The Commandments of the Qual’Fan

First: Pay homage to your Primus and follow his will

Second: Do whatever it takes to gain strength

Third: Never help other species grow stronger

Fourth: Subjugate and enslave anything weaker than the Qual’Fan

Faul’Dir finishes the bottle and shatters it on the ground, surprising the onlookers. Unfortunately for Faul, his Physique and Endurance were too high for the alcohol to actually affect him, a terrible side effect that he had tried to alleviate on countless occasions. He hadn’t been properly drunk since he was a small boy and accidently pissed in his Father’s helmet. A grin plasters over his face at the memory of his youth, quickly wiped away and replaced with leftover anger as he remembers the punishments that the Primus subjected him to.

The rest of the bars inhabitants look at Faul nervously as his face displays his obvious emotional changes. This particular Qual’Fan seemed a little more unhinged than the rest, an impressive fact when considering his race’s famous love of battle and conflict. Multiple customers slowly sneak out the back, careful not to disturb Faul as he relived whatever memory he was focusing on. They’d seen his type before and had no desire to die in this run down bar on the side of Tualsetin.

The door opens as they leave, exposing the sights and sounds of the city behind them. With a population of 280 million, Tualsetin is the largest city on the planet of the Qual’Fan. Not only the largest city, it is also the only city on the planet. The arrival of Genesis centuries before had completely destroyed their infrastructure and all the survivors decided to group together as they built their lives up in this new world. An unintended side effect of this choice was that the Genesis modified creatures of their home world grew too bold and took over the rest of the planet, forming a convenient training ground for their youth.

The city itself spreads out over hundreds of miles, the edges constantly harassed by the low level beasts too dumb to equate civilization and death, but the majority of the world lives within a 20 mile radius of the City Center. None of the buildings in the center are the same, all built out of materials taken from competitors and Dungeon Worlds, and all are adorned with statues and artwork taken from the races that the Qual’Fan have conquered. The combination gives the city a strange piecemeal appearance.

Without the aid of pre-Genesis technology, and lacking committed Mana users among their race, it had taken centuries to build up their city. A chance discovery of an “Enlightened Architect” slave had been the impetus for the city’s success, the slave’s genius in logistics and material usage allowing for rapid expansion. Even if the slave eventually committed suicide, her work had provided the Primus the means by which he was able to gain an iron grasp on his wave. Millions had come from the competing worlds in order to find work and the Primus had given them that. Albeit in the form of slavery, but still work.

Back in the bar, currently finishing his 9th drink, Faul cares about none of this. His thoughts focus entirely on the boy he had met on Helldarvin. He does not care if the boy dies, in fact he hopes that he will. Deciding to answer the boy and help him had been a stupid decision he’d made while still reeling in the emotions of a fresh kill. If he was ever caught helping an 11th Wave transplant … Genesis only knows what the Primus would do to him.

It is for this reason that he orders yet another drink and attempts to drown his worries away in alcohol. Qual’Fan may be many things but Oathbreakers are not one of them. He had given his word and would perform as he agreed. And if the boy was dead? Well then everyone was a little better off.

Sighing with the realization that alcohol won’t ever affect him again, Faul picks up his sword and starts swinging his shoulders in an attempt to loosen up. A grin breaks out on his face and he lunges towards the door, blocking the only escape. Alcohol might never work, but bloodlust works every time.

The slaves walking around outside carefully ignore the screams that manage to escape from the small bar. None of them have the power to fight against a Qual’Fan and so they must ever suffer under their heel.

Hiding within the blanket of purple pines, I watch as the Helldarvin Hunter [Lvl 29] stalks over to the pile of meat that I’ve carefully placed. I’m about a mile and a half away from my tree and expanding my hunting grounds just a little further every day. The beast begins to sniff at the meat and look around in suspicion. Go on you little bastard, just eat the meat.

It stares around the grove for a few seconds before smiling and turning around to devour the treat. I throw off the blanket and stand up, holding two hands shaped like guns in front of me. Mana Bullets appear in front of each finger and, at my trigger, explode out towards the beast. The blue projectiles both impact the Hunters head at the same time, the simultaneous explosions creating an amplified effect that decimates its brain. I watch as it spasms to the ground, ignoring the notification pings.

Whistling my little tune, I cheerfully walk over to the beast and pick up the front legs so that I can take it back to camp. All my attempts to carry the beasts back had used up my stamina in minutes, leaving me panting on the ground and unable to move until fully regenerated. Dragging them along seemed to be the only way to get them back to camp without decimating my Stamina.

It’s been about a month and a half since I killed the first Hunter. In that time I’ve managed to kill 9 more Hunters, gain 7 levels, increase the levels of Mana Bullet by 12, Mana Manipulation by 9, Meditation by 8, Trap Making and Planning by 7, Manual Labor by 4, and Mana Infusion and Pain Resistance by 3. I’d tried to improve the last two further by using Infusion to climb trees but, both times I tried the pain was so overwhelming that I immediately fell out of the tree and damaged myself further.

I also managed to discover a few new Skills. Disguise is self-explanatory but the Skill, when used with the blanket covered in pines, allows me to escape the notice of Hunters that I come across during my expeditions. I cannot count the number of times I’ve had to stop and throw myself underneath the blanket to escape the growl of a nearby beast. Another self-explanatory Skill that I discovered was Foraging. It isn’t nearly as flashy as Disguise but the knowledge seems to give me hints as to where I can find food. I’ll be walking by trees or bushes and feel a strange feeling of recognition, as if I know what the plant is and how I can use it to obtain a small amount of food.

The crowning achievement of the last month, however, has been my progress in A Combat Understanding of Mana. I haven’t been sleeping as much the past month, probably only 5 or 6 hours a night, which has given me lots of time to dive further into the book. Despite my frustration with the advice of the first page nearly killing me, the book is utterly fascinating and has become the hope of my continued survival. In it I’ve learned that Mana has unlimited potential, the ability to mimic every aspect of life within Genesis.

Using this knowledge, along with a chapter called Immolating Your Opponents, I am able to focus in on my Well and withdraw Mana that manifests itself as fire, a feat that unlocks the Skill Fire Mana! It took me the three weeks to finally understand the process but the knowledge from the Skill obtained makes it significantly easier upon subsequent trials. Unfortunately, A Combat Understanding also informs me that the Skill will be basically useless until I’m able to build a solid foundation, limiting me to the simplest uses of Fire Mana.

In the most accurate description that I can think of, Mana in its simplest form exists in a state of infinite potential. It can become anything and everything, but as soon as it transforms then it is stuck in that form until it dissipates and becomes Mana once more.

To transform the Mana, I focus entirely on the image of flame as I draw it out of my Well and into the world. This image of flame, however, had to embody all the aspects of fire. The short lifespan as it eats up oxygen until it dies. The destructive potential, always waiting with bated breath. The whimsical dancing nature of the strands. The overwhelming and suffocating heat of a flame spread too large. The eager helpfulness of a cooking fire. The ash that it leaves upon its death. Only once all of these images were balanced and perfectly held in my mind was I finally able to convert the Mana into fire.

The fire has been incredibly helpful in cooking the Hunter meat, as I was getting frustrated and bored with all the nuts and berries. I’m also a little suspicious that the bodies don’t seem to be deteriorating in any way but it is just another of Genesis’s mysteries. I’m unfortunately unable to do much more with the fire but I’m not too bothered. If there is anything that I learned in the weeks it took me to build my mental image of Fire Mana, it’s that forests and fire don’t mix that well.

Looking up, I see the tall tree that has become my home in the last month. I drag the body of the Hunter into the pile of its brethren, one of them already half butchered, and begin to climb up my tree for some more study. Quickly, before I dive into the book, I invest another 50 Way Points into Hopeless, this most recent conflict having net me enough points to receive the next benefit.

Why do you continue to struggle? Others in your situation would have laid down their arms and sought out the sweet release of death. Your tenacity and steadfastness in the face of insurmountable odds begin to shape your body itself. +5 Willpower, +5 Endurance