COI C175
Yui is getting by, each passing stores, and she acts a bit more mature than Tabitha had thought. Yui mostly brag most of the time regarding to the product and the questionable merchandise she sees. The pedestrians think she is just a young teenage girl from her height, even though her mature body is given as an adult. Short she maybe, and one of the strongest among their group. Juela let her be and said to Tabitha,
“So, this is how business work, they are attentive and showing greetings with a smile. I hope those workers know that Yui is not too keen of politeness regarding how they behave”
“Believe me, I’m sure what you are talking about. But I’m not going to make fun of her how did they recommend her”
Juela brings out the note, the list of questions they have in mind. “Turns out Kiege is able to get my notes to scramble and made hers to the front. Let’s first answer my question. Ahem* Your reflection, have you saved all the people you know so far?”
Tabitha starts tearing up, and Juela blocks her tears with sound of her magic ringing bell.
“In truth, there are only a few I know, but everyone trusts me. Thanks to Azin from the Not Worthy guild”
“Ah yes, that guild. That question should be answered to Yui. For now, can we continue . . .”
Yui is looking at Juela, sternly questioning to her eyes without a word. Juela wipes Tabitha’s tears and Yui keeps her temper and her tone shook the both of them
“This is Tabitha’s day or days. Get a move on or we can talk about it back at the embassy, we have a big lunch and dinner will ruin our waist if we keep this up”
Tabitha wipes her tears and asked “Then why the early big feast at lunch”
“That’s where you have to face Kiege herself. You deserved not to hear her complain being hungry. You have no idea how improvised she is with food”
Tabitha turns to Juela for more about Kiege and she said “Have you eaten ‘monsters’ before?”
“No?”
“Kiege can cook monsters, it’s bad for you and at the same time good how its taste. You’ll regret someday when you taste it”
To their next stop, they found a saloon or spa among the stores. Tabitha was a bit ecstatic to see it, and Juela is here for a reason. She points it out. “Since we are here and Kiege won’t be liking at this place. We guess we could try to relax there”
Juela looks at the prices “By the gods, why is so expensive?”
Yui shows her remarks “Everything around here is expensive”
Juela takes her first hesitation to pull out her purse. “I hope this place is better than the one in Enders Bridge”
“Wait! You guys have a spa there?”
Juela shuts her mouth and forgot that Tabitha didn’t come with them into their spa. Tabitha cornered her as she tries to make excuses. Yui never seen Tabitha acting up over a relaxing service.
“Yeah, we have that at our city. I never knew you love something expensive. Let’s compare it to this one, let’s see they have one of those environmental saunas or sun-bathing quarter houses. Tabitha’s eyes shine that is not even spa supposed to have, she comes to Yui’s side and said,
“Are there more?”
“Juela, you are the expert here with a calm attitude. You tell her”
Yui watches the two fighting to get the details of the spa. No matter how the two plays along in such a rough commotion. She opens the door and saw the staff were all charming men. The clients are in the waiting room, eyeing at them as they show their charms. Yui thought about Tabitha just said before
“. . . Kiege won’t be liking at this place . . .”
She never questioned it and now the boys are the staff. Tabitha was right, Kiege has no interest of having conversation with men. Especially Ladies’ man.
“Heh, I guess Tabitha learned about us better than I have believed”
Kombat never seen his nephew focuses on Kiege’s works, away from the nice muscles and closer to the forge. A sip of his coffee and looking at Kiege’s physique at the back and lower down to her legs. He imagined what she looks like in a gym. A slight slow to the sounds of the smithing with her own talents. Miyusuki is trying to snap his uncle up as his eyes are direct focus.
“Ah? Uncle where at you looking at?”
“The nice curves I see from that weird piece of metal”
“Is your uncle, ok?”
“Yeah, he is usually strict when using the workshop but he is looking at that piece. What’s that?”
“Some parts I need to make for your training, now help me brand this on the plate”
Kiege did more on smithing than actual workshop. No using at the table and keep using herself to improvise the materials faster than using it outright the clamps, bearings, or any of the power tools. This makes him want to teach her a thing or two. Kiege’s own hands are strong, treated like other tools to hold in place as she rams the hammer on the plating like she is the metal press. All while Miyusuki helps her to use the blowtorch.
Too fast than any normal people in metal crafting, but it seems her improvision is developing to the next step. First, she makes her own tools, then shift to a proper working station, and finally, all the pieces are ready for assembly. It is odd, but he can’t judge someone in this world of magic. It wasn’t even an hour after that they are now in the assembly phase
“How am I going to believe that you are actually crafting that fast?”
His uncle is seeing what she did in quick succession. “It’s because this city is overwhelming using of mana for me to use it better”
Channeling the mana from her hands, her equipment had gathered so much and temper the materials with proper measure.
Mostly the materials are realistic enough for his uncle to get it to work with power tools, and seeing her using magic without the power tools and heavy machinery made him feel dumbfounded. Miyusuki thought the same, and he can only trust her effort.
“What a woman” His uncle says it without regret.
Miyusuki was embarrassed and said to Kiege “Don’t mind him, what you have done is really amazing”
“Amazing huh?”
Kiege pulls out her scroll and gathered all the materials and put it together, the rest of the materials are sent to the equipment and let it do its own thing.
A powerful scroll quickly crafts the needed item she needed. She did at the beginning was pure rune writing. Both of them don’t know that rune writings require carving the words on the plates. It will reveal itself to her once the neutral mana is removed and let the scroll fickle with it inside the item. A large boom coming from it and her set is complete, the hocus pocus special effects appeared out of nowhere as his uncle embarrassingly did it to his nephew.
“You still using that poof thing every time something is finished”
“I was planning to help you out, but she’s got herself more than an hour. I can’t complain with that hot bod right there”
Miyusuki misunderstands, he looks at her and not the items she made. Those elusive innuendos make him think differently, but his uncle is not wrong by the way. She wears it front of them as the basic armory with simple plates and guards. Then she brings out from her magic bag is the machineries from Rune Isles. As it almost gets into a warning signal inside his uncle workshop. It manages to hide beneath her new piece of equipment. Kiege picks Miyusuki up, and made his uncle figure it out.
“Is that an exoskeleton?”
“I don’t know what you have just said, but it’s up to you when use it. I know it’s illegal to bring here, but enemies will sure use it here”
His uncle was a bit skeptic, yet he understands why he can’t stop her in this. His first encounter from his partner, Sniper, said to him when they come across the wraith in power armor. A monstrosity in between the newly grown massive tree. His nephew needs more the training he could get about this world, and starts to imagine how many girls he will have to see him really done something great. Kombat plays along
“I allow it, but first let me bring out my camera to record my nephew’s first training with you”
“Recordings? Since your family, I expect you going to show it your friends later”
Where Kiege is wearing less than she should, she wears only the safety uniform. Her other clothes left on the table, Kombat wasn’t trying to see the nice view of her. It is telling himself the speed and the precision of her inside his work shop is safety reasons. It reminds him about Sniper about the fictional scifi-fantasy, battle engineers or something. He thought to himself how he can make something in the midst of battle. He had his pointers on the Repair boy, the Dexter Guild is giving him only words for now. Now he can see more than just heavy equipment in the making. Kiege is making in front of him. He won’t be left behind as he worries for his nephew.
They step out from the workshop. The people are here is watching their co-worker’s nephew to train, and their gaze focus on her instead. Kiege has this strict look on her face as she wears the exoskeleton. Swaying her hands to test the abilities it has, and her prototype lamp in a cylindrical glass. The mechanism of her exoskeleton helps her reload her magic scroll inside. Only two papers at a time, but it only light at once. She has too many disadvantages with her improvised replica of her own equipment. It doesn’t matter, she has her power level down enough and strong enough to face the gauntlet.
Her smiles to herself showing off how she is going to feel what Archivist and the rest of her guildmembers working in this city. The thrill of a pain with a bad handicap,
“So, shield student. I hope you’ve been improved without your mentor”
“I told you before, I am training with Haw. I am doing normal exercises and learn to practice my skills”
“I admired the effort you bring yourself into, kid. Then how about feeling a spar, I’ll show you how an adventurer deal with people with high defense”
The cheers from the back as the workers on their breaks showing their supports
“You can do it”
“Let us see how you can handle her”
“Don’t get dominated with her looks, just the thighs and it’s all good”
“Look at her muscles, that’s the only thing that won’t make you hard, laugh*”
Kiege hears them trying to make smooth liners on the boy, not understanding what they said, she looks at the boy’s impression blushing and trying to focus here. A twitch coming from her face, she really doesn’t like to see serious man distracted only by her beauty. She is one strong woman from Rune Isles.
“Alright, raise your weapons, if you have one, Miyusuki”
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The spar is starting and everyone is looking at Miyusuki’s progress. He suits up his armor, gauntlet, his rune shield and his personal throwing daggers. Kiege sees that he is acting like a javelin man. She sets her stance and slowly moving side to side, bravely moving forward. Her weapons make a sound and can’t be seen. The shield student combined his gauntlet, set to left-handed, with his throwing knives. Wary to see Kiege without holding a weapon, the noise coming from her hand holding nothing can made a sound of metal.
He throws his daggers first, high speed precision. Kiege takes the damage. With her fast reflex intentionally hits her shoulder, to where she can endure, and takes slight steps back. The throw feels like a bolt than normal throwing knives. She feels the daggers are burning up and pulls it out. The daggers return to his hands.
“Groan*”
With her confident face, she persists and keep making a sound of her invisible weapons. The shield student did it again and throws at her, this time in more critical spots.
Kiege got hit again, but didn’t hit where the shield student thought. Haw taught him about this, when he faced him and got beaten because he didn’t hit the weak points. Now it repeats again with her. She is trying to learn about him by using her body as a test. She observes him carefully as he starts to play along the idleness. She nods proudly that he knows what she is trying to do. The daggers are still on her, hitting mostly her arms and protecting her body as where the mechanism she placed on. The shield student starts doubting if he wants to picks his dagger back. Cheers uprising his doubt as the workers support him
“Keep going, she is at the distance”
“Do that trick, it seems to work”
The shield student watches her steps and acting according what he sees. The aches she is showing but remained calm and proudly looking at him. The cheers keep going as the confidence boost lowered his suspicion. He nods to himself and pulls the dagger off from her. Kiege’s mechanical limbs comes out, a twig like hands come out and grabs the daggers from disappearing. The runes on her exoskeleton opens up and brings her closer to him. Both Kiege and the shield student held the throwing daggers, his gauntlet and her mechanical limb touched. He bashes his shield on her and backs away.
“Groan*” Kiege feels another powerful blow, she stumbles a bit and keep herself still and proudly to see his performance. The shield student can’t see why she is struggling but keep her positive attitude. Once again play the same beginning, he keeps his stance and keep watch on her. Kiege starts coughing as her way has difficulty getting through his shield. Her weapons still make a noise without him seeing what weapon it is. He sees nothing, and she swings it low, dragging on the ground to hear the sliding metal blade on the floor. A slight spark coming from the final edge of the sweep, it gets brighter as she begins to strike.
He raises his shield and hears only a bump on it. No strong impacted on it, he looks up what’s going on. Then the spark is above to his head and gets a whack with a strong blunt force. A strong hit and he is tipping down. Kiege commits the dangerous blow as she slides it again on the floor and the sparks keep going, ending the use of her invisible weapon. She continues to use her shoulder to bash him down further. The shield student switches his gauntlet from left to right-handed and the rune shield is energized. The shield exploded with a strong knockback force, pushing her away cleanly.
Her injured body barely keep herself holding up from the runes. The exoskeleton brings out more limbs and reaches out to his feet, the powered shield creates a barrier, making it harder for the limbs to catch him. He throws his dagger and she was able to catch it, the mechanical limbs have reflexes go beyond from her abilities. He’s shocked, then she fights back as another invisible weapons pierces through his rune shield. The impervious shell still holds but something phases through him and feels like he was being impaled. He instinctively pushes her out as he was being pulled.
Kiege jumps over his bashing shield and go to his shoulders. She was able to land on top of his head and locked him with her legs. The shield student’s head is being crushed by her strong thighs with the strong grip of the exoskeleton. He throws his energized rune shield. It bounces off as the barrier appeared out of nowhere. Keeps on bouncing around to hit her from the back.
“AAH!”
Kiege screams as the tremendously hits her back, giving herself to endure it and squeezing him even more. The mechanical limbs forced out to pull her to the ground, slamming him to the floor. Dropping to the floor, Kiege fell harder.
The shield student drop on his face with the weight of her and her thigh grip. She fell with her arms injured from the daggers leaving no protection for her head to land on. She rolls down and her lamp falls and leaving a crack. Agonizing in pain, she kept looking confidently and sees the shield student is standing up for more. The confident face still twitching on her. The lamp unleashes the spell on him as the two scrolls activated. Miyusuki’s feeling drained and his arms feeling pierced.
The aura of the spells drained his body off and transfer it to Kiege. Kiege is able to move her arms and hears the sounds of her invisible weapon. He hears the swift sound of the weapon moving, her weapon is materializing and see that she carries a flail. It then transforms into a staff and twirl it around and gives him the final blow. Not likely though, his energized shield keeps bouncing and hits her staff before landing a hit. The opportunity was lost, the shield student didn’t realize it. He tries to bring out his throwing daggers, he misses the shot as she ripostes it and hits his hand. The last combo she had done is landing on his wounds coming from his arms. Ending the fight, with him given up.
His uncle and the others never expect to see Kiege to fight like that. Their reading signatures found out, that her equipment is inferior to his. But there is no judging on an experienced woman against the inexperience student. They clap for his young nephew. Kiege is also happy to see his progress, but she hates one little thing about him. They give them a healing potion. His uncle helps his nephew to drink it, but Kiege stops him.
“His training is not over yet”
“I understand, but I won’t be a good guardian if he is lying down in pain”
“That pain is not even worth crying for. Even you know you have faced the siege before”
His co-workers give a strong remark “Ouch! I think she gives that boy a deserve lesson here. I am not sure how she able to fight with that invisible weapon of hers, but we sure need to learn more about these secrets. Why can’t we see your weapons though?”
“It’s because what this technology has is cloaked”
The exoskeleton revealed its true form. They see it clearly as it has its own energy weapons. The mechanism, it interacts how the limbs moved and turn into a weapon. Very thin strong wires that won’t flex, able to move and transition into a different weapon.
Kiege picks him up on his waist to her shoulders and his front to her back. His behind is showing in front of them. This is showing to herself as a sign of capture and victory. She said to him
“I made that exoskeleton because of your gauntlet. An amateur like you can’t be greedy enough with that energy of yours hitting on me with your daggers”
The exoskeleton is powering down, and her muscles start to bulk and carry the weight. She places him down and looks at him again with confidence. Miyusuki wants to know
“Why all the sparring I have, I lost every time?”
“You lost, because you need endurance”
The workers give the ‘ooh’ at him, it is true that he needs some stats to uncover some hidden skills from what he learned. He persists “Then please tell me what I am not doing right”
“Certainly, first excuse your audience because I am not a sweet heart like your friend, Tabitha”
“But we are not that close”
“Do you want me to be close to you?”
The random weapon she pulls out, an actual solid weapon. Shines in runes as it flows along the air. The aura is not particularly any mana in their city. The bright wind glows forth, flowing out around them.
Her smirk is getting gentler, not visually, the wind is elven. Miyusuki never felt like this and know it is dangerous. Still, he shows no fear on the outside, and his instinct is shouting from his heart to show fear.
“Do you like to or not?”
Miyusuki is pulsing his head, yet his body is relaxed. Dividing both his conscious and his body, his stuttering mouth can’t normally react to sudden movement and in slow motion on his lips, and still able to keep him from fainting. His training paid off, to the short of it. He needs to be as Enders as he can be and have little honesty to himself.
“Can I? Because I want to be as strong close to you as a warrior because my role is a tank”
“. . .”
“Uh?”
The crowd went on blushing for him. The innuendo gets to him to say it, and he has no idea he meant to her. Kiege sees the mood around her, seriously staring at them to think it is those one of those romantic one liner. She has enough and said to him in a strict tone.
“I have enough, come with me. I’ll rather teach your privately for now on”
“Ooh!”
The workers laugh as a joke, and Miyusuki is getting embarrassed for some reason.
He turns to her and see her eyes glaring to a point of life-threatening. It’s haunting and she seems don’t like what she sees. Miyusuki misunderstood and said,
“I’m sorry?!”
“For what?!”
“!!!” She answers him so suddenly and pulled him up again and carried him away, one last sight before she is about to leave. The audience gives thumps up to the boy for good luck. The forced polite smile coming from her as she asks his uncle for permission.
“May I continue this boy’s training”
“Oh sure . . .” The twitching smile coming from him made her wish he shouldn’t
“Please be gentle with him”
The workers laugh highly and gives their goodbyes. Miyusuki feels the strength of her arms holding tightly or squeezing into his body as if she needs to strangle someone to ease her temper. He needs to endure it, and thanks to the partial of his mana in him. His resistances are able to hold off her strong grip. She places him down on the floor behind the building. Kiege sees him confused from all this. This moment like this she will get explode and bent her rage to herself, but there are also other ways to do it.
“Hey! Is there a place you can lift weights?”
“Uh?”
Kiege is furious at the moment, and Miyusuki had pointed a way. More clearly, he uses his gauntlet to enhance his limited mana to cast a portal. Still confused and Kiege follows through the portal, dragging him along to soothe her annoyed face. It’s the gym in Mihayara district, a deep breath coming her mouth and no sigh. It’s frustrating as she comes in as she is desperate. Miyusuki follows her in. The staff welcomes them, and immediately feels a dark aura from her. Enrage and impatient, they immediately go through to stop her. It wasn’t that long, and she was able to get in without problem. It took a bit of time as she finally gets what she wanted.
Miyusuki pounders himself what’s going on. Still Kiege is working out is making him curious. Everyone looks at her as they are using the normal exercise routine, while she is more than doing normal. Because of the rules of the standard weight limit, she brings her personal runes to bring in more weights. Her muscles are burning and veins showing, and still keeps her beauty. They see her muscles are normal, but the way she carries the weights are beyond to their expectation. No magic, and just pure on human strength. A wipe from her sweat she feels her exhaustion coming out from it.
She sits next to him holding her breath. A strong shout covered with runes mitigate it. “I can’t believe I wasn’t controlling my anger”
“So, what was that for? You went silent after I reply”
“Pardon me, but I am not a worthy mentor. I can understand what you just said, but those guys get into my veins when they trying to smother up some words. I may not understand it but their expressions give it away”
“Wait? You don’t like people talk to you like that”
“I sure I can tolerate it, People has limits. Even I am a woman”
Miyusuki got stuck to this place because Kiege got a bad attitude from the workers. Because of his time is watching her, he took it a chance to ask her
“Then would you like to teach me something Haw told me?”
“About what?”
“The reaction . . .”
“Reaction?! Oh, you mean the beginning and the ending. ‘Reaction’ is not commonly used to us, but some guild knew but I can tell you what it is”
Kiege and Miyusuki go to a different room as they discuss about it. Kiege brought her mechanical limb as an example.
“You see here, this limb. Robotic is made out all the materials around the world. The only way to make real is to get them to make this. This is a basis of reaction, multiple tasks into one action. Tell me, Miyusuki. From the beginning, do you find something about you gathering around the Enders”
“I’m not sure if this is a reaction. Would make it clear that I tell you everything?”
“I hope not, I’m not that smart but I would guess that gauntlet of yours. I might take a guess at it”
Miyusuki tells from the start; from Sanquin’s ceremony, basis of exercising with Haw, his first gauntlet, the accident, the meeting with Tabitha, his first adventure as a guild member, and lastly, he almost forgot the strange gem he had. Kiege listens to him very carefully. His adventures are really something, and what’s stranger that there is more than her own guild who is helping him. This is what Haw meant, but is the time really correct?
“Since when did Haw mentioned you about it? Was it before your first group adventure or after?”
“I think it is after. Have you figured it out already?”
The looks of his face wanting answers. Kiege sees why Haw had said it to him. Enders Guild have a knack on having someone to test their targets for them, but this is personal. Comparing to Tabitha’s reflection will probably led her to use the support of other guilds, this boy being the disciple of Sanquin. It must mean that the daemos had already consider him. It is too soon for him to know about it. The best person to play these words are
“You should try to talk to Yui. I think is connecting to you is the gem. You said there’s an object inside. I know runes, not magic gems”
“Ok, could you ask around to them? I don’t want to explain to them again”
The rest of the evening is learning about his requirements, Miyusuki notice how Kiege is not a good teacher type because of her temper. However, there are things he learns to get the right fitness he needed to use Sanquin’s techniques. Kiege sees only a few natural stats have flourished on to him. He has stamina, and that’s it. His strength, dexterity, and endurance are lacking. Yet she feels sorry for him to bring him along to body build herself. With that, on this hour, she discusses one last thing.
“Then let’s try to use Sanquin’s basic technique”
“Really here? Why now?”
“It’s an apology for letting myself in grief. You can at least learn it since you only gain stamina”
“Wait, I was also doing some exercise too”
“In order to obtain strength other physical physique, it needs exposure. Your city is clean for you to have such physique. I know you don’t understand it, since you don’t know how neutral mana does in your body”
“Then how do you obtain it?”
“Pure raw power, not in the use of mana. The limits how your kind naturally strong you are. It will take some time for you to learn. How about I give you a technique then?”
“Sure!”
Excitement going around his head as he is given untold abilities, no citizens would understand this technique as it is only required on pure stamina. Teleported near at the Ferry, the outside of it. The same place where Haw and him sparred. Miyusuki mimics how Kiege is making in a sitting position. The breathing technique, it wasn’t what he had thought but he did it what he was instructed to do.
“Carefully exhales, use your stamina to release out something inside of you. You’ll see your breath in colorful mist and . . . Well, that’s an odd color”
Miyusuki sees his breath, black, and reminiscence how Archivist breathe out back in the water realm. It shook him into excitement.
“Kiege, this is amazing. What abilities it can do with it . . .? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Kiege is only staring and right in front of her is a breath of shadowy mist. Archivist had it too, comparably, his breath has stronger texture than she had remembered. Sanquin also used this breath too. She remembers how she uses it, and with enough move sets used, there can be a chance that this boy could be able to do it differently.
“Try to control it, with just your thoughts. From what I can see here, Sanquin is truly your mentor”
Miyusuki entrusted her to follow what she instructs him. The black breath flows around him and continue to swirl around. Then it’s starting to form and morph into what he had imagined. A body is made, then soon vanished from thin air. Kiege sees what it is and said to him
“Was that a dark silhouette with white eyes?”
“You saw it? I imagined someone. Can’t you see what he looks like”
“With eyes that big, I can’t say much”
Miyusuki feels little light in the head, but he surely saw it’s identical to Archivist’s. Maybe this is his opportunity with his training with them.