All Comforts

"John, you need to give it up and try to pass through here. If you keep going, they'll eventually realize how many of their roadblocks you've passed, and they'll-"

"Enough, Arista. I command you to stop bothering me," John spat, growling even more harshly than he'd meant to as he took a hard left, pulling onto another off-ramp and diverting them from yet another Trap Barrier that Layla had sensed only a kilometer or so out. Arista looked almost tediously annoyed, but she obediently closed her mouth as they continued along the roadways.

"John, she may have a point," Layla said from the back seat, the only other voice now allowed to speak since John had sent his creations back to his new world. "We shouldn't be coasting along these roads like this. They'll realize we're looking for an opening in the net they've put out, especially without Vallya here to conceal us. If you don't want to pass through, we can always turn back."

"No, we can't do that," John sighed, unwilling to give up on his mission. It hurt most to hear the suggestion from Layla, since she was more or less the only reason he was hesitating so much to go through the roadblock in the first place. Ever since she had first sensed that Trap Barrier on the major highways leading into southern California, John had been trying his best to find a way into Himiko's territory that wasn't guarded by an outpost of soldiers... and failing every step of the way.

"Why is it so hard to get in there? Arista, is every one of the so-called 'Deities' this well-protected?" John asked as he continued along the road.

"I've never heard of her security being so tight outside of the roads leading directly to her palace," Arista noted. "For her to push her security out past the borders of Malibu, she must be on the lookout for something. It's almost as if they're aware of-"

You have been forcibly brought into a Trap Barrier!
Nakamura Domain Barrier - Trap Barrier Passive Effects:
-All Spells blocked for inhabitants under Level 200 not serving the Nakamura Dynasty.
-All Enchanted items below Epic Quality are disabled when possessed by mages not serving the Nakamura Dynasty.
-All transportation or movement spells have been disabled for those below level 200 not serving the Nakamura Dynasty.
-All extradimensional spaces belonging to those below level 200 not serving the Nakamura Dynasty have been locked
-Damage dealt by those serving the Nakamura Dynasty doubled against those below level 200.

The once-jammed road ahead of them, filled with cars going so fast and close together John might have assumed they were suicidal, was instantly and immediately emptied out. In the place of California’s rushing traffic phased in a clustering of a dozen SUVs and APCs, surrounded by nearly three-dozen soldiers all taking different positions on the highway and pointing weapons at his oncoming vehicle.

"FUCK!"

John slammed on the brakes as quickly as he could, putting their rental car into a rapid stop that lifted the two right wheels off the ground as he pulled them off the highway and onto the rough shoulder of the road, eyes never leaving the two dozen mages ahead of him.

"Fucking hell, how did they pull this off?" John shouted as their vehicle finally came to a stop, trying to access his blade and armor out of reflex before he realized that his own inventory seemed to have fallen under the "extradimensional spaces" descriptor. Unarmed, magically suppressed, and unwilling to test if he could even access his new world, John stared down the lineup of vehicles and soldiers across from them. Every one of them was holding some kind of a gun pointed at him, but guns unlike any he had seen in the mundane realm – they were larger, with runes engraved along the barrels and stocks, most of the guns glowing in a cool blue color, some of them actively crackling with energy as they were pointed toward John's vehicle and his allies.

"They didn't have this Barrier up a moment ago," Layla said from the back seat. John spared only enough of a glance into his rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of the metallic sheen as she wielded a knife in each hand without hesitation. "I would have felt something this strong. They were targeting us specifically. They were watching us, possibly since the first Trap Barrier we turned away from, and they erected a Barrier just to catch us off-guard."

"I tried to warn you," Arista said, not moving in the slightest even as John slammed the car to a stop fifty yards from where the line of SUVs was. She sat almost unaffected, save for the way her eyes did not waver from the lineup of foes across from them.

"Fuck off and die," John spat.

"If you'd let me I would," Arista responded without hesitation.

"Fuck, if they're hunting us... they're either suspicious or they know who we are," John breathed, his heart hammering in his chest. "Layla, can you break free of this Barrier if I buy you some time?"

"M-maybe," Layla said, eyes flickering between the lineup of vehicles ahead of them and John as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "But it will take some time to find a weakness in their spell; it seems powerful. To get two of us out-"

"Get yourself out. I should have left you outside the border; it was stupid to think that it was safer to bring you along, I let whatever the fuck that burrowing thing under the ground was scare me into-"

"The Nakamura Dynasty demands your immediate compliance and submission to a full inspection of your vehicle and possessions," one of the women lined up across from them called out, magic or technology amplifying her voice, John couldn't tell which. "Your vehicle is secured within our Barrier, your magic is being actively suppressed, and any escape routes are being covered by our other teams! Step out of the vehicle immediately, with your hands emptied and behind your head."

"Maybe they've got a collar for you, just like this one," Arista said, her voice sounding almost pleased, with no signs of fear at all.

"Fuck, fuck, okay, it all comes down to this," John growled, fingers still tight on the steering wheel. Their Trap Barrier's effects had him at an immediate, likely insurmountable disadvantage if things came to a fight. He'd been more or less planning on submitting himself when he came face to face with Himiko herself, but he'd intended to be alone at that time... or at worst, dragging Arista down with him. Having Layla in the back seat and being accosted like this had his adrenaline pumping, and his body was screaming at him to fight, given that flight was no longer an option. His eyes scanned across the troops lining up along the blockade, but with his spells suppressed, he couldn't even use Observe to gauge the strength of the strike ****.

"What do we do?"

"If they go beyond a search, I'll strike first. Run and try to escape the barrier. Steal a mundane car and drive like hell. I'm sorry, Layla, I-"

"This is your final warning! Step free of the vehicle at once!"

"If anything goes wrong, I'm ripping out as many spines as I can before they take me down."

John's hand was steady as it gently opened the door of his vehicle, but his mind felt incredibly shaky. As he stepped free of the vehicle and placed his hands behind his head, very intentionally not lacing his fingers, dark memories flashed back to John. Severed limbs, tortured souls... blank faces staring at him across cell walls, claws that had once been friendly now slashing his-

"-aid get on your fucking knees! Last chance!"

John set his jaw as he slowly fell forward onto his knees. The moment his pants were touching asphalt, three of the soldiers started to step forward, moving slowly. Two of them stayed slightly behind their leader and kept their guns trained on the vehicle while the third, a woman who looked not much older than John (though he knew that was meaningless) approached John herself with one hand on the pistol she wielded and the other planted firmly on an earpiece attached to her helmet. She was one of the only ones with the visor on her helmet retracted, though John couldn't figure out why she was making herself more ****.

Her eyes were alert and focused, her body tensed but with a self-assured stride as she approached John that reminded him a lot of Lord Brighton. She had an experienced walk, and even her blonde hair was carefully held in place with clips to prevent it from obscuring her vision, despite its length and curls. Most of the soldiers were wearing tactical gear, but her armor and the armor of the two guarding her flanks could best be described as “space marine chic”, covered in heavily armored plates mostly covering her body, with only occasionally breaks at the joints where reinforced mesh and the modern, magical equivalents of chain mail filled in the gaps to maximize mobility.

"Stay still. If you or your friends in your vehicle move, we're going to-"

The woman let her words hang in the air, unfinished as she paused in mid-stride. Her weapon was still raised, but her vision became unfocused for a second.

"This is NSF-07 leader. Target is believed to be confirmed. Do you have visual on my target? Do we have tier three signature confirmation?"

John couldn't make out the response from the woman's earpiece, but her eyes shot open at whatever it was, if only for an instant before her expression steadied itself. The hand holding her weapon became unsteady for a moment, and when her grip focused itself once more, her first action was to lower it... and then holster it completely.

"Understood, identity confirmed. Enacting Hellfire level priority transportation orders at once."

Pulling her hand away from the mic at her collar, the woman glanced at John with a mixed expression; though there was still an authoritative look in her eyes, it was no longer quite so hostile.

"Lord Newman, I've been given direct instructions by my superiors to escort you directly to the Nakamura throne room. Your compliance is optional, but your attendance is mandatory – however, I've been told to offer you all comforts if you choose to proceed with us willingly. I've also been instructed to ask as directly as possible - will you go with us of your own accord, or do we have to **** you?"

John eyed the woman and those that were behind her, the way they still kept their weapons trained on him even though she had dropped hers. Even the soldiers still maintaining the defensive line alongside the vehicle blockade were still aiming at him. Without his Observe John had no way of knowing his odds in a fight, even without the other handicaps provided by this trap barrier... and given their circumstances, both specific and general, John had no confidence in his ability to delay these soldiers long enough for Layla to escape, much less to actually defeat them.

"And what is entailed by 'all comforts', exactly?" John asked, not moving from his position; he didn't tighten up into a more ready fighting stance, but he didn't relax his tensed body in the slightest either.

"I am to offer you any service, luxury, method of transportation, trade good, entertainment, protection, extravagance, cultural accommodation, or other assorted requests you may have," the woman said as she met John's gaze with an equal intensity. She seemed as if she were being honest, but the words were rehearsed and a bit ****, as if she'd had to practice them in front of a mirror a few too many times.

John cast his gaze back to the vehicle behind him for just a moment. He saw Arista, sitting in the front seat with an unmoving gaze that seemed aware of but completely unconcerned with the weapons pointed at her. Then he saw Layla, sitting in the back seat while gazing with obvious – if suppressed – concern... and a gleam in her hand that, while subtle, told John she was already anticipating things going south.

"I'll come with you willingly..." John began, turning back toward the blonde squad leader ahead, "but only on one condition. The two in the car get to leave, unharmed."

The woman didn't say anything at first, but she was clearly listening to her earpiece as she stood unmoving. Whoever was on the other end could clearly hear him without transmission, it seemed – judging by her words about a 'feed', it was possible that Himiko was watching him right now...

The woman's expression remained unmoving, betraying nothing of what was being said... until at last she gave the softest of nods.

“It's been approved. They are free to leave as soon as the Barrier is down, which we'll happily do... as soon as you step inside of our vehicle.”

John glanced back to the car. Layla was frantically shaking her head, and though she had adjusted to hide the glint of metal in her hand, John could tell she was likely still holding it. Whatever drove that girl, whatever had caused her to chase John down as he left the state, John was getting the impression that getting her to leave of her own free will would not be as simple as asking.

“No, keep the Barrier up... until we're away from here,” John mumbled. “I don't want to be followed.”

Layla knew why they had come here, knew what John was intending. If she was planning on stopping him, she'd have done it by then, but... that didn't mean she wouldn't put herself at risk.

“Reasonable enough request. Ready up the cars!”

The last line was spoken with a tap of her earpiece, and the men behind her at last lowered their weapons – most of them, anyway. John didn't allow himself a glance back at Layla, forcing his eyes forward as he strode behind the woman. The other soldiers fell in around them as they walked, only breaking away at the last second to return to their own vehicles.

John was led to a particularly large vehicle, looking more like an APC than a van, and was surprised when the rear doors opened to reveal a space that was more akin to a limousine than a personnel carrier. Velvet seats lined both sides of the cabin with what he had to guess were fully stocked coolers at both ends of the short sofas. Soft yet bright lights emanated from seemingly nowhere, and as John stepped inside, he felt that there was even some kind of magical climate control – it almost felt like passing through a temperature membrane, trading the cold weather of late fall for a warmed, cozy cabin like feeling.

The blonde woman leading the soldiers stepped in behind him, but she was the only one to join him inside. The door slid shut behind her, locking into place with a soft hissing noise.

“My name is Katricia Barnes, squad leader of Nakamura Strike **** 7. Since you complied voluntarily, I was told to escort you the rest of the way inside the comfort suite,” the woman said. The car began to vibrate ever so slightly as the engine started up, and then it faded away with a flick of the woman's hand, as if the motion and noise of the vehicle was being suppressed from reaching the cabin as well.

“How generous,” John grumbled. “And if I hadn't complied voluntarily, you'd have slaughtered my friends and dragged me half-dead to her?”

“No, we were under orders to bring you alive at all costs, and spare as many of your companions as possible,” Katricia said quietly.

“Generous and comforting,” John growled, but left it at that.

“Where would you like me to sit?”

“W-what?” John asked, blinking unsteadily. Of all the things for the combat veteran standing at the vehicle's entrance to say, that was most assuredly not in the top ten.

“I was told to offer you all comforts,” Katricia said in a very matter-of-fact tone. “Would you prefer I sit across from you, next to you, or upon your lap? Otherwise I can simply continue to stand.”

It took John's brain a moment to understand what she was implying with the first part, just long enough to mentally catch up and process the direct and blunt way she offered to sit on his lap.

“Sit over there,” John murmured, pointing at the seat across from him. Katricia nodded and took her seat. With three taps on her chestplate, most of the armor retracted. Dark green metallic plates and solid sections broke apart into fragments and condensed themselves beyond what should have been possible, some combination of magic and technology condensing her entire armored suit into only the main chestplate and a collar around her neck where the helmet had been.

The retraction of the armor revealed the outfit underneath, and despite the severity of the situation, it took all of John's restraint not to show his shock. The professional, detached nature of the blonde was completely upended by the sensual, almost fetishized outfit the woman was wearing. Green high heels led up into long, black thigh-high stockings with garters that disappeared under a blue skirt too short to be remotely professional. A too-tight black sweater clung over a set of absolutely cut six-pack abs, a sizable chest, and a white collared shirt complete with tie.

Katricia easily noticed John's gawking, but her expression didn't change as she spoke. “Lady Himiko said that you would find this appealing. We do not have long before we will arrive at the palace, but you are free to do as you wish.”

Being reminded of his upcoming meeting with the icy Himiko was enough to snap John out of his shock. He averted his eyes and remained silent as they continued onward. Had she intentionally not been using the visor on her helmet so that John would get a look at her (admittedly beautiful) face? Was Himiko trying to seduce him to distract him, to test him, or...

You have now exited the Nakamura Dynasty Trap Barrier! All abilities and items have returned to normal functionality.

Well, whatever it was...