by Sarah Lin
As Rick got closer, the sense of scale just became more and more difficult to grasp. He'd seen large statues before, but none that looked so heavy. It was built from black stone and something about the presence of it gave him the sense that it was solid rock all the way through. Despite all the snow swirling around them, none had gathered on the statue.
The presence had so caught his attention that he didn't manage to look at the features more carefully until he drew nearer. It portrayed a powerfully built man wearing a fur cloak, but his face looked more like a monster's, with unnaturally large jaws. Though his expression was probably meant to look strong, Rick thought it looked cruel.
"That's Tsar Chernobog, isn't it?" He couldn't read the placard, but it looked close enough to the drawings he'd seen. Katenka shifted beside him and nodded.
"The Peerless of Siberia, one of the most powerful people in either realm. When it comes to raw strength, anyway."
"I'd always thought the drawings of his head were symbolic, or just weirdly drawn, but this statue looks photo-realistic. Does he actually look like that?"
"I don't know, Rick, I'll snap a picture the next time I'm having tea with him."
He just rolled his eyes. "I just mean that's not really human. Technically it's possible that he completely transformed himself, I suppose, but I was wondering if he'd fused with a demon. Surely that much is public knowledge."
"Oh, yes, it's a fusion. The only debate is over whether he's a human who took on a demon, or a demon who took control of a human. It's been so long, I doubt that it really matters now. Whoever he was, he's just Tsar Chernobog now."
After admiring the statue a while longer, Rick turned away and headed down a different street. There was a roundabout surrounding the statue, but he only saw a couple cars while he was there. From what he'd seen, the elite of Siberia liked to travel under their own power, and this city largely catered to them. It still surprised him, making him think back to the arguments about economics.
They walked on from the grand statue and Rick found his gaze attracted by something much more mundane: a boxy building that stood beside a convenience store. The front was mostly glass, allowing him to see a series of contraptions inside that he thought were exercise machines for a moment, but another part of his mind insisted were something much worse.
"What's that?" Rick walked closer, examining the machines. There seemed to be differences, especially in the helmet that people wore to use them, but something about it seemed so familiar...
"The sign says 'Lucrim-Up'. I haven't actually seen one from this side before." Katenka floated next to the window, frowning inside. "They're a method of loaning humans lucrim against their future training, essentially. It provides instant lucrim, but hampers future growth. Most of the core Siberian sects forbid the use of them, so they're mostly used by the poorest humans. I think it's stolen from American technology... maybe you've heard of it."
"Uh... you could say that." He hadn't wanted to believe it, but this was the local equivalent of the Advanced Lucrim stations made by Maguire Incorporated. "It was a strange coincidence, but I was actually involved with one of the prototypes for this. Not as a tester, just as an accident."
"Good. I was hoping you weren't actually interested, because this path is a dead end."
"Definitely not, I was just surprised to see it here." Rick turned aside and headed back to the bleak streets, but his mind remained stuck on the store behind him. "You said that most of them are used by the poorest humans?"
"That's right, those who can't get a decent demonic bond. At least, that's what most demons say. I shouldn't pretend to be an expert on human behavior. They should all know that these places are horrible, practically digging their own graves, but they keep using them."
"And I shouldn't pretend to be an expert on Siberia. But I've been poor, and I know it's always the little things. Someone has to go to the emergency room. Your car breaks and you'll lose your job without it. It's the sort of thing you could handle if you knew it was coming, but you never know what's coming. What gets me, now that I'm dealing with so much lucrim, is how tiny a lot of the expenses are. Like, there was a time in my life when 50 lucrim was a big deal."
"It's the same for a lot of demons. They just tend to get eaten, around here."
"That's... hmm." Rick paused, looking over at her thoughtfully. He realized that he'd have to control that tendency in public, but there was basically nobody else on the street anyway. "Can small demons grant demonic bonds? I know Bftgage and Ythsil barely managed, but I don't know how much of that is skill, or power, or just administration."
"Some of everything." She met his gaze with a cool one, but kept speaking. "In theory any demon could grant a bond, but if it was too small then it wouldn't be worth the costs involved in setting it up. Just what are you thinking, Rick?"
"I don't know, I just wish there was a way that both sides could help each other. When poor humans need just a little bit of money, they could get a small bond from poor demons. Wouldn't that work? Like, as a business? I mean, it would depend on local laws and licenses and all that..."
"If it was profitable, wouldn't the demonic firms already be doing it?"
"But that's just it: they need to be profitable. Their goal is to be as profitable as possible." Rick knew he was probably rambling about things way over his head, but he still found himself smiling. "But from the point of view of combat, profits are inefficiencies. What if you could set up a system that just needed to sustain itself... couldn't you undercut the big firms with cheaper bonds?"
At least Katenka didn't call him an idiot, instead considering his idea quietly as they proceeded. When she spoke, her tone was odd. "In many places, laws in the demon realm would prevent you. But in theory it could work, at least in terms of the bond. I'm fairly sure it would fail as a business, though."
"Why? Couldn't you run the numbers and make sure that it worked out?"
"For one bond, yes. But how often do people fail to pay back their debts? Your little operation would probably be taking on high risk bonds, even considering how small they are, and it would all eventually collapse on you."
Rick sighed and nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. If it worked, somebody would have thought of it already."
"I wouldn't necessarily say that." Katenka gave him a surprisingly warm smile for an ice demon. "Your one little bond made a big difference for those two frogs. I would have been glad to find a reliable poor human when I was younger. It's possible that it's never been done not because it wouldn't work, but because it wouldn't be profitable enough."
Though the idea was still wriggling in his mind, he knew he was no expert and couldn't figure it out himself. Instead he focused on what she'd implied about herself. "So when you were a young demon... I'm guessing you weren't a frog, but what were you? A snowflake?"
"Most demons become more humanoid as they grow stronger. Those two frogs are actually close to the tipping point. They asked me a lot of questions about what kinds of humans are most attractive. I think they're both interested in you."
"Wait, wha... no, you're fucking with me." Rick grinned and Katenka grinned back before continuing.
"To be honest, I struggle to remember that part of my life. Most demons do begin as something simple and grow more complex, but becoming humanoid isn't inevitable, just common because that usually makes it easier to work with humans. The brothers will likely just become bigger frogs."
"But your history, whatever you can remember of it... I'd honestly like to know."
"And I'd like to tell you sometime, but I already covered it back in our hotel room." Her eyes were like sharp points of ice and he nodded to indicate that he understood she couldn't discuss it here. The intensity faded and she hovered closer to him. "But I'd be interested in your history as well. The brothers talked about how you ended up in the demon realm by accident, but you were also involved in a secret Lucore prototype? You've had a more interesting life than I thought."
; "Well..." Rick shrugged and began heading back to the hotel. "I guess that's true, but it involves a lot more getting punched in the face than you might think..."
Chapter 29: Caged Aura Sphere
As Rick and H fought back and forth across the training room, Rick reflected on how well he was doing. He didn't actually expect to win, but he felt... competent. After so long struggling to pull together his new portfolio, it was an amazing feeling.
Fighting hand to hand, he could mostly keep up with his mentor, and if any blows slipped through, his defensive cores shrugged them off. When H launched aura bolts or embers from the sides or behind, he could feel them like flies tickling in the back of his brain. Each time ranged attacks approached him, they were sucked into the last of his crystal spheres. Though he was often overpowered by his mentor, he naturally drew on his demonic bond and managed to hold his ground.
When at last they parted, H gave him a reluctant nod. "That wasn't embarrassing. You've come a long way."
"Thanks." Rick could feel the improvement in himself, but wanted to check his portfolio to see the difference in hard numbers.
[Name: Rick Hunter
Ether Tier: 11th
Ether Score: 489
Lucrim Generation: 91,000
Enhanced Generation: 164,350
Current Lucrim: 12,900]
[Rick Hunter's Lucrima Portfolio
Foundation: 3800 (Lv VI)
Dark Blood Kettle: 17,900 (Lv IV)
Triune Golden Spheres: 73,350
- Defensive Sphere: 26,250
- Absorption Sphere: 22,600
- Sensory Sphere: 24,500
Offensive Lucore: 14,350 (Lv VIII)
Defensive Lucore: 38,700 (Lv IX)
Bunyan's Step: 16,250 (Lv IX)
Demonic Fusion (Katenka): 24,500 (Stage I)
Graham's Stake: 30,150 (Lv IV)
Economic Bond (Bftgage & Ythsil): 2000 (Stage II)
Total Lucrim: 147,650
Enhanced Total: 221,000]
If someone looked at his generation rate from the outside, they might conclude that he had over 200,000 lucrim, which was insane. Rick had made the app separate out the values of the Triune Golden Spheres and the demonic bond so that he could still see his base generation rate. It continued to slow as it got closer to six figures, which he'd heard was a major hurdle. Now he could understand why fighters valued alternative methods like the spheres or bonds.
The difference between himself now and the fighter he'd been several years ago was huge. An ordinary Birthrighter with lazy training and a generation rate of 100,000 lucrim would no longer be an overwhelming threat to him. Of course, he'd moved on to more dangerous opponents, so at times it felt like he'd made no progress at all.
That thought made him frown and look to H. "How far have I come, on the scale of the Showdown? I can win a few minor events, but I'm obviously no celebrity."
"Your momentum is good, but your current position isn't." H pulled out a cigarette and lit it slowly while he spoke. "There are a lot of people in the junior Showdown who could beat you, it's just that you haven't gone up against them yet. Obviously the senior Showdown is out of your league, much less those who are truly at the top of the world. But you're on an upward trajectory, unlike those who will clearly plateau long before that."
"What happens to those who do?"
"Some become the elites of a specific tier. Others retire and try to get a job training others. After all, those who train wouldn't work with others if they could fight at the highest level themselves."
It sounded self-deprecating, but Rick didn't believe it. There was too much of a vicious edge to H, both his personality and his skills. So Rick only smiled and said, "And how does this all compare to those who fight with their lives on the line?"
"Good question." H stared at him without expression for a time, his cigarette burning away at an unnaturally swift rate. Eventually he turned away. "Get ready for your match tomorrow. This one will require everything you have."
Despite the rising tension, Rick slept well that night. Maybe elite athletes worried about their records, but he was happy so long as he was growing and also getting paid. Yes, it would be good to do well in the fight and get a seal, but the recognition meant nothing to him. A loss could actually be more valuable, if it allowed his defensive core to grow.
In the morning, Rick was up early and ready. H gave him a sour nod and then guided them to an armored limousine that took them directly to the Showdown arena.
While most of the arenas Rick had fought in looked like modern sports stadiums because they also served that purpose, the Siberian arena was nothing like that. It was a menacing circle of dark stone several stories high, used for nothing but combat events. There were large stands, but in the events so far, they'd mostly been filled by grim-eyed fighters, not true audiences.
When they passed through into the fighter areas beneath the stands, Rick noticed that things were a little different this time. He still saw the usual fighters and other representatives, but he could hear a crowd. A crowd that had already been drinking, from the sound of it. Profit might not be as important in Siberia, but tonight was clearly the one that mattered for honor or whatever standard they used.
"There's only one Caged Aura Sphere event and I don't have the sphere generation technology, so unfortunately your only preparation will be video." As soon as they entered their room, which was completely bare, H turned to him and began pulling something up on his tablet. "The event should be well-suited to your current level of skill, but you need to make sure there are no surprise disqualifications due to the arena."
Not sure what that meant, Rick took the tablet and watched the video of past matches. The competitors fought within a large sphere of nearly clear aura, attempting to knock one another out of the sphere. Though the bottom of the sphere touched the ground, there was nearly nothing to stand on - which meant that getting pushed in any direction could disqualify a person.
He'd expected the competitors to be holding themselves in place with Lucores, but watching past matches quickly revealed that the sphere itself was the trick. The aura seemed to react a bit like a floor, but a weak one. Fighters could land on any part of it and stick there, or even run along the sides, but if they struck it at speed, they broke through and were disqualified.
After reviewing the past matches queued up for him, Rick realized that H was right. Not understanding how the sphere worked might cause a few problems, but it wasn't the center of the event. Simply a staging ground for the battle within.
Rick set it aside and meditated until it was time for his event. It felt like almost no time at all before H was kicking him in the side and grunting at the screen. Taking a deep breath, Rick rose to his feet and headed out toward the arena.
In past events, he'd been able to ignore the roar of the crowds. The stadiums had been bigger than the time he'd participated in the multi-tier tournament, but it was much the same. But that day, the crowds were chanting and even singing. When he looked into the audience, he saw many groups of grim fighters, some of them looking less than human due to demonic fusions.
Though he tried to pull his gaze back down to the aura sphere glimmering in the center of the arena, Rick's attention was caught by a small group opposite him. Little different from the other groups of sponsors, yet...
Alger stood among them, his hands laced atop his cane. For once he wasn't wearing absurd colors, simply a black coat with blue linings. It made him menacing, though in a slightly generic way... but the manic grin on his face was visible even from the distance.
"Someone you know?" Katenka spoke softly from over one shoulder.
Not wanting to look crazy, Rick merely shook his head slightly and kept moving forward.
"Focus. I'll do what I can, but this is mostly on you."
With that, she faded away, but it had been enough. Rick kept his gaze down, instead examining all the other contestants approaching the sphere. Most he didn't recognize, bu
t Raggest was on the opposite side. The younger man looked utterly focused, as if he wasn't even aware of the audience around them.
An official stepped up beside the aura sphere and raised a finger just beside it. "The Caged Aura Sphere will now begin. As soon as the sphere is lit, warriors may enter. Any remaining on the ground when the sphere is completed will be disqualified. The match will continue until only one warrior is within or in contact with the sphere. Begin!"
The woman's finger tapped the side of the aura sphere and it burned brighter with the infusion of energy. Several fighters launched themselves into the sphere immediately, one getting hit in the face with a burst of white light from Raggest, who fired instead of entering. Clever, but it wouldn't last long, because the rush of aura was now sweeping over the floor to disqualify any who lingered.
Rick leapt just before it reached him. As he flew through the air, for a moment he was sure that he would bounce off the aura and fall, disqualified in utter humiliation. But not only did he push through the barrier without much trouble, no one attacked him when he entered.
With space to breathe, Rick experimented with the oddly sticky aura. Even though he was against a nearly vertical wall, his shoe had traction and he could stick his hand in the aura and hold himself in place easily. This wasn't so bad. He summoned the Triune Golden Spheres around himself and got ready.
Almost immediately, the golden gleam attracted the attention of a woman near the top of the sphere. She had her legs hooked into the aura so she could hang upside-down, using both hands to rain destruction on all the other competitors.
Rick had no choice but to leap aside to avoid the bursts of aura, which sent him sailing through the center of the sphere. Other fighters tried to target him as he moved... yet he could feel them. He didn't need to think about it, he just felt something moving toward his back. In mid-air Rick used a Bunyan's Step to change his direction, throwing himself to the side of the sphere again.
As soon as he finished, there was a fist flying for his face. Rick jerked his head back, tumbling down the side of the sphere and barely righting himself. He should have known that no one at this level of competition would be surprised by his swift movement, so they'd already calculated his trajectory and moved to intercept him.