Finance, Lord H’zine and the three settled into haggling over terms. In the end, Leah assigned the administration of the mine to the Crown of Göskel-Orman, who agreed to administer the mine and protect all assets. Leah was to receive thirty percent of all profits. Part of the agreement she insisted on made provision for others besides High Elf traders to purchase the Marble.

  Finally, with the business concluded, Leah took her leave of the king and made her way to an Inn. After hiring a room for the night, she logged out and asked Gèng to empty her backpack of the various loot from the day. After a shower, she stepped out of her room to find John waiting for her. She started walking with him when Gèng said, “You have two messages. The first is from Amy who wants to know if you are free for a meeting at midnight. The second is from Elsa who says that the three of them would like to join Clan Guàn.”

  “Say yes to Amy and reply to Elsa that I will talk with the other members tonight.”

  John said, “What are you thinking about? You seemed preoccupied as you walked,”

  “Just dealing with some last minute correspondence. I was talking with Gèng.”

  “Does it distract you?”

  “Not usually, Gèng is very good at making sure I’m not distracted when something important or dangerous is happening. She knew we were walking in silence, so she knew it was okay to interrupt.”

  When they reached the gym, John checked it was empty and after a fixing a ‘Do Not Enter’ sign to the door they went inside. He locked the door. Leah was surprised when he took a device from his pockets and walked around the room with it. He answered her raised eyebrows by saying, “Just checking for unauthorised surveillance.”

  When he had finished he said, “Now, how much stronger than usual should these changes make you?”

  After checking with Gèng she said, “There are still some fibres being laid within the muscles, but with the current amount, I might be three times stronger than normal and the increase might eventually be ten times normal.”

  “Good! I looked it up, and someone who weighs what you do, which I suspect is around sixty kilograms, might be able to bench press just over their body weight if they'd been working out. Earlier I put forty kilograms on each end of a ten-kilo bar. You lifted ninety kilograms easily. Now, I don’t want to push it as there is no one here to spot for you, except me, but even adding all the weights we have, we’ll only be able to get at most 500 kg on the bar. Let’s start at 100 kg and work our way up. If you find it is difficult, we’ll stop there until we can figure out a safe method to test you. I might even need to have you buy a better weights gym or even a machine.”

  Leah agreed and lay down on the bench. Slowly John added the weights and stopped at 290 when he saw Leah straining. John said, “So that is 290 Kg. I assume that you could press more. There is no need for other tests until we have a better system. Now, let’s test speed. There is nowhere safe to see you run but I think a new treadmill would help. I imagine you won’t increase in speed ten times?”

  “Not with gravity playing a factor as well as wind resistance and all the various parameters that affect friction.”

  “So take two fighting sticks and move through the startup sequence of moves which I taught you years ago; just the first set. I’ll do the same after you time me performing them as fast I can, then I’ll time you.”

  The sequence was a training progression which John taught his students to help them practise every major move. Leah timed John working at top speed and he took just thirty-five seconds. Leah practised once and then attempted to speed up the moves. Her first attempt took twenty-five seconds and her third just twenty-seconds.

  Gèng interrupted and said, “Leah, another limiting factor is your perception of time. I have studied the material and believe I can currently increase your perception by a factor of three, let me make the change and then try again.”

  “All right, let me tell John first.”

  After she had explained to John what Gèng said she gave the go-ahead to Gèng, Leah didn’t notice any changes immediately until she looked at John and noticed his eyelid moving slowly in a blink. She began the sequence and went through it three times in a row. When she finished she could tell when Gèng stopped affecting her perception; John seemed to speed up.

  He said, “That looked much faster but I still timed it at twenty-one seconds.”

  “I did the sequence three times, John.”

  “So an average of seven seconds. That is at least five times faster than me, and I’m fast. So, what are your weaknesses?”

  “The carbon fibres are still being laid. My skull is currently being worked on and will have new fibres laid within a week. Gèng suggests I
find some clothing that will reduce friction through the air as well as both increasing friction at hands and feet. It would also be useful if it protected the skin from damage due to increased impacts.”

  “Gèng is probably best suited to research that and when I hear from her I’ll look for sources that will keep things quiet. Thanks for coming down tonight. I know it was mainly to satisfy my curiosity but also it helps me plan how to keep you safe. Now off you go. I need to spend some time in here after being so badly schooled by a scrawny little girl.”

  After saying goodbye Leah headed back to her room considering all the implications of the changes in her body. When she arrived she found herself famished and ate a whole second dinner, not just a snack. Gèng said, “You need to increase your food intake. I will let your mother know as she will need to make sure the food is readily accessible. You have fifteen minutes until Amy and the others arrive.”

  “Thanks, Gèng, I’ll be there soon.”

  Diary - 2 December 2073

  What am I becoming? I’m not genetically any different, and I don’t have any powers. I wonder if augmented or enhanced is a better word? I think I prefer enhanced. But what good will it be? It will be useful for protection but what else? I need to think about it some more. Whatever I do, I need to be careful about who knows. I have to be careful about how I act in front of people.

  I wonder what Sentience Level Four X means. I forgot to research it today. I truly am pleased for Gèng, but what does it mean for me? If she has no controls is that good or bad? But she does have controls; she has her programming and her own sense of right and wrong. I wonder if an artificial intelligence can sin? Is she truly free if she is constrained? Constraints are good, and society only works when there are guidelines and parameters to live by. Anarchy is harmful. Having said that, do we need the freedom to break the rules, to be really free when we follow them? Is this the free will that people talk about? Is this true sentience? Because, it has to be more than intelligence.