Moral stand aethers revi.., p.28
Moral Stand (Aether's Revival Book 7), page 28
Some of the men started trickling down into the mess hall.
“I look forward to the meal.”
“And I look forward to everyone enjoying it,” Barny grinned.
~*~*~
Breakfast was different styles of food all centered around adzuki beans and kabocha squash. Barny had done his best to turn the two foods into a feast of variety. The men loved every offering, but also the half-cut wine that Gregory had set out with the meal.
When they’d finished, Gregory told everyone that the Peaceful Fist was suspended for the day. A few of the men looked upset at that, but perked right up when Gregory explained the reason why. Everyone but Dot, Polka, and Barny trooped into the yard.
The next few hours were filled with the men dueling Gregory with various weapons. He never used foresight, nor the naginata. Everyone who fought got a vela bonus, and those who bested him got extra. Gregory didn’t lose often, but when he used the wakizashi against their naginatas, he had a very rough time with it. About halfway through, the men realized that he was easier to beat with that instead of the guandao, so everyone asked for him to use the shorter blade.
The last man lost just as Barny stepped out to call everyone in for lunch. Gregory was grinning, having noticed the men betting or having matches of their own while he’d fought. Spirits were high as they went in to warm up and have more food.
The hotpot lunch and half-cut wine were cheered for enthusiastically. Pork, chicken, and beef accounted for the proteins, but the sides were robust, with the majority being made from daikon and lotus root. Debates about the best pairing of meat and side were the main topic of conversation.
When the meal ended, Gregory stood up. “Happy Solstice to all of you. Some of you are away from family this year and for the next few. We’re proud to step in and fill that role for you.” A few of the men clapped others on the back. “This year’s deployment hasn’t been easy, and will inevitably get worse; we’ll weather it together as a unit. Today is a day to let the past go and embrace the coming year. By the next solstice, we’ll be in Krogga. Maybe that’ll be from the frying pan into the fire, but we’ll find out together. Before I go off to stuff myself with additives and try to grow in power, I had one more gift for all of you before dinner. Please, come over by squad.”
Each sergeant led their men over in an orderly fashion to be handed even more vela while Gregory wished them all a pleasant new year. The men all thanked him, including the sergeants, who also got money. Finished with the men, Gregory then called up Davis, the boys, and finally, the staff, giving them their bonuses.
“From my family to all of you, thank you. My wives would praise all of you for keeping me safe. I thank you for that as well.” Saluting them, he smiled. The entire room came to attention to return the salute, minus the staff who bowed to him. “Make sure to be here for dinner. Dismissed.”
Gregory stepped away from the table, motioning Rafiq to follow him. The pair ended up in the bathroom where a bathtub was already filled with yuzu.
“Easiest to use this room from start to finish,” Gregory said as he stripped off his clothing, leaving just his underclothes on. “I have the additives to take while we do the Peaceful Fist.”
Rafiq joined him in stripping down to the barest layer of cloth, just enough to not be naked. “I’d grow best while meditating.”
“I’ll ask you to hand me the additives as I go through the forms, then.”
“Gladly, Gregory.”
~*~*~
It was a couple of hours later, with Gregory feeling bloated, when the pair finally washed themselves and stepped into the tub. His aether began to release the impurities it’d absorbed over the year, turning the yuzu near him black.
“I appreciate the extra you shared with me,” Rafiq said as he relaxed in the hot water. “Sarinia sent me with what she could, and the extra pushed me to the brink.”
“Lightshield had extra for me and my wives in the ring he gave me. It took us a few minutes to understand the uneven distribution. He’d thought ahead for you as well as us.”
“He was a good man.”
“I was curious; do you know why he was banned from the archive?”
Rafiq snorted. “He destroyed a book, then had to fend off Sarinia, the previous chief.”
“What book?”
Rafiq went quiet for a moment. “I shouldn’t say.”
Gregory was about to plead his case, wanting to know, but instead stopped himself. “Very well. Maybe the chief will tell me later.”
“She might. Sarinia trusts you a great deal. The next time you go back to the archive, she’ll likely tell you things most students don’t know.”
“She wanted me to be a magus first?”
“To survive and see who you are when faced with hard choices.”
Gregory thought about everything he’d done since becoming an adept. “I see…”
“You’ve taken bold stances, Gregory. You could’ve ignored what was going on around you, just going through the motions to get through the year as easily as possible. Instead, you’ve taken a stand against things while using the laws of the empire to let you do so. Even knowing this will bring pain and suffering to you and your men, you did it anyway.”
“If I do nothing, then I’m no better than those I speak against. I want to see my wives again, but I don’t know if I could be proud of ignoring the pain that I could’ve helped mitigate, even for a little while.”
“Which is why Sarinia will see you for the man she always thought you were. It became obvious over your novice year, and increasingly so throughout your apprentice year who you were. All of us in the archive were glad to help expand your mind.”
Gregory was silent for a few minutes before he cleared his throat. “Rafiq, do you think they’ve gone farther north to stay safer?”
“I do. If not, though, you can do nothing. You’ve already done more than any person would ever hope for. Thera would’ve sprinted north. She told me that her goal was to tell her family about you and the faint hope you sparked in her heart.”
Gregory’s eyes widened, and Rafiq’s grin grew until he started laughing.
“What?” Gregory asked.
“Her hope is that, one day, you can help show others that there doesn’t need to be anger between magi and eurtik,” Rafiq chuckled. “I believe your mind went elsewhere with my statement.”
Gregory leaned back, closing his eyes. “Yeah… I’ve had too many tell me their hope is to be part of my family.”
“All your friends,” Rafiq nodded sagely. “Thera isn’t in that number. She finds humans… unappealing. Or, as she told me, ‘they do not have enough fur.’ It is fair; we all have different standards of beauty.”
Gregory exhaled. “Thank Vera.”
Rafiq laughed as he watched the yuzu fruit around them slowly absorb their impurities.
~*~*~
Dinner had been warmly accepted as the snow fell outside— soba noodles in dashi broth with scallions and fish cakes went well with the undiluted wine Gregory had for each squad, making the meal a true celebration. As dinner was ending, Dot answered a knock on the barracks.
The cakes Gregory had gotten for everyone were roundly cheered. The bakers, Erik and his wife, thanked everyone for the kind words as they set them out on the tables. Barny was given a special cake, along with the quiet message that Gregory wanted him to know he was truly appreciated. He sniffled back his tears, but thanked the couple before bowing to Gregory.
Chapter Thirty-nine
“My dark heart, I’m always happy to be shrouded in your glory,” Gregory chuckled as he rolled to the edge of the bed to face her.
A happy giggle came from the silhouette. “Dear one, I love being almost seen by you, too.”
“Rank six? Hmm… it feels like we’ve slowed down, but not by much.”
“Not much, no. I wanted to make sure that, if the magi move against you, you can handle them. Because of that, you are actually rank seven. If you do go face them, remove your medallion before you do. That will keep your true power hidden longer.”
“I will do as my wife asks.” He gave her a loving smile. “Thank you for passing messages between us.”
“You are welcome, dearest. Everyone has thanked me for doing so. I will pass along anything of import in the future, including your actions, as that is what they are most worried about.”
“That’s for the best,” Gregory murmured.
“It is time to bring Victoria to you, along with your wives. Do your best to keep her on track, please.”
“As you need, my dark heart.”
Four naked women were suddenly on the bed beside him when he turned to face the headboard. Mindie pressed into his back while Jenn placed her hands on both his knee and Victoria’s. Yukiko pushed into Victoria’s back, giving Gregory a bright smile and wink. Victoria was the one in front of him, naked as the rest. Her face was red, and she chewed on her lip as she met his eyes.
“First, kisses,” Gregory murmured, leaning forward.
Victoria melted into the kiss, wanting to press herself against him, but Yukiko held her firmly. She let out a soft whine of denial when Gregory pulled away. The whine stopped when Jenn turned her face to kiss her. Mindie followed Jenn, with Yukiko the last to claim hers. When Yukiko broke the kiss, she gave Victoria a small pinch on a nipple.
“Focus, Vicky,” Yukiko snickered.
Gasping, Victoria shivered in Yukiko’s arms. “Yes! Resonance. Fear is always first. This ties into my magic, that I’ll never be where I’m needed. Even with spatial magic, I have a limit on how far I can travel. What if I can’t make it to our family when they need me most?”
“Fears don’t have to be rational or factual…” Yukiko murmured as she held Victoria around the waist. “It’s okay to be afraid, as long as you don’t let your fear control you.”
“Thank you, Yuki…” Victoria whispered, closing her eyes. “Weakness is next, and that’s simple: my upbringing. I’m a fringer, just like Greg. I do my best to push myself so people can’t look down on my humble beginnings, but I know in some things, I’m just behind my lovers and all of you.”
“I understand,” Gregory whispered, taking her hands in his. “I doubt anyone even knows enough to bring it up, do they?”
“No, but it’s still there, like a millstone around my neck.”
“Nessa and Daciana will help the feeling fade, just as Yuki and Jenn helped me. You’ll overcome it.”
“Like I’m working on overcoming my pacifistic nature,” Mindie said.
“Strengths?” Jenn murmured to bring them on track.
“A voracious need to improve myself,” Victoria said. “It balances out my weakness. I push myself to learn, to adapt, to improve in any way I can. Nessa and Daciana push themselves, too, but I always try to do a little bit more to make up for my upbringing.”
“We accept you as you are, but the strength to push for more is good,” Mindie said, smiling at Victoria over Gregory’s shoulder. She’d had to slide over to be visible behind him, but that just let her press into Gregory more.
“Desires…” Victoria whispered, her face flushing. “Umm… yes.” She cleared her throat. “I… I want to be filled with your seed. Eventually to have children— many children— but until that day’s possible, I just want to be stuffed full. I want the feeling that you desire to make me pregnant every time we’re together.”
Gregory blinked at her dumbly at the mental image of her begging for even more, even though he’d finished inside her twice already. “Umm!” His face burned as he tried to speak.
“Oh, I see…” Yukiko murmured. Her hand drifted south, stopping right above Victoria’s sex. “Filled until you leak all day?”
Victoria shuddered, gasping as her hips bucked. “Yes, oh yes! Please, Yuki… Let him fill me to the brim…”
“Even if we have to push it into you ourselves if he got too excited?” Yukiko whispered, kissing Victoria’s neck.
“Uhmf!” Victoria bit her lip, her body shaking violently.
“That was a yes,” Jenn giggled.
Mindie began kissing Gregory’s neck. “So hot…” Her words tickled his freshly-kissed skin.
“It really is,” Gregory whispered, watching Victoria orgasm at the thought.
Victoria vanished in the next moment, making Yukiko lurch forward slightly when there was suddenly no resistance in front of her. “Kisses. I have to let you all go,” Darkness said tightly. They gave each other quick pecks before his wives vanished, leaving Gregory with just Darkness in the room.
“Are you okay?” Gregory asked.
“Now, yes…” Darkness exhaled roughly. “Only once more, but that is not for months yet. I will be fine by then.”
“I never would’ve expected that from her,” Gregory coughed, his mind wanting to supply different positions to stuff Victoria full.
“She wants to be bred, dearest. None of us can fault her for wanting your children. They would all love that, just as they all know Yuki will have your first child. It was going to be the first two, but Yuki has relented on that stance with Jenn.”
“Oh! I… uh…”
Darkness giggled. “It is okay. It will be over a decade from now at the least, dear one.”
“Okay…” Gregory exhaled slowly. He wanted children, to raise a son or daughter with each of his wives. Only his obligation to the empire and what he’d likely face in the future tempered that desire.
“Your younger friends are going to have a lot of fun with Mindie now,” Darkness grinned, sidetracking him.
That sentence conjured up a whole slew of new images. “Hmm… we did say she could.”
“Mm-hmm,” Darkness purred. “Dream of all those wondrous ideas and then finally of me, my love.”
Gregory could hear her farewell, so he acted on reflex. The shadows had been prepared for him ahead of time, so he didn’t get as far as before. Shadows still snapped as he struggled, but he was doomed to failure.
Darkness’ heart swelled as she watched him strive, even as she started to reach out for him. She pulled her hand back before he could reach it, but the moment he vanished, she flung herself onto the bed. Breathing deeply, she let the ache out, tears spilling though she’d done the right thing— every step forward Gregory took made it harder to resist the temptation of even a gentle touch.
Will he accept me when he finally sees me? The thought made the ache and worry redouble as she struggled to calm herself in the forgotten room.
Chapter Forty
The future held small issues for the men and, surprisingly, Polka. He’d have a word with Milton before his squad went to enjoy the day; Polka’s trouble was more involved, but Gregory already had a solution for it. The real problem was further off, as he’d pushed to see if any slavers reached Icelake or Coldwood in that time period. A small group would have a chance to reach Icelake ahead of the unit unless they set out tomorrow.
“Time to break routine already…” Gregory murmured as he sank into his aether cavern. “Good morning to you, my flame.”
The flame twirled in greeting.
“I’m going to ask for Gin and Inda together. Can you manage that?”
The flame didn’t respond for a moment, but then two large chunks separated into fiery figures. One of them carried a katana, and the other had rabbit ears and was holding a wakizashi. The pair bowed to him.
“Thank you,” Gregory said as he summoned his armor and weapon to hand. “No magic; just weapons skill, please.”
He shifted to the side, parrying Inda’s lightning-fast attack. Following the parry, he deflected Gin’s slash and gained ground to keep the pair in front of him. Grinning, Gregory worked on defending against the armsmaster and armsmaster’s lover.
It took everything he had, but Gregory won. Inda fell first to a perfectly executed feint that let him pull his blade across her hip, hobbling her. When Gin rushed in to defend, Gregory stayed firm, thrusting to finish Inda before turning to Gin. That cost Gregory a nick to his knee, as Gin’s blade had gotten past his armor, but it only slightly hindered his mobility. Gin might’ve won a year ago with that slight advantage, but Gregory had continued honing his skill. The flame-Gin died a couple of minutes later, his throat was cut open when he missed a parry.
Sinking to the floor of his cavern, Gregory watched the flames pour away down his channels, polishing them as they went. “Thank you.”
The much-diminished flame bobbed in response to him.
Gregory was still meditating, even as his body mechanically pulled jerky from his ring to start chewing it. The flame slowly regained some of its fuel, hints of crackling color touching it as it grew.
