116: At the Feet of Giants
Chapter 116: At the Feet of Giants
SENA
It took everything she had for Sena to maintain any sense of decorum and composure.
Kenta had shown some strange powers before, but he’d never really done so in front of her – aside from appearing and disappearing like he did. She’d never considered the fact that he could take her with him, and she doubted he even needed her permission. Making a house had been less startling, since she’d seen him replicate his equipment before, but their conversations had revealed to her that he wasn’t just the architect of the System.
She knew now that somehow, he’d created the entire world.
It had been humbling at first, but his scatterbrained nature had then made her wonder how this had come to be. So much in the world seemed to surprise him, yet at the same time she got the sense that he took his responsibility seriously.
That disturbed her for another reason, as she realized his constant distraction wasn’t incompetence at all. He was simply operating on another level… a level that had him making choices that steered her entire species. He couldn’t bother with the small details that she kept track of all the time, they were just noise to him. Inconsequential.
Just like she looked at Chall in the aggregate most of the time. She steered Chall, guided its healthy development. Perhaps not directly, but with many of the same tradeoffs. Hard choices needed to be made. She had resigned herself to that long ago, to the idea that sometimes, she would have to hurt or even kill people for the greater good. She didn’t enjoy it, but it was necessary.
Kenta did the same thing, on a completely different level. And now she’d learned he’d just accidentally created a persona for the System. That alone made her feel a little queasy, that a childlike entity like this could just… change things.
And Kenta was spoiling her.
Sena took another look at the small girl. To her, the elf looked childlike, but upon closer examination she realized that the shape was more adult than she’d realized. Kenta had mentioned the elves were ‘a lot smaller’ but she hadn’t understood they would be this petite. Akasha’s tone and speech didn’t help matters, though. She spoke with excitement about small things like ear shape and nose size.
“When did you first begin to want to have a name and other desires?” Sena had to break into the quiet chatter, and she knew if she didn’t interrupt it would be forever before she had a chance to quietly ask her question. The sudden question prompted both Kenta and Akasha to stop talking and look across the table at Sena, mild surprise on Kenta’s face and curiosity on Akasha’s.
Yet the small elf did stop to think. Akasha tilted her head, a lock of darker blue hair drifting between her eyes. Sena continued to examine her, and she again had to revise her estimate. These ‘elves’ looked delicate, but the wiry muscles that were present on Akasha’s body spoke of a very fit form, and the way some of her tendons stood out made it clear she could handle a weapon. Sena guessed her to be a spear user, but didn’t bother trying to activate any skills to dig deeper.
What use would skills be against the System itself?
“That’s a hard question to answer,” Akasha finally said in a low, uncertain voice. “I can remember feeling and getting some thoughts from a long time ago. It isn’t very clear, not until father came down here as Kenta like he is now.”
Kenta’s eyebrows raised, but Akasha kept going.
“I was still confused then, but he switched to appearing in this body I’m using right now just after that.” Akasha gestured to herself. “That’s when I started to really understand that the things I was working with were caused by you moving creatures. I started to watch what you did, and when I did that I started to remember some of father’s memories. That’s why I pushed the Dungeon of Warning into making that Quest for you. I saw mother – the one you haven’t met – trying to do the same thing and she couldn’t, so I did it myself.”
This made Kenta raise an eyebrow, and Sena had the sudden feeling that someone not in the room had just gotten in trouble.
Akasha continued on without noticing this. “Once I figured out what father was trying to do, I decided to help out. And for one of the times I helped I made a body, and I… kind of liked it. So I did some more of what mother wanted to do, but I just… hid it because I got the feeling I wasn’t supposed to be here.”
With that, Akasha fell silent and looked awkwardly flustered. The rambling explanation had made some sense to Sena, but only in how it was done with emotions. She didn’t bother to try to hide her next words. Why try to, when the System could already hear them?
“Now my question to you, Kenta. This is a creature that has chosen to help for now, but has shown the ability to hide changes from you, and has stated she wants to create a world for herself.” Sena took a breath. “Have you truly considered that she may need to be eliminated? What if she refuses to operate the System?”
Kenta, instead of looking thoughtful, actually smiled in amusement. “I think she was scared of me doing just that… and it may come to it, but not unless she really is a problem. She’s a kid, Sena. You said so yourself. Why the change of heart?”
He gestured at Akasha. “I’m not going to get rid of her just because she might misbehave. And she doesn’t operate the system, she is the System. There’s a difference. She can’t just stop any more than you could stop breathing. She can hold her breath, or something, but she has to keep breathing.”
Frustration bubbled up within Sena at the casual dismissal of her concerns… though Akasha didn’t look offended, which was a surprise. “Clearly I don’t understand anything here. Why did you even bring me along?”
“Father doesn’t like making decisions,” Akasha answered before Kenta could. “For reasons. Mortals like you are really important, that’s all. And I wanted to ask you something, if you aren’t going to tell him to kill me.”
Kenta’s sigh was loud at that, but he didn’t disagree with her. “I enjoy our little talks, and I know you don’t like me hiding things from you. There are things I can’t really explain, and a few things I shouldn’t try to, but I’m not sure there are any rules that keep me from showing you all this. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”
The reply made Sena grimace, and her tail thumped the leg of the chair. “That is true… the truth is often more damaging than a comfortable lie.”
“But you aren’t like that,” Akasha said. “And I am pretty sure you don’t actually want me killed, do you? I was even going to do something nice for helping father so much. He still owes you, doesn’t he?”
Finally, Kenta slammed his hand down on the table, startling both Sena and the blue-skinned girl. He had a scowl on, one that was genuinely annoyed. Sena had rarely seen him so visibly upset, and it made her stomach flip. As much as she was being pragmatic about it, she didn’t want to be here if he was going to erase Akasha.
“That’s enough.” Kenta’s voice was firm. “I know you want to help, but don’t slide yourself in to taking care of my debts. I’ll figure something out.”
Akasha stared for a moment… then flicked an ear at Kenta. By now Sena was starting to get a basic grasp of the body language she was seeing, so she was pretty sure the girl just agreed to what her ‘father’ said. That didn’t stop her from turning back to Sena.
“I want your advice, anyway. I’ll trade you for it.”
Kenta blinked at her, mouth agape. “Now wait a minute. You’re running to the mortal after making such a big deal about introducing yourself to me? What are you…?”
He trailed off, then chuckled. “Oh. Go right ahead.”
Sena frowned at Kenta’s outburst that cooled so quickly, but Akasha took her attention again right away.
“Father probably figured out I have a question about mortal behavior.” The elf climbed up on the table, crossing her legs to settle there and look at Sena more directly. “I’m willing to pay for it. If there’s something you want that I can reasonably give. I already gave you a special stealth synergy, but that was easy.”
Everything had shifted so quickly that Sena wasn’t sure how to deal with it. She’d spent her life adapting to sudden shifts, but she’d also just suggested this girl be murdered… to her face. Now she was being offered a boon. Offered rather insistently, actually.
Sena shook her head. “I… am retiring soon, I don’t think I need any boost in the System. My only real goal is to ensure Chall’s stability, can you do that?”
“You’d be surprised at what I can do.” Akasha flicked her tail behind her, a motion Sena only understood thanks to having a tail of her own. “I doubt father wants me messing with your lifespan – I’d probably make things worse – so let’s focus on your desire. You never wanted anything for yourself?”
A shrug answered the elf. “I do, but I never had time for it. I’m just going to retire away from politics, somewhere I can relax in peace. That would be the greatest gift, if I could be sure the future was stable.”
Akasha’s brilliant emerald eyes stared at her for several long moments. The elf twitched her nose, then lifted a finger with her proposal.
“I can offer your future bloodline the ability to undergo Apotheosis once without risk of death.”
Sena’s tail stilled. That… was a powerful offer, she had to admit. Apotheosis was rare partly because it was so dangerous. The process of replacing one’s own core was risky and painful, not to mention it rewrote anything a vaskan had gained from the old core. Having the option to do so without fear was… tempting.
Except for one problem.
“You shouldn’t offer such things to me,” the vaskan woman sighed. “I… appreciate what that would mean, but I have no bloodline. Being in the Silent Order is lonely, and the only two men I felt close enough to trust were Genth – who was older and married – and Kenta here. And my association with your father is decidedly not romantic.”
By this time Kenta had tucked his arms behind his head to watch the entire exchange, relaxing in his chair. He snorted lightly in mirth. “You really are an assassin, Sena. You don’t hesitate to stab someone into the friend zone in a surprise attack.”
Sena ignored him, as she was rather certain Kenta had no romantic aspirations for her, either. “On top of that, even if I found someone, I’m now beyond childbearing age. Your offer is impossible.”
“I said what I said,” Akasha countered. “Kenta can’t protect your bloodline, but I can. The only question is if you want that protection.”
A heavy sigh exhaled from Sena’s lips as she folded her hands together on the table. This girl’s offer was valuable… just misplaced. “What do you want from me, before we decide on price?”
The elf’s tail twitched, and she glanced at Kenta before returning that piercing gaze to the only mortal in the room to answer the question.
“Well… there’s this girl, you see…”