Pieces of Sonder

“Just a pinch more cocinder,” Freya said to herself.

She sprinkled a grey powder into the pot. As she stirred, the brownish liquid began to turn clear.

“Perfect.”

Freya stopped stirring and grabbed her funnel. She carefully poured the liquid from the pot into ten vials. Finally, she corked each vial and attached pre-made labels with string.

{Cleansing Tonic}

{30/6/71}

Taking a moment to look at the vials again and thinking about wanting more information, text boxes popped up.

[Cleansing Tonic]

[Item Class: Common]

[Cleanses wounds to prevent infection]

Since she had picked up that player card, all her potions now had text boxes. Oddly, even the potions she made before her player status did too if she examined them twice. Nothing would pop up at first, but the information would come up if she tried it again. 

Freya found the quirk a little unnerving, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. Still, she thought to herself, If the game is going to affect my potions, I wish it would at least improve my potion making. 

After visiting the Green Box market, she tried to make some of the player-made potions, but she couldn’t make anything as potent or unique. She tried leveling up her Potion Brewing skill, but it remained stubbornly at level 3. Infamous Biscuit had said that gaining or leveling skills outside one’s class favorability was difficult. Now, as a martial artist leveling up an alchemist skill was going to be challenging.

She started cleaning her tools when a notification beeped.

[Infamous Biscuit: Is everyone still good for today?]

Just two seconds later.

[Heilong: Yep still good. In 10 minutes right?]

[Infamous Biscuit: yep]

[Heilong: I think I’ve made good progress]

[Heilong: I’m ready the learn the next step sensei]

Freya struggled to type her response.

[Freya Evenkey: I’m still free. See you soon.]

She finished cleaning her pot and spoon. After setting them aside to dry, Freya dug through a box in her back storeroom. 

Freya sneezed from the dust. Finally, she found what she was looking for. 

Ting! Ting!

Coming out of her backroom, she expected Infamous Biscuit but instead found a young boy with a raggedy messenger bag.

“A letter for you, miss.”

“Thank you,” Freya said, exchanging a bronze piece for the letter. She bid the messenger boy a good day and looked at the front.

{To: Freya Evenkey, the Shaman of Safka}

{From: Calvo Calaren, the Shaman of Einskin}

“Ugh,” Freya said, disgusted.

Any letter from Calvo was one she did not want to read.

Ting! Ting!

“Good afternoon,” Infamous Biscuit said, entering the shop.

Freya slipped the letter into her jacket pocket.

“How is it going?”

“Good, good. I think I’ve gotten the hang of the qi thing,” he said, sitting down at the front table.

“Can I see?” Freya said, also sitting down.

Ting! Ting!

“Hey, don’t start without me!”

Heilong came into the shop. 

“Don’t worry, we didn’t even do anything yet,” Infamous Biscuit said.

“I just want to check on everyone’s progress first before we continue,” said Freya. “Whenever you’re ready, try to bring out your qi and make it flow with your breath like I taught you last time.”

Heilong sat down on the other side of Freya, “By the way, does this technique have a name?”

Freya blinked, “My master called it ‘qi breathing,’ but I’m not sure if that’s a formal name or just something he came up with.”

“Hm, ‘qi breathing.’ I like it,” Heilong said. She extended her arm for Freya to touch.

Resting her hand over both of them, Freya felt for their meridian lines.

After a few seconds, they both started to have an ebb and flow to their qi. 

“Good, you both have good movement, and I think your overall power has increased too,” Freya said, letting go of their hands.

“So, like I said, the next step is pushing that energy out of your body,” Freya brought out a stone from her pocket and set it on the table.

The stone had runes engraved all around its otherwise smooth white surface. 

Heilong looked at the stone, “Isn’t that an enchanted light?”

“Sort of,” Freya said, “It’s missing some parts which actually makes it a good training device for shamans. I almost forgot I had this. It doesn’t have a mana stone or any runic writing that will drain a person’s qi for them. You have to put your energy in yourself.”

Touching a finger to it Freya poured in her qi. The stone glowed a bright yellow color.

“Think about letting the energy flow out of your body. Start with the qi breathing and expand your waves of qi outside your body.”

Freya withdrew her hand, “Who wants to go first?”

“I’ll try,” Heilong said.

She picked up the stone. Furrowing her brow, she concentrated for several minutes.

“I don’t think anything’s happening,” Heilong muttered, putting the stone back on the table.

Infamous Biscuit tried next. After a couple of minutes, he too shook his head.

“It feels like something is blocking me from expanding it out of my body. Like some natural barrier or something,” he said.

Freya scratched her forehead.

“I get that feeling too,” Heilong said, “Like my qi is hitting a wall or something.”

“Did you experience anything like this?” Infamous Biscuit asked, noticing Freya’s confused expression.

“No, well my circumstances were a bit different.”

Freya sat back in her chair, “When I started my apprenticeship, my qi was leaking out. My master had me do qi controlling exercises to keep it in my body better.”

“So, the opposite problem as us,” Heilong said. “Maybe players aren’t meant to release their qi.”

“I was an odd case,” Freya said. “I remember my master saying he was able to skip a lot of lessons because I was different.”

Freya tapped her head, trying to remember if he ever explained how shaman apprentices were usually taught. She had never been interested in teaching before so she hadn’t thought much about it.

“Maybe I should contact him and ask.”

Heilong took the stone and tried again. Then she suddenly looked up at Freya.

“Could you move our qi out for us?” Heilong asked.

Freya frowned, “Maybe I could guide you? I can move another person’s qi, but I’ve never tried drawing it out of their body. It can cause damage if I shift things around too much, but maybe if it’s just a little bit...”

Heilong held the enchanted light stone in her palm, Freya cupped her hands around her.

“Okay, start with the qi breathing,” Freya said.

Once Heilong’s qi had a good ebb and flow, Freya pulled her qi out more with every wave. Then she felt the wall they described.

Heilong’s meridian line’s were sealed tight. She had the energy, but it couldn’t escape out. She didn’t want to force it out and cause damage.

Freya let go of Heilong’s hand.

“I have an idea,” Freya said, standing up.

She rushed to her back storeroom. Perhaps she could give them a small chemical boost. Scanning her shelves, she picked up a small bottle of yellow liquid. At higher concentrations, this potion could be toxic, but maybe it was just what they needed.

“Drink this.”

Heilong took the potion bottle and examined it briefly before drinking it.

“Okay, try it again. This time I’m going to give you some of my energy, but try to move your qi on your own.”

Freya moved to stand behind Heilong and rested her hands on the marksman’s shoulders. 

Adding her qi to Heilong’s, Freya could sense her pupil’s meridian lines were now full to the brim with energy. Taking her hands off Heilong’s shoulder, Freya watched the enchanted light stone. 

Then after a tense minute.

Light