On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

I looked at the twitching, disintegrating corpse of the fool who had rushed at us with speed rivalling Akio’s, watching as mushrooms and fungus sprouted from the flesh visible between his torn clothes. Rather vile. A pitiful way to die. But I do not care, the fool brought it upon himself…

Instead, I looked at Hyacinth, who was grinning, her powerful nature energy dying down as she pulled herself to her feet. She coughed, a trickle of blood running down her face, and I absently reached over, wiping it from her mouth. Hyacinth paused, frozen, eyes wide, before she shook her head rapidly, displeased.

“Yooou must nooot, mistress!” she insisted. “Hyacinth is but a maid, you should nooot dirty your hands with…”

My tender wiping changed, and my fingers dug into her cheek and chin. She squealed a little, tears in her eyes, but I was resolute. No, this will not do, not at all. I will not tolerate backsliding. “Do you not-not understand why I am upset, Hyacinth?” I asked, my amber eyes no doubt glittering with anger.

“Soooooorry…” she managed, and I released her, still frustrated.

“I understand you enjoy serving. Boggart, Brownie or something else, I would not-not rob you of joys. But you are not-not just a maid. You are also my equal, one of the wives of Akio. Use-use my name, not-not merely mistress. As for dirtying my hands…” I scowled. “… how-how is wiping the blood from the precious face of one of my fellow sisters dirty, especially when you have just-just slain a foe that Akio wishes dead, taking a wound in the process?”

Hyacinth looked down at that. “I understand. Sooometimes Hyacinth forgets. It is… it is easier when Akio is here with me.”

My scowl changed to a gentle smile. That is quite true. “Indeed. That I understand. I wish we were with him now. But alas, we are not-not. We have more work to do. Then…” I licked my lips, eager. “We shall celebrate. With poor Eri unable, wifely duties will fall to us, will they not-not?”

“Hyacinth will warm the bed!” she agreed, also brightening up, coughing a little more blood, which I again wiped away, no more protests this time. Hyacinth is powerful, yes, and has grown more so, but compared to me she is still fragile.

“Are you injured badly?” I asked, concerned. After destroying a helicopter and disposing of a number of mortal soldiers, who had the ill-grace to rise again as disgusting dead creatures, we had headed deeper into Kyoto, searching for places where the heavy ordinance the enemy had somehow brought to the Boundary lurked. Even now, we could see trails streaking across the silvery sky, smoking and hot, followed by a series of distant, deafening explosions, as more of the architecture of this city was destroyed with reckless disregard and abandon.

It was then we chanced on… that. I sniffed, the smell of fungus and mould unpleasant. The wretched fool had raced at us, waving some equally wretched blade of what looked like bone, which radiated a debauched kind of wrongness. Even seeing it now, where it lay on the floor, quivering and drooling, was enough to make me feel ill. Fungus and mould was growing on it, slowly eating into it, but it fought back, dirty violet energies trying to expunge the tainted parts. Not that it will succeed against Hyacinth’s spores. She is now as dangerous as the Myconids ever were, perhaps more so.

Hyacinth had reflexively released a cloud of spores. They were harmless to me, for I had already assimilated with such using Ether Healing, a most painful process, but one most satisfying in that when the agony was done, Akio would praise me and rub my head, perhaps even kiss me, telling me I had grown stronger, more skilled. Holding in a happy giggle, I stepped over the rotting husk, eyeing the screaming blade cautiously. “Well, when that brute struck you, I was quite-quite concerned.” I said, using tendrils of wind to probe the blade, frowning as it started to draw the jade energies in, drinking them.

“Hyacinth is fine, dooo not worry, mistress Shaeula. Though… I am happy fooor your concern.” She giggled, good humour restored. The fool had pounced through the cloud of spores, sealing his inevitable fate, and had struck a mighty blow against Hyacinth, knocking her down. “Fortunately, the gift frooom Akio protected me well enough.” She tapped her fist on the armour of dark feathers she wore, much as I did. Several bluesteel batteries glowing with olivine energies were attached to the back, and the feathers were humming softly. “I dooo wish it was cuter though, this is nooot proper for a maid.”

“I agree. I am rather taken with the manner of dress-dress I use normally.” I said absently, probing the filthy sword with fire, light and water. The Spirit Water seemed to aggravate it, accelerating the speed the spores and fungi were consuming it, so with a grin I trickled more in, and soon the cursed blade was little more than decaying slime, a seedbed for new spores. “Well, it is a great-great relief to me that you were not cut by this. I fear it would cause grave harm.”

“Hyacinth thinks sooo too.” She nodded. “I know bad when I see it.” She shuddered. “Well, shall we gooo? There are more enemies Akio wishes for us tooo defeat!”

I nodded, turning away from the destroyed blade. “Yes, we shall. The trails came from over there. I do not-not approve of them destroying a city my mother seems to have-have fondness for, much less one Akio wishes to protect. We shall advance!” The Hyakki Yagyō must have moved on from here, else these invaders would hardly be having such an easy time. Well, their leisure ends here. I am quite sure Akio is also reaping a toll of his enemies. It would be good to fight such intruders. Akio was too kind, and I loved that about him, but enemies… while some could be made friends, and even I had to accept and forgive Duke Formor, for the sake of the Seelie Court, others… others had to be put down, and I would like Akio to learn the difference. “He will need-need to, if he is to be the King of the Seelie Court…” I murmured.

“What was that, mistress Shaeula?” Hyacinth asked, as we headed through the chaos, seeing monsters, Yokai and more alike scattering in all directions, trying to escape the catastrophe happening around them.

“Nothing. I was-was merely thinking out loud.” I demurred. It is far too soon to think of such things, though the Oath I swore when we first met… it still binds my heart, even though it was a shameful one, Akio has turned it into a true promise.

“There.” I gestured, and I saw another group of these soldiers, this group accompanying a long vehicle, somewhat like a truck, only with a series of large tubes on the back. While I had no interest in make or model, not being like that eccentric ratkin Ixitt, I did recognise it as a mobile missile battery, having seen them on the news, or depicted in anime.

“We will destroy it!” I cried, and at my words the interlopers turned, panicking. They drew guns and started firing, and I swirled wind around us, as well as infused my armour. Most projectiles were deflected, and the few that struck us deformed and bounced away harmlessly, no more than annoying stings. “Farewell!” I declared, fine threads of wind lopping them to pieces, blood scattering silver and red.

“Crush, twist, tear!” Hyacinth caused vines to sprout around the vehicle, digging into the tubes, and moments later it exploded in a bright flash of flames, something inside detonating violently. The vines cushioned most of the force of the blast, though our hair still streamed behind us in the sudden breeze.

“Mortal devices truly are impressive. Such an explosion would-would require a talented Fae of flames to create. And here talentless mortals can-can replicate it, and launch it continuously. Were the Seelie Court and a mortal army to come to blows, I can not-not see it ending well for us. Perhaps the lords of the Fae, and the eldest, with their powerful Leagues, would weather the storm, but-but others…”

“Doooes it matter, mistress Shaeula?” Hyacinth cocked her head, wiping debris from her clothing. “If Akio wishes the Fae destroyed, we shooould happily help him. If he wants to kill mooortals, then we should do so. And if…” she smiled then, a genuine one, and despite her callous, almost cruel pronouncements, I could see she was lucid. As she grew stronger, her mind settled. Though this is likely more due to the care and love Akio shows her. I do as well, and Eri. “… Akio wishes fooor them to all get along, then we should make it sooo!”

“Indeed.” I agreed, laughing regally. “And these scum threaten the peace-peace Akio seeks. Therefore, we shall show them no mercy.” I eyed the distance, where the remaining helicopter had ducked below the horizon. “First, we shall-shall bring down their final helicopter. I am a Fae of wind first of all, the sky belongs to me!”

********

“Well, what do we have here?” I was thrown backwards by a shuddering impact, blood in my mouth. I spat silver, and looked up balefully at the helicopter hovering overhead. Beside me, Hyacinth was twitching, smoke rising from her armour and skin, and her expression was oddly… ecstatic. Never mind that. What matters is…

“Most of the rest of the rabble here died to that. Impressive.” There was a man in the helicopter, the side door open. He was a little plain, dark hair and eyes commonplace in the land Akio called home, but the skin-tone and facial features were a little different, foreign. As he raised one hand, I saw gleaming sparks cascade around it, a vivid chartreuse shine glowing. Seeing that, my eyes lit up, and I found myself smiling. To think I resemble Hyacinth now. How ironic.

“I would thank you not-not to lump me in with such-such weaklings.” I said, clambering to my feet. I then channelled wind into my armour, the feathers vibrating rapidly, while gathering wind and water element, ready for use. “Still, I do not-not think that is the way a male should great a female such as myself.”

He barked a laugh, seeming genuinely amused. “I apologise. You’re quite right. But alas… the situation makes fools of us all. After all, when one starts riding a tiger, even if forced on at gunpoint, one can’t simply get off, he has to go where the tiger takes him.”

“I see.” Hyacinth had risen to her feet as well, scowling at the man. She was preparing to cast her spores, but I raised a hand, stopping her. “Well, you seem a male we can talk to. The last… well, he merely rushed at us without any-any preamble, and was thus destroyed.”

“Someone’s gone to the belly of that thing already then, huh? Well, we knew that not all of us would get off the tiger alive.” He shrugged. “So, excuse my rudeness, but are you a kami, as they call them here?”

“Kami? No, I am merely reinforcements called here-here to protect this place. So I fear your schemes will surely fail. The female Tsukiko, who Akio wishes to protect, she will-will remain safe, without fail.” Beside me, Hyacinth nodded frantically in agreement.

“Reinforcements, huh? So our attack was foreseen, was it? Well, considering how I ended up on this tiger, I shouldn’t be surprised at anything. Tsukiko, is it? I wonder…” he looked at his waist, where another of the bone blades was belted, leaking thick violet haze, and through my eyes I could see a vast wealth of polluted aether being drawn into him, far more than his body could handle. It even exceeds Akio’s in terms of amount. Alas, this male…

“My condolences.” I said regally, offering my sympathies. “Even should you triumph here, which I assure you shall not-not happen, your Astral body is being torn apart by the excessive aether you have no-no right to wield. Continuing surely means your death.”

“I thought so.” He agreed. “Well, I’d be happy enough with just death now, taking my chances with what lies beyond, rather than end up in the belly of the beast, but… first. My name is Ma Quon. A pleasure.” He bowed politely.

“A male of manners. I do approve.” I said haughtily. “I am Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, Duchess and Princess of the Seelie Court. This here is Hyacinth. I say one final time, surrender, and perhaps I can-can persuade my husband to be lenient. We have many-many skills, perhaps we can fix your ravaged body.”

“So a fine lady such as yourself is married huh? A shame.” He grinned cheerfully, but his eyes were shadowed. “Well, much as I’d love to take up your offer, if I try, I’ll just end up devoured all the sooner. If I’d have known this would be how it turned out, I’d have listened to the Ministry, but my father was treated so badly by the Party and… well, you don’t want to hear my life story, do you? Suffice to say, I made mistakes, driven by emotion and now… well, now it comes down to this. So, don’t hate me, Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, Hyacinth. At least you’ll die quickly! Reflecting Lightning Mirrors!” With that shout, two crackling silvery masses of lightning formed on either side of his hands, yellow and green energies mixing.

“Hyacinth. I wish-wish to face him. Support me, but do not-not slay him!”

“As yooou wish. But…” Hyacinth surprised me by not fully obeying. “If it looooooks like you will die, Hyacinth will nooot stand by. Akio would grieve if you fall.”

“Very well…” I agreed, only for silver and yellow-green lightning to slam down onto me in a torrent as thick as my waist. Air heated and exploded outwards in a crack of thunder, whipping at our hair once more.

“You talk too much, a common failing of women. By Diànmǔ, she who calls the lightning, be struck down!” He was taking no chances, as more lightning fell. I swatted Hyacinth aside with wind as I was engulfed in another torrent.

Well, up there I can not reach you… as a third wave came down, I focussed my light energy. I did not have a great deal, nor the control that Akio had, but I understood the attack he favoured, the laser. A flash of light pierced the lightning, and moments later I heard a curse, my vision still obscured by the continual rain of bolts that was crashing down on me.

“Shit, the ‘copter…” as my vision cleared, my Mystic Eyes working hard to penetrate the lightning, I could see the helicopter spinning out of control, the central axis of the blades pierced and melted, the blades no longer in position.

“Yes, come down here.” I coughed, staggering heavily. “I do not-not approve of you looking down on me!” the helicopter crashed, exploding, and I was satisfied I had achieved my aim of freeing the skies, only to pause, as the man was standing on another disk of crackling silver, still airborne.

“I guess you still have a few tricks.” He applauded me. “And you’re a tough one. The silver lightning of Diànmǔ is potent, it can melt through tank armour. And here’s you, still standing.” He arched an eyebrow at me sardonically, and I felt a surge of annoyance. “Though barely it seems. Try this!” More silvery lightning mirrors appeared, until he was surrounded by five of them, and standing on the sixth. “Sixfold Lightning Blitz!”

Blasted from all directions, I was tossed about like a rag-doll, landing heavily, more lightning falling down on top of me. When the rain finally subsided, the ground was shimmering silver, vitrified and glassy. Rolling onto my back in a crater, I looked up at him, still standing smugly in the sky.

“My turn.” I declared, and I unleashed a volley of fireballs. He looked a little panicked, before leaping to another of his lightning mirrors, dodging. But I am hardly done, Try this… the fireballs reversed course, and he was taken unawares, explosions filling the sky. When the smoke cleared, he was standing there, rather burned but still intact. With a grimace, he touched his charred face gingerly.

“I was careless. I admit it. But not this time. Farewell!” The streams of lightning merged, forming a blazing silver lance that pierced the heavens before slamming down into the crater I was in. The thunder unleashed made my bones creak, and I coughed up more blood, smearing my grin red and silver.

“Is that it? Disappointing.” I muttered, and he must have heard me, as another wave came down, answering my mockery, followed by a third, somehow even more massive. Thunder roared, and I felt my internal injuries piling up. Although… Aether churned, Ether Healing working to restore me, and I blinked, my sensitive eyes showing brilliant afterimages.

“Why… how?” he asked, frustrated. “My lightning is Divine. There should be no way you can withstand it!”

“Indeed. While I have never-never seen it, it surely rivals the Queen’s. I am most impressed.” I clapped my hands together gleefully. “Lightning, so much residue.” My eyes could see the leftover elemental lightning from the blast. It was rather impure, mixed with something else, but it was still a welcome sight. Standing, I watched as he unleashed more lightning towards me.

“I have tested this enough.” I said, flipping a hand dismissively, and the lightning halted, unable to penetrate the shimmering layer of thick water energy I had conjured, lightning forking around me. The secondary impact from the thunder still rocked me, but I merely laughed as blood trickled from my nose, elated.

“How? Why?” he asked again.

“Really now, how can-can I know more than a mortal about lightning? Well, I confess to have studied it in my free-free time. After all…” I smirked happily, pleased at my conjecture being proven. “… the Queen must wield Lightning, it is known-known.” I threw out some more fireballs, scaring him. “I can control water, the purest Spirit Water. And pure water, it is a perfect insulator, is it not-not? I merely covered myself in a layer of it.”

“Of course I know that, I’m not an idiot!” he snapped. “But a thin layer like that can’t protect against my silver lightning! That’s unscientific!”

“Yes. But where your science meets-meets the power of an element, many things are possible. This is no ordinary water, it is most-most powerful. It is surely not-not a stretch to imagine that I can strengthen the properties it holds, is it?”

“I see.” The man laughed. “Even so, the thunder…”

“Yes, that hurt a lot, but I was not-not in danger of defeat.” I patted my chest proudly. “After all, what is thunder but the pressure of the air? I can create a vacuum with wind element, and shield myself, though I confess to not-not needing to. Your thunder is strong, but it is not-not enough.”

“I see. Well, I guess I’m beaten.” The man laughed bitterly. “But there’s still no way you can stop me escaping, is there?”

Hyacinth, who was watching from below, suddenly smirked. “Really? Hyacinth thinks she can stooop you and already has.”

I looked as puzzled as he must have felt, as Hyacinth giggled, explaining. “Mistress Shaeula said nooot to kill him, so all I did was make him sleepy.” At her explanation I narrowed my eyes, and I could indeed see a haze of microscopic, invisible spores.

“I wondered why I was so tired.” He sighed. “I thought it was overuse of its poisonous gifts. Well, nice try but…” he put a hand to his chest, and silver lightning surged out. His skin burned, worse than when I did it, and he shuddered, before grinning bitterly. “That woke me up. Ugh, this has been a bad day. Well, I’d best kill you at least, Hyacinth, since I can’t seem to take out your companion.”

“I think not-not.” I unleashed my pinwheels, which had been wrapped around my waist, and they darted out towards him.

“Bad move. They look like excellent conductors.” He grinned, lightning flashing down. My pinwheels blazed silver, the cords lit up brilliantly, and indeed, I screamed as lightning poured into me. Hyacinth cried out, panicked, but I reassured her with my eyes, even as smoke rose from my skin, wafted away by the vibrations of my armour.

“They are. I am not-not a fool.” I sniffed, smoke leaking from my open mouth, and with a faint clicking, the wires hidden in the heads of my pinwheels erupted out, and both of his hands were sliced off by the wind-infused strings. He screamed, losing control of his elemental mirrors, and as they vanished, he plummeted.

“Hyacinth, catch him!” I called out, and she unleashed vines, grabbing him none-too-gently, making me wince as I heard bones crunch and snap. Even so, he hit the ground alive. Striding over, my insides agony, but Ether Healing slowly restoring me, I stood over him.

“Well, you got me.” He managed weakly, barely able to move, one leg grotesquely broken, his arms missing. “Damn, I didn’t want to end up like this. But…” he coughed more blood. “A question. Didn’t you have other ways to kill me, ones… less risky? She could have fatally poisoned me at any time, right?” he nodded at Hyacinth, who giggled back.

“Indeed, you are not-not a fool, Ma Quon.” I declared, and he chuckled bitterly.

“So you do remember my name. Ah well, there are worse fates than being killed by beautiful women.”

“That sounds like something rather foolish Akio would say.” I sniffed. “Well, it is only natural to remember the name of someone I wish-wish a favour from.”

“A favour? I’m dying. Even now… I can feel it reclaiming what it thinks belongs to it. We were only sent to find it some meals it wanted. In the end… we are its prey…” the bone sword was squirming, and I could see with my Mystic Eyes his chakra network was crumbling, being eaten away, the energy drawn into the sword, sent elsewhere.

“Be destroyed!” I enveloped the blade in Moonlight Spirit Water. It resisted, screaming and trying to absorb it, but my will was resolute, and soon it shattered. Hyacinth spread her spores over the wreckage, but the man merely shrugged.

“I appreciate it, but that won’t stop it. It touched us all, changed us. There’s some of it in us too. Filthy one-eyed piece of shit.” He swore for the first time. Indeed, I could see that while the rate of damage had slowed, he was still breaking apart.

“My condolences then. But… while I can not-not save your life, I believe I can send you to death painlessly, without becoming food. You fought well, and I can grant you that much at least.”

“You can?” Hope flared in his eyes, and I nodded.

“Though first, a favour. And a little revenge.” I smirked nastily. Akio often told me he loved all my smiles, even this wicked one.

“Revenge?” he asked, and I nodded.

“Hyacinth, keep watch, and when I remove it, destroy it with your spores. I have no-no wish to be disturbed, this is most-most delicate work. And I must-must be swift. Akio will not-not be pleased if I tarry, but he will understand and forgive me. He is quite-quite sweet to us, no?”

As Hyacinth laughingly agreed, I explained to the man what I wished. His eyes opened in surprise, but he laughed, pained. “Very well. Yes, it is fitting. I’ll do it…” He then started pulling in a huge amount of aether from the distant source that was consuming him, converting it all to lightning. Meanwhile, I started working Chirurgery, rummaging around in his ruined body, tearing out what seemed to be some sort of transparent, faintly yellowish slime, heedless of the surrounding damage. The man howled in pain, but he continued to pull in further lightning, his very body beginning to burn. I caught a glimpse of the Divine Favour within him, surrounded by most of the slime being devoured, and I tore into it. My body was wracked by lightning, my skin burning, the pain rather excruciating, but I had little time or leisure to care. It would not kill me, and what could be endured was nothing to fear.

“I dooo hate this icky goo.” Hyacinth declared as it was consumed by her ravenous spores, which had adapted to it, becoming more able to feast on it, though even as her spores went through generation after generation, the slime too fought back, eating it more rapidly. Even so, it was a battle that Hyacinth was destined to win, and soon all the foreign matter was removed, the air around us full of shimmering chartreuse energies, the man broken, dying, but at peace.

“I thank you.” He manged. “At least… I won’t end up as food. Perhaps I can find peace in the afterlife. Well, we killed many, so perhaps… not.” His eyes slid shut.

“Not yet, Ma Quon.” I warned, and his eyes cracked open a little. “Your connection is severed, so you can not-not draw on more aether, but… the Divine Favour is close to breaking. Draw deep, and pass with it.”

“Slavedriver.” He muttered, and as his eyes slid shut a brilliant silver glow surrounded him, driving us back. Then lightning flashed, and his body exploded, reduced to a faint mist of silvery ash.

“Farewell, Ma Quon.” I said quietly. “He was not-not an evil man. A shame. Perhaps he could have been an ally for Akio. Well, that is another foe slain. One each, I would say.”

Hyacinth nodded. “Are yooou well, Mistress Shaeula? You suffered many burns.”

”Of course I did. After all, did not-not Aiko boast that she truly understood the flames when she burned her hand?” I looked around the area, which was saturated with elemental lightning energies. “I have studied. I know what it represents to the Fae. Swift retribution, the power to purify evil. I know what it represents to mortals, of electricity, and more. I know what it means to me.” I grinned, my teeth bloody. “I was born with wind, I mastered flame. Lightning is created by cold and warm air colliding, well I do-do know it is more complicated, but… wind…” I grinned, starting to pull in the lightning element that Ma Quon had given his life to create, scattering it to the surroundings peacefully at my request. “… wind I know like few others. And flame… well, lightning burns.” I giggled madly. There was little resistance, as I had no opposing or complementary elements to lightning, and my solar plexus and heart chakras, as well as my lunar one, were well accustomed to the elements that made up lightning.

“Yes, but Akio was very angry at her, was he nooot?” she pointed out, and my grin faltered for a moment. How could I forget that? Am I such a fool?

“Well, perhaps we will not-not tell him.” I said, shame-faced. Energy was pouring into me, and though there were traces of contamination still present, with the purity of my body powered by the Spirit Water, I could filter them out. “I wish for this-this to be a happy event, where he praises me!”

I remembered the powerful thunder buffeting me, the feel of electricity coursing through me, burning my spiritual self. I remembered the wonderful technology of the mortal world, mostly powered by the same phenomenon, if on smaller scale. As the energy rapidly diminished around me, I finally felt it, energy settling around my three relevant chakras. So… so powerful. I grinned, flicking my wrist, and a bolt of lightning coursed out, flashing through the air, thunder trailing behind it.

“You have dooone it!” Hyacinth clapped excitedly. “Mistress Shaeula has mastered a Roooyal Element, that of the Queen!”

“I have.” I said, proud, before narrowing my eyes. “Though do you not-not know Nature Element, the one of the King? So I suppose I should not-not be too proud. Even so…” I could hardly wait to face my father and siblings again, resplendent with such rare and royal energy. As I thought of that, I felt Hyacinth patting my head, confused, I looked up to see her tutting at me, expression stern.

“Your hair, it is such a mess nooow! All sticking up! You can nooot see Akio like this!” she fussed, and I felt myself flush with embarrassment.

“Fine. But we have tarried here long…” I paused, a column of flame rising like a majestic tree to the north. “… enough.” I finished, as it died down. “That was Akio. I recognise Foehn, since I was there-there when he acquired it.” My own half of Foehn recognised its fiery twin too. Well, it sems Akio has grown stronger too.

“Well, I dare say Akio is dealing with others, much-much as we are. Now, let us proceed.” And with that, we continued eastwards, towards the distant sounds of battle…