“They’re coming?” I ask.

“They’re coming,” Adler nods firmly. “I’ve focused on learning as much as I can about pregnancies and births over this last month. I can say with confidence that everything is as it should be.”

“They’re coming?” I ask, squeezing her shoulder.

“Yes, it’s the right time for it and if we wait any longer, we risk her going into labour. We’re doing this today,” Adler says.

“I’m right here,” Nel says, resting back on the special bed that has been prepared for the occasion. “You don’t need to talk around me.”

“You’re not the doctor,” I say, bouncing over to her.

“No, but I can still tell you that they’re ready,” Nel replies, squeezing my hand. “Are you alright, you seem more nervous than I am.”

“How can I not be nervous?! How can you not be nervous!” I shout, pressing a hand on her belly. “I can feel them! In a little bit…”

“Kyra, have you never had a birth in your family?” Nel asks, wrapping her fingers through mine. “It’s perfectly natural, though in our case there’s a little magic involved in the process, it’s not anything to be frightened of.”

“Aren’t you excited?” I ask. “Worried, Terrified?”

“A little,” she laughs, a soft warm laugh that would normally calm me right down. “When haven’t we been terrified in the last year? Worried? I’m worried every time you step out the door and I’m excited with every return.

“I feel all those same things right now, Kyra,” she says, squeezing my hand tight. “It’s just that I’ve grown used to it.”

“This is different,” I say.

“It’s not,” Nel says, laughing at me again. “We’ve dealt with things far more difficult than kids, we’ll be fine. You’ll be a great mother.”

“Easy for you to say,” I reply. “I can imagine you as a perfect helicopter parent, stifling our little babies until they run away in their teen years. Just to come back again when they’re adults.”

“Overprotective?” Nel asks, raising a brow. “If I was so overprotective, I’d never have let you leave the house. You’re going to be the one hiding them from every danger. I want our kids to struggle, let them fall so we can help them back onto their feet again. That way they can be strong enough to deal with their own troubles in the future.”

I gaze into her eyes for a few moments, trying to find an argument against her point, but I have nothing. I have to admit that for all her anxieties, she’s never actually limited us in what we can do. She’s worried over us, but never held us back, and she’s always been here to welcome us home no matter what trouble we stirred up.

“Kyra,” Red calls for me, speaking with the mechanical body that I’ve been using for every other task.

It is still rather unnerving to be having two conversations at once, while halfway across the city from ‘myself’.

“What is it?” I ask, trying and failing to shake off the grumpiness I feel for the interruption.

“We have a problem,” Red says. “One of our teams isn’t back yet.”

“Yeah, I see them. They’re fine,” I say.

They’re out messing about in the red muck panicking over nothing. There are no beasts around that are a threat to them, and they’re in the protection of Blue so it’s not like they’re going to get divebombed from nowhere.

“A wave is coming in,” Red says. “They are meant to dig themselves a shelter in the stone, but the only island close by isn’t an ally, and the team isn’t prepared to fight them for shelter. Certainly not with the time they have.”

“How much time is that?” I ask, already looking out through my borrowed eyes, trying to get a read on the coming wave.

“Ten minutes,” Red replies. “They’re trying to work with what they have, and they could make it, but there’s no guarantee they’ll all survive.”

“Fine, Fine!” I shout, sneering at the timing of it. “It’ll take us that long just to get to the surface, let’s hope they can hold out.”

“Is something wrong,” Nel says, returning my attention back to myself.

“There’s trouble, a hunting team hasn’t made it back yet and a wave is coming for them,” I say, clenching my teeth.

I should go.

I’ll be faster in the flesh, and I know that I’m much more dangerous this way, but the timing…

“It’s fine,” Nel says, but she can’t hide the disappointment in her expression.

I could bring the mecha-me here to be with her, but it’s not the same. Not for me, not for her, and I’m sure that the babies will tell that something is wrong too.

“I’ll stay,” I say. “I need to give my other body a combat test anyway.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Nel asks, biting her lip as she shakes her head. “If it’s not strong enough…”

“Our hunters know the risks,” I say, swallowing my nervousness as Red races alongside my fake body up through the tunnels. We don’t have our own teleportation systems yet, and none of the ships are ready to fly.

Even if we had some ready, there’s a question of cost. If we fly every time there is an incident like this, then we’ll run out of resources. At the same time, we do need a means of responding to incidences like this with all haste.

“Red, do you have any teams of warriors that could help in moments like this?” I ask, dashing after her with all the speed that my mechanical joints can give me.

“I know of more than a few who would be better than us, specialised field engineers who’d build a bunker in five minutes,” Red replies. “They’re just far too slow.”

“How are they with heights?” I ask.

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, from here on, why don’t we have a few of them up in our little satellite, the glass egg. Throw them down through the clouds whenever someone needs the help,” I say. “Orbital drop rescue experts.”

“I… can see the appeal,” Red says. “How’s Nel?”

“Ah… it’s… it’s starting…” I whisper, shivering.

“You’re cutting her open?” Eshya asks her hand far from her sword. She pales as she looks at Nel’s large belly, “Ah, couldn’t you accidentally cut the kids?”

“You’re not worried about me?” Nel chuckles.

“This isn’t a battlefield,” Adler says, her voice dry. “I’ll be careful, and I can heal anything that causes too much issue. I’ve only grown more competent since my breakthrough, and I can heal even lethal wounds… at least I can make them not lethal wounds, which is the important part.”

“Adler?” Vii asks. “We trust you.”

“Right,” Adler nods a little too quickly. “I have this under control.”

And if she doesn’t, then we have another healer down on the first floor ready to jump in should Adler find herself not up to the task. Of course, we’re not telling her that, it’ll ruin her focus.

“I’m glad it’s you helping me through this,” Nel says. “You’ve been watching over us from the start, haven’t you? Even when you were a fully chipped welfare officer you were trying to do what’s best for us. I wouldn’t have anyone else do this.”

Adler nods, blushing bright, as a hesitant smile touches her lips. Her tail waves back and forth behind her as she considers the situation.

“With this many children, it’s inadvisable to have a vaginal birth, it is much safer to have a surgical birth. I can redirect blood flow and ensure that it is both safe and comfortable.”

Nel chuckles, her grip on my hand tightening further.

“Comfortable?” she asks, unconvinced.

“Well, maybe not comfortable comfortable,” Adler admits, waving her knife about cautiously. “It will be about as good as we can expect.

“Are you ready?”

“Am I ready to meet my children?” Nel asks, her face lighting up her cheeks flushed. “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

“I don’t think I’m ready,” Eshya says, drying her brow. “Oh, I’m not ready.”

“It’ll all be okay,” Vii says waving some wind at her. “There are five of us and four of them. We have numbers on our side Eshya. We can win this.”

“Numerical superiority,” Eshya says, nodding slowly and taking a seat.

“And we’re stronger, too,” I say, laughing at myself as Adler presses the knife against Nel’s belly.

I bite my lip and grip her hand tight. She barely even groans as the blade slices down her belly.

“Kyra, Kyra!” Red shouts, stealing my attention. “The wave is here! Get your head on straight!”

We fly through the sky, making a swift path through to the stray hunters who are struggling to make a bunker from dirt and stray chunks of stone. It might survive the water, but it won’t be enough to protect them against the swarm that rides the wave.

“I’ll need you to break up their first wave, I’ll support you from behind,” Red says. “Don’t get distracted.”

“My kids are literally coming out right now!” I shout.

“And people here will die if you make a mistake,” Red says, hitting my machine on the shoulder. “You can do two things at once, I’ve seen it before.”

“I know, I know!” I shout. “Things are just a bit… oh god that’s… oh, that’s not right. That’s not right! Smile. Just smile and pretend. It’s all fine.”

“Congratulations,” Red laughs, shaking her head and punching my shoulder.

We hit the ground at the same moment as the wave washes through.

Blood red waters flow freely, terrible screams split the air as monsters are released to ravage the world.

“We’re fine, we’re good,” Adler whispers.

At the same time, the rust-red wave washes over the land, bearing hungry beasts that seek to make us into meals.

I blast annihilation through the thick waters, tearing apart the beasts that would first hit. Red lashes out with her daggers, striking down the few who are swift enough to see this as an opportunity.

The kids scream, and the beasts roar. I make sure to only beat up the latter while Adler washes clean the former, a baby with feathers sprouting from its tiny wet wings. Its great big yellow eyes stare about at the world while Vii coos over him.

“Fight, you dim wits!” Red shouts at the group of hunters, though I’m not sure it’s needed. The hunters are already slicing and dicing anything that comes near.

They’re all talented warriors, but they’d be overwhelmed fighting this battle on their own. They spare nothing, casting lethal magics, ice and iron blending into terrible blades that tear through the monsters that Red and I don’t bother with.

I stretch the limits of my mecha-me to tear through those that come from the front, and Red deals with anything dangerous that I miss.

“Ah, the cord is a little…come on, come on, there we are!” Adler says, washing the little round ball. Slightly pointed ears prove that she’s borrowed more from Eshya while a few black chitinous plates suggest at Nel’s heritage.

“Oh! Oh! He’s so cute!” Vii says, reaching down and taking him from Adler.

“Careful!” Eshya snatches the first baby from her while Vii is trying to juggle the two of them. “They’re delicate… I mean… They are probably delicate, right?”

“I’m careful,” Vii says, pouting as she cuddles up with the new kid. “Isn’t he cute, Nel?”

“She’s cute,” Nel nods, staring down into the baby’s eyes. Her smile is a bit strained while Adler gets to work.

“Crap!” Red cries as something comes up from under her feet, stabbing at the nearest hunter, who’s too slow to respond. I dive between, taking the hit to my shoulder and tearing the beast out of the wet mud for Red to finish it.

“Second to last,” Adler says, drawing out a pale little bundle of red hair.

“Got it!” Vii shouts, taking the baby from her arms, and leaving the last one nestled up to Nel’s shoulder.

They look like little potatoes, with a bit of hair stuck on them.

And the monsters look like great big balls of teeth with more teeth stuck on them. I tear it apart, but a few stick in me, and I tear them out before moving on to the next one.

It doesn’t take long for the first wave to be over. Ice and steel cut through the last beasts, while the hunters gather themselves.

“Thank you,” the lead hunter says, bowing his head to me and Red. “We have to get out of here before any more come.”

“It’s just the one wave this time,” I say, watching the sea settle in the distance. Calm waters return, but we still have an army of monsters to fight on our way back home.

“Last one,” Adler says, her hands shaking as she cleans the soft white fur on the last little potato. “I… I can’t…”

“Adler,” I say, reaching out and taking the kid. “Heal first, emotional break down later.”

“Right, sorry, sorry,” she carefully hands the little girl to me before working her magic on Nel. In the passing of seconds, she’s back to her prime, not a speck of blood remaining to prove the recent surgical birth.

“They’re so cute!” Vii says, staring down into the eyes of the little red-haired baby.

I look down at the furry little creature in my arms, its little ears twitching. It’s pudgy, and it’s making strange gurgling sounds while writhing about.

“How are you, little guy?” She asks, reaching out and squeezing its tiny hand.

“Uh, do we have to lie and call them cute?” I ask. “We do, don’t we?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stats and Skills

~Mana Form:

Current mana crystallisation:

-2.1% at 78,231 (Stage 2)

-97.9% at 60,892 (Stage 1)

Current mana volume: 30,450 / 30,450 shards

Mana volume at Stage 1 crystallisation (Max. mana volume):

Kyra: 30,271 shards

Kyra’s armour: 20,777 shards

Kyra’s throne: 1,109,298 shards

~Forms

Mana Canon

-Annihilation Heart (Adapted)

-Blood Fuel (Adapted)

-Bone Magic Storage (Adapted)

-Nail Shifters (Adapted)

Dancer

-Flash Nerves (Adapted)

-Quick Perception Mind (Adapted)

-Burst Reflex Muscles (Adapted)

-Layered Space Muscles (Adapted)

Turtle

-Rebinding Tissue (Adapted)

-Catalyst Sweat Glands (Adapted)

-Repulsive Skin (Adapted)

-Prehensile hair (Adapted)

-Fatty Tissue Blood Storage (Adapted)

Investigator

-Wide eyes (Adapted)

-Wide ears (Adapted)

-Sharp nose (Adapted)

Misc.

-Clean bowels (Adapted)

-Mana Drive (Adapted)

~Favourited Skills:

Magic:

-Annihilation Magic (Customised)

-Fire Magic (Functional)

-Space magic (Broken)

-Force magic (Functional)

-Ice magic (Broken)

-Wind magic (Broken)

Movement:

-Hand-to-hand casting (Mastered)

-Mana surge movement (Customised)

-Stealth (Functional)

Senses:

-Eyes of an Empire (Customised)

-Combat Awareness (Mastered)

-Watchmen (Functional)

-Hidden bug (Mastered)

-De-tagging (Mastered)

-Anti-stealth sight (Mastered)

Special:

-Spirit Transformation (Broken)

-Conformity (Broken)

-Training mana form (Functional)