“So… how do I do this?” I stood on the road, squared off in front of Katarina.

  “Breathe. Focus on the energy flowing through your body.”

  Encore’s music flowed around me, through and into me. I breathed, and circulated the energy flowing through my body in time with the melody.

  “It should be intuitive. Like moving your arms, or activating a skill. It’s powered by your chi, so you need to maintain your focus. Feel the energy as it courses, the potential. Do you feel it?”

  I closed my eyes as Katarina’s voice joined the music and felt the potential. It really was like activating a skill, but required more focus. Like balancing on a narrow path and standing on one leg. I could feel the rhythm, but it was a fragile thing, easily lost.

  “I think I have it.”

  “Hit me.”

  I opened my eyes and threw a punch, angled slightly away from her, triggering Rhythmic Impact.

  Chi surged through my body, pumping into the muscles along my legs, back, shoulder, and arm.

  A deafening boom cracked through the desert as I punched the air beside Katarina.

  A wave of force fired from the punch, sending a horizontal line of displaced sand fifty feet long in front of me. A small ring of sand puffed up around me as well. The sonic boom echoed from the distant mountains.

  A second later, the pain hit. It blossomed as each muscle associated with the movement was shredded by the influx of power.

  I tried moving my arm, which dangled from my shoulder, swaying from the impact, but it ignored my commands to move.

  The pain surged, doubling and tripling in an instant, fuzzing the dull sense of horror I felt at my shattered arm. I pounded a healing potion from my quick slot.

  Agonizing waves of radiant heat, which had reached up into my mind and nearly crippled any aspect of thought, began receding as the potion worked to restore my body.

  I blinked. I must have fallen at some point, because I was sitting, held by Katarina, who was talking to me. I heard nothing above the keening whistle for several seconds as the health potion focused on more vital parts of my body, but seeing the concern and fear in her eyes made me smile.

  “… really hope you’re okay, I can’t believe your first chi ability was that powerful.”

  Her voice filtered in as my ears were mended. Abernathy handed me a small vial with a concerned look. Sebastian stood close by, chewing on his lip as he watched. Encore crouched between my legs, looking up at me with his ears laying flat and backwards on his head. He had a pained look on his face.

  “Take this. It’s a little stronger than the other potions. You wrecked yourself with that one, mate. You okay?”

  I formed a mana link with Encore, realizing he was unable to use healing potions and likely in pain from the sonic boom’s impact on his sensitive ears. I flooded mana for him to consume through the bond. Some of the tension melted from his body and he lay, resting his head on my leg.

  “Thank you,” he chirped softly.

  I examined the small vial Abernathy had given me.

  Condensed Moderate Healing Potion. Crafted by condensing two Moderate Healing Potions down into one, providing 1.75x the healing effects of a Moderate Healing Potion.

  I moved it to my quick slot and consumed it, thanking him as my health rocketed back up. Warmth flooded my body, washing away the pain as my torn muscles re-knit and the shattered bones of my left arm melded back together.

  “What the hell was that?” Sebastian asked.

  “New skill.” I replied, sitting up.

  “Really glad you didn’t actually try to hit me like I told you to,” Katarina laughed. “That was insane. Multitudes stronger than anything I can make with chi. How is it so strong?”

  “It is strengthened by my class skill that enhances explosions. I guess it is by quite a bit.” I massaged my arm, the memory of that pain lingering. “It isn’t much good if I destroy my body whenever I use it, though.”

  “We’ll work on that. The more you meditate, the more your chi core grows. It all builds on itself. The larger your core, the more chi you can hold. Chi strengthens your body. It’ll take awhile. Well… It would take normal people awhile. You advance skills like a damn savant. But you’ll get the hang of it. How much chi did you put into that hit, anyway?”

  I tried to sense the energy in my body. Nothing responded. I pulled up my stat screen and groaned.

  “Oh. All of it.”

  “Lute boy. Are you kidding me? I mean… it was still way way stronger than I expected, but you can’t be pouring all of your chi into anything. How do you feel right now?”

  “Exhausted. Like I was beat by a dozen boxers.”

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  “Really?” Abe asked. “That potion’s top notch, mate.”

  “They don’t work on chi,” Katarina explained. “As a chi user, you must keep a little gas in the tank. Always. Otherwise, you’ll feel like that. Remember how I’ve been so out of it since fighting that giant damn bug? You’re really something, lute boy. Breaking half your body and giving yourself chi sickness within five minutes of unlocking it.”

  “I strive to be an inspiration,” I chuckled, then turned and was sick. Katarina rubbed my back.

  “You need to meditate and recover some chi to feel better.” She tilted her head to the side. “Try breathing. That’s how I gather chi. But with sound, music…”

  I closed my eyes and breathed in, but felt nothing but terrible. I cracked an eye open and looked down at Encore, who was standing just outside of the splash zone, staring up at me with wide, worried eyes.

  “Can you play some music, please? I think I need it to…” I stopped talking, fighting back another wave of exhaustion induced nausea. He nodded and began performing another song, this one calming and gentle.

  Eyes closed, I tried again. I allowed the music to fill me, breathing in time with the gentle melody, and felt the slightest stirring of energy in my chi core. The barest spark. I smiled and continued breathing, riding the waves of music with my mind, allowing them to guide power into me.

  I meditated like that for several minutes and my chi core gradually filled. It was a slow process, but I felt much better after generating five points. The energy began flowing through my body, strengthening my muscles and bones, revitalizing me. I opened my eyes, smiling again.

  “You good?” Katarina asked. I nodded. Everyone breathed collective sighs of relief.

  “Mate, you scared me half to death with your rabid kobold antics. Then again blowing yourself to hell. Are you trying to kill me?”

  “Yeah, that was pretty crazy. The way you tore that guy to shreds.” Sebastian added.

  His words reminded me of the quest. I pulled up the log and saw that it had updated.

  Quest Updated! Obtain the Sunshard Relic. You have retrieved the Sunshard Relic and ended the century-old dust storm that has ravaged the Wastelands. Return it to the Bornholdt Adventurer’s Guild to complete the quest.

  Reward: Platinum Vault Selection x2 (once per party, not split amongst members), Gold Coins x100, Platinum Relic Hunter Chest x1.

  *Optional divergence in quest. Bring the Sunshard Relic to the Bloom, nestled away in Bornholdt Keep. You will need to seek out this location. Should you choose to betray the Adventurer’s Guild, the rewards will change.

  Optional Reward: Decision appropriate factional adjustment. Gold coins x1,000. Platinum Relic Hunter Chest x1.

  I read the description again, blinking. “So… that guy dropped the Sunshard Relic?”

  “Oh yeah, mate, check it out. Shield your eyes. He must have picked it up in that area he blew himself out of or something.”

  Abe pulled the relic out of his inventory and I was momentarily blinded by the brilliant illumination. It shone nearly as bright as the sun.

  “It’s so powerful, mate!” He called. He shouted, though the relic emitted no sound. “Want to take a look?”

  “Sure!” I replied, taking the relic and examining it.

  Sunshard Relic. Legendary item. The true origins of the relic are lost to the annuls of history, and only the most ancient of beings remember stories of its origin. Rumors abound. It stores and amplifies mana, emitting a radiant glow when infused at more than 50%. The relic can store roughly 10x the mana than the largest known mana stones, making this relic coveted in all kingdoms. It is rumored to have a mischievous nature, disappearing and reappearing throughout history.

  “Wow.” I whispered, handing it back to Abernathy. “Did you guys get the optional quest to turn it in to The Bloom as well?”

  “Those crazy assholes,” Katarina scoffed. “Fat chance. Who would want to help a bunch of slaving pricks?”

  I nodded, as did Abernathy. Sebastian looked on in confusion. “The Bloom? Why does that sound familiar?”

  “We ran into a few of them in the mountain pass, band of slavers. It’s some human cult, trying to bring humans up in society in all the wrong ways.” Katarina spoke scathingly. “Fuck those guys.”

  “Quite honestly,” Abe spoke hesitantly. “I think I might be able to make something with this. Something truly incredible. There is so much power here. But those quest rewards. I understand if you guys want to turn it in to the guild. Hard to pass on those vault treasures.”

  We were silent for a few seconds, Encore’s a gentle undercurrent that filled the silence.

  “Something like… the utes?” Sebastian asked.

  “So… we all got loads of experience from killen’ that guy, right?” Abe scratched behind one of his ears. “Well, I unlocked a new skill. Let’s me simulate blueprints. Like, how they would be effected by gravity, physics, how they’d run, all that. It’s really incredible, but I… uh… don’t know a lot about aerodynamics. When I plug this relic in that program though… It’s so powerful. I think I could make something really amazin’.”

  “Wait aerody-who-now?” Katarina asked. “Like… airplanes? You want to make an airplane?!” She stopped suddenly, glancing to me in alarm. Her eyes widened, “Chanter? Are you okay?”

  My stomach was a tight knot of vipers, which lashed out and bit at my heart. I thought I was past the pain of remembrance, but it was still there, lingering. Aiden. My brother. The plane crash. A text that I didn’t respond to until it was too late. My ticket to Veil, the cost too high. Far too high. I looked into Katarina’s wide, concerned eyes and knew, deep down, that I would give it all away to bring him back.

  I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and circulating the energy within. It calmed me, soothed the knot in my stomach, and spoke. “That is really incredible, Abe.”

  “You alright, mate?”

  I nodded, telling them about my brother. The accident. I thought I could tell the story without breaking down, without bawling. I was wrong. They cried with me, even Sebastian. We hadn’t been traveling together for very long, but that moment cemented his place as a true friend to me. Encore changed songs during my retelling, playing a slow, sad melody. It probably had a role in coaxing the tears from everyone.

  “Well, knowing that,” Abernathy hesitantly spoke after I finished my story and se sat there for several minutes. “I don’t think I want to try anymore.”

  “No,” I replied, my voice firm. “No, I want you to. Aiden wouldn’t want his memory to stop us from living our life to the fullest. It’s not totally up to me, but my vote is for you to keep the relic. Use it to make something that would put anything in that platinum vault to shame.”

  Sebastian, Katarina, and Encore nodded with grim determination. Abernathy smiled.

  “Oh, you lot are just about the best mates I could ask for. Thanks for puttin’ your faith in me. I’ll try not to let you down.”

  “I know you won’t. You’ve saved us so many times already.” I smiled, patting him on the shoulder. He lowered his head, his ears twitching.

  “I don’t know about all that.”

  “It’s true,” Katarina chimed in. “You think we could have landed even a scratch on that weird glowing guy, if you didn’t make that thing with the pearl?”

  “And no way we would have made the time we did across the desert without the utes,” Sebastian added, nodding sagely.

  Encore started to add his two cents, but was interrupted by a muffled voice coming from the lute strapped across my back.

  “Chanter?”