Trick of the Light

With Aclysia at his side and the others sound asleep, the night passed both quickly and uneventfully. John had a hard enough time managing his own emotions, so teaching Aclysia about her own and trying to convey how to handle them was a bit of a learning experience for both of them. Aclysia’s situation was rather fascinating, in that she seemed to understand the world perfectly in mechanical terms, but with no concept of feelings or thoughts beyond obedience. In a sense, she was the polar opposite of Farrah, who knew almost nothing but was empathetic to a fault… and perhaps a magical fault at that.

”I do not think I know what being hungry is like, Creator John,” Aclysia said, shooting down yet another similarity he’d tried to use.

“Right… well, you can probably figure that one out in time anyway,” John mused, giving an awkward shrug. “Sorry, this will get easier as you experience them and can identify what you’re feeling, and use that to convey your emotions in ways others are more familiar with. Everyone experiences things differently, but I think in time we’ll be able to find some common ground to help us communicate about this kind of thing.”*

”These… feelings seem like a very complicated and messy thing,” Aclysia noted. ”Do they ever get easier?”

“Sometimes… and sometimes they get harder,” John admitted. “It’s never as simple as just identifying what you’re feeling and trying to ‘solve’ them, or somehow turn them off. Mostly it’s just about trying to do things that make you feel the emotions that you want more of. For most people that’s finding people who make you happy, doing things that you enjoy, doing little things to make your day a little better. It’s not easy being human. It’s probably even harder having to learn it from scratch, but I believe you can do it, Aclysia. And I’ll be here for you too – I’ll help you find whatever happiness is out there in this world for you.”

Aclysia’s face hardly moved. It was more of a tightening gesture, really – if John hadn’t spent so much time around Tricia, he might have missed the subtle movement altogether. But her mouth widened just a bit, and the light it brought to her face was so unexpected that it took John’s breath for just a moment. It was like seeing her for the first time again, that beautiful, inhumanly perfect statue that now sat next to him.

”Thank you, Creator John. I will try my best to prevent these sensations from impacting my performance.”

“No need to worry about that. Next time I give you anything to eat that might increase your level, I’ll stick around to see how it affects you, and what changes you notice in the immediate aftermath. I’m sorry you had to go through all of this without being able to talk to anyone about it…”

While John was speaking, he pulled up Aclysia’s sheet, curious to see how much she had actually changed.

”That’s a pretty solid set of levels… I suppose that I did use most of our magical materials to make that thing, even if we lost a lot of them by salvaging it,” John noted.

The most interesting part of her sheet was the unallocated points near her stats – did those function like the free points he got while using Reincarnation to reset his level? None of his creations got those; most of the specialized points they got were either from the slight differences in their stats at the point of their creation or from the training they did without John, away from the influence of his abilities. She must have gotten them because she was an Artificial Spirit – maybe training like a normal person didn’t work for her, so the system gave her these to compensate? Either way, he still couldn't use them - it was all locked behind the same message as before.

”Your apology is unnecessary. My duty is to serve you, and increasing my usefulness to you is part of that. I will gladly consume any materials that you deem suited for consumption – regardless of what strange side effects they may bring.”

“Calling emotions and feelings a side effect…” John cut that thought off with a quick shiver as a brief image flashed in his mind, a morbid thought of how similar Aclysia was to what Moira had wanted him to make when he first told her about his powers – emotionless, loyal soldiers.

”C’mon, enough of that,” John growled at his own brain. ”She’s the one who gave me Aclysia’s crystal because she knew I wouldn’t do that. We’ve come a long way from a year ago.”

“It might seem inconvenient at times, but there’s a lot more to this than just ‘side effects’, Aclysia,” John said. “Remember when I asked you what you’d do if I wasn’t around, if you had no one to serve? These feelings… they’ll help you find an answer.”

”What if… that answer is that I still wish only to serve you, Creator John? It is hard for me to imagine desiring anything else.”

“That’s… something I’ve been considering a lot myself.”

John had never intended for any of his lovers or creations to exist as servants. He had always tried to keep as open of a mind as possible when Purifying specifically so that he wouldn’t be creating things to his own specifications – at most, he tried to learn lessons from his early mistakes, like somehow messing with Lunaya’s voice. Aside from a few instances of doing it out of necessity, John’s primary purpose in using Purify was always either to learn more about his own abilities or simply because it seemed correct at the time.

Yet despite his attempts at remaining hands-off, he’d wound up with Sophia, who would sooner stop breathing than lose an ounce of loyalty. He’d created multiple people who, in spite of their wildly varied personalities, fell in love with him, or as close to it as they were capable of. Then there was Shishun, whose own memories and history labeled her as little more than a weapon…

“I think the best answer I can give you,” John finally said, “is that if that’s truly what you want, if that’s what makes you happy, then I’m not going to stop you from chasing that. I know you don’t fully know exactly what happiness is right now, or how it feels, but… when you do, if you decide that serving me is what makes you happy, I’ll accept that. And I’ll do my best to make sure you always know how much you are appreciated. Not for what you do – but for who you are.”

John wasn’t sure if his words would make any sense to the woman with a literal heart of stone – but he was comforted by the sight of her lips moving in the slightest manner when he finished. It was an unfamiliar, somewhat awkward movement, but the way her face lifted and her eyes shone even through such subtle changes made him hope that some of his feelings had gotten through.

”Thank you, Creator John. I will… try to achieve this thing you call happiness.”

There was a reply half-formed in John’s mind instantly, but the sarcasm would have been lost on Aclysia. Even if he’d been confident in his ability to explain the purpose of sarcasm, there was something to be said for allowing Aclysia all the innocence of knowing the world as it was, without the bitterness and skepticism of language’s many faces.

“Come on, Aclysia. It’s almost time for breakfast, the others should be awake soon. I’ve a busy day ahead once we finish our meal, but I’ll find some more materials for you to consume, and next time I’ll be around to help you through whatever comes of it. We can talk about this more soon, I promise.”

_

"Mithra, would you mind taking the kittens on a walk? We're going to need the room for a little while."

"Nyaa, come on, kitties, let's go play outside for a little bit. Myaster is gonna talk about boring adult stuff."

The kittens were old enough to understand when they were being asked to leave, so they complied only reluctantly. Magnus was the only one to be quick to follow Mithra out the door, ever at his mother's heels; Mika and Miya, on the other hand, spent so long hugging him and repeating their goodbyes that John had to threaten them with an actual math lesson before they finally scurried away.

"Maybe we should give them some actual lessons instead of just using them as threats. They're still young and they haven't had any real schooling. We're lucky they picked up reading as well as they have, considering there are barely any books around here we can use to teach them," Lerianna noted. "Just because their father dropped out of school doesn't give them an excuse."

"You know, I didn't expect being called out on that to hurt. Turns out it did,” John said, clutching at his heart in mock agony. "Don't worry, I already have plans to pick up plenty of reading material
on the way home today."

"In that case, I assume we aren't just having a meeting about a new book club," Lerianna replied, her voice much less playful. "What’s the mission? Who are we fighting?"

"Hopefully no one. I talked to Moira about who has been running the mercenaries around Springfield after she imprisoned Arista. I wanted to know if they could be trusted to protect the city from any other forces that might try to come after us, our allies, or the city itself while the war is going on,” John explained. “I don’t really know the going rates, but I’ve built up a decent amount of cash and mana gems. I figured we could at least pay them to enact some basic border checkpoints around Springfield, to help keep the peace in the city while the Order and the Moon Clan’s strongest fighters are otherwise occupied.”

"Seems reasonable," Orria noted. “Even if they are mere security theater, their presence could deter someone from trying to take our friends’ homes for themselves.”

"Does she believe that they can be trusted? Or does she think they will betray us if someone offers them a higher price?" Sophia asked.

"Actually, it turns out they've already been in talks with them about the same thing," John explained. "And she claims they can be trusted. Apparently most of the mercenaries in the Abyss are interlinked – something like eighty percent of them are under the supervision of a council made up of twenty-five of their strongest leaders. They started out as a few rival mercenary clans banding together to protect themselves from retaliation.”

"Guess when you'll do anything for the right price, you make a lot of enemies," Lerianna said with a shrug.

"Well... perhaps it isn't the money that is the problem? There is nothing wrong with selling one's skills to survive. It is their lack of loyalty and honor which likely earned them so many enemies originally," Shishun suggested. All eyes turned to the Naga, surprised at her rare input. Shishun immediately turned her gaze back to the ground, her voice falling as she spoke again. "I apologize for interrupting."

"You aren't interrupting - this is an open discussion," John said hastily. He had seen how Shishun's face had fallen, both at Lerianna's words and after realizing she had drawn attention to herself, and didn't want to let that simmer. "You’re also kind of right. From what Moira said, a big part of their success has been that they heavily regulate themselves and the way that their members conduct business. This group has been so successful because they provide safety for clients and mercenaries alike, and don’t have a history of betrayals. That’s not to say they have morals, though. They have enough members that they can find someone willing to work for almost anyone – they just make sure everyone follows their rules, and doesn’t break contracts."

"So what exactly are these rules that they follow? And what makes their word worth trusting?" Sophia asked. "Our home will be safe regardless, but what makes Moira so sure that hers can be trusted to these hired soldiers?"

"The way Moira talked about them, it doesn’t sound like they do much to earn trust – they just have a reputation for honest business dealings. No attacking people before or after contract negotiations, no selling information from former contracts or negotiations, no taking a higher price to betray someone they’re under contract with. If any of their own break the terms, they handle it themselves, usually in a very public fashion. They also have guidelines on how long they have to wait before taking a contract against someone that previously hired them… but a lot of that just boils down to taking their word based on their history.”

"And you trust that they're going to continue to keep that word of theirs?" Lerianna mused, tapping one foot idly. “Or that one or two of their number won’t get a wild idea in their head?”

"Honestly, if it were my home, I wouldn't trust any hired sword to protect it... but Moira seems to think that it's worth at least discussing a price and terms with them,” John admitted, jaw tight as he spoke. “I wouldn’t let them into this new world of mine for any price, for any vows. But I’m not the one they’ll be protecting, and I respect Moira’s judgment, at least as far as her own people go. I was going to make contact myself after I got Moira’s opinion on their trustworthiness, but since Moira was already in contact with them, I'll be accompanying her tomorrow instead. But I want you all to be ready, just in case.”

“Moira just happened to have a meeting with these mercenaries tomorrow? Not that I don’t appreciate the convenience, but…” Lerianna trailed off, raising one eyebrow as her arms tightened noticeably.

“...Yeah, about that,” John admitted. A sigh escaped John’s lips as he rubbed at his temples, the gesture comforting even if he couldn’t get much of a headache anymore. “That’s the part that makes me really suspicious. Moira was mostly negotiating through proxies and agents of the Order. Apparently, until a few days ago, things were being handled pretty professionally, and very impersonally. Then they started requesting an audience with Moira in person… and as of a few days ago, a meeting with me too.”

“What changed?”

“...I don’t exactly know. Apparently they got some information about me, and that’s all Moira could get them to admit.” John let a breathy growl escape him as his mind turned toward the mystery of what information had gotten to the mercenaries. “Moira has been trying to figure out what they know, who gave them that information, and why they’ve brought it up as part of negotiations, but… so far, all we can say is that they know I’m allied with the Order, and they’re intent on speaking with me. Moira didn’t mention that I was back – they found out themselves. Moira was trying to get them to give that request up, but since I asked about contacting them myself, she agreed to a joint meeting.”

“She may have been wise to try to make them abandon their request. This reeks of treachery and traps,” Sophia said, fingers flexing against her bicep as she stood with her arms crossed. Golden sparks glistened from behind her shoulders, a sign of just how close to releasing her wings she was from anger alone.

“I agree completely. Which is why, no matter how much Moira trusts them, I’m not planning on going there by myself. Fuck, I can’t even go to Springfield without getting ambushed half the time,” John grumbled, rubbing frustratedly at his temples. “So I want to be prepared for any eventuality. Moira will obviously be in my party during the meeting, and I can summon any of you in the event a fight breaks out, but I’m not getting caught off guard this time. I want us to be ready.”

John glanced at the eyes of those gathered around him, trying to exude confidence he wasn’t sure he felt. “I thought about telling Moira to convey my deepest ‘Fuck You’ over to them, but frankly, if they are going to try something stupid, I’d rather goad them into it now. Holding Springfield hostage after we’ve left would be devastating, whether for their own gain or someone else’s. Even if every mage in the Order and Moon Clan were gone, there are too many people who would be in danger, like my mother, and I don’t want anyone losing their home either. So as much as I hate it, if it’s a trap, I want it sprung now rather than later.”

“Just tell us what you need, Father,” Sophia vowed.

“I’ll go alone to the meeting with Moira, but I want all of you on standby. Sophia, Shishun, I want you two to come with me to the market since you two will be able to blend in. I’ll meet them alone with Moira, but you two can stand by in a nearby store or out browsing the stalls. That way, even if they try to do something to keep me from using Summoner’s Warp, some of you will already be there.”

“Do you need a particular disguise, or any specific features?” Shishun asked dutifully.

“No, anything will do. Be unremarkable – nothing eye-catching. They should forget you as soon as they look away.”

A quick nod, then Shishun crossed her arms and closed her eyes. A soft glimmer emerged where her wrists met, growing and brightening as it began to spiral around her body. A trail of light that dripped through the air like water spilling down a fountain fell behind the glistening star, pouring over her body and transforming her body from the neck down. Shishun’s tail vanished once it was fully covered, receding along with the light until it formed into a normal pair of legs covered by slightly worn blue jeans. Her well-fit black dress became a simple t-shirt, hanging just slightly loosely on her slightly expanded frame.

Once her body had transformed, Shishun broke her stance and moved her hands to her face, carrying the light with them. She seemed to apply the light almost like makeup, coating her skin and hair alike. Pink locks washed away into jaw-length, brown curls. Her distinctly sharp features and serpentine irises were replaced with hazel eyes and a slightly rounded face, a few shades darker than her usual pale tones, and appearing over a decade older, solidly into middle age. The overall effect left Shishun not even resembling her former self, now fully presenting as a girl who would not have been out of place anywhere. She was the everywoman you’d see ten of on a trip to the supermarket.

“I believe this will suffice, based on what you’ve shown me of humans,” Shishun said. “If we do engage in a battle, will it be acceptable to release this form and return to my normal body?”

“Yeah. If things go badly, I’m fine with drawing attention. The meeting is going to be at a neutral location – a diner they picked – so they’ll probably have some backup of their own standing by for the same reasons. They’ll probably have aura readers or someone else who might detect you two anyway, but I want to avoid showing our hand any sooner than we’re **** to. Lerianna, you’ll be coming along too if you’re alright with that. I’ll Craft you a hat to hide your ears. You’ll need to tuck them, though. I don’t think a top hat of that size is very subtle.”

“Ah, geez, it’s so uncomfortable to bend them down though… fine, whatever,” Lerianna said, shrugging after only a moment of complaining. “When are we going to leave?”

“We’re going to meet Moira at the market in an hour, so we need to get moving soon so we can get into position. Make sure your communication rings are on, and keep each other within eyesight at all times.”

“I get being cautious, but you seem on edge. Something on your mind?” Lerianna asked. “You haven’t seemed this aggravated since you came back to Springfield.”

“Yeah, well, I told you about what happened while we were on the west coast… but I might have skipped over a couple of details,” John grumbled. “Rachel told me that there was a bounty on my head when we first met – said the only reason that I wasn’t getting jumped for it was a moratorium on bounty collection inside Himiko’s territory. Since then, she was protecting me all the way to Paix… and when we left there, Adantia was with me. Adantia hasn’t contacted us since she left, and Moira hasn’t heard any news about her return from the dead spreading across the Abyss.

“I don’t know if they’re aware Adantia isn’t around and this is a ploy for that bounty or not, and I don’t trust my safety or the safety of anyone I care about to a reputation, no matter how well earned. And on top of it all, I can’t think of a single positive reason they would insist on talking to me. So, yeah, I’m pretty on edge. But the best way to relax will be knowing what’s going on, and there’s only one way to do that.”

Lerianna clapped her hands and sat forward, rolling her shoulders to loosen them up.