Chapter 54 Preparations

"I'm going to hunt down the swamps' realm protector today, have the Aethon scout its location" I say to Tama who herself was eating at the counter.

Turning to look at me she swallows her current mouthful, Tama then sighs before nodding her head. Looking at her soul I could see the resignation in her emotions.

"What's wrong?" I ask Tama, wanting to know why she had such resignation in her soul

"My Lord, you are pushing yourself too far but it is not my duty to tell you to relax, it is my duty to follow you, to protect you." Tama replies, a resigned look in her eyes. It seems like she was taking it as Aoif's duty to tell me to relax and her own to just protect me.

"If that is what is worrying you then after I kill the swamps' realm protector then I will take time to relax." I declare, I was already planning to recuperate and train my skills to a higher level after I had killed the swamps' realm protector but confirming that plan of action to Tama seemed to relieve her.

A smile played on my lips seeing that the resigned eyes of Tama were shining. Instead of the resigned look she was giving me, like she was preparing to protect me from anything despite my foolishness, she had this bright look which I could only guess was because I said that I would train before going out and doing anything else.

…

It was after breakfast that I found myself in the backyard. The Aethon had not yet returned from its scouting mission so we had time to get a little training in before we left again.

Tama had both Aoif and I sitting down, in the positions which were most comfortable to us. Of course those positions would be Aoif in my lap, her head resting on my shoulders. My back resting against a tree to support both of us.

After we had gotten comfortable Tama instructed us to start circulating our aether around our pathways. She had both Aoif and my hands in hers. Tama was at periods sending in her own aether which would disrupt our flow of aether.

Every time our own flow was disrupted she would tell us to start circulating our aether again but this time starting from another place. Usually when I went to gather my aether it would go from my right arm either flowing to my left or to my hand depending on the situation but that was all I could do, I couldn't start flowing aether from anywhere else but this exercise forced me to try.

Of course I failed, and failed some more, but I could feel progress. When I was flowing aether from my original spot I could feel the ease in which it ebbed and flowed. The periodical disruptions were getting more and more as I grew more comfortable in combating them.

Eventually they couldn't stop my flow of aether if it came from my usual spot. However if I was trying to flow aether from my left hand or any other part of my body I was still disrupted before I could even get anything done.

It was not hopeless though every time I was disrupted at a different spot I could feel the progress in flowing aether from different parts of my body, where before I couldn't do it, now I could actually circulate aether around and back as long as Tama didn't disrupt the circulation of aether with a pulse of her own.

…

*CAW*

The cawing of the Aethon's woke me from my trance. On my shoulder was Aoif still focusing, her brows furrowed in concentration.

Looking at Tama I ask if I should wake her or if I should let her train for longer.

"Let her be for another minute, my Lord," Tama said, gesturing with the hand I let go of to Aoif.

After another minute, in which I could see the frantic concentration that Aoif was exerting, Tama let go.

A burst of energy sprang out of Aoif. Her very being consumed by purple aether. Being in such close proximity I could feel the cold touch of death, the aether that consumed her exerted to the world. Though nothing happened to me, it was like the aether took a look at me and ignored me instead heading to the grass, tree, and all the foliage within a foot's distance away from us.

The purple aether consumed, I could see the once vibrant soul of the vegetation being sucked away towards Aoif.

Then suddenly within the moment that I was looking at the souls of the vegetation I wasn't holding Aoif anymore, instead a purple silk like cocoon was what I was holding. The only reason I wasn't worrying was that I could still see Aoif's soul in there.

…

Soon the cocoon began to unfurl, the threads making it up unlatching themselves from one another, and what was left was Aoif, though she looked older. Her figure was more developed, and she towered above me by a good foot. Though the most important change was in her soul. It looked like it had several branches each reaching out to where her pathways in her body were.

Aoif's eyes sprung open and with a sudden aggressive move I was sat in her lap. Her now larger breasts smothering my head.

After Aoif was done smothering me she took my head and stole my lips. It was then that I informed her that the Aethon was back and that we could hunt the realm protector.

Pouting she let go of me then got up.

"Let us go then" Aoif said.

Nodding, I look at the Aethon and silently gesture at it to lead the way.

…

Before we left the territory I led us to Delta who was in the research building.

When we found her she was in the middle of studying the gun she held. All the parts of her gun were spread out. There were a great many materials that covered her form and every so often she would pull a part out and with a flick of her wrist would form them into some shape resembling the parts of the gun that she had.

Though it seemed like she was just replicating the parts to create more, I could see that with every attempt the parts that she made were getting more and more refined before they looked exactly the same as the parts of her gun.

When that happened she placed the parts aside and went and grabbed another part going to study it.

This all happened within a minute of us entering, it seemed like her part machine nature let her study all the better. It was then that she turned to us, her eyes staying on Aoif for longer than the others.

"Do you need something" her blunt talking style was still there. It was a huge contrast compared to the respectful tone that Tama always addressed me with, not that I hated that, just that even to Aoif, Delta was still that blunt.