Hardcore: Qi Worlds Chapter 31: Connected

 Benzhi, Gisael and Reyas made their way to the Seer's cave, in the aftermath of the battle, parting from the main group. 

 Most of the participating warriors headed home to rest, mourn the loss of their comrades and reconnect with loved ones. The Guardians other than Gisael and Ailen went back to the glade with the news. Ailen and Skanvord volunteered to trail the enemy ensuring they went directly to Vaugend, they would also send any enemy deserters home if they didn't prove troublesome and if they did, well not many would give that two trouble.

 Benzhi had an appointment with the Seer, delayed due to their defensive duties, Gisael and Reyas accompanied him, he didn't even bother questioning their attendance. Gisael had given direction to Talila and Ulfgrim merely sighed and shrugged. He had resigned to losing Reyas to Benzhi's party, at least for now.

 The trio entered the Seer's cave and unlike the last two visits, he did not kick anyone out.

 "Ye are well?" The Seer addressed the trio. Who responded with nods all round.

 "Other than a sword through my gut and a claw through my back, I am otherwise unhurt," Benzhi laughed at his own joke. No one else did.

 The three chatted about the last couple of weeks while the Seer nodded and asked questions.

 "Ye 'as done well, as I knew ye would," The Seer stated when they were finished describing the events of the small war.

 "You are quite adept at saying you knew something would happen after it did, how about some information on Loctris." Benzhi gave the Seer a hard time.

 The Seer emitted his, gurgle like chuckle, and responded, "Ye will not 'av to worry about Loctris,"

 "That's great, saves a most likely long trip into the unknown," Benzhi breathed.

 "Nay, I did not say ye must not go, I said ye had not to worry," The Seer vague-rised in a seer-like fashion. Benzhi just face palmed in response.

 "What ye should do is attend the Core, I can help ye," The Seer continued. 

 Benzhi explained what he had overheard the Adept Soldier tell the other player about having to control the Core.

 The Seer nodded, "Aye, ye should succeed. Ye has already merged Cores twice and ye has summoned more Fae. What ye don't ken, is ye also made the Forest bigger. But that was probably mostly the Mother."

 "Benzhi," The Seer started to sound serious, "ye should put ye hands on the Core like ye did when ye merged."

 Benzhi stood and walked to the wall of the cave which had intricate seems of Core throughout the rock. Unlike the Core in the bottom of the pool, this Core had permeated through the rock, with a large concentrated portion remained at its centre, out of normal sight. Seams spread from the concentrated centre like arteries from a heart. He closed his eyes and concentrated his qi sight, feeling, more than seeing the Core.

 "Ye must first contact the Mother, she must be with us," The Seer advised. Benzhi had to resist stopping, turning to the Seer and asking 'how the fuck am I supposed to do that?'

 "Now ye has merged the Mountain Core and the Forest Core they both reside with you," the Seer continued to explain, "the Mountain Core is connected to the Forest Core now. Do ye ken, it is one land, with ye?"

 Benzhi did not reply. The Seer was way more informative than Mother, but he still had to work out how to do what he asked. Benzhi called Mother, remembering the first day when they chatted while he meditated in the Forest. 'Mother,' he projected. Nothing. Benzhi imagined the Forest Core, sitting in the bottom of the pool and felt for it like he was feeling the Mountain Core now. Benzhi could feel the connection, they were two parts of the same whole. 'Mother,' he projected again.

 A slightly surprised, 'Benzhi,' Mother replied. Benzhi explained where he was and what he was doing. Well, he had no idea what he was doing, so it probably sounded confusing.

  "Contact," Benzhi announced sounding like he was on an op.

 "Good," the Seer made a little snort from his deformed face. Benzhi thought that was him sounding excited. "Say hello for me," the Seer finished.

  'The Mountain Seer says hello Mother,' Benzhi conveyed feeling used. Mother conveyed slight surprise and returned the greeting.

 "Be a good lad, and include me in ye thoughts," the Seer requested.

 Benzhi reached out to the Seer, just like he had Mother but this time through the Mountain Core. 

 'Ah, I ken ye both," The Seer announced in their minds. 'There be a reason we are all 'ere,' the Seer continued. 'It be that Benzhi resides in both Cores. I want to advise Benzhi to make some changes, but that would be wrong without ye blessing Mother.' the Seer explained. All the conversation was now telepathic, they two women were excluded. They would sense someone was happening, but otherwise, there was silence.

 'Benzhi,' Mother began, 'what have you done?'

 'It is good,' explained the Seer, 'do not worry. Remember the summoning and the Forest growing? This be the same.'

 'Mother, I will not do anything else without your blessing,' Benzhi committed, 'I did not know that the Cores would be connected like this.'

 'There is much you do not know,' Mother thought, 'as there is much I do not know. I am sorry it is my lack of knowledge that has failed you.'

 'Tsk,' the Seer thought, 'ye strengths are beyond compare. All this Core ken be within me bailiwick.' 

 Benzhi recognized the Seer was saying they had different strengths and weaknesses. Although their status had similarities, in their respective domains, they were still very different. The Seer was essentially a wise man, but a man nonetheless, where Mother was a tree spirit who could disappear at the drop of a hat. Benzhi had also never seen her leave the Willow's proximity.

 'This be behind us, let us make strides ahead.' the Seer requested of the two. 'Benzhi, ask yeself, what changes would ye make if ye could do anything...anything.' the Seer emphasised.

 Benzhi thought for a long time. He had been concerned with The Forest's lack of defence when compared to the Mountains and it still bothered him. 'I would improve the natural protection of the Forest. Compared to the Mountains natural defence it worries me.' Benzhi stated his main concern.

 'Ah, good,' the Seer thoughtfully thought.

 Mother was noticeably silent.

 'What be something that would help the 'natural defence' of the Forest Benzhi?' the Seer asked. He was out of his depth with this sort of thinking. 'Would giving 'em walls of stone and height like the Mountains help?'

 Benzhi gasped. No, the Forest had to remain a forest he wouldn't turn it into Mountains.

 "Alpine Forest,' Mother projected images of tall mountains covered with trees, large long valleys, a bowl shaped valley surrounded by mountains.The landscape was clean, magnificent, but Mother continued. She showed them bears, wolves, caribou, many varieties of mountain cats and a massive ancient Kodiak.  It was beautiful, the animals were gorgeous. Benzhi shed a tear at the scene.

 'Ye ken, she be strong,' the Seer thought gleefully. 'We can do this, it will take some power, but the four combined Cores, especially the last one, have significant reserves.' The Seer sounded technical all of a sudden.

 Mother agreed. The Seer agreed. Who was Benzhi to disagree, it would complete what he needed.

 Benzhi conjured from the Cores, Mother supplied the vision, the Seer just chuckled with glee. Between the three of them, the Earth moved. Benzhi hoped the Fae were not thrown by a massive earthquake. The landmass the Forest and Mountains now spanned had doubled in size from even their original combined size. While chaperoned in Mother's vision they could fly over the entire mass in a blink of an eye. The Mountains had changed as well, nearly the entire region was now alpine forest with an area half the size of the original mountain range retaining the rugged rocky formations. Benzhi was certain the Gaels would not want for food every again as long as they didn't die to the bears, snow leopards, wolves etc.

 Just as the Mountains retained a small portion of their origin so did the Forest. At the southwestern corner of the alpine mountain range, which now reached the sea, the terrain under the Forest had dropped down to rolling hills. Benzhi viewed the new location of the Glade and the Forest Core. As Mother showed in her vision, it was in the secret valley surrounded by Mountains with snow covered peaks. Impassable for most, not a problem for tree-runners. The Core now sat at the bottom of a lake, blue as the azure sky above. Mother's Willow remained unchanged nestled a dozen steps from the edge of the lake, its mirror image visible on top of its still waters.

 Benzhi felt delighted, thrilled and drained at the same time. 

 'Think ye on anything else, there is more power to be had,' The Seer informed them. Benzhi could not believe after those drastic changes there was more power available. 

 'I need to rest, or I will fall where I stand,' Benzhi thought projected to the Seer and Mother.

 "Thank you, Seer, and thank you Benzhi,' Mother thought before she blinked out. She seemed very happy now after her initial reticence. 

 Benzhi let go mentally and fell backwards, on to his ass, physically. He breathed in a deep breath.

 "I need some food and a nap," he announced not sure which he needed more.

 Gisael and Reyas were nowhere to be seen. Benzhi was confused, surely they would have waited. He walked outside and the vision almost knocked him flat. When he saw it telepathically while using the Core was one thing, seeing it now made him swoon. In the next few seconds, he was mugged by two jubilant warrior women.

 "So you like?" Benzhi asked. They did not speak just nodded.  "We should visit the new glade then, but first I need to sleep." He sat down in the green grass and laid his head down for a nap.  

 Benzhi was woken the next day by the Seer in his cave. Gisael kindly provided him with some food and water shortly after. He was starving he even ate one of Reyas' dried meat snacks.

The Seer did not seem to mind the interlopers in his cave. After some small talked he announced, "Ye still should do one thing before ye be headin off. Somethin I can help ye with.'

 Benzhi sat up, intrigued. "To do with the Core?"

 "Nay," the Seer answered, "not directly. There be a reason these two followed ye here and it not be because they want ye babies." The Seer gurgled at that one.

 Gisael and Reyas looked on interested in what the Seer had to say yet they kept quiet. They didn't even react to his jibe.

"Do you know? It's great having you around, but it's not like this was a dangerous mission and," looking at Gisael who had responsibilities, "you have been gone from the glade for a long time now."

 Gisael nodded. "I not know, but I did know." That was helpful.

 "My gut has been telling me not to leave yer side ever since you brought that Vaugend Core back here. When I did it felt wrong." Reyas supplied. Much more helpful.

 The Seer nodded. "These two be the Daughters. One is the Daughter of the Forest and this whippersnapper be the Daughter of the Mountains." Benzhi recalled Mother calling Gisael Daughter often, he thought she was her actual daughter, but perhaps not.

 "Ye connected the Cores. Now I can help ye connect to the Daughters." The Seer volunteered, "it will help ye, I am sure. Altho sometimes it may be a 'eavy burden." The Seer gurgle laughed his ass off at his own joke.

 After the Seer settled down, he had laughed for quite some time, he continued, "ye do what ye did yesterday, but instead be connectin to their cores."

 Benzhi sat in a meditative pose and reached out his hands, one to Gisael and one to Reyas. They, in turn, held hands and one of his. Benzhi engaged qi sight and sensed the three cores focusing on the patterns and circulation of the three different beings. He reached out from his core directly to Gisael. Nothing. Benzhi tested a few other ideas, which failed as well. Finally, he said to the two, "reach out to me with your core." He could sense a qi stream emanating from each of the talented women. Benzhi reached out to their streams simultaneously.

And connected.

He felt connected to each of them now, their feelings of wonder washed over him. Benzhi couldn't make out all of their thoughts, but he did gain an inkling of their strongest feeling.

 Benzhi let go of their hands. It was still there. Testing, he slapped Gisael. Surprise! Anger! He could sense what she was feeling. And then she slapped him back, hard. Benzhi could feel Reyas' jealousy, he had interacted with Gisael and not her. Oh no, this is what the Seer meant by a burden. He gave Reyas a hug, she felt delicious. She giggled.

 It was Benzhi's turn. He looked at the Seer accusingly "What have you done!"

 The Seer merely gurgle laughed in his face, "Nothin ye didn't deserve. Ye are now connected this will be good for what is to come."

 Benzhi was ropeable, "What the fuck is to come!" It sounded ominous but the Seer gave no details twice now.

 "I dinnae ken. But it ain't good." The Seer replied.

Chapter end