Steel Trim
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Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 34
🕑 Added 2025-06-18 01:58:48 +0000 UTCJohn hated to give much ground on this matter to Yuki, but after even that little break, his shoulders didn't tense up in the same way, nor did he find himself blanking as he worked.
Rin had awoken and was still a bit… out of it, so Yuki had opted to keep an eye on her and try to guide her through some meditation. In fact, he could feel a bit of ozone-y tang on his tongue, so he wagered she was probably succeeding, which was wild. When she explained it, he had expected such an effort to just serve to contain the loopy dragonblooded to where she could do no harm, but if she actually got something productive done out of it? All the better.
He shrugged, going back to his project with a clear mind. The "hoverboard" was nearly complete. It wasn't perfect, mind you, and he still had much testing he'd want to do… but for something as simple as just going straight up to check for buildings nearby? It'd be more than enough. The control systems just needed a bit more testing to prevent an incident. He did not want to lose it to the woods, and desired even less to go shooting off into the sky with it.
Normally, he wouldn't even consider using it away from the fort until he could do a good round of testing on it, but they were on a time crunch. Eight days before their foes felt comfortable attacking them was a lot of pressure, and it would get to anyone. He still had to come up with a way to destroy the value of the Nameless hoard, and he had an idea, but it needed more refinement.
A few extra features to the disc would hopefully prevent any accidents. John added an emergency switch that immediately cut power to the thrust and throttled power to the focuses that held it in mid-air, so it would slow and drift softly to the ground if he bailed. Additionally, he installed a speed limiter on it, which was connected to a dial. While not the most elegant of solutions, he was inexperienced in controlling something like this with his leg, and any stumble could result in a lot of pain even through his warding. In addition to protecting against unexpected high-G maneuvers, it'd act as a set of training wheels, and if the worst happened, he could press down with his other foot and twist to increase the limit.
He hoped that he wouldn't have to, but given how life had been lately, he'd be a fool to count on that.
A gentle knock on the closed door drew his attention.
"Yeah, I'm here! What's going on?" His voice was doubtlessly muffled, but it should carry through passably.
"Rin's better now," Yuki answered. "You ready to aid us in our duty, are you not?"
There was a long, awkward pause. "Yes, Mistress Yuki," the Unbound finally squeaked out, sounding smaller than he'd ever heard her.
Well, if that's all, then. "Right, give me another few minutes and I'll be ready. Do you think we're good to do some scouting?"
"I don't see why not," Yuki stated. "The Nameless are likely still agitated, but as long as we don't go near their nest structures, I doubt they'll pose much resistance. Besides, if we stay by the river, they'll be easy to retreat from if needed."
Right, they didn't do well with water, didn't they?
He bolted a pair of handles on so he could tie it off to a backpack. "And if they press us from both sides? Those priests had eerily good timing earlier. I wouldn't put it beyond them to figure out how to ambush us."
"Your ice boat trick would be enough to get us out of there," Yuki reassured. "Besides, even if that is something they plan around, Rin and I can easily outrun them. You need not worry on our account."
The kitsune believed him unable to escape without her aid, although he prayed it wouldn't come to that. It would shatter the image they were building up of him for Rin… but perhaps the disc would solve that.
Even a few minutes of maximum thrust completely unobstructed by terrain would stop any chase fast. A relatively gentle valley it may be, but there were plenty of places where he could easily lose unwanted tagalongs by using some rough terrain… or he could fly above and rain down hell to cover Yuki and Rin's escape. He had maybe five minutes of high-speed flight time, but that should be more than enough.
Even if the Nameless were somehow spying on them, this was something new that had never left this room. Unexpected. He doubted that they'd have any counters on hand. What ranged attacks they had were relatively sluggish, with a lot of windup as they reared up, so while he was cautious, he wasn't massively concerned about himself.
He could only pray that they hadn't escalated somehow to deal with Yuki and their newest ally, but if the kitsune was unbothered, it was probably fine.
"There, I'm ready," John said as he put the… he struggled to name it in the local language, not knowing the term for "hover," if there was one. Regardless, he tied it to his backpack and then slipped it on. It was a bit awkward, given the disc was the size of a small-ish table, but the weight wasn't too onerous. He wouldn't want to spend multiple days carrying it around, though.
Also, if he didn't name it, someone else would, and it might get named after him. He could not deal with people saying he was flying around on a "John."
Hmm… Floating Disc? Flying Table? Heavenly Plate? One of the few, rather unhelpful, pieces of Japanese mythology he vaguely retained is that important stuff often had slightly silly and understated names, like a legendary sword called "Grass Cutting Blade," and it felt somewhat deserved to name his first flying machine something special.
He could name it in English; it would probably make it extra memorable.
He discarded that thought immediately.
John stepped outside, where Rin gave him a respectful distance, and Yuki stood perhaps a bit too close to the door, looming over him. Then again, he was getting pretty used to that by now. By sheer volume of conversation, she was most of his social circle at this point, and it was hard to feel intimidated by her size when it was the "norm" of what he interacted with nowadays.
Rin's gaze kept looking at the extra addition, and all the supplies he brought. "Sensei?" Her tone was inquisitive, although not disbelieving, and a tint of red tinged her cheeks. Embarrassment from earlier, perhaps? "I didn't think we were going out for more than a few hours. Should I grab supplies too?"
John shook his head. "No. This is more…" He shifted, feeling the various supplies shift in the bag, which were carefully wrapped in fabric to prevent noisy clinking from the ceramic containers which held some meals. He'd carried heavier loads for far longer. "I'd rather have this and not need it than need it and not have it. A dozen things could prevent our timely return for the night."
Her eyes still lingered on the wood and metal saucer. "That…" he trailed off. "Is the Winged Disc. It'll help us scout."
Naked interest sparked in her eyes, and she looked at it like a child being told something was dangerous and not for them. "A divine implement of some sort, Sensei?"
He shrugged. "Not quite, but close enough for our purposes." It wasn't 'divine,' except if you worshipped a bunch of really annoying math, but it was definitely a tool. Was 'divine implement' the local term for magical items, perhaps? He had happened across a scant few, although he was generally unable to operate most of them, with the notable exception of the magical knife that started this whole artifice… thing.
Rin nodded, eyes still lingering until she finally managed to tear her gaze from the strange table-UFO hanging from his back, falling back into an attentive stance away from the two of them.
John swore he and Yuki had talked about them at some point, but he couldn't quite remember all the details. Generally, he just classified them into "items that had their magical properties at all times" and "items that didn't and were useless to him." He tried pumping them full of power a few times… but it never quite worked out.
"Are you sure?" Yuki inquired, looking closely at it. The fact that he smashed himself into the ceiling going at speeds more commonly associated with motor vehicles went unsaid in front of Rin. "I've only seen you use it once before."
No, he wasn't, but they were on a timeline, and this had to be done. If not this, then what? "Yes," he responded, nodding resolutely. "I've made some alterations."
She searched his face for something, but eventually relented and looked away. "Shall we, then?" Yuki asked, and after a nod from him, she took the lead and the trio headed to the gate, slipping out into the forest.
The marching order puts Yuki at the head, John in the middle, and Rin at the tail, which suits him just fine. Ice flows through him, and he's immediately scanning the woods for threats both high and low.
Earlier was a surprise they could ill afford. What if John did something drastic in his panic? What if Rin did? She was on a hair trigger, and if she took offence on his behalf, one of those men could have easily lost a limb in the blink of an eye.
He tried to not let it distract him too much as they marched toward the river, but not on the usual path. They kept to game trails and skimmed past overgrown thickets, the sun cascading down through the leaves above, little flickering spots illuminating their trek. Still, they kept away from the darker portions, where the woods were thicker. Nameless were light-sensitive and less active during the day, but not entirely asleep, especially when they had shadowy environments in which to skulk.
John knew these woods well and couldn't help but notice that Yuki pointedly avoided any path that needed climbing or scrambling over something. A pang of concern rose in his chest, thinking about her leg injury… before realizing it was for his benefit. They were travelling with a third, who pointedly did not know of his complete lack of superhuman physicality. Seeing him climb over rocks that the two of them carefully hopped would be a dead giveaway, and her picking him up would be… strange and raise questions.
When did Yuki even have a chance to familiarize herself with the area? The damned kitsune must be sneaking out during the nights. Then again, she seemed to have a whole day-night thing going on. It'd be stupid to assume she'd be idle or meditating for the entire time he was sleeping. He'd want to get out and see things, too, after however many hundreds of years locked up.
Soon enough, they reached the river without incident, and Yuki continued guiding them along it, up further and away from the town. The trek was easy, but he kept himself on guard. Yuki scanned the environment and occasionally looked into the water, trying to spot some landmark that the turtle-yokai had told her about.
Suddenly, she stopped.
His nerves lit with paranoia, eyes darting side to side as he tried to pick out whatever threat the fox's advanced senses had picked out. There was nothing in the trees. Nothing Nameless related, at least. They had plenty of enemies the spiders could use to get to them.
"Yuki, what's wrong?" he prodded, trying his best to keep the nervous tinge out of his voice.
The kitsune said nothing, facing away from them as she slowly, almost haltingly marched to the water, paying no mind to John's calls. She stood upon the edge of the water, staring out into the depths with an almost pensive expression.
Then crouched down and wordlessly shoved her head into the water like she was washing her hair.
John blinked in disbelief, glancing at Rin, who also said nothing but looked more than a bit flustered at the undignified display of a whole lot of fox on her hands and knees taking a dip.
The kitsune's long, flowing hair sat upon the surface, spread out like a network of roots. A few bubbles drifted up from the surface as Yuki's head pivoted this way and that.
Springing back up, she shook and dried herself off like a dog. It didn't work. Her clothes and hair were still wet, just… slightly less so. Walking back to the shore like nothing had happened, she turned to the pair. "One of the spots the kappa saw people fishing is here." Her voice was calm, like she was relaying a simple fact, although he caught a glimpse of amusement in her eyes at his slightly dumbfounded expression. "Asking aquatic yokai for directions is always…a bit wet," she explained, looking expectantly, but also… nervously at him, and the disc on his back.
Numbly, he nodded, taking the newly christened Winged Disc off his back and setting it on the ground before tossing his backpack to the side. "I'll take a quick look around," he stated, shaking out of his reverie and getting back to business.
It was the first time he had used this outside of the lab, although he did do some basic functionality tests before they left. It was still absolutely nerve-wracking to get on it for the first time. "Hey, Yuki?" He turned to her.
"Yes?" she responded.
"How's your swimming?" he asked. It'd probably be better if he bailed over the river than the hard ground. Although his warding could take quite a bit of damage, there was always some amount of kinetic bleedthrough, especially when you bounce… And it would keep the water out of his lungs if he were to get knocked out by the impact. There'd be no extra air coming, though, so having someone to fish him out would be nice.
"Good," she answered, eyes darting to the disc.
"Alright, just making sure," he said, before slowly stepping onto the disc and turning it on. There was no grand display; no lights or loud motor humming to life. The object just… levelled itself, the lower edges pushing themselves up to match the highest point.
And then, he was off. Twisting his leg carefully, he piloted it at a low speed over the stream, going a bit upstream of where Yuki and Rin remained so they could intercept his suffocating body rather than chasing it, and then went up.
The land stretched out before him, and he took a sharp breath.
The hills rolled out below him, afternoon light giving little room for shadows above the sea of vibrant green. The forest seemed to stretch forever in most directions, but as the land rose higher and higher to the northwest, he saw a towering series of peaks suddenly jutting from the green, still white-capped even this late in the season. A gentle, warm breeze almost seemed to cradle him, as if greeting him like an old friend.
A sense of peace bloomed in his chest as he gazed out into the distance. Far in the distance, he could see roads cutting through the woods, but they looked almost… natural, like they were following natural curves of the land and spots clear for them rather than cutting through the ocean of life before them. The wind picked up, and the leaves rustled in a way that made them look like waves upon the top of water.
Perhaps, one day, he'd figure out a way to stay up here longer.
Then he noticed the scar, deep in the woods.
It was the Nameless nest, sitting in a dead and poisoned clearing, like a gaping wound upon the world. The webbed tree the monsters had chosen as their "home" sat in the center, and from it spread pale silken strands like an infection, roots spreading out through the tree tops, fading as they became less dense… but he knew from experience that they reached far further than that.
John could see more of them in the distance. Smaller, he wagered, but it was hard to judge from this far away. Three more, spread across the woods… and almost seeming to lead toward them, like a trail coming off the main hive. Yuki had said that they often had sprawling connections underground, didn't they? These were almost certainly alternate exits, giving them more reach than he cared for… and he would have to find a way to seal them all at once. Ugh.
One was even located across the river from them, pointing toward underground tunnels that bypassed the natural water barrier. They must be able to reinforce the tunnels somehow to avoid the water table from flooding them out.
Yet, he saw no sign of their target: wherever the tax collectors were dropping off their loot. He… may need some help with this one. Was the disc big enough? He glanced down uncertainly.
Drifting back down, he returned to the group. "I have good news and bad news," he said. "Good news, I found more of the Nameless nest's exits. Bad news, there's still no sign of the dropoff point. Yuki… would you mind coming up with me? Your eyes are better than mine." Weight should be no concern. The four focuses could hold his weight each, with a good amount to spare. Room, on the other hand…
"That I can do," Yuki stated and calmly walked forward, looking him up and down, gesturing for him to scoot over. He slid to one side, getting perilously close to the edge. Perhaps this was a worse idea than he—
Yuki stepped onto the disc behind him, wrapped her arms around his middle, and pulled him close. She smelled strangely like lavender today, even though her clothes weren't washed with anything that would smell like that.
John blanched and fought down an upswell of complicated, terrifying emotions with calm, even breathing. It was just for utility. That was it.
The pair left Rin behind as they flew up into the sky, and Yuki's grip grew tighter as they flew higher and higher off the ground.
Soon, they hovered around where John had been alone before, the warm breeze dulled by Yuki's shielding. Heat soaked into him from her tight embrace, the kitsune's high body temperature and an ethereal feeling of heated Presence enveloping him, like sitting on a hot rock on a sunny day.
"What do you see?" he asked, trying to focus on their mission.
John couldn't see her from where he stood, but he felt the kitsune shift in place. "It's been a while since I've seen the world like this," she admitted. "Too long, I think."
He gazed out on the horizon, too. "Perhaps I'll fly like this more often," he hesitantly admitted. "It's been… a while since I got to see something like this, too. The woods have their own charm, but…" Trailing off, he stopped himself before he said something nonsensical. "After this crisis, perhaps I'll make some flying chairs. Something more comfortable… and with higher power capacity."
John could almost feel her looking down at him, examining him closely, but her gaze didn't stay locked for long. "I'd like to join you for that, I think. If you'd have me, of course."
"Of course," he quickly replied, perhaps a bit too quickly. "It would be… nice to share this with someone some more. Sunsets must look incredible."
The two hung there, enjoying the moment.
"There's a building around the third nest, the one across the river," Yuki said, finally breaking the silence.
John jolted, but narrowed his eyes, squinting to try and pick out the building.
He couldn't.
"Look past it," Yuki commanded. "The building would have to be close to the nearby road, but not on it, as that would be too obvious. Moreover, it can't be too close to the nest's entry, as that'd be a dead giveaway, but they also want it close enough that they can reinforce it as needed and move things into storage quickly. See how there's a clearing that is oddly shaped?"
…Barely. There was a slightly rectangular gap in the trees, all the way over there. "Yeah," he finally noted.
"I can pick out some wooden columns between the branches," Yuki stated. "Perhaps it's not our target. Perhaps it is. The only way we'll know is if we check."
Without a further word, John lowered them back down, where they rejoined Rin, and Yuki stepped off the disc. While she was explaining what they had learned, John pulled out his homemade map and made a few extra notes.
The scent of lavender lingered on him as he worked, a reminder of their all too brief soar amongst the birds.
Comments
Noonegoodsir
he could easily lose unwanted tagalongs by using some rough… or he could fly above and rain down hell \/ he could easily lose unwanted tagalongs by using some rough terrain… or he could fly above and rain down hell They kept it game trails and skimmed past overgrown thickets, \/ They kept to game trails and skimmed past overgrown thickets, John could almost feel her looking down at her, examining him closely, \/ John could almost feel her looking down, examining him closely,
Lilim Lilim
Problem's in optics calculations. You get it right or you make a useless glass lump that's technically translucent, but nothing worth looking through-- and I believe our boy Lord Hall has said he doesn't know how to do those calculations.
Vlad Cold
"John could almost feel her looking down at her", maybe "him"? Also, he should look into glassmaking and construct some spyglass. If one can make glass liquid/soften without heating, that should be trivial
