“Cultivation is the process of turning Potential, big ‘P’, into potential, little ‘p’.” Mord started in on his explanation.

  “As you go out and do things, you will slowly gain External Potential. You will hear it called EXP, XP, or even experience. All living beings naturally accumulate it; most, however, cannot use it. Awakened, such as yourself, can circulate this potential through open nodes to enhance those nodes and make themselves better. All sentient beings have six locations through which they can cycle potential. These locations, or Loci, are called the six S’s. Strength, speed, smarts, senses, stout, and spirit. I think those should all be self-explanatory, yes?” Mord looked to me with that question hanging.

  “Makes sense to me, at least the stats do. Not sure about potential or how to circulate that. But the stats yeah they make sense.” It wasn’t directly the stats I was used to from any of the game systems I knew but all S’s sounded ok by some twist of logic. I was more interested in the cycling and expressed that to Mord.

  “Ah, yes, but before we get to how to cultivate, that is, cycling XP through the loci, we need to talk about certain aspects. You grasped the concept of aspects creating reality quickly. Now, let's talk about how the awakened can break that reality. Every individual is born with a maximum potential for cultivation. For most, unfortunately, as I said kind of before, it is below the threshold for awakening. For those, their threshold would be zero loci. With the potential to unlock at least one loci is the potential to be awakened. Now there is more about that but if you really want to know to ask an awakener. Just know that that potential for an unlock doesn’t always happen. Back to loci and aspects.” He paused like he needed a breath or maybe just to give me an opportunity to ask a question. I knew from the first time I checked my menu that I had all six loci unlocked. Knowing that there were six stats attached to those loci probably meant something. I decided to play it cool and see what he knew about me and what was all academic.

  “Moving on. As an awakened, I can tell you have at least one loci unlocked. Can you access the system?” So much for academics. I rechecked my menu; it was still there as a gray haze in the bottom of my vision.

  “Does the system not appear the same to everyone?” I felt it was a fair question and would probably shore up at least one of the huge fucking gaps in my knowledge of my new home.

  “Great question! Yes, the system does not always appear the same to each individual. It personalizes somewhat. Judging by your inquiry, I’m assuming you have access, which is also not surprising as a paragon. I'm also assuming you have all six loci unlocked because that would otherwise be a waste of a paragon. I will tell you this, do not reveal how many loci you have unlocked, which ones they are, how they are aspected, or the true nature of your powers to anyone you do not fully trust. Your powers are your greatest secret; they are yours and yours alone.” Dire warning aside he said the word I was waiting for.

  “Powers?”

  “Yes, powers, you didn't think a paragon would run around like a mortal, did you? This all plays into the Loci. Right now, your loci should be unaspected.” He paused. It sounded like a statement but could have been a question. I took it as a test and stayed quiet. After a second, he piped back up.

  “Good. You were listening. But everything here is confidential. First, I’m a dungeon, so I’m not only stuck here, but you also can't bribe me. Or coerce me. Those that could force me into divulging that information have other much easier ways of finding out. I won’t ask too much, I promise, but I also want you to succeed. We will go on the assumption you have all six loci unlocked and unaspected. To get the full benefits and gain power, you not only have to channel Potential through the loci, making them stronger, but you will have to aspect them. There are two ways to aspect them. But, let’s talk about potential first; I promise it makes more sense this way. Like your loci, there exists aspected and unaspected mana, but whereas aspected loci are stronger, unaspected potential is more powerful. It’s also rarer to find in the world. Aspected potential is tied to the concepts in which it was used or how it existed in the world. Remember how I said all living things naturally accumulate potential? They also slowly change it. They….flavor….yes, flavor it with concept, and it gains that aspect. Depending on the concept that flavors aspected potential is how it will be absorbed. Now, if you cycle aspected potential through a Loci of that exact aspect, it will be very efficient and absorb rapidly. Like concepts, most aspected potential is more an amalgamation than a pure substance. Depending on the the Concept that aspects your loci and how you circulate it you will pull only so much from the potential. The waste potential accumulates in your body. It itself is harmless, but the more you have, the more attractive you will become to those looking for EXP.” I was not pleased by that last revelation. It made sense, but it also made me feel like cattle being fattened up for slaughter. Mord continued on despite my discomfort.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Unaspected Potential is the opposite. It is pure potential. The potential to be anything. It absorbs at a slower rate, but it will be absorbed by any loci. I have one last concept, pardon the pun, to add. That is what we commonly call affinity. Affinity only really matters in aspecting your unlocked loci, but it is important enough that it makes aspected and unaspected potential important. Affinity is your natural predisposition to certain concepts. If you circulate unaspected potential through an unaspected loci and have a high enough affinity with a concept, your loci will become aspected to that concept. It is possible to have multiple affinities. Generally, affinities are tied to specific loci, but your highest affinity will aspect to the loci you focus on first. This brings up the idea of forcing. Forcing is changing your natural ideal to something else. While you will be less powerful than your ideal self, you can be more effective at what you want to do. You can also do the reverse: cycle aspected potential through a loci to force it to gain that aspect regardless of affinity. You will probably have to do this anyway, as nobody has six affinities high enough. Clear as mud?”

  “Yeah…mud…umm.” I kind of paused there, as I wasn't certain what to do with all this knowledge.

  “Oh yes….powers. It's really not an issue until you can get potential and then aspects, but since we are on the subject, I will explain. You have six loci, and each can give you six powers. You will often get two when you first aspect to the loci, and the others come as you cycle potential through the loci and make it stronger. The last power comes as you ‘close out’ the loci, and it becomes….er…..solid. Now, a word to the wise is not to rush your powers.”

  “Why is that?” my brain was in full salvation mode. I hadn’t told Mord about completing part of a quest. Once he started explaining all of the rules I started to feel it. I could feel the loci in my body. It reminded me of a chakra poster on the wall of the yoga place a girl I was into worked at. I used to stare at it, waiting for her to get off, so we could both go and get off. I could even feel the unaspected EXP, like the waters of a warm hot tub sitting in the center of myself. Warm and comforting yet full of energy demanding release. I must have spaced out a little as Mord’s cough brought me back to what was quickly becoming the best lecture I had ever sat in.

  Ahem

  “Yes yes….welcome back. It’s a lot to take in, I know, but you will have time. And I’ll say it again: take your time. Your actions will dictate your powers as they form. If you force them too early, you will get either weak powers or powers that don't mesh well. If you progress slowly, your powers will develop properly. Think of them as fine spirits; they get better if you wait. And just because you don't have power doesn't mean you can't use your aspects in a certain way. Powers are nice, easy patterns for your aspects, but they are tied to concepts more than you would believe. It’s quite common for a power to develop after you have used an aspect in a novel way, especially if it is in reaction to a dire need.”

  “It’s a whole lot to take in. Even more so on top of the whole stuck-in-a-dungeon thing. Speaking of that. How long has it been since someone came through?” I asked gingerly.

  Mord took a few moments to ponder my question. He even did the "I'm thinking really hard" finger-tapping on the lip thing. He finally came to an answer.

  “Oh, about fifty cycles.”