Dream Drive Ch. 07

"Hanta," Jackson said, "I --"

"I have my pride, too," Hanta said. "Let me spar with a warrior of Shakhan. I wish to see how I fare!" Hanta smiled and smacked his chest.

"Yeah," Jackson said. "Let's do it."

They descended their side of the hill.

****

By the time they were finished, the sun was setting and Hanta could no longer lift his spear. Vuntha didn't get involved as much, as he didn't want to overly exhaust himself.

Jackson didn't have that problem. A few minutes lying on the grass cured his fatigue, so long as it wasn't hunger-related.

And now they sat. Vuntha was staring up at the mountain. Jackson was staring down at it. He picked at the grass.

"Why is it," Hanta said, "that you look at the bottom of the mountain?"

"Huh?"

Hanta gestured toward the field of black rock not far from where they lay. "Everyone looks at the mountain in the same way. They look up, to the sky. It is only natural..." Hanta's voice lowered. "The way it pierces up, as if it is a spear meant to puncture the ceiling of the world. Shaka says it is a guidepost to the One-Above-The-Sky." He glanced at Jackson. "You look down, not up. What are you looking for?"

Jackson glanced at his scar. He hadn't touched it. He was afraid of touching it, ever since that first day - when he brushed it with a finger and a prompt asked him if he'd like to travel to the 9th Circle.

"Something bothers you," Hanta said.

"Is it normal," Jackson said, "to learn as fast as I'm learning?"

Hanta shook his head. "You have an incredible talent."

Jackson frowned. He squinted at the pentagram.

"What's the problem?" Vuntha said. "I find myself wishing to have your ability."

"Yeah, but..."

"But what?"

"I don't know." Jackson let his hand fall to the grass. "Is this right? Is this okay? What's the catch?"

"The catch?" Vuntha asked.

"Yeah," Jackson said. "What's the downside? I mean, I've got a scar. Not a big deal. Where's the bad part?"

"What makes you think there has to be a bad part?"

"There's always a catch," Jackson said. "Always. I haven't found it yet. It's freaking me out."

"They say power comes at a cost," Hanta said. "You are gaining great power. You wonder at the cost."

"Exactly," Jackson said. "I don't know what's happening to me." He snorted. "I mean, I might not care so much, but I...I don't know."

"Hmm," Hanta said. "I think I know."

The bond prodded him. Jackson glanced up. "Chaki's coming."

"How do you know?" Vuntha asked.

"I just do."

Light flickered on the rocks behind them. Chaki, standing at the top of the hill, cast a distended shadow across the grass. She waved her hand, then cupped her mouth. "Warriors! Have you finished sparring, or do you have more Death-Walkers to defeat?!"

"Come back later!" Jackson shouted back. "We're busy saving the world!"

Chaki's dark hair trailed behind her as she ran down the hill. A bow and a quiver were slung over her hide dress. She skittered to a halt when she reached them. "Jackson, I have so much to tell you! I tried using my magic, like you asked. You won't believe what I can do with an arrow!" She glanced at Hanta and Vuntha. "Perhaps we could speak on it later, though."

"It's fine," Jackson said.

Hanta raised a hand. "If it is your own business, Jackson, I understand."

"It's okay if you guys hear it. Besides, if I'm alone with Chaki, Shaka will show up and start peeling my skin off."

Vuntha snorted again. Hanta chuckled. "Then I shall act as your chaperone."

"So, what's up?" Jackson asked.

"Watch this," Chaki said. She moved away from them, closer the black rock at the base of the mountain. She drew her bow, nocked an arrow, and sighted down a boulder.

She held this position for a moment. Over the course of one or two seconds, the tip of the arrow began to shine, until it was as bright as a light bulb with the shade removed. Jackson made a tight squint; Hanta and Vuntha shielded their eyes.

Chaki released.

The arrow shot forward. A trail of gold traced its path through the air. It slammed into the boulder and impacted with a flash. The golden streamer marking the arrow's path hung in the air for a moment, then vanished.

Chaki continued to fire, nocking an arrow, holding, then releasing in quick succession. Explosive flashes struck the rock like firecrackers.

Chaki lowered her bow. She was panting hard; she wiped her hand across her forehead. "Come on, come see."

Hanta was already on his feet. "Chaki, are you alright? I do not know magic, but I know Shaka. That was several days of meditation you just expended."

Chaki gave them a tired grin. "Not anymore. Come look at this!"

They walked up to the boulder. Jackson's eyes widened. The head of each arrow was buried at least an inch into the rock. A blackened ring surrounded each one. He whistled in appreciation.

"I know. It punched straight through a straw target." Chaki set a foot on the boulder and grunted, trying to pull an arrow free. It snapped off, leaving the flint head still in the rock. She blinked for a moment, staring at the ruined shaft, then growled and threw it on the ground. "Demons and dead suns!"

"Watch your words, girl," Hanta said.

"Sorry."

"You should have thought more carefully before firing into a rock." Hanta peered at the tiny craters. "That is something. Are you alright?"

Chaki nodded. "I'm fine. Anyway, Jackson, I was practicing with my bow, and you said to try using essence with my attacks. I tried focusing it into one of my shots. I got one of those screens -- with the see-through words! It said I learned an ability called 'Power Shot', and that it was level 1, and there was some other number with a strange symbol I didn't know."

"Probably the percentage," Jackson said. With a glance and a mental command -- he figured out he didn't need to use his fingers -- he brought up the status window. The pentagram with his attributes had her picture at the upper left-hand point. He tapped it.

An image of her appeared in front of him. It displayed her with her bow in hand, draped in her bison-skin dress, rotating slowly.

Chaki, the Dancing Huntress (Level 7)

Talents: Agility, Persuasion, Spirit

"...I still can't see anything, but it says you're level 7 now. Try opening your status window."

"Um..."

"Say game menu."

"Game menu?" Chaki asked the air. A screen blipped in front of her. "Oh, it's me! Wow...oh, there's a picture of you. Right, I'm that point on the star."

"Go to your abilities."

Chaki lifted her finger. "Um...how do I do that?"

Jackson made a face. "How about the big tab that says abilities?"

"Don't give me that look. I don't know about any of these...electronics, things."

"Did you forget how to read, too?"

"You may take your words and shove them down your throat," Chaki said. She ignored Vuntha's sniggering and touched the button. The list of her active abilities took up the center of her menu. It was short -- only the one ability.

Power Shot: Imbue an arrow with more force, giving the attack extra damage and increasing its chances of piercing armor.

- Essence Cost: 15

- Level: 9

- Progress: 57.5%

"Level 9!" Chaki clutched her bow to her chest. "I'm getting stronger! This is amazing!"

Jackson made a small smile. It was the first time he'd seen Chaki so excited about this aspect of their relationship. "It's cool, right? This is why I like video games."

She pointed. "Is that the percentage you mentioned, at the bottom?"

"It's your progress to the next level," Jackson said. "You leveled up fast because you were using essence to practice. I did some experiments, and that works better than doing it without essence. And doing it in a live situation helps even more." He squinted. "That seems too easy for you, though, because you can restore your essence all the time. I bet it's capped by your overall level."

"So, I have to make myself stronger as a whole before I can progress far in any one area."

"I think that's it exactly," Jackson said. "You sure you're okay on essence?"

Chaki sat on the grass, folding her legs beneath her. She rested her hands on her knees. "In a few minutes, I'll be back to normal. I can absorb essence incredibly quickly now."

"Chaki," Jackson said, "what happens if you use too much essence? I asked Shaka once, and she said...well, that you'd die."

Hanta and Vuntha had been quiet. Their heads swiveled, trying to keep up with the game chatter. At that comment, their eyes widened.

"It's not guaranteed, but it's bad," Chaki said. "If you use essence you do not have, your body pays the price. If you are not strong enough, you could die."

"So..." Jackson's eyes flicked up to his status bar. His essence sat at 123. His health was full, now 248 points. If he overextended and used more than 123 essence, he'd pay for it in health. "I get it. I'll be careful."

"How was your practice?" Chaki asked.

"Very productive," Jackson said. "I'll tell you in a second. I want to try something." He drew a gemstone out of his pocket; a ruby he'd bought on his trip back to Earth. It was small - barely the size of the tip of a pen. It was set in a plain metal band. "Can you charge this with essence?"

Chaki nodded. "Where did you get this?"

"The pawn shop next to Al's."

"I didn't know you could acquire them that easily."

"They're costly," Jackson said. "But easier than digging them up."

Chaki held the ring in both her hands and focused. A gold-hued glow flickered to life around the ruby. Jackson could sense her effort; it pulsed at him, almost like a magic spell. Chaki held there for a moment, eyes shut tight, and then released it. "Not much. It can hold a little more." She slumped a bit. "Give me a moment. I need to recover."

"That's plenty already. Here, let me see." He took it back from her. It felt like an essence crystal, now -- raw energy, ready to go. It wanted to go. The essence was churning inside the ruby, eager to be used for something.

He clenched it with the same sort of mental grip he used for his own essence and pulled it into his core. It was sucked into him in a heartbeat. Easier to take than to give. He looked up at his essence bar.

It was now divided into two parts. A dark blue section -- the same as before -- contained the same number, 123. A smaller baby-blue bar was seated on top of it with the number 22.

He opened his menu and touched the pentagram to open his attributes screen. The six categories appeared at each point of the black star, with Spirit in the middle. Each one had a slider underneath it that let him contribute essence.

One line at the top of the screen told him everything he needed to know.

Available Essence: 123

Jackson sighed. "You win some, you lose some."

"What?" Chaki asked.

"I thought I'd be able to use that essence to make myself stronger," Jackson said, "but I can't. Only the stuff I earned myself can be put into Attributes. I can probably burn this for abilities or enchantments, though. Nothing to complain about."

Chaki thought for a moment. "...I see what you mean. That is a shame." She smiled. "I will have to give you all you can hold."

"We'll leave a little wiggle room, just in case I get more somehow," Jackson said. "But we can fill up all the gems."

"Then we shall."

"You need a hand up?"

Chaki smiled, and raised her hand. Jackson pulled her up.

She shot off the ground too-fast, waved her arms around dramatically, stumbled into him, and kissed him on the cheek. She drew her head back, leaving her arms wrapped around his shoulders. "Oops! That was clumsy."

Hanta rolled his eyes. "Accidents happen. Now separate before Shaka decides to kill me."

"Shaka isn't here."

"The woman can sense these things," Hanta said. He glanced up the hill with a haunted look. "I swear by the One-Above. I don't know how she does it, but she does."

"It's not just you," Jackson said. "She has a sixth sense."

"Thank goodness. No one else believes me."

"Don't encourage him," Vuntha muttered.

"Save your breath, son. You'll need it during the race."

Vuntha grinned and exchanged a knowing look with Jackson. "I'll have breath to spare."

Chaki eyed the two of them. "What are you planning, exactly? You're not going to cheat, are you?"

"What?" Jackson said. "Of course not. What makes you say that? I'd never cheat."

Chaki stared at him. Her suspicion floated through their bond like a fog. "I don't believe you."

"We should be getting back to camp," Jackson said. He started up the hill at a brisk pace, putting the mountain at his back. "I need something to eat. You hungry, Vuntha?"

"Starving," Vuntha said. "I hope we're having soup tonight. I'm sick of wasna."

"I love that stuff."

"I'm surprised you like it. Most traders that pass through the tribes seem to avoid it."

"Guess I just have good taste."

Chaki kept pace with them. She was still giving Jackson a look, but she allowed the change of subject without further prodding. Jackson figured she wasn't going to prod too much either way. She wanted to see Boonta fall on his flat face as much as he did.

They crested the hill.

Spread below them was a sea of tipis, campfires, and milling people. Over ten thousand of the People-Under-The-Mountain had gathered for the Meet. The tipis were roughly divided into fat, disorganized circles, each one marking one of the five tribes. The dark shoulder of the mountain swept out behind the chosen campsite, embracing the north and east sides of the camp. In the distance, the herds of horses were being led over the grasses, swept here and there under the watchful eyes of the herdsmen.

After five days, lanes had been beaten into the grass along the borders of the groups - not by intent, but by the sheer number of people walking to and fro. The tribes traded and interacted incessantly. It was like one big family reunion, with political maneuvering injected somewhere between.

Most of the tribes had one specialty or another. The Dust-Gatherers made pottery from the clay-rich soils in their territory. The East Walkers often traded with more sedentary farming villages on the other side of the plains from the empire of the Iron Men. The Windseekers and the Drawn Bows were both exclusively bison hunters; they were the most mobile in pursuing the herds. The Three Hills, on the other hand, were much more stationary; they had established farming villages and the largest overall population. The other tribes swarmed around their central position, hawking their gathered and crafted goods in exchange for dried fruits and vegetables.

A thick plume of red smoke rose from a large tent central to the gathering. It looked like a cluster of tipis connected by a thick hide awning. That was where the elders and the spirit guides had been meeting every day to discuss the affairs of the People. Everyone gave the meeting space a respectful distance; while the smoke burned red, the discussions were private.

Shaka avoided talking about the meetings. She told them that war with the Iron Men was a major topic, but no more.

"Either way," Chaki said to him, "make sure you eat well. You will need all your strength tomorrow."

"Heh, yeah."

They were still a good walk from the camp, so Jackson pulled his foldout screen out to study his rooms. Maybe it was the daily beating he'd suffered on his hands and wrists, but his hands seemed empty if he wasn't doing something while on the move.

The screen jumped, then buzzed. It shut off.

Jackson tapped it a few times. Nothing happened. He sighed, then let it snap back into the wristband.

"What's wrong?" Chaki asked.

"I think it just needs a charge," Jackson said. "I'll plug it into the solar panel later on. I must have forgot last night."

"Right, electricity," Chaki said. "I don't understand how you question the soul, but you believe in little buzzing electrunes."

"Electrons."

Chaki waved him off. "If you say so."

"If you're going to learn physics, you'll have to learn about them eventually."

"Math is not physics."

"Yeah, but you want to apply it, right?"

"We can discuss that once I have a strong foundation," Chaki said. She smiled. "I'm training in magic and math. I feel like I'm a novice again, learning my first runes."

"Don't remind me. My fingers still hurt."

"Poor Jackson. Did you forget a rune or three?"

"More like a rune or twenty," Vuntha said.

They both started chuckling at their own wit. Jackson made a face. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."

They reached the edge of the tents. Hanta went off in another direction -- something about checking on the horses.

Almost immediately, they were accosted. Jackson sighed. The word had gotten around that he wasn't interested, but it didn't stop some of them trying.

A young woman presented herself in front of them. She was a little older than Jackson's age -- maybe her early twenties. Her brown hair was done in a traditional braid woven with beads; a necklace of feathers was strung around her neck. She had a small but bright smile.

She clasped her hands and bowed. "Might I have the honor of meeting Tatanka Ska?"

"Yeah, that's me," Jackson said.

"My name is Katha. I am of the Three Hills." She let her hands fall. "Might we speak together?"

"I'm not sharing my tent with anyone, if that's what you want to talk about."

The girl drew back slightly. "I had heard that was so, but...I thought perhaps I might draw your attention."

"I mean..." Jackson looked over at Chaki. She had her arms folded and her nose stuck so high in the air it might get caught in a passing cloud. Her face had a look that said I am going to ignore this but you had better not do anything. Or else.

"Yes?" Katha said.

"You're, um, pretty," Jackson said. He cleared his throat. "That's not it. I mean, I just don't do that. That sort of thing."

"I see. My husband wanted to know if some of Shakhan's strength would be passed to him."

"I don't think it works like that."

Katha smiled again, and bowed. "I had guessed this would be your answer. Thank you for not ignoring me. I wish you luck in the games."

Jackson found himself smiling back. "Thanks, Katha. Sorry."

"No apology is needed." She turned and walked back toward her own encampment.

"You took your time rejecting her, didn't you?" Chaki said.

"I'm not used to being propositioned by random strangers, alright? Can we just pretend this isn't happening?"

Vuntha shook his head. "I don't know why you snivel up to Chaki in this, Jackson. If a husband wants to let you borrow his wife so that he can share in your strength, it's your business, not hers."

"Jackson's culture doesn't work like that," Chaki said.

"You're just jealous."

"Um," Jackson said, "I think --"

"Jealous?" Chaki said. "We aren't yet wed. Their approaching him disrespects our engagement."

"Right."

"I'm not jealous."

"You seem pretty annoyed for someone who isn't jealous."

"Did you become the spirit guide while I wasn't looking, Vuntha?"

Vuntha snorted. "I don't need to be one to see what's right at my feet."

"Perhaps your eyesight needs a forceful adjustment."

"Look," Jackson said, "I told you on the first day here I wouldn't do anything."

"I don't get to tease Chaki often," Vuntha said. "Let me have my fun."

"It isn't funny," Chaki said.

Jackson sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I never thought I'd get the chance to be a gigolo. Or that I'd turn it down."

"A what?"

Jackson sighed again. "It doesn't matter."

"You're so possessive, Chaki," Vuntha says. "How will you deal with Jackson's second wife?"

Jackson felt a flash of alarm. "Who said I want a second?"

"Oh, please," Vuntha said. "You're a powerful warrior. You'll have a second wife sooner than most. You would have taken Katha if Chaki wasn't standing behind you with a knife."