Two Hundred And Ninety-Eight *Contains Status – Akio*

Two Hundred And Ninety-Eight *Contains Status – Akio*

“That does sound an incredible idea.” I agreed. “But even if it could work, there seems to be a ton of problems with it. Surely the scale of the Alchemy would just be too much.” I pondered how much I would be able to dismantle if it was me using my aether, and concluded that it would be a decent amount of trash, but hardly enough to make a working business out of it.

“Of course, nothing of value ever comes easily.” Ixitt lashed his tail happily. “There are issues with identification of material, the sheer scale of power required and many other factors.” He nodded at Master Bjarki, who was half-listening while he inspected the remaining Twin Fang, thinking of his next craft. “If Alchemy was so all-powerful, then we would have no need for Dwarven ingenuity. Although...” he whispered mock-conspiratorially. “...the Dwarves do use a little Alchemy on the more stubborn ores, or to ease troublesome technical deficits.”

“I see. So do you have any actual solutions?” I asked.

“A few, mortal engineering and your human sciences are all about experimentation, are they not? I shall endeavour to make a working prototype on a smaller scale. To do that, I will require your assistance though.” Ixitt smirked. “After all, your ability to see to the heart of things solves our biggest problem.”

We talked a little more about it, and by the end I was truly exhausted by Ixitt’s enthusiasm, but it was certainly promising. As we were finishing up, he dropped another bombshell. “Oh, I nearly forgot to mention, we have created a few new toys for your weaselkin.” He gestured, and several of his ratkin brought out yet another couple of inventions. As the bundles were unwrapped, I looked at the first. It was a gun, definitely, but it had a very long barrel, as well as some sort of telescopic sight.

“Lenses are a passion of mine, and we used them to study the spores, did we not?” Ixitt chuckled. “Well, some of your soldier allies in the mortal world were good enough to talk to me about sniper rifles. This is my approximation.” He grinned. “The performance is lacking, from what I researched on Wikipedia and other sites. Although the bullets are quite simply spectacular.” He grinned, the second cloth opened to reveal a number of different rounds. There were heavy metal shells, shells containing a small amount of bluesteel, shimmering with earth elemental energies, even bullets that looked like they had been made from red and orange Etherites.

“Impressive.” I agreed. The calibre of the bullets was large, so if they could be ejected with any force, they would cause immense damage. “Though how do the bullets launch? Our ability to make gunpowder is limited here, isn’t it?”

“Currently we are using wind element, contained in bluesteel here and here.” He pointed to various locations. “It works acceptably well, though it cannot match the range and power of explosive powders yet. If we had a source of flame element was well, then we could use a modified twin-element system, which I do believe could even exceed the potential of your mortal rifles.” His grin turned wild. “I also have a few other ideas that can be tested with enough fire element. So, to that end, if I could ask...” he brought over a large bluesteel battery, obviously based on some of my earlier designs. “The kobolds are working hard, and output is up significantly. Hearing you have so many mines, and how you do not oppress them, entire clans have migrated here. Even those who dwell on the fringes of the Fae lands.”

Fine, I get it. With a complicated expression on my face, I channelled flame energies into the barrel, causing it to glow a brilliant yellow. Shaeula added her powers too, as did Eri and Shiro, surprisingly, and soon the large, barrel-sized battery was charged.

“Excellent! With this we can make progress. I also have an idea for a rotary anti-infantry design, and also field artillery, but wind element alone is not efficient enough. Oh, if only we had some lightning element... well, it is not as though I can ask the noble Queen of all the Seelie to charge my battery. I can hardly even meet such an august personage...” as he rolled the barrel away, I noticed Ixitt was level fifteen now, having obviously taken the time to maximise what benefits he could get from the Throne.

“At least... he’s a hard worker, and enthusiastic?” Eri said at last, and Master Bjarki let out a long chuckle.

“Aye, that’n he be.” The dwarf looked up at us. “Ever since t’day yer brother came lookin’ for ye, princess, Ixitt, he be overjoyed t’be discovering new knowledge and ideas, ye ken? Well, I rejoice tae see it. I even be a mite jealous, ye ken? Now, I best be getting’ back tae the forge. I have work tae do.” With those words Bjarki left, along with most of the others around us.

“Bringing guns to the fantasy world, Aki? Classic stuff.” Shiro observed.

“Well, in a word where Shaeula’s brother and other top archers can shoot kilometres, and tough opponents can easily shrug off rifle-fire, guns aren’t going to be game-changing.” I realised. “Even so, against fortresses, or in skirmishes, they would give us quite the advantage. Imagine our weaselkin being able to snipe most of the enemy forces before they ever got into battle...” I shrugged. “More weapons and better options certainly won’t hurt.”

“Yeah, makes sense. So... Aki, why’s that girl with the slightly green skin giving you the puppy-dog eyes? She’s a Dryad, right? It’s pretty cool, but for some reason, this princess feels her heart aching a bit. So, let me guess, she’s another one you saved?”

I immediately went to deny it, before realising I couldn’t, not entirely, anyway. “Not alone. Grulgor, Ixitt, Hyacinth and Shaeula all helped. It was quite the wild ride. Literally.”

“Oh?” Shiro raised an eyebrow, curious. “I want to know about that, sounds fun. But I was right, another damsel in distress rescued by you, Aki. You do have a hero complex, don’t you? I wasn’t sure you had the temperament for it, not like Hayato, but I guess for once, this princess was mistaken. Note the date, it doesn’t happen often!”

“So, what can I do for you, Asha?” I asked her, and she looked at me, her yellow eyes appraising me.

“I was curious. Ever since you returned, I can feel a rich energy within you. It reminds me of father, a little.” She reached out gingerly, her pale hand stopping just before me as she flinched under the weight of stares from my female company. “I am sorry if I overstepped my bounds. But to my Tree... such energy would be most restorative.” She whispered a few words, barely audible. “... to me as well.”

Damn my sensitive ears. Still, strengthening the Rhyming Trees is a good idea. Besides, I have no idea how to use wood element. “Well, I received it in trade with a kami. I don’t really know what I’m doing, but if you think it would help...” we followed her to the tree. Up-close, the towering tree was an impressive sight, especially as it was now ringed with polished wooden steps, and in the crown rested a rather picturesque café, the decking offering magnificent views over my Territory and the Boundary Tokyo proper.

“What’s this?” Shiro asked, puzzled.

“A café.” Shaeula grinned. “It is quite-quite pleasant sitting up there and watching the world go by, drink in hand. Since there is no-no wind here, it is possible to enjoy open-air drinking at such a height.”

Shiro frowned. “Well, normally the thought of all those steps would be enough to make me pass out, but I have been a bit stronger recently. I do want to see as well... Aki, be a darling and carry me up there later, okay?”

“No way! If anyone needs carrying it’s me!” Eri protested.

“I don’t see why. Your legs work here, don’t they?” Shiro bantered back.

“Not well! I insist on a princess carry too!”

As they argued between themselves, Shaeula laughing at their banter, Hyacinth giggled.

“The new mistress seems tooo get on well with mistress Eri.” She observed.

“Yeah. Shiro’s a bit cold and can be unsociable, but when she opens up a bit, she’s quite playful. Besides, I can see she’s making the effort to fit in.” I was proud of her, arrogant though that was. Shiro needed to step outside her comfort zone, to get down from the tower she was imprisoned in, a lonely princess, and interact and laugh with others. “Anyway, enough about that. Asha, what do you want me to do?”

“Pardon my interruption.” Asha apologised politely, and while I wasn’t sure if Asha really was a daughter of Orion, the King of the Seelie Court, or it was just an allegory, in some ways she could be half-considered a princess as well. Looks like I’m just surrounded with them at the moment...

“If you could nourish the tree with your wood element, and your earth element too.” Asha reached out, her own hand touching the trunk. Almost all the scars left from removing the spores and fungal growth had healed, and the bare branches were covered in brilliant green leaves. My Eye flashed as I watched the flow of earth enter the tree, as well as a tiny trickle of nature element. It seems Asha can use it, a little, but it’s not even enough to give her the skill, I’d say...

Further observation showed me that Asha also had a small amount of water element too, though again the amount was tiny, her dominant aspect being earth. As the energy flowed within the massive tree it was absorbed, and the tree seemed pleased, the branches swaying a little, as if a gentle breeze was blowing. Okay, I think I get it...

Placing my hands on the trunk, I let my earth elemental energy flow from my right hand, while my left, I tried to pull out my wood element. It was hard, as what even was wood element? It was clearly a mixture of water and earth elements, but how one would get wood from that... scientifically, it seems impossible. Still, my sis is always mentioning Naruto, well, that’s one of the anime we watched together as a kid. The first Hokage, he was wood element, right? Image seemed to be the key, so I imagined some of the feats he could perform.

“Yes, that is perfect.” Asha smiled gently, looking rather regal. “Allow your strength to bless the Tree, bless me. After all, my Tree would have perished, were it not for your efforts.” I wasn’t really listening to her, but instead concentrating on guiding the flows. Where my energy spilled, I could see the chakra network within the tree, so unlike that of a Fae or a human, yet somehow also not entirely dissimilar, blaze brilliantly, strengthened. Still, my ability to use wood element was feeble, so after a few minutes I was spent, slumped to the ground, panting heavily.

“Looks like you ran a marathon, Aki.” Shiro observed.

“No, if he did that he wouldn’t even be sweating.” Eri shook her head. “This must have been tough. Though he probably loves it, he’s always training nowadays.” Eri said, looking at me fondly.

Oh, you don’t know the half of it! Your turn is coming shortly Eri, just wait and see. As I grinned, the tree suddenly cracked, bark splintering. I looked up in alarm, but on seeing Asha looking unconcerned, merely holding out one of the glass goblets we used for treats in the café above, I relaxed.

“Always picking on Yasu, as usual. Well, you used to bully me a lot too.” I sighed.

“That was just affection, I promise.” Shiro winked. “I guess it’s a lot like an elementary schoolboy picking on the girl he’s crushing on. Kid’s stuff.”

“So, that means you like this Yasu too?” Eri said slyly, and Shiro protested, spluttering.

“Ugh, no way. I wouldn’t date Yasu if he was the last guy on Earth. So creepy! Eri, I just said I thought you could be nice to me! And now this? My bullying of Yasu is all he deserves, nothing more!”

“All right, all right.” I clapped my hands, snapping them out of their banter. “I’ll say it again, I don’t have such a relationship with Tsukiko-san. We all know where I stand. We’ll save her, she deserves it. Now can we get back to my stats? I want to get training!”

“Sure, I’ll let it slide for now.” Eri sighed. “But this talk isn’t over!”

Seriously, who decides on these titles? Champion of the Diviner indeed. I was tempted to lie, but... the girls deserve better. Honestly, I don’t know Tsukiko-san well enough to consider her in that light. Sure, she’s gorgeous, and has such a bitter past I’d love to show her life can be fun, the many good things out there, but... that’s for later. After we save her. For now...

“Okay, this is such bullshit, Aki.” Shiro complained. “I remember when you told me your stats just after you defeated me. Why are they so much higher now, and why do you have so many skills with awesome names? I call hacking!” she paused. “Though actually, a lot of those names are a bit chunni, right? The devil sealed in my arm shall be unleashed and all that crap! Maybe it’s best I don’t have those. Flames of Thirst and Famine is bad enough...”

“Hey, when did I defeat you? We didn’t really even fight...” I began, only for Shiro to snort, flourishing her engagement ring at me.

“You made me submit to your engagement, so you won. Anyway, don’t you girls think this is unfair?”

“A little.” Eri pouted. “But considering I wasn’t even chosen by any God, I think I can be happy with how far I’ve come.”

“Besides.” Shaeula interrupted, cheerful. “A male should indeed be powerful, should he wish-wish to protect and lay claim to as many excellent females such as us. Were he a weakling, it would not-not do at all. Besides...” her grin turned sly. “Eri and I have classes that make it easier to learn what Akio already has. So we shall only benefit twofold from his deserved growth.”

“Akio has fooought many hard battles, ooon the edges of life and death. If he does not grow stronger from that, the wooorld is unfair.” Hyacinth supported me.

“A class? Sharing growth?” Shiro looked at me then. “No fair. I want, I want! I may be a newcomer, but I demand equality, lest the harem shatter into war!”

“Well, you earn it through your devotion. Though I do not-not believe without offering your body to Akio will it happen. You need-need to feel his love to wish to share everything, body, heart and soul.” Shaeula admonished her.

“Well... I have no answer to that.” she shifted, her one good arm across her chest. “It’s not like I’m unwilling, but...”

“I get it. You want to be perfect for our first time. So, this is why we are going to go through some training from hell!” I declared. “Anyway, I have a ton of skills at Rank 5. It seems noticeably easier to get to the first bottleneck at Rank 5, than to break through to Rank 6 or 7. I think that needs to be my focus. Conversely...” I grinned. “The aim is to get as many of your skills to Rank 5 as possible. Especially Ether Healing. Hyacinth, you should learn it too. I don’t want to see more injuries like Eri and Shiro have, if we can avoid them.”

She nodded her agreement, totally unafraid of the pain.

“Hey, Tan, I’m curious.” Shiro said suddenly, drawing our attention. “Having heard how Aki started with basic human stats and even forged his chakra network from scratch, albeit with advice from others, and all he had was appraisal cheats... how did he get this strong? It seems... well, it seems impossible, right? Aki, no offense, but you were hardly an athletic guy. I’ve seen you get exhausted running for a train...”

“True.” Eri smiled. “Aiko got all the sporting talent in the family.”

Tan spoke up. “I have merely conjecture. Bear in mind, I am not part of the World Tree pantheon, so I have limited insight.” She stared at me using Shiro’s body, her gaze thirsty. “However, the delightful smell of the forbidden fruit of the World Tree made me so very thirsty.” She reached up and wiped away a morsel of drool from her mouth, and I could tell Shiro inside was embarrassed. “My speculation is thus. I did indeed wonder why the Divine Favour of Tyr is not integrated within you, mate of the princess.” She sighed. “If you had access to that, I daresay all your earlier trials would have been far easier.”

“I would be dead-dead though.” Shaeula sighed. “If Akio was not-not weak, barely able to defeat me, he would have wiped me and mine away without a trace, I am quite certain.”

“Those who have great power often win worlds. Sadly, those of the One True Throne have the greatest Divine Favours, generally. Though on rare occasion others triumph.” Tan continued. “I do so hope I can consume some soon.” She licked her lips again, before at out gazes, and Shiro’s silent urging, she continued. “All those with Divine Favours can grow stronger, but there are those Favours specialising in growing stronger. Usually, those who wield such are defeated quickly, swallowed up by those with might to spare. Rarely, just rarely though...” her grin broadened. “... those with the power to grow rapidly outpace those around them who were made strong, and triumph. I suspect your seeds are actually to help you grow. Perhaps these information cheats, as the princess calls them, are merely a side effect?”

“Makes sense, but wouldn’t it be nice to have the power of Tyr too, since I clearly have it, just unable to use or benefit from it?” I sighed. “The only thing I can see is, either Ortlinde couldn’t... or no... wouldn’t...” I think that’s it. What were her exact words?

If you do not succeed in this manner, your performance will suffer in future. It is much better to allow your own talents to blossom rather than making irreversible changes to your subtle bodies.

“Talents huh? Blossoming? Like plants... seeds.” I suddenly had an idea. “I think that Tan is right. It isn’t an information cheat, it’s a growth cheat. I think maybe the weaker, the more plain the foundations, the more it tailors the growth to me. Put simply, I was chosen because I was weak and had few talents. Ouch, kind of hurts when you look at it that way...” my grin was mocking. “... so if she forcibly opened my chakra network, or let Tyr’s Divine Favour do it, I wouldn’t be surprised if that locked my growth paths. Damn, no wonder I struggled at first, until I met you, Shaeula.”

“Me?” she asked, and I nodded. “That was the miracle. Without it... well, I might have grown stronger, possibly even opening the ability of Tyr to use, had I survived. But you knew so much about chakra networks compared to me, and elemental abilities too.” Everyone was watching me, curious, as I expounded on what I had surmised.

“I shouldn’t have survived you drilling me a lunar chakra. I’m not a Fae, it shouldn’t have worked. I was weak and fragile as hell then too. Likewise, all the contrasting and clashing elements I’ve taken in... you said it yourself, these elements can take years to learn, but we do it quickly.”

“Well, that is because we mix-mix mortal knowledge and Fae wisdom...” she argued.

“I agree. That’s surely a big factor. And I’m equally sure your bond with me, my class, Fae Bonded, at the time, was a factor too. But if my cheat is a growth one, able to adapt... then that explains a lot.”

“So if you want us to be strong, safe...” Eri mused. “That explains why your skills seem able to help us grow as well. Lovers’ Link is an example.” She realised. “Your growth is to help everyone grow!”

“Fascinating.” Tan agreed. “It is speculation, and may not bear fruit in reality, but I do believe there is certainly some truth to this.” She sighed. “Alas, I missed out on such a bountiful meal. Perhaps... perhaps others are out there.”

From my vision I remember the other Valkyries talking about more. Even so, I’ll never tell Tan that!

“Great. Well, it’s time.” I clapped my hands again. “This has been interesting, perhaps even useful, speculation, but we need to get cracking. It’s power-levelling time!” We don’t have long, if Tsukiko-san is right. We need to do everything in our power to be ready, so that there are no more tears, no more casualties...