Ah! Does size really matter? ch12

Monday, December 17th 2012:

"You're a worm Morisato, a worm!" Lind shouted at him, showing her disgust at his inability to score on her again. Keiichi didn't mind it though as he fingered the edge guard on his ax proudly. The edge guard was a recent addition that Lind had insisted on after she lost a couple of inches of her ponytail during their last sparring match. Up until now the two had trained with exposed blades but Keiichi, slow learner that he was, was improving nonetheless and his proficiency had finally advanced to the point where he was starting to be able to get inside some of the more obvious holes in her defenses. The cover had added a few ounces of weight to the weapon and had changed its aerodynamic properties somewhat and Keiichi was still trying to get a feel for the difference.

He knew that the opening he had exploited the other day was fabricated; his mentor could never really be that sloppy. Lind was trying to teach him the importance of exploiting errors in an opponent's defense and the possible traps that come from being suckered in. Nevertheless, it felt good after all this time to know that he was getting better.

"Oh, I give up," she said with mock sadness, the same way she always did at the end of their training sessions. Let's swap'em out and tune'em up. Belldandy has got breakfast waiting and I am not about to face that rabble without a good meal in my stomach." Lind finished by jerking her thumb at the slowly assembling crowd of deities and mortals as they began their daily warm-up exercises in the courtyard. Although it was the beginning of the winter break for the Nekomi Institute of Technology, the Heavenly and Earthly calendars aren't always in sync. From Lind's perspective today was just the start of another new quarter for the banished Valkyrie's Advanced Combat Tactics School and the first day of elimination's was always the most difficult. It was one thing for her to heap vitriol on his head all day but to be able to do it with the same level of conviction to the hundred or so new students every quarter put an enormous strain on his mentor.

"It's amazing how quickly the extraordinary became the ordinary around here." Keiichi thought to himself.

Sitting cross-legged about six inches above the ground he called forth Spearmint, as Lind did the same for Coolmint so they could change places. The twins had developed an interesting information exchange system for themselves, rather than moving around each other the two chose to merge, pausing to pass what each had learned that week to the other before reluctantly pulling themselves apart to re-join with their new host.

The tune-up phase was the part of the morning exercise that Keiichi loved the most. Lind was teaching him the ability to look into another's soul using the angel's sight. Relaxing he allowed Coolmint to settle in before calling her out to survey the crowd. He liked to make it into a game, by reading the souls of the other deities he tried to determine which ones he thought had the strength to endure Lind's punishing entrance exam. So far he hadn't found any correlation whatsoever.

Although Keiichi didn't know it, the crowd in question was the result of a rather odd combination of circumstances. It seems that shortly after Lind was banished to the mortal plane word was leaked that the fiercest Valkyrie in heaven was teaching classes in extreme combat, to a mortal of all things! As word spread a few Combat specialists, the type that seek challenge and not prestige, decided to descend to Earth with the goal of learning the art of extreme fighting. The knowledge they returned with to heaven they passed on to their compatriots which in turn enabled their respective divisions to kick the butts of those others less prepared at the next annual war games.

This had done wonders for Lind's self esteem. At that time Lind was alone with only the three other goddesses for company and Keiichi to torture. Having her contemporaries seek her out on Earth so she might teach them a better way to fight had allowed her to reassert her sense of self. She was Lind, fiercest Valkyrie in all of heaven! She might be down, but she was not out, not by a long shot and any in Heaven or Hell who thought otherwise did so at their peril!

Soon the other commanders of the host were clamoring for their soldiers to be trained in the same fashion. Some were even insisting that Lind be forcefully returned to heaven and her school be attended by only the upper echelon. Others went so far as to try to offer surety to the Almighty One in exchange for being allowed to place Lind under their respective jurisdictions. But the Almighty One had refused, ruthlessly insisting that Lind serve out every second of her sentence on the mortal plane.

The result of this steadfast refusal to compromise was that the other commanders of the host decided to send their best troops to Earth so Lind might teach them down there. Soon there were more volunteers than openings. So, in order to insure that only the best and brightest were allowed to attend, competitions were organized within the host. The finest of each combat division literally fought (non-lethally of course) for the privilege of being temporarily banished to the mortal realm so that Lind could heap her abuse upon them. With Lind to teach them the host was fast becoming a very potent fighting force. A fact that had not been lost on the other side. The Almighty One and Hild were once again meeting on a monthly basis to negotiate, even when there was nothing new to fight over.

The reasons the Almighty One refused leniency he kept a closely guarded secret but it was primarily due to two things. The first was that the longer Lind spent on the mortal plane with Keiichi and his daughters the more the schism in her soul healed. The old god had known that as a side effect of the angels trying to re-shape the fate of Keiichi's soul, so too had Keiichi and the three goddesses begun re-shaping their fate as well. This re-shaping was passed along to Lind each time her angels switched places. Sometime soon the Almighty One knew Lind's twin angels were destine to become as one. Keiichi had already begun to notice it, the seeming reluctance the pair had to pull apart every time they changed places. When the time came, when the two angels finally became whole then they would return to Lind's soul never again to leave. When that happened the old god knew, Keiichi would suffer the same sense of paralyzing loss that Belldandy had suffered when her angel was stolen from her. He hoped that when that time came the boy would have enough strength of character to hold it together long enough for him to receive his own angel's egg.

The second reason he refused leniency was simply a logistical issue. When the time came, when Lind had finally paid her debt in full, she would become Lind the redeemed, proudest and fiercest of all the Valkyrie's, beholden to no one, Supreme Commander of the host with a ready made cadre of highly trained and disciplined officers. Allowing her to quickly and quietly move the host to a war footing if needed.

Looking into the spectator stands, which Skuld had been forced to add to accommodate all the looky Lou's who had come to cheer their latest hero on, Keiichi found Belldandy as she sat among her friends. There was Hasegawa as she discussed her latest boyfriend with Belldandy. Peorth it seemed had stopped by today as well, keeping her eyes focused on Tamiya and Otaki and some guy with wings sprouting from his shoulders as they tossed a medicine ball at each other with enough force to cause the ground to shake. On the other end of the field sat the recently returned Koshian as he taught his daily class in meditation. Some of his students sat on the ground while others floated in the air. Keiichi had to do a quick double take, noticing for the first time that Koshian was not one of those who would need to brush his clothes off when he was through.

After he had cataloged all the new students he looked back into the stands where he knew Belldandy was sitting. He liked to look at her in this fashion, seen with limited mortal eyes Belldandy possessed an ethereal beauty that cowed most humans. But with angel sight he could see her soul with all its flaws and in those flaws he saw the beauty of a difficult life well lived. Belldandy sensed his stare and allowed herself a slight blush as she basked in his gaze before returning to her conversation with the mortal girl.

Peorth was another interesting story, after her liaison with the Almighty One she had returned to Heaven confident that she too had knocked the planet off its axis. Upon her return to Heaven, however, she was crushed to learn that she didn't even register on the local seismograph. Her ego had been so bruised that she had given up her operational domain and now just concentrated on her duties with Yggdrasil. For some reason or another she had convinced herself that she would never achieve the heights that Belldandy had reached unless she too found a mortal man who could look upon her the same as Keiichi saw Belldandy.

This is where the unfortunate Tamiya had entered the picture, although he didn't know it yet he was a marked man. The former sex goddess had become infatuated with the hulking mortal. Not having any clients in need of her particular services the frustrated Peorth had been searching for someone she could be worthy of. In Tamiya she saw a purity in his single-minded devotion to his craft. This had piqued her interest and she wondered if he could come to see her in the same fashion. Keiichi had thought about trying to warn Tamiya off but he considered Peorth a friend and Tamiya had more than just a little pay back coming for all the times he had abused his position as Keiichi's senpai.

"Who knows," he thought to himself, "maybe he can make an honest woman out of her." Finally satisfied that Coolmint was all snuggled in he arose and went inside to get breakfast.

The discipline that Lind had been instilling in him was beginning to payoff in various ways. The seemingly ceaseless endeavor that was Professor Kakuta's ceramic engine experiment had finally born fruit. Out of hundreds of attempts one perfectly spherical ceramic ball bearing had finally been formed. Most everyone had thought that the unexpected result was a fluke and not reproducible but Keiichi had stubbornly refused to quit trying to prove otherwise. Staying at the school until late at night and with Belldandy and Skuld's considerable help he had finally managed to duplicate the result. Further refining the process he and Professor Kakuta had managed to create a patentable technology that quickly had several big name aerospace companies bidding for the rights to the process. The Nekomi Institute of Technology had wanted to sell the patent outright but Professor Kakuta, saying that breakthroughs of this magnitude were the property of the world, had prevailed in convincing the institute to license the technology for a very modest fee instead. The majority of the revenue generated by the licensing fees themselves was used to help promote what later became known as Kakuta's OBT (Out of the Box Thinking) classes.

A very modest portion of the remainder was allocated to the Tariki Hongan temple as an offering of thanks for its generosity in providing a home to three of their most distinguished alumni. The first month's dividend was barely enough to keep the lights lit, but as the demand for the technology grew so did the Temple's revenue. It was still only a modest sum but Keiichi and the Goddesses now had a reliable source of income, one large enough to keep the lights on and the fridge full. Freed of his need to earn a living Keiichi was able to continue his studies at the Institute and Lind could continue to heap her abuse upon him when he wasn't on campus.

All the activity at the Temple did not go unnoticed, those in search of enlightenment, regardless of their realm of origin often found their way to the Temple grounds as they continued about their sojourn. As for the mortals who frequented the place, they weren't stupid, all of them were keenly aware that they were taking part in something magical, a jealously guarded secret that they all shared.

000

"Lind, Keiichi you both better get in here!" came Urd's voice from the TV room.

"What's up?" came the bored sounding voice of Lind as she sipped on her morning tea.

"Listen to this." Urd said as she turned up the volume of the TV.

"… the blast was centered just outside the front of the Japanese embassy at the height of the business day. We still don't have any count on the number of dead but initial reports indicate that it could be in the hundreds. This is the first suicide bombing to take place inside the Green Zone in over a year and analyst fear that this might mean a…" the voice of the obviously shaken newswoman continued to drone from the speakers.

Turning to Lind, Urd spoke a single word, "Ravers."

"Urd," Lind began, the warning clearly evident in her voice, "this is not a subject to be discussed in front of… others."

"I disagree," Urd replied, "as long as he carries your angel inside him he is just as vulnerable as the rest of us."

"Okay," asked Keiichi, "what's a Raver?"

"Lind?" Urd looked questioningly at her.

"You started it, I'll let you explain."

"They are abominations," Urd explained, "Soul dwellers, the same as angels but instead of existing in a symbiotic relationship as we do, they exist as a malignancy, eventually and usually deliberately killing the host."

"Isn't that rather counterproductive? I mean, wouldn't they die as well?"

"They have worked out a methodology to get around that problem."

"That sounds kind of cold." Keiichi grimaced, "Where do these Ravers come from?"

"They have been with you always." Urd answered him, "When mankind cursed themselves they prevented the evil that grew within them from fully maturing. But in those that were already mature the evil continued. Normally they too would have passed when enough time had gone by but they realized if they allowed themselves to die then they would never be reborn. So, rather than allow their host to die they forced it to live on, century after century until who knows how many millennia had past, until the human body that once hosted them had wasted away into nothingness, little more than a vague memory."

"If they have been around for so long how come I have never heard of them before now?"

"You see or hear about them everyday, until now you just didn't understand what it was you were witnessing."

"I still don't get it." Keiichi said scratching his head.

"Keiichi," Lind said sadly, "you saw that news report. You don't honestly think that an otherwise rational human being really woke up this morning and thought, 'Hey, since I got nothing better to do today how about I strap a bomb to my ass and go blow up a bunch of innocent women and children.' now do you? That was the work of a Raver."

"I think I see your point, the Raver is causing normal people to go out and commit these atrocities, but this homicide bomber thing is a relatively recent phenomenon. If these Ravers have been with us for millennia what were they doing before then?"

"They are very good about hiding their tracks," Lind continued, "but they do leave signs if you know what to look for."

"Such as?"

"Keep in mind that Ravers are very potent, powerful to the point that they can force their host to do the most horrible things against their will."

"Kind of like how Urd does that remote manipulation thing?"

"Not even close, they are much more powerful." Lind told him.

"More powerful than Urd, that's hard to believe."

"Keiichi," Urd interrupted, "Let me show you something."

With that Urd summoned her remote manipulation spell and took control of Keiichi's hand causing him to reach towards Lind as if he intended to fondle her breast while Lind just stood there and glared at the two of them. Horrified at what he was about to do Keiichi summoned up the will power to wrest control of the offending appendage before he irretrievably broke faith with his mentor.

"The point I'm trying to make," Urd said, as Keiichi examined his arm in awe, "is that while it is possible to manipulate somebody, it is next to impossible to make you do something that would cause you danger. Ravers, on the other hand, are powerful enough to cause you to put on a bomb belt, walk into a crowd of perfect strangers and blow everybody up, including yourself."

"Just now Urd used a considerable amount of power to manipulate your arm," Lind said, "so you can imagine how much strength it takes to make some possessed bastard commit murder. While it doesn't get that much press there are many cases of serial killers leaving messages begging the authorities to stop them before they killed again. The reason for that is because the Raver is in its most weakened state right after the act is culminated giving the host a brief respite. Sometimes long enough for the host to leave a message begging for help."

"Why, why do they commit wanton acts of murder? What reason do they have for all the suffering they cause?"

"They harvest souls," Urd said flatly.

"What do you mean?" Keiichi asked.

"They harvest the energy of your soul," Lind said, "the same as a farmer might harvest a field of wheat."

"Here, let me illustrate," Urd said as she reached into the Sake cabinet and retrieved her bottle of Kame no O Sake. "Think of this bottle as your soul, and the contents as your spirit energy. The outward shape of the bottle, the part others can see, that is your unique personality, but the bottles true purpose is to protect the contents within. Against most threats it is impervious but hit it hard enough with the right size hammer and the bottle shatters and the contents released. When that happens the Ravers harvest it and use the spilled spirit energy to replenish their own."

"God, then if your soul is…"

"That's right Keiichi, they not only murder people, they also murder their souls as well." Lind said grimly. "To die at the hands of a Raver is the worst kind of death imaginable, because your very soul itself will be lost never to rise again."

"So how can these Soul dwellers kill their host. Doesn't that put them in danger?"

"Yes it does, but like angels they can leave the safety of their host for brief periods of time. We don't know for sure because we have never captured one but we think that what they are doing is moving from one host to another. More specifically, we think that they jump into a temporary host, the one that commits the actual crime and then back to a permanent host where it remains hidden until it comes forth to kill again."

Keiichi sat silently in the room, digesting this new information while the two goddesses watched him in anticipation. Finally a question occurred to him.

"Okay, something's not making sense here," Keiichi said, "if this Raver is jumping from one host to some other host and causing him to do bad things then what about the first host. Wouldn't he be free from this thing, wouldn't he try to run away or something?"

"Assuming he wanted to get away yes." Came the grim reply from Lind.

"You mean that…"

"You got it, this malignancy; this scourge of humanity is actually being consciously aided and abetted by the very humans it wishes to destroy!"

"Who would do such a thing!"

"Evil people, people who seek the power to rule over others; not only the power of life and death but the ultimate power as well, the power to compel others to do their bidding even against the others own free will."

"Over anyone and everyone," Urd added, "a power like that, even greater than that of my father, in the hands of a mortal!"

The color on Keiichi's face suddenly drained away, "I think I'm going to be sick," Keiichi said trying not to gag, "I mean, from what I've seen so far it's all you gods and demons can do to keep the power you wield from running amok. Hell, even Belldandy is dangerous when she gets tipsy! And now you tell me we got these things living among us that could make a mortal more powerful than the Almighty One himself!"

"Man up Keiichi! This is what you signed up for when you decided to become like us! Let's not forget the whole reason Urd broached the subject to begin with." Lind spoke, "they hate other soul dwellers, they will mindlessly seek out and kill other hosts like us and their angels wherever they can find them."

"You're saying I am putting Belldandy and her sisters at risk by keeping her tied down here and exposing them to this evil thing?" Keiichi asked flatly.

"Not at all, I'm saying that since you have an angel inside you need to be cautious in the presence of strangers, especially those from the Middle East. For some reason these creatures like to congregate in that area, so it's usually somebody who lives in the Middle East or has just come from the area that serves as their vector.

"The Norn's are as safe here as anywhere else." Lind concluded, "Now why don't you take advantage of the fact that I'm too busy to make your life miserable today and get out of here! Go nail your girlfriend out in the woods or something."

"Like I could possibly be in the mood after all you've just told me." Keiichi grumbled as he exited the room.

Once he was out of earshot, "You know, he's been your student for over two years now, he has earned at least a little respect for having come this far. You didn't have to be that crass with him just now and the comments about him and Belldandy were totally uncalled-for. What gives?"

"He is my student! I will decide the best way to handle him!"

The warning in Lind's tone was evident and normally Urd would have let the matter drop but there was something, an undercurrent to Lind's words that required explanation. "There is more to it than that." Urd said, "Come on, out with it."

"Very well," Lind sighed, "Maybe I'm just a little resentful of him and Belldandy."

"To me, it sounds as if it you want some of what they have."

"I would be lying if I were to deny it. Oh, what I would be willing to give just to have a man look at me the way he looks at her."

"Go on," Urd prodded.

"I'll also admit that I have the two of them at a slight disadvantage. Since we swap out our familiars every week, I get a complete run down on what he has been doing when I'm not here. I always know what's in his mind, what he's done and where he's been. Belldandy's influence is… important, but sometimes she works at cross-purpose. It gets… frustrating sometimes to know that she has greater sway over him than I do."

"Jealousy from you! I didn't know you were even capable of feeling such an emotion."

"We share an angel Urd, don't you understand? In many ways I have been more intimate with him than Belldandy can ever hope to be. You think I don't know exactly how he feels about her, or about you or Skuld, or even me!" Suddenly Lind broke down and screamed, "Dammit, why did you have to set her up with him! Why couldn't it have been with some over muscled, six foot two, strong jawed, perfect teeth beach bum with a 5 point IQ that I could loath!"

"Oh God," Urd clapped her hands in realization, "You're in love with him!"

Instead of denying Urd's accusation Lind looked away and said, "His survival is critical to Belldandy's, and Belldandy herself is critical to heaven's. So you see, I can never let him inside, I can never take that final step. Even when we we're done, even after I have taught him all that I can, even if a hundred years were to pass, I can never let him know how I feel! Were I do so it would be a betrayal even greater than when I stood against the Almighty."

Opening her bottle of Sake, Urd poured a small amount into Lind's tea before pouring herself a glass as well. "If it's any consolation, the capacity to love isn't limited to just one. One thing that I have learned since Father banished me here is; the more you love, the more you can love. Not that that makes what you feel any less painful."

Lind pondered the meaning of those words for a few moments before realizing their true significance. "You love him too!" she said in astonishment.

Instead of lying, which to Urd comes as naturally as breathing, she touched her cup to Lind's and said, "Little sister not withstanding, were it not for that fact that the fate of the world stood in the balance there would be one hell of a cat fight going on right now!" Smiling she looked to Lind before continuing, "One thing's for certain, next iteration the kid gloves are coming off. I'm not going to let Belldandy have him without a fight!"

Returning Urd's toast Lind smiled back at her, "Well then how about reserving me a place in this little donnybrook of yours as well?"

"No problem." Urd answered her before switching subjects, "So tell me, if you care for him so much, why didn't you tell him the rest of it?"

"Because I don't want him wearing himself out jumping at shadows. When it happens his instincts should be enough to keep him safe."

"You hope!"

"I pray." Lind corrected.