System Break

She inspected a tree. She pulled a piece of bark and smelled it and then took a bite from a leaf. "This tree was once the boundary," she said.

We both looked east searching for the new boundary.

"I can't see the new edge."

She began to run east again and called back, "It is close."

After scouting the area, we worked out the forest had extended another mile to the east. We had fed our willow hundreds of monster cores of various sizes, and it had used that power to add an extra sixty square miles of forest around the eastern and southern boundary.

"Is this normal?"

She did not answer immediately and was lost in thought for a minute before responding, "This is a question for Mother."

I scanned the horizon. "I want to head east and lay eyes on the city."

She peered at me, "It is dangerous. We have not cleared many beasts from this area."

"Now is the time to start."

"Outpost and supplies first," she countered, and I nodded in agreement.

We spent the next few days collecting herbs, foodstuffs, and wood for arrows. They taught us which were the best for arrows, and we would harvest from the ground and mature branches.

They sat in a circle for our arrow making lesson.

Sakaala sighed. "Do I have to do this?"

Ailen glared at her.

She sighed again.

I sat down opposite Sakaala. "I'll learn also."

Talila smiled at me. "You do not have to."

"No." I looked at Ailen and Sakaala. "It's only fair."

Sakaala smiled. "Good. It will be faster if we do it together."

Gisael dropped a humongous stack of wood in the centre of our circle and Sakaala whimpered.

Gisael stood over us and I could feel her presence. Her straight back and fierce gaze leaned into her exotic beauty. She was so hot I just wanted to bang her. "We need thousands of arrows."

I nodded. I had not forgotten my days in special forces. I would never forget.

"With a ranged assault and our speed through the trees, we are an incredible force. But when the arrows are all gone, you're just glorified monkeys."

Ailen smiled. "Well put. But you left yourself out."

Gisael stared at me. "He is always an angry bear."

Sakaala sighed. "Surely there is a better way."

Talila grabbed a branch and began whittling with an incredibly sharp bone knife. "There is, but we have no artisans. Work hard and make this a safe place to live and perhaps …" She looked at me and then Gisael.

Gisael nodded. "Make this place safe and Mother will provide." She barred her teeth. "It is a good skill to learn when guardians are far from home. Our bear speaks true, we are useless without arrows."

I didn't care what she called me - my dragon would punish her later.

From sunrise we trained until the day began to wane. Talila would take Ailen and Sakaala to one of our eight outposts. They would learn forest craft, tracking and build their speed and endurance.

Gisael did her best to spar with me. She sported a new sword, that she made herself, from her hip. It was ash wood and the size of a roman spatha, but without qi-blade it was useless other than a training tool.

"Do you want me to use a stick like you?" I asked her. She was unable to get close to me due to the length of the spear.

"No," she said breathing hard. "I must learn to parry and close. You are a decent opponent. It is good practice for me."

"Can you use qi strike?" I asked, and she shook her head angrily. Apparently, she was not satisfied with her growth as a guardian.

"If we practice can you learn it?"

"It is a gift. It comes. I do not know how to make it come," she said.

"So, if you charge a troll with a wooden sword it won't suddenly manifest?"

She shook her head. "Some have tried this and died. It is best not to force it and let it come. If it is meant to be it will be."

"Damn," I replied and defended against her attack. "If I had a shield, it would be even harder for you."

She dipped and swept her stick at my shins. I skipped back easily and poked my spear towards her lowered head. She deflected my spear in the nick of time before turning and moving towards me. She kept low. Then I kicked her in the face.

"Sorry. Sorry," I said as blood flowed from her nose.

She shook it off and glared at me. "I do not need your pity," she seethed before changing the subject. "If you require a shield, an artisan can craft one."

"Oh, really?" I said, "But, we don't have any artisans. There's just me, you, Mother and the other guardians."

"We should hunt more cores and Mother can petition for more of the people."

"Can I come this time?"

She looked me up and down, "We don't want to scare the people off."

I laughed. "I'm a friendly person. No one will be scared off."

She approached me and her head came to my chin. "I am tall amongst the people," she informed me. "You are strange, and the people do not like things that are different."

I frowned. "That's exactly why I should come then. We want Svartalfar who embrace new things and are curious. We don't want those who will be scared by my appearance."

She sniffed at my response and she was still standing very close to me. She placed a hand on my chest, "This one time you may be wise."

I laughed. "I'm wise all the time, you just don't get it."

Gisael laughed and it was a beautiful thing. I didn't care that she was laughing because she thought my answer was so wrong it was funny.

As her laughter died down, I felt a chill run through my spine. Her head jerked up, and she looked at me with concern. "What?"

"Trespasser." She spat the word. "Dangerous - the forest is in distress."

Without knowing how I sensed the direction of the danger. It was the southern border near the sea. I pointed and Gisael nodded.

"It is good that you feel it. You are in tune with the forest," she said as we began to move towards the other guardians.

Talila and her group had sensed something as well. They were waiting for us expectantly.

"Gather three quivers each, then we move as one," Gisael ordered. Even I gathered three quivers and carried them on my back.

We moved at Sakaala's maximum speed and like a trooper she pushed hard without complaint. The feeling on wrongness increased, not as we drew closer but as the intruder caused more damage to the forest.

I saw the look of worry on Sakaala and Ailen's faces, they were sensing the danger and were anxious. I smiled and winked Sakaala as we ran. I asked Ailen, "Are you ready for a fight?"

He nodded and gritted his teeth.

"Don't worry. You'll be safe in the trees."

Gisael shot me a warning look.

"Okay maybe not."

We stopped when we heard the crashing. The sound of trees falling and branches breaking reverberated through the forest. The primal grunting and growling washed over us.

"Troll," Gisael said when she heard the noise. I was grateful it was singular.

I touched Sakaala, Ailen and Talila in turn. "We will fight it and we will win," I said encouraging them. Although I knew we were missing the firepower required.

Gisael was a true warrior, confident and strategic. She was also a realist.

She looked at me her exotic eyes. "Plan?" Which meant she could not see a way to win.

I grinned. "The same as always."

"No," she said. "You cannot fight it up close."

"Wait." I sat, closed my eyes, and began to withdraw into myself. Before a mission we would study the locale and run through scenarios; this was modus operandi for special ops. When the plan was devised, we would practise until it was second nature and then they would throw curve balls at us.

With the plan and counter measures memorised l would visualise it and run it through in my mind, over and over, especially when inbound.

The guardians waited patiently as I recalled the trolls who fought the ferals. I visualised its movements, its strength and speed. I could not see a way to defeat it without qi strike, so I visualised using qi strike in a dozen ways.

I was ready.

I opened my eyes and stood. The guardians were all watching me expectantly.

"Get its attention," I said, "Lead it through the forest to the southern border and I'll surprise it."

Gisael nodded, climbed, and the rest followed. I slung the three quivers over the upper branches of the trees surrounding me and then made my way to the ground. If the attacks were coming from above, that's where its attention would be. I put my back to the tree where they left me. And waited.

It didn't take long for the troll to roar in outrage. Then I heard it smash through the forest in my direction, pushing over a tree in its wake.

I activated my qi abilities and with a measured approach I pushed my qi body streams, slowly thickening them. I felt stronger and faster before moving an inch. But the key was qi strike and that would have to wait until the last second.

The troll charged past my position. It was showtime.