Dream Drive Ch. 04

Author's Note:

I just wanted to say that I read every comment, and they've been immensely flattering. Thank you for taking the time to write them and vote on my story.

Criticism is always welcome! A lot of this is flying by the seat of my pants, so don't be afraid to make suggestions. In particular, there's a bit of analytical number crunching in this part of the story. It can get a little involved, at times. Let me know if it's too much.

All aspects of the story are fictional. All characters that participate in sexual activity are over the age of 18.

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Jackson had a lot going on.

For one thing, a beautiful, mocha-skinned beauty was languishing next to him on the grassy bank of a creek. They rested on their sides; he was fitted neatly behind her back and legs. His softened erection was still inside of her, comfortable as could be in a sheath of moist warmth.

For another thing, Isis had just prompted him to create a bond with said woman. Whatever that was.

On Jackson's left hand was a black, inverted pentagram. It was a nasty, twisted thing, as if a vengeful spirit had come and dragged a knife through his skin, staining it with some sort of otherworldly ink. There was no raised bumps, no actual scar, but it certainly looked ugly.

A similar symbol was now glowing in white on the back of Chaki's hand. Her pentagram was not a scar, but a neat, sharp-edged sign drawn by a careful hand. Jackson now had to select one of the five points of his pentagram for her bond, or, alternatively, not make a bond at all.

An almost reptilian segment of his brain urged him to stake his claim on the svelte young woman that was pressed up next to him. The problem was, he had no idea what it would do.

The floating text of the game that sometimes decided to overlay the world of Isis told Jackson it would benefit them both; she'd gain the powers of the star-marked, and he'd gain some sort of power based on her traits. Isis did not define the word 'traits'. Isis did not define a lot of things, and Jackson did not like ambiguity in his video games. He liked concrete answers. He liked help files. He liked journals, and numbers, and equations, and armor ratings, and hit percentages, and critical chances. He did not like things that promised unknown benefits in exchange for unknown amounts of danger.

What were the powers of the star-marked, exactly? He glanced at his scar. He'd turned his life into a video game. He now had a health bar, and instead of taking injury, he lost health points. When he killed things, he absorbed their essence, and he could use it to strengthen himself or perform special abilities. He could effectively manage his visual experience through an options menu. He was able to transport himself to this other place, the world called Isis that was apparently also the foundation of the Tower of Babel.

That was about the size of it.

Yeah, he had a lot going on.

"Jackson?" Chaki waved at the translucent pentagram hanging in the air. "Are you just going to let it hang there?"

Jackson studied the star. Each of the points was marked with a label - The Sunrise, The North Star, The Abyss, The Legion, and The Fall. Each one conferred particular benefits to the 'Bonded' - that would be Chaki. The game didn't elaborated.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

"Not much."

"Liar."

"Why do I have to be thinking something?" Jackson said. "I've got you curled up against me. Maybe I'm thinking about that."

"Good try, but no."

"How would you know?"

"You have that look on your face."

"I do?"

"Mmm-hmm." Chaki leaned her head back to smile at him. She rubbed his leg. "Your eyes narrow a bit, and you just have this sort of...expression. Like there's a hundred things you can see that no one else can and you're working out how they all run together."

"Oh. Huh."

"So...tell me what you're thinking. I don't know as much about Isis as you do."

"My head can be a boring place."

"Try me."

"Chaki - "

"Jackson Vedalt," she said. "Tatanka Ska. Do not hide yourself from me."

"...alright," Jackson said. "So I've got this sign on my hand. What I thought was going to be another game has turned out to be something real. I've been summoned by Shakhan to take on some great quest."

Chaki rose up on an elbow. His length slipped out of her when she shifted. Jackson missed her immediately. The prairie air felt icy after the heat of her body.

He wasn't the only one frowning. She glanced at where their waists met for a moment, as if reconsidering, but eventually settled down facing him. "You haven't told me about the last part."

Jackson explained to her what Shaka had told him - and what he'd seen back in the tent, when the flames of the fire turned black and Shakhan had possessed the spirit guide to give him a message. A group of beings called the Fallen were trying to attack the Gate of Heaven, which he suspected was his own homeworld, Earth. His banishment to the bottom of the tower was supposed to kill him. They knew he was still alive, and they were coming after him. He needed to see Shakhan in person to figure out how to protect himself and stop them from completing their plans.

"Mother Earth," Chaki said. "This is getting serious."

"It's been serious," Jackson said. "And I still don't know everything. I'm getting in way over my head."

"...this had better not be some circuitous method to avoid bonding me."

"You actually want to be, uh, bonded?"

"I said I was yours, Jack," she said. "I meant it. Didn't you mean it, when you said it?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's a pretty noticeable problem, Chaki."

She turned her head at him and raised an eyebrow. "You don't want me involved."

"Look," Jackson said, "there's a million variables I can't wrap my head around. You read the text. What exactly encompasses the powers of the star-marked? Where does my life begin and my abilities end? What sort of benefit will I get from you on my end? What's the difference between the different points on the pentagram? What the hell else will happen that it hasn't told us? Because so far it feels like I've been lied to about five hundred times, and I don't want to throw you into a pit when I can't see the bottom, alright?" Jack stopped. He took a breath, let his voice cool off. "I'm not saying I don't want you around, I just don't want to - I still don't understand the consequences of what's happened to me. There's too much I don't know. I can't bring you into that in good conscience."

"Sometimes," Chaki said, "we have to make decisions even when we don't know everything about a situation. And maybe we'll look back and wish we did something else - but we can only make the choice that seems right knowing what we know now, not what we know in the future. And right now..." She met his gaze. "I want this."

"...you're not going to let this go, are you?"

Chaki shook her head.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to finish what you started," she said. "I said I was yours. Now that you're a member of the tribe, we'll be married, of course, but this is different."

"Wait. What?"

Chaki cocked one of her eyebrows so high he thought it might fly off her face. "I hope you did not believe I would throw myself at a man without the intention of joining with him permanently? I am not some immodest...floozy."

"Says the naked chick."

Chaki sniffed. "It was a wonderful consummation of our blossoming relationship."

"Right."

"Jackson," she said, her voice growing serious, "do not test me on this. Many of my people wed at the Mountain Meet. Shaka can hold our ceremony. It will be perfect." She had a distant smile. "It is traditional to exchange a vow-gift. Make sure you present me with an item worthy of my affections."

Jackson's brain was spinning. It had been doing that a lot, lately. "Chaki, for god's - for Shakhan's sake, I guess, let's do one thing at a time. Bond. Okay. Yes, I want to be with you. But also I want to keep you safe. There's a chance I could die, you know?" Jack brushed her hair back and held her cheek. "Getting to know you, and Shaka, and everyone...it's been kinda hectic, but I've enjoyed it. But this isn't a vacation. Frankly, I don't know if I'll be able to handle it."

"I know," she said. "That's why you need me." She leaned into his hand, putting her own on top of it. "Jack. If you are so afraid of what lies ahead, then why haven't you gone home?"

"...go home? Home to what?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I said," Jackson said. "Home to what? High school? A mother that could care less if I vanished off the face of the earth? A world that doesn't give a damn if I live or die? A world so bad that I'd rather go and lose myself in fantasies?" He stared at her. "Why do you think I signed up for this when I thought it was a game? I wanted to get away. Shit, I'd rather die here than live back there. Anyway, that's all beside the point. I've barely known you two days and I know you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"At least you are not hiding yourself anymore."

"But are you sure about this?"

"Do I seem unsure to you?" Chaki asked.

"No. For reasons I don't really get, you don't."

"Do you find it such a wonder, Tatanka Ska?"

"Actually, yes."

"Stop stalling and make the bond. I shall tell you afterward."

"I wasn't stalling," Jackson mumbled. He looked up at the pentagram floating above them. Chaki followed his eyes. "Which one of these points are you?"

"Well," she said, "you get to pick. What do you think I am?"

He smiled at her. Jackson was not an excitable person; his was a small smile, just a slight curve of his lips, a scrunch at the corner of his eyes. "That's easy. You're the North Star."

"Not the Sunrise?"

"Well, I could see that," he said. "But...you're not a big dramatic flash of light. You're steady, strong. Constant. I mean...look at what you just said. I kinda get stuck around in my own thoughts, sometimes. You dragged me out of them. When I wasn't sure how to behave back at the feast, you helped me. You're the student of a spirit guide. That's exactly what you are - my north star."

"So, the north star is something that guides and steadies, then?"

Jackson suddenly realized that their sky did not have a north star. This was another world entirely. "You know how the stars move over time?" he asked.

"Of course." Her brown eyes lifted overhead, inspecting the swath of stars that was broken by a few clouds. Out on the plains, there were not lights but for the camp's distant fires. The night sky twinkled with points of light and glowed in the hazy colors of distant nebulas. "We follow their paths carefully. It helps us keep our place on the plains, though it is rare we need resort to them. The land may seem uniform to someone not accustomed to it, but there are many things that mark our paths."

"Well, in reality, the stars aren't moving relative to us," Jackson said. "The entire world we stand on is slowly turning, so it appears that the stars are moving."

Chaki blinked. "Is that really so? I've never felt as though we were moving. Wouldn't we be flung into the air?"

"We're moving at the same speed, so it doesn't feel like we're moving. Gravity - that's the force that pushes everything to the ground - is enough to keep you pinned to the surface."

"It sounds complex."

"We've proved it back in my world. I don't think it would be that much different here. I can show you the science sometime."

"I think that would be interesting."

Jackson pointed up at the great bank of gas and flickering light that stretched across the night above them. "There's one star, named Polaris, that sits right above the northernmost cap of the world. Say you stuck a rod through the earth to mark the axis that it turns on. Polaris almost lines up right with that. So while all the other stars move, Polaris is almost totally still. That's why we call it the North Star. Since ancient times, we've used it as a reference point to navigate huge distances, when we have nothing else."

"...I am your north star." Chaki nodded. "Don't soon forget it, Jack."

"I won't," he said. "You'll keep reminding me."

"You're slowly learning." Chaki waved at the pentagram. "You were right, Jackson. Pick that point."

Jackson reached out and touched the upper left point of the inverted pentagram. The label flashed brightly. A prompt appeared in front of him.

Are you sure you wish to make this Bond under the guiding light of the North Star?

Yes

No

"Yes," Jackson said.

The screen vanished. Chaki's pentagram started to glow brighter, and brighter, until it was so bright he could see the red of blood through her skin.

Jackson's eyes widened. "Oh shit, they'll see that." He grabbed her hand and held it between them, shielding it from the camp. It still shone brighter, glowing through their clothes like a lantern.

And then it died.

When Jackson looked up, his screen had changed. A smaller healthbar labeled 'Chaki' was located under his own. A blue line connected her name to his.

"Jackson," she said, "I think something's wrong with my eyes. There's this red line -"

"That's your health bar," Jackson said. "Instead of taking injuries, you'll lose points from your bar."

"I don't understand."

Jackson cleared his throat. This would take a little explaining.

After a five-minute crash course in video game basics, Chaki more or less had the gist of it. "So," she said, "the reason you were able to defeat all those rattok was because of this advantage."

"That's right. Looks like you've got it, too."

"What happens if it empties?"

"Don't know," Jackson said. "Don't plan on finding out."

"A good thought," Chaki said. "After your fight...how much health did you have left?"

"Enough," Jackson said.

"Jack."

"Not very much at all," Jackson admitted, "but I survived."

She sighed and flared her nostrils, but did not press him for an exact number. "Jackson...this is incredible magic. I'm like you, then." She nodded. "This is good. As your first wife, I need to support you fully in your endeavors."

"Um...ok."

"Does that not strike you as proper?"

"I just think I'm going to need some getting used to the whole husband and wife thing."

"You are hesitant about our marriage," she said. "Why?"

"I told you why," Jackson said. "You said you'd -"

Another panel flashed in front of them. It had taken its time showing up. The magic must have finished its work.

You have created a Bond with Chaki, the Dancing Huntress (Level 5)

"The Dancing Huntress?" Chaki said. "I like it. What does level 5 mean?"

Bond Benefits

10% Increase to Spirit

5% Increase to Agility

1 Additional Word Slot

You gain a sense of the physical location and feelings of your bonded partner. This sense grows sharper the closer you are.

Light of the North Star

With focus, Chaki can sense nearby treasure and essence crystals.

"Hey, now we're talking," Jackson said. "This is sweet. I've got a 25% boost to Spirit now. I wish I knew what a Word slot is, though. Maybe when I talk to Shaka something will happen."

"What about my level?" Chaki asked.

"I think your level is a measure of your overall strength. Maybe your stats aren't as detailed as mine. I'll look into it later."

"Oh, look! We always know where the other is?" Chaki sighed. "That's romantic."

"And you can find treasure. That's great!"

"I will not be a glorified hunting dog."

"Didn't say you would be," Jackson said quickly. "Just...making an observation."

Bond of Passion

When Jackson or Chaki is in danger, the other will gain a significant boost to Agility and Strength.

They scrolled to the bottom. They both blushed. Neither said anything.

"It says...passion," Chaki said.

"Yes. Yes it does."

She looked at him. "Guess it makes sense."

"Yeah."

"I'm glad." She pushed herself into his chest, snuggling close. Her breasts pressed on his skin. "I'm part of you, now. Part of your life."

"Chaki," he said, "you said you would tell me why you were so sure about this."

Chaki was quiet. She stared at his chest for a moment, then looked up at him. "Do you believe in fate, Jackson?"

"No."

"...that was a quick answer."

"Well, I don't."

"I do," Chaki said. "I believe in fate. Shaka has never given me a straight answer on the subject. But I believe that fate sent you to me."

"Fate has its work cut out for it, then."

"Why did you stay, back when you saved us?" Chaki said. "Even with your health bar, the rattok might have very well killed you. Why didn't you run?"

Jackson shrugged.

"You won't escape that easily," she said. Her hand was very suddenly on his crotch. "Won't you tell me?"

"Chaki -"

"Please?" Slender brown fingers stroked the underside of his cock. Jackson felt a tickling pleasure travel into him. "I'm very curious."

"I thought...I was asking the questions."

"I'm always asking the questions," she said. Her fingers trailed back down his shaft and curled up at his balls, scratching gently through the hair. "I can use this for fun..." Her nails dug into his skin, just enough to make the slight pinch that much more stimulating. "...or for other things."

"Let's not get too hasty," Jackson said. "I...I don't know. Let me think."

She nodded and released him. "Take your time and find your words. Just keep in mind what will happen if you don't."

Jackson felt distracted. His cock was hardening up after the enticing contact. "I can't decide whether you're submissive or...dominant."

Chaki gave him an imperious look. "It depends upon the needs of my husband. Sometimes you need a push. Sometimes...I want to be pulled."

"I like the sound of that."

She tapped his cheek. "Focus."

Jackson thought. He thought about a lot of things in his life, a lot of explanations. He wasn't sure which one was the right one. He had principles. He had standards. He also had his apathy.

But in that moment, he had not been apathetic.

"It was you," Jackson said. "It was when I saw you."

Chaki looked at him, asking him to go on with her eyes.

"You were...lost," Jackson said. "You were sitting in the cage, and I could see how they'd beaten the life out of you. You'd been reduced to...I can't even imagine you like that, now that I know you. But you stood up, and looked at me, and it was like the light came back into your eyes. You came back to life. It was like watching north star starting to burn again. I watched your spirit rekindle itself. I couldn't leave you after seeing that. I couldn't make myself do it. I couldn't crush that hope." Jackson sighed and shook his head. "That sounds way too stupid, but that's what made me stay."

Chaki's voice was very quiet. "I don't think it sounds stupid. It sounds like how I felt."

"Oh," Jackson said.

"You almost ran."

"I did." Jackson's mouth shrunk up. "I almost took off. Part of me told me to leave you there and get out. No one would ever know. You'd just get eaten. I didn't know you. I had to get away." He shook his head. "I'm not a hero, Chaki. So please stop acting like I am. Hell, I -"

"In the end, you didn't," Chaki said. "You didn't run away. You stayed and fought."

"But -"

"So you had some bad thoughts!" Chaki said. "All that proves is that you are human. Everyone has a dark voice inside of them, whispering and seducing them toward the easy path in life. You are more the hero because, despite its words, you refused to listen! Men are not brave for lack of fear, Jack, they are brave because they charge forward in spite of it. That is something my father told me."

Chaki shifted a bit and draped an arm around him. She rubbed gently on his back. He sighed. "When I was young," she said, "I sat on his knee and he told me about the times he almost died, the moments in war that he thought he would never see my mother and I again. But still, he fought - like you did. You are even more a Man-Under-The-Mountain than you realize." Her hand stopped at his shoulder, gripping tightly. "Where has your confidence gone, oh-so-suddenly? You are not whoever Jackson Vedalt used to be. You are Tatanka Ska! You have been renamed! You are a warrior! Act like it! Embrace it!" Her grip lessened. "And every time you forget, every time you falter, I shall be there to steady you. I am your north star. I see this now. It sings in my bones. That is the reason I am drawn to you, Jackson. Perhaps it was that I saw my father in you. Perhaps it was you seemed the warrior I had been waiting for, the man I had wished was in my life. I know now that it is everything at once. It is fate. You are the half of me I have been missing."