Two Hundred And Thirty-Nine

Two Hundred And Thirty-Nine

“You lost the Trial fair and square, brother.” Shaeula interjected huffily. “Do not-not berate Aiko now, or else I shall be most-most displeased.”

“Berate?” Shaeraggo looked affronted. “I merely noticed. I remember you saying his sister was an archer. So this-this is her then?”

“Wow, tense atmosphere.” My sis said, bringing a little giggle from Eri.

“Yeah. It was a heated struggle.” I agreed. “Luckily it was between family, and family may fight, but they stick together in the end. Right?”

Shaeraggo nodded, as did Shaeula. “Of course. I did as you asked and found you some water element, did I not-not?" Shaeraggo said defensively. “I accept that things have changed. My little sister is all grown up, and has chosen a husband.”

“He sure doesn’t look like he’s happy though...” my sis whispered loudly, causing Eri’s giggles to grow worse. Even Selensha was stifling a laugh behind one hand, and Shaeraggo’s green eyes twitched. Still, with an effort of will, he continued speaking.

“Whether I approve or not is hardly relevant. My sister has chosen.” He looked at Aiko then, before glancing back my way. “I look-look forward to the day when you have to face the same choice as I do.”

Yeah, no way, I’m not as much of a siscon as you. As long as the guy loves her and isn’t trash, I’ll give my blessing. Though if he’s no good... well, yeah, perhaps I understand Shaeraggo more than I’d like to. “Speaking of, thanks for your help. I really appreciate it, and I know Shaeula does too. Her home is here as well as the Seelie Court. By the way, what about these Mirror Bees?”

“We destroyed many pockets of resistance, foul creatures who were not-not fit for the Territory my sister dwells in.” Shaeraggo said. “However, the Bees, after our initial combat, where we slew many workers and warriors...”

“Bees are vulnerable to both wind and water element, so we had little trouble.” Selensha broke in. “Their wings are vulnerable to getting wet, and wind element renders their flight a liability.”

“Yes, just that.” Shaeraggo continued. “The Queen then ventured forth and surrendered, knowing we could easily defeat her and destroy her hive. I deemed it acceptable. After all, the Bee Fae are quite respected, creating wonderful honey, nectar and other delights. I assumed these ... foreign... creatures could do the same. Besides, I do not believe you are-are terribly bloodthirsty, am I wrong?”

“No, well done indeed, brother. You are beginning to recognise the many-many good points of Akio.” Shaeula praised him, and I could see him perking up.

Still, he’s not wrong. I do prefer allies where possible. “Yeah, good work.” I followed up. “I’ll have to pencil in a meeting with the Queen of these yokai, but since they’ve surrendered to us and joined the Territory everything should be fine. We’ll have to toast with honey mead and wines in the future.”

“That would be pleasant.” Shaeraggo admitted. “Sister Shaeranna is very partial to sweet alcohol, so you should-should surely prepare some.”

“Do not-not remind me. It was good to see my sister again, but she is even more stifling than you, brother, and she did not-not take well to news of my engagement.” She turned to me then, looking apologetic. “I fear she will likely seek-seek to test you, Akio. But stay strong, I believe in you!”

“Looks like you have it tough, bro. I have to say, I’m quite curious about your sister though, Shaeula.” My sis said. “She’s a fighter too, right?”

“Indeed.” Shaeula agreed. “Sister Shaeranna is quite the spear-wielder. She can use the bow too-too, yet it is not her focus.”

“Our family is going to be huge it seems, right Eri? Who’d have thought that a month or two ago.”

“I surprise myself at how happy I am about it.” Eri grinned. “You too, right Hyacinth?”

“Yes, I am finding the feeling ooof family quite irresistible, mistress Eri!” She said softly, and Shaeraggo fixed her with his gaze, surprised.

“You... Boggart... what happened to you?” He was perplexed. “The foul aura you radiated has changed. You are not a Seelie, but... not Unseelie either?”

“Hyacinth is Hyacinth. Nooo more, no less. I am a servant of master, and also...” she squirmed, blushing. “Alsooo his mistress too!”

Selensha and Shaeula shared a look, and at Shaeula’s unconcerned shrug, Selensha smiled, extending out a hand to Hyacinth, who stared at it warily, which made Selensha smile. “Don’t worry. I merely wished to greet you. Since I am married to Shaeraggo, and you will be to the husband of his sister, that makes us sisters too.”

Hyacinth took her hand, tearing up, and Shaeraggo snorted. “I suspect nothing I say will make a difference. Still... the pace of change here is rather... swift.”

“Yeah, Hyacinth merely realised she isn’t bound by labels. She’s who she wants to be. And she doesn’t want to be a bad girl.” I said, and Shaeraggo nodded, agreeing sourly.

“It is a good thing. Many powerful Seelie must meet my sister, to cement her rank of Duchess and control over the Spring. Having a powerful maid is prestige, yet-yet this one was problematic. Now... she will cause problems still, but different, more manageable ones.”

“This is all very well and good, but we were supposed to be training, bro!” Aiko chimed in. “It isn’t every day we get so long with you, and you said you were busy tomorrow, right? So every minute wasted is a shame. Come on, come on! Training!”

“Yeah, sorry sis.” I said. “I didn’t mean to neglect you.”

“Very well.” Shaeraggo said, smiling, showing his teeth. “You sister here...”

“Aiko.”

“Aiko...” he said, as my sister named herself. “Since she has inherited one of my bows, I would wish to see how she uses it. One of my bows used by an unworthy, unskilled wielder would make me weep.”

“Hey, I’m plenty skilled.” Aiko protested, hurt.

“Well, you shall-shall have no objections to demonstrating this then? And if you prove worthy, I shall give you some instruction. It is quite the honour, as I am a great hunter, renowned amongst the Fae.”

“It is true.” Shaeula agreed. “Whatever character flaws my brother might have, he is quite-quite the skilled hunter.”

“Fine.” Aiko nodded. “I admit, I’m curious. Seeing some of the weaselkin use their bows, it’s very different to kyudo. Watching an expert in action should be useful.”

Yeah, my sis loves archery. She’ll never pass up this chance, even if Shaeraggo is pretty annoying...

“Right, well we might as well take a break and watch this.” I said. “I have to do some Territory maintenance, and...” I looked at Eri. “... you need to prepare yourself.”

Eri grinned. “It’s only pain. I want to be stronger, and I want you to have peace of mind. If Aiko can do it, I can too!”

“It’s settled then.” I declared, sending some of the weaselkin out to set up a much more difficult set of targets. Right, now it’s time to take advantage of the extra Territory Shaeraggo brought us...

I cleared a queue by rush-building the Sniper Emplacement in it to Rank 2, further buffing our defence. But now I needed a fifth point of defence, so I rush-built my usual four Emplacements (one Sniper, one a Rapid-fire) and that set me back just over fifteen thousand ether. That still left me with a hundred and seventy thousand. The large amount my Territory brings in now is great, and to be fair, Shaeraggo contributed a lot seizing a route to the bay. A rush-built Rank 2 Silo and Rank 2 Elemental Silo was around twenty thousand, then Rank 3 Silo for eighty thousand. That leaves me a bit short of my Rank 3 Elemental Silo too. It wasn’t as if I needed it, exactly, as the other Silos would receive water essence when it was extracted, but doing it this way would make long-term storage and utilisation easier. It’ll be less that an astral day before I have enough, and I can always burn a few Etherites, yeah, I can get it done before we go.

First though, I needed to move some Ether Spires down there. Using the open Queue, I pushed four towards the bay area, one from Shirohebizumi Shrine, one from Shaeula’s old Territory, and two from around the Rhyming Tree. I might move a fifth there later as well, but we’ll see what we can extract with four Rank 3 Spires...

With the new area defended, and Spires slowly moving down there at the rate of one every hour and a half or so, I decided to enjoy the archery. My sis was being supported by Eri, Shaeula and Hyacinth as she warmed up, going through the stages of kyudo in anticipation, while Shaeraggo was watching his sister sourly, Selensha and several of his weaselkin captains by his side. Ulfuric had come to watch as well, it seemed.

Yeah, don’t be jealous that Shaeula is in Aiko’s corner. Though maybe it might have been better if she showed a little support for Shaeraggo... Starting to feel just a little sorry for him, I walked over to him.

“So, just what are the rules?” I asked, as he was stringing a large bow, significantly bigger than the one my sister was using. He snorted, shaking his head.

“Archery, the art of the hunt, it-it is all about accuracy, speed and killing power. So there shall be three trials.”

“This isn’t actually a Trial of Three, is it?” I asked, wary, and he shook his head.

“Of course not. I would not-not bully a mortal so. She stands no chance against me, so any Price would not be fair. No, I merely wish to see her abilities. The bow she inherited is too precious to be left to an amateur.”

Well, I’m thinking you had no problem accepting a Trial against us that you thought you had no chance of losing. Oh well, no point dwelling on that... “To be honest, I’ve faced your arrows. You are quite skilled.” I admitted, and at that he let out a growl of approval, his black-furred maw twisted into a grin, teeth showing. “My sister, of course I believe in her, just like you believe in yours, but... well, it’s a big ask. So, I won’t ask you to go easy on her, she wouldn’t want that either, she’s a sporty girl, she likes competition, fair competition, but I ask that you evaluate her fairly, knowing she’s only a mortal girl.”

“My darling will.” Selensha said, and Shaeraggo looked away with a sigh, before nodding. “Your sister will learn a lot, just watching, I’m sure.” Selensha finished.

Before I could answer my sis called me over. “Hey bro, stop hanging around over there and come support your sister! It’s my time to shine, after all. Now you can see all that money you scrimped and saved to get me that Yumi was worth it.”

“I see. Bro!” She turned to me, her tone excited. “Remember that anime about all the ninjas? Think you could gouge out his eyes and transplant them into me?”

“Do not-not joke about it.” Shaeula warned, though she smiled at the humour. “Akio might just try it, and I would not-not have my brother be blinded.”

“Besides, we like your blue eyes. If you had his green ones, we’d have to call you Emerald rather than Sapphire.” I laughed. “Seriously though, those wind arrows are killer, I remember taking a battering from them.”

“Yeah, well... wind element huh? I’m definitely going to have to step up my game. Wind and light. I’ll get them both.” She concentrated, and her next arrow actually hit the target at four hundred metres. “Wow, I broke the Japanese record for a kill-shot. I don’t want to forget the feeling.” Another arrow, and this one was dead centre. Her last arrow joined it.

“Nice. I think I beat myself, if not you, Shaeraggo. Good match.” She held out a hand, and after a moment he took it.

“So, one-nothing to you, big guy. What’s next?” she tossed her head, black hair glittering with silvery sweat, and her smile was joyous. Damn, seeing my sister so happy, I feel my antipathy to Shaeraggo fading... still, he has to work harder to earn my forgiveness!

********

“In battle, you need speed.” Shaeraggo said. The new target was a larger one, and set at just two hundred metres distant. Just. That’s still a massive ask for an archer...

“Your accuracy is impressive, and in ambush you would be able to slay your target were they not too far distant. But given the same time, I would have killed-killed many. So, this time, it is how swiftly you can strike the target. I shall go first. Watch as I demonstrate the difference between us.”

“I’m watching, sure am.” Aiko agreed. “Show me what you’ve got.”

“Fine.” He grinned, in good humour. He had switched bows to a smaller one, like Aiko’s. Taking the bundle of arrows, he began to unleash them, one after another. The speed was magnificent, and after delivering nine, the remaining three he loosed all at once with his wind, and the target was pin-cushioned, splitting apart.

“Very impressive.” I admitted, and Aiko nodded.

“Sure was bro. He’s right. Kyudo isn’t about speed. I can see if I want to go further, I’ll have to go beyond. It’s been a good lesson.” She bowed to Shaeraggo, before taking her stance. The first arrow struck dead centre, but getting back to her shooting position was slow, too slow. Even so, she tried to speed up, and by the sixth arrow she was noticeably swifter.

“Still, not quick enough. Kyudo is about the mindset, the stages get you into the mindset... so do I need the stages?” Her next arrow was quicker still, and it was a bit off-centre, but it was followed by two even more rapidly. They hit, but again the accuracy wasn’t perfect.

“Not quite... it’s no good if the accuracy blows. Even so...” two of her last three arrows flew out, and were nearly centre mass, before her final arrow left a mere moment after the last left the bow. Her eyes hadn’t even opened, but she turned away, a brilliant smile on her face.

“That one’s dead centre. I know, because the arrow already exists there in my heart. Zaiteki.”

“She is correct.” Shaeraggo nodded, as the arrow slammed home in the bullseye, piercing deeply, cracking the target.

“Wow, shit, I did it, I did it!” she cheered, hugging me and Eri, before gesturing for Shaeula and Hyacinth to join in. As we hugged, she was crying, happy tears. “Wow, shit. I don’t know if I can get back that feeling easily, but that... that was true Kyudo! It’s not just a sport, it’s a combat art, like the Tsumura ones. And that arrow was killer. I’ve only ever had one like it in practice.” She rubbed at her forehead idly.

As we praised her, Shaeraggo agreed. “Indeed, that final arrow had true intent. Out of the twenty-four arrows you have unleashed, perhaps four have been worthy of my bow. But-but... it can stay with you.”

No shit. We won it fair and square, you think I’d let you take it back? Still, my sis will appreciate it more now, since an archer of your calibre has approved of her.

”Four huh? Yeah, I think I know which ones. Not a great average, but I’m happy. There’s always higher mountains to climb. So, you kicked my ass again, but it seems a shame not to finish.”

“Indeed. You might learn something.” He agreed, caught up in the challenge himself. Even though he was winning handily, it looked like he was enjoying himself. “Destruction. Arrows must kill their target, else they serve-serve no purpose.”

Ulfuric created targets of stone, and once more arrows were handed out, this time only three of them.

“Watch closely.” He said, and my sister eyed him carefully, absorbing every nuance. “Without wind.” His first arrow pierced the rock, but only sank in a couple of inches.

“With wind.” His second arrow bored deep, and would have fatally wounded many foes.

“Full power.” His eyes flashed, and a great whirlwind of weasel-snakes formed around the arrow, causing me to shiver as I remembered facing those down. His arrow whistled through the air, savagely tearing through the rock, ripping free a massive chunk and sending cracks radiating out from the impact.

“Nice.” Aiko clapped. “I don’t think I can do that, but I’ll try my best.”

Her first arrow bounced off the rock, leaving a deep scratch. She clicked her tongue, and using the quiver, she imbued the arrow with flame. This time it penetrated, but only enough to remain stuck.

“Shit. All-out now I guess.” She poured out her flame energy, boosting the blazing arrow, and this time it penetrated well, melting a little of the stone. Even so it was a far-cry from what Shaeraggo could do.

“Lame. Really got to do better.” She exchanged another handshake. “Well, you kicked my ass, but thanks for the instruction. I’ve a lot to think on. Oh well, there continues my record of tournament losses. I’d say I’d win at uni, but I doubt I’ll be allowed to take part. Sooner or later the world will know about us, right bro?”

“Yeah. But even so, I’m proud of you sis. See? You may be jealous of Eri, but you’ve worked hard too and come a long way.”

“Yeah, I suppose so.” She agreed. “If I can just grasp those insights...”

“It was a worthy match. Of course I won...” Shaeraggo boasted, but at a growl from his sister he changed his tone. “... but I was not entirely disappointed. Five arrows from twenty seven. Train until at least ten impress me. I shall have you sent some things that may-may aid you.”

“Wow, really? Thanks, I guess!”

Thanks, I guess? Again? Stepping in on her behalf, I nodded, thankful. “I’d appreciate it. Us brothers should look after sisters, right?”

He scoffed. “I am not-not doing it to earn your gratitude. She simply performed better than I had anticipated, and I see her potential. Jewels should be polished, lest they remain worthless-worthless pebbles.”

“Ouch, I’m a pebble!” Aiko laughed, and as Shaeula chastised him again, I smiled. Yeah, this has been good for Aiko. She’s been feeling down, so seeing her growth is bound to soothe her...

********

“Thanks a lot, Shaeula, Shaeraggo.” Aiko thanked them for her training. While I was supporting the satisfied but exhausted Eri to master the first rank of Ether Healing, those two had taken charge of training her in wind element. Shaeraggo could control the wind with his Eyes, while Shaeula could see inside Aiko, and also had experience of wind and fire together, even if it was in reverse. She could also heal the damage with her Ether Healing, and it helped train Aiko’s too. “I think I might be able to get it, eventually. Hurts like hell though. Is all special training so tough?”

“Mine wasn’t.” Eri grinned, flushing, and Aiko rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, I don’t want to know what kinky sex games you two got up to. Did you learn it then, Eri?”

“I did. After all, I want my skin to remain beautiful and scar-free.”

“So vain. Oh well. Damn, I’m exhausted. Are we going back now bro? Didn’t you say you had a busy day?”

“Yes, I have a meeting this afternoon. We should still have time though. At least we gathered enough resources...” as time had passed, as well as Shaeraggo’s forces aiding ours in Territory expansion, I was able to do that Elemental Silo upgrade to Rank 3, as well as filling the queue with another Rank 2 Sniper Emplacement upgrade, though I had to break a number of Etherites to have enough. The Spires are set up too, so now we should start gathering water element, ready for conversion. “Oh, that reminds me... Eri, you may start expelling some vile black liquid from your body. I doubt you’ll flood like I did, but... it’s probably just a beneficial side-effect of the class you gained. It’s nasty though, so sorry...”

“You can wash me off then.” she giggled, and I nodded.

“Fine, then let’s go back. Shaeula, I know you are busy, but I’ll need to borrow your befuddling winds at some point.”

“Very well, I shall make-make time. But before that... I have a meeting I would rather avoid.”

“Well, we both do then.” I sighed. “But we’ll be fine. Hyacinth, look after Shaeula, okay? Shaeraggo, thanks for holding down the fort.”

“Until my sister has settled matters, I shall remain here.” He promised.

“All right then.” With our goodbyes done, we returned to the Material...