Chapter 251: Relax, take it easy

Now that I know what the Peilor are planning, all my thoughts of leisure and taking it easy for a bit fly out the window.

Unfortunately, Bhat, ruler of the Great Guardian Clan and Apex of the Realm of Glory, still hasn’t finished delivering our message in a bottle to Goddess. Since we kinda need to hear her reply about what to do with Suri before we can move up to the Realm of Imagination, we’re stuck here for a little while longer.

That doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do in the meantime, of course.

My first order of business is to try and gain access to Kaitlynn’s Core to get rid of Suri’s Commands.

While Suri certainly seems genuine in her remorse, there’s no way I’m ready to just trust her.

Part of me hopes that what she told us about the Peilor’s plans for Earth was all an elaborate lie to get us to keep her alive until we make a mistake so she can escape or something, but deep down I don’t believe it.

Life has never been that kind to me.

Either way, we need to recover the rest of the Blue Dragons from the Yin-Yang Realm. Hopefully, one of them will be able to verify or debunk her story.

The first thing I ask Yexl when we reach the end of the tunnels leading away from Suri and Yuna’s cell, is if there are any experts on Cores and Commands amongst the raptors.

His answer surprises me—if only because it’s a familiar name—but perhaps it shouldn’t have.

“Chief Warden Shaz is one of our foremost experts on Commands,” he growls. “Though I imagine she has more experience with placing, rather than removing them.”

“Great. Can you get us an appointment with her?” I ask. “As soon as she’s available; it’s urgent.”

“Yes ma’am!” he replies, perking up at getting a task, only to immediately delegate it to a nearby guard, who quickly scurries away to deliver the request.

I rub at my temple, my mind churning.

A warm hand lands gently on my shoulder. “Hey,” Kaitlynn says, catching my eyes and giving me a comforting squeeze. “We’re not going to let this happen, okay? No matter what Suri says, no matter what they throw at us, we can do this.”

I shake my head. “It’s not that. I was just thinking about...” I trail off, not quite managing to bring myself to say, ‘about my stubborn boat-bird pseudo-daughter.’ “About Kirri,” I settle on. “It’s silly, I know, but we just got back to a good place, and I was hoping I’d have some time for her after we got back to the Realm of Imagination, but now that seems increasingly unlikely.”

An understanding look flashes over Kaitlynn’s face, before she wordlessly holds out her arms, inviting me into a hug.

I lean in with a sigh and allow her to envelop me, shamelessly sinking into her warmth and burying my nose into locks of blue.

“Just talk to her,” Kaitlynn mumbles into my neck. “She’ll understand.”

“You think so?” I reply into her hair, my voice equally muffled. It smells sweet and fruity, yet somehow still holds a faint hint of the rudimentary herbal shampoo she made back in Hub Two.

Well, I guess that might very well be my Imagination. Or hers.

She nods, her nose rubbing against my skin. “I’m positive.”

I take a deep breath and reluctantly step back, out of her hold. “All right. Shall we go to Shaz first, though?”

Kaitlynn grabs my hand and laces our fingers together with a mischievous smile. “Nice try. I know what you’re like when you start procrastinating. First stop, the Arena ring!”

My groan as I let her pull me along only serves to make her laugh. She knows me too well...

Kirri and Koko turn out not to be in the ring full of cerulean sand, but stretching out my tuned in senses, I find them easily enough, playing in the park around the Arena.

Specifically, I find them sailing up one of the meandering streams that cut through the fields of orange grass with the occasional magenta-leaved purple trees, with Kirri carrying a boatload of hatchlings.

The little raptors make for quite a precious sight as they scurry around on her deck, playing with her steering wheel and levers and climbing her sail. With a pang of nostalgia, I remember young Bloodborn doing much the same thing, and just like then, Koko is in her element, squeaking out commands to her tiny crewmembers from her spot on the prow.

“Ah ah ahoy!” she squeaks as she spots us standing on the bridge. “Landlubbers ahead, prepare to pillage!”

I smile wryly. Precious as they are, I’m not exactly in the mood to play with a bunch of kids right now.

Thankfully, the raptor parents standing around the stream seem to sense as much, and when I state out loud that I’d like a word with Kirri in private, they’re quick to collect their excited little tykes and take them to play elsewhere.

“Sorry for interrupting,” I tell Kirri, leaning against her mast as she bobs down the gentle brook.

“Eh, it’s fine... so, what’s up?” she asks, idly swinging her boom.

I take a deep breath and explain what we’ve learned and what that probably means for my schedule for the next couple of months at the very least.

Frankly, she reacts a lot more understanding than I expect.

Well, I suppose I’d already cautioned her that I’ll be kind of busy once we get back to the Realm of Imagination, so this is perhaps a relatively minor adjustment to her expectations.

“It’s fine, I swear,” she creaks after I hesitantly ask for the third time, punctuating her phrase with a spin of her steering wheel in a way I’m starting to suspect may be mimicking my eye-rolls. “Just... you know... be safe, okay?”

“I’ll do my best, hon,” I tell her as I soothingly stroke her railing. “I’ll do my best.”

“You’d better!” she emphasizes. “And you better find some time for me once you’re done kicking their asses, or... or I’ll sic Koko on you!”

Some of the tension in my shoulders dissipates, and I find myself standing up straighter. “Can’t have that, of course,” I reply with a smile. “Don’t worry; the Peilor aren’t going to know what hit them.”

“So, can you help us?” I ask after finishing my explanation.

Shaz does not reply immediately, leaning back a little on the plush stool behind her desk.

Her office is surprisingly spartan for her position, featuring very little in terms of decoration, and filled mostly with filing cabinets full of lilac scrolls.

The only breaks in the monotony of her walls are what appears to be a kind of motivational poster featuring one of those red cacti in a pool of water, and a painting of her cradling Rhozk as a hatchling.

Adorable.

“Yes, Descendant,” she finally growls. “I will help you. However, if I understand you correctly, you wish to remove the Commands yourself, rather than have me do it, yes?”

I share a glance with Kaitlynn. She swallows and nods.

“We would prefer that, yes,” I reply.

It’s a skill I want to pick up regardless. After all, I’ll need to do the same for Dave, Alec, and Jacob, and hopefully sooner rather than later.

“Very well,” Shaz says. “I will teach you. But not here.”

I frown. “Why not?”

“Because I know of a far more suitable location.”

Turns out Shaz has a personal carriage—not that I’m surprised—in which she takes us to an establishment in the upper district that I’ve only sensed from afar. It appears to be a kind of spa, full of saunas and heated pools and little fountains that produce the soothing sound of falling water.

I have to admit, in my impatience, I’m a little sceptical of the necessity of going here. However, as I cross the threshold and am hit by the clean, herbal scents, I can’t help but relax a little.

Which is the point, I guess. Shaz probably knows what she’s doing.

Yexl seems to know it too, as he heads to the front desk with barely a nod from Shaz, and quickly requests a meditation room.

Soon enough, Shaz, Kaitlynn, and I are seated on mats of dried orange grass, in a quiet room that smells not unlike fresh pine and eucalyptus.

Shaz has her eyes closed and is breathing slowly, and Kaitlynn has copied her, but I can’t help but fidget a little.

“So... how does this work?” I ask eventually. Kaitlynn opens her eyes, but Shaz remains still, so I add, “What does becoming relaxed have to do with Commands?”

“Well,” Shaz growls softly, still keeping her eyes shut, and pausing for a moment before she continues. “It has very little to do with creating Commands, but it will make removing them a lot easier.”

I wait for her to continue, but she doesn’t. Finally, I once again open my mouth. “Why?”

Shaz takes her sweet time letting out a long, slow breath before she answers. “Because unlike when you give someone a Command, removing one requires directly accessing their Core.”

“And relaxing will help me do that?”

“Not particularly.”

“Then why are we here?” I snap, growing frustrated.

Kaitlynn’s hand on my arm helps remind me to calm down. My anger issues are much less severe than before, but I still have kind of a short fuse.

“Because the one who needs to relax is not you, but Kaitlynn,” Shaz replies, still utterly, annoyingly serene as she takes the wind out of my sails.

My shoulders slump. “Oh. Right. Sorry. I’m a little on edge.”

“That’s all right, Descendant. I understand.”

“So, I need to relax?” Kaitlynn asks, pointing at herself, even though Shaz still has her eyes closed.

“It is your Core Emma has to reach, yes?”

I scratch my neck. “I guess what you’re saying makes sense, but... Mirta didn’t need me to relax before she showed up next to my avatar.”

“Then she must’ve been quite powerful, or possess skills beyond mine,” Shaz growls softly. She finally opens her eyes, keeping them half-lidded as she stares at me. “Don’t misunderstand me; you are strong enough to force your way through Kaitlynn’s spiritform, but does that sound like it would be a very pleasant experience?”

Kaitlynn scrunches up her nose. “Not to me.”

“And it probably wouldn’t be,” Shaz continues. “Trust me, my method is far more agreeable, for both parties involved.”

I take a deep breath. “All right, I trust you. Just tell us what to do.”

With that, Shaz blinks slowly in affirmation, and proceeds to guide Kaitlynn through a series of relaxation exercises. Once Kaitlynn’s properly breathing with her eyes shut and her face slack, she turns to me.

“Now, Emma, while Kaitlynn does her best to make her spiritform permeable, you’re going to need a way to gently reach through to her Core.”

I nod. “I was thinking of using my Devouring Energy.” Seeing a twitch on Kaitlynn’s face, I hurry on to add, “But without actually Devouring anything, obviously; it’s just the most malleable, prehensile part of my spiritform. I can make it really thin and control it really well, so it should be my least invasive tool.”

Kaitlynn’s face slackens again, and Shaz blinks slowly in affirmation. “That should work, yes.”

“And when I manage to reach her Core, what do I do then?”

“Once you make contact, all you need to do is Imagine your way inside with the use of your Willpower. Now come, sit here.”

I take place behind Kaitlynn. Her Core is about in the centre of her torso, a little higher than her belly button, around the diaphragm, so I put my hand roughly on the middle of her back.

“Now, what’s important here,” Shaz softly growls, “is that you take it slow, and don’t try to force your way through. The moment you sense resistance, stop. Remember; we are in no rush.”

“Be nice, got it,” I reply. “You ready, Kait?”

Kaitlynn takes a deep breath, and nods.

Closing my eyes, I let a tiny tendril of Devouring Energy slip out through the palm of my hand, focusing on keeping its hungry nature in check as I push it against her back.

Of course, even with my eyes closed, I can sense every distortion of Kaitlynn’s face through her interaction with the air around it, so I notice instantly when she tenses up, her brow furrowing.

I pull the tendril back. “You okay?”

Kaitlynn relaxes again. “Yeah. Just... try again.”

Unfortunately, however, the result is about the same, and after a few more tries, I glance doubtfully at Shaz.

Shaz growls softly. “Tell us how you’re feeling, Kaitlynn, what’s blocking you?”

Kaitlynn groans, her shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry, it’s just... scary.”

I remove my hand from her back and she turns around to face me. “What’s the matter, hon?” I ask, frowning lightly. “Are you worried it’ll hurt?”

She shakes her head. “No, I just...” she trails off, glancing shyly at Shaz, who seems to take the hint.

“I’ve taught you all you need to know, so I’ll leave you to it now,” Shaz growls, calmly getting up and moving to the exit. She pauses just outside to glance back. “If there’s anything else you need, don’t hesitate to ask, Descendants.”

And she leaves, sliding the door shut behind her.

I turn back to Kaitlynn, biting on my lip. “So, tell me the truth.... you’re worried about letting a recovering Essence addict into your Core, aren’t you?”

Kaitlynn blinks at me, her brows shooting up.

I sigh melodramatically. “It’s fine, you can be honest with me, I can take it.”

Kaitlynn snorts and slaps me on my upper arm. Due to the difference in our Espir densities, it feels not unlike being ‘hit’ with a wet paper towel. “Of course not, you goof!”

I lean in a little, wagging my eyebrows. “Well, maybe you should be. Who knows what’ll happen when I’m in there? Might just take a little sip...”

She laughs. “You’re impossible. No, seriously, that’s not it. I trust you completely.”

Despite my joking tone, I find myself feeling a little relieved at that statement. “Yeah? Well... good. But if that’s the case, then what’s the matter?”

She sighs and reaches out for my hands, which I gladly provide.

She looks at me, then glances down and to the side, flushing a little. “I just kinda got into my head about the idea of you looking at, like, my Essence, my avatar. I mean, it’s like a representation of my innermost self, right? I just... worry what you’ll see in there.”

I smile at her, my heart melting a little at her bashful expression. “Whatever’s in there, I’m sure it’s beautiful,” I tell her, squeezing her hands reassuringly.

Kaitlynn’s lips take on a doubtful cast of her lips. “I know you believe that, it’s just... I’m not sure I believe it. I’m not always as confident as I appear, you know?”

Seeing how she’s not quite reassured, I try a different tack: self-deprecation.

“Hey, my self-image grew an evil twin that looked like garish rainbow-puke, so at the very least, it can’t be worse than that.”

That finally gets a smile. “Ugh... I know it’s stupid, I’m just feeling kinda self-conscious I guess.”

“Kaitlynn, you are the most beautiful person I know, inside and out,” I tell her earnestly. “Trust me when I say you have nothing to worry about.”

Kaitlynn ducks her head down, cheeks growing red as she squints up at me through her eyelashes. “I really don’t know if I should trust you,” she grumbles good-naturedly. “You are way too good with your words.”

I just smile and squeeze her hands again. “Just tell me when you’re ready to try again.”

She sits up a little straighter, blush already fading, and looks me fondly in the eyes. “I think I already am, actually. But can we try it like this?”

Even as she says it, she lets go of one of my hands, and tugs the other forward, before placing it firmly on the bottom of her sternum, and holding it there.

“Of course,” I reply, fighting not to get sidetracked. There’ll be time for that later. “Now close your eyes. Take a deep breath, and just... relax.”

This time, when my tendril bores into her spiritform, only a flicker passes over Kaitlynn’s face. After halting for a moment, I push on.

I slide past mote after mote of Espir, until finally, I hit upon a familiar feeling.

The smooth, hard outer shell of a Core.

I manage to stop myself from audibly reacting, and instead focus on the next step.

I pour Espir into the section of my mind that contains volcanoes of molten metal, and direct the resulting force down my tendril. When it reaches the tip, I Imagine myself entering Kaitlynn’s Core, and the world goes dark.

Author's note:

It was surprisingly hard—I mean, difficult—to make this chapter not sound overtly sexual. :p

"It's easy, Emma; just penetrate her with your tentacles until you reach her Core!"

You get the idea. :p

So, did I do a good job of keeping it PG? ^^