“With bated breath my sword stands ready,

Overconfidence plastered on my opponent’s face.

As our blades cross I stay steady,

Yet his demeanor screams that I’m a disgrace.

With Grandfather, even if I win, I lose.

He was never the one I was going to choose.”

* ‘Spar’, Prism ‘Ghostlight’ Seras, 2056

We continued in silence for a little bit. Both Zuri and I were lost in our thoughts, and Stryx gave us the time that we needed. The distraction wasn’t something I liked, and I was kind of mad at myself for bringing up this topic now, and not waiting with it until later. Well, whatever, what’s done is done.

The breeze didn’t reveal much, nor could I see anything. We were still not far enough to leave the range of the pheromone traps Zuri had used earlier, which were likely the reason for our peace and quiet. But that wouldn’t hold forever.

Really, if I was having trouble concentrating, Zuri would probably be entirely unaware of what was going on around us. As much as I hated the idea, it might be best for me to give her some rudimentary training, just so that I could ensure she wouldn’t be hurt by an ambush.

Giving her a glance, I found Zuri frowning. I was a bit surprised to see it, but it seemed that she wasn’t entirely happy with our circumstances either.

Finally she spoke up, sounding… I didn’t want to say agitated, but it wasn’t her typical calm tone either. “I hope you didn’t just pick me for Yurei’s sake.”

I did not. If you were not qualified to become a Samurai, I would not have taken you on. While we are granted some leeway when it comes to assisting a Samurai under our care, the requirements, by which Samurai are elected, cannot be changed or ignored. Even if it might make working with one of our charges easier, or help them feel more secure and confident, we could not take on another person just because they wish for it. That is simply outside of our mission parameters and programming. The only liberty I have taken is being upfront with how I have gone about fulfilling my mission.

She nodded, obviously relieved. “Good. I would have hated to be some token Samurai. That said, I don’t think this is a bad outcome.”

I didn’t comment, already having made my opinion clear.

Zuri looked thoughtful for a moment. “It does make me wonder, though. How will that change how we operate? As Samurai, I mean?”

While this might be a non-standard arrangement, the functionality won’t be changed much. Each of you retains their own set of points and catalogues, which you can freely broaden or share as any other Samurai can. You can work together and enjoy the same 10% point bonus that others enjoy, and obtain items from each other's catalogues as any other Samurai might opt to do, if they find someone to work with.

“What a bummer,” she said with a sigh of mock-exasperation. “And here I thought we’d be special.”

In spite of how cringe-worthy this might sound to say, every Samurai is special in their own right. Few people show the characteristics that are required to be selected, and many who have the potential for it, opt not to act on it. Humanity is very much unlike a lot of other species out there, while also simultaneously being strikingly average. A few of my brethren have started theorising that the reason most Samurai, by which I mean Human Vanguard specifically in this case, don’t seem to fit as well into their own society, compared to the Vanguard of other species, stems from the way your society has been shaped over time to produce what the people in charge would call good workers. A disproportionate amount of Samurai exhibit strong neurodivergent behaviour, are, either in part or fully, shunned from society in differing ways, or have experienced great and traumatic hardship. And in most cases, all three of those possibilities are applicable.

That was an interesting titbit to learn about, although I didn’t really pay too close attention to it. We were slowly approaching the open area where Zuri had first started using the pheromone traps. And that meant that soon those effects would diminish and we were more likely to find more antithesis. I wanted to be prepared.

Zuri, of course, was fully focused on the conversation at hand. She blinked at Stryx words, a bit surprised. “Huh… That… is something I haven’t really thought about, but it feels true. I wonder where I fall on that spectrum.”

You are one of the rare outliers. Of course, you too show some neurodivergent behaviour and are not without your share of hardship. But compared to most Samurai, you are much closer to the human and societal norm.

“Really? Huh. The more you know, I guess.”

Indeed. Yurei’s case is very different, of course. Not that it is much of a secret.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Zuri nodded, giving me a small smile. “She is special, alright. That said, I have to admit to a small bit of surprise that you chose her. I know she has the potential to do good, but I always thought Samurai are these hero figures that could do no wrong.”

A perception shaped by what passes for media outlets, and one quite drastically wrong. Many Samurai have gone through similar experiences, just far less intense. In this case Yurei is an outlier not because of the experiences she’s made, but simply by the intensity of said experiences. Very few people have gone as far as she did and returned with their sanity and morality intact, or even improved. While the former might not fall under that category, the latter certainly does.

“Can we talk about something else?” I muttered, entirely not comfortable with the topic at hand. “Or maybe focus back on the task at hand? Zuri, you need to be more aware of what’s going on around you. If you keep being distracted like this all the time, sooner or later you’re going to get ambushed.”

She seemed a bit shocked by that, but did nod a moment later. “Fair enough. Sorry. Anyway, you also still haven’t answered my question earlier. What gear are you thinking of getting? If we run into more xenos, it might make sense to plan ahead a little.”

“Alright… And yeah, that is always a good idea. Anyway, I’m still not entirely sure what I want. Stealth is a requirement, but other than that… I want something that can deal with a lot of enemies at once, but not something explosive. Really, as weird as it might be, I’m thinking about getting that necromancy thing that Stryx mentioned earlier. It sounds useful, and combined with how well you can influence the battlefield, it should make us quite capable.” I gave her another glance. “I might not like it, but you’re a Samurai too. That means fighting. You are far too inexperienced with that for me to be comfortable with it, so I’m going to train you at least enough that you’ll be able to handle yourself. I know I can be a bit overbearing at times, but this isn’t a discussion. I’ll train you, and I’ll make sure you’re ready for anything.”

To my surprise she giggled. “Okay, teach. I’ll do my best to learn.”

“See that you do.”

Our trek continued for a little while, until we passed the point where the first trap had been laid out. From here on out we were far more likely to encounter more antithesis. Zuri picked up on my increased alertness, and any other conversation topics quickly died down, both of us focusing on what was around us.

It didn’t take long for us to find some signs of antithesis. A shift in the scent of the air signalled that something was close by. I looked up immediately, fully alert. Zuri also got the hint, following my lead and looking around. For a long moment there was nothing, and I wondered if I may have missed something, but then I could hear it. Very faintly, but there was that sound of rustling foliage.

“I suppose now might be a good opportunity for our first lesson,” I said softly, just barely loud enough for Zuri to hear.

She nodded in turn, her hand already raised, readying her strange glove.

“If you can’t take the time to scout ahead and gather information, your highest priority should be identifying the biggest threat and dealing with it immediately. Of course, only if you get the opportunity. If you can’t, sometimes retreating is the better option.”

While I spoke, I pointed out the direction from which I had heard the sound. She followed it, expression serious. I could detect a faint bit of fear in her stance, which was understandable. Not all too far was a group of three model Threes, plus one alien we hadn’t seen before. It took me a moment to recognise it, but once I did, I grimaced.

“That’s a model Four. From what I know, they are ambush predators. Right now, they should be our highest priority. Threes we can deal with, that one I’m less sure about. Once they get here, try to kill it as quickly as you can, before we start with the Threes. If you can’t, just let me know.”

Again she nodded, and I pulled us both a bit closer to the underbrush on our right. It would give us marginal cover. I didn’t want to outright vanish into it, since it would limit our mobility too much, but the longer we could go unnoticed, the better our chances.

The antithesis emerged from the underbrush, following along the path for a little while, sniffing the air. With the pheromones now no longer covering the tracks, they were likely following the scent trail of the group we had led through earlier. And that meant that there might also be more aliens hidden away.

When I finally judged them to be close enough, I signalled Zuri to strike. Without hesitation she got up, whipping out her hand. The strange threads immediately snapped out, invisible lines of death, cutting through the underbrush and the lead alien. Her strike was mostly precise. Enough to kill it, although it was a bit of a close call.

I didn’t linger and slipped out from next to her, one hand already on a throwing knife, and dashing towards the lead model Three. “Good job, now the others!”

The moment of surprise was now over, and the aliens immediately locked onto us. The lead Three dashed towards me, a second one close behind it. The third seemed unsure which one to target first, before it made off towards Zuri.

With a non-spinning, underhanded throw I embedded my knife in its side, making it stumble. This way Zuri should have enough time to dispatch it. At the same time, I pulled my dagger with my right, letting myself fall to the ground and sliding underneath the lead alien the moment it pounced.

Jumping to my feet just behind it, I slashed for the one following after, taken off guard by my manoeuver. My blade dug into its face, cutting open one of its eyes, before I took a step to the side to escape the claws flying towards me. In a moment, I had my second dagger drawn, cutting at its upper leg, rendering it useless. Quickly following up, I took a step towards it, going for the throat.

Alien goo splattered on the ground, and I took another step to the side, turning with the motion and cutting open its upper hind legs as well, making it fully collapse. The first alien had just finished turning around, and I followed the motion, keeping on its left side. I could see its muscles bunch up, and I quickly evaded its lunge.

Before I had time to go after it, something hit it, leaving deep gashes and nearly decapitating it. Looking up I found Zuri, hand still held outstretched, a dead Three laying next to her. The last alien tried to take a step, before its body finally registered its death and it collapsed.

“Well done,” I said, sheathing my blades again. “Quick and to the point.”

“Thanks,” Zuri said, voice just slightly trembling. She took a deep breath, visibly calming herself down, before she turned around to check our surroundings.

“Next time you check first, then take a breath. It might not seem important, but it’s that fraction of a second that might save your life, okay?”

She gave me a glance that told me she wanted to quip, but eventually thought better of it, just giving me a nod.