LOCATION: LI WEI’S HOME
CITY: BEIJING, CHINA
DATE: JANUARY 17, 2032 | TIME: 8:00 AM
Li Wei selected Yes, and his body immediately went limp.
He felt his consciousness travel to another realm.
He was surrounded by only darkness at first, but the scene around him began taking shape slowly, as if the focus was being dialed in on a camera.
When it resolved, Li spun around to take in his surroundings. He was unarmed, wearing only simple cloth pants and a tunic wrapped and tied off at his sides. A pair of handmade leather shoes were on his feet.
As he looked down at them, he noticed the ground.
Lush grasslands extended from where he stood, outward as far as he could see.
He raised his eyes toward the heavens.
It was dark there, and millions of stars flickered against the midnight blue and black backdrop. He marveled as a meteor streaked through the night sky directly above him.
In the night, he could barely make out rolling hills in the distance. Gentle winds buffeted him.
“I know where this is,” he whispered.
“The Mongolian Steppe.”
Li had visited the steppe before on a safari with five others he worked with in the Chinese government.
He exhaled and smiled. It felt like so long ago. The world had changed so much since those days.
And Li was hard pressed to think of one single way in which those changes were not for the better.
He turned in a circle once more, searching for any clue as to what he was supposed to accomplish in this place.
His Perception caught a light in the distance which had just appeared.
Li set his direction and began running toward it.
As he drew closer, he smelled roasting meats on the wind and his stomach rumbled.
A single yurt, called a ger in this part of the world, stood solemnly in the plains. As Li approached, he stopped running and walked forward cautiously.
Mongolian nomadic culture was known for its hospitality, but he would be a fool not to keep his guard up in these circumstances.
A bonfire lit up the night, and a spit perched over the flames roasted two large legs of mutton.
A man and woman stood near the fire, and when they saw Li, the man extended his arms in a gesture of welcome.
“Come, Wanderer, and share our fire.”
Li bowed deeply.
“I am Li Wei. I thank you for your hospitality.”
The host and hostess pressed their hands together and bowed back. Only the man spoke.
“I am Khargai, and this is my wife Naran. Our names indicate darkness and sun, as we are two parts of a whole. Please follow us inside so we may serve you tea. The mutton will be ready just in time to share our stories with each other.”
Li followed his hosts inside their small, circular home. An old, black metal teapot sat on a wood-burning stove, the smokestack extending upward through the roof hole.
Khargai indicated a spot behind the stove facing the door, and Li sat on the stacked handwoven rugs.
Li recalled that ger in the Steppe were usually full of bright colors and a lot of red, but this one featured only two colors: black and gold.
After sharing tea and light conversation, Khargai led them back outside. Naran laid out an animal hide in the grass near the fire and indicated that Li should sit on it.
He did so, and waited while his hosts checked on the meat. They made small talk while Khargai expertly carved the meat and served it to Li and his wife in wooden bowls.
He joined the others, sitting in a small circle near the fire as they enjoyed the juicy meat. As they finished their meal, Naran went inside and returned with a wooden jug and a single bowl.
“Ah yes,” Khargai said. “This is our Airag. It is fermented mare’s milk, and it will open your mind for what comes next.”
Li cocked his head to the side.
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“What does come next?” he asked.
Khargai smiled as Naran poured the milky beverage into the bowl.
“We will share stories of Strength and Dexterity. Stories of Endurance and Vitality. Of Intelligence and Wisdom. And of Charisma and Perception.”
Understanding finally dawned on Li Wei. Those words and combinations were not chosen at random, of course. They were exactly the stats his body was to make room for during this phase of the Trial.
Naran handed the bowl to Li.
“Honored guests drink first.”
On that first night, Li shared the story of how he became the Jade Sentinel.
“The cave was filled with row after row of terracotta warriors. The moment I finished one off, the next came alive. After the first two, they came in threes. Then in groups of seven. At the end, the final ten ran at me, their stone mouths screaming a silent battle cry.”
He finished the airag and passed the bowl back to Naran, who poured for her husband.
“I was given the class Jade Sentinel, and swore to devote my life to protecting those who need it.”
Khargai bowed to his guest.
“Wanderer Li, this story warms my heart and bolsters my courage. Using your strength for protecting others is a high notion, and one that must certainly honor your ancestors.”
Naran smiled and bobbed her head in agreement.
“Thank you, Khargai and Naran.”
Khargai downed the airag in one large gulp and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, causing his wife to issue a chastising click of her tongue.
She poured for herself and slowly sipped the drink.
“Now, I will share one of our own,” Khargai said. His voice took on a dramatic tone, and Li swore he could feel it reverberating in the very air around him.
---
As a youth, Genghis Khan was gifted a bow far too heavy for most men to draw.
Rather than forcing it or giving up, he spent months learning its balance. How it flexed and how it resisted. How it wanted to be pulled.
Yet, he was still not strong enough to do so. Instead of asking for a replacement, however, the young Genghis continued practicing with the bow, building his strength over time.
One night when bandits came, the others from his village rushed forward with blades drawn. Genghis stood still. The adrenaline of battle rushed through him.
He drew once and loosed a single arrow at the invading warlord.
The arrow flew through the night and struck the leader cleanly in the throat. Seeing their mighty warlord felled by a single arrow from such a young man, the other raiders lost their nerve and turned to retreat, never to return.
“Strength without control is cruel and meaningless,” Genghis would say. “And control without strength is mere cowardice. A ruler must have both strength and courage or he will not last long.”
---
Li spent four days and four nights in the camp, hunting with Khargai by day and sharing stories by the bonfire at night.
On the final night, the story of Charisma and Perception, Li shared the tale of meeting Colin Mercer and Valerie Connors for the first time.
“In Macau in a hotel conference room, they confirmed my suspicions. They had a secret serum that would cure my people of disease and illness,” he said.
“I thought to take it by force, but Valerie moved so quickly that I saw only a blur of motion. My two guards were on the ground unconscious before they even registered what was happening.”
Li watched the flames dancing in the night and sighed.
“My hubris blinded me. I wanted to steal it for my people, while they wanted to provide it for the entire world. In the end, their good nature and force of personality swayed me to try it. And now I am one of two men who are the point of the spear guarding our world from all who would take advantage of it.”
Naran allowed tears to fall from her eyes.
“You display great courage in admitting your mistake.”
She looked at her husband as she spoke.
“Men have a hard time allowing their own light to shine dimly enough that they can still see others.”
Khargai laughed at the light insult cloaked in poetry, and Li joined in.
“I have really enjoyed these days by your fire,” Li said. “You have taught me much, and I appreciate your hospitality.”
Khargai nodded deeply.
“It is time, Li Wei. Your body and mind have been reforged, and you are ready.”
Naran rose from the animal hide on which she sat, and Li followed suit.
She embraced him, and the warmth surprised him.
The last image he saw was the light behind her eyes as she smiled up at him.
Li woke.
He was still reclined in his study.
He stood and stretched. All of his joints cracked but the soreness in his muscles left quickly, replaced by an overwhelming feeling of power and a sense of peace.
Li opened the door and heard talking and giggling. He followed the noise to the kitchen.
“Father!”
His daughters leapt from their chair and ran to his side, hugging him tightly.
Mei Lin put down a set of long, wooden cooking chopsticks and joined them in a family hug.
“How do you feel?” she asked.
“I feel amazing,” Li replied. “How long was I out?”
“You were gone for three weeks.”
“What?” Li asked, surprised.
System notifications began pinging him.
“Give me a few minutes to go over the notifications and I’ll join you.”
---
System Message
Name: Li Wei
Race: Human – Augmented
Augments: Enhanced Exoskeleton
Class: Jade Sentinel
Level: 100 [Pending Trial]
You have completed the first stage of your Level 100 Trial.
Congratulations.
Your body has been reforged to handle stats from 500 through 1,000. Further stat progression is blocked until all have passed 500.
Stage II awaits you when you are ready. Return to this screen to continue.
---
Li checked his status once more and was pleased with the results.
---
Character Status
Name: Li Wei
Race: Human – Augmented
Augments: Enhanced Exoskeleton
Class: Jade Sentinel
Level: 100 [Pending Trial]
Profession: Peacekeeper Force Co-Leader
Level: 95
Health: 7,890 / 7,890
Stamina: 5,290 / 5,290
Mana: 4,824 / 4,824
Core Attributes (Stats):
Strength: 517 [progression paused]
Dexterity: 402
Endurance: 529 [progression paused]
Vitality: 526 [progression paused]
Intelligence: 518 [progression paused]
Wisdom: 402
Charisma: 521 [progression paused]
Perception: 391
---
He closed the interface and clapped his hands together.
“Okay! What’s for dinner tonight?”