K/DA - VILLAIN by【Moona Hoshinova】
POV Kate
"Kate: He is already fine. Just give him a slap or two for a good wake-up call."
It's the ninth day after that close call and I'm trying to sound more confident than I really am. It's not that I doubt my own words, just that I simply can't get a clear picture.
'He should be alright, probably.' Using my skills to see the flow of fate is like looking at the sun through a protective glass. I can more or less distinguish the main strands and get an instinctive feeling of what they are, but the finer details are outside of my perception.
"Kate: I'll do it myself!" 'Don't you dare make me a liar in front of Mari. You will wake up whether you want to or not.'
Of course, actually hitting him in that state, with my increased physical strength, is out of the question. Instead, I get cold water and a towel to apply a cold compress.
"Mari: We can give it another day."
"Kate: It's fine, just wait for a moment."
I throw back the blanket and give him a few cold wipes across the chest, neck and face. Following that, I concentrate on nudging him with my skill. Simple taps on his ethereal blob, just enough to rouse one from sleep.
…I see signs of him waking up … but it's not quite what I've expected…
Tears stream down his face, followed by rasping and mumbling.
'Fuck! I didn't do this!' I wipe his face some more and see Mari standing in front of me.
"Valentine: х т .. х..а ит… хват.. , хватит боли … хватит жиз…"
`Tap tap tap tap`.
"Mari: I think he is talking in Russian … .. asking to stop the pain and .. his life."
"Kate: It's fine, it's just a nightmare, he's still not woken up properly."
'I'm not opening that can of alien worms, whatever those things have done, it's in the past, just a nightmare to be forgotten.' I continue to wipe away the tears and call out to him.
"Kate: Chief! Wake up! You have customers queuing up. We have orders for your famous chips piling up."
"Valentine: ggh poil mooer tatoes. Mmm kuh kuh. What?"
'Fuuu, good, he is up.' I get a dry towel to wipe away all the cold water.
"Kate: Good morning. How are you today? Anything hurting?"
"Valentine: I … Where am I? … Oh … here. Haaa damnit… . Uggh…Are we out of mana?"
'Fuck you! Being here is better than being dead! Don't look so fucking disappointed to be alive! We'll teach you to appreciate life here, even while being confined to this small cage.'
"Mari: No. There is still over 4 thousand mana points left. …I'll explain what has happened."
… .. .
"Valentine: Haaaaaaaa….I feel like after a very bad day of chemotherapy. So it had side effects after all, heh. Haaa… Well, thanks for looking after me. Give me an hour to get my head on straight."
We give the man some space and leave his room. As we walk upstairs, Mari gives her opinion.
"Mari: The blood tests weren't conclusive. I've been informed that there didn't appear to be anything wrong. Should I have tried more invasive testing procedures? Tissue samples? Spinal fluid?"
"Kate: You know that it wouldn't have helped, except for being research material for those scientists. In addition to being dangerous and useless. It's fine, trust me."
I give her hand a squeeze. Saying that we've done what we should have, that any more would have been detrimental, that it wasn't her fault alone.
"Mari: Hehehe~ you've gone soft Kate. I took you more for a ruthless slave driver with a sadistic streak."
I can't help it but feel my cheeks heating up. Mari is holding my hand and pointing out my shameful history. 'I've had insecurities! I was young and stupid, making others suffer so that I could feel superior!'
"Kate: I've already apologized to Meiko. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm still a ruthless slave driver. Now I simply look at the long-term benefits, and keeping the morale high is the best course of action. Get moving already, before the others get all worried for nothing."
'Gods! Why am I reacting like this?' I feel nervous from our proximity and hearing Mari talk about my less than pleasant traits.
I make haste and sit down next to Risa, allowing Mari to explain the situation by herself.
…. … .. .
Taking advantage of having everyone gathered here today, we go over the latest information gathered on the fourth floor.
"Mari: These are the latest findings that the scouts have made. Spotted around 2-4 km away, these four meter long koi eels gather around some sort of crystals. The sea floor becomes even deeper from that point, so we can't see anything lurking at the bottom."
"Anna: The logistics are becoming ever more troublesome. There are those five main islands to explore, so we will need transportation. More luggage to carry around and we can't even leave anything behind for too long. Is there any progress on that front?"
"Mari: Nothing substantial, no. My little warriors can keep small things safe, anything further than 18 cm from them starts being absorbed. Transporting hundreds of crows each time, back and fourth, is not the best option either."
"Hana: Our gear, + supplies, + transportation, + loot. We will end up carrying a large backpack each. … Do we leave two people behind with all our stuff while the rest go exploring?"
'One to keep the dungeon from eating our things and another to keep guard. Maybe one more for emergency? At least until we are sure that there are no major threats. If… No, not if… When Valentine gets back into shape, he can serve as the luggage keeper.'
"Yumi: Then, that's the final plan for the moment? Explore the islands when we all come together and keep on collecting mana when there are too little people for an expedition?"
We each acknowledge the general direction of our planned actions. We can't afford to pay the price of another failure, not when a giant eel can drag one of us hundreds of meters underwater to newer be seen again.
"Mari: That's right. We still need 10 thousand mana to unlock the last two rooms and it's better to have more mana in reserve for … unexpected emergencies. I've looked over the maps and notes from the first three floors. Without going for the sparse monsters on the very fringes, we can get up to 2000 mana daily. Assuming that we each have a mana battery and cover enough ground. Possibly another 1000 from the fourth floor, but this one is still unknown territory and getting around is a problem too."
"Kate: What does the estimated number come down to, if we dedicate four hours to mana gathering with only half of us?"
"Mari: Hmmm… Around 1100? Depending on our moving speed and the monsters grouping up together. There is too much time waisted by simply waiting for the monsters to turn into mana or loot. …We also have zero progress on getting around that issue at the moment."
'A damn bottleneck for efficiency.'
"Kate: … Have we considered doing what they want us to do? Same as Anna, we could try collecting entertaining material for those things and speed up the next system upgrade. Perhaps there will be something useful to us?"
It's an unpleasant topic, but it needs to be addressed sooner or later.
"Anna: I wouldn't have done so, if I'd known at the time."
'I'm not a fan of being a lab rat for some damn aliens, but it can benefit us, nonetheless.'
"Mari: The passive income would take three more months to allow for the next system upgrade. Depending on the nature of the increase in the required "points"; if it simply triples each time, then waiting for 900 EP to accumulate can take one and a half years. … I .. I don't think that we should rush right now. We can afford to wait and solidify our foundations and come back to this discussion once again after we deal with the problems at hand."
Three months aren't that long and looking at everyone's faces, it's obvious what kind of feelings are invoked by bringing up those aliens.
"Kate: I second that opinion. Three months are perfectly reasonable for us to improve our footing and gather enough mana to purchase the available upgrades. Just wanted to bring it up because no one has done it so far, and it's something that needs to be agreed upon by everyone."
There are no surprises, as everyone agreed to give the finger to those alien bastards. For the time being at least.
"Anna: Then, another matter to bring up. Has anyone been having problems at home? Anyone in need of help explaining or convincing your family? I know that all of our houses have started the talks on this, but I mean in a more private capacity."
"Meiko: I imagine that the three of you've had it the most difficult, explaining that you will be following your own path after graduating."
'The rest of us still have most of the academy years to use as cover, but Anna's group will be graduating soon. Plus our scripts were decent enough to satisfy our parents and allow us to do as we please.'
"Tai: Hehe~, I've smacked my old man around in a spar and everything worked out perfectly fine."
"Yumi: The cosmetics helped a great deal. I've also tried having our chef to cook using the dungeon ingredients, it turned out better than usual but not truly as good as we eat here."
'Hm… That's something that everyone noticed?'
"Kate: Does everyone feel the same way? That the more we Lv up, the more our senses improve? Cognitive perception, memory, …I'd go as far as the speed of our nerve impulses."
Everyone starts thinking back on our progress over the months and the changes that we have come to experience.
"Hana: It did get easier to remember things and my running is approaching a machine level of precision. The food… Well, yeah, I've started to feel that the normal things are lacking. Mmm, not exactly in taste… something more of a wholeness?"
We share our thoughts one by one and discuss the implications, the possible solutions and more general things.
'If this becomes overly problematic, I might have to "train" trusted kitchen staff to become similar to the chef here. I'll need to look into every person in our family's employ that is completely loyal, or can be made to be completely loyal.'
This issue isn't a pressing one, so it can be left on the back burner. When we start confirming our schedule and deciding on expedition dates.
Juliana excuses herself when the debates start dragging on and leaves to check up on the injured.
POV Juliana
I leave the girls to discuss their plans, my schedule is tied to Boss Mari so I don't need to give any input on that matter. I stop at the last floor to listen for activity inside the bedroom.
"Valentine: You don't need to be considerate, … I'm not new to this shit either. Better help me to the washroom instead of sneaking around."
'I was just waiting for a good moment…' I finally step into the room and take his measure.
"Juliana: You look like shit."
"Valentine: Heh, so did you when we first met. Haaa…so? What's the damage?"
"Juliana: Boss Mari should have talked about everything. … I think that they are fine, more cautious even and focused on training. … Not sure if she mentioned, but little Chiyo and their old Man showed up that morning. All worried and ready to storm in guns blazing. I've suggested not to tell the girl about that particular shitstorm."
"Valentine: `Sigh. Could have been worse. Could.have.been.worse… Haaa, fuck it, I'm not going to think about anything for a week …or two. Come on nurse, princess level service is in my prescription. I will need my strength to do my business in private."
I watch him pushing of the bed and standing for a moment before sitting back down, whole body shaking and covered in sweat. He urges me, gritting out a taunt, trying to sound like an old man.
"I'm used to it. Just get me closer to the door… . What? Your Level not high enough for this? Hah! I can crawl by myself if you are of no help. Lazy whippersnapper!"
"Juliana: Don't get your catheter in a bind, gramps. You should be singing praises that a beautiful, young nurse is even considering helping you! Complain more and I'll have your porridge sweetened four times!"
After a laugh, I help him unplug the monitoring device, the IV tube and bring him over to the washroom.
"Valentine: Thanks, cabby. I'll need a ride to the showers too. Keep the engine running."
"Juliana: Sure."
As long as he can joke around and recover, everything will be fine. We can leave the unpleasant news for later, much, much later. 'Thanks for not blaming me. I sure as hell would have, if our positions were reversed.'
….. …. … .. .
POV Mari
`Inhale `Exhale.
Bow to the Dojo, bow to those present. A bow to one's inner self.
`Rustle.
I glide over the lacquered floor, keeping my posture both focused and relaxed, rigid and free. In mind, body and spirit, I am here to perform only one sequence of actions.
`~Taunt~
I move my body with purpose, flowing freely from one movement to the next. Like a heartbeat, my actions are natural, precise, flawless and inevitable.
`Twwwack~
I release the arrow in the same way a tree releases an apple, and the universe is content with my performance, as it is content with its own laws.
As the flow ebbs away from me to the arrow, I prepare to receive the tide that is sure to come after. I guide the returning momentum into my next movements, bowing to the people, before finally dissipating it back into the land.
Having completed my performance, I address the audience watching me closely.
"Mari: Was the demonstration sufficient? I can help guide your movements as you perform the actions yourself."
"Club member: It was BEAUTIFUL Madame President! It…it…it was like the world didn't exist, it was just here and now. Please give me guidance!"
"ME TOO!!" "Please give us guidance too!" "Could we see another demonstration?!"
'It doesn't seem that I'll be getting done here for quite some time.'
I demonstrate and explain the technique the best I can, with the help of a few volunteers. The girls are very spirited and give it their best. Maybe even a bit too spirited, as they can't seem to calm down and empty all thoughts during their archery performance. Small mistakes are corrected, breathing and meditation techniques are suggested, personal impressions are shared.
There are only so many hours in a day, and every hour during the vacation is precious. After another hour of club practice, I have tidied up my equipment and left for the dormitory.
Unfortunately, there is also work for us to be done as members of the USC. We combine our efforts with Kate and make our route inspections around the buildings more efficient. Anyone trying to add to our workload is shown no mercy from both sides. Students that cause problems get a stern talking to and the reasons for their actions are dissected to their core, so that we can provide help or more drastic measures are applied.
It also helps to improve our relationship with the faculty. Everyone can enjoy the last days of their vacation, and we can clear the dungeon in peace. I pay a visit to nurse Haruka while on patrol.
`Knock `Knock
"Come in!"
"Mari: Are you free, nurse Haruka?"
"Haruka: Oh.. it's just you again. Haaa..I haven't made much progress. Healing is more delicate than bashing things to death. Come back in another week."
'She is still sour from reluctantly agreeing to Lv up and training to become a healer. Her willingness to put herself in danger for those she is responsible for, is already deserving of praise.'
As the school nurse she doesn't really have to feel any responsibility, for our actions are above and beyond anything that could be deemed normal.
With the healing hot spring's reliability coming under question and the ever increasing dangers we will face… She has chosen to stand together with us.
"Mari: I have no doubt that it is. I was passing by during my patrol and wanted to check how you are doing today. Have you ordered anything to eat?"
"Haruka: I'm not a young girl running around and killing monsters half of the day, I'll get fat if I eat too much. You can't help eating more of his dishes, especially the desserts! I need to keep my calories intake in check."
"Mari: Oh, I see. Hmm.. I guess that we will have to dispose of the tarte Tatin he was making with care last evening. Both the apple and banana french tarts must be soaking in rich flavour by now, mmm, what a shame."
I shake my head in mock sadness for the French cuisine that will be mercilessly disposed of. I must admit that the taste of the dishes is heavily enchanted by the ingredients brimming with mana and further reinforced by his skills. The allure is simply too great to withstand.
"Haruka: Curses! Now I won't be able to get that picture out of my mind! `Gunu~Gunu-nu`. I'll need to get more exercise instead of sitting around all day… . Fine, I'll visit that place during my lunch break. I need the walk and fresh air either way."
"Mari: I'll pass the note, anything particular you would like to eat for lunch?"
It's better to build a closer relationship within our group, but nurse Haruka needs a little push every now and then. We chatted for another five minutes, before I continued on my patrol.
I make sure that the students present on academy grounds don't start walking around in their sleepwear, regardless how comfortable they claim it to be. Rules are to be followed, being on vacation doesn't excuse that. Wasting OUR free time on such small matters condemns the rule breakers doubly so.
'Too many girls are coming back from vacation while behaving like they are still at home and there are only so many of us to keep an eye on everything.'
"CAW Caw caw caw"
"Hehe~, I'm very thankful for all your help in keeping watch over things, both here and during our delving. I'll be sure to let your group try your luck with fishing when there is a chance."
My little warriors have developed a taste for the little fishes on the fourth floor and are becoming more proficient in catching them. However, there are plenty of aquatic monsters in the deeper area that can gobble up my helpers, so we need to be on standby and react to incoming danger. At least until we get a full understanding of what all the monsters on this floor are capable of.
I complete my round of inspection and get ready for another expedition. 'So little time left before the classes resume. `Sigh.'
