On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Two Hundred And Fifty-Five

“Well damn, it feels good to be out.” Aliyah stretched, yawning. She was dressed in a sharp suit, trousers and jacket, in a more male fashion, her hair freshly styled and the beads back in, jingling softly. “Got to say, steak and a beer or ten was like being in heaven. Only thing was the meat was a bit fatty. I like mine leaner.”

“Oh come on, sis, does that really matter?” Treyvon asked. He was in a suit as well, carrying himself like a bodyguard, always alert. “I was grateful just to be out of prison. You shouldn’t push your luck.”

“You worry too much, Trey.” Aliyah disagreed. “Sure, we weren’t in a strong position, but we work for this guy now, right? Employees just like anyone else.” She looked at me then, and I shrugged. “Speaking of…” She spared a glance for the other person with us, the Lieutenant. “… what’s army boy doing with us?”

“Army boy?” Nakano-san snorted. “Might want to show some respect, James-san.”

“I don’t see why.” She disagreed. “We didn’t join the army, like I said before, we work for him.”

“Aliyah!” Trey chided, sighing. “Look, I get you are in high spirits, but cool it, all right? If we get sacked it’s right back to prison for us, right? Or worse, considering what we know now.”

As the three of them bickered, I rubbed at my temples, feeling a headache coming on. Still, it was tempered with relief. Shiro had called me, saying that she needed to talk to me about her allies and the Raven Knight. I had worried about letting her go alone, but she and Tan assured me she could handle it. I guess that must have been true then.

“This is a military facility, so of course he needs an escort, even if he is like an honorary member of the military, considering his relationship with Tsumura-sama’s granddaughter.” Nakano-san said, grinning in his delinquent fashion. Aliyah cracked her knuckles, annoyed, but before it could escalate, the Lieutenant turned to me.

“Speaking of… everyone is quite troubled. You were supposed to have started work on the Special Forces, as well as met with several important people, but you blew us all off over a girl. That raised a few eyebrows.”

True, I’ve been distracted these last few days. I need to take charge of my Territory again, discuss the Conclave with Takakura-san, start fulfilling my promises to various people. I also set up a meeting with Natsumi’s parents before this happened… shit. That’s this evening. Time really does fly. I smiled sadly, apologising. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I know I have a lot of commitments I’ve been neglecting, but… my mind has been on other matters.”

“Her. I get it.” Nakano-san agreed. “Word is she was in a terrible state. I’m guessing…” he shot my new bodyguards a pointed look, speaking cryptically. “… an accident over there.”

“It’s all right. You don’t have to be discreet. Shaeula had them swear to her, so they can’t cause problems.” I said. “Yeah. You’re not wrong. Damn, I wish things could have been resolved another way, but… at least she’s alive. While alive, there’s always hope.” I reassured myself. “In any case, I’m going in, so can you wait out here?”

“Yeah, guys shouldn’t be going into the hospital room of an injured woman.” The Lieutenant agreed.

I made to enter, Aliyah, and surprisingly enough, her brother, followed me. When I looked queryingly at him, he shrugged. “Well, I don’t have any interest in women, do I? if anything, Aliyah should probably stay outside. I guess you know what she’s like, though she refuses to talk much about what happened in Vegas.”

“Shut it, Trey.” She snapped. “I’m not shitty enough to hit on a sick woman, even if she’s hot. She is hot, right? All the girls you seem to know are.”

“I think so.” I defended her. “Even now. but… she’s sensitive about her injuries, all right?”

“Hey, we’re mercs… well, we were.” Aliyah protested. “You don’t think I’ve got a few scars? You might even have seen… ugh, never mind. Shit, shut your yapping and let’s go.

Trey mouthed an apology at me as I rolled my eyes at her lack of respect. It was rather refreshing, if a little problematic for someone who worked for me. Still, she’s fresh out of jail, it’ll take her a while to adapt. The door slid open and I entered. Shiro was sitting up in bed, still bandaged up, covering her eye and the worst of her wounds. On seeing me her expression brightened, before she spotted Aliyah and Trey, immediately bowing her face so her long silver hair covered it, shielding her from view. Even so, they had seen.

“Well shit.” Aliyah whistled, aghast.

“Sis.” Trey went to whack her on the head but she swayed aside, dodging. “He’s our boss now, and he specifically told you to be sensitive.”

“Well shit, I’m sorry. But fuck me… poor girl.” She sighed. “What the fuck happened to you?”

“Who… who are they, Aki? Others like us?” Shiro asked, still hiding her face, which was putting me in a bad mood. Trey, more sensitive than his sister, was picking up on that, so he apologised for her.

“I’m sorry for my sis here, she’s got a big mouth and never thinks before she speaks, but she doesn’t mean any offense. Uh… we were just surprised at your injuries.”

I could feel Shiro pouting. “Aki, it’s cruel bringing others to see me. You know I hate myself now.”

“Well don’t. Please.” I went over and took her good hand, noticing the ring had been moved to there. “Look, Shiro. You’re still you, and I don’t love you any less, whatever you look like. Besides… one day… one day we’ll heal it all. I’ve spoken to Shaeula, and she’ll be back for the Conclave, seems things are going well for her. She’s eager to meet you, and she’ll be bringing Selensha to our Territory again, so between the three of us, we’ll see what we can do.”

“Another of your girls, huh? Well shit. I knew there was a reason I hated you.” Aliyah stomped over, and surprisingly enough lifted Shiro’s hair. Trey made to stop her, but she snapped at him. “Fuck off, Trey. You might be gay, but you’re not a woman. You don’t know how we think.” As Shiro let out a yelp and tried to cover her face, Aliyah looked at her, her blue eyes fierce yet gentle. “Yeah, that’s some fucking nasty scarring there, no kidding. Your eye… uh, shit, that fucked too is it?”

Shiro nodded, tears brimming in her good eye.

“Well, tough break. You must have been gorgeous before. Fuck, I like cute girls rather than beauties, but you’d have been right in my strike zone.”

“Why did you bring this person here?” Shiro complained to me. “Is this some sort of harassment, or do you have a fetish for other people hitting on your women?”

“No.” I laughed, knowing she was joking. “In fact, I’ve already had to discipline her for making passes at Shaeula and my sis. It’s just who she is. Though…” my tone hardened. “… she better have a good reason for upsetting you.”

“Chill out. And look away… or not, guess it don’t matter.” Aliyah sighed. She then pulled off her jacket and unbuttoned her shirt from the bottom up, until just below her breasts. A hint of her bra was visible, but more importantly, her scars were. “See here. Buckshot from a shotgun blast. Still got some metal inside me. This one’s a knife. Then…” she went through a few scars, before turning to me. “… this one here your boyfriend gave me. Busted my guts up real good.”

“So?” Shiro asked. “They hardly compare, do they? At least your face is still pretty.”

“You think I’m pretty? That’s sweet.” Aliyah suddenly looked shy, which did not fit my image of her. “Well, yeah, I get it. Must be hard, going from beauty to… that.” She didn’t hold back though, despite Shiro’s compliment. “Ordinarily I’d say get your guy to splurge on some plastic surgery, fix up the worst of it, but that ain’t going to cut it, is it?”

“No. I’m not going to resort to that.” Shiro shook her head. “I hate my face and body now, but… I earned these for Aki. So even if I hate them, I’m not going to be able to forget them.”

“Really? For him?” Trey asked, surprised. “You let her get beat up for you? Seems out of character if you ask me, and I barely know you, just from how pissed you got at us before and what Aliyah says.”

“Yes, don’t blame Aki. It was unavoidable. I brought it on myself. And speaking of… the Raven Knight.” Shiro tried to change the subject, obviously not wishing to dwell on her wounds, not that I could blame her.

“I see. Judging by your expression, he didn’t agree to a truce.” I sighed. What an idiot. Making peace if you stand to gain is always a smart option. He would have got his Tree for very little. Now he’s still our enemy, and he’s betrayed Shiro too. And when Shaeula and I see him next… there’s no need for mercy.

“No.” Tan said suddenly, Shiro’s eye turning red, which made Trey and Aliyah gasp, though considering what they had seen and experienced so far, they quickly recovered. “The Raven is a creature of elemental rage and hatred. He is both spirit and mortal, but his spirit side dominates, leaving him turbulent and wrathful. He could not lay down his hatred of you and that Shaeula girl.”

“Hah, Shaeula is getting under someone else’s skin I see…” Aliyah muttered, earning a quiet scolding from her brother.

“So, what happened?” I asked, and Tan shrugged.

“The Raven and his pet spider escaped, which was a surprise. In the space controlled by Arisu, to flee, I thought that challenging indeed. He used some baleful art… Weal and Woe, I believe he called out.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen him flee with that before. So, what about the others?” I asked, and Tan winced.

“Well, Daizen is dead.”

I don’t really know who that is, but… “How did that happen?”

“He provoked Arisu, who I feel is rather dangerous, despite the liking the princess has for her. With his legs and throat destroyed, he would have died, so it seemed a shame not to feast. I was allowed three, was I not?”

“Should you be talking about a murder here in front of us?” Aliyah frowned. “So, this Daizen better not be a kid or some innocent woman. I know we agreed to work for you, but we don’t do bad shit.”

“Here.” Shiro took over, reaching for her phone. She ran a search, and soon enough, a news article was there. “Ogura Daizen, age forty-four, owner of Daizen Financial Services, was found dead last night, in a suspected attempt at kidnapping gone wrong. Police are still questioning how the assailants could..." I skimmed through it, noting I would need to give the Detective a heads-up on this one. I saw there were also links to various webpages on Daizen, and the first couple appeared to be shady rumours of malpractice and rampant short selling.

“I see. So… are you upset?” I asked, and Shiro sighed.

“Yeah, a bit. I know my allies are… not exactly good people. Though Suzu is probably too dumb to count as evil, poor girl. But they were my allies, my only other friend group other than the guys from Uni, you know? I wish… well, that he hadn’t said what he did. Arisu is really sensitive about her past. And speaking of her…” Shiro looked at me earnestly. “She wants to meet you first before she decides. I’m a bit worried. I’m the only one she’ll see outside of her room, and if she decides to crush you like she did Daizen… I don’t know what to do, Aki!”

“Well, if she’s your friend, and another Candidate, especially one with such a power, I’d like to meet her. I can’t say I’m happy Tan ate another person, but… if he was dying… ugh. I wasn’t there and they weren’t my allies. But Tan…” I went to warn her, and she yawned, taking charge for a moment.

“I know. Do cease nagging me. I shall not hurt your friends or allies. We are chained together by the princess, are we not?”

“Hey, who’s this princess?” Trey asked, curious, and Shiro flushed.

“It’s our girl here. Shirohime, the white princess.” I grinned, and she pouted, striking me gently with her balled fist.

“I see.” Trey muttered. “Uh… nice name.”

“Anyway, I don’t know if you should meet Arisu yet. Suzu… she’s curious about you, but I don’t want you hitting on her. She’s cute enough, American like these two here, right?” at their nods, she continued. “Well, she’s also dumb enough to fall for you. She likes cute things and handsome guys. Her ability isn’t a joke though. As for Bunta… well, he’s… a bit problematic.”

“Like Daizen?” I asked, and she shook her head.

“No, he’s just a coward and easily led, but with a really nasty ability. The perfect assassin. But since he’s scared of Tan and Arisu, he’ll meet you. You need to show dominance, all right? Make him know who’s the boss.”

“I can do that. Or Shaeula can.” I chuckled. “So, going to tell me their abilities?”

“Not until they agree to join you.” Shiro shook her head. “I owe them that much.”

“It’s not you, it’s us.” I corrected her, and her blush deepened. As we talked, Aliyah complained we were flirting, but soon Shiro was too tired to continue, and we left her to her rest. The Lieutenant was still outside, and as we exited the room, he grinned.

“Well, Special Forces have arrived. So, how many of them are you doing today, boss?”

I suppose I’d better. Looking at my watch I had plenty of time before I had to meet Natsumi and her parents this evening. I can also start working with Treyvon and Aliyah. “As many as I can, I guess. These two as well. By the way, how’s your company? The Black Wolf, right? Damn, that’s oddly apt, working for me.”

“How so?” Trey asked, and I grinned. “Well, funny story, but have you heard of the story of Tyr and Fenrir?”

“Enough of that crap. Who cares what we are called? We’re not a PMC anymore, mercs neither, technically, though we might do some jobs still. So, thirty percent quit. Less than I thought, actually.” She ran a hand through her hair, making the beads jingle. “Luciana is dealing with your government at the embassy out there in the sunny seas. The paperwork is shit, but looks like they’ll be able to enter soon, and bring our gear too. So, what do you want with us?”

“Firstly, guarding important people like Shiro. We may seem strong, and we are, but we have periods of vulnerability. I am currently getting noble support with bodyguards, but I’d like my own. Special ones.” I grinned, which made Trey sigh and Aliyah grimace.

“Babysitting some girls huh? Well, I can think of worse duties…” she said, before the Lieutenant piped up.

“You might get caught out if you treat them as just some young girls. I went on a mission with Oshiro-san here and some of his entourage. One swings a mean axe for sure. And even the ones that don’t are pretty special.”

“I haven’t forgotten Shaeula, don’t worry.” She snorted bitterly, and Trey agreed.

“Shit, yeah sis, the way she manhandled that agent, while carrying that sniper rifle like it was a toy pistol. And her ability to control our minds… we won’t take anyone lightly.”

“Good, then you have a bright future ahead of you. Well then, good luck with your… Chirurgery, it was, right?” Nakano-san grinned.

“It was indeed. Lucky for them and the Special Forces, while trying to save Shiro my skills increased a lot. I might just be able to catch up with the quota I missed due to being worried.”

“Great, that’d help out a lot. The brass is eager to get started. Well, guess I’ll leave you to it then and send over the troops.” With a lazy salute, he headed off. I turned to the two of them and grinned. “Better fetch your other two as well. Time for surgery.”

At my smile, Aliyah flinched. “I’m getting a bad flashback to Vegas here…”

Well, no need to worry. I don’t need to have you strip anymore, my Eye does it all for me…

********

“So let me guess, I have to strip.” Aliyah declared sourly. “That’s how these things usually work, right?” her hands went to her buttons, but I stopped her with a word.

“Actually, not anymore.” My Eye flared a vivid amber. “I can see just fine with this, and contrary to what you think, I’m not interested in bullying you. You may be damn attractive, but I don’t make it my business to hit on girls, especially ones who don’t like guys.”

“Shit, right.” She grimaced. “Says the man with… that girl from Vegas, Shaeula, the girl we just met with the mangled face… uh, the princess, right?” she changed her expression as my amber eye glared at her. “And the granddaughter of the boss of this base too right? And aren’t you meeting the parents of another girl later? So five? And you say you don’t go out looking for women.”

“I don’t.” I protested. “Oh, and it’s actually seven. Sorry.”

“Jackass. I so want to hit you, but it won’t do shit. Fuck. Might as well get started. This is some crazy mad scientist shit, but just the sort of thing the DoD and Pentagon are looking into, I reckon. This is… safe, right?”

“Well, we worried to start with, but we’ve done it a lot of times now, so it should be.” Thank all the gods we’ve never had to use a safety measure like trying for Lovers’ Link to stabilise anyone suffering a catastrophic failure of their networks or chakras. “And if you are going to be of use, you need the buffs and the ability to enter the Boundary.”

“Shit, strange creatures and superheroes I get, but to think there’s another fucking world out there we can go to. No wonder that casino in Vegas was such a shitty, gloomy place. A lot more makes sense now. Fuck, I wonder how much the brass back in the good old US of A knows about this shit. If they’d have told us what to expect, you wouldn’t have fucked us in the ass so hard.”

Yeah, she’s crude as ever. It’s almost funny though.

“I don’t know, your ass looks pretty fine to me.” I said, and she froze, mouth hanging open, unable to process it until I snickered nastily, showing it was a joke. Annoyed, she sat down on the gurney that was in the room.

“Tell that joke to Trey and he’ll tell you to go right ahead. Maybe you should play for the other team, pretty boy.”

“No thanks. I’m happy enough with my girls. Now, lie down and we’ll get started. You might feel … well, no, you will feel a shitload of pain, but schoolgirls have managed it, even young ones, so a big bad woman like you should be fine, right?”

“Trying to taunt me, huh? Well, you’ll find I’m no blushing schoolgirl. Bring it on!”

Her bravado lasted a minute before the pain started getting to her, but even so, she managed the Chirurgery without complaint, glaring at me the whole time…