Chapter 1: Climbing in the Midst of a War (Aftermath of the Nest)
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The turning point for Bam was when he successfully freed Jinsung Ha from the Nest, only to be confronted by Lo Po Bia Traumerei's arrival into the Nest. Learning how the 10 Great Family Leaders had been interested in Bam for some time, Traumerei revealed they had come to an agreement to use the Nest to lure Bam and have him prove his worthiness.
Traumerei offered two of his children, the Lo Po Bia Princess Twins, without caring for their will, and Bam, despite facing overwhelming odds, could not possibly join forces with such a man. He had refused, but of course, Traumerei did not care about what Bam wanted as he started to threaten the lives of Bam's allies and friends. However, salvation arrived when Poe Bidau Gustang's voice spoke to Bam in his mind and asked Bam if he would be open to cooperating with him if he could ensure the lives of all those he cared about. Having met Gustang before, Bam decided that rather than cooperating with Traumerei, and so he agreed if Gustang promised he would ensure everyone could leave the Nest alive.
As soon as he had agreed, Gustang arrived into the field just as Master Jinsung also arrived. Master Jinsung was very much wary of the situation as two Family Heads were facing each other, but Gustang told Bam to stay and watch just how much he still had left to grow. Gustang and Traumerei confronted each other, where Traumerei questioned Gustang's motives for all his deeds, and Gustang responded by giving a rather impassioned speech about how discontent he had grew with the state of the Tower, realizing how wrong the decision to seal away the door to the 135th Floor was.
He stated he chose to help Bam because Bam was the only one who could defeat Jahad and the other 10 Great Family Leaders, and even mused that the reason why some of the Family Leaders chose to allow Bam to keep climbing and even protect him was because they believed Bam had the potential to show them something new, because not all of them were as complacent as Traumerei and Jahad might think. Bam couldn't help but wonder, as he watched the Poe Bidau and Lo Po Bia Family Heads face off and argue about their respective ideals, if not all of the 10 Great Family Leaders were as evil as FUG depicted them. He hadn't known them much aside from how his parents had been part of the Great Warriors once, but he wondered just what had they been through to become as they were now.
Such thoughts were soon interrupted, however, as Traumerei, deciding Gustang had become such a threat, chose to fight to the kill, starting a fierce battle that was to be the first of many series of battle between the "gods" of the Tower. It was, at that time of Bam's level, an utterly mesmerizing sight, as he watched the two Great Family Heads traded legendary blows, even if it lasted for about only 20 minutes, as Gustang ordered Bam to start falling back in a slow manner along with the others while he defended against Traumerei.
Traumerei manifested dozens upon dozens of shinheuh with power that could easily take out even Top 100 High Rankers, all which meant nothing to Gustang normally as he casually unleashed blades to tear them apart, burned them with fire, or smote them down with lightning. Sometimes, he even created spears of pure shinsu and used it to decimate Traumerei's animals with contemptous ease. Any attack they could launch, he easily dismissed by creating powerful barriers that seemed impenetrable to anything they tried. What dozens of Top 100 Rankers struggled to do was done so effortlessly by the Poe Bidau Family Head, which further made Bam realize just how powerful the 10 Great Family Leaders was and how far he still had to go if he wished to threaten Jahad.
Bam, Master Jinsung, and the others were also struggling against the Lo Po Bia Branch Heads, Kallavan, and Poe Bidau Lyborick Khun, especially with Kallavan having gotten even stronger. Even Khun Maschenny herself also stepped in as she realized she could not afford to with the fact that two Family Heads were there. Fortunately, Baam and his allies soon received backup as Gustang arrived with Poe Bidau Dumas and Poe Bidau Tiara, two powerful warriors from the Poe Bidau Family, evening the odds as they continued to retreat towards the warp device that would allow them to escape the Nest.
It was also at this battle that Baylord Yama would eventually kill Lo Po Bia Yasratcha, as Yasratcha decided he might as well as die at Yama's hands rather than be captured by Traumerei again.
While Yasratcha had defeated Yama before, Yama acquiring more and more experience with the true power inside his body that came from the unmatched strength of the "Fangs of the Beast" as well as experiencing some of his father's memories allowed him to finally overpower Yasratcha with some help from his brother, Doom, as he was able to further master the true power of Transformation and combined with his own raw power, although struggling against Yasratcha's superior experience as well as skill, Yama was able to put an end to Yasratcha using Wild Wave Blades of Rage after he managed to trap Yasratcha briefly using External Transformation before he unleashed the attack, hitting Yasratcha and dealing a mortal wound.
The death of Yasratcha allowed Doom to help out against the other High Rankers, finally turning the tides against the Lo Po Bia. Yasratcha, in a one last dying act, granted Yama all the information he had about the power of Transformation, the Beastkin, and numerous other researches he did, stating he should become a better man than his father ever was, before immolating himself using a device, choosing to die now that he had finally made peace with himself. Although Yama hated Yasratcha before, now he mourned Yasratcha's death at the realization of how tragic his life was and decided to honor his wishes and become a better Beastkin than Baylord Wangwang ever did.
As the Lo Po Bia and Jahad forces were pushed back, Traumerei had finally started to fight with all his power, mixing in shinsu attacks along with his Shinheuh and even manifesting his share of artifacts, and it was truly such an awe-inspiring sight as the Battle of the Nest would be concluded as the focus became solely the one last round between Gustang and Traumerei, both now truly going at it.
For the remaining 7 minutes, Gustang and Traumerei both fought fiercely as Bam was forced to stay behind by both Dumas and Tiara while his Master was shoved into the warp device and swiftly taken out of the battle along with the rest of FUG by. As Bam protested, another High Ranker from the Poe Bidau Family, Richemont, arrived with a recording of the Poe Bidau rescuing Aguero and the others to assure Gustang had kept his word, but also reminded Bam he had agreed to cooperate, causing Bam to reluctantly stop arguing.
Traumerei and Gustang both made use of dozen forms of shinsu manipulation, be it thousands of baangs, fire, wind, lightning, or simply pure shinsu energy, with Gustang clearly having the edge over Traumerei in terms of pure Wave Controller skill but Traumerei's shinheuh allowing it to be a fairly even struggle as he also complimented his shinsu techniques with the powers from each animal he had. To counter Gustang's blades, Traumerei used spears of his own right, throwing each weapon with accuracy beyond the realm of High Rankers even as the other could easily dodge or simply neutralize it, either by catching the weapon that made through or destroying it.
Traumerei even tried to engage in close-combat, moving at speeds Bam couldn't even see, but despite being famous as a Wave Controller, Gustang also had immense reflexes as he managed to dodge Traumerei's attacks and proved skilled enough to hold back Traumerei's onslaught, be it with hand-to-hand or the use of weapons, until he could disappear and even the few damage he took with a powerful shinsu skill.
Finally, after having had enough, Gustang proceeded to create a thick cloud of mist over Bam and his three Family members, which quickly shifted into the four of them being transported into the Mothership of the Poe Bidau Family with Gustang following suit, straight at the room where his friends were allowed to stay in, a meeting room of sorts. Gustang was decent enough to allow him and his friends to enjoy a comfortable dinner after the fierce life-or-death conflict, and Bam was happy to see all of them survived. Master Jinsung was also safe at the moment, so Bam could rest easy.
After finishing dinner, Gustang had then matter-of-factly told Bam that he could no longer climb the way he did before, now that the Jahad Army and the other Great Families would be after him harder than ever. He went as far as to show various conspiracies plotting to either use or kill Bam, and then gave Bam two simple choices: He could work with Gustang and have his safety along with the rest of his friends secured, or he could go back to FUG and be slaughtered along with the rest of the organization.
Needless to say, it was at least better than being a mere figurehead for the Lo Po Bia as Gustang promised him intensive training and the chance to make changes to the Tower, so Bam chose to accept it, at the condition Gustang would also guarantee the life of Master Jinsung. With that, Bam and his friends were welcomed into the Poe Bidau Family, and Gustang then pointed Bam to Rachel.
Apparently, Rachel was responsible for delivering certain artifacts Gustang had wanted, but as he now had Bam, Gustang didn't really see the point of keeping her. He gave Bam the option of killing Rachel and Ha Yura for revenge over Prince and Arkraptor's death, revealing them as the true murderer while White just ate their souls, or sparing them. Needless to say, Bam still was hurting from the deaths of his two friends, and having come to the decision that he would sever ties with Rachel, he chose to kill them instead.
It was a bittersweet, painful yet hopeful, experience as Gustang teleported Bam to Rachel's room, and Bam had, without sparing any words, simply killed Rachel by stabbing her in the back before Rachel even noticed his presence. Ha Yura's cry of anger was swiftly silenced when he slit her throat, causing her to bleed out slowly. Rachel had pleaded for her life as Bam stared at her with clenched fists, even accusing him of ungratefulness and cursing his existence.
He felt no real satisfaction at the sight of the girl who he once used to care for so deeply dying like this, and a part of him even felt tempted to spare her, but in the end, he could not. Gustang had made it clear she would never stop trying to win over him, and he couldn't endanger his current friends. So he only had those words to say.
I loved you once, Rachel, and I will always love you for the girl you used to be, even if maybe all of it was a lie. I owe you everything for the person I became, for the friends I gained, and for that, I cannot hate you. I don't know how your life was on the Outside, but I do hope your next life will be better.
And so he left, returning to the side of his friends, with just a few tears on his eyes as he confessed what he had did. And they understood, pitied him, and promised to always be there for him. Vicente also swore to help Bam, as he had learned that Bam was the key to creating a new future for the Tower, and Bam had accepted his help, having made peace with Arkraptor and Prince's deaths after killing Rachel and Ha Yura. Meanwhile, Hwa Ryun was oddly accepting of this path, stating she just needed to "tweak it a little bit", but above all else, she congratulated him for breaking free of the shackles of the past. Bam just smiled tiredly.
Was all this a victory? Yes, bittersweet though it might be, but there was still many more hardships to come.
Still, Bam thought he could endure it as long as he had his friends, as Gustang dragged the corpse of Rachel and Ha Yura and Bam just told Gustang to burn them, eyeing the pyres as their bodies turned to ashes and were scattered to the wind for a while before firmly standing up, accepting Gustang's "schedule" for him.
He slept more contently than he had did ever since his Master was taken.
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Richemont and Dumas occupied most of the training time as they taught Bam Spear Bearer and Light Bearer skills and Bam hadn't learned much about those two Positions.
Bam felt more grateful than ever towards Master Evankhell for helping him temper his patience and resilience over the past 2 years, as Spear Bearer and Light Bearer weren't exactly his strongest suits, meaning he needed more time than usual to master what Richemont and Dumas had to teach him. Still, as Richemont was willing to praise him for, Bam was definitely a quick learner even by the standards of the Poe Bidau Family, and Khun definitely found it very impressive when Bam described how he was able to get Enna Core right within 2 weeks, as Khun still couldn't pull it off without the help of Beta inside his Lighthouse.
According to Gustang, as Bam already had a remarkable amount of raw power to back up his talents, he might struggle, but it wouldn't be as much as he normally would before, and Bam supposed he was right as he started to show a similar amount of steady growth in learning those skills as he kept adjusting. Soon, he was reportedly acing through stuff that took most people ages to learn. What Bam lacked was, as Gustang said, a solid foundation on both Positions, and even that was being steadily built on due to how quick Bam could learn.
By the third week, Bam was able to build a remarkably strong Lighthouse barrier, control up to 75 lighthouses, and had even gotten the hang of a few unique skills from Richemont, which caused the Poe Bidau High Ranker Light Bearer to sincerely acknowledge his talents, stating he was definitely worthy of Gustang's interest. Even Dumas had to admit his talents as Bam managed to throw spears accurately as far as 3 kilometers without any lighthouse aid within the second week and then show relatively expert-level control over shinsu-enhanced spear bearing.
Bam also learned many more skills beyond that, too. He was taught more refined techniques with the sword, the needle, the observer, and numerous other weapons by varying figures from the Poe Bidau, as Gustang wanted him to expand his horizon to a decent enough level before he would allow Bam to go on missions. Of course, it wouldn't be the Poe Bidau Family if they neglected Bam's shinsu control. They focused on him learning to use shinsu qualities of all kinds, as they wanted Bam to be more flexible.
Fortunately, he excelled more on those "supplementary beginner courses" compared to the "catch-up beginner courses", since he already had built up a solid foundation for Fisherman and Wave Controller. Practically every Poe Bidau was left awed by how quick Bam mastered new shinsu techniques and fighting abilities, and Bam had to admit the way with which the Poe Bidau carried themselves when it came to knowledge and shinsu was truly as competent as the rumors about the Research Association.
His other friends also did their best to grow up and develop their skills more, inspired by how hard Bam was working to grow stronger and wanting to at least help the best that they could. They weren't assigned any teachers, of course, despite Bam's protests, but they were still given upgrades to their equipments and allowed access to certain books to work from, and overall, they were working hard and starting to show results, even if not nearly as fast as Bam.
As for Gustang, he taught Bam primarily at the saturday and sunday, and Bam was a bit relieved it was. Gustang's lessons focused just as much on theory as on practical, as expected for the Leader of the Family who prioritized so much on knowledge and books, and while Bam was not lacking in terms of intelligence, he always focused more on the physical side, so he struggled a bit more.
Gustang taught Bam so many things about the history of the Tower, not emphasizing on simply the Jahad Empire or the 10 Great Families, like FUG did, but practically everything Gustang could afford to have him know, and also had Bam practice his intelligence by having him come up with hypothetical ways to destroy certain parts of the Tower by knowing their culture and history to come up with the best way possible to annihilate them. Gustang also promised Bam would learn about science and engineering, eventually, too.
Gustang also made a point to lecture Bam regarding the many strategies he found useful for Bam to mix in Positions or just applying the Positions one at a time, as Bam now being able to use Spear Bearer and Light Bearer opened new possibilities to use in combat. He had prepared an Arms Inventory for Bam with A+Rank weapons that he gave Bam by the end of the first month of his stay in the Poe Bidau Family, when Bam had already progressed enough.
At the same time when Gustang gave Bam the Arms Inventory, he also told Bam he had located the rest of his friends and forced him to take them into the Poe Bidau Family as well. Bam was admittedly intrigued as that meant all his friends would be reunited, but he still worried about how they would react to having to come with Bam when they had their own groups and goals.
Gustang had then pointed out that if they remained in the open for too long, high chances were the Jahad Army and the 10 Great Families would try to get their hands on them. Gustang then made it coldly clear if that happened, he would not allow Bam to go out and rescue them, so Bam could either take them to safety, or regret it when they inevitably get caught in the cross fire and either killed or imprisoned. Naturally, with such hard choices, Bam could only reluctantly agree to take them in.
He travelled with a strict group of strong High Ranker guards in case anything happened, with Dumas, Richemont, Tiara, and another High Ranker named Erno accompanying him. Bam first went to Team Sweet and Sour at Gustang's discretion, as apparently Wangnan was "special".
Bam had told them a quick summary of everything, focusing only when the time came for him to reveal he had avenged Prince and Arkraptor's deaths. It was a bittersweet moment, as they couldn't be there, but they all agreed and thanked Bam tearfully for doing that. They were willing to join Bam, of course, and were thus taken to the Poe Bidau Family easily. Apparently, what Gustang wanted was Wangnan's blood for some kind of "tracking spell", but he didn't elaborate.
Team Novick didn't need much persuasion as they were already told by Khun, and thus came along quickly. As for the team with Anaak, Endorsi, and Aleksai, it was a bit more complicated as while Endorsi was willing to come with him, Anaak and Aleksai were more cautious, so they asked Bam to find Shibisu and Hatz first before they would come with them.
Bam also reunited with Traveller, who had been swayed by Rachel's promises, and taking pity on him, decided to release him as long as he promised not to come after him or his friends again. However, Traveller was still determined to find a way to bring back Emily, so he pleaded to be allowed into the Poe Bidau Family, promising eternal allegiance if Bam agreed to take him in. The Poe Bidau High Rankers didn't seem pleased, but Bam convinced them by promising Traveler would be of use to them via his skill in making bombs.
And so it was that Bam sent Endorsi and Traveler to the Poe Bidau Family Mothership, but that was when things got more complicated. Shibisu, Hatz, Hockney, and Elaine were all warped away with the rest of FUG, meaning Bam would have to travel to a special area called Seolhyangwon to take them in.
Naturally, FUG had been searching for him everywhere, with Gustang thwarting them every time they tried, so when Bam arrived at Seolhyangwon, he was forced to fight against a few High Rankers who wanted to take him back into FUG. Bam beat them all fairly easily, his experiences on the Nest and all the training he had been through having long since prepared him for fights against opponent of such caliber. He didn't even need to use any of his weapons, simply dispatching them with some shinsu and primarily hand-to-hand combat.
While Bam spared them, the Poe Bidau High Rankers accompanying him weren't as merciful and decided to leave only 5 of them alive, killing the rest and cursing them with a message to deliver to FUG. Bam had protested, as he didn't want to kill when it was unnecessary, especially with how cruelly Tiara did it, but she casually pointed out if they don't clarify things to FUG, they would never stop coming after Bam, and it was at that moment that Richemont told Bam to not be too human, as the Tower was much deeper than he might think.
At the end of the road stood none other but his own master, who was very worried about him. Bam had explained his situation and the deal he had made with Gustang, much to Jinsung's frustration, and he tried to assure his master he was fine, but Jinsung demanded to see Gustang. Surprisingly enough, Richemont revealed he had already expected this, so he agreed, allowing things to end without a fight.
And so Bam returned to the Poe Bidau Family Mothership with his master, Shibisu, Hatz, Elaine, and Hockney, reuniting all his friends into a single team and also getting his master onboard. Gustang had magnamously allowed him to have an entire day free of training to celebrate the "friend reunion", and Bam was grateful for it. He discussed with them how he truly was going to go up against the Jahad Empire, as he realized he wanted to make a difference so not just them, but also everyone who deserved it, could have a good life, and they were all supportive of such a dream, stating they would follow Bam to the end no matter what, much to Bam's gratefulness.
The next day, Bam was brought on to mediate Master Jinsung as he argued with Lord Gustang. Jinsung wanted Bam to return to FUG but Gustang had matter-of-factly pointed out Bam was content to stay in the Poe Bidau Family, as they actually respected his rights, so Jinsung would have to force Bam and Bam had grown strong enough to oppose him. Of course, Jinsung didn't want that to, so Bam invited Master Jinsung aboard to stay as his teacher, and Lord Gustang had agreed, if only as Bam could use one of the stronger Ha Family members to train him in Fisherman and Scout.
Although disgruntled, Master Jinsung still respected Viole's decision, so he decided to finally complete Bam's training under him. Bam was grateful to have a familiar presence to teach him, too. Jinsung still had quite a lot of skills Bam had not yet learned too, acquired from his long life, training as a Ha Family member, and experiences as a high-ranking FUG member.
Jinsung introduced him to new forms of martial arts taught in both the Ha Family and FUG, along with helping him further master the martial arts he already learned from the dojos before the Hell Train. He also proved efficient in helping Bam develop more proficiency with the needle and the sword, having mastered the Ha Family's style of bladework along with the Ari. Of course, someone on the level of his master wasn't limited to just such direct weapons, and he also was proficient enough to help Bam master the Hook and Reel weapon forms of Fisherman.
Jinsung started Bam's Scout training at Gustang's behest, being that he was the one who trained Karaka in his ways of acting as a Scout and had learned from the very best of the Ha Family, starting from how to properly analyze the situation with his senses alone, stealth skills, and mastery over the Observer. Bam had advanced quickly in the Scout, surprising him until Jinsung revealed his father used to be a Scout, explaining why he was so talented in it.
Master Jinsung also had a couple of shinsu control skills left to teach him, as he helped advance Bam's skill with both Flow Control and Reverse Flow Control, taught him numerous other forms of Reinforcement and Piercing Techniques, and Bam learned in particular the devastating Red World and Dragon Tiger Gate skills from his master.
Eventually, 3 months later, Gustang decided to test Bam by having him spar with Jinsung for a full 10 minutes, and Bam agreed. Gustang also attached a few conditions into the spar, in that Bam wasn't allowed to use the Thorn, Transformation of any kind, as Gustang wanted to ensure Bam was strong enough in his base before moving on to such skills, and Bam agreed, realizing Gustang's point. It spoke volumes of how far Bam had come, and how much developing versatility in fighting helped him, as before he struggled to fight back against opponents of White and Kallavan's level, but now Bam was able to fight his master, a similarly strong opponent, to a decent back-and-forth fight, as he sought to test practically all his bases and skillset against Master Jinsung.
He was able to hold his ground against his master in close-range fight, be it with hand-to-hand, swords, or needles, but Jinsung's superior strength and skill would overwhelm Bam, yet the fact Bam could keep up with someone of Jinsung's caliber as a Fisherman was a good enough try. It also gave Jinsung the chance to point out what Bam was still lacking at, as that was also useful for Bam to grow later. With shinsu, they were more or less even as Bam's Orbs allowed him to equal Jinsung's technical prowess with the shinsu. They traded various shinsu techniques, including the ones Bam learned from his master, although Jinsung still had the edge when it came to Reinforcement as he applied it more regularly and seamleslsy than Bam did, another thing he needed to work on.
Bam also sought out to test his developments in the Spear Bearer and Light Bearer position, and found he could somewhat threaten his Master, but it still wasn't quite strong enough yet.
His lighthouse flow control could only hold back Jinsung briefly, Jinsung was able to overcome the Enna Core by breaking out sooner before Bam could transform the Mystery Sphere into Red Crystal, and Bam found only strengthening his shinsu attacks or creating barriers proved especially effective against his master's power.
As for Spear Bearer, his master caught most of the spears he threw or dodged them, although he did have to remain on his toes against Bam's throws, and his shinsu-manipulated spears could be intercepted by his master's shinsu control.
Still, Bam had developed a good deal of cunning while fighting, so he made use of all his skills to keep up with Jinsung, using his new abilities in various ways to contend with Jinsung's superior experience and prowess. He eventually made it to the 10 minutes time, and Jinsung earnestly complimented his form while Gustang decided that Bam had proven himself. With that, Gustang unveiled the Third Thorn Fragment and gave it to Bam, although he stated Bam needed some more development before he could start using the power.
A month later, and FUG, seemingly realizing that trying to "have full custody" was impossible, decided to finally show their other hands as Grace Mirchea Luslec himself appeared at the Poe Bidau Family Mothership, having been contacted by Jinsung and Hwa Ryun. Gustang had of course immediately intercepted, but Mirchea didn't came to fight. Instead, Mirchea came to discuss terms with Gustang about Bam. As they both could agree they wanted Jahad dead, Mirchea decided that he would allow Bam to stay in the Poe Bidau Family, but FUG must also have a role in Bam's growth.
In the end, a compromise was made in that the Poe Bidau Family would allow teachers from FUG to help advance Bam's skills in return for a ceasefire. Bam also managed to convince Gustang to allow him to go on certain missions, except Bam now had the right to choose which mission he wanted to go on, making sure he was an ally, not part of FUG. Things had gotten too far between them for Bam to return to FUG by choice. He had a talk about it with Mirchea, and the latter agreed to Bam's terms in return for Mirchea being allowed to personally train him.
And so a new schedule was made: As Master Evankhell, and Han Sung had already trained him for years, Gustang decided they might as well finish what they had left to teach him before he proceeded to other FUG mentors. He didn't want too many members of FUG to get involved with Bam, and Bam didn't really blame him. He still did not get along with Han Sung, so he didn't want to be around the man if he could help it. Evankhell taught him the best she knew of regarding Orbs, while Han Sung showed him a few more shinsu techniques, including a couple of "personal tricks" that made Bam realize why the rumors of Han Sung being around Top 500 High Rankings were true.
After Evankhell and Han Sung, Bam would be taught by Slayer Baylord Yama and Elders Khel Hellam as well as Sophia Tan.
Yama, having grown to trust Bam, happily helped him out with mastering the powers of Transformation. He had calmed down a lot and been training hard to become stronger since the Battle of the Nest, and shared with Bam certain information regarding the Lo Po Bia Family. With his help, Bam was able to master the use of Level Seven Transformations with ease and even acquired the External Transformation skill. Yama was also helpful in Bam learning to master the power of Leviathan by providing some of Yasratcha's research as well as giving advices on how he tamed the power of the Fangs of the Beast, which was also efficient in Bam mastering the Red and Blue Thryssa.
The Elder Khel Hellam had been impressed by his performance on both the Cage and during the battle of the Nest, and chose to see him as someone who could indeed defeat Jahad, thus accepting Mirchia's order to train him in the archery-style Spear Bearer, while the Elder Sophia Tan had came to acknowledge Bam after seeing his determination and remarkable growth in person, helping Bam further master Light Bearer.
To be honest, Bam preferred archery more than actual spears. He quickly learned how to aim and fire arrows with accuracy and at a rapid rate after having had some experience from back on the Nest, along with also mastering how to fight with a bow in close-range, even using arrows up close to with a blend of hand-to-hand and archery. Bam specialized most in creating and programming shinsu bows as well as arrows, and Hellam also showed him the manual to Soo-Oh's Flow-Bending Blue Sapphire Fish, a particular Wave Controller-efficient skill that allowed Bam to manipulate the direction of shinsu attacks.
From Sophia Tan, Bam learned more techniques for the Light Bearer situation, extending his reach to where he could control up to 100 Lighthouses and greatly refining the basic techniques first before quickly moving on to more advanced skills. Bam was taught various techniques that most efficiently improved his efficiency as both a Wave Controller and Spear Bearer. Sophia was a particularly skilled teacher as she was the leader of Seolhyangwon, which focused on training next generation of warriors for FUG.
Technically, Vicente also taught him, but he no longer considered himself part of FUG or a Slayer. Gustang had decided to permanently extinguish Hoaqin from the collection of souls inside Vicente's body, granting him total control, and he also allowed him to feed on numerous souls of the Jahad Army and certain traitors from the Poe Bidau to recover his strength. Albeda, White's Final Clone, was also revived, as she had become her own existence before, so Gustang accidentally brought her back as well. Both Vicente and Albeda were grateful for Bam, so they chose to stick with him, and Bam found himself deciding to just accept that Hoaqin was responsible, rather than blaming either.
As Bam had the Power of Souls, he was also able to use Arie Swordsmanship to maximum effect, and was able to quickly master the techniques those two taught him regarding the sword. Bam also finally accepted that the Power of Souls was his to use, and learned from those two how to efficiently use their power for good. They were also the first to teach him certain sorcery spells, which Bam quickly took to, as his mother, Arlene, was first and foremost a Sorcerer.
Bam would get the chance to truly showcase how much he had grown during an attack launched on the Poe Bidau Family by the Lo Po Bia Family backed up by High Rankers from the Jahad Army and the Khun Family. The attack was personally lead by Traumerei, as he had been ordered by Jahad to go to war with the Poe Bidau Family, and Bam fought to help despite Gustang telling him to run away, as he realized he couldn't avoid fighting anymore. Bam fought more than 100 Rankers at that day and demonstrated such overwhelming abilities that made him recognized as one of the "MVP" of the fight.
He began by annihilating 30 Advanced Rankers with a single powerful burst of his Shinwonryu, taking down 25 High Rankers with his personal style of blades, dual-wielding both a sword and a needle and using multiple techniques of the Arie, Ari, Ha, and various other "regular" schools of swordsmanship taken to the extreme, and killing 10 powerful Light Bearers with a few incredible shots from the spear and using archery.
Bam then killed Lo Po Bia Elbaba in an astonishingly short fight of simply 3 minutes as he completely outmatched the disgraced Branch Head, before he then eliminated the entire Grey Wolf Branch as they targeted Elaine for the disgrace she caused them. He had tried to spare them at first, but he had no choice and Elaine solemnly allowed him to exterminate her entire Family as they made it clear they had completely disowned her.
Bam was then confronted by none other but Kallavan, who had gotten a power up from his previous fight with Lyborick and proved to be a worthy opponent for Bam. Bam activated all three Thorn Fragments and used the full extent of his strength against the man who had overwhelmed him twice before, finally achieving victory over Kallavan who had been his target for so long.
In their previous fights, Bam had the power to damage Kallavan but lacked the skill to properly take advantage of his power nor the physical constitution to keep it up, but now Bam was a fully seasoned warrior after all the training he had went through. Although he was pushed hard, Bam was able to match Kallavan's power and surpass him in long-range, slowly but surely gaining the upper hand as he gradually wore down and battered the former Squadron Commander with his great power while compensating for his inferior experience through an expert mixture of all his skills.
Bam's physical prowess, now thoroughly conditioned through both intensive physical training and mastering Reinforcement, was now sufficient to effectively clash with Kallavan, albeit with the help of his dual-blades, as they were his most proficient approach to the Fisherman Position, although he also managed to deliver a few kicks strong enough to throw the man back and make him bleed. Bam, however, primarily focused on his shinsu techniques, as it was only with shinsu that Bam could efficiently damage Kallavan.
Each of his shinsu attacks were strong enough to force Kallavan to defend himself seriously, especially as Bam added in his true black shinsu quality into his shinsu loop, further increasing the force of the attack and allowing him to damage Kallavan even when the man was blocking his techniques properly. Bam also didn't hesitate to supplement his Wave Controller techniques with his Light Bearer skills, efficiently covering his blind spots to keep Kallavan unable to expose any of his previous weaknesses and amplifying the force of his attacks. He even used spears he either reinforced or were already made to be strong enough by Gustang from his Arms Inventory that he managed to hit Kallavan with a few times, confirming to Bam how far he had progressed in all his fields.
In an echo to Kallavan's previous battle with Jinsung, Bam ultimately ended the fight by using a variant of the Dragon Tiger Gate, one he made for his own. Closing the distance and feigning being disarmed, Bam placed both hands on Kallavan's chest and activated Twenty-Fifth Bam Style Transcendental Technique: Gate of Moon - Ultimate Floral Butterfly Piercing Technique.
Instead of manifesting a dragon and a tiger as the concept, Bam instead used a huge butterfly and a shark-like thryssa for the basis of the skill. He knew Kallavan could potentially still remain able to fight, so Bam purposefully struck at Kallavan's chest before he activated the skill, causing such an injury that even the notoriously tough Kallavan finally collapsed to the ground for the first time since he joined Jahad's Army, bested by the Irregular. He was quickly taken away by his old followers, but Bam had other matters to attend to. Still, it felt good to finally triumph over Kallavan.
His next contribution was to end Baylord Yama's battle with Lo Po Bia Kirin. Kirin had apparently allied himself with the Revolution, a powerful party that wanted to end the reign of the 10 Great Families, as he was discontented with how Traumerei ruled. Still, Bam found himself disgusted with Kirin as he callously left a few of his men to die, and refused to join him.
Although weakened, Bam was able to fight effectively beside Yama as they overwhelmed the Chief Taming Commander of the Lo Po Bia, a very powerful opponent who had an upper hand over Yama alone. It took a bit while, but Bam and Yama combined their attacks, Bam harnessing the Stardust skill he had employed on Kallavan and Yama using his new Transcendental Technique with Half-Body Transformation, Fanged Blades of Rage, to kill Kirin, eradicating his entire body along with the rest of his forces.
The exhaustion then finally took over Bam and he passed out to wake a few weeks later, with Gustang admitting Bam had fared well despite his initial doubts. When asked about what happened, Gustang revealed that Bam's role in the fight was actually quite crucial.
First, it turned out that some of the Rankers Bam killed in the fight was actually traitors of the Poe Bidau Family from the group called Revolution. Gustang had been keeping an eye on it before through information fed to him by Bellerir, his spy on the organization, but it was Bam that killed and revealed the tight-knit group of traitors. Through analyzing their corpses and reading their thoughts, Gustang was able to uncover the identities of the remaining spies, allowing him to dispatch them.
Gustang would have preferred if Kirin didn't die so soon as it would be good to fracture the Lo Po Bia Family, but he decided what Bam brought him was more than worth it. In addition, the fact that Kirin was a traitor had caused quite the shock for the Lo Po Bia Army, and Traumerei, after hearing this and receiving a direct order from Jahad, decided to fall back, meaning Bam effectively ended the battle before it could cause many more casualties, a relief for Bam.
In consideration to his performance on the battle, Gustang decided to reward Bam by revealing the Fourth Thorn Fragment and the last. It would seal the Thorn's power completely inside him, and that meant Bam would finally be able to start learning the best ways to use the Thorn's power as it became his alone. Gustang reminded Bam, though, that this was just a few steps out of many, and he still required much training if he were to be capable of defeating Jahad.
Still, Bam felt that he was more confident than before, and definitely readier than ever. He requested that Gustang give him a day or two to enjoy with his friends. Bam went out to have just a single day of pure friendship with Khun, Rak, Endorsi, Shibisu, Hwa Ryun, Hatz, Elaine, Hockney, and Anaak as they enjoyed both their survival and victory.
However, Bam still recalled Gustang's words before he left for this day.
Don't forget that no matter how dearly you treasure them, in the end, they are all inferior. You are free to enjoy your life while you still can, but do remember to keep a certain distance, less you be broken before the end of your journey.
Those words kept ringing in his mind as he wondered if he would lose his friends, but Bam suppressed it with all he had.
For this day, he was happy, and as his Master joined in to congratulate Bam for completing the Thorn and winning over Kallavan, the two of them sharing drinks, Bam almost believed everything would be fine.
Main Content
Archive of Our Own betaArchive of Our OwnHi, Fjorel!PostLog
Chapter Text
For 3 months after Lo Po Bia's assault on the Poe Bidau Mothership was successfully pushed back, Bam continued his training, the Poe Bidau Family now seeing him as a hero of sorts for his performance during the fight. Since he had effectively completed his training under the High Rankers of the group, Bam was now personally trained by Gustang and Mirchea, which somewhat lightened his schedule, thankfully allowing him to spend more time with his friends. However, training under such legendary figures meant quite a bit of hurt, some serious dedication, meaning it wasn't exactly all shine and rainbows either. Still, what he learned from the two "gods" were definitely beyond anything else he had gone through over the years.
Gustang relentlessly drilled into Bam the importance of improving his shinsu control, putting him through numerous exercises to dramatically increase his shinsu stamina while leaving Bam very tired at the beginning until he could finally control more than 2000 baangs. He showed Bam numerous methods of using shinsu to defend and support, as that was his main speciality back when he was part of the 10 Great Family Heads, and placed a special emphasis on shinsu qualities and shapes, having Bam train in them all from Fire, Lightning, Ice, and many more until he deemed Bam had mastered the qualities well enough.
After Bam had covered Gustang's teachings of shinsu well enough, Gustang proceeded to train him about the Thorn. He taught Bam about how the First Thorn Fragment was "Power", the Second Thorn Fragment was "Space", the Third Thorn Fragment was "Time", and the Fourth Thorn was the binding agent that sealed all the power inside Bam.
The First Thorn Fragment's full potential allowed Bam to make his shinsu glow reddish black, which was even more powerful than the usual black shinsu that was his true shinsu quality, and it's power amplifying traits were much stronger than before now that he had the completed Thorn. With the Second Thorn Fragment, Bam was able to use various forms of space-manipulation, from manipulating gravity to warping space itself for various effects. The Third Thorn Fragment allowed Bam to slow down time, rewind or fast-forward time to an extent, which took him quite some time to master and use in the best way possible for him.
Gustang also started Bam on Defender, as that was also another area of expertise Gustang had due to his fighting orientation back on the time of the Great Warriors being focused more on support and defense. Bam developed numerous methods of protecting both himself and others using all the skillset he had in him, and also learned how to efficiently counter opponents who focused more on defense, with Gustang musing it would be particularly effective against the likes of Bloodmadder, who he deemed as a "master of fighting like a coward".
Bam was admittedly a bit wary around Mirchia at first, as the man had allowed him to suffer in FUG, but Mirchea had assured Bam he understood his hesitation and only asked for a chance to prove himself. In time, Bam came to respect Mirchea, even though he might never truly forget what Mirchea had put him through. Mirchea also was happy to discuss matters about Bam's parents, as he was their most dedicated student and follower.
To be honest, Bam did respect V and admire him for his selflessness and passion before he committed suicide, but he didn't really like or want to approach stuff regarding Arlene, especially as he had learned that Rachel was a servant of Arlene. Mirchea tried to make him understand and pity Arlene, but Bam found he still could not forgive his mother for everything she had put him through unwittingly.
The basis of the fighting styles employed by FUG actually came from what Mirchea had experienced as part of the "Great Journey", especially skills he learned from Arlene and V, Mirchea was happy to pass them all on to him. He taught Bam his own personal applications of the techniques and skills commonly used from FUG, starting from the Floral Butterfly Piercing Technique, variants of Sophia Tan and Khel Hellam's respective moves, and proved to be particularly helpful in Bam mastering the Hook, as it wasn't his first choice of a weapon, despite having became fairly apt with it.
Mirchia also was responsible for teaching Bam the basics of the swordsmanship of his father, V, which was apparently able to defeat even the Arie's own, along with many spells he learned directly from Arlene. As spells were a unique power, Bam possessing a natural aptitude for it already made him think about how to best apply such skills in battle. After all these years of fighting and training, Bam had accumulated more than enough finesse and skill to stack up his own abilities and come up with the best way possible to deal with enemies. It wasn't complete, though, so Bam would need to go back and retrieve his mother's journal on the Floor of Death.
When he returned, though, Bam was confronted by Princess Maschenny and Garam fighting fiercely through the air. Garam seemed to be holding her ground, but she was only able to reach a stalemate with the Khun Family Princess, so Bam stepped in and easily forced her to retreat after a quick exchange of blows. Maschenny fled, but not before giving Bam what seemed to be a map of some sort. Still, Bam came there for Garam, and Garam was happy to see that he had grown much over the years.
Garam also offered the Blue August and Indigo July, but Bam refused to accept it. He didn't understand why she wanted to give him that, yet, and that was when she told him about the 13 Months being the first half of the two halves of the Key of the Tower that would allow the climb to be completed. Bam was admittedly intrigued, but he realized that as Garam had kept the Indigo July as a memorial of her sister, he didn't want to take it from her arms, so he told her to keep it. Garam accepted his decision for now and agreed to come with Bam to the Poe Bidau Family Mothership.
It was at that moment that Gustang requested Bam of something he absolutely must do for him: Free Eurasia Enne, the daughter Gustang had with fellow Family Head Eurasia Blossom, his ex-wife, from Jahad's prison. Enne also had the Colorless December, another of the 13 Months, sealed with her. To further persuade Bam, Gustang revealed that the map Maschenny had given him was all about Yuri. After she was arrested, although she wasn't executed, she was forcefully conscripted into the Army and made to act as a disposable troop. Gustang offered to help her out of it, if Bam would rescue Enne, but as Enne was a tragic victim of Jahad's secrecy, Bam didn't really need that incentive as he was willing to help her out.
And so Bam set off to rescue Enne inside the Mysterious Labyrinth she was locked in, with Garam and Tiara following as a guard. Apparently, even amongst Poe Bidau, Enne was quite famous, and as another direct daughter of Gustang, Tiara admired her and wanted to help free her in person. The Mysterious Labyrinth was full of traps, but Bam had grown to become a great Scout and Light Bearer, and was able to find the right path using Observers and disable the traps on the way with Lighthouses to detect anything dangerous. The spells placed there also proved useless as Bam was able to identify and dispel them with his newfound knowledge of magic. There weren't any guards, but Bam would come to find out soon why.
It took an hour and a half, but they managed to reach Enne's cell. Imagine Bam's disgust when he saw her, completely wrapped inside a pinkish fabric with not even a single shred of clothing to allow her modesty and dignity, naked and bound in an inhuman way. He would have to admit, though, that was the first time he saw a naked woman in the flesh, so that left him a bit stunned, especially with how beautiful the Eurasia Princess was, but he didn't take long to think over it as he used Shinwonryu and broke her out of the fabric, causing Enne to wake up, with Bam removing his shirt for her to clothe herself with out of pity and kindness.
However, imagine their shock and wariness when Adori Jahad showed up soon after, revealing she had been given a special duty to watch over Enne and stop her from escaping, Jahad having anticipated Gustang would come for his daughter sooner or later. She was also ordered to capture Bam, but Bam wasn't about to let her have her way. He knew she was the strongest enemy he would fight back then, but Bam didn't back down.
They had fought for a few minutes, Bam holding off Adori's assault while Garam and Tiara rushed towards the exit of the Mysterious Labyrinth. Bam did everything to hold back the ferocious Princess that was Adori Jahad, and while he didn't win, the fact he was able to hold his own against such a high-ranked opponent alone was more than impressive enough of a feat for a Regular who had only climbed to the 66th Floor. In fact, he actually did more than simply defending himself against her.
At first, Bam tried to simply defend himself and the other two carrying Enne out of the Mysterious Labyrinth, managing to hold back Adori's fierce attacks as he was proficient enough to defend against Adori's swordsmanship with all the blade skills he had learned for both a sword and a needle. His shinsu techniques were strong enough to make Adori defend herself, which allowed him to gain more and more distance, and while Adori's shinsu was definitely very strong and proficient, he still managed to block all of her attacks.
For some reason, at first Adori didn't push him too hard as she mainly fought him calculating and with reservations, limiting herself to swordsmanship or regular forms of shinsu manipulation, but when they neared the exit of the Mysterious Labyrinth, she suddenly started to take things more seriously, using a shinsu boost and activating her Carrier, but not before making a strange comment that left a foreboding feeling in Bam's mind even later on.
"I see now why King Jahad thought of you in such a way. Such talent while still so young. You'll be much better than me, in time, but you're not strong enough yet. Consider this an honor, though. I rarely use this Carrier, so don't be too disappointed that you've lost. You certainly fought better than any other opponent I have fought seriously with."
While before Bam had been able to make it look as though they were "matched", it became clear that he still wasn't quite strong enough to defeat an enemy of Adori's caliber, as he had already expected. She occupied such a spot in the rankings that made her the strongest non-Irregular alongside Enne for a reason, even being a cut above Mirchea, Baek Ryun, and Molic One.
The use of a Carrier might not be practical from the start, but Adori fought as though they allowed her to effectively use multiple Positions simultaneously and at a seamless rate, manipulating the Pipe to throw and control spears against him while skillfully using various kinds of lighthouse techniques to supplement her offense. This effectively rendered his Light Bearer and Spear Bearer null as Adori made use of her Carrier's components with such skill that Bam was unable to exploit any weak points.
With such a flawless master-class level of true Fishermen, Bam was forced to fight with solely Fisherman and Wave Controller, the skills that he always specialized the most at, and he found himself very grateful that he thought to master Defender, allowing him to clock Adori's assault to the best of his ability and just avoid both suffering lethal hits and failing to take Enne away. Naturally, Bam was starting to lose even as he continued to persist.
Adori's swordsmanship was still too much for Bam even after all the work he put on his dual-wielding, and she made use of various Fisherman weapons that Bam hadn't completely mastered yet to pressure him further, getting hit by Hooks into walls and almost failing to stop Adori from recapturing Enne, having Reel weapons thrown at him with enough force that even after years of experiencing such opponents, Adori still managed to successfully land a couple of weapons into his body.
Fighting with martial arts was also a definitive "no", as Adori was physically stronger and faster than him due to the Jahad blood in her, her kicks and punches feeling like fire as they cleanly injured him, and she didn't hesitate to chain such attacks while also fighting with her sword, a troublesome thing for Bam as he struggled to parry her martial arts with his own while also focusing on taking her on with his blades. Adori even forced him back while Bam could barely get a few shots in when he actually disarmed her with a lucky shot at her sword arm that ripped her sword away from her, which only staggered her but didn't deal any noteworthy injury.
He was better off holding his own as a Wave Controller, but even there, he was still outmatched. Adori's raw power was greater than Bam now that she was going all-out and she was quite aggressive, leaving Bam struggling to launch an effective offense as her shinsu attacks relentlessly pushed him into the defensive, made worse by the fact he can no longer rely on his Lighthouses to increase his shinsu output.
Only Shinwonryu was proving to be particularly efficient as it could still repel Adori's incredible shinsu attacks and was among the few that actually harmed the Supreme Commander of Jahad's Army. His Shinsu Loop was at least also effective in forcing Adori to cover herself as he rained down pure shinsu with the force of a thousand High Ranker from dozens of shinsu rings, although it failed to damage her.
Fortunately, Bam also had access to a few spells that allowed him to launch a few efficient offenses that managed to cover more ground for him, manipulating defensive spells to nullify and even redirect Adori's techniques and using trap sorceries to paralyze or restrict her shinsu. Even as the experienced Supreme Commander of Jahad's Army quickly managed to adapt and repel those sorceries, Bam was eventually able to reach the Mysterious Labyrinth and warp out with Enne, Garam, and Tiara, escaping his second encounter with one of the "gods" of the Tower astonishingly alive and with no lasting wounds through his own power this time.
Enne being freed seemed to improve Gustang's mood, which was a good thing for Bam, as gratitude allowed Gustang to appreciate Bam's way of doing things more. He even upgraded the weapons of Bam's friends and completely fixed Master Jinsung's arms for free as a reward.
Within a mere week, having recovered fully, Bam was able to find and rescue Yuri just as she had been left to die facing a particularly strong High Ranker from a special tribe. Yuri was shocked but very happy to see him, having heard of what he had been doing since the Battle of the Nest, and asked him about why he was openly going against the Jahad Empire. Bam knew she was still loyal to the Ha Family, but he didn't fault her for it. He offered to give her a safe place to hide out until the war was over, but Yuri refused to.
She then apparently learned everything about Arlene Grace and V, and was highly shocked to hear of Bam having such a past. She was also infuriated to hear about the truth of the Princesses of Jahad system from Garam and the recovered Enne, and decided to finally defect and side with Bam, despite Bam's objections. She even came up with an insane idea to expose his parents existence, and managed to succeed with help from Jaina Repellista, a Princess of Jahad hailing from a Branch of the Tu Perie Family, who also abruptly appeared in the Poe Bidau Mothership and asked to ally with Bam.
The shockwave of Yuri's bold acts were quite stunning as more and more people started to sympathize with FUG. The fact that Jahad had killed an innocent baby and appeared to voluntarily choose to stop climbing negatively affected the Empire's standing and even those in the 10 Great Families were starting to question their allegiances now, some factions straight-up converting to FUG. Bam supposed despite the recklessness of it, Yuri's actions ended up succeeding.
Wolhaiksong, who was normally a neutral party but strongly wished to reach the Outside, also was affected by Yuri's revelations to the point of declaring an alliance with Bam. Urek Mazino, realizing that the only way to return to the Outside was to oppose Jahad and also disgusted with the fates of Arlene Grace and V, could no longer tolerate the Jahad Empire's actions and publicly swore to protect the lives of civilians that the Empire seemed to no longer care for in focus of wiping out all opposition, while threatening war if the Jahad Empire dared to interfere with Bam's climb until he became a Ranker.
To say that this was a boon for Bam was an understatement. On one side, Bam no longer had to worry about being attacked or targeted by the Army or the 10 Great Families as they seemed to back away from Urek's public threat. This allowed Bam to enjoy his climb more alongside his friends, and he was very grateful to Urek, who kept to his word as he became one of Bam's teachers.
Urek may not be the type who could pass on too many skills, but he nevertheless proved to be a good teacher for Bam. One of Bam's still present weak spots would be that he was still more used to slow-paced combat, and Urek was a great help to fixing that, living up to his Sobriquet "Ray Baracuda", allowing Bam to develop his fair share of fast-paced combat style and tactics under Urek's guidance. Not only offense, but Urek also patiently coached Bam to keep a mindful eye on defense and remaining analytical and cunning while fighting that fast.
This also proved fruitful for Bam's stamina and strength as he was able to forcefully increase the pace of his physical prowess through going over Urek's specialized training as he guided Bam through various ways to get stronger quickly and adjust to a fast-paced fighting style. His shinsu control improved as well as Urek assisted him in dramatically increasing both the output and rate/speed of firing shinsu, slowly but surely reaching light speed.
Urek also was happy to regularly spar with Bam, limiting himself to a level where Bam could fight him and slowly increasing it as Bam continued to grow, and as he made efforts to be constantly available, Bam was able to accumulate fighting experience more steadily than before.
Strengthening his friendships was one thing, but it was also around this time that Bam finally realized and began to really reciprocate the feelings of a few girls around him. He had been a bit enlightened after seeing Enne like that, but he still didn't think much of romance. Still, when his friends confessed, Bam appreciated his feelings and he soon found himself growing to genuinely appreciate them in such a way.
And the confession was all together. Bam had been called to meet them on Enne's personal quarters, and sat on the center of a circle filled with Hwa Ryun, Miseng, Yihwa, Aria, Elaine, Yuri, Endorsi, Anaak, Garam, and Enne, where he chatted with them like usual until Endorsi finally got up and told the other girls to get straight to the point. At that moment, they varied in their blushing faces and approach, but they all confessed that they don't just see Bam as a friend. They loved him as a man. Some screamed, some calmly declared their feelings, but all of them spoke out at the same time.
Bam had been stunned for a few moments, admittedly. He almost wondered if Gustang had started to teach him certain stuff about women and romance because he supported Enne's feelings for him, but while he might have been a bit curious, he never imagined he would build a harem of all things, especially as he didn't really spend particular time with his female friends. However, Bam did want to hear out why they liked him.
Hwa Ryun was first, pointing out with a small but genuine smile unlike the previous teasing smirks she made how he always had such a cute face and such a charisma around him, and how he never resented her while he was still stuck in FUG. While at first, it might have been just all duty for her, in time, she really did grow to love him. She even started to see him as a "real gentleman" when he would help her grow stronger over the years, speaking all about how he was kind and encouraging while helping her and the others train.
Yihwa had stuttered, but confessed that she had started falling for him after he showed he could help her control her flames, but it was only after seeing him so brave against Urek that she really started to love him. The look on his face when he was reunited with his friends on the Workshop Battle further "entranced" her, and the look on Bam's face, so innocent and hopeful, was also something she was very much attracted to.
When he saved her and Danhwa from the Revolution with Gustang's help, she actually saw him as a "knight in shining armor", and her feelings for him could no longer be denied, especially as he would then help her train to control her flames, imparting his experience of learning to master all shinsu qualities to help her learn.
Miseng, the "little-sister" of the group, was surprisingly composed, if soft, as she admitted that while she saw him as a particularly cool older brother, those feelings started to turn into romantic over the years as he avenged Prince and Arkraptor, even killing Rachel for them, something she saw as proof of just how much she and the others were cherished by him, and then continued to help her grow, never once losing hope even as she struggled to grow stronger. Goseng had helped her out as she too had started a relationship with Horyang, and Miseng's descriptions of how her heart would flutter around him helped her realize her feelings.
Endorsi was next as she earnestly confessed that Bam being so sincere around her, giving her food in nothing but the most earnest of ways, and always going along with what she wanted for dates over the years was what lead to her falling in love with him. Endorsi also admitted she was grateful when Bam said he was going to free her of her chains as a Princess of Jahad, and that was when she really couldn't deny that she wanted to be with him forever.
Yuri had been quite straightforward as she admitted how she always adored Bam's cute face and his strong heart and him rescuing her only lead her to really grow strong feelings for him. She stated that unlike Urek, Bam was both the best man to fight with AND the best man to live with, even blowing a kiss at him as Bam blushed red.
Anaak looked like her face was going to explode, but then she finally spoke about how Bam made such a chicken pie for her back on the Floor of Tests. While that was the starting of a crush, she only realized how she felt when Bam fought to protect her from Lo Po Bia Ren during the fight on the Poe Bidau Mothership and killed Ren for her, even giving her back the necklace of her mother.
Elaine then confessed that she was deeply grateful for Bam saving her from her shackles as Kaiser, which made her see him as a "real god", but her more serious feelings only manifested after he exterminated the Grey Wolf Branch for her and then comforted her over the feelings of guilt and grief she felt over her family's ultimate rejection. She realized then that Bam was the only man who she could trust and be in love with without fearing she would be trapped like she was back then.
Garam then spoke out about how Bam always looked cute to her, but she only fell for him over the years as he fought so hard against Adori to protect her and rescue Enne. He also showed consideration for her feelings by refusing to take her 13 Months from her as he felt she had earned and deserved to keep them for herself, which was the starts of it.
As for Enne, she admitted that she had been enraptured by the look on Bam's eyes when he rescued her, full of hope and determination, still strong of heart despite everything he must have been through, but Bam had then helped her recover, doing so patiently and gently, not expecting much from her except for her to regain her sanity, which was why she had fallen for him.
Aria was a bit slow to admit it, but she eventually confessed that she was touched by his determination and passion back before he fought White, even reviving her after she was killed, meaning Bam essentially saved her for no reason at all. She was even allowed into the Poe Bidau Family at his behest, even if she did get experimented on, and he didn't mistrust her and treated her as just another companion. Literally, she admitted that with his kind heart and charisma, practically anyone could fall in love with him.
Well, after he had heard all such confessions, how could he refuse? Bam agreed to give romantic relationships a try with the ten of them, but he also imposed a few conditions. First, he wouldn't have sex with any of them until they had all become Rankers, expecting that by that time, their survivals would be hopefully more guaranteed to avoid any heartbreak. Second, they would have to accept that as he would be spending much of his time training for the future, he could not indulge them as often as they might hope.
They were all surprisingly fine with it, and that was when Gustang suddenly opened the door, asking calmly if Bam had finished solidifying his harem. Gustang had then pulled Bam to a private room and simply told him to treat his daughter well, before giving him a few books about romantic relationships and leaving him there. Enne was grateful to Gustang for his approval, but Gustang simply told her to enjoy it.
And so Bam became the boyfriend of 5 ex-Princesses of Jahad, a Red-Haired Witch, two 10 Great Family members, a "little sister", and an ex-soldier of the Jahad's Army, quite a drastic development from the initially clueless boy he was. Hell, Master Jinsung was very much happy for him, even giving him a few tips on romance, along with also stating Bam had lived up to his father's uncanny ability to attract women more genuinely than any men.
It wasn't exactly easy, as each women had their own tastes for dating and their characters as well. He could divide them into three groups, he supposed, the "Wild", the "Tsundere", and the "Soft".
Who else occupied the "Wild" but Yuri, Hwa Ryun, and Endorsi? All three of them seemed to have lost their inhibitions as they pretty much started flirting with him all the time, teasing him with various offers of letting him see more of their body and even being unfazed when Bam happened to stumble on them wearing only their underwear, going as far as to trick him into seeing them in that state! Needless to say, Bam regretted not adding a third condition where they shouldn't try to seduce him, as it always left him embarrassed, all while those girls would laugh at him.
They mixed both tomboyish and girly tendencies, sparring with him often while he was shirtless and they were wearing sport uniforms that showed some cleavage, but also wearing good dresses and applying an astonishing degree of makeup when having date night with him. Surprisingly enough, they preferred to just watch the night sky or enjoy action movies while dating with him, Endorsi seemingly growing to love some nature as she agreed and even took them out on picnics at certain times.
They still respected their boundaries, but Yuri, Hwa Ryun, and Endorsi all had a certain disregard for Bam's training time as they would push him to spend more time with them when he wasn't serious, irritating Gustang until he banned them from watching over Bam's training session and threatened to straight-up only allow them to date . Jinsung, out of pity, was willing to accommodate them by training them up to shape, which also helped them further grow stronger.
Even Yuri benefitted from Jinsung's teachings as the man was much older than her and had mastered more of the Ha Family's ways along with some of FUG's own, and they developed a pretty cordial relationship as they came to an understanding, both having grown disillusioned with their Family despite their high status. Hwa Ryun was cool with his master, but Endorsi found Jinsung to be a dirty, sarcastic old man.
The "Tsundere" was surprisingly easier, but still a bit tough, to handle. Anaak, Aria, and Yihwa qualify for that. They were rather demanding and acted tough around him, especially in the early stages where Bam struggled to properly date them, but would always show a softer, more romantic side, when Bam got things right and managed to make them happy. In time, it became easier for him to take care of them
Needless to say, at least they were more self-conscious when it came to the body: They dressed more neatly and Bam would be given earfuls when he somehow stumbled upon them undressed. Yihwa would even manifest her flames and throw it at him while inelegantly bumbling and ranting. Somehow, he managed to see Anaak completely naked, and the slap Anaak gave him using special gloves to allow her hits to affect even a High Ranker the first time it happened could be heard through the entire Poe Bidau Mothership along with her rants, even causing Gustang to make a snide comment on how Bam needed to be more careful when dealing with his women, or else they could put him in preplexing situations.
A common thing for those three was that apparently, all of them enjoyed to cook or eat in any capacity. Yihwa's dates primarily had her asking him to teach her how to cook more efficiently, until she eventually managed to create high-quality dishes that even Bam could enjoy, and while Anaak was already good enough in cooking from her time surviving, she also enjoyed Bam showing her more recipes and eventually came to like other forms of pie beside chicken pie. As for Aria, apparently her experiments with the Workshop left her unable to enjoy food before, but thanks to the Poe Bidau's own research, she was finally able to enjoy it and loved Bam's cooking. They all liked to take Bam for candle-lit dinners, and enjoyed his cooking more than any restaurant.
And as for the "Soft"? Well, they comprised of the remaining ones, Garam, Enne, Elaine, and Miseng, and each happened to be more unique compared to the other groups who had a fairly similar personality, but they were all rather sweet and good-attitude compared to the others.
Enne was very gentle and submissive as she deferred to whatever Bam wanted for the night but also kept the peace between him and the others when they argued with a stern but soft hand. She preferred to have sleepovers with Bam, and was welcoming of the others joining as well. Everyone liked her more than most of the other girls, even Yuri. Gustang was not at all impressed by his daughter's tastes of dating and kept giving her incentives to take Bam out on reading libraries rather than just sleeping around, which she also agreed to while still relaxing, even giving Bam a fluffy pillow to use!
On a lesser note, Enne also seemed to be fine being around Bam while undressed, as Bam HAD seen her naked when he rescued her, something that caused Bam no end of an embarassment and made other girls jealous.
Speaking of Enne, she didn't just date him, but also helped him in his training. As Enne had learned more of her shinsu control from Blossom than Gustang, she was quite familiar with the Eurasia style of shinsu control, and proved to be an efficient teacher despite how the Eurasia Family's style was quite unpredictable, focusing on chaotic but efficient techniques that could exploit weaknesses all around. Enne also sparred with him in preparation if he had to fight Adori again, and Bam was improving fast combined with Urek's presence. By the time 2 years had passed since Enne was free, Bam came close to winning over Enne, actually. She was happy about it, and started to also teach a few of her "juniors" to help them survive.
Miseng was a sweet kid who enjoyed eating various kinds of food with Bam, but also loved to exercise with him. Her shinsu aptitude seemed to be that of body enhancement, so she wanted to grow physically stronger and Bam was happy to help her further. She was advancing quite rapidly, with even Yuri admitting her Body Reinforcement exceeded most normal Ha, and was a good student too. It was a fortune, as well, as while Miseng ate a bit more compared to most, her liking for exercises effectively meant she was able to burn through the calories.
If Enne was fine being undressed because Bam had rescued her while she was restricted naked, then Miseng was somewhat comfortable with it because she had pure faith that Bam wouldn't do anything to her. She tolerated Bam when she was wearing a bra and everything else, or her underwear only.
Garam was a calm, level-headed woman who was more relaxed as Urek made it clear he was a good man by chivalrously letting her go to Bam, even congratulating him. She preferred calm and peace, simply drinking tea beside him or walking around gardens. She did, however, made it clear she was not a fan of exposure until sex, and Bam was happy to go along with it, as he still wasn't really taken by the body, preferring to focus more on the character.
As for Elaine, she was quite teasing while being cool about it and had mixed tastes that could change any time, able to switch from candlelit dinners to simple walks, exercises to sparring, and so on. Elaine also wore more sensual clothes compared to her fellows, and was more open to acting seductively around him.
Oh well, Bam found he was happier with them, and so were they, and so they marched forward, confident in the future as long as they were together.