Chapter 42 - Plans

Much to his chagrin, Lukas was denied having any further access to Joey. The only thing the others agreed to, was to let him be present when Elena exercised Joey’s powers on the captive soldiers. He had requested them several times for a private meeting with the nightmare, but both Elena and Tanya had put their feet on it, the former because she claimed Joey was frightened of Lukas, and the latter, because she didn’t trust things to not devolve if they put him and the nightmare in the same room. Scowling, Lukas spent the rest of the meeting discussing their attack plans on the Shimizu fortress.

Using his newly gained Metaforge function, he had crafted an ether projection of the Peak using Tanya’s own memories as a template. The others were focussing on the incredible fortified castle, and the area around it, complete with little markers placed in seemingly random locations, or they were watching Lukas as he did the former.

Walking around the projection, Lukas’s eyes never stayed still. His gaze would dart back and forth between the main entrance, and the underground complex that went deep into the mountain itself. He constantly shifted his markers to multiple places, and then back again, when something didn’t fit into his plans, and then turned to the blackboard to make points purposely in English, just to keep things to himself.

He’d also start attack simulations using those markers over and over, clearly not liking where they led in his mind. Enough that most people there had given up keeping track of the repeats.

“Why did you abandon that approach?” asked Olfric, as Lukas silently gave up on his latest strategy. “It had a good chance of getting us into the interior without facing the outer defenses. We could have overwhelmed them and gotten into the lower floors.”

“Too much advantage,” said Lukas, taking the marker and putting it in a different spot. “We cannot let Ultaf think he’s facing a strong force. We cannot launch any offensive until we have met him, or else he might just deploy his best men a bit too early. Plus, there’s no way of knowing what kind of resistance we’ll face once inside.”

“That and you’ll have a major weakness that the Shimizu will take advantage of,” said Solana.

Olfric blinked. “Ah, I see. Me and Elena.”

Lukas grimaced. “And nothing’s stopping him from killing Zuken the moment he senses danger.”

“Why can’t Tanya rift us in and out of the place?” asked Elena. “She was able to do that from Haviskali just fine.”

“Because of the wards,” Tanya admitted. “The Eternal Light concentration is very high on the inside. Grandfather has at least a hundred Omnyoji ready and chanting, keeping the spiritual defenses at full capacity. I’d probably escape the outer wards, but there’d be a hundred soldiers firing at me the moment I open the rift on the inside.”

“Unless,” said Solana, looking at Lukas. “He’s able to thin the herd.”

Lukas frowned. “Are you certain the soldiers cannot be taken out without —”

“Without what? Killing?” asked Tanya. “Are you going to talk again about how they’re all innocent?”

Lukas stayed silent.

“Those people cannot reason,” she stressed. “This is war, and in a war, people die. Those soldiers do not have their own lives. Every breath they take has Mujin’s name written on it. You want to save people? Kill Mujin. Anything that gets us there is worth it.”

Lukas clenched his fists. “Fine. Me, Elena and Olfric will stay in. We get to Ultaf, Olfric negotiates and… we spiral things down from there. When I send you a signal, bombard the wards and come through. All you’ve to do is make sure not to destroy the castle, just the wards.”

‘Lukas, that place is drenched with the blood of innocents. You won’t be helping anyone by preserving it.”

“He’ll be protecting the Shimizu well,” said Solana, looking at Lukas again. “That is what you have in mind, isn’t it?”

Lukas nodded at the skinwalker. “Saving Zuken is our current priority. Killing Mujin is next. But that’s not the end, is it? We need you to become the next Shimizu Lord and losing your Well will only hurt your chances.”

Tanya clenched her fists. “Tell me I’ll at least get to kill Ultaf.”

He shook his head. “No. We cannot let him die.”

“But —”

“If this was just about getting Zuken out and getting rid of Ultaf maybe we could have gone for killing that bastard, or even taken him hostage. No, in this fight against Mujin, Ultaf will be our ace in the hole.”

“Ultaf cannot be anyone’s aces,” scoffed Tanya. “He’s a nobody. And what makes you think he’ll even cooperate?”

Lukas shrugged. “I have a couple of ideas.”

Tanya growled.

“We’ll need a two-pronged attack then,” suggested Olfric. “The moment we get Zuken’s location, you can distract the soldiers while Tanya hammers the outer wards. Me and Elena will take advantage of the confusion and get to Zuken.”

“And how will you do that?” asked Lukas.

“Charm the soldiers,” said Elena. “I’m still not sure I agree with your theories about  Joey, but if I have it, I’ll use it. And Olfric has his kami.”

“No,” said Lukas. “If I’ve to save your sorry ass from all those soldiers, then I’m not going to waste your talents on mindless Charming.”

“I don’t understand,” said Elena.

“Think about it,” he said. “Even if you can take out some of the soldiers by shattering their bonds, there are only so many people you can target all at once. We don’t know exactly how many soldiers are inside, so I’d rather not give away your ability until absolutely necessary.”

“But then, why are we even taking her?” asked Olfric. “Surely it will be safer for her to remain with Tanya and her lot.”

Lukas smiled knowingly. “I said we won’t be using her power on the soldiers. I never said we won’t be using her power at all.”

“I don’t think you’re considering the whole picture, Outsider. Even if you’re planning to save the nightmare as a surprise for the Warlord, it might make no difference whatsoever. To shatter his bond with his kami, you need the girl to be in his immediate vicinity. What do you think are the chances of that happening?”

“I can rift her into position,” Tanya offered.

“But can you guarantee her safety?” asked Olfric. “Elena’s not a fighter. Even a casual blast will kill her.”

“Won’t work,” muttered Lukas. He met Tanya’s eyes. “This is a Warlord, Tanya. Even if I catch him off-guard, I don’t think even I have the kind of power or the battle experience to kill him.”

Tanya blinked at him several times. “That’s not a problem. You won’t be facing him alone. I will—”

“Not be joining me,” Lukas finished for her. “Don’t you get it? This is an exact opposite of the borderland situation. Back then, we had an army of lesser creatures fighting both of us, and you know how things ended for them. We can’t make the same mistake they did.”

“We are not lesser,” Tanya insisted. “You are definitely not—”

“Skilled enough to take on a Warlord,” Lukas interrupted her again. “Trust me. If the chances of either of us fighting him single-handedly are abysmal, then the chances of both of us fighting him are even less.”

“That — that doesn’t make sense!” Tanya exclaimed.

“I admit even I am surprised, Outsider,” commented Solana, her arms crossed, a knowing glint in her eyes. “After defeating the Empress, I’d have estimated that battling a Warlord would be easy for you.”

Lukas smiled. He didn’t need to be a psychologist to see through her taunt. She was poking at his pride, expecting him to reveal relevant information about him. Unfortunately for her, he had little need for pride. His strength had always come as a side-effect of his self-discovery as an anomaly. Whatever little battle-experience and training he had gotten paled compared to that. So unlike others, he was not above believing in his own imperfection. They were after all, facing a being who was powerful enough to decimate all of them single-handedly. Prudence was necessary.

“You shattered through Solana’s barriers. You faced the brunt of that ifrit King and survived. You defeated Meynte himself. And if firepower is really the issue, Ezzeron can bridge the gap.”

Lukas shook his head. Tanya was being difficult. That, or she just didn’t want to feel powerless. Not that he could blame her. After all that she had suffered because of that man, the last thing she wanted was for him to point out how weak she was.

He steepled his fingers in front of his hands. “I’m being pragmatic here, Tanya. The more our firepower, the lower the odds of success. Not because you’re weak, but because the more people that attacked him, the more seriously he’d be forced to fight more seriously.”

Solana let out a loud snort. “And here I was thinking you were a greenhorn, Outsider.”

He arched an eyebrow. “You disagree?”

She shook her head. “Absolutely not. It is a common trait of immensely powerful beings, the kind that’s utterly and completely assured of their superiority. They’ll only ever fight at the level of their opponent, ever so slightly matching their power to that of their foe in pursuit of a thrilling battle. Meynte, too, did this. I assume that is where you got the idea from?”

Actually, he had gotten it from Inanna. But yes, Meynte also followed the same rules.

“But if they think there’s a genuine chance of losing…” Tanya murmured.

“Then they won’t do it, and fight with their fullest strength. Hence, our chances go down even further.”

“I concur,” said Solana.

“Is anyone else creeped out by how well those two are getting along?” asked Tanya.

“Oh, you thought so too?” asked Maude. “I thought I was the only one.”

Solana scoffed. “I have no intention of getting along with anyone. We share a common goal, and I stand nothing to gain from antagonizing the Outsider. While I feel no real gratitude to him, I can appreciate the reality that being non-cooperative is counterintuitive to our operations. Nothing else.”

Lukas just gave them a half-shrug. “Either way, the fact is, we cannot defeat Mujin Shimizu head-on. We need a game changer. Elena… I need a list of all the things your nightmare is capable of.” He turned to Solana. ‘I’d appreciate it if you and Maude can get us whatever information you have on nightmares.”

Solana nodded.

“Olfric, I need you to attend the interrogation of our captives. We cannot afford any mistakes, since you’re in charge of getting Zuken out. Tanya I need some time alone with you, in private. We have stuff to discuss.”

“Discuss? Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Maude teased.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Lukas retorted without losing a beat, before turning to Tanya. “So, shall we?”

....

....

....

“You want me to do what?”

Lukas winced, suppressing the urge to raise his arms in surrender at the utter disbelief and shock in her voice. He was suddenly glad he had chosen to do this after taking her out into the Desert, flying several dozen feet in the air, away from any and all eavesdropping.

He sighed. “I want you to face Elena’s familiar, and see what effect it has on you.”

“I see,” her expression was unreadable. “And why should I do this… utterly stupid thing? We have already captured enemy soldiers for that.”

“Yes, but I…”

“And we have a ton of yokai around possessing bremetans if you want more tests.”

“I know but…”

“And you realize we’re up against my grandfather, a freaking warlord. Ezzeron is our best chance against him. For all I know, interacting with Joey will shatter my bonds with Ezzeron.”

“You don’t know that!” Lukas protested.

“Exactly, which is why you can test it on others, and not on me.”

“Well, I’m gonna test it on them first, but after that…”

“After that?”

Lukas sighed. “Look. The soldiers we captured are Level-2 at best. We need to know if Joey can affect more powerful spiritists or kami. If it does, then it could be our way to destabilize your grandfather’s bond with his kami.”

“That’s a stupid idea, and you know it,” Tanya shot him down. “Mujin Shimizu’s a freaking warlord. If you can hold him down in place long enough to get Elena within reach and undo his kami, I’d rather not risk Elena at all and hack his head off. The kami would explode out of him anyway.”

Lukas opened his mouth to reply, but she beat him to it. “No Lukas. Ezzeron’s our best bet against his kami. I’m not risking that.”

“Actually, you wouldn’t be risking anything,” said Lukas. “ From Maude’s account, Joey shouldn’t affect your bond with Ezzeron at all, and I want to know why.”

Tanya blinked.

“I asked her about what happened back then in the anomaly. Maude told me that just looking at it destabilized Olfric’s possession, but when you looked at it, you just… lost control. The Frost took over.”

When Tanya did not refute, he continued. “I don’t think the nightmare, whatever it is, automatically shatters spiritual bonds. Or if it does, either that’s because the bond is weak, like a possession and not a Shikigami ritual. Maybe the absence of Eternal Light is a factor. Or maybe Joey simply isn’t strong enough, and is limited by power requirements or something similar. There are a ton of variables and we don’t have a lot of time at our hands.”

“I know,” said Tanya. “Which is why we captured those soldiers in the first place.”

“Yes but those soldiers wouldn’t give us the data that we can if you stand in front of it. After we’re done with them, of course,” he hastily added. “Look, I think we can agree that Joey can either be a giant fuck-up, or a gamechanger, and I’m not willing to drop Elena into the game without knowing Joey’s limits. I’d rather risk seeing what effect it has on you, than risk it all and get us all killed horribly in battle.”

“But what if it does shatter…”

“Tanya…” he implored, holding her arms firmly. “You won’t lose Ezzeron. I promise you that. Look, I want to conduct the entire experiment within controlled conditions. If Joey shatters your bond, my territory will keep him from escaping. You can perform the ritual right after.”

“Right,” said Tanya, her expression unchanged. “And what’s the real reason behind this experiment?”

“What do you —”

“I wasn’t born yesterday, Lukas,” she scoffed. “Neither am I blind. You might have the other convinced about our attack plan, but I know you, and I know that you’ve got multiple plans running that the others don’t even know of. And let me tell you this, Lukas Aguilar, you aren’t very good at hiding things from me. Or even hiding the fact that you’re hiding something.”

“What could I be hiding?” He asked defensively.

“Well, that proves it,” Tanya chuckled softly. “Usually you do one of two things when confronted with hiding something, you deflect it with a question or you get defensive. You just did both.”

Lukas flinched and looked away. Part of him was terrified at the notion of being so predictable. As a lawyer, giving away one’s inner thoughts through body language was an absolute sin. That went double for him because he also had to play the role of a cocky, powerful player. That Tanya understood him so well both sent a tinge of pleasure down his spine while also ringing alarms in his head.

It didn’t help that she didn’t ask anything further, and just looked at him patiently.

Finally, he sighed. “I wasn’t lying about Joey’s reaction to Ezzeron. But yes, I know that trying to get Elena in front of Mujin is a stupid idea. We’d have a higher chance of cutting his head off.”

“Ah, so it’s about Everfrost then.”

Lukas looked at her sharply.

“Please,” said Tanya. “I’m not a fool. It wasn’t an entirely difficult leap of logic. You’ve been scarily focussed on having me master Everfrost ever since all of this began. And I don’t know what kind of fucked-up deal you have with Solana, but even she’s been nice to me since you jumped into the Haze. I don’t know what you promised her, but she’s practically giddy.”

Damn it.

“And if not for that, there’s this look you keep giving me since you returned. Like you see me, and you feel… sad, or guilty. And you just told me that Joey didn’t affect my bond with Ezzeron, but caused me to… change. So, spill.”

Lukas stared at her sullenly, a little annoyed at how easily she had read him.

“I want to see if exposure to Joey affects your control on Everfrost. Again.”

“But,” Tanya looked at him, confused. “It shouldn’t! Your goddess sealed it away. You told me—”

“That was before Meynte and everything happened. She brought forth way more than you could have. You can’t do that without weakening the spell.”

“A goddess cast the spell.” Tanya sputtered. “Meynte was a memory.”

“A memory of an Empress that wielded a Taboo. Not an ordinary skill but a Taboo. The same taboo that you also wield. You are her descendant, you’re both yuki-onna… when she possessed you and did those actions…”

“You’re talking about spiritual resonance, aren’t you?” Tanya picked up quickly. “You mentioned that before.”

He nodded. “Spiritual resonance between two beings so spiritually similar, sharing a deep connection with a Taboo. Plus, it doesn’t help that Inanna is no more, and I’ve depleted nearly the entirety of her divinity within me.”

“Lukas,” she said, meeting his eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Lukas closed his eyes. “After Meynte possessed you, the seal on Everfrost loosened. Frost can take over you if she really wants to, and you won’t even notice it.”

Tanya stilled. It was like watching a cornered animal, preparing for a last-ditch attempt at flight.

“And how do you know that?”

Lukas felt his throat go dry. He had no idea how Tanya was going to react to what he was about to tell her.

“Because she’s taken over twice so far, without you knowing any better.”

“...”

“....when?” she managed after what felt like an excruciatingly long couple of seconds.

Lukas frowned. He really didn’t want to go into the details, but he didn’t want to lie to her either. If she found it later through other means, the effect could be debilitating to their relationship. Knowing Frost, she’d probably do just that.

“The first was on the night you came to my room, and we had sex. Somewhere in the middle of it, you transformed. You were gone, and she was in your place.”

Tanya opened her mouth to answer but then closed it again without speaking. She honestly didn’t know what to say.

“The truth is, Frost always had a far higher control over you than you realized. Yes, you were in control of your senses, but she was always there, listening to what you hear, seeing what you see, feeling what you feel. She was there, in the borderland, listening to every single thing I told you about myself, about being an anomaly, about Inanna. And after Meynte unleashed her, she’s been able to take over, whether you want it or not.”

Tanya stared at him dully. “You knew this… and you didn’t tell me?”

Lukas flushed at her stare. What was he going to say? That he had slept with her alter ego? That he had plotted with her behind her back, even though it was all done to protect her?

“The first time, as I told you, was when we had sex. Your expression went all bland, and then, you were gone and she was in your place. I didn’t tell you this before, but it wasn’t the first time I’ve talked to her. When you sat on Meynte’s throne and she took over, I tried to save you. I don’t know how or why, but I got pulled inside your mindscape, and encountered Frost inside. She… she told me things. About herself. About Fimbulwinter. About Meynte. Things that helped me outsmart her.”

“You’re telling me that Frost… my other self, helped you?”

“It’d hardly be the first time. You told me she helped you secure Ezzeron, did she not? Frost isn’t an alternate entity. She’s a form of you, a branch of your consciousness corrupted by the Taboo you wield. Every yuki-onna, starting from Meynte himself, has had his or her consciousness fragmented, creating a similar persona. That’s what Frost is. Not nice, but not your enemy either.”

“Laying a little too thick on the compliments, Outsider,” said Tanya’s mouth, but the tone that came was too teasing to be hers. Tanya’s entire body froze, and her eyes widened, before a wave of wintry plume exuded out of her, transforming her hair into cadaverous white, and her lips into the color of fresh, purple grapes. The only clue that she was still in control was the panicky expression on her features. And the tightening of her throat.

“You aren’t supposed to come forth unless I call for you,” said Lukas, his voice tightened. It was one thing to work with her, another to discover that she could freely skirt around their bargain with such ease.

“This seemed… neater, darling,” said her mouth again. “Seeing you try so hard to get the weakling to accept me felt so… stirring.”

“She…” Tanya choked out. “She’s taking over! She’s….”

“Sshhh….” spoke her mouth. “You forget, little girl. I’m your other half. The instincts you suppress. The power you deny yourself. We are two halves of the same coin, but that coin is weighted, and one side will always turn up more than the other. Now stop fighting me, and let me help you.”

“Frost, if you—” Lukas began.

“Oh, darling,” spoke Tanya’s mouth. “Your care for this weakling is so alluring. Almost enough to want me to seize control. But no matter, no matter. Right now, all I wish is to facilitate your goals.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

Her lips spread wide. “By bringing both of you in here. It’s time the weakling and I have… how do you say it? A woman to woman talk?”