ShipTeaser

  “You two… uh, three, get back. We’ll hahis!” Aiko corrected herself, not taking her eyes off the man that had attacked them suddenly, the on she had been given in her hand. It’s not a bow, but I’m still able to use it. As she gave the order, stantine and Sophia hurried backwards, while Ginneka was slinking aretending to be afraid. “Haru-, you good?”

  “I do this.” She promised, and Aiko was struck with admiration for the woman. If I’d have been through what she has, I’d only be terrified right now. Well, I am a little scared, if I’m being ho, just like I was against the Oni, but then… I’m not a close-quarters brawler like my bro, so… The Shiro Golden Sister moved to protect the two bystanders, while the Hyath one advaowards their attacker.

  “Besides…” Haru- tinued. “We don’t have to be afraid of mere physical attacks. And it might be helpful to…” Light fshed, and the assaint jumped backwards, moving at phenomenal speed. “…gather some information.”

  Behind them, the olden Sisters were engaging the army. Unfortuhey had switched to a rather passive automatic mode, as Aiko couldn’t spare them any of her attention to look at the ptop where the images from their cameras were dispyed, so it was only a matter of time before they were defeated. The sound of an explosion could be heard, ae her better judgement, she gnced over her shoulder, seeing one sister blown in half, a cle hit from a rocket-propelled grenade more than enough. In the Boundary it might have survived that. Ugh…

  Leaping to the side without looking, her instincts kig in, she avoided a thrown projectile, which had been ruthlessly accelerated. It exploded, but instead of a gre seemed to be a gss bottle, full of clear liquid. As droplets scattered, Aiko leapt away, getting a bad feeling. When the sprinklers went off the army went crazy, right?

  The ma out a scream of frustration, but that was soon superseded by pain, as Haru- burned him with a beam of light. His movements were agile and fast, so he twisted his leg, avoiding taking a hit to the knee, but his thigh was still winged, cloth burning away, flesh searing, aumbled. Letting out an impassioned series of bitter words, Aiko and Haru- exged a plicated gnce.

  “Sorry, I don’t uand. Japanese? lish? You. Speak. English?” Aiko tried, annunciating clearly. The only response iurn was rapid-fire Korean, apanied by wild gestures with his hands. He’s fav the injured leg but doesn’t seem to be paying it much mind. Chosen are all pretty tough.

  “I know why bro says we should learn muages now. I got into the habit of thinking everyone speaks English, so I could always use that when Japanese doesn’t work.” She said bitterly. “All right then, here we go!” Light glimmered, and Aiko unleashed her own nce of light energy, though hers was shimmering with a golden yellow like the sun. The man staggered, speed uo outpace the beam, and Haru-’s crossfire struck him too, fully disabling ohe smell of burnt flesh was brutal, so much more vivid than the slightly muted smells of the Boundary, and Aiko gagged. No, ’t look weak here, not when I was going to stand together with everyone now.

  “Wait a sed.” Aiko was surprised when stantine ran up. He ale and sweating, but his eyes were sparkling at the high-speed battle, beams of brilliant light element streaking everywhere. “Do you have a spare earpiece?” he asked, and Aiko ossing one over.

  “Of course we do. We’re prepared for anything… catch… oh wait…”

  Another series of gss projectiles were being thrown, and even though the attacker was crippled, it seemed he could still speed them up by moving his arm at blinding speeds, though the effort seemed to be paining him, judging by the horrible tearing and snapping sounds his bones and joints were giving off. It’s just like target practice, only this time our arrows are light. Gss shattered and liquid boiled, only for a rain of droplets to fall down towards Aiko. Whoops. Although…

  “ arahis?” stantine was asking, holding the earpiece up, as the man ranted in Korean. Behind them, the Golden Sisters that were still standing had been taken down by fire from the tanks and other heavy ons, but some Hunters had joihe fray, a shimmering wall of ice being called ieo shield them, sparkling uhe pale light of the autumn sun.

  “I’m getting busy over here…” came back the voice of the woman who liked to call herself Violet. “I’m on your work now. Nice gear. Uh… I think he’s shouting that it’s an honour to serve the Queen, and that now she’ll serve too. She? Who’s she? Hey, watch out Two, you’ll get… ugh…” There was a surge of static as a loud noise sounded.

  “I think she means Aiko-.” Haru- said urgently. “He’s been throwing projectiles made from old bottles and jars, filled with liquid. It’s got to be a waterborne ability.” Haru-’s head turowards Aiko, even as she raised one hand to incapacitate their assaint further. “Aiko-, how… how are you feeling?”

  ********

  “Fug hell!” Violet cursed in a very undylike fashion, which even impressed Shiro, who had a bit of a dirty mouth herself. One of her allies was down, a gaunt, near-starved young boy appearing from beh a pile of scattered debris, opening fire with an Army issue K2 assault rifle. Fortunately, it seemed to have little ammunitio, but Two still went down, several bullets pierg his body, though the worst of the injuries were mitigated by the water droplets around him, bullets thrown off course, veering off target as they impacted the droplets of water floating in the air. Even as he fell, coughing dark blood, he gestured, and a cloud of gas left his mouth, creeping towards the boy.

  “Are you an idiot?” Shiro reacted faster, fmes r, ing the gas. As the skeletal boy dropped his now useless gun and pulled out a knife, his arms trembling uhe small weight of the bde, Shiro shook her head. “That’s one of the hostages. And he’s in such bad dition he won’t survive whatever the hell that was!”

  “He surprised me…” the badly wounded man said, clig his torangely. “Who would have thought someone could hide in such…” he coughed, dark blood spilling down his mouth. “…a small space?”

  “Shit.” Shiro pulled out her own solution, a small pistol, and fired it. The boy looked surprised for a moment, before slumping down, and two more of the scorpions caught him, their looks questioning. “I didn’t kill him. That’s a dart gun. With a fast-ag tranquiliser made from pnts Asha cooked up and a bit of alchemy. Way less harmful than chloroform or knog him out.”

  With the wind user, wide-scale use of such is impossible. But… I perceive him. Nearby. An Ambush. Tan’s warning sounded in Shiro’s mind.

  “This all seems so very haphazard.” Shiro replied, drawing an odd look from Violet. “I don’t get the point of pying wargames here.” Looking at the fallen Two, Shiro sighed. “We need someoo escort him out and take care of this hostage. We don’t have the manpower for this.” It’s not time to call on… no, not yet.

  “Two will be fine.” Violet said proudly, flourishiattooed arm. “He’s my power you know, and I’m pretty proud of him. Plus my little brother and I have worked together to make them better.” With that Two disappeared, and a few moments ter he reappeared, now unharmed. “Cool, no? As long as they aren’t killed ht…” She looked at the two who had e bajured from Aki’s foray to the Boundary. “…fine, you pair as well.” They also vanished, and on their return their injuries were healed. “It’s tiring though, so please stop getting hurt, all right?”

  Shiro admitted to being mildly impressed, and curious as to how she did it, sihe non-humans with Violet were ag simirly to Aiko’s statues, but sidering their disappointing performahat i quickly faded. Besides, there’s something else on my mind, Tan. “So, one of yuys take him out then e back. I’m sure Aiko and the others will solve their issues soon and secure the base camp, and then Haru do her thing. It’s actually better without the army b us…” As Shiro spoke, she was unig inside her mind.

  Like I said earlier, this mess is seriously terproductive. If it was just a matter of increasing strength, with those abilities… just take over a delivery driver a out into the wider world. It would make more sehan staying in this pce. Hell, even if they had to walk it, with the increased stats boost from a Divine Favour, I think they’d be able to reach civilisation… but, with the level of sly tingencies in py here, I don’t think that they wouldn’t have thought of it…

  “Five, make haste. But steer clear of the army. Old uncle, reapply the droplet barrier.” At Violet’s words, Si-woed with aether and water element, and the barrier was strengthened, which supposedly offered some cealment as well as rote against ratacks. It’s pretty too. The droplets are sparkling in all the colours of the rainbow when light hits them… no, that’s not important now. What do you think, Tan?

  Indeed, but... there is often meaning in as. After all, is not that Tree in your man’s Territory a fine example, grown massive by Adherence from a tangled mess? Quite unusual, and not befitting a Territory of that feeble Rank at all. There is much strange here. But… As Five carted off the skeletal, piteous hostage, Shiro clicked her tongue, before feeling a little guilty. We should be happy we’ve saved anyone, but if it was the target we were after, I’d feel better about it. Damn, I’m a cold one sometimes.

  Pragmatic. It is why I like you, princess, and thought we could do great things together. We still will. Tan was more active sihe wager, perhaps seeing her own goals ing into sharper focus, but Shiro held back her thoughts and a grin. Sorry Tan, we won’t lose. You’ve pyed into our hands. I’d feel guilty, sidering all you’ve done for me, but in the end, you’ll be too, even if not in the way you’d imagine.

  “Man, that guy doesn’t shup up yapping.” Violet was listening to the ramblings of the man attag Aiko and Haru, but it seemed to be nonsense. “So, we press on?”

  “Carefully.” Shiro nodded. “Make sure your breathing masks are on tight, and your skin is covered as much as possible.” Shiro wasn’t following her own advice, toug her shoulder, where under her armour reassurance lurked. Tan was tinuing an expnation, and Shiro found herself intrigued.

  If it is indeed Angra Mainyu who has a hand in this, one of his servants, then it makes perfect sense. For chaos is a source of strength. And… the Adherence of this ritual is well established. Chaos does not create, it merely steals from others and perverts, distorts. Have you never wondered why there ot be two Astral Emperors on a world, or why I would be so eager to secure my own pce here, despite being a beautiful, wise and powerful Goddess?

  You’ve certainly ged a little Tan, you even crack jokes now.

  How i! In any case, to truly push a Territory to the peak, to bee an Astral Emperor, more than just ether and time is required. What is… is the i Adherend ****** of a world.

  I didn’t catch that, Tan, the word was blurry, or in a nguage I don’t uand.

  It is something I ot expin and you ot uand, not yet. For reasons I also ot expin. But… there only be one for a world due to this. And it also requires a certain League to tame. But the living beings on worlds such as your Earth, their League is insuffit. Her thoughts paused, sounding rather wry. Though Earth seems unusual, and your man’s growth, even more so. His League now is parable to those who have quered their way through this… Gu Vessel… of a world. He could, if given the opportunity, reach the Rank of Territory required.

  Yeah, Aki’s great. Shiro’s instincts were prig at her, and she remained alert to potential danger. But what does that have to do with what we’ve been talking about… oh, shit. I get it. Is it that the Gu… uh, in Japa’d be Kodoku… ritual, has its own Adherence, and so…

  Yes, you are correct. This is merely replig it on a smaller, meaner scale, but the rewards still be signifit, if one has the knowledge. It is ingenious, yet wasteful. Chaos aru…

  It’s no more wasteful than what you’ve all done here oh, even if I get why you might choose that path. Orong winner, rather than a bunch of weaklings. But…

  Yes, this has been fruitful, but there is no time!

  Violet had noticed too. “All right boys, it’s your time to shine!” she called, as a gentle, almost insignifit breeze was felt, carrying a faint chill, and a slight dampness. The doors to the dormitory rooms around them banged open, and the pitiful figures within surged out, a dozen boys, emaciated and covered in agonising wounds, more dead than alive, and several adults, either teachers or military men, it was hard to tell, their clothing was blos and uifiable. They were armed with iron bars, wooden poles and assorted household implements such as kit knives, and one was even lugging a fire axe, arms trembling with the effort.

  “Take them dowly.” Violet tinued, but Shiro was busy sing the hapless attackers, and one of them seemed out of pce, kit knife dripping… with water. “Wait, it’s him! The blood berserk kid!” Shiro called out, her dart gun firing. Several of the ragged, starved victims went limp, and a couple of darts struck the boy, as he wavered, legs trembling, pale faehow even whiter now. “Aki, we’ve got eyes on one of the perpetrators, the one who uses his blood!”

  “Great, but I’m kind of busy right now. you handle him? Who am I kidding, of course you and Tan .” His voice came back, loud sounds of gunfire and explosions ing through clearly, as well as screams.

  “Got it. I’ll…” Shiro began, before with a savage grin the blood-wielding Chosen turhe knife on his own wrist, where there were lines of faint scars. Blood scattered, moving as if alive, and Shiro found her fad body spttered with it.

  “You’re a pretty one…” he said with a raspy, croaking voice, speaking English, perhaps having been listening to them talking before. “…reminds me of my fug sister, that shibseki. Whore who thinks just because she’s beautiful she do what she wants! But she’s wrong… argh, she’ll regret not finishing me off…” He bit his lip, more blood running down, and his grin was savage. “But maybe… it’s not too te to turables, is it?” With a violent ugh he scattered more blood, and from behind him came an older man, damp wind swirling around him like a visible mist…

  ********

  “Great, but I’m kind of busy right now. you handle him?” I shot back, having had to abandon my previous pns oerial and rush back to aid Lee Jong-su and his forces. They had finally agreed to retreat and help stop the military, but they were surprisingly ill-suited to taking down hostages safely. My sis had held the military up well with her Golden Warriors, but against top-of-the-line military ons they had e up short. Oh well, she’ll get stronger, and so will her Favour.

  “Got it, I’ll…” Shiro shot back, before suddenly she went silent. Doesn’t matter… Shiro and Tan together won’t lose. And if they dey him there, in the Boundary… I swung St Moonlight, vivid lightning discharging, a ane Dokkaebi fell, cut in half. As it disied to ether, its grinning, fang-filled face seemed to s me, amused, and I wondered just what would possess a creature to die with such happiness.

  The remaining Dokkaebi pressed in, swinging an assortment of swords, axes, clubs and other melee ons, but pared to my speed and power they were no threat, not anymore, and sooher was sh down around me, and I replenished what I could of my stocks. The ining fire from the remaining Empts was diminishing as well, Kang Da, realising his slow, powerful attacks were of little use, had dropped back outside the Territory and was matg them snipe for snipe, and he was winning, though his fire rate had dropped signifitly as he exhausted his aether. Even as I watched though, one bck, onball-like orb smmed home into a distant Building, bsting it iher.

  “I guess he wants to stay outside the Territory and its suppression effect as well.” I muttered, Eye shining. Information was still ing through heavily garbled, my vision filled with an amber jumble of letters, symbols and odd scribbles, but I was still able the Territory Anchor, not too far from here, surrounded by a number of buildings, pulliher from both above and below. Material To Boundary es, huh? Greedy. We still haven’t fully iigated the effects of long-term exposure to aether depletion in ordinary people, but experiments are ongoing thanks to the Ministry’s efforts. But here, in a school of so many weakened kids… reckless. I gestured back to Kang Da, advising him I ressing deeper, aiming to finish the first half of the battle ond for all. Take the Anchor and I disable one of the two oppos. I’m not sure which. And time is of the essence, because…

  The Material was devolving into a mess. My sister’s group was engaging, as well as Shiro’s group. I was fident with all our preparations, we’d covered all the bases, but that still left unication disrupted with the Iable Victuild, and the Korean army was closing in fast, the members of Uhed Bde, including the wounded Jin-Ae, rushing to meet them. Light fshed as Lee Jong-su drew his sword, space dist a little, dark purple seen from a brief moment, shading to bck, before one of the oning trucks lost all its wheels on one side, flipping over and crashing to the stony ground with the screeetal and the cries of those within.

  “Shit.” I cursed out loud. “The soldiers ’t be killed, we’re doing a rescue operation!”

  It seemed that Lee Jong-su and his harem were suited to direct battles, other than Hee-Young, which wasn’t what we needed here to subdue the soldiers without causing them fatalities. If we rough them up that’s fine, I heal them before heading back to Japan. But they aren’t my Kin, there’s ning back the dead…

  A wall of ice had formed in front of Eunbi and Jin-Ae, and it was repelling the fire from the heavy mae guns ohree tanks, bullets pockmarking the ice with craters, the mystical frozen water harder than steel. But as the main ons boomed the ice cracked, and the shockwave from the impact wasn’t stopped. Eunbi merely frowned, dodging aside as though she could see it ing, bow raised, but Jin-Ae, who was barely healed, staggered, blood trig from her mouth, staining her pale face.

  On seeig, she managed a smile, before raising her halberd in trembling hands. She was saying something in Korean, but as she hoisted her halberd high, lightning fshed and wind energy boiled, a localised storm only c a few dozeres around her surging forwards, heavy, driving rain blinding the oning soldiers, several of their grenades going wide, while others exploded against the icy wall. One rocket-propelled one pierced through, and would have struck Hee-Young, only for Eunbi to be there, pushing her aside, before loosing her bow, another invisible arrow striking one of the tanks, bsting the mae gun to scrap metal, denting the armour. Lee Jong-su seemed torn, bde in hand, as to whether to rush the soldiers, or to stay and help, as Jin-Ae colpsed to the ground, the storm dying out, even as several more bolts of lightning fell between the g forces, blowing small craters in the ground.

  I get it, having your rades, your lovers, fight otlefield is w, but at some point you have to trust them… “Shit. There’s no time, but…” I pulled the heavy grenade uype on off my shoulder, and decided it was my moment to act. With a trickle of fme element, I triggered the explosive powders Ixitt’s Mortal Engineers had blended, and in a puff of acrid smoke, a rge shell the size of a small was unched in a high arc. I shouted over to Hee-Young, who at least spoke some tiny amount of broken English. “Cover your ears and eyes!” I yelled, miming the as. Her eyes widened, but Eunbi was already moving, shielding her own and Jin-Ae’s. Moments ter there was a soundless explosion and a brilliant fsh of light, the bluesteel powder within releasing all the stored wind and light elemental energies, creating a powerful stunning effect.

  “ralisation is the aim of the game.” I muttered, popping off several more isters. The soldiers who were exposed in the open quickly colpsed oer another, but the tanks and several trucks were still oning, and the turrets were swivelling to aim at me now, seeming to move in slow motion as I trated.

  “Nope. Sorry, but…” I fired five more of the stun grenades, and Lee Jong-su was shouting something at me I didn’t uand, waving at the tanks, even as bullets fell around us. Several struck me, and I wi the pain, though such ons did little more than bruise me nowadays. If it’s not a direiper rifle hit somewhere vulnerable, there’s o worry… and speaking of o worry…

  Waving my hand, I called upon Void Motion, and in a shower of violet particles, the grenades vanished. Huh, it reminds me of Lee Jong-su’s attack. Must be a spatial ohat’s how he cuts things… Light fred from the windss of the two trucks, which careered wildly, drivers knocked out, but at least they didn’t overturn, though one did smash into Hee-Young’s icy barrier, shattering it but ing to an abrupt stop. The thick armour of the tanks hid the shockwave, but i must have been brutally intehe effect amplified by the enclosed, cramped enviro, and the soldiers were likely injured, perhaps deafened or blinded permaly. But that’s better than dying. We fix it.

  Narrowing my Eye I could see faint traces of ether leaking out of seemingly nowhere where I had shifted the grenades, as well as along the axis Lee Jing-su had cut earlier. It’s like I feared. Spatial element isn’t good for the iy of the Material and the Boundary. But si’s local, the damage is much less than Saionji-san’s Divine Favour. Well, it’s going to get worse, before it gets better…

  In the Boundary, I had approached the Anchor, stopping to destroy some Ether Spires and the es, St Moonlight effortlessly redug them to wreckage as I attacked. The pressure of the Territory was increasing as I approached the tre, and up ahead the Anchor towered some ten or so metres into the air, a pilr that was made of stone and crystal as red as bloht, one blow to finish it and… Even as I moved to attack it, my Eye fred with pain, momentarily blinding me, and I felt an onsught of something dark trying to enter my mind, shatter my will.

  Fuck… ugh… shit… I vomited silver and red, my armour stained, dropping to one knee, using my sword to prop me up. Oerial, I staggered, but the insution from the effect left me still mostly clear-headed, and I switched my Split Thoughts to the Material body. As a sequence my ability to fight dropped somewhat in the Boundary, but it kept the punishing waves of distorted information that was hammering my mind there partmentalised as best I could, allowio fun.

  “Ujh utdt icv msuii jp tqpi nlpxte qthc.” “Tjh utat icv luuii jn tqpi mlpxtt qthy.”

  “Tje ttat ics lurii jn tqpe majrilpxtt qtey.” “Tje trat ias lurid jn sqpe magrilpcett ptey.”

  “Tje trat ias lurid jn sqme magrifit ptey.”

  A series of sibint whispers, scratg at my mind like knives, could be heard. It was repeating nonsense, a jumble that made no sehough as it was repeated, uhly sounds that couldn’t easily be spoken by mortal throats started resolving into words that could be prehe the edges of sciousness, being clearer, until finally…

  “The trap has lured in some magnifit prey.” The words were spoken by the being who had risen from the ground in front of me. It was a massive hand, separated from some greater whole, perhaps three metres from wrist to fiips, and the flesh ure white, an unnatural tohe stump was raw, bck bone visible within, and instead of blood a shadowy mist was drizzling from the gaping wound. The palm faced me, and a great eye opened, skin splitting in a jagged gash, revealing the orb within, which shone blue in a mahat was strangely soothing, almost hypnotic…

  No, I’ve been through this! I could feel my Resiliend Determination fighting a suddehargy, as the hand moved towards me surprisingly swiftly, the fingers opening and closing, ivory nails like great sabres curved like elephant tusks. I leapt backwards, holding up St Moonlight in arms that trembled, making me smile bitterly as I remembered Jin-Ae, who even now was being carried by Hee-Young on her back, as they waited for my orders on how to deal with the ralised soldiers.

  I think I’ll get some stats from this at least… As my Eye fred amber, to ched also examine my oppo, I was suddenly overwhelmed by dizziness, the words I usually would have seen endlessly repeating screeds of nonsense, many of the characters in fn scripts or even numbers and symbols that made no sehe pain nearly shattered me, only the fact I had a Material body as well, and the multiple Split Thoughts, keeping me from colpsing. Shutting off my Eye, I fred my League as high as I could, and my thoughts stabilised, even as the hand swatted down, trying to grab me. I evaded, and tusk-like talons raked the ground, slig it as easy as it aper.

  Words were said, repeating a number of times aually resolving into sneering mockery. “Your knowledge, it is not your own. Give it to me! I shall make better use of it than you ever could!”

  My knowledge? I touched my Eye reflexively, and the blue eye blinked, a lid of bloody flesh closing over it for a moment. On seeing my gesture, the mental voice came again from the hand, and I sorted through the static to find meaning, my rig blood, silver and ruby smears on my cheek, and neck. “I was merely sifting these beings here, to find a worthy one. And I did. The Great Lord Of Chaos will be delighted to have her, and I shall be reunited with myself once again. Whole and perfect, as only those who embrace the truth of Chaos be. But you… you are an ued harvest. An ued harvest indeed. Your knowledge is false, it shall not serve you. All that is true is false, and the false true. Your thoughts are false. Why did you e here? To protect, or to take? To save, no, to kill! To see, yet you are blind…”

  As the onsught of words tinued, I tried to let it wash over me, as the hand eaking nonsense, but ba the Material, the situation was heating up too. My gaze took in the Anchor behind the hand, and I swallowed, tasting blood. Shit. There’s always something ued. Though… we did pn for what would happen if we ran into any powerful being such as Nurarihyon or the like here, as ued as that was, so… Squeezing shut my eyes, I gathered my wits. “Oh shut up. I know why I came here. I don’t need you to tell me. As for knowledge… it may e from elsewhere, but when someone knows something, that means it’s their knowledge nht? It’s not some uhing that only belongs to the finder, like a work of art…”

  At my harsh words the hand paused, blinking zily, and as the fiips trembled, I smiled savagely, knowing I had irritated it. “Fihen. It seems that you are at fault for some of this, whoever you are, so… it’s time for a reing!”

  ShipTeaser