It took a while for me to find my voice, to overcome the sense that I was a tiny mote. "Who designs these cities, Dio? Bios or Cycogs?"
[[Most of these, at least in the broad strokes, were designed by Type Threes.]]
"So Bios can be architects and things like that? Or, like, physicists? Not just Chocobos?"
[[Why not? While it takes some time for Type Threes to gain a basic understanding of the nature of the universe, your species is not incapable of contributing the occasional useful insight.]]
"Do you pat them on the head when they do?" I asked, but Dio only laughed and suggested we start training.
As soon as I activated my focus, Dio projected the shape te wanted me to make.
"Is that a sock?"
[[A Pocket. The ability to create Pockets is both useful, and a fundamental step forward in lan control.]]
Shields were more interesting than socks, but pockets of course were useful, and at least not much more difficult to create than shields. I tired more quickly doing it, though, and had to sit down after a few attempts. The sand was dry and cool, but the night still warm. The pale line across the night sky currently featured large chunks.
"With the moon in debris ring form, is there a tide?"
[[A weaker one.]]
"If Cycogs don’t have a strict concept of good and evil, do you have Cycogs who run around breaking your rules? Who just want to watch the world burn?"
[[There’s a leap backward in conversation.]]
"Knowing whether there are cruel, despotic Cycogs seems important when stuck in a galaxy ruled by them. You haven’t said there aren’t any."
[[It’s rare, but yes, we do occasionally see Cycogs who enjoy the pain of others. They are generally more focused on other Cycogs, rather than Bios. But hurting Bios is an easy way to attack another Cycog.]]
"The equivalent of the pet bunny in the cookpot? Do you have Cycog jail? Can you even put floaty intangible lights in jail?"
[[There are ways to confine us, although it is simpler to place us on a planet without Skip-capable Bios. We prefer to attempt to guide Cycogs of this nature toward less destructive behaviour. In early days there was the option of forced division or absorption, but those were acts that we found exceedingly disturbing, and it is no longer permitted. There are many interesting planets without Skip-capable Bios, and so that tends to be the fate of those among us who are destructive, with hopes that rehabilitation is possible.]]
"If a Cycog absorbs a Cycog who is, uh, cruel, doesn’t that just make the larger Cycog cruel as well?"
[[Not thus far. And as I said, it is no longer permitted. Do you wish to attempt to pass your next Trial now, or loll about until your next session?]]
"Do you think I can pass it now?"
[[More than likely. Once you’ve begun to precisely manipulate lan, these ranks are simple enough. Gaining Rank Five will take far longer, since it involves an increase in strength.]]
"Is anyone there yet?"
[[No.]]
"And you can go into space once you reach Rank Five?"
[[Yes.]]
"Then I’ll try the Trial now," I said, and kept myself fully focused while Dio had me form another Pocket, and maintain it while I took off my shoes, placed them in the Pocket, and kept them there for a whole minute.
That was hard. Holding blue mist in the shape of a Pocket was difficult enough. Doing it while working out how to take off your own shoes was a silent tongue twister. And everything became distracting. Sand beneath now bare feet. Murmurs of water. The vanishment of my shoes, which weren’t visible to me even though I could see the outlines of my Pocket. It all kept trying to suck my thoughts into speculation, and I swear Dio whizzed in a circle around my head purely to distract me.
Trial Successful.
Rank Four Achieved.
Reward:
[Tier 1 Apparel Pattern]
[Tier 1 Consumable Pattern]
I flopped to the sand immediately, and a shadowy lump that had to be my shoes dropped down beside me.
[[Congratulations.]]
"Thanks," I said, lying back onto the sand, still breathing deeply. Even though it was all just as fictional as the rest, lan training was definitely different from anything else I’d done in the game. "I feel like I have superpowers."
[[Welcome to the great leap forward for Bio-kind,]] Dio said, in a tone kindly enough to pat me on my head all on its own.
Making a vaguely insulting gesture, I added: "I should have asked first what happens to things in Pockets if you stop maintaining the lan."
[[Imprecise control can cause interesting consequences, but a lapsed Pocket reliably dumps its contents.]]
"A bag of holding that you need to concentrate to maintain seems like it would have limited use."
[[With practice it will take less of your attention. But, yes, it’s not a permanent storage option, merely a step on the way to Skipping. To gain the next Rank you will need to considerably increase the size of your Pocket, and your ability to maintain it.]]
"How many training sessions would you expect that to take?"
[[I would be surprised if you did it in less than six, but Bios are not easy to predict.]]
"That’s quite the difficulty curve. What happens if you’re someone who is really bad at this? Do you just never get into space?"
[[Bios who cannot develop their lan often ride with stronger Bios. In this particular simulation, after twenty lan training sessions, Bios are awarded passenger credits, which allow them to take what is the equivalent of public transport. Since the Bios running these transports will be much stronger than the average player—meaning they will have a greater travel range—space-incapable Bios will still be able to travel extensively.]]
"Why do they do that? The Bios running the transports? What do they get out of it?"
[[For many of them, primarily fuel for the ego,]] Dio said, with a ripple of laughter. [[The grand shipmaster, skipping a distance it would take low-ranks dozens of tiny hops to achieve. But they also receive various privileges and points for doing so. And most run on a schedule of you go when I happen to leave.]]
"So Bios strong with lan are the top of the pile," I mused, watching my own personal mote of light drift across the starscape. "Is lan everything or are there other sorts of elite?"
[[Much is made of well-known performers and creators, and the champions of various non-lan Challenges. If lan were the only way to accumulate points and privileges, the vast majority of our Bios would be left stewing in frustration. Instead, we aim to provide outlets to satisfy any Bio, while at the same time ensuring that the most prestige is always attached to increases in lan.]]
I’d lost track of Dio among the stars, and searched briefly for tem, but gave up and turned my attention to what I wanted to do next.
"How do you turn off the system notifications?"
[[Are you having trouble navigating the menus?]]
"No, just trying to save time. Is it considered impolite to ask Cycogs too many questions?"
[[Ask me anything not already available to you. It is not an issue of politeness, but of independence training.]]
"You think I need independence training?" I asked, quirking a brow before obediently hunting through the menus. "I suppose Cycogs end up very involved in raising Bio kids? Or at least helping out. Or have you bred human babies that can walk by the time they’re a week old, and just need litter training?"
[[There are variants of Type Threes that have an accelerated early development. But from a lan point of view, those sub-species are slower to develop strength, and none have reached the very upper tiers. As for litter training, there have been some improvements in waste management. The bulk of child-rearing labour is alleviated by Constructs, but Cycogs do often involve themselves in Bio early development in various contexts.]]