On returning to the Material, we said our farewells to Buck, and I agreed to stay in touch. We took a taxi back to the MGM Grand, and during the journey I could see that my sis was desperate to talk to us about the Boundary, but because we were in company she was holding her tongue. Still, her expectant gaze was painful…

As soon as we entered our room, Aiko bounded over to Eri, her excitement spilling out. “Wow Eri, you look so satisfied. What was it like? Have you got all super strong like big bro now? Don’t keep me hanging!”

Shaeula and I watched with amusement as Eri shrank back under her bombardment. Opening up some decent wine we had collected from room service on the way up, I poured us all a glass. After all, this is the final night…

“It was… very strange, yet somehow also beautiful.” Eri finally spoke. “The sky was lit with colours I don’t think I can even describe, and the desert sands sparkled like jewels. Still, it wasn’t all pretty and nice. There were monsters there…” she shuddered, remembering. “Scorpions rose out of the sands, as big as the taxi we just rode in.”

“Wow, no way?” Aiko was enthralled. “And big bro made you fight those? I’m disappointed in him!”

“Of course I didn’t … well, I guess we did, but we made them safe first.” I protested. “Shaeula and I disarmed them with our elemental wind. Eri just finished them off. She was very brave, even when her hands were shaking she managed to spear the beasts.” I walked over and handed them the full glasses. “I’m so proud of you Eri, you did better than I, when I first was thrown to the Boundary. Anyway, a toast, to our final night in Vegas!”

“I could only do it because you were there with me, Akio.” She answered shyly. “No matter what, I know I’ll always be safe with you!”

“Damn right. That’s why I fight. To ensure that those I love are all safe and can fulfil their dreams. That goes for all three of you. And tonight was a big step towards that goal.”

“Damn, I’m all left out again. But I know you’ll find a way for me too, I can’t wait to see these impossible sights… I wonder if I could use archery there? Anyway, seriously, I trust you, bro. And thanks for always looking out for Eri. Though I suppose that’s a given now.”

“It is. Anyway. To our trip to Las Vegas, and all the many benefits it has brought! Cheers!” I said, and the three echoed me with words of their own.

“To all that wonderful money and really shoving our fun time in the faces of Rika-san and Yae-san. Cheers!”

“To our mastery of the flame and the ether we will doubtless reap tonight! Cheers-cheers!”

“To Akio, my fiancé. I don’t need anything else. Cheers!”

As we drank, my sister started ribbing Eri about her toast and how it was very different to ours. We ended up telling them both more about the strange world of the Boundary, and an hour passed.

“Well, Shaeula and I need to get going. Are you two going to stay up? Don’t forget we are flying out early tomorrow morning.”

“I want to talk with Eri a bit more bro. so you do what you need to. We’ll sleep when we are tired, right Eri?”

“Sure, I don’t mind. I want to savour this as long as possible. After all…” Eri smiled impishly. “I’m very fond of this place. It is where my love with Akio finally bloomed.”

“Wow, lewd! This new Eri is like a whole new person. Anyway, you two be good, and do what you need to. I’ll just satisfy my curiosity and see if Eri really has got stronger.”

“I think… I think so.” Eri muttered. “It’s a strange feeling, but I definitely have a clearer head, and everything seems… sharper somehow.”

“You have grown prettier too Eri, my rival.” Shaeula cackled as we were settling down to enter the Boundary. “Your Charm grows-grows apace.”

As I entered the Boundary and my Material consciousness faded I could hear Aiko agreeing and Eri making embarrassed denials. She always was cute, but now she’s beautiful. Yeah, I don’t think she needs any Charm. I’ve been charmed regardless…

********

Opening my eyes in the hideous Boundary interior of the MGM Grand, my ears were assaulted by the vile chirping and clicking of bone-on-bone of the surrounding enemies, who immediately leapt at me. The first, a crab-like beast of yellowing bone and rotting fungus, was almost at my throat before I struck it away with my fist. A second centipede-type monstrosity raced at me, and I slammed my spear out. It struck the head, but was jammed in-between the bony plates, doing little damage.

Fuck. The bone door that kept the room sealed away from the main tower is open. How long have they waited for us to come back?

Letting fire energy flow I sent it down my spear, the bluesteel head drinking it in before discharging it within the centipede, which blazed internally and died with a hideous wail, yellow energies leaking before scattering to ether. Still, more were attacking me from all sides and I was taking minor injuries. It was then that Shaeula appeared, and seeing the situation she spun her arms and wind scattered our foes, slamming them against the dripping walls.

“This place truly is vile-vile.” She sneered, disgusted. “It was right to not bring Eri here.”

I scattered more fire, burning some of the crabs alive, but more and more were trying to force their way through the doors, the bone walls starting to crack. Shaeula, realising her wind was doing little other than keep them at bay, brought forth her own yellow flames, driving back those trying to flood the door.

“All right, this isn’t what we are here for, and we’ll never be able to withstand the numbers against us.” I cried, and with that I seized Shaeula, hoisting her over my shoulder, ignoring her indignant squawk. Hmm, you are pretty light. And I’m a lot stronger now, this is doable.

Running to the window, Shaeula’s small arms now around my neck, I vaulted out, unlike the slow, careful way we climbed down last time. In the open air I fell, grabbing onto the first of the protruding bone spires. My arms burned, but we held, and I hauled myself and Shaeula up. From above several bone beasts fell from the window, pushed out by the chasing mass, and I felt a series of baleful chills wracking my lower body again. They had gone away before, I didn’t feel any at Kelly’s Rest but now…

Dropping down to the next outcropping, I focused my vision, concentrating on my silver cord. I could see it now, faintly, shining a bright silver, with hints of green and yellow within. Skeletal fiends were moving through it, as if it wasn’t there, and every time they crossed through it, I felt a cold jolt, sickening and unpleasant. Yeah, thought so. Ugh, I’m lucky these monsters seem rather mindless. If they could damage my cord… well, chances are I would either die without even knowing, or wake up back in my Material body, heavily damaged.

Shaeula was following my vision as we leapt down. She patted my head gently, seeing my worry. “Yes-yes, you mortals are very fragile, your subtle bodies connected by such a frail bond. Yet those who can see or interact with the silver cord of another are rare indeed-indeed. Of course, rare does not mean we shall not meet such.” We were half of the way down the building now, my muscles were trembling with the effort of the rapid descent, but Shaeula let a cool breeze waft over me, calming my aching body.

“Thanks.”

“It is of no moment.” She waved away my gratitude, having the grace to look embarrassed. “As I was saying, it is more likely one can suffer damage to their silver cord in areas of great Astral turbulence. During an etheric tide it is more common. Still, here in the Boundary, where we are in the calm pools-pools of the lower Astral… such events would be unusual indeed. Still, I can divine your thoughts, my master, and I agree.”

Yeah, we’ve been together quite a while now, we know how each other thinks… “Yeah, no more risks like this. I think it is like the fourth time I’ve promised myself not to do stupid things, but this time I really mean it. We’ll be training others such as Eri and the shrine maidens gong forwards, so setting out a manual of good practices only makes sense.”

I leapt down the remaining couple of floors, reaching the streets below. Shaeula dropped from my shoulders, landing gracefully. “Indeed. We should only enter in areas we have made our Territory or areas that we can control. Though the danger is slight, I too feel leaving our silver cords exposed is needless risk-risk.”

We quickly headed off the strip, to the desert, where it was more open and we could see any enemies coming. As we took stock of our situation and relaxed, Shaeula asked me something that had been on her mind a while. “I have been pondering the truth of flame-flame, something I never imagined would be in my thoughts.” She said, head cocked pensively, which just made her more adorable. “But flame must have ways to strengthen it, such as the four arts of the winds-winds. If we could understand these, our powers would grow again, yes?”

The four arts? Those again I see. She’s such a kid at heart…

As we headed towards the Boundary location of Casino El Diablo, which was almost certainly the heart of our target Territory, I thought about it. “Well, the most obvious thing is the temperature. The hotter the flame, the more damage it’ll do, and far more quickly too. Still… other than that…”

Yeah, wind and air is more complicated than it sounds, but compared to fire… after all, fire is actually an oxidation reaction, so maybe other damaging ones could be used…

I tried explaining possible acidic reactions amongst others to Shaeula, but as expected she didn’t get it. She had studied a little on the internet, but it was more on the colours and heat of flames. In the end she started pouting after I advised her of the need for a further course of study.

“Still, we should discuss this later.” I said, and Shaeula agreed, as we had reached our destination. For a while we could feel a pressure on us, aether being leached away, and now… well, now our path was blocked.

“I think it’s a Territory barrier.” I said, as the invisible wall in front of us barred our path. Shaeula checked it with her eyes and nodded. “It is sturdy, but I believe we can destroy it.” She raised her hand, and the wind-weasels, which I had not seen for a while, soared out, slamming into and across the barrier, grinding into it. I joined her, striking blow after blow with my spear, feeling each hit shaving off a little of the defence, the barrier trembling near-imperceptibly.

“This isn’t so bad.” I chuckled as we pushed onwards foot by foot, until suddenly a storm of arrows and spears flew at us, swarms of gnolls pouring out of the surrounding buildings, barking angrily. There was scorpions and cacti too, being directed by the leader, a huge black gnoll wielding a fierce two-handed sword.

“And here’s the welcoming committee.” I said as Shaeula swept her wind across us, deflecting the incoming projectiles. “I guess even without their boss, the gnoll can lead. I guess he’s their Grulgor.”

“Hopefully he is not quite so annoying as that useless oaf-oaf.” Shaeula scoffed, her weasels of wind this time being charged with fire, exploding brightly against the barrier with a roar, noticeably weakening it. Shaeula turned to me, expecting praise. “Was that not impressive master? I used the wind to feed the flames, creating quite the explosion!”

“Yep, you’ve learned well.” Actually, she’s got a more instinctive grasp on it that me. I reason my way through, but she understands the more spiritual aspects of the elements… my compliments were cut off as a variety of monsters surged out of the barrier to engage us. Those that had ranged weapons such as the cacti and their needles were still bombarding us safely from within though. Yeah, that gnoll is no fool.

Charging my spear with wind I started slashing and piercing through the oncoming hordes. As they fell before us I snatched what ether I could, though most was absorbed back into the Territory, streaming away towards the casino. More explosions from Shaeula rocked the barrier and disintegrated those foes that stepped outside it.

“Grr, where is the master?” the gnoll was barking, waving his blade to direct the troops. More reinforcements were streaming from the Territory, replacing those we killed. “He should be here to aid us, grr.”

“Sorry, but he’s not coming back.” I shouted, my spear driving into the gut of a gnoll. It barked out a pained howl before falling over. Ruthlessly I speared it in the head, killing it. “You are on your own, and can’t beat us. Why not surrender and serve under me instead?” It’s worth a shot, surely. Not sure how I’d get him back to my Territory, but still…

The gnoll howled in refusal, enraged. Ordering more forces forwards a squad of armoured gnolls with long spears started thrusting them through the barrier, attacking us in a way that prevented us responding. Shaeula clicked her tongue and leapt backwards, unsheathing her bells and dagger.

“It’s time to go full force! We need to get the barrier down before we get overwhelmed!” I shouted, remembering my own barrier collapsing under the attacks of the wyrm. While we had only a fraction of the power the wyrms’ breath had, we were able to attack many more times in quick succession, so… hang on, I think I can kind of replicate a big attack, wyrm-style…

“Shaeula, can you pour wind into your bells then feed it into the flame I am about to unleash?”

Dodging spears and arrows, her dagger of light bisecting several rushing jackals and scorpions, she nodded. “I shall follow your lead, master.”

“Fine, be ready to retreat too, if you get caught up in this it won’t be good!” at her nod I reached down into my reserves of fire elemental energy. I generated it much more slowly than wind, so this would be a single-use attack…

“Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze!” the roiling mass of orange and yellow napalm slammed into the Territory barrier, and as it did so Shaeula fed it, a huge tidal wave of jade energy sucked within it, causing it to flare up, spreading like oil over water. As droplets of searing flame rained down around us we retreated, careful to not get caught in the downpour. The enemies outside the barrier were not as lucky though, and they fell, screeching and rolling, trying to put out the clinging fires, but to no avail. As they exhausted their life screaming in fiery agony, I swallowed grimly. Yeah, this isn’t a vision of hell or anything, is it?