He hopped over and into the cart, which fell dark after a few moments. He returned and we gathered together behind the cart, pulling various implements out of our inventories and setting up camp as he continued talking.
“If they are able to pull parts of our consciousness from our minds, more than they already have in making this world so real, it means they can place it somewhere else, right? How else would you have each other’s memories after enacting a skill?”
“What, like cyborgs? Like moving our minds to robots?” Katarina grunted as she unfolded a metal lounging chair and dropped it on the ground, laying on it.
“Maybe? I really don’t know. I mean I guess I know more than you two, since I actually read through the legal stuff, but so much of the program is a mystery. It reminds me though, I been thinking about that Sect. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, sipping from a water skin as I sat on a folding chair of my own.
He stopped speaking for a moment, looking around while he organized his thoughts. “So it doesn’t make sense that the game would have an instance programmed that resulted in an entire region being destroyed. Hell, if you hadn’t returned the heart, it would have continued spreading until the whole world was affected. Why would they build a quest like that, especially in an Alpha where they should be testing core game mechanics?”
“Maybe the Alpha was the perfect time to test something like that,” Katarina rebutted, “smaller number of players, more controlled environment.”
“But why introduce that into the storyline ever? Especially in the first week of the Alpha?” Abernathy shook his head, sitting back down on his own chair. He had crafted it in a way that allowed his thick tail to fit through the back.
“You’re right, that doesn’t make sense.” I agreed. “What are you thinking?”
“Hackers.” Abernathy said. Katarina snorted. He looked over to her. “No I’m serious. How much money does the Habashi Corporation stand to make with this game? Think of how many ground breaking, revolutionary technologies are in play. It’s a lot.”
He pulled a cup of steaming tea from his inventory and took a cautious sip before continuing.
“I think someone is messing with the Alpha. Sabotaging it so the game fails.”
“That…” Katarina paused, tapping her lip in thought. “That actually makes sense. So you think some rogue group is stirring trouble?”
Abernathy nodded. “Spreading chaos so the Alpha fails. Like I said, if you two hadn’t returned that heart in time, it would have been a world ending event. There’s no way they would program that to happen on its own.”
“Shit.” Katarina breathed. “I wonder how many more world ending events there could be.”
“Its a huge, dangerous world. Who knows.” Abernathy sipped from his tea again.
“Cahl chased the Senc. If they are really being controlled by hackers, or saboteurs, or whoever, our best bet at stopping them from starting some apocalyptic event is getting to Bornholdt Keep.” I pulled up the map and zoomed out, cursing softly under my breath. “We’ve barely made any headway. The Levaddi Pass winds around the mountains in such a round-about path. We’re going to be in these mountains for days, if not weeks.”
“Good thing we brought plenty of supplies,” Abernathy chimed in, taking a big bite from a loaf of bread. Small vapors of warmth streamed from the bread and up into the night.
“We will just need to pick up the pace. And stop less.” Katarina took a bite of an apple.
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“Hard to do when the mountains block the sunlight for most of the day.” I replied.
“Can—” Katarina started talking, then stopped to swallow a bit of apple. “Can you come up with some kind of light for the wagon? Like you did with the disco ball, but outside? To help us see at night so we don’t have to stop?”
Abernathy nodded. “I could, but the donkeys need to rest. And what if we attract another moth?”
“Then we kill it.” Katarina said through a mouthful of apple.
“And what if there are five? Ten? Two dozen? Who knows what else could live in these mountains?”
“That’s a good point, Abe.” I leaned back and looked up. Stars had begun shining in the night sky. “Although it isn’t that dark when there are no clouds.”
They both looked up and around. “I can hardly see a thing.” Katarina replied.
“I can see a little, but I think elves must have better vision than humans and beastkin,” Abernathy replied.
“Can’t you whip up an engine or something, so the donkeys can rest?” Katarina asked, tossing her apple core off the side of the mountain.
“Whip up an engine? Like a souffle? That is complicated, extremely complicated.” Abernathy cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing and then widening.
“Souffles are complicated too,” Katarina mumbled under her breath as Abernathy continued.
“Actually I might be able to. I can see… incredible. I can see a blueprint in my mind. It would need a hefty infusion of mana to run, but I don’t use it for much more than crafting. I would need a couple of days to build it. I can start tonight.”
“That doesn’t solve the problems of the donkeys getting rest, though.” I said.
“I think they would be fine as long as they aren’t the ones pulling the cart.” Katarina replied. Abernathy was staring ahead, his eyes moving across an unseen interface.
“True, good point.” I shifted, taking another drink from my waterskin.
“Ready for some more practice?” Katarina asked, standing and dusting off her leggings. I returned the waterskin to my inventory and stood.
“Sure.”
After another hour of training we settled down to rest.
We awoke and broke camp, following the mountain trail under the gentle starlight. I performed Cahl’s Tatsu, and an hour later passed the second tier of my bond with the Lute of Azure Skies. A notification appeared as I did.
Bond increased! Stats increased! New Skill: Resonant Reconstruction 1/10
Resonant Reconstruction 1/10: Allows the bonded instrument to change it’s form at the will of the wielder. Requires infusion of mana to enact. Time required for transformation to occur decreases as the skill is increased. High levels provide additional forms. Current Forms available: 2. Current (Lute) and
Register Second form for Lute of Azure Skies?
Forms Available: 3
Pan flute
Bawi and Bachi
Hand Drum
I glanced down at the lute, which had grown slightly larger with the enhanced bond, considering. The only instrument of the three that provided real benefit was the Bawi. It would strengthen my illusions, which I really needed to practice.
A confirmation populated when I selected the Bawi, which I confirmed.
Secondary form set. New skill available! Resonant Reconstruction.
I focused on enacting the skill and small blue motes of mana drifted from my hands and arms, encompassing the lute. It began to glow gently, warming in my grip, and shifted, changing form. The neck shortened, and a small bachi emerged, nestled beneath the strings on the soundboard. I pulled the flat, fist-sized implement free from the strings. It was white, the color of clouds, with a similar shape. The instrument now identified as the Bawi of Azure Skies.
“Incredible,” I whispered as my hands shifted into position and I brushed the bachi over the strings, producing a beautiful sound from the bawi.
I had been sitting next to Katarina on the cart bench while Abernathy tinkered in the back, wrapping us in a cloak of musical invisibility. Katarina stopped the cart when I stopped playing and watched the transformation with silent amusement, but when she saw me play that first note her silence broke.
“Wow, your lute can transform? That’s so awesome. It’s so pretty!” She reached out tentatively, as if afraid that her touch might mar the surface, and caressed the edge of the soundboard. “It’s warm!”
I nodded. “Changing it’s shape seems to warm it up.” I replied.
“This is truly an incredible instrument,” Encore spoke from the top of the canvas on the cart, where he lay with his head hanging over the front. He had been providing a gentle bass rumble to strengthen the Tatsu.
“Wait.” Katarina laughed, covering her mouth and looking between Encore and me with a mischievous smile. “So you transform. Your bonded companion transforms. And now your lute transforms. What next? Your pants?”
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