GxG 19
Putting down the book I was reading, I leaned back and yawned.
It's been a week since my date with Kunou, and we all have been busy since then.
I managed to negotiate access to the library in exchange for attempting that cursed land purification, once I had brushed up my knowledge.
Yasaka was serious about grinding my hips to dust as payment and it took a lot of effort to talk her down. I mostly succeeded but something about the look in her eyes told me this wasn't the last I would hear of that.
She is still flashing me every chance she gets, but she is so casual about it that I'm just enjoying the show when it happens.
Kunou was technically excused from all her duties to guide me full time, but I wanted to shack up and read which wasn't really her speed. While I'm in the library she instead spends her time as usual, mostly shadowing her mother to learn the ropes of their territory.
Part of my library access payment included a tutor for Hana, so she is currently across the library being taught topics like English, Japanese, and some basic math by a very matronly retired yokai who Yasaka recommended.
My Teaching isn't good enough to force it, and Hana seems to enjoy the older lady's company too.
Meanwhile, I've spent the last week inhaling every scrap of information I could get my hands on. Being able to just read to learn something instead of days of experimentation was beautiful.
My most interesting find so far was the books on Human Magic, and magic in general.
I'm so thankful I stumbled upon Ki before I found my Mana. Magic is an absolute mess of a subject.
While Ki intrinsically follows the patterns of the being that contains it, Mana does whatever the hell it wants.
Without something to focus it, Mana is utterly unpredictable and highly volatile. This is why supernatural creatures are all so much more powerful than humans.
They either have an enhanced body, innate access to their Ki, or they naturally focus their Mana.
That's what an angel's Light is, or what a devil's Demonic Power is. It's all Mana that is instinctually flexed, molded and focused.
Of course this line of thinking grows a little blurry at the highest level. Apparently one of the leaders of the devils can turn himself into conceptual destruction. That is some pure fuckery that I refuse to believe is pure Mana, there has to be some soul shenanigans at the very least and I wouldn't be surprised if things were getting conceptual or divine.
A Devil God would be scary, but it's just idle thoughts at this point.
What this meant for humanity was there was no way for us to use magic outside of things like Shamanism that relied on external objects, or by mixing with magical races.
That was until Merlin came along and made Merlinian Magic, a calculation magic based off of how devils use magic.
How it works is that a human can flex their Mana in a very specific way based on a devil's Demonic Power. By doing this, they prime their Mana to take instructions in the form of calculations, printed onto a magic circle made of the caster's Mana.
This is how Humans can focus their Mana.
The reason that Merlinian Magic is so hard to use is because of how hard it is to balance a magic circle properly.
A calculation is slightly off? Circle detonates in your face.
Calculations were right but you fudged the creation? It also detonates in your face.
The upside to this system is that Mana, especially once primed and focused, is a very potent energy. It can do many amazing things that I am unable to with my current Lifeforce system.
Where Ki, Senjutsu, and Formations all need to work with the world to achieve effects, Mana just tells the world to do it.
Both sides have their advantages, but I prefer my current setup.
I did manage to unlock Mana, Mana Control, Mana Sense, and Merlinian Magic, but my Mana reserves are so bad and my control is even worse. It won't be usable for a long time.
I just have a poor affinity with all things Mana, and this isn't like with Ki where my earlier motes happened to synergize.
Math works perfectly with Merlinian Magic, but actually formatting math to magic is an extremely tedious process that is severely hampering any benefits Math might currently give me.
Once I had reached the point that studying magic was no longer needed I dove into everyone's favorite topic.
Geopolitics.
There is some brutal shit happening constantly, I can begin to see why Yasaka acts the way she does.
Thankfully all the books with current information are kept in one area for easy access, presumably so someone doesn't make a faux pas and cause an inter-faction dispute.
I used my enhanced Mind to memorize and compile all the relevant information, storing it so I have it when I start traveling again.
I still am wary of going totally ham with Mind, but I had to expand my mind a bit to deal with all the new sensory information I get from my various enhanced Senses.
I'm pretty sure it would have grown naturally to deal with that though, so I'm not worrying too much.
Finally, in preparation for my first job as a Sage I have been researching curses.
They are fascinating.
Curses are such a huge category of phenomena, the only common denominator between them is 'It's probably bad'.
I have been focusing on land based curses, and they are just so interesting.
They are considered a type of living magic, due to their self reinforcing nature. Normally most forms of magics disperse with time, but of course there are exceptions.
Like land curses.
This also means that if you squint really hard, Landscaping could be considered a land curse. Totally different mechanics, but a similar result.
Landscaping achieves self-reinforcement through the careful management of natural energy flows, creating feedback loops.
Land curses instead rely on transforming nearby natural energy into more of itself, growing like a tumor.
This also explains why Yasaka was so excited about me being able to clean them up, to the point where she offered her own body for the chance I could clean them.
Entire sections of the yokai subdimension are almost entirely unusable due to the land being that much more volatile. Not enough for the gods to do anything, but enough that it was starting to seriously strain the people living within the dimension from loss of usable land.
If I cleaned them all I would be making a double-digit percentage of the dimension usable again.
The reasons each area was cursed vary, but there were some common themes.
Yokai, while having calmed down greatly over the centuries, are still very much evil spirits, or at least evil spirit adjacent. Without proactive measures, curses are going to build.
Add on yokai that really go off the deep end like most of the daiyokai, massacres tainting the land, and people just blatantly casting land curses, and you get entire areas that people just can't go.
I will be dealing with this by myself, for multiple reasons.
Mainly, I don't want Hana too exposed to the outside world yet, and I don't think she could really help me anyways.
As a natural born Sage, Hana is still actually very weak. She hasn't gone through the tempering process of other Sages. I don't want to risk her accidently eating some particularly cursed natural energy and getting sick.
I have no idea how I would heal that, and I'm not risking my Little Flower over unknowns like that.
I could hear Hana's lesson ending, followed by the pitter-patter of her running to where I was studying.
"Hey Daddy, I'm all done. Numbers are evil, why can't I just grow flowers all day?" She asked, clearly exhausted from her lessons.
"If you can't count, how will you know how many flowers you have?" I countered, finishing up tidying my books I was done with.
It seems she hadn't thought of that because her face scrunched up like she bit a lemon, but after thinking for a moment she reluctantly nodded.
"Fine, but I want candies for being so good today." She tried to bargain.
"I don't know, were you good today?" I played myself up a little bit, winking Hana's tutor who had walked over.
Hana's response was to just stare at her with puppy-dog eyes, gold and silver shining.
"Hana was wonderful today, much better than those brats I usually teach." She said with a warm smile on her face. Hana's face also lit up, pleased her gambit had worked.
"See Daddy? Candy!" She demanded as she stuck her hand out in a 'gimme' motion.
"Yes, yes, Little Flower. Later though, I don't have any on me." I placated.
"Ok, you promised."
Hana had developed a bit of a sweet tooth, and I don't know if that's because she's a spirit or if that's just her.
"Yes, I promise. We have places to be soon, Kunou is waiting for us." I said as I started standing up, gathering my things to leave.
"Yay! Pretty fox lady!" Hana cheered.
Pretty fox lady indeed.
[LINE BREAK]
We wandered our way over to the garden, as there was a training field nearby it.
When we arrived Kunou was already there waiting for us, warming up.
She was wearing shorts and a sports bra, both of which were very form fitting, and had her hair in a cute little pony tail.
While not as blatantly stacked as her mother, as that is an unfairly high bar, Kunou was still a very attractive young woman.
Right now she looks like a girl you would see exercising on a college campus and then think about for the next 5 years.
She caught me staring, as she smirked and then changed her stretches to point her ass right towards me.
It was a nice ass.
Both these foxes are total vixens, I've been getting more keyed up as the week goes on.
I'm pretty sure the only reason she didn't do more was because Hana was with me, wandering around and looking at the garden nearby.
I made my way over to her but was stopped as I got close when she threw a bag at me.
"Here are some sparring clothes, go get changed in the shack." She said as she gestured to a small building off to the side. "I'll keep an eye on Hana."
"Thanks, I'll be right back." I said as I jogged over and got changed. In the bag was a pair of baggy sport shorts and a spandex shirt.
Walking back I tugged at the collar of my shirt.
"Do you think this shirt is a little too small?" I asked Kunou.
She quickly wiped her mouth and started shaking her head.
"No, that's perfect! I mean- uh- it's properly sized for sparring, it has to be a little tighter." She said, pleased with herself.
"Ok, how are we doing this?" I asked, since sparring was her idea in the first place.
"We have to keep it pretty lightweight as Hana is watching." Kunou began, pointing to Hana who was sitting on a bench watching us. She waved when she saw us looking and we waved back.
"I was thinking we should just go over some general forms and theory for now, keep it simple." She explained.
"Are you sure this isn't just an excuse for you to feel me up?" I asked her in jest.
Kunou had been getting better at dealing with my teasing though, as she barely blushed before she replied.
"Shouldn't I be saying the same to you?" She countered, tugging at her top seductively in a spot Hana wouldn't see.
This minx just doesn't stop, it's like a fire has been lit after that date. I don't even want to imagine what her mother has been coaching her.
I bet that 'birds and the bees' talk began with "When a mommy wants a daddy very badly...".
"Yes you're very pretty Kunou, but lets focus." I like looking at her, but she's been playing fast and loose near Hana.
Yasaka is much better at stealth flashes.
"Mou, ok." She pouted, before her expression changed.
"I have a bone to pick with you, so you have to let me get a few good hits in no matter what." She declared.
"What did I do to you?" I asked back confused.
"Those stupid Ki methods you gave my mom! Do you have any idea how much I suffered over the years because of those?" She started ranting
"Huh? What about them? They should have helped you a lot. I can sense how much stronger you are now compared to back then."
I wasn't lying either. Kunou was peak of Mid-Class, maybe barely breaking into High-Class. Her Ki purity and density still eclipsed mine.
She must have really put those methods to work, combined with her inborn affinity with that sunshine-like Ki she has.
"Once Mama figured them out, she made me use them until exhaustion every night." She explained sharply.
I just winced. Draining your Ki is good training, but every night seems excessive.
"And then! One day I got sick of it taking so long so I did something stupid. Instead of my hands I used my tails, and Mama nearly tanned my hide so badly I could barely sit." She shuddered at the memory, eyes going a little distant.
"Why would using your tails cause that reaction?" That seems a little extreme?
"It takes a little background, but the reason me and Mama are so important is because we are nine-tailed kitsune. Every tail a kitsune grows increases their affinity with senjutsu, they are like antennas." She began, waving her tails around to emphasize her point.
"And then little Kunou dumped her Ki into her tails to do that training exercise." I finished, and the face she made let me know I hit the nail on the head.
"I was repeatedly told to be extra careful with my tails and Mama was not impressed I did the exact opposite."
"But nothing bad happened, right? I still count nine tails." I asked as she got a really smug face.
"Mama tried it afterwards, and after she spent some time making it so I wouldn't cripple myself I was allowed to do it again. Using nine tails for those techniques is way better than just using two puny hands." She puffed up in pride, doing nice things for my view.
"And because your tails are the representation of your senjutsu and Ki affinity, the results were that much better too."
"Yup! Kunou is still the smartest." And there is that princess pride that flares up sometimes. I better fix that.
"Sounds to me like you are avoiding the spar at this point." I taunted.
Kunou's response was to pick up a rock and stare at me.
"We start when it hits the ground?" She asked, clearly not taking that taunt laying down.
"Go Daddy!" Hana called from off to the side. Kunou stuck her tongue out at Hana, who blew a raspberry back at her.
Focusing and making eye contact with me, Kunou threw the rock into the air.
Clack
Kunou took off, using a movement technique distinct from my flash step. Similar idea, but more fluid and flexible.
It was slower though.
As Kunou approached she settled into a stance that Martial Arts said would maximize the use of her tails. Both for balance and distractions.
I would not be surprised if this martial art was meant to be used with those Illusions she was so proud of.
She started testing my defenses with some simple strikes.
Left jab.
Right hook.
Spin kick to reposition.
She poked and prodded from many angles.
Kunou was making ample use of her natural abilities, but this clearly was not something she focused on. There were parts that felt sluggish or out of tune, and I was easily deflecting her while matching her speed.
"Hey, you're supposed to let me hit you!" She complained after making some distance.
"Says who? I have barely moved so far." I smirked back.
"Says the pretty girl who kisses you." She replied back while fluttering her eyelashes, soft enough that Hana couldn't hear. I do not need Hana blabbing to my mother.
"That's a good point, but maybe you just need to try harder." I beamed back.
"Tsk, here I come. Be careful!" She called out before her form began to shimmer. She was finally using her illusion abilities inherent to being a kitsune.
Her illusion mastery was rather high, as even with my enhanced Senses I had trouble tracking her at times. That's only because I was matching her right now. If I was going all out I could lock her down in a split second.
She started testing my defenses again but this time made much more progress.
She layered a charm on her tails, and combined with how they flowed during her movements (no doubt a part of her marital art), caused my eyes to be drawn away from her attacks.
She managed to slip some light hits through my guard, relying on the moment between my distraction and my movements. Once again, it only worked because I was matching her speed.
Eventually I decided it was time to fight back, and the next time she closed in I swung.
She clearly wasn't expecting it as she yelped and nearly fell backwards.
"We both know you're stronger than me, so I'm going to try my finisher now." She called out, bouncing on the balls of her feet. It was doing nice things to her chest, which she clearly noticed.
She just smiled brightly before the whole area started to shimmer. I heard a "where did you go?" from Hana outside, but right now I was focused on Kunou.
Her finisher was a heavy illusion. I could feel it affecting me internally and also externally, with whispers meant to confuse me woven in.
I slowly circled, trying to sense where Kunou would attack from before I felt it.
A 6th sense from behind me.
I pivoted and blindly grabbed out, causing Kunou to cry out in shock.
I didn't stop though, as I pulled her towards me and grabbed her with my other hand, spinning her around and locking her down.
I was attempting to end the fight with a grapple, and it worked for a moment. Until Kunou surprised me by pushing back and grinding into me.
I could hear her panting, half in exhaustion and half in arousal, as she turned her head to face me.
Her eyes were glassy and her face rosy.
"Nathan, I need-" she began before I cut her off with a kiss.
It was a very needy kiss.
We broke apart, and Kunou started to say something before I cut her off.
"Remember where we are."
She looked confused for a moment before she realized what I meant. She grew a nuclear blush and scrambled away from me, clearly totally forgetting the spar.
"Teehee, whoops?" She looked extremely sheepish. I just sighed while calming myself down.
"You're lucky you dropped an illusion across the whole area, I do NOT need Hana seeing that." I said seriously which caused a mortified expression to dawn on her face.
"Yeah. That would be bad. I'm sorry." She looked genuinely apologetic, so I'm pretty sure that wasn't meant to happen.
We took a moment to freshen up with senjutsu so it was like nothing happened, before she dropped her illusion.
"Whoa! That was so cool!" Hana called out as she ran towards us.
"You were like whoosh! Then bang bang bang. How did you make the air all shiny?" She asked with starry eyes.
"That was an illusion, I'm sure you could learn to do it too." I said while smiling at her antics.
"Really!?" Hana lit up.
"Yup, and I bet if you asked really nicely Kunou would show you." I said in a teasing voice as Kunou locked up. Hana whipped her head over and locked onto the fox.
"I would love to show you Hana, but it takes a lot of practice." Kunou tried to softly let her down, in case she couldn't figure out how.
"Thank you pretty fox lady!" Hana said while launching herself to hug Kunou, which caused her to totally freeze.
I just laughed at the sight.