On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Two Hundred And Twenty-Four

Velna looked around in surprise as weaselkin were coming and going past the Fae Stone boundary. Her eyes were wide, as if she couldn’t believe that the toxic forest had been cleared. On seeing me, the weaselkin bowed, expressing their loyalty. I guess while before they were technically here for Shaeula, now I’ve made my mark too, and earned their respect.

“How-how? Everyone knows the Spring of Clear Reflections was a land of death, lost forever.” She said quietly.

“Well, I didn’t do it alone. Shaeula and I, we needed help from many allies. Hyacinth, Grulgor, Ixitt, Master Bjarki, Ulfuric, others too. That’s the key really. If we all work together, help each other, we can achieve anything.”

“Anything, huh?” Velna pondered, looking down, her gaze troubled. I could feel a couple of the soul-lights I was linked to trembling slightly. “That would be nice-nice.” She finished, and was then surprised as I bent down and patted her head gently. She looked up, eyes going wide, and I smiled reassuringly.

“We’ll get her back. She was a maid to Shaeula, like a friend in a way. And if mistakes were made out of foolishness, well, who hasn’t made mistakes? Shaeula has, and I definitely have as well. If you care about someone, you can make amends. So just stay strong, all right? We have some leverage now, after all.”

Velna nodded. “I understand, master. I’ll keep some hope-hope in my heart.”

“Great. Anyway, come on. I need to talk to Master Ulfuric. You can accompany me.” She gave her assent, and we headed to the staging post Ulfuric had set up to coordinate the plundering of the Spring. He was speaking to several weaselkin mages, who were on alert in case any enemies tried to take advantage of the fall of Myrcolaxriath. On seeing us, he smiled gruffly.

“You have returned then. Have you concluded your business?” he asked, and I nodded.

“Yeah, the Territory is much stronger now. Our foundation is solid. So it’s time to deal with the situation here. And speaking of…” I thought I would ask Ulfuric, though I had few expectations he would agree. “Would you consider becoming one of my subordinates, becoming a Chosen Hero? I know Shaeula would be delighted, she has many fond memories of you from her childhood, and you are a very competent and trustworthy ally, and I respect you as my combat teacher. Together, we could do great things. It would also strengthen you as well.”

Ulfuric looked at me silently for a moment, before shaking his head in denial. I thought so. A shame, as Ulfuric is a powerhouse, but even without that, we’ll still be working together for a while, the three moons he promised still has many days left. “I am afraid I cannot.” He rumbled. “To accept such a position would be to repudiate Oaths I have already sworn. Unless I am released from my service to Prince Shaetanao, I cannot accept another such position. I have already been flexible accepting the results of Shaeraggo’s Trial of Three. I merely wished to see the princess safe. Still, she has grown up, in your care, and through her own power and ambition. Perhaps in time my service might be offered.”

“Yeah well, my door is always open, when that day comes.” I smiled to show I wasn’t offended by his expected refusal. “After all, Fae live long, right?”

“Indeed. I have no intention of abandoning the princess. And should the Prince agree, I can continue to advise and train your forces, even after my return. So yes, perhaps in time…” he finished, and I understood.

“Yeah, our acquaintance has been brief, but we’ve already achieved a lot. I look forward to that day.” Ulfuric would have been an incredibly solid Hero. For the slots I’ve used, Ixitt can learn new technology and apply it, Shirohebi is fulfilling a promise I made to the Izumi’s, as well as strengthening my hand in the upcoming meeting of the shrines and temples, in addition to giving me more insight into the skills of a kami. Hyacinth is both a reward and a necessity, as helping her ravaged mental state is a must. It’s also insurance, as her biological warfare would make a significant deterrent to any attacks on me and my family in the Material, though revealing that info may well cause more problems than it prevents. Besides… I want her to meet Eri, Aiko, Hinata, the others…

“Will you be rejoining the princess at the Spring?” Ulfuric asked, and I agreed, still considering. And Suzuki-san. Again, that’s to fulfil a promise, both to her and her father and even the Prime Minister. It gets me a lot of political capital and support, and more importantly, a fellow Candidate under my control. Kikuchi-san is a vassal, which is good, but I can trust and invest in Suzuki-san with far more peace of mind. It wouldn’t be too hard for her to develop a Rank 2 Throne in her own Territory when we establish it, I can provide the ether easily enough by giving her Etherites. It was a bit like a pyramid scheme in a way. Her Chosen Heroes would be chosen by my Chosen Hero, so would effectively work for me as well. She would probably want to help the other girls who died, and sure, that’s a worthy goal, but using slots on a Throne seems a bit… wasteful. Still, in any case, if for some reason I need extra slots in a hurry, I can make it happen through Suzuki-san, so I don’t feel too bad using my last slot. The battle with Myrcolaxriath was too close for comfort, I need to empower who I can.

“Yes, I’m hoping we can get it purified quickly. Ixitt and Master Bjarki have helped realise a lot of my ideas, so I’m confident. We may have ruined the forest, but I’d like to at least hand back a pristine, recovered spring. Although that does seem a bit of a weak resolution to this feat.”

Ulfuric agreed. “Indeed, such an impossible task. While the princess will have no difficultly returning, her head held high, her place in the Seelie Court assured, it is still not worthy reward for this victory.”

“Yeah. If we could just claim the Territory for our own that would be great, but it’s too far away from the Boundary, too exposed. I think any effort we try would be doomed to failure. Though that doesn’t mean I want to give up. I was thinking… wouldn’t the Spring need a caretaker, someone in charge of restoring it to its former glory?” My smile was vicious as I expressed my idea. “Who better than Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, the liberator of the Spring, the slayer of Myrcolaxriath, an Unseelie Duke?”

Ulfuric rumbled his agreement, allowing me to continue.

“In that case, we can exploit the protection of the Seelie Court Territory, and while we would obviously have to share the bounty of the Spring with others, as management, we would be able to maximise our own use of its resources. It will also raise her prestige appropriately, giving her a tangible role in the Seelie Court, rather than just as a princess. Besides, it sets a precedent. There are other lost lands to retake, right?”

At that Ulfuric froze for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. After a long silence, he agreed. “Yes, I believe that would be a wise plan. It would definitely solidify the princess as a force to be reckoned with in terms of politics. The problem will be the Aggressor faction. Duke Vulpatrius, Duke Formor, the others… they were instrumental in trying to dispose of the princess, I doubt they would be eager to allow her to take such a prestigious role.”

Duke Formor, huh? Yes, that’s another reason why…

“The Isolationists will likely have little opinion either way on the princess. Though perhaps such a reclamation might shock them, as their core tenets are based on the inevitable decline of the Seelie Court.” Ulfuric finished. “In any case, I will support you, and I dare say prince Shaeraggo will also agree. He has seen first-hand how his sister has grown, and though he is a short-tempered fool at times, he does love the princess very much.”

He sure does, siscon bastard that he is. I don’t like him much though. Ignoring the little voice of my sis in my head saying that ‘like hates like’, I continued to discuss the plans with Ulfuric. After a while we were done, and we headed towards the Shrine. Since time was at a premium, as I had made promises with Hinata, instead of walking the twenty or so miles to the Spring, I picked up Velna on my back, and ignoring her embarrassed protests I sprinted the twenty miles at full tilt, matching a sporty supercar for pace. Reaching the hill, I put down the panting maid, who looked at me with teary, accusing eyes.

“That-that was frightening!” She complained and I apologised, but couldn’t hide my grin.

“Sorry. But we saved a few hours, right? You aren’t built for speed.”

At that she merely looked at me reproachfully as she straitened her hair, fur and maid outfit. Once she was done, she followed me into the cavern, eyes wide at the charred walls filled with cracks and holes, and the deformed metal balls that were the remnants of Ixitt’s mines. Emerging into the main chamber, I could see Shaeula and Ixitt talking, looking over a series of devices that had been set up at the edge of the filthy lake, while Grulgor had largely recovered, and was sitting idly in one corner, flexing his massive grey, stony muscles.

On seeing me return, Shaeula ran over, grinning. “Akio, you have returned! Did you spend our bounty well-well?”

“I sure did.” I agreed, giving her a hug. “We’ve got the Thrones to Rank 2, and…” I said I had chosen my new Heroes, and Shaeula bobbed her head in agreement.

“So, you have one slot remaining, I see-see. Master Ulfuric turned you down, I have no doubt?”

“I’m afraid so, but don’t worry, he’s still eager to work with us. He doesn’t want to let the adorable princess struggle alone just yet.”

“Yes, I am-am quite adorable. So, that leaves…” she looked over at Grulgor, and I nodded.

“Yeah, though it’ll depend. We should talk to him now. Then I’ll help with the purification.”

“Good-good. Ixitt has explained what many of the devices are supposed to do, but I do not-not understand all of them.” We walked over to Grulgor, Velna following us, looking pleased to be back with her mistress. He looked up as we approached, giving us a toothy grin.

“So, you have returned. Good, Grul was getting bored. Grul is almost healed, so Grul is eager to get back to battle!”

“I see. Well, before that…” I wasn’t entirely sure how to broach the subject, but from knowing Grulgor these last few months I had a rough idea. “…do you want to be stronger?”

Grul boomed his agreement, one fist slamming the floor for emphasis. “Of course Grul wishes for strength. To be strong is everything. The world crushes the weak, and the weak deserve little pity.”

“I see. And if you could grow stronger by serving me, like Shaeula did? Would you be able to do that, even if it goes against the wishes of Duke Formor? After all, he is Shaeula’s enemy.” Here’s the rub. I know Grulgor rationalised it away with what those Bakaneko said, and the Oaths we made said I would only oppose Duke Formor proportionally, but it puts Grulgor in a very difficult position.

Grulgor looked troubled at that, scratching at his stony skin idly with one massive finger. “Grul… Grul enjoys fighting with you. Many battles, strong opponents, great victories. Grul is stronger now too, since Grul practised the stone golem art, as you called it.” He stumbled over the unfamiliar word. “The princess is no longer a little weak weasel. Grul thinks she is worthy as a princess of the Seelie.”

At that, Shaeula looked away, flushed and embarrassed, which was adorable. She saw me looking and coughed, hiding her pride with bashful words. “Well, I thank you Grulgor. You are not-not the fool I thought you were. In the battle here you were incredible.”

Grulgor laughed at that, the sound as rocks being ground together. “Grul enjoyed blasting through stupid puny fungi. To kill a Duke…” he paused then, thinking. We waited, and waited, and… waited. Around ten minutes later he finally spoke.

“Grul thinks Duke Formor will no longer try to kill the princess when he finds out about the victory here. The Duke hates Unseelie and the other giants who betrayed us. Grul is loyal to the Duke, he protected the few trolls that remained Seelie, protected me. But Grul made Oaths here too, to you! Grul wishes to honour them, and grow stronger! There will be no conflict!”

“But what if there is? If you accept my gift of strength, you won’t find it easy to go against me. You might have to face Duke Formor, break your Oaths to him.”

There was another five minutes of silent pondering, before Grulgor spoke again, hesitantly at first, which was not like him, but as he continued he became more committed, more resolute. “Grul… Grul believes he can talk to the Duke. He will be angry, as Grul failed to crush the princess, but Grul will bow his head and plead for forgiveness. It was all for the best. Duke Formor hates Unseelie far more than the weak! Could you set aside the past, and work with the Duke for the good of the Seelie, to crush all our enemies?”

That’s the problem. Yeah, Shaeula survived unharmed, but with Grulgor, with the Bakaneko, he was clearly trying to kill her. It’s hard to forgive that. But ultimately, it’s for Shaeula to decide. She’s the wounded party here. It pisses me off though, pisses me off bad thinking about forgiveness.

Indeed, Shaeula was frowning, her face twisted. Behind her, Velna was looking down, no doubt remembering her own guilt and the part she played in all of this. Well, we forgave her, but she was misled, not acting out of genuine malice…

“I find it hard to forgive the Duke. After all, he is even-even now harassing my father, causing trouble for my family and our faction. But… Akio forgave me-me when I tried to kill him, and he forgave you. But you realised for such-such forgiveness to be earned, there must be… restitution, no-no?”

Grulgor nodded, massive head swaying, his dirty yellow eyes looking at us both clearly, unblinking. “Grul understands. Grul will speak to the Duke, but if the Duke will not relent, Grul will stand before him and fight, if it is what is needed to make Duke Formor understand! Grul will ask to fight with you and the princess, as… as restitution.”

He copied my word, and I smiled in relief. I’m glad. Grulgor is a massive asset in combat, and anything that might help us alleviate the political situation in the Seelie Court is welcome. We have to think about Shaeula’s standing. Having such a powerhouse as Grulgor with us in the Material offers opportunities as well. He’s not the brightest, but just like Hyacinth and her fragile Resilience, a few levels will help with that. He’s a very solid choice for multiple reasons. But I have one final set of concerns…

“Well, there’s one other thing. You’ll be able to go to the Material world. You’ll have to behave. No rampaging. And also… well, you’ll meet people I care about, like my sis and Eri. They aren’t as strong as us, nowhere close, though they are trying. My sis has loved Japanese archery ever since she was young, and has taken up the bow we won from Shaeraggo, and… well you remember Eri, right? She was there during the Trial.”

Grulgor nodded. “Weak little human, but brave.” He snorted then, full of good humour. “Grul laughed when she tried to cut down your brother, princess. Bold. Grul understands though. You were weak when we first met, princess. Akio too. Grul was only beaten by a sneak attack, but beaten Grul was. Grul has no complaints now. Grul… Grul would not defeat either of you now. That makes Grul mad! Grul wants to be stronger, the strongest!” He slammed a fist on his stony chest, the sound thunderous, making the working Ixitt jump nervously. “Grul will make no mistakes. If they seek strength, Grul will respect them. Grul can help!” He boasted, and I laughed myself, a touch nervously. Uh, sure. I bet Motoko and Natsumi would be delighted to have a punching bag they can use their family weapons on without worrying they’ll injure him…

“All right? Are you sure then? If so, there’s no going back.” I declared. And Grulgor nodded. I think this is for the best. I had considered it for Aiko, so she gets the buffs and fifteen more levels, or maybe Hinata, but… long-term, Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi should probably end up with Lovers’ Link, after we are married anyway. And Aiko… Maybe next time, but there are other ways for her to grow stronger, and while she’s in Nishimorioka she shouldn’t be facing any terrible battles, and she has Eri with her, and the support from the Brown Dog kami. Now that we had proved the effectiveness of our Chirurgery and training, the benefit of the Astral body the Throne granted was less important too. Still, choices were always hard when one had limited options. There’s no point second-guessing. I can only make the best decision I can, and right now, what we need, as Myrcolaxriath proved, was greater, more overwhelming power for our main force.

Your Class, Fae-Souled, has increased from level 26 to level 27.

You have gained a skill, Might of the Furious Earth Rank 1. As long as you possess earth elemental energy, you can fortify either your Might or Fortitude significantly, based on a percentage of your base statistics, as well as the amount of earth elemental energy you currently contain.

I felt a connection form to Grulgor, and it was as if I understood the nature of the earth element more deeply, though it was coloured by the anger Grulgor always felt. Using the skill immediately I felt my body surge with energy, my Fortitude climbing noticeably. It wasn’t just me that was revelling in new strength though, Grulgor was gaining the benefits of my power. The boost to his physical stats was meaningless as his were so high, but the mental gains were immediately apparent.

“Grul feels strange.” He admitted, scratching his head with a meaty finger. “But Grul feels closer to you now.”

Great. When Shaeula or Hyacinth tell me that I like it, but… well, it doesn’t matter. It’s just a platonic bond, noting more. “Well, you should easily be able to gain fifteen levels, which should make you a decent amount stronger and smarter. I’m just going to check your skills. Please ignore the discomfort.” My Eye blazed amber, and I was confronted with Grulgor’s status.

Hmm, so Grulgor is a Noble Fae huh? I know my Fae-Bonded level-up message said he was a powerful one when he first submitted to me, and I guess he did also say he was the most powerful troll in the Seelie Court… I noticed he had a lunar chakra skill too, which Hyacinth lacked. Maybe it’s because he’s Noble, but then Shaeula didn’t have it to start with, although she was quite weak when we first met. Oh well, Hyacinth can just learn the skill and it’ll strengthen her more.

“Your stats are wildly imbalanced. Your physical stats are very impressive, but your mental ones… not so much.”

Grulgor nodded. “Grul knows. But Grul’s mind feels clearer, less angry.”

“Great. I can’t have you rampaging in the Material. Or anywhere really.” It was no use having powerful allies that were uncontrollable. “Well, I’m just going to check your other abilities that interest me, bear with it.”

Troll Body of Stone – This skill is the manifestation of the stony body of a Rock-type troll. The more earth energy the troll possesses, the harder and more durable their body is. It is particularly effective against blunt impacts, but is vulnerable to being pierced or cut by very sharp attacks.

Whoa, no wonder I was able to take out Grulgor, despite his massive defence. I went for powerful cutting and piercing attacks with wind from behind… thinking back, even in ambush, I was damn lucky, and after that he wasn’t fully restored when he walked into my vibrating wires… Shaking my head at my good fortune, I continued.

Troll Body of Slime – This skill is the manifestation of the slimy body of a Slime-type troll. The more earth energy the troll possesses, the faster the troll regenerates, and even without earth energy, the troll regenerates significantly faster than Rock-type trolls.

Stone Absorption – This skill allows the assimilation of stone, rock and metal into the body of the bearer while earth elemental energy lasts, allowing it to share the properties of the bearer such as regeneration and resistances.

“So, you’ve got the best of both worlds, huh? Rock-type and Slime-type. No wonder you are so damn hard to kill. Though I’m grateful for that. You certainly make the best tank we could ask for.”

Grulgor revelled in the praise, gurgling happily. I had now selected my four new Chosen Heroes, so the next stage was to purify the Spring. As Shaeula and Grulgor started bickering good-naturedly, Grulgor promising he would become the strongest of all, Shaeula denying him, saying she would remain superior, I turned to Ixitt, who was still messing with various gadgets. Seeing my line of sight, he grinned, lashing his tail.

“Are you ready? I am very curious to see how this will work.” Ixitt said, excitement plain.

“Me too.” I looked down at the putrid Spring, with the feeble yet powerful water energy glowing within, almost drowned out by the toxic poison of the Myconids. “Time to combine aether with modern science once more. Let’s do some Mortal Engineering!”