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[You’ve gained the new Skill: Noble Phantasm: Assemble the Heavenly Host! Heroes don’t have to fight alone. You can call for assistance in the form of old allies. Mana expenditure rather large. Skill level reduces the expenditure. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Uh, yes. Hell yes. Even if she could summon one of her old allies for a handful of seconds, she knew some people who could make a difference in that time. Yes, yes, and once again yes. She knew people who could match almost any of the other Heroic Spirits. Hell, she knew some of the Heroic Spirits. Even if only momentarily, two was better than one.
[You’ve gained the new Skill: Original Slayer of Gods! For good or bad, you were cast out for being able to kill the original God. You’ve also killed beings that title themselves as gods, and there is no being that can’t fall down at your feet. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
That’s…ok, but what does it do? No explanation. Just a mystery. Right, let’s take it, yes.
The Skills she’d gotten were somewhat odd in theory, though she knew the Skills of the Heroic Spirits worked a bit differently in application. Their reach was longer than one would assume at first glance. For instance, [Magic Resistance] didn’t resist just magic. In fact, in that world, there were only a handful of beings capable of using true magic. The rest used what was called thaumaturgy. So why have a Skill like that? Because it wasn’t just magic it resisted.
She was somewhat surprised she hadn’t been offered [Territory Creation], though it made certain sense. She didn’t really have a place to call home. No place that could be called her territory. She had adapted to fighting in all sorts of circumstances, so having a terrain specifically advantageous to her didn’t really exist. All she’d be doing would be to bring others into territory they were disadvantaged at, and that wasn’t the purpose of the Skill.
She noted that she’d leveled up several times just from picking her Skills, the effect of her [Been There, Done That] Skill. Extra 1500% Exp was no joke. She also confirmed that she got the expected 100 Stat points, which would likely last until level 50.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the door opening silently. “Done?” Yoruichi asked.
“About there. I’m still working through some of the details, but in general yes.” She nodded.
“Anything good?” Her old friend asked.
“Heroic Spirit. XXX-ranked at that.” She didn’t bother hiding.
Yoruichi gave a small whistle. “Nice. Risky as well. You’ll get summoned at some point. Wait. Considering how much you’ve gotten around, double entendre intended, I wouldn’t be shocked if you were summoned often.”
“My Guide implied as much, although I was able to wrangle some guarantees.” She revealed.
“…Your Guide can hook you up with some special conditions?” Yoruichi noted right away.
“Quite. I was given to understand that my Guide is currently the main embodiment of the System. So, there’s that. Oh, and he’s taking the form and personality of Lucifer, my silly brother, so…” She shrugged again, seeing no point in hiding that fact from Yoruichi.
“I’m…not sure how I should feel about that. You told me about your brother in the past. On one hand, great, more fun. On the other hand, oh great, more shenanigans.” Yoruichi lamented.
“My thoughts exactly. He’s been toying with me ever since I’ve been born here. Pretty sure he and Mother conspired together to bring me here in the first place. And it might have been for this exact purpose. They at least leaned on me heavily to take this Class. Usually, they wouldn’t do something like that, until it was important to their plans.” She explained. “I got the distinct impression that while I could pick something else, there might be…knock-on effects.”
"Hence why you were able to haggle." Yoruichi nodded in understanding. "Well, we're down this path now. Might as well make the most of it."
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The next couple of months were filled with almost constant missions to deal with both the Vampires and Chaos. The Empire’s problems were not about to end anytime soon, and there was plenty to do, although the situation was improving. The Class Heroic Spirit naturally leveled the fastest when doing either something heroic or something villainous, and hunting down Vampires and Chaos certainly qualified. Everyone else was benefitting as well, even if her progress was obviously the fastest.
By the end of the two months, the situation took a sharp turn. Teclis’ plan with Cathay started bearing fruit, and the Chaos Demons were slowly being pushed back towards the poles of the planet, where the ambient magic was the thickest. The effect wasn’t instantaneous, but every battle and mission saw a decreasing number of Demons able to manifest to aid in battle. They wouldn’t be stopped entirely at any point, but their influence was diminishing greatly. That, in turn, allowed the Empire to focus on other matters.
Karl Franz was finally seated as the emperor. There’d been an attack on some of the electors, but that attack had been repelled, earning him some much-needed favor, and his actions to protect the empire were bearing fruit. They weren’t perfect, but the electors noted that things were improving. A new alliance with both Cathay and the High Elves helped, and the improved trade was also an economic boon, something that helped counter the cost of hiring so many mercenary groups to help with the festering problems of the nation. And while the mercenaries and witch hunters couldn't deal with all the internal problems, things like religious schisms would still remain, the reduction in many previously large problems helped a lot. The practical eradication of roaming Beastmen herds and most bandits alone was a large boon to internal security.
"In summary, the Empire is under the impression that they can now reduce their expenditure on groups like ours," Chachamaru stated, with their group gathered in their ship. "While that means our employment here has come to an end, for now at least, it also means job well done. Bonuses all around.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Tatsumiya nodded in realization. “Now that the emperor has gained his throne, his own authority is also much higher, allowing for a better utilization of their own resources to deal with issues.”
“They’re being a bit premature though.” Yoruichi frowned. “Many of their problems have gone underground, but they aren’t gone. We may have hunted down several Vampires for example, but we never really solved the problem with the chalices and where they were coming from.”
“Agreed.” Chachamaru nodded. “However, that just means more work for us in the future. This is the ebb and flow of mercenary work. When a client decides we are no longer necessary, then we must abide.”
“When’s Teclis arriving?” Kaede asked.
“In a few days. He’s still working with the Cathayans, making sure that the latest project has no issues.” Chachamaru was proving invaluable, taking care of all sorts of running issues like this. “We’re going to set flight towards Cathay in the meantime to pick him up. No point in making him travel to us.”
“Do we already have something lined up next?” Seraphiel asked.
"Not yet. We've been working fairly hard for months now, and I thought it better to allow everyone to have some time off. A day here and there isn't enough to fully unwind. Besides, this world has been pretty rough on all of us. It's not an easy place to deal with. There's bound to be stress piled up, even if not fully visible yet." Chachamaru revealed her plans. "We'll have a bit of time off. Enough for everyone to visit friends and family. We can have the ship parked at Mahora in the meantime. I'll handle re-supply and Seraphiel can officially get her graduation papers.”
Even Seraphiel had to admit a bit of rest was a good idea. She was perhaps the most used out of everyone to constant struggle and being thrown from one crisis to another, but even she knew the value of rest. The last couple months especially had been pretty rough. They hadn’t even had time to go unwind with Yoruichi.
Speaking of. “I’ll have to make an appearance at the Soul Society. I’m still a Captain, and I’ll need to make things official with them. On the upside, Rangiku will probably also want to join us, as might a couple of others.” The Shinigami explained.
There went that plan. “Of course. I know you came to us rather suddenly. No Zaraki Kenpachi though!” She insisted.
“From everything you’ve told me, I might enjoy fighting him," Wrex commented eagerly.
"That…might not actually be a bad idea," Yoruichi muttered. "Hazardous for everyone around you, but…"
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Teclis wasn't alone when he came up the ship's ramp. He was accompanied by the very person they'd saved not too long ago. "Princess." Seraphiel nodded in a slightly confused greeting.
“Lady Seraphiel. Would it be possible for me to join your mercenary unit, at least provisionally?” The Dragon in humanoid form asked.
“I don’t have anything against it, but I feel obliged to point out that this seems a little out of place. And that this won’t be safe.” Teclis had mentioned the possibility that they might gain an ally from this, but she hadn’t expected it to be Shen-Zoo. “Your family went to great lengths to find you and bring you to safety. It seems a little odd that they’d send you away and into further danger.”
Shen-Zoo nodded, apparently having expected the question. "This mostly comes from my mother. She feels it is necessary for me to gain more experience and learn to defend myself better. In her opinion, my other siblings are already capable of defending themselves adequately, but as recent events show, I do not have that capability. I feel that's a little unfair since even my siblings might have fallen prey to Greater Demons, but we are where we are. I also have the additional mission of gaining more information about other worlds and even to potentially forming beneficial relationships outside our world. My other siblings have their duties, and I believe this is to be mine.”
“Right. Ok. I can see all that, but why us? I mean, yes, we were instrumental in rescuing you, but we aren’t exactly the safest group to gain experience with. Nor will we abide by the sort of decorum that might be expected when dealing with a princess.” She pointed out.
"I think that was the point. I need real experience, not just a 'less sheltered experience' as my mother put it. She's been…observing you for a while now and feels that I might gain that experience with you. She also mentioned that being with you might actually be safer than you let on. Yes, there's risk, as there would be with any mercenary group. But not every group is led by a being of a rank even higher than us Dragons. Nor watched over so closely by a powerful deity." Here it seemed that these were things her mother had revealed to Shen-Zoo, and not something the princess had discovered herself, seeing as the princess was looking at her with new respect. “Besides, there is a certain amount of…internal struggle for power within Cathay at the moment. My mother thought I’d be safer outside for now. My initial abduction had to have some help from the inside, and your group is certainly above suspicion.”
“Seems reasonable enough. Besides, they probably aren’t telling us everything. We wouldn’t tell them everything either.” Yoruichi gave her opinion. “I see no reason to reject her, assuming she carries her weight.”
Shen-Zoo stood a little straighter. “Admittedly my abilities in combat are not as great as my siblings, but when it comes to support, I stand above anyone in Cathay. Aside from being a Light Dragon, my Classes are all directed towards supporting others. I have Classes for healing, tactical support, and strategy. Not direct combat Classes like I mentioned, but I can heal almost anything, and give buffs that few can rival.”
“We are lacking a dedicated support, even if you’ve been doing that mostly.” Kaede nodded towards Seraphiel. “Now, all we’re really lacking are non-combat things like crafting. Our direct frontline could use someone aside from Wrex, but he’s doing rather well as is. And once you gain more levels, you’ll slot in perfectly for that role. Heck, you’re already almost there. You’re certainly more durable than anyone besides maybe Wrex.”
Seraphiel agreed. "Welcome aboard. Chachamaru will show you where you can place your things." She turned towards Chachamaru. "On that note, one of the things we could look into during this vacation is our lacking non-combat personnel. We could really use a proper crafter. I have plenty of ideas, and can now produce materials, but my ability to turn them into proper weapons and armor is limited. With all the work we’ve done for the Empire, and the reward for rescuing Shen-Zoo, we're flush with cash and resources.”
"We could use a dedicated base as well." Chachamaru nodded. "Currently the ship works as a mobile base, and we can easily dock at either Citadel or Mahora, but once our reach starts expanding, we could use a dedicated home. If for no other reason than to have some place where people who want to hire us can reach us reliably. Currently, I've found all our work from my end, but once we get a decent reputation, people will try to reach us instead."
“Something to take under advisement.” Seraphiel agreed. “Brainstorm some ideas during your time off.”
“Any news of being summoned?” Yoruichi asked. “You mentioned it would likely be around this time.”
“Nothing yet. Though that is another reason to have a bit of a vacation. It would be nice timing if the summoning happened during the vacation instead of when we’re on a mission.”
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"Sir." A woman who gave the impression of the idealized form of the word secretary spoke. "We have an urgent report from Laplace." She was speaking into an intercom.
“I assume it’s something important, considering I did say I didn’t wish to be disturbed.” A male voice responded.
“I would say so, sir. The System is recognizing a new Heroic Spirit.” She reported.
“And? That can’t be it. It’s not common, but not enough to be important.” The male voice asked.
“The System is evaluating the new Spirit as a Grand Servant and one of the Top Servants.” She revealed the real reason everyone at the base was in a tizzy.
The voice on the other end of the call was quiet for a moment. “Come in.” He finally stated.
The woman gracefully stood up, picking up a small folder, and made her way to the large armored doors on the other side of the room. The doors opened automatically, allowing her to step inside, the noise of her heels clicking changing when the floor changed from marble to metal. The room was not overly large, although it held several large bookshelves brimming with old books and manuscripts.
Sitting at a desk was a middle-aged man with long silver hair and a pair of round glasses, dressed in a stylish black suit. He waved her closer. "I need details. What Grand Class, name, legends, any known parameters, abilities, anything."
"We have no name nor most of the other information you requested. Laplace was only able to produce a list of titles. The main title given was 'The Exile'. Other titles include The First One, The Savior, The Liberator, The Arbiter, The King of Celestials, and most worryingly 'The Original Slayer of Gods'. Apparently, The Exile qualifies for several Grand Classes, including Saber, Caster, Lancer, Berserker, Archer, Shielder, and Ruler.” She reported the little they had managed to find out so far.
“Grand Shielder or Ruler?” The man frowned. “There’s no Grand Shielder, and there has definitely never been a Grand Ruler.”
“There is now.” She said simply.
“At least we can infer some things from her titles. Especially The King of Celestials. Implies some sort of angelic heritage. The main title sounds a little familiar.” He tapped the table a bit in thought, before standing up and walking to one of the bookshelves and pulling out a very old and damaged manuscript. He carefully laid it on the table, before reading through it. “There are some very old references to a being known as The Exile. Apparently, several gods tried to summon them as a Champion and failed. Then there was some old agreement to not summon them. No reasons survive to this day.”
“Tried and failed?” She confirmed. “Why forbid it, if the summon failed?”
“It doesn’t go into further detail. We could speculate, but that’s all it would be. Speculation.” He stated firmly.
“How shall we respond?” She asked.
“For now, try to find out more. Oh, and inform Zelretch. The Wizard Marshal would be mighty annoyed if we didn’t keep them appraised.” He ordered.