On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Two Hundred And Two

It seemed that Hyacinth had actually managed to succeed in creating spores while we were gone, which surprised me, but Ixitt merely snorted a laugh and said perhaps talk of a reward had motivated her. Seeing her smiling at me, hope and tears in her silver-violet eyes, I once more considered what granting her request would cost me. Sure, Shaeula saw no issues dallying with servants, and Hinata would probably say the same, but Eri and me, it wasn’t the way we were raised. Although I’m starting to accept that as long as everyone is happy and my conscience can stand it, we can’t be bound by the wisdom of the past or conventional laws. The world has changed, and we have to change with it. Still, happiness first. If I fail at that, then why am I even doing all this?

“So, can you show me?” I had asked, looking at one of the remaining two Degraded Kobolds, and she nodded. When we were in full gear again, safely past the Fae Stones, she called forth a billowing cloud, moments later the kobold and the grasses around it were dying, covered in rapidly shrivelling mushrooms.

“Sooo, is master happy? Did Hyacinth do gooood?” she asked, and I gave in, patting her head.

“Yeah you did great. There’s further to go, but for now, you can take a break.” I told her, and she looked at me, puzzled. Seeing that, cute even behind her mask and goggles, I patted her head again. “Yeah, right now, I’m curious about something. How are you with trees?”

“Trees?” she asked, still confused.

“Yeah, but I’ll explain after we’ve had a rest. Today has been another hard one…”

********

“Are you sure we cannot tell prince Shaeraggo you are here-here?” one of the maids was asking Shaeula again, a tiresome litany that she was extremely fed-up with.

“No-no, I have too much to do to be bothering with my brother.” She sighed, taking a drink from her glass of wine, which Hyacinth was serving her, much to the annoyance of Risha, Vilna and the other maids. Still, Shaeula seemed to be warming to Hyacinth, which pleased me. There was another person in the room giving me a sour gaze as well though, and it was a Kamaitachi, one of the two I had killed initially. The last of Shaeula’s kin had returned to her, so this was a bit of a celebration, as well as some much needed recouperation, after being on edge in constant battles with the Myconids. “I will arrange a time for him to visit when our business is done. Until then, do not-not bother me. I wish to enjoy this happy time.”

“I still cannot believe you ended up with him-him.” The Kamaitachi sighed. “Your mother, she will be..”

“… delighted, I am sure-sure.” Shaeula spoke over him, also sick of this particular conversation. “My mother is assuredly not-not a fool, so why would she be unhappy with Akio, who has achieved much and loves me dearly? Now put aside the anger of your first meeting, or else I shall send you back to her!”

At that threat, Hyacinth started giggling. “Yooo got scolded by the mistress. Bad servant!”

The Kamaitachi scowled, helping itself to some of the food laid out on the grand dining table. “Fine. It will be as you wish-wish it, princess.”

“Good.” Shaeula approved. “Tomorrow, you can return to our Territory, through the Faerie Ring Gate. It is a far-far cry from the small and dingy one we occupied before Akio defeated us. I believe Ixitt will be returning as well-well?” she eyed the Ratkin, who was quite drunk on the fare Shaeraggo had left stocked for us.

“Indeed, I have been given several tasks by your consort.” He grinned drunkenly, tail lashing fitfully. “The explanation as to why was… opaque… for some of the items, but I believe whatever you are doing will be magnificent.”

“Grul says he is bored and will also return. Grul will find his trolls and crush some enemies, but he will come back.” Grulgor gurgled, emptying a massive barrel of ale down his cavernous gullet with one meaty hand, while his slab-like teeth tore at a massive animal-carcass. Whereas before he usually ate separately from us, fighting together against the Myconids seemed to have improved his camaraderie with us. Still, he’s a bit of a battle maniac to be sure. Not that I can criticise, I’m always looking for ways to train more efficiently.

“Sure, just see that you do return.” I allowed it. “After all, we need you to tank for us against the Myconids.”

“Grul will not miss it. Grul enjoys stomping on, hitting, kicking, hammering and breaking little weak fungi!” his rumbling laughter sounded, and I almost felt sorry for the Myconids.

“To think the day would come when I am having a pleasant dinner with Grulgor, of all-all people.” Shaeula arched an eyebrow at me. “By the moon, wonders never-never cease.”

“True.” As we continued to make merry, I caught one of her maids looking at us with a troubled, almost bitter expression on her face. When she spotted me glancing at her she hastily looked down, hiding her features. Seriously. Get over it. Shaeula is mine now, and I’ll not let her go. Besides, she’s not the weak little princess you used to know. You should be happy about the change…

“Still, I am-am curious too.” Shaeula was red-faced and tipsy, the wine going to her head despite her high stats. “I worry you are going to try something foolish to save the dryad. A hawk that chases two-two hares with catch neither, I believe. We need to focus on the Myconids.”

“Yeah, I get you. And while I admit I hate to see girls suffer, and the dryad tugged at my heartstrings, if I didn’t think we could gain from it, I wouldn’t shoulder the risk. So… how about I tell you the plan later?” my gaze went to her bedroom, and she licked her lips, smiling lasciviously.

“Some pillow-talk, is it? I have no-no issues with that.”

The butler-weasel held in a wince at her seductive reply, and I bit down on a sigh. Come on man, you should be used to it by now as well. It isn’t like we haven’t been having fun in that room every night… The rest of the meal passed peacefully, and after some more wine, we put the drunk Hyacinth to bed, having to fight to stop her removing her clothing and jumping on me, calling herself a “disgrace as a servant fooor getting drunk while serving”, before Shaeula and I also retired to her bedchambers…

********

“Seriously?” Shaeula was looking at me with astonished eyes, her head using my arm as a pillow, her hair spread out over my naked, sweaty body. “Is that… is that even-even possible?”

“You know, I’m not sure.” I readily admitted, stroking her hair, enjoying the silky feel of it. “To be honest it’s a long shot. Probably harder than just wiping out the Myconids to be honest. But that would likely kill the dryad too, so… she gets mercy either way. I think it’s a risk worth taking.” Ever since I saw the dryad and her grove, it was like a fire had been lit within me. If I could make this work… the advantages are huge. I have to think long-term for us as well.

“The Myconids, they will not-not let this pass unnoticed. It was quite deep in their Territory, was it not-not, the grove?” she warned.

“Yeah, that’s the hardest part. My calculations are… well, troubling. But worst case scenario, the dryad receives a merciful death. I’m not prepared to have you die over it. Nor anyone else.”

“I should hope not-not. Without me, you are quite hopeless. Still, before that, we have time to relax and enjoy ourselves, right?” she raised her head and kissed me, our tongues tangling, and she reached a hand under my blankets.

“Yeah, I guess we do.” I laughed, scooping her up in my arms again, unwilling to think of difficult problems ahead while Shaeula was in my arms…”

********

“Well, this is… pretty much illegal, unethical research.” I mused, as we were all suited up again, to protect us from the spores Hyacinth was going to conjure. We had travelled far outside the mansion, but were still within Seelie Court Territory, in a small grove of ash and elder trees, similar to the Earth Rhyming Trees in the tainted grove.

“Yes, it does stink of Unseelie arts.” Shaeula frowned, a touch troubled. “Still, I know-know you are only doing it to help the dryad and reclaim our lands.”

“Yeah, but the thing about this is…” I hesitated, but then admitted the problem. “… once the genie is out of the bottle, it never goes back in. Hyacinth is an absolutely devastating biological weapon now. She was dangerous before, sure, but imagine if when we first fought she used those spores. We might have survived, but I doubt it, not without foreknowledge of how they work. She’d have turned Shirohebizumi shrine into a dead wasteland of mushrooms and toadstools.”

At that Shaeula paused, realising we had indeed created a monster. Seeing her pensive eyes, Hyacinth looked at us, serious, none of her usual crazed jocularity present. “Hyacinth is happy master gave her a name, reached ooout a hand to her. Even mistress is being nice to her nooow, and there are other mistresses yet tooo meet. I knooow I should be dead. But instead I get to serve, tooo tend hearth and hooome. Hyacinth will never betray master. I prooomise!” and with that she curtsied, weird in the protective gear. “I will ooonly use the curse when master orders me too! I… I am a brownie, I aaam!” she declared.

“I see.” Shaeula smoothed her troubled gaze and went over to Hyacinth. “It is hard-hard for me, but I do now trust you. However… I think now-now more than ever, you need to be bound to Akio more securely. You are far-far too dangerous to let run free.”

“I wooould welcome that, mistress!” Hyacinth cheered.

“All right, I get it. We’ll talk to Eri, Hinata and the others. Shit, this only really works if everyone can switch between the Boundary and Material at will. I see a lot of Chirurgery in our futures.” I sighed. Yeah, more than one genie is out, or are they monkey paws instead? “Well, enough talk. We need to run some tests. Just put out a little of the spores, enough for one tree, all right?”

“Of course, master!” Hyacinth giggled, her humour returning. She called upon her nature element, and suddenly a number of the trees around us started sprouting the vile fungal infections. “Ooops, I did it again! Sorry, sooorry!” she apologised frantically.

“It’s fine. I get that it’s hard. Oh well, the trees will grow back in time I guess. Shaeula, pick one and start healing it, cut away all the fungus first.” With that said, I turned to the rapidly dying tree beside me and began to rip out the pestilence, using Ether Healing to strengthen and heal the tree afterwards…

********

“That is quite-quite the challenge.” Shaeula observed, and I had to agree. All around us was a grove of dead trees and ruined earth, which I had to cleanse with fire to make sure that no spores remained. Shaeula had been keeping up a wind barrier to prevent any from leaking out and spreading, so all-in-all we were extremely drained. Still, we had learned quite a lot, judging by the half-dozen healthy trees remaining within the desolation.

“Yeah, the larger the tree the harder it’ll be, and that Rhyming tree is a damn big one. Still, we discovered Ether Healing can work on trees, since they are living beings. Better still, Hyacinth can help with the cleansing, her nature energy is good for that. I guess they don’t often call it wood element in Chinese myth for nothing.”

“Of course, that is but-but one part of the problem.” We had gathered and incinerated all the stray spores, so now she had doffed her hood and mask and was gnawing at her lip pensively. “Even if we could-could administer such healing, how can we prevent reinfection by the airborne spores and seeds?”

“I’m hoping we don’t have to, but… well, time for the really fun tests.” I swallowed reflexively, extremely nervous at what was to come, though previous tests on the kobolds had indicated this was likely safe. If equally likely to bloody well suck.

“Are you sure? I do not-not like this…” she said as I shed my rubber suit, only the undershirt remaining on me.

“We’ve done the science, and I’m far tougher than the kobolds were. I want to test just how well Ether Healing resists it. After all, it has large resistance now. We also need to check how well the cream functions.”

I retrieved one of the barrels of barrier cream, and  opening the lid I was about to smear it all over myself when Shaeula stopped me. “No, Hyacinth and I, we shall-shall do it.” Her grin was sly.

“All right, but be gentle… hey, Hyacinth, not there!” she had grabbed a handful of the gloopy cream and immediately thrust it into my underwear, groping for something she should definitely not be touching. “Damn that’s cold…”

“Indeed. That part should be coated by me!” Shaeula shoved her aside and immediately thrust her own slippery hands down there, while Hyacinth pouted, making do with my back and neck.

“All done.” Shaeula declared satisfied, a few minutes later, and I grinned wryly.

“No kidding, I was also nearly done there. Your hands are dangerous now, you’ve got really good at that.” As she laughed at my backhanded praise, I looked down at my lower left arm and hand, which was the only area not covered. I pulled on my mask and goggles as a precaution, and gestured for Hyacinth to begin. Shaeula put up her wind barrier, and after a great deal of hesitation, Hyacinth finally released a small jet of spores, spraying my exposed skin. Well, at least all our failed tests have improved her control a lot…

For a moment nothing happened, and then I was blindsided with sudden, agonising pain. The spores were digging into my body, but even as they were I used my Eye to observe, and Shaeula was doing the same, a matching amber shining. “Are you well?” she asked, concerned, and I managed a nod, tears filling up my goggles.

“Yeah, Ether Healing is already working automatically, burning aether to keep it out. Still, even with that, it hurts a ton.” For around ten minutes Ether Healing fought it off, before mushrooms finally started to bloom from my flesh, the defences defeated. Still, it’d held out pretty well. “Shit. Here we go then…” I carved out my own infected flesh, although only a small percentage of spores had survived the Ether Healing, and as Shaeula burned the corrupted remains I repaired the damage. “That was as messed up as I expected. The Spring definitely can’t be taken back by conventional methods.” I shook my newly healed arm. “Though I have to say, seeing Ether Healing work so hard… I think I can break through the Rank 6 wall. And all it’ll cost me is pain… lucky me.” I snorted. “Without my Determination and Resilience so high, I’d never be able to contemplate this. If this was the me from a few months ago who wouldn’t even exercise as it sucked too much… damn, I’ve come a long way!”

“Are you sure-sure you wish to continue?” Shaeula asked me, and I hugged her, though she struggled a bit as her rubber suit was getting slimy.

“We have to run the next set of tests anyway. So I might as well get some sweet gains out of it.” I then spent an agonising couple of hours being sprayed down by spores, over increasingly large parts of my body. Still, eventually as I lay on the ground, blinking tears out of my eyes, staring at the beautiful giant moon, restoring my drained aether, I rejoiced at the amber notification I was seeing. “Finally.”

Your Skill, Ether Healing has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, overcoming the first bottleneck, the wall that blocks progress. Your ability to heal your own injuries and those of others has increased substantially, repairing damage to subtle bodies. Your subtle bodies will draw in a further significant quantity of ether from their surroundings and automatically repair themselves, and your resistance to elemental damage has noticeably increased. You also have a great resistance to harmful substances and foreign matter, and the more you are exposed to a particular contaminant, the weaker the effect of it will be, as your aether and subtle bodies will adapt to it, though you can consciously control this and lower this resistance at will. Your silver cord has strengthened and is more efficient and your understanding of the rules that aether governs on subtle bodies has also increased significantly. [Class: Noble], [Type: Rule]

I see. Those are some great improvements. It’s jumped up one Class and one Type as well, and the text hidden by question marks I couldn’t see before is now revealed. I understand the rules of aether better, do I? Actually, I do… The process of observing and feeling how the aether in my body responded to the intrusion of Hyacinth’s Myconid spores, isolating them and destroying them, as well as repairing my Astral, and through the silver cord, my Material body, had definitely given me fresh insights, and perhaps I could leverage those into an upgrade to my silver cord and chakra network in time. Though that would take significant effort and experimentation, no doubt.

“So, how is it?” Shaeula asked, concerned.

“Great.” I gave her a weary thumbs-up, and seeing that, Hyacinth brightened too. She had served me faithfully, constantly bathing me in spores, but for a brownie, hurting her master had been agony for her, and she had wailed and cried loudly for ages. “I got plenty of buffs from it, but the major one is now I can adapt to specific contaminants, rendering them less and less effective. And the welcome bonus is… I should be able to get drunk again!” It seemed a small thing to get worked up over, but being able to drop a resistance consciously was great, and on the upside, when I was tired of being drunk I could rapidly purge my body of the effects. The best of both worlds indeed, praise be to the wall breaking!

Struggling to my feet, I grinned. “All right, bathe me with it again, Hyacinth. This time it should be a lot less painful, and I can basically grow immune, which gives me no end of options. Plus if my aether adapts to it, I can heal others from the spores easier.”

“Are yooou sure?” she asked, and I nodded, only for Shaeula to strip off her suit and start lathering up with barrier cream.

“What are you doing?” I asked, though immediately realised it was a stupid question.

“Of course I am taking this-this opportunity to train my own skills.” She smirked at me. “Feel free to apply the cream to my body, anywhere you wish!”

“But your Ether Healing is only at Rank 2! I know I can heal you, but… it’ll hurt so much.” I warned, scooping up cream and rubbing it on her modest chest and down her front and thighs. She shivered at my touch, but still smiled reassuringly.

"Yes, I expect it will be quite-quite cruel, and I know you will not-not enjoy seeing me suffer. But for such gains, which will definitely help with our conquest of the Myconids, we must both be strong.” She stuck out her tongue and we kissed passionately. When we were done, Hyacinth looked at us doubtfully.

“Don’t hate me, mistress, master! I am ooonly serving!” she said, hesitating.

“I know, and you really are the best maid.” I reassured her. “Those weaselkin ones suck compared to you. So… do it!”

As the surge of spores hit my whole body, I shivered, feeling intense prickling where my Ether Healing was adapting to and destroying them. I barely had time to think about that though, as Shaeula’s slender arm began to sprout, flesh necrotising. She screamed in pain, but even as she suffered she was working Ether Healing. I immediately responded, and soon her arm was restored to pristine pale flesh, only phantom pain plaguing her.

“Again.” She muttered, and once more we were sprayed with the deadly mist, her screams beginning anew…

********

“That was quite-quite the torment. I can face-face no more today. We shall resume tomorrow.” Shaeula panted, shuddering, after a half-dozen brutal exposures. Even so, her Ether Healing had indeed improved, and was now Rank 4. “I can feel the skill strengthening, I can sense-sense the flow of aether eager to repair me and destroy the invasive fungus.”

“Well, we’ll have time, and now I don’t even need gear, although…” I had finally taken a risk and breathed in the deadly spores, but I had adapted so readily that it did little damage. “… I’m still going to wear the suit, in case the Myconids have any deadlier variants. It would be weird if they didn’t. Besides, why take risks?”

“Very wise.” Shaeula hissed, beckoning me in for a reassuring hug.

“I would really like to get Eri, my sis and the others Ether Healing too, the bonuses are just too good to ignore, but I don’t think I can subject them to this pain.”

“Maybe you can make a game of it with Eri.” Shaeula chortled. “I heard rumours in the Seelie Court that games of pleasure and pain-pain are things some lovers do.”

“I’ve no interest in hurting women, but… I guess I should at least offer them the choice.” Much as hurting them, even for a good cause, pains me, they are stronger than I ever imagined, so they deserve the chance, in full knowledge of the plusses and minuses.

“Master, what abooout me?” Hyacinth asked. “I think I shall not be hurt by the spores.” She declared, and I exchanged a look with Shaeula.

“I don’t feel comfortable ordering you to suffer, but if you honestly want to try, I can heal you.” I said, and she nodded, stripping off too. “Master, smear your slimy cream all ooover my unresisting booody!”

“Damn, you really are a pervert!” I said to the panting maid. “But, I don’t want you getting hurt so…” There’s nothing sexual about this at all, it’s medicine. Of course the fact she was panting and twitching alarmingly as I quickly rubbed a layer on her body, without any of the touching and playing I did with Shaeula, was making it hard for me to believe that. Still, I finished as quickly as possible, trying to forget the soft feel of her flesh under my fingers.

“Here we gooo!” she declared, bathing her own arm in the spores. I waited for the pain, yet after a while there was nothing. I trickled some aether into her, only to discover her body had reabsorbed the spores harmlessly.

“Sooo, did I do well?” She asked, and I nodded.

“It makes sense you can’t be hurt by your own spores. That doesn’t mean that Myconid ones won’t affect you. We’ll need to do some more tests but…” Shaeula was exhausted, as was Hyacinth, as she had been using nature element all day. I myself was feeling washed out and pale after all my suffering. “… let’s call it a day. It’ll be a while before Ixitt and Grulgor return anyway, so we’ll pick this back up tomorrow.”

“A grand idea.” Shaeula approved. “Come, Hyacinth. I shall-shall allow you the luxury of washing Akio’s back in the bath. Mine too-too.”

“Such an honour, mistress! Hyacinth is sooo happy!” As she perked up, almost skipping back towards the mansion, we exchanged a grin.

“So, do you think we can really do this?” she asked, and I shrugged, still carrying our bundled protective gear.

“Who knows? But if we try our best, we at least have a chance…”