On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Several hours later I had won around two and a half thousand Pounds, with only a single scare. The effect of the blessing of fortunate winds was definitely intense. Still, since we were now ahead of my target I didn’t want to be greedy, so I decided to take a break. Shaeula was engrossed in the game, as I suspected she would be, so I decided to do some exercise, and then go shopping for ingredients for dinner.

Working on my muscles and spear techniques, I passed several more hours. Shaeula was taking a break too, her fingers sore from the unusual stresses of using a controller for hours. She was currently drinking a beer, lying on her back on my futon looking up at my sweaty topless figure.

“You are looking more muscular, however do not overdo it, I would not like it if you became the same sort of muscle-bound brute as Grulgor. It would not suit you-you.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on becoming a bodybuilder. But I do need to be in good shape if we are to win against powerhouses like Grulgor. We can’t solve everything with aether and wind, overspecialisation leaves one vulnerable. That’s a hint for the game, by the way.”

“Oh I see.” Shaeula nodded. “I will bear that in mind and diversify my party-party.”

This is pretty much every male gamers’ dream, talking RPG’s with a super-cute girl. If I was my past self right now I’d be shouting at myself to ‘die normie!’, no doubt about it.

“I’m going for a jog and I’ll buy some things for dinner. Do you fancy anything in particular? I made decent money again today thanks to your blessing, so we can treat ourselves.”

“I am not really sure what foods this mortal realm has to offer, but I would appreciate more alcohol. I find it very pleasant and calming-calming.”

“All right. But you have to drink in moderation; it isn’t good to drink too much.” Although it might not have much of an effect on her constructed body…

“I am a princess of the Seelie, I can drink what I like-like.” she pouted. We exchanged a bit more back and forth banter before I left, jogging my normal route. This time when I passed the bridge I stopped to admire it. Soon this will be part of my Territory. The other side of the river was full of blocks of housing, all of which would no doubt yield decent ether when the inhabitants were dealt with. There may even be some more occupants who might join us, especially now we have the muscle of the trolls on our side. I decided to stop on the bridge and take in the view for a while, watching as people passed by going about their business. It’s the weekend, I’ve done all the paying work I’ve had come in, and things are going well in the Boundary. I think we can take it easy this evening…

I remembered there was a larger supermarket over the bridge. It was a bit out of the way compared to our more local store, but it had a wider selection. Jogging there would be a breeze for me now, and good training. I loped through the back streets, running at a frankly inhuman pace when there was no-one around, only slowing on more major roads or populated areas. I quickly reached the supermarket, and began to purchase food and drink. I quickly went overboard, buying beer, shochu, sake and even a quite expensive bottle of imported whiskey. I can afford it. Maybe I’ll spend a few minutes winning this back with my luck anyway… for food I bought snacks, some decent meat, vegetables and even some cookware to prepare it with. I also got some chocolate, figuring that would please Shaeula.

The supervisor at the checkout asked me if I wanted any help carrying all the bags to my car when I was done, but I declined. I don’t have a car after all. Looking at the pile of bags I held in a grimace. The weight was quite impressive. Having a thought I remembered that this supermarket had a camping section, so I apologised to the cashier and picked up a backpack as well.

Once I had paid for that and packed the heavier items into the backpack I was ready to go, though my arms were still full with bulky bags. Leaving the store I waited until I had left the main street, and then I began to run again. The extra weight and the irregular load made it awkward, affecting my balance. Still, it was excellent training, forcing me to use other muscles that weren’t normally stressed to keep my balance. Even laden I was running at a professional pace. Soon I had reached the river again, and once across the bridge I slowed my speed, having learned from before. I was soon at my apartment block, and as I approached I saw that Karen-chan was out on the stairs, a can of beer in hand, looking rather disconsolate. When she saw me her expression brightened a little, and she gave me a wave.

“If it isn’t Akio-kun.” She said as I approached. “Been shopping have you? You look rather heavily laden.” She took a gulp of beer and then wiped the sweat from her brow. “Are you having a party? I see new kitchenware and a lot of food.” She looked down at the pans and packs of meat sticking out of the carrier bags.

“Not really.” I said, climbing up the stairs, also dripping with sweat. Damn it’s humid this time of year. No wonder she wants a cold beer. “I’ve just finished a big project successfully, so one of my co-workers on it has come over so we thought we’d treat ourselves.” Bringing Grulgor and his trolls under our umbrella is definitely a big success so it isn’t a lie.

“I see.” Karen-chan smiled wearily as I took off the backpack and lowered it to the ground with the chinking of glass and metal. “Must be nice to get on with your colleagues. I was supposed to be doing overtime today but I couldn’t face it. My co-workers are all …. Bleh, I don’t want to talk about it.” she sighed once more as she finished her beer.

“Sounds rough.” I commiserated. “Maybe you need a new job.”

“I definitely do. I hate my boss so much.” She grumbled. “Still, we are both old enough to know that quitters don’t get hired nowadays. They always ask why you didn’t stick it out or it couldn’t be that bad surely and then they think you’ll ditch them too. Sometimes I think our country is broken.”

She looked as if she was about to cry so I rummaged around in the backpack and pulled out a can of beer and offered it to her. “It isn’t that cold, but it’s better than nothing.”

She took it with a faint smile. “Thanks. You are pretty considerate for a man.” She opened it up and took a swig. “Maybe I should have gone into a different line of work. You seem to have done pretty well for yourself if you are buying that.” she gestured towards the now-open rucksack and the expensive whiskey and sake inside.

“Well, I do live in the same crappy apartment block as you, so I wouldn’t say I’ve been all that successful. It’s just recently I got a break and things have really gone my way. I guess if you don’t give up, good things can happen.”

“Well I would love a lucky break myself, but I don’t think it is coming.” She continued to drink. “Anyway, tell me about this co-worker of yours? You work as an IT freelancer, if I remember, right?”

I nodded. Not like I can explain what Shaeula really does, so IT it is. “Yeah, the pair of us were working on quite the important project. To be honest it was probably way out of our league, but we managed to square it away and make a significant profit. Plus when you get a reputation for handling things like that word gets around, which means we’ll probably be working together on big projects for quite some time. Unless we drop the ball and screw up of course!”

“I’m pleased for you. So, is your colleague waiting in your apartment then? Sending you to buy all the supplies is a bit mean. You’ve really had to carry a lot in this heat.”

“Yeah they’re waiting for me inside. As for the carrying it’s pretty good exercise you know, so I don’t complain.”

“You have been working out a lot recently, haven’t you, Akio-kun? You never did before. Still, I can see you are looking in pretty good shape.” I couldn’t help but flush as she eyed me up and down. “Anyway, I’d love to have people to party with. I hate it when I have to go drinking with work, they are all so… urgh!” she let out a mournful moan and drowned it with more beer. “So anyway, Akio-kun…” she looked at me with an unreadable expression, her face suddenly going blank.

“Your colleague is a girl, right?” she asked, causing me to freeze momentarily.

“Uh… what makes you think that?” I hedged.

“Well Akio-kun, she is rather loud. I heard her as I walked past your door earlier.”

Damn, I never thought of that. These old apartments are hardly soundproof. “Well, yes, she is a girl. But the IT industry is pretty diverse nowadays.”

“I’m not so sure that’s the issue here, is it?” she said.

“I tell you what, why don’t you join us for a few drinks?” I conceded, seeing the way it was going. Let it not be said I couldn’t read the mood. Now I just need to hope Shaeula doesn’t say anything too strange.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Karen-chan perked up suddenly. “I need something to take my mind off my own troubles, and if you’ve struck it lucky I hope some of your luck might rub off on me. Here, let me help you.” she bent down to pick up the rucksack, and I had to look away as the t-shirt she was wearing gaped at the neck, revealing an expanse of pale skin and the white strap of her bra.

“Wow, this is heavy. How much did you spend on this anyway?”

“Probably too much.” I laughed. “But my colleague has taken quite a fancy to alcohol recently, and I wanted to celebrate.”

“Oh, a big drinker eh? I’d like to meet her, maybe she’s someone I can enjoy a drink with now and then.”

There’s no way I can leave those two alone together. Shaeula hasn’t really grasped the common sense of the Material plane yet… in fact, the more I think about it, the stupider this idea sounds. But there’s no backing out now. My sister had always told me I was weak to the requests of women, always indulging her and Eri-chan, and I was starting to think she was right.

Opening up my door I spoke. “I’m back, Shaeula. And I’ve brought a guest over.”

She was lying on my futon, legs in the air, yukata rolled up exposing a ludicrous expanse of her thighs as she continued hammering away at her controller with one hand, eyes on the screen, her other hand holding a bag of potato chips.

“Oh, you have returned? That is excellent timing.” she said without looking away from the screen. “I need another drink. And can you tell me what I need to do to defeat this boss enemy? I have tried everything but it keeps wiping out my party-party.” She paused for a second, and then turned her head our way. “A guest, you say? I was not expecting that.”

As she looked at us I could feel a chill from beside me. Shivering I turned to see Karen-chan scowling at me, her phone in hand.

“I’m calling the police, you pervert!” Karen-chan said coldly.

What the hell?