Two Hundred And Fifty-Six

Two Hundred And Fifty-Six

“Damn, that hurt.” Trey said, swinging his shoulder, working the aching pathways within. He was slicked with sweat, but even so, like his sister and the soldiers from the Special Forces I had also done, they endured it all in one session without much complaint. Even though it hurts far more now... whereas before I could manage six or seven complete sets of Chirurgery in one go, now I had Ranked up twice, desperately trying to save Shiro, the efficiency and aether usage of the skill was much improved. In addition, using my new Split Thoughts skill, I could also work on multiple areas at once much easier, which led to me being able to manage Chirurgery on twenty of the Special Forces, as well as Trey, Aliyah and their two guys. Still got a bit of energy left as well.

Once I had finished with Aliyah, I was going to start on her brother, but then the Lieutenant had returned with some of the Special Forces, and they had taken priority, as per my agreement. As expected most of them were men, but there were two women, and it had been a little uncomfortable working Chirurgery on them, as I had of course glimpsed them through the black tank-tops and combat trousers they were wearing with my Eye. Still, they didn’t seem too embarrassed, I guess elite soldiers really are different. After they were done, I had finished up with Trey and his two, and that led to this.

“Quit whining, Trey.” Aliyah said in satisfaction. “It doesn’t hurt that much.”

“Oh, and who was sweating and moaning under this guy’s touch?” he shot back. The two behind him, both still rather pale and uncomfortable, seemed amused by the joke, not hiding their grins, only to further whiten as Aliyah shot them a glare.

“I hate the way you phrased that, you did it on purpose, didn’t you?” She snapped, before shaking her head, beads jingling. “Oh forget it. Fuck, it did hurt, but not as much as when you beat the fuck out of me.” She glared at me then, and I had to stop myself from apologising. No, I‘ve done nothing wrong either time.

“Like I told the soldiers, the work is done, but you’ll suffer quite a lot of discomfort, until you flush the debris from your chakra networks, and it grows accustomed to taking in significantly more ether. Once aether has pooled in all your chakra, well... then the fun really begins.” I declared, and Trey snorted.

“Sure thing. I don’t really get it, but from what that Lieutenant was saying...” he frowned momentarily, perhaps not appreciating working with someone from a foreign military. “... even a weak schoolgirl can change into an axe-swinging maniac with enough training in this, right?”

“I don’t think Eri would appreciate being called a maniac.” I complained. “And there’s more to it than that. Don’t expect her level of success. But even so, you should definitely notice a difference in reaction speed, strength, stamina and thought processing. And that should help you train your bodies further too. Put in the work, and it’ll pay dividends.”

Aliyah nodded. While the soldiers were under the metaphorical knife, she had found some dumbbells and was doing reps, marvelling at how much extra weight she could do before straining her muscles. She’d also ran a bleep test, and compared herself to several of her known benchmarks, crushing them all easily. “Shit Trey, he’s not kidding. I’d be winning Olympic medals in weightlifting if I could compete right now. I know what that dumbass from Scandinavia who said he was the second coming of Thor or whatever, meant now.”

That piqued my interest. “Uh, Thor? Huh?”

“Well...” Trey allowed. “... it’s mission info, so we can’t really talk about it, but...” he exchanged a look with his sister, who sighed.

“Well, does it matter, Trey? Old news, and a lot of it was public domain.”

He nodded. “Right. There was a professional weightlifter, who shattered the World Records in multiple events. Not just by a little, but by an absurd amount. Obviously the records were pending drug tests and so on, as nobody would believe such feats were possible, right?” he laughed bitterly, arms and legs still trembling a little from the memory of the painful Chirurgery. “Still, it seems clear to me that it wasn’t bullshit after all.”

“So what happened to him?” I asked, intrigued. Thor, huh? That’s Norse Pantheon, one of the big gods everyone knows about, especially with those super-hero films that have been popular the last decade. I imagine we’d be natural allies considering that...

“Stupid bastard was even more of a loose-lipped prick than you.” Aliyah scoffed. “I thought you didn’t know how to keep a low profile, but to openly declare you were rocking supernatural powers in the National press, after effectively proving it... fucking stupid. In fact, it seems none of you bastards know how to keep a tight ship.”

“That’s unfair, sis.” Trey interjected, and for a moment I felt a little grateful, until I realised he wasn’t defending me. “Obviously we don’t know about the ones keeping a low profile, do we? There must be some, I’m sure. Anyway...” he continued. “Egil Andersen was his name. He came up on our target list, but instead we chose Vegas.”

“Should have fucking went for Russia.” Aliyah chuckled bitterly. “I would rather have taken my chances with the Spetsnaz...”

“Oh come on, that’s a load of shit, sis, and you know it.” Trey sighed. “I’d rather be alive and working, even if it’s not exactly on our own terms, than buried in a cold, unmarked grave in Siberia, like the Bad Moon Brotherhood.”

“Wait, there’s a Candidate in Russia too?” I asked, and he shook his head, denying that.

“No, this was a more normal mission. There’s a genius researcher in AI and robotics there. Obviously the US and her allies feel that their political enemies having access to a prodigious genius in such a critical field is unsafe, so there’ve been attempts to ... repatriate her... forcefully. All failed, of course. Back on topic. Egil Andersen disappeared, and he’s likely dead, from what I hear. Stupid bastard.”

“I see. Damn.” The number of Candidates are dwindling. That’s... not necessarily a bad thing, for me personally, but for the world... shit, it’s more important than ever we pull together, and if we can’t, saving the divine favours and finding new, useful hosts for them... Damn, Thor, I bet that would have been awesome... Still, since he was a sportsman, my thoughts naturally strayed to my sister. “My sis was looking forward to the last Tournament of her school life, before her entrance exams in January. But... she decided not to compete.” She had mentioned it to me before the mess with Shiro, but I had not had time to process it due to the hectic pace of recent events. “It’s a shame, as she wanted to win one tournament if she could, but... she said it wasn’t fair to other competitors, since she’s stronger and was able to compete with Shaeula’s brother now, even if she got her ass kicked. I’m... I’m not sure.”

“Not sure how?” Aliyah asked, remembering my sister, who she had found very attractive.

“Well, it’s still Aiko’s ability. Sure, I helped with the Chirurgery, but it’s her efforts and training that make it work. But if that’s what she’s decided, who am I to stop her? I just really wanted her to win one, as her brother, you know?”

“Shit, you really do love your sister too much. Trey, don’t ever get so creepy on me, okay?” Aliyah shuddered, and as I went to protest, I caught a mocking grin on her face. Realising she was teasing me, I shut my mouth.

“Sisters are a pain, I get you, man.” Trey commiserated, slapping me on the shoulder heartily. “But... I think I get it. A lot of the Japanese sports are more about beating yourself or some meditative shit like that, right?”

I wanted to protest that was a Western stereotype of Japan, but... Kyudo was a lot like that. Seeing my expression, he continued. “Well, sure. But even so, it’s not a type of hard work just anyone can do, is it? Shit, sport is going to be thrown into chaos by this. If a little kid can outperform a big guy with the proper enhancements, can you imagine the sight of that on the football field? Shit...”

“Who gives a fuck about that?” Aliyah complained. “I’m more worried about the battlefield. Still, I don’t think it’s a gamechanger. Yet.” she looked at me. “Level with me. If I’m working for you, you have a duty to look out for my wellbeing. Just how far do you think this’ll go? Will every soldier end up shrugging off bullets and moving like a damn race-car like you did in the end?”

“Honestly... I don’t know.” I admitted. “I can speculate... but I think without being able to gain levels, even with better networks, the end result is going to be modest. But if there is a way that levels can be gained too... Maybe not everyone, but elite units like Special Forces, Rangers, Fighter Pilots... maybe.” I just hope that there are other ways to gain levels than simply defeating enemies. Else... the dwellers in the Boundary might end up being hunted recklessly to extinction. Shit, I know I’ve been doing that too, but I do offer alliance to those who might be friendly. It’s a bit hypocritical, but I don’t want a free-for-all massacre. If the Seelie Court was to be attacked by an army of power-hungry humans... and then, what’s worse is...

Swallowing down a sense of dread, I pondered as the two of them bickered, Manx and Travis occasionally joining in. I didn’t level up when I killed those two agents, but I was pretty high-level then, right? What if... what if people could grow stronger, by killing other people? Ordinary people...

********

After I performed the first Chirurgery on the Special Forces, I arranged to do another batch tomorrow. I would try to get as many done before I headed for Kyoto as possible, but it seemed I would be ahead of schedule, even with the delays and without Shaeula’s support, thanks to my newly improved skills. I then met my new tutor on Chinese and Classical Chinese. He was a thin, fussy-looking man in his late fifties, and he seemed to be of mixed descent, his Japanese flawless, but slightly accented.

“Indeed. Seeing you so full of life, what mother could object, so long as family honour is maintained. But we have another concern.”

“I’ll get to that.” Natsumi promised, and I was shocked at how forward she was being. Seeing that, she squeezed my arm gently. “Well, I know I usually fade into the background, but we’ll be together forever, right? I have to assert my charms when I can, or Motoko and the others will monopolise you!” her smile was enough to make my heart skip a beat. “Anyway... mother, father. Shaeula and Hyacinth aren’t human, but they are girls nonetheless. Shaeula is a genuine princess. So to say Akio isn’t noble is foolish. She is very fond of traditional Japanese clothing as well. You’ll love her. She’s refined, delicate... and also wild and playful. Then Hyacinth... she can be a bit scary, but she’s genuinely dedicated to Akio, and us. Like I want to be a bodyguard, she dreams of being a servant to us. But Akio wanted her to be more. Then there’s... Shiro.” Her expression turned troubled. “So beautiful, she must have been. I know that the daughters of the Three Great Houses are renowned for their beauty, but... she was like the gods made her themselves. Now... now she’s very badly hurt. But... when she’s well again, mother, you’d have a desperate urge to fit her for clothing. It could be your life’s greatest work.”

“You did say you wanted our wedding outfits...” I began, and Natsumi finished for me.

“... yes, all of them, made by our own hands, me and my parents. Here in our workshop and home. Western and Traditional both. Mother, father. We’ll do it, and it’ll be the grandest wedding ever. A wedding for seven. For now anyway.” She grinned. “After all, the Prime Minister himself is being forced to work towards changing the law. Polygamy will be legal for those who need it. So... you’ll see me married properly, mother, father.”

“What can we say to that?” her mother conceded. “I have worried that as a concubine, a mistress, she would miss out on a little happiness. It seems that won’t be the case now. but we have one issue.”

“The danger.” Her father said, and I understood. It was why I didn’t want to tell Aiko and Eri, or my family, about the return of the old ways, of elemental magic and the Boundary. Still, I’ve learned that is pure folly. The world isn’t so kind as to leave the uninvolved alone. Kondou Kazuo proved that.

“I won’t lie and say there’ll be no danger. After all, Shiro... she... well, she’ll survive, and in time I’ll make her well again. But... I would rather they are prepared to face any danger, strong, resolute and skilled, fully aware, rather than be caught by the skeins of misfortune and strangled. The world has changed, and there’s no going back. I want... I want them to be able to stand tall, free from fear. And with a girl like Natsumi, who shines most when wielding bow, sword or spear... it’ll be easy.” I smiled at her then, and she blushed, looking delighted at my praise. “A dedicated girl like you... you’ll be more than able to hold your own. After all, Master Ulfuric praised you and Motoko, right?”

I could feel it then, Lovers’ Link connecting, and Natsumi blinked, eyes going wide as she could feel the care and love I had for her, which had come to me so suddenly, the heartfelt desires of Motoko and Natsumi having overwhelmed my reluctance. Though I’m probably too much of a pushover. Still, now I’m resolved to only accept those I feel a genuine desire for... though, looking at Natsumi, Motoko and Hinata, if you told me I couldn’t marry them now, I’d be enraged, so...

“This is...” Natsumi said in wonder, face hot and crimson. “... I feel it. You do love me!” With that she leant over, and heedless of her makeup, our lips met, a kiss gentle at first, becoming more heated, our tongues entwining, heedless of her parents watching.

“Daughter.” Her father said, and at that she pulled away, wiping at her lips.

“Sorry, I ... I got carried away. I know we shouldn’t be kissing yet, but... you don’t understand. I can feel it. This is the Lovers’ Link I’ve heard of. Hinata told me that...” she trailed off, before changing the subject. “Mother, father. I can have tangible proof of his love. And it tells me he’ll always protect me, as I’ll protect him. Daughters of nobility are sheltered, hence why I have to give up being a bodyguard, or so I thought. But... the nobility will change. For the better. We’ll keep the best of it, the arts, dancing, music, clothing, architecture, elegance... but the worst... Akio will never stand for that. Not for his women. Not for us. Not for me.”

“I see. Well, it is impossible to question our daughter’s resolve.” Her father declared. “But... I ask you again. As a man, can you make sure she’s safe?”

“If Natsumi dies, I’ll already be dead, because I’ll fight anything that threatens her.” I promised. “But she can be strong enough to defend herself too, as...” I smirked at her. “... well, at least you can get to level nine now. Motoko too.” My feelings for Motoko had solidified as I realised what Natsumi meant to me, and now, like Hinata, they had the single Rank of Lovers’ Link. “She’ll be surprised.” Right now they would be in the Boundary, but I expected a phone call on her return.

“I love you!” Natsumi kissed me again, and as her parents looked on she raised one well-groomed eyebrow. Once she pulled free, she spoke to them. “Well, my lipstick and makeup is already ruined, so what does it matter? I just wish... that we could get the Lovers’ Link even more strongly. Hinata asked Shaeula about it, but she wouldn’t give us the full details afterwards, only blushing and looking away. From that... I can imagine.”

“Yes, it’s too soon for that.” I said. “For Eri it was a bit different, we’re both just childhood friends and normal people, so getting... intimate... before marriage isn’t a huge deal. The nobility is very different.”

“Indeed, it is too soon.” Her mother agreed, but surprisingly enough, her father...

“Well, the engagement is announced, there’ll be no breaking of it now, Fujiwara-sama and the others wouldn’t stand for it. Whether you are a noble or not, Oshiro-san, you are treated as one, so... look. Tell me more about this... this Lovers’ Link. Natsumi, take your mother and step out for a moment. Fix your makeup, Oshiro-san might find you frightful in such a state.”

“No he won’t.” Natsumi pouted. “Besides, I don’t get much time with Akio by myself, I want to...”

“Look, just give us fifteen minutes. This is an important talk, man to man.” He declared, and with that she had no choice to retreat, her mother in tow. When they were gone, he fixed me with a stern gaze over the now-cooled tea. “So, Oshiro-san...”

“Akio. I’m going to be your son-in-law.”

“Akio-san it is then. Just how does this make my daughter safer, and what does she have to give up in exchange?”

Ugh, it’s a good question, but not one I’m eager to answer. If... if it was up to me, I’d want to make sure everyone had Lovers’ Link as high as I could get it, but I’m not prepared to ruin their honour or force them into stuff they clearly aren’t ready for to do so. But... Shou-san is the first parent or guardian to really ask about how it all works. Damn, explaining this to him is going to be excruciatingly embarrassing...

I spent the next fifteen minutes detailing it to the increasingly contemplative Shou-san, before Natsumi and her mother returned, the makeup removed. When I asked why, Masae-san shrugged. “Well, there’s no point as my foolish daughter will only mess it up again, right?”

As Natsumi nodded, blushing, she smiled herself, a wry one, that suited her noble features. “I never thought I would see my Natsumi like this. She’s changed. For the better, I hope, but even so...”

“We need to speak to Tsumura-sama.” Shou-san said suddenly, surprising us all. As Natsumi looked at him questioningly, he sighed. “We need to move up the wedding. As soon as we can plausibly hold it, traditions be damned. Our daughter... well, it’s the least we can do to help her.”

Natsumi was shocked, but I knew why the sudden shift. He’s a man who cares very deeply for his daughter. I respect that. He’ll make a good father in law. Shit, I know Hyacinth doesn’t have parents, but... I’m going to have a whole flock of in-laws of varying shades of trouble...

“In that case...” Masae-san was thinking, accepting her husband at his word. “If we are to make these outfits, I’ll need to take measurements, see the girls to determine which colours and patterns will look best...”

“Hey, we can make a start.” Natsumi grinned. “Akio, you have pictures of them all, right?”

“I do, but...” I said, taking out my phone, which Natsumi snatched.

“Well, it’s not quite how I intended to spend this precious evening, but... father. Call Tsumura-sama immediately. He seems to like Akio too, so there should be no problems!”

Oh... kay. The laws haven’t even changed yet, I don’t think they are thinking about that. Shit... looks like I’d best start buttering up the Prime Minister by working on those Special Forces soldiers and the experiments I promised even faster... Still, I knew I was smiling. Seeing Natsumi look so happy, her parents likewise invested in her... no, our future, it just once again reaffirmed what I needed to do, what I needed to protect. Conclave. That’s going to be the key to it. I was content to just get some support, but now... no, looks like I need to make sure I’m right up there at the top, calling some of the shots...