On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Three Hundred And Eighty

Gathered at the centre of our Territory, in a rather impressive conference-style hall that the kobolds and dwarves had built to specifications provided by Ixitt, as he had seen such things being used in the Material world, I cast my eyes over the crowd. Quite a few are here today. I guess we have been away for a few weeks, by their timeframes…

At my side was Ixitt, who was toying with the Lantern, trying to work out an automated way to extract Spatial element from it with the maximum effort and minimum risk of damage to it, his lenses down over his eyes whirring and clicking, while numerous intricate tools and piles of metal ingots were scattered on his table. Asha was also here, holding one of my sleeves a bit gingerly. Her slightly green-tinged skin was now a healthy pink, but her smile, despite being shy and embarrassed, was radiant. Glancing to my other side, where Shiro and Shaeula were sitting, Shaeula proudly polishing her Mortal Fragarach, obviously having learned from Ulfuric or a similar warrior, I received a wry, half-mocking smile back from Shiro, who was looking at Asha sticking close to me.

“No getting out of it now, Aki.” She mouthed, and I nodded.

Speaking of Ulfuric, he had returned, along with a number of familiar faces. Shaeula’s brother and sister were here, as well as Selensha, whose aura under my eye was a mass of both orange and jade energies. So, she succeeded then. Impressive. The three elves, the cheerful Soliteare and Bellaera, and the taciturn and solemn Moira, were also in place, alongside several Way-Wardens I didn’t recognise, and strangely enough, Talaisha, the Way-Warden friend of Shaeranna, and the daughter of her enemy, Duke Vulpatrius.

We’re quite crowded here today. That’s good. I have one final meeting this evening, and then we can finally get down to implementing what we agree… “Hyacinth and Daiyu are both working.” I told Shaeula, who had wondered where they were. “Hyacinth has almost grown the Ring Gate, but as we expected, making the two Gates link to each other across half the world is proving a far greater challenge. As for Daiyu…” I quietly explained that I had turned our supply of water element into High Spirit Water. I had removed the moonlight aspect, to make it simpler for Daiyu to understand and process. Making it High Spirit Water did reduce the amount I could create significantly, but the few drops I did make were concentrated and powerful, and Daiyu treated them as precious treasures, taking them within her and meditating on the effect she felt in her body with a solemn yet excited expression on her taciturn face.

“I see.” Shaeula said, nodding. “I would most-most like Daiyu to master the Spiritually Pure Physique, so you can-can learn her techniques. I am rather curious myself as to how they work. Are you not-not as well, Shiro?”

“Sure I am. Cultivation has always been a fascinating fantasy. Of course I want to try it for real. Tan knows a bit about it too, but she’s not saying anything useful.” Shiro pouted, before her face turned expressionless. “But now isn’t the time. We have company.”

“Indeed. Later.” Shaeula promised, before nodding to me, winking one amber eye slyly. Taking that as my cue, looking at the other various delegates, such as the kobold High Foreman and other representatives of the races our Territory now held, I cleared my throat, then began to speak.

“It’s good to see everyone, and it’s good to be back. We were away too long.” I apologised. “I thank everyone who helped protect the Spring and here in our absence, especially those of you who didn’t have to.” I nodded at Shaeula’s siblings. Shaeraggo merely snorted sourly, while Shaeranna waved off my praise, showing the difference in their characters. It was Talaisha who spoke up first though, her fiery red fur matching her temperament.

“Think nothing of it. There would be no way we can let the Unseelie reclaim the Spring, after it was finally liberated. Any of us Way-Wardens would rather perish than allow our enemies to triumph.” Nods went around at her bold words, and Shaeranna looked particularly starstruck, eyes sparkling.

Following on from her words, Moira was next to speak, laying out a map of the Spring on the central table. “As you can see…” she said primly, her voice calm and measured, quite unlike the animated tone of Talaisha. “… the Fae Stone Wards have finally been established fully around the Spring, and the Warning Bells have been linked to the main defences. This has strengthened the barrier around the Spring and will prevent most hostile action. Of course…” she pursed her lips, frowning. “That does not mean others cannot enter. The Wild Hunt have been unusually active of late. There have been raids at the borders of the Court. So, we must retain vigilance.” Her hard gaze strayed to Ixitt and his efforts with the Lantern. Seeing that, he responded.

“I understand. The Lanterns and their captive Spatial element do seem the primary candidate for how they can avoid the barriers.” Ixitt agreed. “My research into it does continue. However…” he paused, grinning. “… right now we have a more pressing need for the Lantern. Once we have succeeded in our aims, I shall return my attention to the matter of how the Wild Hunt accesses our lands with seeming impunity.”

“Speaking of the Wards…” Shaeula interjected. “I do-do believe it is time to begin erecting Fae Stones here, is it not-not? We had agreed on this as part of the reward for our aid, no?”

“Of course. Father has agreed, and the other support him.” Shaeraggo said. “There is no-no need to be irritated sister, we have talked about this. We even have workers from Duke Formor…” his face twisted sourly, sharp fangs clashing, at that thought. “… assisting us with the transportation. The work shall proceed rapidly, we-we promise.”

As Shaeula puffed out her chest proudly, I raised something I had been thinking about, which was going to become relevant shortly. “While we are talking about the Territory barrier, I believe we are likely to have an expansion very soon, dramatically increasing the scale. Won’t that undo all the work we’ve planned?”

Ulfuric paused, thinking, before looking at us with his powerful eyes. Even though he’s often at the Spring, and now occasionally goes back to handle matters for Shaeula’s father again, now that matters with Shaeula’s safety are settled, he is still heavily involved in our planning and has a good grasp of the situation in terms of both military resources and other assets. No wonder he’s surprised… our original plan was a Material year if everything went well, and even that surprised the Fae… we’d budgeted for around two hundred and forty million ether to carry out the infrastructure build and upgrade, but if we can grow Asha’s Tree safety and Shiro’s buffs continue to work…

“Sooner than planned?” Ulfuric rumbled, and I exchanged a look with Asha, who nodded.

“Significantly so, if all goes according to what we expect.” I affirmed. “That’s part of the reason Ixitt is busy. I don’t want to talk about the details unless we can be certain it’s happening, but assuming it is… just what should we do about the Territory?”

“I have taken a census, crude though it is.” Moira interjected. “When dealing with the ephemeral Fae, keeping track is often merely a matter of … approximation.” She sniffed. “More so under the circumstances we labour under. We have Fae, many of which are from rather poorly regarded lines. Then there are the Yokai.” She looked at Shaeula, who shrugged. “Some have arrived and are staying here. Whether they will remain, that is not for me to say…” her tone was blunt. “Not only does the Territory have a rather porous border, but we are linked to the Fae Realms of the Seelie Court, as well as a place of Yokai, this Kyoto. There are a number of mortal visitors constantly as well. Now you wish to go further, I believe.”

“Rapid movement and response are worth the inconvenience.” I pointed out. “Battles are won and lost by having the advantage of speed and resources.” Many of the assembled Fae voiced their agreement, so I continued. “We also need the population. They weren’t being utilised properly. Here they have work, good living conditions and safety, as well as the potential to progress. If they want to get involved in new industries or fields, I’ll welcome them. Population is power.” I said piously.

“You stole that quote.” Shiro snickered. “it’s true though. In games or the real world, you don’t get anything done without suitable people to do it. A kingdom without subjects is pretty crappy.”

“I understand that.” Moira sighed, pinching her nose. “I am hardly such a fool. It is why the Seelie Court has been declining after centuries of skirmishes and pointless wars. My point is… where are they all coming from?”

“I don’t understand? Word’s been getting around, right? We’ve been welcoming.” I said, and Moira looked at me as if I was a fool, before signing, realising she hadn’t explained clearly.

“Yes, it is not the numbers that concern me, but… there are those that do not appear on the manifests. We have been registering immigrants. It would be folly not to, the Unseelie and Wild Hunt are likely to try and stir up trouble, you have clashed with both, to their detriment. But we find groups that seem to have appeared as if out of thin air. Now, this again is not impossible…”

“I remember Shaeula telling me lesser fae can be born spontaneously, not from any parents.” I said, and Shaeula agreed.

“Indeed, it is not-not too unusual for such to happen. They are usually not-not such Fae as we have here though…” she frowned. “… I confess, I did not-not pay complete attention in my studies when I was a child.” She flushed, embarrassed. “… I regret it now, being such-such a spoiled brat, but I do not-not believe I am wrong in this regardless.”

“Yes, when we looked into it, apparently they were invited by other family members or clans. But why we did not log them at the Gate…” Moira sighed, and the High Foreman barked his agreement, saying that many wandering and hidden tribes of kobolds had heard through hidden channels about this place, and they merely wished for a place to be safe and work to satisfy their pride. “They claimed to have no ill intent, and that seems to be the case, as our Foreman here states, many of them toil in the mines and work on construction without any appreciable problems. As to how they gained access… perhaps there was a localised failure of the Territory barrier? It can happen, seldom a day goes by without some foolish creature or other trying to move in. I do intend to watch the situation closely though.”

No ill intent, huh? I looked at Shiro, who was thinking the same thing I was, it seemed. “I, Shirohime, commands you…” she pushed a hand to her eye dramatically, and everyone was looking puzzled, even Shaeula.

“You’ve not seen that anime I think.” I pointed out, troubled. “It’s quite a good one, I’ll see if I can find a copy. But the point is…”

“We’re not saying that these newcomers are traitors or agents, but we’ve had experience with other Territories.” Shiro pointed out. “Even if I’ve not been specifically let into Haru’s Territory, for example, if I’m there with Akio to help, it doesn’t suppress me or prevent me entering. The same with Arisu, Suzu and Bunta, who neither Akio nor Haru knew. Isn’t that curious?”

Ixitt, who had been fiddling with the Lantern, melting down some ores, agreed. “It is a fascinating area of study. Certainly the Territories granted by these Anchors have some subtle differences from those we know, such as the Seelie Court.” He produced some materials from the Materia Tree, which he was also using to create a device to fit the Lantern. “I would not say that the Anchor is alive, as a mortal, or even a Fae, but it is certainly not dead cold metal and stone. The Materia Tree proves that beyond reasonable doubt.”

“What are you trying to say?” Talaisha leaned forwards, the other Way-Wardens with her, their expressions serious. “Have you realised something?”

“I have. It’s nothing definite, but the pieces fit together.” As I explained my idea, Shiro chiming in with her thoughts and experiences, there was silence around us as they contemplated our words, their expressions grave. This reinforces the need for my idea. When we do reach Territory Rank 4 I’ll add the Barrier Enhancement Anchor Spire, which strengthens the Territory barrier and also gives much more flexibility in how to deploy it. If we can’t trust that we can secure a wider Territory, we need to make sure we do the best to protect what we must rigorously.

“There could be any number of other ways it works.” Shiro finished. “I’m not arrogant enough to come in and say I’ve understood something that you all haven’t for centuries, and Tan refuses to come out and speak about it…”

“No, I think you are quite-quite the arrogant female.” Shaeula smiled, amber eyes hard, as she was thinking. “I do not-not hate that, not-not at all. But I do feel anger. Such tricks stink of Unseelie.”

“Yes, and it seems to be the Wild Hunt that use them. We might be way off and it has nothing to do with this. I’d like to run some tests, but…” I shook my head. “I’m not evil enough to start messing with this. That’s a dangerous road to go down, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, after all.”

“I shall pass this speculation, this theory on to my father. Talaisha…” Shaeranna said softly, uncertain.

“I know. I know my father is… rather at odds with you all. But he is not and will never be a traitor. Like Duke Formor, he hates the Unseelie passionately.” The foxkin said, her tone brooking no argument. “But for now, I shall keep this silent.”

As the meeting broke into a bit of a mess, I coughed loudly. “Yes, this is important speculation, but we were talking about the Fae Stone Wards in our Territory.”

“Yes. We deal in what is, not what might be.” Moira agreed. “I agree it is worth consulting with the heads of the Way-Wardens and your noble father.” She looked at Shaeula, who nodded. “Prince Aethelathrion will wish to be appraised of this speculation too. But for now… you are right. So, what did you have in mind?”

“I think that as the Territory expands, it’s going to become increasingly difficult to keep out determined intruders.” I had been thinking about this for a while. “Obviously, a stronger and better-protected Territory is what we want, but that’s what our troops and other defences are for.” Ixitt grinned at that, back to his tinkering on the Lantern, a thoughtful expression on his face, doubtless thinking about earlier.

“I see. But what is your suggestion?” Moira pressed. “Work is due to start soon, you understand.”

“I know. But our plans should hopefully be accelerating. When the Territory potentially expands to a radius ten times greater than now, we have more options in relocating the Anchor a little without losing access to places we need. As it is now, it’s too close to points of vulnerability, such as the Ring Gates. We don’t have much choice, I know, but I haven’t forgotten how isolated it was during the Kondou Kazuo battles. It’s nowhere near as dire now, but I’d still feel much better protecting it, and key areas we can’t afford to lose no matter what. We can lose ground and some Territory as long as our losses are small if we bleed the enemy, and take it back later, but we can’t afford some losses.”

“Thinking of London, I see?” Shiro said, patting me on the shoulder reassuringly.

“Indeed.” Shaeula agreed. “Eleanor was prepared to lose everything to protect the Tower, was she not-not? I do believe you prefer methods where there are no-no sacrifices, Akio.”

“Of course I do. But we can achieve that in other ways. I’m more concerned about restricting access to the most important areas. Fae Stone Wards can help with that, as can the Warning Bells. We’ll be able to create internal barriers at the expense of some overall barrier strength, so having those in our points of vulnerability, that only allow us access…” Restricting access to certain areas much more severely could alleviate the issue, or at least mitigate it…

“Insurance. I get it.” Shiro agreed.

As conversation turned onto how we could make my new idea work, I looked at the nervous Asha, who knew my plans depended on her and her Tree, at least in part. “It’ll be all right.” I reassured her. “If it turns out too dangerous we’ll stick to the original plan. It’ll slow us down, but really, we’re still ahead of the game from what we’ve seen.”

“Yes, Eleanor’s Territory was not-not impressive, though it is perhaps not-not so fair to judge her on it, considering the circumstances.” Shaeula agreed.

“That’s right. But It’s like an RTS.” Shiro said. Seeing the blank looks from some of the Fae around her, she shrugged, a little embarrassed. “Basically, a war game, where you build up a base using resources you gather and use that base and resources to produce an army. Early advantages tend to magnify over time.”

“Of course, a hard counter can make up for a deficit in resources.” I pointed out. “And that’s also what I wanted to talk about.” I turned to Selensha. “Congratulations on becoming dual elemental.” I said warmly, and she looked down shyly, before nodding.

“It was hard, I have even more respect for Princess Estalian and the other ancient Fae who managed to transcend their limits. I would have struggled without the advice and experience of those who came before me, such as you, sister-in-law. I admit, working with mortals was unusual too, but it made matters clearer.” She praised Shaeula, which made her as well as her siblings happy.

“Good. We’ll be needing your experience too, now that you’ve achieved success. But also, I was hoping you could spare some time, and also any other wielders of water element you know of who might be persuaded to help us with something.”

“Of course, I would be happy to help.” Selensha said instantly.

“Great. In that case, we need to gather as much water element as possible. Our current generation is too slow.”

“For Daiyu, right?” Shiro asked, and Shaeula thought back to some of our earliest training, before clapping her hands, understanding.

“I see-see. We will be gathering as much water element we can, taking it from sister-in-law and the others, then converting it to Spirit Water and passing it all-all to Daiyu, correct? It is not-not too dissimilar to when we and the sole surviving Kamaitachi of the time passed wind element between us to train.”

“That’s right. I’d say learning Spatial element for myself, and Daiyu’s Foundation, are my two major goals of this training.” I then looked at Ulfuric. “My third is… I finally need to grasp a style. You were right, those who have learned to fight and are skilled do have the advantage over me, since all I do are the basics, albeit confidently.” I looked at Shaeula then. “Shaeula will need to learn as well. Her pinwheels are still going to be a major part of her offensive capabilities, but now she has a sword worth using, it’d be folly not to at least drill her to my standards.”

Shaeula’s face cramped a little, perhaps remembering the rough training she had witnessed her sister going through when she was young, before her exile and subsequent return to the Court. Or maybe she’s remembering all the beatings I’ve taken… “I suppose… yes, I should learn. Indeed, do please take good-good care of me, master Ulfuric.” She said at last, her worry overshadowed by her desire to learn. Proud of her, I ruffled her hair gently, bringing a noise of annoyed disapproval from her brother, which we both ignored.

“It would be my honour to teach you further.” Ulfuric said to me, his voice booming, as he loomed over me. “Your sword is a work of art from master Bjarki, you should know how to do it justice. But… do you have any insight into your proposed style? I could teach you mine, but a style is extremely individual, what works for one may not be a perfect fit for another.” He paused, thinking how to explain it. “No learning is ever in vain. Even were my own techniques not a good fit for you, you would likely be more skilled than now, more unpredictable, more powerful. But then your future road would be difficult, as layering new learning on top of old can cause bad habits to become ingrained, and styles may clash.”

“That sounds like Daiyu and her Cultivation.” I said, agreeing. “I certainly want to try and build my own style, but like Daiyu, I want to do it right. I’m also curious as to whether the Tsumura Arts can be included.”

“You’re doing that just to make Motoko and Natsumi happy, right?” Shiro laughed, and I denied it.

“I’ll confess, I’m certainly pleased I’ll have a chance to study it with them. But I’m also curious. Just like kyūdō, Tsumura Arts show up as a skill to my Eye.” I tapped below it gently, emphasising my point. “Even if I don’t get my own style out of it, I think it’s just like Ulfuric said. No learning is ever in vain. Not everyone is going to have the time or the strength to learn their own style, I’d like to form a systemic one suitable for the trainees and even the military to use.”

“Won’t they just be using guns?” Shiro asked, and I agreed.

“Yes. I’m also not going backwards, rejecting progress. That’s a bad idea, right Ixitt?”

He laughed at that gleefully. “Why yes, of course. Our firearms we are creating here outclass bows greatly in ease of use. But…” he looked at the scowling Shaeraggo. “There are arts that can be performed with bows that we cannot replicate. The right tool, in the right place.”

“Unarmed Combat is the foundation, be it bows, spears, swords, guns or more.” I pointed out. “And ideally, we need to incorporate not just physical skills, but aether, elements and more. I want everything to be a part of the greater whole, a synergy.”

“I see. Master one weapon, know all weapons.” Shiro said, somewhat misquoting the famous Chinese line. “You’re certainly ambitious.”

“I’m not saying that everyone has to be a master, but we should have baseline training, like the Army.” I pointed out. “Be flexible, not rigid. I first thought that styles would be more rigid and limiting than just knowing the basics. After all…” I grinned self-deprecatingly, remembering what David had told me. “… making the best choice with the basics should always be the right choice, or so I thought.”

“Combat is not decided on skills alone.” Ulfuric shook his head, shaggy black and white mane rustling as he rubbed a gauntleted hand on his chin. “Though skill is essential. But if you act by rote, always taking the sure route to victory, those with talent and skill will pre-empt you. No, a style turns the foundation into a myriad of options, and can even surpass what would be seen as perfection to the ordinary warrior.”

“So yes. We need to focus on that too.” I concluded, appreciating his explanation, which was pretty much as I understood it. “Honestly though, most of the training will be focussed on the members of the training school. The expanded school, I should say. But…” I looked at Selensha again. “… of course, those of the Fae, and even Yokai such as the Kamaitachi, should be encouraged to grow stronger. After all, we have a long road ahead of us all.”

“So, what precisely are you requiring of us?” Moira asked, cutting through our talk, and as I explained the deployment of personnel and resources, with everyone chipping in their suggestions, I looked over at Asha, who was still beside me. She smiled back, and I squeezed her hand, feeling the faint tremors of her body. I get it. She’s nervous. It’s understandable. It hasn’t been long since her time in the corrupted Spring, and I’m asking her to do something unprecedented. But together…

“It’ll be all right. Really.” I said, despite my own slight misgivings. “After all, with all of us together, what is there to fear?”

Asha looked over the bustle of all the Fae gathered here, and managed a nod, her yellow eyes earnest. “I know. This place, This Territory. It is my home. And I too wish for it to prosper…”

“That’s the spirit.” Shiro agreed, before stifling a yawn. “Well, I’m off to get some rest until later, Aki. What’s your plan?”

“Ixitt and I will be helping Hyacinth try and link the Ring Gate, while Shaeula gathers as much water element as we can. Then this evening, we’ll bring in the trainees and hopefully Arisu-san and the others, and get everything humming. Then… it depends how quickly we can make the Ring Gate work…”