Dream Drive Ch. 03

Something was off. Shaka had said there were no special instructions; he just had to sit there and wait. But this felt...solemn. There was a heavy sense of waiting. But for what, exactly?

They knew what. He didn't. It was starting to bug him.

Two more figures entered the tent. Their heads were concealed by huge white masks. Jackson realized they were bison skulls. One of them was carrying a flame. It burned from within a hollowed-out horn, an improvised torch.

It took him a second, but he realized that it was Shaka and Chaki. Chaki met his eyes through the two holes in her skull. He smiled at her, but she said nothing. She knelt near the fire and lit the fuel with her horn-torch. Dried grass at the bottom caught almost immediately, and the rest went up quickly.

Jackson leaned back. His spot was just a little too close for comfort. Sweat began to bead on his forehead. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to move. Chaki went behind him and seated herself opposite the entrance, still holding her flame.

Shaka stood before him, then. The orange light danced across her skull. She looked like a demon.

She pinched something from a pouch at her side and cast her hand out. Dust flew over the fire. It turned to golden cinders at the heat caught it. They swirled around the flames. He could smell it in the air, the acrid cinnamon-vinegar he remembered from Shaka's tent

"Shakhan!" she said. "This one would join us!"

Shaka threw another handful of dust at the fire. This was less dust, though, and more like a clump of mud. When it landed, the flames transformed from orange to violet. The purple glare filled the tipi.

"Shakhan! This one would join us!"

Shaka again drew more dust from her pouches. She leaned over the fire and sprinkled it carefully. The flames flashed white, then returned to their normal orange color.

"Shakhan! Hear me! This one would join us!"

I hear you, spirit guide.

Jackson shifted his eyes, glancing about without making it obvious. He was too close to the fire - it was impossible to see their faces. Had anyone else heard that?

"Shakhan!" Shaka called. She raised her arms. "This one would join us!"

I will speak to him.

The flames vanished. The tipi was dark. Jackson blinked at the sudden lack of heat.

And then they roared back to life, but this time, the fire was black. It flickered in shades of grey. It sucked the color out of the air. It felt like a geyser of cold air.

But Jackson wasn't looking at the fire; he was looking at the back of his left hand. The inverted pentagram cut into his flesh had turned pure white.

Shaka lowered her arms. She looked back at him. Her eyes were white, pure white, as if her pupils had rolled back into her skull. Her arm extended forward. She pointed a finger at him. "Jackson...Vedalt."

That was not Shaka's voice.

Jackson swallowed. "...yeah?"

"My will is weak, outside my home. They know...you have survived. They will send hunters. There is little...time. If you are not...strong...and soon...then you will die."

"...who are you?" Jackson asked. "Who is they?"

"I...have many names. They are the Fallen. And they will not tolerate your existence. Come to the place under...the mountain. I will speak to you properly...there."

"...come on," Jackson said. "Give me something. Anything! What the hell is Isis? What's with the pentagrams? What about the game? What happened to that?!"

"My power...sent in piecemeal...it was not enough. They cut it off before it could...take root. The Fallen will soon reach the Gate of Heaven. They must be stopped. We were given a chance when...Emil Mohammed found a way to contact me."

"What?!" Jackson's brain was on the verge of bursting. "Then he actually found real-life magic? What's the Gate of Heaven?"

"I cannot spare the strength, now," the voice said through Shaka's mouth. "Our plan is close to...fruition. Come to the place under the mountain. Shaka will know...to give you my blessing. Some of my power will go to you. Since you are the first...you may have the greatest...chance. But you will also be targeted. Do not...tarry."

"Hold on," Jackson said. He tried to stand, but he couldn't move. His legs were glued underneath him. "You're some fucking demon beckoning me into the bowels of the earth, and that's all you have to tell me?"

Shaka's shoulders twitched forward. She stepped through the black fire, and stood directly over Jackson. White orbs stared down at him. "There is hope...for us, yet. You are greedy. That is good. You will need your vices...to survive." An arm fell loose from Shaka's side. It latched onto his head with a claw-like grip. "Then I will give you a second...boon."

Jackson felt something rise out of him. It rushed up through his body and into her hand. His stomach flipped. What the hell was this thing doing to him?

The hand left his head. The puppet-Shaka stepped backward through the fire, until it was standing where it had been. "I have taken...your need to sleep. It will not pass to those you...bond. But it should help. And Shaka will...give you your title. Do. Not. Tarry."

The fire roared orange. Shaka's eyes were back. She heaved in air.

"Shaka!" Jackson shouted.

She held out a palm, stopping him from getting up. "I...am fine. It is always the same...when she takes me." Shaka took another long breath. "I am not finished with you."

Jackson settled back. Shaka reached into her pouches. She came back out with nothing less than an essence crystal. She raised it aloft, then crushed it in her grip.

White light shone from her hand. She drew in the air with her index finger. Where her finger traced, lines of light followed. She painted a glowing wall of hieroglyphics.

"Jackson Vedalt," she said. "I give you this title from Shakhan! You are no longer Jackson Vedalt! You are -

White Bison."

Tatanka Ska."

It was as if she spoke with two voices. Something echoed under her normal throaty words, a second phrase. It meant the same, though. He was hearing their language as it was - not translated, not English.

The white lines began to move. They peeled back from the air like white ink lifting from paper. The symbols spiraled downward, condensed into a ball, and flew through the center of the fire. They struck Jackson in the chest.

He grunted. He could feel it sit inside of him, spread out. It was like ants running under his skin. He shivered. And the feeling settled, and vanished.

A transparent game-screen flicked up in front of him. A bright cheery tone played inside his head, as if he'd leveled up.

You've gained a new title!

Titles are powerful passive enhancements. You may receive them when powerful factions acknowledge you.

Title: Tatanka Ska

10% increase to Strength

10% increase to Vitality

15% increase to Spirit

Damn. That was a sweet upgrade.

Shaka fell. Jackson leapt from his seat, but he didn't beat Chaki. She was already on her feet and sprinting forward. "Shaka! What on earth did you do?!"

"Child...ah...that was close to too much, I think."

"We're both still recovering. You shouldn't have done that!"

Shaka waved her back and sat up on her own. She gave a long, tired sigh. "Shakhan demanded it."

"...how did you even do that? I haven't seen those runes before."

"Neither...have I. I do not believe I could repeat that if I tried. Shakhan was with me."

"Shaka, what has happened?" Yukatan asked. "Tell us the meaning of this."

"Jackson - no. I'm sorry." She shook her head. "Tatanka Ska. You shall not speak Shakhan's words. They were for your ears only."

Jackson decided that it was not the time to argue. "Got it."

"For you, elder, and councilors," Shaka said. "Shakhan spoke to the man formerly known as Jackson Vedalt using myself as a vessel. He has been accepted as a Man-Under-The-Mountain. He has been renamed Tatanka Ska, and Shakhan has command him to appear in the place Under-The-Mountain. When we arrive at the Meet, I shall bring him with me, and the other spirit guides."

"Is this all you can say?" Yukatan asked.

"Yes."

Yukatan didn't look excited about that, but he nodded. "I understand. I leave guidance in this matter to you. Is it still acceptable that we leave the day after tomorrow?"

"It is."

Yukatan looked at Jackson. He placed his hands together and bowed. "Tanaka Ska. May the ground be calm beneath your feet."

He gestured to the others. The councilors rose. Some of the friendlier ones addressed him by his new name; the others nodded in quiet but polite acknowledgement. All of them wanted to get out of that tipi. Jackson had similar thoughts.

Chaki removed her skull and tucked it under her arm. She shook her head to loose her hair. "...Tanaka Ska. It is a powerful name."

"You can just call me Jack, Chaki."

She shook her head. "I am glad to hear you say so, but...this is different. You are not Jackson Vedalt any longer. You are Tanaka Ska."

Jackson wasn't sure how to take it. Superpowers aside, at the end of the day, he was only just himself. The title was cool, but he actually liked his name. "...alright," Jackson said, "if you have to. But let's shorten it again. Part of my tradition, part of yours. How about that?"

Chaki smiled. "That sounds acceptable. Then, just Tanaka?"

"I guess."

Chaki leaned very close. Her words were barely audible. "I will be at the creek." She drew back. "Good night, then, Tanaka," she said.

"Good night."

Chaki left the tent, and then it was just him and Shaka.

"So," Jackson said, "what now?"

"You are ever ready for more," Shaka said. "I would not be so eager if I were you." She lifted the skull from her head. She brushed a hand through her hair, smoothing the grey strands out from where they'd been matted down. "I must teach you all I know. There is not enough time for you to jam it all into your head, but we will try."

"Heh." Jackson smiled. "That's where you're wrong."

"Explain."

"You forget that I can go back to my world," Jackson said. "We...um. Let me see. Basically, you could say that we have methods for recording runes. I can learn some from you, go back, record them, then return and memorize a few more. I won't be able to take it in all at once, but with all your runes stored away, I'll be able to learn them at my own pace."

Shaka smiled. "This is a relief. I did not hear the specifics, when Shakhan took me, but I know that danger is circling in upon you, Tanaka Ska." Jackson opened his mouth to speak, but Shaka stopped him. "No. It is not for me to know. Tomorrow, after you have your practice with Vuntha and Hanta, come to my tipi. I will teach you all I know of magic, and then I will pass as many runes to you as your world's method can hold."

"That won't be a problem. We can hold a lot of them."

"Really? How many, would you say?"

Jackson snorted. "It's hard to make a comparison. There's nothing like it here." He tapped a finger on his chin. "Alright. Imagine all the words that everyone in the band has spoken. Every single word that every person has ever said over their whole lives."

Shaka looked contemplative. "That many?"

"More," Jackson said. "If our storage space is like the prairie, then all the words I just mentioned would fit in a little bit of dirt."

"Incredible," Shaka said. "It is no wonder that Shakhan has reached to your people for aid."

"It's a wonder, alright," Jackson mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing," Jackson said.

"Ah." Shaka covered her mouth. "Now, I am tired. Take your rest when you would; my tent is open to you. I will see you during the next sun."

Jackson left the council tipi with her. She buttoned the entrance flap behind her, then walked toward her own tent. Jackson cut away toward the creek.

The fires of the camp had been allowed to burn low. He watched his feet carefully as he wove between the tents. Jackson could see a few men scattered here and there on the periphery - lookouts, watching the night, armed with spears and bows. After the raid, they weren't taking chances.

The creek was a few dozen yards from the camp at its closest point. He glanced about, but didn't see Chaki. She'd probably moved further down to avoid any more interruptions. He started along the edge of the water. The creek bent out and toward the great flat emptiness.

The stars were incredible. Streams of them hung in a purple midnight-sky, great clumps and clouds of light against the darkness. The moon must have washed them out the night before. He would never have this view in the Sprawl.

He'd seen pictures of the Milky Way in textbooks - a relatively broad line of stars and gas. This wasn't the neat edge of a spiral that he expected. It curved, and was especially fat on one end. He wondered what sort of galaxy this world sat upon.

He still didn't have the answers he wanted. Who were the Fallen? Why did they want him dead? What was the Gate of Heaven? Something that needed to be protected, apparently. Shaka had said that the angels were building Babel up toward the world that was connected to the Above - his world. Was Earth really all that special?

He sighed. He knew a few of the big stories, but he wasn't exactly a biblical scholar. Maybe he could do some research back on home turf. The great outdoors was great and all, but he was a paragon of high technology, not natural living.

He glanced back and felt a touch of worry. He'd walked far enough to be on the border of shouting distance from the camp. He was confident that he'd be able to fend off an attacker, but Chaki wasn't built like he was - invincible, to a fault.

He heard a voice. It sounded male. Jackson crouched. He squinted into the darkness.

There were two figures on his side of the creek - he could just make out their shadows against the sky. He crept in closer. His moccasins were quiet on the grass.

"...I won't..." Jackson strained his ears. "...sacred animal."

There was a second voice, less gruff. He thought it might be Chaki. "You'll have...with it."

"...see that...he doesn't belong here?"

He was close enough to hear, now. He pegged the other voice - Boonta. Had he followed her out here? He wondered if he should reveal himself, or stay quiet. He decided to listen, and carefully went prone in the grass.

"Whether you like it or not, he's part of the tribe," Chaki said. "Shakhan herself has spoken through Shaka. Now leave me be. I came here to get away from the camp, not be pestered by you."

"He is an outsider," Boonta insisted.

"You would go against Shakhan?"

"If it means protecting you? Yes. I would go against anyone, and anything."

"Who protects your soul? Who provides for our lives? If you spurn Shakhan, Shakhan will spurn you."

"Then let Shakhan spurn me! I will thrive with or without the plains!"

"I am not impressed. Leave me be."

"I will have you, Chaki. I will depose Jackson Vedalt from your affections. You will see."

"No, Boonta," Chaki said. "You will never have me. I'm sick and tired of your bluster and your arrogance. I was done with you before Takana Ska - "

"His name is Jackson Vedalt," Boonta said, his voice louder. "I do not acknowledge that other name. It does not belong to him!"

"I don't care what you choose to call him!" Chaki shouted. "I have had enough of you! I will be civil to you in public, but that is all I will be. Get out of my sight or I shall ignore you outright until Mother Earth gnaws on your bones!"

There was a thump. Chaki yelped. Jackson blinked, confused. It look like she'd tripped.

"I will have you," growled Boonta.

"What - what are -"

The shadow of Boonta fell on top of her, pinning her to the ground. "Shut up!"

"Get off of me!" Chaki shrieked.

"Don't make me strike you!"

Jackson remembered the next few instants in a series of still images.

He was on his feet. He was running, mid-stride. He lowered his shoulder, and struck Boonta in the side. The larger man rolled across the dirt.

Jackson hit the ground on his knees and quickly stood. Boonta was getting up. Just as the man put his feet under himself, Jackson's foot slammed into his stomach. Boonta doubled over and wheezed.

Jackson simply fell on top of him. His dropped his elbow into Boonta's back, driving him into the dirt. He sat on top of him and put his hands on Boonta's neck.

"You little fucking shit," Jackson said. "If you touch her again, I'll fucking kill you. You got that?" Jackson grabbed the back of his head and shoved it into the mud. "Did you fucking hear me?!"

Boonta mumbled and coughed something. Jackson got off of him and took a few steps back. He was breathing like he'd run a mile. His fists were clenched. He had half a mind to finish what he'd started.

Boonta got back up. He was hunched slightly, clutching where Jackson had kicked him in the gut. They stared at each other.

"You..." Boonta pointed at him. "This isn't over, Jackson Vedalt. This isn't over."

"For your sake," Jackson said, "you better fucking hope it is."

Boonta spat at him. It struck Jackson in the leg. Jackson didn't react.

Boonta limped around him. He kept his eyes on Jackson until he was far enough away that he felt safe enough to turn his back. Jackson watched him go.

"Jack? I mean...Tanaka."

Jackson turned back. "Chaki, are you alright?"

"Yes." She was on her feet. She embraced him, and then she was crying. She pulled at her shirt and bawled into his chest. "He was - he really would have...! I never thought he..."

Jackson held her. He rubbed a hand through her hair and let her cry it out. He hadn't thought Boonta was that bad, either. He was just another prick that was high on himself - those were a dime a dozen. But this was different.

"Should we tell Shaka?" Jackson asked.

"I don't know. I..."

"Shh." Jackson kept rubbing her, trying to get her to calm down. "I've got you. You're fine, Chaki. I won't let anything hurt you. I swear."

"...yeah." She sniffed a bit, and then her voice was more or less back to normal. "He was furious that you'd been accepted into the tribe. Maybe it was the name that set him off. Tanaka Ska."

"...white bison?" Jackson asked.

She nodded. "A sacred animal."

"I remember," Jackson said. "Shaka mentioned it when she was giving my case to Yukatan, when we first got back. It's a symbol, right?"

"More than that," Chaki said. "The white bison is...it's a sign that things will be okay. That the best days have yet to come. That survival doesn't have to be a struggle. That life will be full, and fulfilling. I can't imagine a better name."

"...I think," Jackson said, "that all you people think a shit-ton better of me than I do of myself."

Chaki snorted. "A shit-ton? I have not heard that one before."

"You learn something new every day."

"A good phrase." She looked up at him. In the darkness, her brown eyes were pitch black. "Perhaps you might learn that you think too little of yourself."

"Always with the comebacks." He rubbed the back of her neck. "Feeling up to walking back?"

"Spirits," she said. "He almost...ugh. It's like I need to wash him off me."

"I'll wait," Jackson offered.

"If you wouldn't mind."

"Sure."

Jackson let her drift away from him. He sat on the ground and looked up at the stars. He heard the rustle of clothes, and then the splash of water. She waded into the creek.

"Aren't you joining me?" she asked.

Jackson half-turned his head over his shoulder. "I figured maybe you'd just like a nice wash. No pressure. After that...experience."

"...you would never hurt me," she said. "I trust you. So if that's all that keeps you on the shore, then get in the water."

Jackson hesitated. Was it really ok?

Water sprayed the back of his neck and hair. He jumped up and turned. "What the hell?!"

Chaki was laughing. "You didn't move fast enough for my liking. Perhaps you think I'm ugly?"