ShipTeaser

  “Well, if Shaeraggo could see this now, I’m pretty certairy and kill me, Trials be damned.” I observed wryly, feeling a touch sick. Shaeu was lying exhausted on the ground, her skin pale, breath ing in rapid, heaving gasps. “To be ho, I’m quite tempted to slug myself a good one. I hate this so much.”

  Shaeu grinned wearily up at me, lifting a weak hand to wipe away her tears. “I know, for some reason I rather dislike this too-too.” She shuddered at the memory of agony. “But who pin at the results? Pain be endured, no?”

  “Yeah.” I let out a long, resigned sigh. “Well, you’ve reached Rank 5, do you think you pass the bottleneck? You’ve been suffering a lot.”

  “I believe so.” She held out her hand and I pulled her to her feet, hugging her. “Whether it is our bonds, or the fact-fact I am a Pledged Oo you, when I use my Ether Healing, when it responds to the intrusion of the vile spores-spores, it is almost as if I see it, direct it, in the way you do!” She squeezed me tightly, obviously fearing the future pain, not that I could bme her. “So yes, I will not-not stop until I match you!”

  “I get it.” I kissed her while we hugged, giving her fort. “It was the same for me and Chirurgery. Sure, I erf delicate, plex work, but even so, it almost felt like you were there with me when I was w on Ren-san and Kana. So… I just hope you break through soon. Seeing you suffer tears at my heart.”

  “I have no wish to suffer any lohan strictly necessary.” She agreed. “Uhat lucky idiot of a maid-maid…” she gnced over at the forest, where Hyath was skipping through without a care, occasionally using vile and kill an inquisitive pnt creature. She was wearing her maid uniform, not a bit of protective gear in sight. Mushrooms and fungus were stantly starting to sprout from her, only to disie and be absorbed into her and her nature element.

  ”Yeah, who’d have thought she would find it so easy to resist? I holy don’t know if it’s only because she has been experimenting with the spores, or if nature element alone makes it possible. But if so, maybe the Seelie Court could get an army together that fight the Myids?” Obviously we had tried to make it as safe as possible for Hyath, the first time she had just run to the forest, stu arm in and thereated, but as she escaped unscathed, the tests escated, until we ended up with her happy frolig now.

  “I doubt that.” Shaeu shook her head. “It would not-not be possible. Wielders of nature element are rare, Hyath is unusual indeed-indeed. Many of the rest are like the dryad, tied to their groves, uo sojourn far from them. We would never-never have the numbers. Still… knowledge is power, do you not-not say? Wheriumph here, we should inform the Seelie Court. There may be other threats that be tered in this-this way.”

  “Yeah, that will help raise your status, so I’m all for it. Anyway… want tain?” I asked, and she shuddered, but managed a tremulous nod.

  “Very well-well. I shall achieve success, no-no matter the cost!”

  ********

  “Praise the moon and the King and Queen.” Shaeu was lying on my p, twitg, the phantom memories of pain slowly fading from her mind. “Finally, Rank 6. I believe-believe I need a lo.” She look a deep, tortured breath. “I once more have respect for your resolve. It is madness indeed learning this way, no Fae would ever-ever te.”

  “Yeah.” I agreed, tinuing to pamper her. “Well, we ow move onto a task a little less troubling, although we are going to have to ehe fungal forest just like Hyath did to make sure we’ve fully adapted.”

  “Indeed, but that-that is for tomorrow. Until then… Akio, e!”

  “Your wish is my and!” I ughed, carrying her back towards the mansion. We passed a gang of weaselkin as we went, digging a long, straight ditch through the forest. Hyath was there too, having done enough to prove she was not affected by the Myid spores, and she was now cajoling trees to move out of the way of the ditch. It was quite the sight, nature energies glowing arouhe very trees uprooting themselves and slithering to one side to allow the workers access. Sure, she broke a few to start with, the trees ripping themselves apart, but now she’s got the hang of it…

  “I do worry that we are making a mess-mess of the mansion grounds.” Shaeu sighed, seeing our rather epidsg. “With this-this and the forest Hyath’s spores destroyed, I fear my brht be angry.”

  “Yeah well, he got it for you, so he’ll have to live with it. Besides, when this is all over, we work o everything to how it used to be.” As we passed, weaselkin bowed to us, before tinuing with their hard bours.

  “So, just what-what is the purpose for this? I am still a little fused.” Shaeu asked me.

  “Well, that’s quite the expnation. Okay, well, the terrain in the corrupted forest rgely rises until the Spring and the rge hill that tains it, right? It does ftten out about half a mile from the edge of the forest, and the estate is alsely level terrain.” There was a ke by the grove that was filled by rivers and streams from further towards the Spring, and a shallow riverbed that tiowards the border that we had used as cover… “It’s then about two and a bit miles to the Faerie Ring Gate in a straight line if we cut through the forest, at the closest approach to the border. That’s a short distance ordinarily, for someoh our stats, but…”

  As I discussed the topography of the estate and the ied forest, we reached the mansion, Shaeu still in my arms. Several of the maids looked at us askance as usual, Risha looking particurly angry, though you would have thought she was well used to our open dispys of affe by now. Seeing that was s Shaeu's mood, so I dismissed them and took Shaeu to the bath, and then the bed…

  ********

  Over the couple of days in the lower Astral we alternated between brief invasions into the forest, riling up the Myids and being aced to their spores, making sure to kill whatever Scouts and Observers they sent, which led to their forces massing at wherever eared quickly, which was ideal for the stage of our pn. It was still rather awful training within the forest, as the spores were slightly different to those Hyath created. Still, it was close enough that with exposure training our subtle bodies had adapted, and we no longer he protective gear, although we were still going to wear it, for precautions if nothing else, and also to prevent the Myids from realising we could beat their trump card.

  We were now all sitting in the courtyard of the mansion, the maids begrudgingly serving us all tea and snacks, as we surveyed the impressive array of gear Ixitt and Grulgor had brought back with them. It had took lohan I thought to make it all, but it was still very quick, so I could hardly pin.

  "I won’t repeat just what Bjarki said about you, some of the dwarven iive was so very iive, and I couldn’t uand it. But the general gist was, he cursed you out for a liar for dropping more urgent work on him.” Ixitt snickered. “Still, he does like to make new aing crafts, and this one was certainly that.”

  My gaze went to the massive wagon, with reinforced, heavy steel wheels and bed, upon which sat a truly colossal barrel, to which was fitted a long hose-like device, simir to the vacuum. There was also a folded-fan of metal, six or severes long, made of dwarven steel and inid with some plicated bluesteel etgs.

  “Even breaking down what crafts he was w on, we didn’t have enough bluesteel to do precisely what you wished, but master Bjarki is nothing if not ingenious, and I helped.” Ixitt tinued proudly. “Dvergr craft amplify the effect temporarily, though it will be rather damaging to the metal. Still, if only for a short time, it’ll work.”

  A short time, huh? Well, I’ve run the numbers, being as fident as I be in an Astral setting that they hold true, so onbsp;should be enough, at least so assisted.

  “Grul does not uand why all the fuss.” He rumbled, looking preposterous perched on the small chair, t over everyone else. “Swing mace, crush fungi, this is all Grul thinks we o do.”

  “Yeah, well in the short-term, that’s right.” I agreed. “Our ultimate goal is to free the Spring. But the poor dryad touched my heart with her suffering, and more importantly…” I took a deep breath. “That Rhyming Tree… it’s Rank 5! Rank 5!” I felt it bore repeating. “Do you know how much of our ether the Rank 3 Tree we already have provides? This tree is dying, all alone ierritory, ripe for … rescue! The other couple too, if we , though the tree the dryad lives in is priority.” I calmed down a little as everyone was looking at me with various emotions, Ixitt amused aertained, Shaeu with pity, Grulgor with fusion, and… Hey, is that Azuki hiding from Hyath over there? I wonder what she’s doing here. No problems I hope?

  “I’d try ahe dryad even without this, but… just think about it! If we phose trees at Shirohebizumi shri’d push us to new heights!”

  “Well, yes-yes.” Shaeu agreed slowly. “I too am in favour of saving the dryad, if we -, but… should we be stealing Rhyming Trees from the Spring?”

  “Stealing? Hardly!” I decred, not willing to budge on this. “Liberating! The forest around the spring is almost entirely dead anyway, when we recim it, it might take the Seelie Court turies to reforest it and make it beautiful again. But I fail to see how that is our problem? We are giving them the ce, and so saving the Rhyming Trees is both our duty and a reward for our hard work! I’m not letting the ce of that massive amount of staher geion slip from rasp!” I finished, deadly serious.

  “Fine-fine.” Shaeu sighed, sipping from her tea elegantly. “I shall follow you, as always. Besides, I see I ot-not dissuade you on this. Besides…” she put down her cup elegantly, it king on her saucer. “… I admit, I wish to see our Territory prosper, and we are doing much-much good unasked.” Her grin broadened, being sly. “Much as my idiot brother Shaeraggo had to pay for his foolishness, so shall the Seelie Court pay us-us for our efforts.”

  “The princess is hopelessly corrupted already it seems.” Ixitt remarked tor, who despite not knowing what was going on, gurgled a ugh at our vehemehough I much prefer her now to the rumours of her past.”

  “There is still-still one problem, is there not?” she pointed out, a maid refilling her cup, before bag off, looking troubled.

  “Of course there is. It’s a damn big tree!” I decred, spreading my arms wide for emphasis. “Eveher two are fairly rge, but… yeah, I’ve never seen a giant redwood, but it matches what I’ve heard about them. Though luckily it’s no record-breaker. Merely an average spe.” I grinned. “Five to six metre diameter, fifty or so metres tall. It appears pretty desiccated, and it has lost a lot of branches and all its leaves, though the fungus… well, never mind that.” I sighed, amazed at the audacity and impossibility of what I roposing. “It could weigh anywhere up to sixty tons, though I suspeewhat less, due to its appalling dition. Not something we lift easily.”

  “Grul lift puny tree, Grul is strong!” he decred.

  “Yeah I doubt it, not alone, anyway.” I shook my head. “Between you, me and Shaeu, with a of help, I think we could, but taking it a few hundred metres at a time before we needed rest, in that forest, with the Myids everywhere… no, that pn is doomed to failure. Besides, I doubt the Tree and the dryad will survive being away from the earth energy for that long in its current state. So we need a better pn.” I looked at the gear again, uified bundles also in the heavy wagon. “It’s crazy, but there’s no way I’m not going to risk it for a Rank 5 Tree! Oh, and the dryad of course…”

  “Fihen expin it to us properly. After all, it must have something to do with all-all the effort my weaselkin have been putting in, digging a long trend filling it with mud-mud and water?”

  “Yeah, you’re right. It’d be better if we had someone who could use water element, but…” as I expined, prehension dawned in their eyes, well, Shaeu’s and Ixitt’s anyway. On seeing their shock, I ughed. If we pull this off, not only we save the dryad, but our Territory will gain an inprehensible upgrade in terms of ether produ. Besides, I was being ho when I said this unhappy end to her mauries of struggle sits badly with me…

  ********

  “Right, looks like they bought it…” Once more the Myids were massing on the border opposite us, our quick probing attacks and massacre of their pnt-creatures and initial Scouts bringing their forces boiling out like ants. “So, you guys make threatening moves, keep them pinned down here.” I asked the weaselkin hiding just behind the Fae Stones. “Shoot some arrows or something, make them think we might try and break in, but keep yourselves distant and safe, obviously.” The four Kamaitachi were there too, leading them. “Throw a few wind bdes too. But keep a det reserve, we’ll signal you when we are nearly back, so e running.”

  ”Fine-fine. We get it.” The lead Kamaitachi agreed, the one I had known the lo.

  “All right then. As for us, we are off. ress is in a pletely different dire.”

  With that Shaeu and I departed, leaving our distra in pce. After jogging along the border, we quickly reached where Grulgor, Hyath and Ixitt were all waiting, Grulgor being hitched to the overburdened wheeled cart, looking rather disgruntled. We were all in our heavy protective gear, and ready for battle.

  “All right. We go fast, we go stealthy, and we clear away any obstacles we o.” I decred. Behind us stretched a wide path irees of the estate, and a trench filled with slick mud was stretg into the distanbsp;Getting the sistency right was hellish…

  “All right, e on!” We charged across the border and into eerritory, moving at a very rapid pace. I had the slower Ixitt on my back, while Shaeu was carrying Hyath. Grulgor ulling the heavy wagon, tires ing the dead muck of the forest, and we quickly reached the riverbed that was streaming down brackish water from the ke. Beside it the trees were sparse and rotting, so we smashed them out of the way as best we could, clearing a path.

  “We have pany, it seems.” I noticed several Observers and Scouts. “Deal with them as we discussed.”

  Shaeu nodded, and drills of air pierced them before they could react. She gathered up all the surrounding air with her wind, and as she pressed them into the ground I elled earth, entombing their disiing bodies safely below. C the five miles to the dying grove in mere minutes, we were immediately fronted with the dryad and her wood-puppets.

  “…. came back… feed the… tree… sorry, but I…” she gasped, urging her puppets forwards to attack us. Behiood her tree, and looking at it again I was reminded of just how big it was. Yeah, this is totally insane. But I want it for my own. No, our own. If I was going to pete, to truly bee the Astral Emperor that protected Earth, passing up an opportunity to boost my Territory so massively, despite the risk, was foolish.

  “Just surrender! We are here to help!” I decred. Warning Grulgor not to kill the puppets, Shaeu dropped off Hyath while I put down Ixitt. “Stick to the pn!” I shouted, rushing forwards, enduring the barrage of seeds and wooden spikes from the puppets, dropping to the ground in front of them and drawing in some of the earth energy that was exuded all around us.

  “Bottomless S!” I decred, making up the name on the fly. I heard Shaeu click her to the me moniker, and then I was trating on shaping the earth, turning the solid, fetid soil to mud, and the puppets began sinking, struggling to free themselves from the sudden quagmire I created by using the water from the ke beside us. Yeah, using water element would be so much easier than doing it just with earth…

  “Shaeu, do it now!” I cried, and she unleashed her pinwheels. They had a little wind to make them fly, but the bluesteel was heavily fortified with earth energies for strength. The dryad let out a bitter scream, her hair turning into the roots once more, the grouing around us, debris smashing aing our mail.

  “… intruders… warned you to stay… alease five… must… feed…” she wailed, having sunk into mania, her mind almost gone. A massive tide of mud ah formed up behind her into a colossal fist, ready to strike, and I leapt at her, distrag her from my panions and the gear we carried in the wagon.

  “Just calm down!” I called tain, uhing the Twin Fangs as the fist fell. I sshed, and the hand was rent into pieces, though even as they fell the dryad shaped them into sharp thorns that darted at us. Responding with my owh energy, I cshed with them and they shattered, esg her trol. It was then that Shaeu’s pinwheels whipped through the cloud of debris, ing around the dryad, pinning her one good arm to her side.

  “Got you-you!” Shaeu excimed, hauling on the handles, pulliowards us, where she hit the ground hard, hissing and sobbing, green ichor flying everywhere.

  “All right then. Ixitt, get everything ready. Grulgor, Hyath, keep the puppets back, but don’t kill them. As for us…” I exged a look with Shaeu, and she nodded, amber eyes glittering. “Sorry about this.” I told the struggling dryad. “I think this is going to hurt like hell.” And with my owg Shaeu’s glow, we began to carve away at her body with wind. She screamed and thrashed, her good and missing eye both shedding virulent tears. Shit, I don’t know if Myids hear, but if they , every bastard nearby will hear this.

  “I know this hurts but damn well stop fighting us!” I snapped as we elled iher to heal her injuries. New flesh was growing over her bony arm, and even her eye was starting to reform, although the agony must have been exquisite. Though as I was w, her screams slowly starting to slow, being heavy, rasping breaths of pain and exhaustion, I noticed something troubling.

  “Shaeu, you have the wind barrier up, right? No, of course you do.” I could see it with my Eye, so…

  “I uand. The corruption is returning, despite her having no-no spores or seeds falling upon her.” Cutting it free again and healihe dryad was weakening, evee my ministrations. It was then her newly restored eyes met mihe tears they were shedding now pure water.

  “… I thank you, brave travellers.” She mao gasp. “But save your efforts. Let me go in peace, while my mind is finally clear. My grove, my tree, it is of me, as I am a part of it, and the taint has ed it. Therefore it merely passes bae.” She grasped our hands, her newly restored one grabbing Shaeu, the other mine. “It has been so long, and I am simply so… tired. All that remained in me ain and the huo feed, to save my tree. I… I believe I ed the other dryads that did not die from the vile corruption, hence why my grove survived.” Her nails were digging into my hands as she suffered. “So I… I should join them. At least I will die knowing my sins.”

  “Nonsense.” Shaeu disagreed. “We have no time for this. If you have regrets, live to atone for them. Akio, tell her!”

  “Yeah. Dying solves nothing. It only make their sacrifice worthless!” I decred. “If you’ve made mistakes, especially sihey weren’t your fault, then own them and do better!”

  “But it’s futile… my tree…” she was turning pale again, mushrooms starting to sprout.

  “Yeah, well, we are here for that too.” I looked at her deep in the eyes, squeezing her hand heedless of the pain of her nails digging into my flesh. “I give you three Oaths. I’ll save your tree, I’ll save your life, and I’ll give you a pce where you and your tree dwell, where the earth energy is plentiful and . Hell, I’ll even throw in a fourth Oath. The Myids, who drove you to such sins… they’ll fall here, and we will recim the Spring of Clear Refles. In exge, all you have to do is pledge to protect my nds, all those who dwell within, and endure, until you feel you’ve lived enough for those that died, that you killed, despite your will.”

  “But… I’m not strong enough to face the guilt, the pain, any longer.” The dryad looked away, only for Shaeu to grab her hair, pulling the dryad to face her. Behind us the puppets had stopped struggling against the s, awaiting her end.

  “Nonsense. As a noble dryad, you should-should be ashamed.” Shaeu scoffed, her amber eyes hard. “While I have not-not suffered as you have, nor would I cim anything close, I too have disgraced myself, my past a lesson in my own ck of self-worth. I am Shaeu Tu Shae Dannan. My father is prince Shaetanao, ruler of the Beastkin Fae. Akio is my beloved, and if he wishes to save you, you shall-shall be saved!”

  “Prince Shaetanao? So is he no longer a Duke?” the dryad asked, fused, and Shaeu snorted wryly, though she never let go of her hand and hair.

  “Indeed. You have been suffering here a long, long time. The Seelie Court has gohrough many ges. Akio reached out a hand to me, and many-many others. Let him save you too! If he fails, you shall have the death you wish for, and if he succeeds, as I know-know he will, then you shall have a ce to repent, and live-live for the fallen.”

  Now that the puppets had stopped, Ixitt was unloading equipment from the wagon, Grulgor helping him move the colossal barrel, the tents sloshing arouly. On seeing them head towards the tree, I smiled at the dryad gently. “I hate to rush you, but the Myids will surely be ing any minute. My oaths to you stand. I offer more if you want, I’m not Fae, so I don’t o stop at three!”

  “If you save me and my tree, take me away from this hell I have endured all these years…” she swallowed, fungus creeping up her arms and legs slowly. “…I swear, I shall take root in your nds, cultivate and protect them, shelter those within under my mighty branches, and I shall serve you until my st breath.” she whispered. “Until I see the Myids who destroyed the groves, the kes, the streams, the undines, sylphs and dryads, all my kin… until the day they suffer the same end they did. And should they do so…” her yellow eyes glittering, she leaned up and her hair snaked around me, f its way into my mouth. I felt a surge of energy within, my earth energies reag, strengthening. “…I shall be yours.”

  As she fell limply Shaeu cried out to Ixitt t the protective gear, and he rushed over with the hood, mask, respirator and rubber suit I had them make, pulling it on over her slowly corrupting body as Shaeu worked more painful surgery and Healing.

  You have joined in pact with a noble Fae from the Seelie Court. By agreeing a third ant, your soul has bee ever more like that of a Fae, thus your Fortune and Charm have increased by 1. Due to your lunar chakra you find it easier to acclimatise to the aspects of your bonded Fae, and have a higher aing a portion of their abilities. The Fae is corrupted, her soul scarred by a vile pgue, so the true power of this bond ot be unlocked until the corruption is expunged.

  Your Css, Fae-Souled, has increased from level 22 to level 23.

  You received the Kiss Of A Dryad. A dryad bestow the blessing that is her kiss only on her life, allowio share the strength of her grove with the individual so blessed. The bearer of this kiss shall live long and unbroken like the oak, grow wise like the ash, grow kind like the elm, and bee poison to their enemies like the yew. Your affinity and trol over the earth element has increased. Your affinity for water element and wood element has increased.

  With that oath spoken, she allowed Shaeu to garb her, but before the respirator and goggles were pced upon her, she smiled. “I am Asha, lost daughter of the King of Groves, Lord of the Forests, Orion, he who sleeps, wounded. One of many, to be sure, but even so... your name is Akio, is it not?”

  I nodded.

  “In that case, Akio… please save me and my tree, and brihe vengeance I crave. Save as much as you , prove to me that living with this guilt offers more than merely a long life ret and pain!”

  Kneeling down, I looked her in the eyes. “Nothing would make me happier. I’ll show you the world Shaeu and I, and all our friends and family are striving for, and there’s no room for sadhere! Now, Shaeu, Hyath, we have to do something about the tree’s rot, no matter how temporary. Asha, please help us. After all, it’s your tree, right?”

  As the goggles covered her face I could see the tears. “Fine. I, Asha, will so swear! What I do to help? The rot… it is very, very bad, only the earth energies here are slowing the final death.”

  “Wait and watch, and see a miracle of sce, magid insanity!”