On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Four Hundred And Eighty-Eight

The situation was suddenly far more serious than I had imagined, going beyond just the imminent death of Nebisuki. Still, looking at her, I found that she didn’t annoy me as much as she had done before. In fact, she’s rather pitiful, though I guess I can understand one of the reasons she’s so flighty and troublesome, considering she was just eking out what amusements she could in her final years. There’s just one thing though…

“Setting aside your fifth tail… why choose me? Surely your grandmother would be a better choice, when she’s rescued. A Kitsune would likely know best how to treat you…”

At her look as she gazed up at me, which was now wry and slightly mocking, yet also embarrassed, her fair skin flushing, ears and tails standing erect, she rolled her eyes, though she made no effort to avoid answering. Feeling the bond between us shiver, I realised it was not entirely dissimilar to Kin Bonding or Lovers’ Link. When she speaks, I can somehow tell through the fluctuations in the bond that she’s telling the truth.

“You will not impress women asking such questions you should already know the answer to.” Her tone was flirty, but she was also annoyed, I could tell. “Firstly, grandmother is not free. You are. And you and the brash daughter of Urakaze, and even that girl who was bullied by the Kijo have grown immeasurably. Even if grandmother is not released by you…” She puffed on her pipe for a moment, hesitating. “…I believe you will do it, even without my urgings. You are rather a soft touch. Women find that appealing, but those of us with experience will bully you. I think you will rather enjoy it though…” She preened her tails, her Yukata gaping. I’m not paying attention. This is a serious conversation, and the connection between us agrees. “…but even if you do not, then I feel I could find another path to the fifth tail and beyond. Uranai is wise and her words speak the truth of things, but every truth is different when seen from other angles.”

I nodded at that, unable to disagree. It’s the same with Tsukiko’s visions. Even Foresight is woefully imprecise. Seeing I understood and sympathised, Nebisuki continued. “Tamamo-no-Mae is old, ancient, and even if she remains herself… well, she has killed humans aplenty, Yōkai too, and many Kitsune, even her own children, if they displease her. She is an Empress, equal to Great Nurarihyon, one of the Three Great Evil Yōkai of this land… well, four, I suppose. Old Ōtakemaru rages when forgotten.” She let out a quiet laugh at that. “I have no wish to be bound to such an unpredictable woman. You fit my needs far better.”

“That’s my worry. Such a powerful, evil Yōkai, and you want me to free her…”

“Most Evil is simply from the perspective of the times. Grandmother was often cruel, but she could well show compassion, love, kindness. She was simply mercurial, a creature of whims, on which she always acted, regardless of consequence, the privilege of the powerful. She is not so much evil as a force of nature. Besides, your little Chinese girl…” Nebisuki had a rather decent grasp of the state of the Material world, due to her travels. “…said that to be sealed is to suffer. I think she has paid enough. Do you humans not imprison each other for the crimes of taking lives, and when the time is spent, the crime is forgiven?”

“I can’t argue with that. Whether death is the fairest penalty for killing is a subject of debate, and it differs country to country, but… yeah, historical crimes hundreds or thousands of years ago aren’t my concern. It’s what she might do now… but that’s for later. We have to assess the situation first.”

“You are wise. I like that. The gap between your youth and the majesty you sometimes display appeals.” She licked her lips seductively, gnawing on the stem of her pipe. Her face flushed again. “I am more than happy to help you take care of your… seeds.” Though it sounded like she was talking about the prophecy of Uranai, the implication was far cruder. Seeing my exasperated gaze, she sighed. “You really are forcing me to speak. I may be no blushing maiden, but even I know shame. Let me be clear, you are the better choice, for I know your character and your distaste of lies and cruelty. Were Tamamo-no-Mae to know my true name, I would never break free of her, the greatest of foxes, with nine tails. If my strength grows enough and you mistreat and abuse me, eventually I would gain the strength to overpower your hold on my invisible tail. We foxes are cunning and patient, and bite back when bullied!” She paused. “However, do not misunderstand me. I know Urakaze’s daughter does not like me, and for good reason. But I did say a firm hand could hold me down, keep me loyal. And what firmer grip than on my tail?” She wagged her other four teasingly, even as she was breathing heavily, and through my hold on her I could sense the truth of her words as well as her arousal. “Our tails are pleasing to us when touched. Even now, my mind shivers. You are so mean, teasing me thus, making me spill my innermost secrets. You brute. How will you make it up to me?”

I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew here. I’m not the best with pushy older women. Though right now, she is rather pitiful too. She’s made one rather huge miscalculation… “I understand. If I was in your position, I might make the same choice. But… I don’t think you’ll be able to free yourself from me, no more than you would from Tamamo-no-Mae.”

She cocked her head, smirking. “You do think highly of yourself, Akio. It is true, you grow astonishingly, but when a Kitsune sprouts a new tail, our spiritual power soars immensely.”

“It’s not that.” I checked the amber letters that announced the gain of a Class when I bound her through her true name.

You have gained a Class. You are now a Namebinder. This Class is gained by those who seize control of one of the many spiritual beings throughout the multiverse who are vulnerable to control via their True Name, their ????????, of suitable spiritual strength. This class increases the strength of your ????????, as well as your League, Charm and Majesty. If you are a being vulnerable to control via your True Name, it will be significantly more difficult to overpower you and force you to a Namebound state.

Abilities that involve bonds can easily be applied to your Namebound, to the maximum strength of said abilities, and abilities you share with Namebound individuals will be slightly strengthened, and you are more likely to share insights that will lead to increases in Rank. In addition, your Aether will increase significantly as you bind stronger beings.

“It’s that taking control of you via your true name, Shinkume-no-Hana…” My enhanced perception and vision made it clear nobody was in earshot as I spoke her real, true name. “…is a bond.”

“It makes me shiver. None but I have ever spoken my name. The mother that gave birth to me merely called me Hana, the other half that makes our true name, our true selves comes to us Kitsune when we fully control the power of our invisible tail. You are a tease… wait… huh?”

“Yeah, you finally noticed.” I sighed. “I’m basically the master of bonds. I have a lot of Skills, powerful ones, which operate on bonds and strengthen them. Classes too. So the thought of you somehow managing to break this strengthened tie… good luck with that.” She’s already Kin Bonded, even though I definitely don’t see her as family. Though my dislike for her seems to be draining away. A side-effect of seizing her tail, maybe? “I suppose the only upside is that I was right. Uranai’s prophecy about your fifth tail is the same crap that Tsukuyomi was spouting about Tsukiko dying. It doesn’t matter who dies if death can be cheated.”

“That…” Nebisuki frowned, clearly thinking about what I said, before she simply laughed, falling to the ground and rolling around playfully, hardly acting her advanced age. “…is simply hilarious. I, the schemer, who planned to use you, caught in my own net. I handed you my tail, and now you can grasp it all you wish.” Tears fell from her eyes as she laughed so uproariously. “It is so very… much like us. You mortals have tails… oh, tales… of we Kitsune, and oftentimes our schemes unravel, and we end up cheating ourselves, caught in our own traps.”

“Do you regret it?” I asked, and she shook her head, denying that, and I could feel from her bound state she was genuine.

“No, I do not. I have lived long and been through many highs and lows of emotions. I have fought my fate, given up, then fought some more. If this is the way it ends, then so be it. I did my best.” Her smile was truly wicked then, and I found it beautiful. “Besides, it will annoy Urakaze to no end. Seeing her face twist in anger will be a delight worth my bondage.”

“You’re a bad woman.” I chided her, and that only made her laugh more.

“I am merely true to myself. Like grandmother.” She disagreed. “Well, now you have stripped me bare, forced me to disrobe my secrets, perhaps we should come together in the flesh as well?” Fanning her kimono she now made no effort to hide her body, and her ripe mounds popped free, and I could see down to the golden fur above her precious spot. I reached out, and she grinned, only to pout as I pulled her kimono closed. Before she could speak, I shook my head.

“This is no time for jokes. If you want me to save your grandmother, and my seeds yet to sprout, then it’s now or never, right?”

Silently, she nodded. Is she… really upset, or is she just teasing again? From her tail… Her eyes flashed and her aether surged, trying to prevent me reading her emotions, and I allowed her to defeat me on this. “One last question. Nurarihyon obviously knows about Uranai’s prophecies, right? Considering she dwells in his house. Why isn’t he more concerned about the river of Yōkai blood and the … well, it sounds like extermination… of the Kitsunes?”

“You overestimate Great Nurarihyon’s care towards us.” Nebisuki seemed happy the subject had changed, her four tails waving as she retrieved her pipe and adjusted the cloth she wore. “Many Yōkai have perished, and more will in future. There are always more of us, eager to join the Hyakki Yagyō. Yes, there are those he favours. Bintara, Uranai, his dear wife, Seirei. Even I have his ear at times. Urakaze, Red and Blue too. But just as when the Kijo Matriarch and her sisters were massacred… it is simply something that happens. So long as the Parade continues to parade, even if it is wading through bloody rivers of the dead, so long as Great Nurarihyon and his favoured survive, the Hyakki Yagyō will rise again. Besides, he believes his survival is certain, now you will bring the Hungry Ghost to aid him… if these forgotten, exiled beings return and cross him, Great Nurarihyon will lead us to make them regret it.”

“I see. That makes sense.” I agreed, understanding his mindset from when we met. “Yōkai and Fae think very different to us humans…”

“Human? You? Hardly…” she snorted, amused, but I ignored her.

“Whatever my body is, at heart I’m still human. But then…” I narrowed my eyes. “I wouldn’t be so uncaring about it, but in an apocalypse situation, I would certainly never sacrifice anyone I love, even for the safety of a thousand others. I may be a bastard, but if it’s a choice between those I cherish or countless others, I’d make the right choice. Of course, better that I prepare and grow strong, so I don’t have to let thousands or millions die while I save those precious to me…”

“How manly. You are that sweet blend of ruthless and charmingly naïve. It makes me rather hot…” She fanned at her collar, blowing smoke, but I ignored that as well.

“Okay, now for the issue at hand… we have another problem. And one I don’t think is a coincidence.” I complained. On the Material I was receiving a report from Kana, who had rushed back and was checking the news on the internet.

“So yeah, it’s not great. There have been sudden, entirely unpredictable volcanic eruptions of the Nasu five peaks, as well as earth tremors. So far, they’ve only been a little over five on the shindo scale, but the ground all over the mountains has split, and toxic gases are gushing out. The area is off-limits, and reports say it’s the worst eruption in a hundred years, maybe surpassing the Sakurajima one in nineteen fourteen.”

Explaining that to Nebisuki, she frowned, displeased. “Uranai did say that today would be fraught with deadly peril. But…” she paused, fox ears drooping. “…I would not have you die needlessly. Can you persevere?”

“I think so. After all, I have the Bezoar, right?” I reassured her. I also can take a hint from Fate when it smacks me across the face. Normally there are seismic tremors picked up before an eruption days in advance, to say nothing of multiple eruptions. This isn’t natural at all…

Soon, calls had also been made to the Ministry, and through them permission was granted for me to ignore the ban around travelling to the area, though due to plumes of volcanic ash and debris, the helicopter would have to land a fair distance away. In the Boundary, our forces gathered, but since we had obviously never been to the area here, we had no idea what it was like. Therefore I have to choose who accompanies me very carefully.

As the last stragglers arrived, I addressed them all. “All right, it looks like we’re in for a treat. Much as I wish we could sit this one out, I’m starting to get the feeling there’s way more going on here than I thought. Anyway, our destination is some two hundred kilometres or more north of here. So we’ll have to proceed at pace. So that limits who I can take…”

“I don’t think it does.” Eri pointed out. “Just get Ginneka to drop a helicopter or military truck to the Boundary. But the limit isn’t speed…” I know you don’t want to put anyone in danger. If it’s as bad as Kana says on the Material, here it could be worse. But going alone is a bad idea too. Just think about what we know and make your best judgement. If it proves too dangerous, we can always retreat.

“All right. Eri has a point.” I snorted, glancing at Ginneka, who was regarding Nebisuki with some distaste and envy, lashing her tail, while her golden brother tried to calm her down. “But we need to lay out what we know. In the Material, I’m definitely going it alone. There the hazards should be simply lava, pyroclastic flows and the like… in the Boundary… well, we don’t know for sure, but as it tends to mirror the Material to an extent… so we’re talking fire, poisonous gases, dangerous rocky terrain… and that’s before we find the Sessho-seki, said to seal away Tamamo-no-Mae.” I also considered the possibility of attacks from the inhabitants of the area, as well as potential retaliation from the nine-tailed fox herself, while stressing unknown dangers.

“So let me clarify…” Shiro asked. “Aki, you can’t delay until the next chance?”

“It’s not that I can’t, but Uranai’s prophecy implies if I do delay I’ll lose out on a great opportunity that might never come again. I think if we pull it off today, winning the wager with Tan is on the cards, with all the benefits that brings.”

“I see.” Shiro snorted, obviously conversing with Tan internally. “That’s definitely worth chancing a lot of danger. It’s a case of mitigating it as much as we can, right? Asha’s certainly out. Right now she can’t risk injury or harm.”

“I shall go.” Daiyu pointed out. As we looked at her she flushed faintly. “It is the wisest course of action. With unknown dangers, my blessing of Chang’e gives me leeway to recover from injury or poison. Besides, you promised to spend tomorrow with me. Breaking one’s word harms their Dao.”

“That is most-most likely the reason.” Shaeula snickered. “While I still have many-many matters to attend to, I shall not-not allow you to go into danger alone. Hyacinth, you shall remain behind in our absence. Should any threaten the Spring or these lands…”

“I knooow mistress. I will allow none to intrude ooon our lands!” Hyacinth promised, a sinister grin on her face. “Hyacinth has just the thing tooo punish intruders now!”

Yeoh, that’s not ominous at all. Of course, I do trust her though. “Fine. But I don’t want a large group, however…” I glanced at Nebisuki, who shrugged.

“I suppose I can hardly turn down your entreaties. Grandmother might listen to me, rather than you, if she is still sane, still herself. Besides, you could order me to go and I would be unable to resist, just as I am to any demand.” She wrapped her arms and tails around herself, faking a shiver, which made me snort, amused and exasperated at her playfulness.

“You should act your age. Anyway…” As I ignored her protests that she was not old, I turned to Chen Na, who seldom had much to do as one of Haru’s Chosen Heroes other than guard the trainees power levelling to increase the margin of safety. “I think you’ll be useful.”

She nodded. She was in a similar position to her fellow Kyoto terrorist Nie Ling, but being Enthroned, Haru had ultimate control over her actions, so she didn’t have to be as strictly monitored when she was in Material Japan as the latter. “I understand.”

“You don’t need me?” Shiro asked, and I shook my head.

“No, you can hold the fort in the Material along with Eri. If there are problems I want people I can trust in place.” I didn’t think that my Foresight was signalling imminent disaster, as in today, but I had been wrong too many times, or too dismissive of it, so since trouble was definitely coming soon, keeping back some trump cards was essential. Which is why… I glanced at Nie Ling, who was present amongst the crowd. The Chinese woman had settled into her effective plea bargain with Japan under my care, and while she lived a regimented life, and was watched over, she still had some spare time for leisure. But in an attack on the Material, she can send over reinforcements, so she’s become invaluable, not just for pushing forward our construction by allowing Trolls and Giants to go on site.

Similarly, Shaeula pointed out that her brother and sister might be available, especially useless Shaeraggo, as she harshly addressed him, which would have made him cry if he could have heard it, since he was a major siscon. As if thinking that activated her, my own sis piped up. “What about me, bro? My Golden Sisters could be useful for scouting and triggering traps.”

“True.” I conceded. “But it’ll be Boundary only. You’re keeping a low profile from now on.”

“Got it.” She agreed, pumping her fist, glad to be called on yet again. With that decided, the party of me, Shaeula, Daiyu, Aiko, Nebisuki and Chen Na would head north. Ginneka had returned to the Material and was ready to send an off-road military vehicle we had procured to us here. The helicopter I would be taking in the Material was also ready, along with a pilot from the Black Wolf Company.

“Despite this, I still have plans for tomorrow.” I told Eri and Shiro after Daiyu had headed back to gather her talismans and other supplies. “I have a guest from South Korea, so if we aren’t back, keep her company. She doesn’t speak Japanese or English, but I think it’s likely that Yu-mi will be accompanying her, so that sorts the translation issues, though you’ve learned a bit for emergencies, Eri, so back her up.”

“A guest, huh? Got it.” Shiro agreed. Eri was curious but kept her silence, only agreeing to help if needed.

“Keep the ether coming and stockpiled in Kyoto, apart from the convoy to our estate for Azuki…” As I continued to lay out my plans, everyone was prepared. I wasn’t entirely at my best, due to the difficult and draining crafting I had performed yesterday, as well as the constant trickle of adherence the Favours I held were taking from me, but I had recovered enough to be confident I was ready for action.

“Is it always so frantic here?” Yukiko-san asked Tsukiko, who merely smiled. “Compared to my Territory at Ise, there is so much going on.”

“All the strings of Destiny and the Definite are tangled around us here.” Tsukiko said meaningfully. “After all, had you not asked Akio to wake the Regalia, he would not have sent to the Hyakki Yagyō for aid, and…”

“I still would have come.” Nebisuki disagreed. “In fact, I arrived so quickly as I met your messenger as he was returning to our Parade. But it is true… long years of stagnation are coming to an end. Great Nurarihyon curses the Gods, both ours and others, who treat us as mere playthings. But where the strong tread, the weak must stay silent or be crushed.”

Yukiko-san nodded. “My Sun of Amaterasu is likely not useful for you in your endeavours. But… I’ll remain here until you return. I want to spend more time with Tsukiko anyway, and…”

“Hot springs again! More booze!” Shiro laughed.

As I sat in the back of the helicopter as it took flight in the Material, a rugged, all-terrain four-wheel-drive car appeared, with large, heavy tires designed for difficult terrain and an equally powerful engine. “Good job.” I nodded to Ginneka, who purred under my praise, tail lashing, casting a triumphant gaze at Nebisuki, full of rivalry. Nope, that’s one squabble I’m not getting involved in. “All right, everybody knows what we have to do.” I opened the rear door, and Shaeula hopped in, followed by the others. Fortunately there’s no traffic regulations here in the Boundary, so I should be fine to drive with my high stats…

Opening the door, I started up the engine, a number of Fae who hadn’t yet had the pleasure of a trip to the Material looking on with interest. “Everyone ready?” I asked.

“This is quite the carriage. I had heard mortals have advanced over the last few hundred years…” Nebisuki fidgeted on the back seat, leaning over the driver’s seat I was occupying, before Shaeula glared at her, pulling her back.

“Sit down-down. I do not-not like you… and I do not-not want you fawning over Akio.” She then glared at me. “And you too… this one is no good!”

Shrugging, choosing wisely to ignore the topic, I steered the vehicle down past Asha’s Rhyming Trees and towards the north, already beginning to worry about just what we’d find there…