The Next Chapter, Late as it is.

Now before anyone rip me apart over the digital/analog part, yes, I pulled it out of my memory. If i am wrong, tell me.

I currently in my holidays so speed should be increased. Or lets put it this way, the chapters can't get any slower.

Thanks to Ban3 for his work.

Vale awoke.

Something was wrong, she thought, even with her body still resting. The vault told her of the few hours passed. Yet, the bond was cluttered, busy with activity.

She opened her eyes.

Dutch looked back at her, book in hand."Hey." He grinned, hand in the cookie jar.

The spirit frowned.'It's late.' She scolded.

"Yea but I want to get some work done. Just go back to sleep. I'll finish soon."He returned.

Displeasure filled Vale's eyes.'No, you won't.' She growled before crawling onto him.

She pushed the book down before staring into his eyes.'Sleep.' She commanded, eyes resolute. Their bond surged with her decree, tugging down on his mind.

The man grinned. "Soon." He returned shakily, barely holding against her order.

'Now.' She asserted, before closing in for a kiss. The contact allowed her to seize his mind, overwhelming him in a deluge of touch and thought.

And thus she pulled him into the dark abyss of sleep, intertwining their minds.

'But...' He protested before being silenced by her.

'Sleep.' She finished, letting the darkness embrace them both.

Dutch awoke to the silent ringing of his biological clock.

The split second move he made before she assumed control worked, it seemed. He had slept far shorter than he usually did.

His eyes gazed at Vale, on top of him, admiring her resting face. His hands moved to brush against her cheek.

She wasn't a hassle to carry. In fact, she was a comfortable weight, gently pressing down on him.

But why she was there seemed more pertinent. As he expected, she was unhappy with his lack of sleep. Even seizing his mind...clearly if he wanted proceed any further with work, he had to move gently for now.

Yet he was thankful to her. With her forced rest, he could return to work with a fresh mind. And he did, recalling the book and opening to the page where he had left off.

And then paused.

Alice told him that the mistakes he had could be fixed by him, himself. That meant that she felt that he could find out what was wrong.

But the book she gave him appeared was simple. Simple enough that he was easily a third of the way though the book.

Whatever the nature of his problem, Dutch guessed that the book would be of little help. Given the intricate magic in the sequence, the problem would either be fixable without the book or far too complicated even with the book involved.

And so he sent the book back to the vault and summoned the sequence. He took care to move Vale as little as possible, keeping his body from the arms down still.

His eyes scanned the sequence. With the speed of a creator looking at his own work, he quickly reached the end of the sequence. Certain parts were different from the initial design but a quick study concluded that these changes were due to his change with Vale. Clearly, the vault had changed the spell work accordingly to its owner. More worryingly he had gone through without spotting any errors.

He decided to break up the sequence in different parts and looked at each one. Forcing himself to scan slowly, Dutch checked the sequence again.

As he conducted his work, he ignored the painstaking urge to fill the next few lines with the lines that he remembered and skim ahead. Slowly, irritatingly, he reached the end and once more came up empty.

With such a revision rate, there was only one thing that he could conclude. The problem in the sequence was innate and systemic.

The implications were worrying. If he did find the error, then the house of cards would collapse and the problem would be fixed. But right now, he couldn't find said house of cards anyway.

If so, then his best bet would be to let Alice fix it. That meant that her gift would be squandered.

The knowledge she offered would be gone. And knowledge lost was knowledge wasted.

And he disliked waste.

So he decided on a different measure. Leaving the sequence as it was, he created another and rebuilt the sequence on that, restarting his work. While the processes worked, he observed, analyzing each step, hoping that this time, the problem would be solved.

As the time carried on, his past conclusion seemed more valid. He just couldn't find any issue with the sequence, either with the old one or the new either. The problem really seemed shrouded from him, a wrench in the cogs that was proper to him.

As he watch the rebuilding process assign a value of one for magic power for one of the supporting spell structures, he considered closing the reconstruction. It appeared to be an exercise in futility and he might as well cancel it.

As his hand reached for the kill command, he paused.

A value of one?

That wasn't wrong. The vault adapted itself to work with his nanites so it would translate itself from magical terms to digital. It was the only way he could have created the sequences.

And the digital worked differently. It ran on a basis of ones and zeros and the coding functioned as a manipulation of such. Zero was...well zero and one was the only alternative. Anything that was not nothing was one.

Everything seemed to stop as his mind continued along this thought path. With one and zero being the only values, there could be only a maximum or minimums with nothing in between.

As he came to this revelation, his mind pulled a tidbit of information from the information stored in the nanites.

One problem that came from converting information to digital form was the loss of material. While the conversion allowed for the easy copying of said information, the digital form could only hold ones and zeros and their equivalents. Anything in between that setting was ignored.

With that tidbit, Dutch thought up with an important question. With magical changed to digital, everything was set in ones and zeros or maximums or minimums.

When digital was converted back, wouldn't it stay as such?

The answer to that question was a lightbulb.

Dutch knew he could be wrong but it seemed so right. Anticipation coursed through him as he scanned the sequence once again, each one value giving him a rising feeling of excitement. When he reached the end, he sported a massive grin.

He had it. Now to fix it.

Carefully, he eased Vale off him, gingerly sliding out from under her until he was free. Silently, he got off the bed, making his way to the door.

A whine from Vale made him pause. Returning to her, he kissed her forehead and smiled at her.

'I love you.' He thought to her.'So, please, let me do this. For you.'

Vale awoke.

Once again, something felt wrong.

Once again, their bond was cluttered with activity.

She opened her eyes and saw an empty bed, a ruffled pillow where Dutch once slept. Exasperation lit in her eyes as she crawled off, pouting.

She opened the door to see him working away at the interface, each key tap a change in the sequence above him. The man worked almost feverishly, his hands constantly flying across the keyboard.

Ending a staccato symphony, he leaned back against the chair and sighed. She could see the workings of his mind, slowly checking each line for errors and mistakes.

Vale took her chance. Silently walking to him, she placed her hands on his shoulders, startling him.

'You should have slept.' She whispered.

Dutch stayed still.'I know. But I have to finish this.'

'But we have time. Please, I just want you safe.'

'As do I. And this Is the only way you will be able to.' Dutch finished, turning to face her.

'To the best of my ability.' He repeated, staring into her blue depths.

She let out a laughing whimper before hugging him tight, a single tear down her cheek.

Tenma checked herself.

While she didn't bring anything formal, she still took the effort to smarten herself up. Checking herself, she adjusted her sword and frowned. What was she missing?

Right, her hair.

She palmed a hairpin and reach for her hair. She was halfway through the motions of tying when she realized that she was tying her regal hairstyle.

She huffed in frustration and allowed her work tumble back down her shoulders. A chuckle made her turn.

"You look amazing formal. Even without your usual attire." Dutch grinned.

The youkai lord smiled. "Indeed. But it would be a poor skill if one needs a specific attire to look the part."

"Perhaps."He noted, before taking the golden feather from his pocket."I think this will suit you better."

The woman looked at the pin, unconsciously remembering the close call they had. "I don't think that would be fine." She whispered.

"Oh I believe it will. You haven't attacked anyone here have you? Proves that you've adapted to us. It'll be fine." He returned.

The tengu paused and smiled. "Maybe. But you're right. I guess I did change." She noted, taking the feather.

An old memory made her smile again. She closed her eyes and let her hands follow through. Dutch watched as her hair slowly disappeared into a tidy weave at the back of her head

She smiled. "An old technique I learned before my ascension."

"You definitely look different. Just as great but different."

"I'll keep that in mind." She returned, giving herself one last look over.

"Wait, so early?

She nodded sadly. "They have been expecting the news. We at least granted them the luxury of a short wait."

"I see." Dutch answered, sighing at the whole affair. Everything started from him after all.

She turned to him and smiled. "Don't feel saddened by this. If anything, you've done well." She whispered.

"Yea, well...unforeseen consequences." He replied, noticing something out of place.

"That knife..."

Tenma smiled. "She passed it on to me. As a wish for the future."

"I see. Keep that wish strong."

The tengu nodded. "I fully intend to."

Renko sighed as she mulled over the knowledge she had learned.

It was disheartening to learn about the moon. An absolute utopia, with all effort reduced to the minimum and all ailments gone.

The problem was that said utopia shut itself off from everything else. They were happy to be sealed up in their little bubble, content to view everyone else with contempt.

And now, they were coming for Dutch.

She had felt first hand their capabilities. She acutely remembered the loss of life she felt when purity touched her. Everything felt...gone.

To know that even more of such power stood ready to strike made her shiver. Soldier or not, Renko knew that would be the point when Dutch would fall.

Before that happened, she needed to gain power. At the very least, she had to be able to help defend him until the month was up. It was the only way she could return the effort he spent to defend them.

A dark voice whispered into her ear, telling her the futility of her resolve. After all, he was going to the moon. What was the point of protecting him if he walked into the lion den?

Perhaps, the dark voice continued, she could replace him. Take the vault and ensure that he didn't go. She could hide better than he did, with her abilities. And with her power, she could find anyone.

With the vault, she would be uncatchable.

The brunette shook her head. The only way she would gain hold of the vault was if she forcefully ripped from Dutch. And from what Yukari said, she had to tear it from his soul.

It would be ironic if she killed him in the process of saving him.

She whacked the side of her head. What had gone into her?

This world was definitely changing her. Power and the urge to gain more had never whispered into her mind until now.

Or was it perhaps because she had never used it before? Before, she didn't think of her ability as magic. Something that wasn't normal, that was for sure. But nothing like magic.

Now, after learning and using her power, there was a constant urge to increase that. It gave her chills as she pondered just how far the urge might push her.

Perhaps this was her inner self, finally awakened.

The brunette whacked herself again. It wasn't her and she would keep it that way.

The urge retreated back into her mind.

Past the guards, who still look like they wanted to shoot him and into the forest Dutch strode. He wondered if the forest or the village was safer, with the amount of suspicion he got from the guards.

"You don't actually seem to be interested, are you?" An annoyed voice noted.

He turned to the words, it's owner leaning against a tree.

"I have my reasons for that."He muttered.

Yukari's eye twitched. "And what reason might that be?"

"Well, I don't think all of this was because of random timing. Something must have triggered it and the closest thing that I know of was the appearance of the Vault. All I am doing right now is ensuring that they don't get what they want. A fail safe measure."

The youkai sage growled. "Be that as it may, it would be of some assurance if you showed at least some concern. We both know the nature of the threat we face."

"Why would they detonate it? It seems hardly of any value to rule over a place that has been reduced to a radioactive tip. Extremely counter productive, I might add." He returned.

"Don't underestimate the danger of a someone who wants it all. All of this is a play for power and diminished power is better than no power." Yukari answered.

Dutch sighed. "Fine. I will get on with it... Once this is concluded."

That made Yukari hiss. "It will be all on you if this goes wrong. Trust me, the moon has nothing to the result of your failure." She returned.

"I did this for 3 years. Believe me, you aren't the first to say that. What about your end?"

The Sage growled frustratedly. "I can't find them either, through power nor agent. These people know what they are doing. So find them, before they do something." She finished, vanishing.

'She's threatening.' Vale growled.

'No, she's worried. Can't blame her.' He sighed.

'Still...' The spirit trailed off.

"Oh dear, you appear to have some rather high stakes." Kaimi smiled, emerging from the trees.

Dutch felt Vale tense up as he turned to the snail princess.

"I had worse. All in a day's work." He returned.

Kaimi giggled."Shall we?" She invited.

A nod and they set off.

"If you may, Dutch, who is this that you commit yourself for?" She continued.

"Someone very dear to me. Someone who has proven herself in many ways and deserves my full effort." He replied, adoration in his tone.

"Oh? I would very much like to meet her then. If I may further ask, what has she done?" Kaimi said.

"Too much. But I shall keep with the most important. She died for me."

"Oh dear. I'm sorry to hear that." Kaimi whispered.

"Perhaps that is a wrong choice of words. She still lives. I managed to bring her back. But it is still the same. For what she did, anything less would be a mistake."

"Indeed. Now I really wish to meet her. To see who would embody such admirable devotion." She added.

Dutch stayed silent. "If it goes well..." He started. "Do you know of any clearing in the forest that would be suitable for a magic spell? Preferably somewhere safe.

"I do know a few. Is this related?"

"Yes. If my meeting with the magician goes well, I want to finish this as soon as possible. Tonight would be the best time, except for the time itself." He noted.

Kaimi smiled. "Do not fret. I know of places that the youkai will not enter."

"Very well. After this establishment of yours, could you lead me there?"

That made Kaimi smile wider. "It would be a pleasure."

Silent.

Solemn.

That was how most funerals went and this was no different.

Due to the lack of a body, it would be an empty coffin affair. The aggrieved conducted the funeral with robotic moves, silently carrying on with the motions.

Tenma kept a short and clear distance from the proceedings. These people were stricken with grief. Her intrusion would only bring more problems to the family.

Still, she watched the crowd. A number of people had turned up to offer their last respects but she knew that many more had already given their condolences. It was only the necessity of work that had kept them from coming.

After all, humans weren't as long lived nor were they as resilient as the tengu. Death was the end in their fates and they accepted it.

Many more would arrive later, when they could. But for now, Tenma watched these that had.

She looked as a flame was prepared. Cremation was the norm, with space at a premium and expansions into the forest dangerous. The dead had to make way for the living.

And indeed one day, she would too.

She thought of her legacy. A thousand years was a long time and she had guided her people through thick and thin. That would be her legacy.

Yet her mind continued to wonder, attempting to resolve the other issues which had begun to clamour in her mind. It would be of impossible chance to bear a child, with her position. She would need time out of office to do so and she would not deprive the village of that, not for that length of time.

And the sire would be an uproar no matter her choice.

At least, she thought amusedly, it would bring an end to the discussions of her type.

She watched as the fire was lowered. The flames licked the coffin slowly, blackening the wood, before speeding up. Soon, the coffin was a bonfire, crackling in the heat.

Tenma fed the flames, directing the wind in the wind to bring the fire higher. It rose, letting off waves of heat that even she felt.

She felt an errant gust blow in. Letting it pass, she stood silently as it sent the heat and ashes into her direction, even as the other attendees moved out of the way.

She could smell the scent of burning mushrooms. Perhaps a bit of his last gathering went along with him, she concluded.

It was fitting.

Soon, the fire consumed everything, along with itself . She watched the smoke curl, the aftermath of an end.

One of the attendees made her way over to her. She was a few years short of her prime, with her mother's hazel hair. Strangely enough, she smiled at the tengu, even within puffy eyes.

"So you are the one." The girl said.

"Indeed." Tenma simply said. The girl had probably heard enough condolences.

"Father always loved meeting people like you. He had had very animated conversations with the newspaper tengu." She continued.

"I would have liked to have met him too, if that is so."

The girl sniffled. "Mother told me what happened. But I want to know. Did he die fighting?"

Tenma thought of the answer. The truth would hurt her. Yet...it was the truth.

She decided. "He passed on for the benefit of everyone." She said. It revealed nothing and in a way, was the truth. His death revealed to Dutch the intentions of the enemy.

"Thank you." The girl smiled, even as tears trickled forth again. Movement made Tenma glance aside, where the mother had appeared.

"Oh dear, please don't disturb the tengu. She has seen enough." The widow whispered. She guided her daughter back to the crowd, where she was enveloped by a comforting circle

The mother returned. "Thank you, for coming." She whispered.

"It was only necessary." Tenma returned.

"Perhaps. If you ever need anything from us, please..."

"Are you sure? I will carry his shadow." Tenma returned.

"His shadow will be larger if he knew that his death kept a tengu from our doors. You have done only service to us. Please, let us help you too." The widow answered.

"...Very well. If I ever need it." The tengu finished.

The widow nodded before returning to the crowd. A figure in the distance drew her attention.

It was one of the village guards, rifle slung along his back. He gave her a nod before turning away.

Tenma watched his figure leave.

In the ashes, the last embers lit and died.

While it was stuck right in the middle of a deadly forest, Dutch noted how Alice's home looked like something out of a fairy tale. The way it was constructed would have been perfect for any fable.

Of course, looks hid and this was no different. With a light knock, the door opened and a doll greeted him again. With a curtsey, it led him to the lounge where Alice sat waiting.

The magician smiled at him. "Welcome back, Dutch. Was my gift enlightening?"

"Very, but nothing related to the sequence." Dutch returned as he took a seat.

The magician nodded as their conversation restarted. "Indeed. I spent the night thinking and i mean to ask you about your spell. It's quite high level magic. What's your proficiency in the arcane arts?"

"None." He admitted frankly. "Literally everything that I made was helped along by the Vault."

"I see. That would explain the strange design."

"In what?"

"Your framework for the sequence isn't what I normally see. Instead of magic powering runes, you simply mould the raw magic itself to suit your purpose. Peculiar but it should work."

"It's somewhat of a unique design and has potential for some very interesting uses. I can't really confirm that though, for I haven't seen such a design before." Alice noted, as a trio of dolls appeared behind her.

"Still, such a thing has made me interested in the designer. If I may, I wish to find out your magic potential. A simple harmless test." She offered, as the three dolls all pulled out a roll of string each.

"Very well then. It would be enlightening to me as well." Dutch agreed.

The three doll descended to the table between them. One gestured for his hand which he brought out.

The dolls wrapped the strings around his finger, each intersecting with the others, before holding the ends with their other hands.

"It's a straightforward procedure, just channeling magic and seeing the results." Alice described as the strings all started to pulse with light. Each pulse halted at an intersection and split, half following the new path and the rest continuing on. They watched as more splits happened, until the strings were a mess of pulses, some merging with the others and splitting again. None returned to the dolls, as the pulses stayed around his finger.

"Hmm, interesting." Alice noted. "Discouraging but interesting nonetheless."

"What do you mean?"

But the magician stayed silent as the dolls stopped the display before unwrapping the strings. Rolling them back up again, they bowed before flying off.

Their master kept quiet as she stared at nothing, clearly thinking. As she focused on Dutch again, her eyes were set.

"Do you know the rare types of magic?" She questioned.

"Can't say I do."

"On the magic spectrum, there are certain rare types. The most obvious are those of natural power, those whose magic are incredibly powerful, be it from deep reserves or the nature of the magic that they have. The most obvious you would know of is Yukari-san. These are usually youkai but humans can fit this type as well." Alice started.

"And then there's the other side of the spectrum. Some people don't have magic reserves, instead, they have a magic vacuum. These kinds of power can cancel out normal magic or even absorb it. Certain kinds of beings even live like this."

"Now most people tend to have some level of magic. Of these, the majority would have little knowledge of it or use, with the amount of power they have. It would show up in a test but they couldn't use it, it being too low."

Then she focused on Dutch. "Then there are the rest. These are as rare as a human born with powerful magic. For them, magic is an impossible thing, with their bodies not only completely lacking magic but also ill-equipped to use it. You belong to this group."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning magic for you will not only be difficult, it can be dangerous. Actual physical harm is a possibility, but given the fickleness of magic, the kind of damage inflicted will depend on the user. While most other humans will be a sieve to magic, you are a rock." The magician finished.

"That's bad." Dutch noted. "So how was I able to use this?" He questioned, holding up the vault.

"You were wielding the magic of the artifact, not using magic. The magic you have been using originated from the artifact and in the artifact it stayed, insulated from you. But, should you perform some sort of spell that affects yourself, the effects will be substantial." Alice warned him solemnly.

"But I was affected by external magic." Dutch returned.

"Yes but you didn't cast it. You must understand, this only refers to your magic inside. Your body responds to external magic as before, but should you conduct magic, you will feel it."

"That is discouraging. So what is your recommendation?"

A smile quirked Alice's lips. " Logically, I should recommend that you halt learning magic for your safety. Honestly, I recommend you continue learning. Your ill-equipped body, while acting as a barrier to physical application, should remain of little consequence if you use the artifact."

"Plus, with the kind of spellwork you have shown me, your artifact is excellently suited for it. It is essentially a source of infinite power, which somewhat makes up for your problems." She finished.

"And the side effects?"

"Indeed. That is the problem. We don't know. I'm literally your opposite and thus have no knowledge regarding this matter. So the pertinent question is, how does magic affect you?May I?" She asked, as the dolls returned with their strings again.

He let them spool the string around his hand, ending with a end in their hands each. At a nod to each other, all three poured magic into his hand, a bright stream of energy into the thread.

Initially, he felt nothing, even as the light slowly increased in intensity. Alice watched the display silently, waiting for a sign.

As the time passed, Dutch felt his hand heat up. Strangely, the burning throbbed, changing in a rhythm that echoed his heartbeat. It grew as the light did, slowly rising.

His discomfort grew along with it, as the heat inched into the realm of pain. Suddenly, the burning surged and Dutch cried out in pained surprise. He jerked his hand, the dolls dragged along for the ride.

With hurried moves, they tugged on their respective strands, pulling apart the coil on his hand. The strings fell free yet the burning stayed as he examined his hand.

The appendage left a afterimage as it moved, like a blur of motion. Dutch moved his hand a few more times to confirm his sight, frowning.

Alice watched the scene interestedly. "Hmm, you got a lucky one I supposed." She quipped.

Fighting the throbbing pain for now, her counterpoint hissed. "How?"

"Your particular affliction won't kill you. It will leave you in searing pain but it wont kill you at least." Alice noted.

"That's not too reassuring. Can you stop said searing pain?" Dutch growled.

"Of course. Your hand?" The magician asked. Dutch followed her instructions, letting her hands cup his. Slowly, the burning faded.

Once it was gone, Alice let go to take a sip from her cup. "As I was saying, it will hurt, but it won't kill you."

"Now the reason why you experience searing pain is the magic trying to find a way through your body. In this case, it attempts to burn its way through the rock that is you. Incredibly simplified of course, but it does explain your problem. "

She paused. "It actually does allow for some performance of magic. It will be painful but you could let magic run it's course on you, to burn its way through your body. When it is over, a path will be left in you and should you conduct the same magic again, the magic will follow that path. It will still be painful but it will be significantly easier the second time. But I must note with your condition, the time taken to complete the spell will be longer."

Dutch felt intense worry from his bond. Sending a thought of reassurance to Vale, he looked at his own hand. Marshalling his thoughts, he voiced one.

"And the sequence?"

Alice smiled. "Ah, yes. That's the next issue isn't it? I took the liberty of analyzing it. Extremely complicated and the commitment...I shall not question the motives behind it but it is quite a substantial one. I presume long thinking went into this process?"

"The outcome would have been the same either way."

"Very well then. Now this spell is an invasive one. It will be channeling through you the entire time it's being cast. Needless to say, it will hurt. But you will be happy to know that the magic burning into you will stay when the spell is complete. The effect will stay after the spell is complete."

"That's nice to know. So, would you like to take a look at the spell?" Dutch offered.

Alice smiled. "Indeed. Let's see if you have figured out the issue."

With her solemn duty complete, Tenma felt aimless.

There wasn't much she could do in the human village. Most of the people, guards aside, treated her with casual indifference. After all, Karasu tengu traveled the lands frequently, be it on assignment or personal matters. Just another one mattered little.

Of course, that didn't count her entourage, who tracked her every step. A gentle breeze kept her alert to them and she felt only a little apprehension regarding their presence.

'It isn't as if they could actually pose a threat.' She concluded.

A gesture caught her eye and she turned to a village guard beckoning. She complied, walking up to him, eyes questioning.

"Morris-san wants to speak with you." The guard ordered.

"Very well then." Tenma answered. She followed the guard as he led her through the crowd, authority opening up a path for the two.

They soon moved out of the street, moving along the sparser back lanes. Tenma entertained the thought of this all being a plot to assassinate her. Perhaps word got out of her identity and the human village decided that it would make a statement.

The leader in her immediately slapped it down. Her village was fine without her for now and killing her would only spark all out war. As well-armed as the human village was, the tengu village had the technological superiority of the kappa and the experience of centuries of combat on its side. It would be a slaughter.

So she decided to keep whatever questions she had to herself. They would all be answered in due time.

She continued to follow the guard as they made their way across the village. Their journey finally ended at a sprawling compound, the kind constructed for military purposes. Tenma picked up the muffled sounds of rifle fire, coming from a large structure that had quite the number of guards milling around outside.

Her presence inevitably drew their attention as she followed the guard towards a central building. Her ears recognized the creak of a trigger being pressed lightly.

Tenma kept a blank face. She had done nothing to warrant their aggression and she showed it. The stares continued as she entered the building, the tension following the lone tengu among humans.

Past yet another group of silent guards as the two entered into the main lobby, the conversation inside halting. They made their way up a flight of stairs and into a room, a door provided an impenetrable refuge from the thick tension.

Inside, Jack Morris smiled from the cluttered table he managed. The former outsider stood up as the two entered, leaving his tools on the table. Tenma noted a disassembled rifle on the table, it's mechanism unlike anything she had seen yet.

"Ah yes, the tengu appears. Wait outside, if you may. This conversation is best undiluted." He told the guard. The man nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

"Loyal chap, that one. Doesn't ask too many questions and I should say, a tad too concerned for my health. You don't get that around here. Or outside for that matter." Jack remarked as he offered Tenma a seat.

"Why am I here?" The tengu questioned after she sat down.

"Oh, for a variety of possibilities. My fellows would have preferred you stayed well within their line of sight or here, your choice of course. Or perhaps your compatriot, who wandered into the forest for two days now without anyone knowing where he's going. I have never seen a tengu questioned before."

"But those are all just possibilities and not any close to what you're here for.

How's that search coming along?" Jack asked.

Tenma stiffened. There was only one way the man in front of her could have known. "Is she here?" She hissed.

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. She pops up in the most unique of times. Ever been trapped in the toilet with a floating head before?"

Glaring silence made him sigh and smile. "Don't look so dark. After all, we are all subject to someone somewhere. You have your lord, I have mine."

Tenma's hand twitched towards her blade."Our lord doesn't stay hidden." She growled. At least when she's conducting business, the tengu thought.

"Perhaps. But I digress. She's given me enough to know how dangerous this area of land can become and that's it. The safety of this village and her agenda are the one and the same right now, therefore I have to make sure that this place doesn't go up in flames. You are her best shot and thus, mine too." Jack finished.

"You believe a tengu in a human village can accomplish more than a human?" The tengu returned.

"There isn't a lot a man can do, not with my position. After all, I'm not sure if there are even any agents of theirs here."

"And you believe mine is better?"

"That's what she ordered. But since you are still searching, I guess I'll cut you loose. Let you return to your task." Jack answered, moving to open the door.

"My man will see you to your quarters. And I trust that you keep this encounter to yourself. After all, you don't want him to have any extra stress right now, do you?" He continued.

As the guard entered, Tenma followed him out gladly, Jack gave her one last smile. "If it's of any consolation, I'm sure your village has people like me too." He finished, before closing the door.

Vale huddled in the chair, her mind clouded.

She could feel Alice checking the sequence, slowly examining each part with magic. She knew that whatever the magician found, it would be fine. But to her, it was what the spell needed that upset her.

She closed her eyes and called up a memory just formed minutes before. Her hand burned as she experienced it for herself, staying still as she slowly felt the sear of the magic.

Honestly, it hurt her more to know he would accept it with no qualms whatsoever.

Her eyes drifted to the screen, where her latest project flashed. She had long resigned herself to harm coming Dutch's way. Her answer was to at least make it safer for him.

But it was disheartening to know that after all she did to keep him from harm, this stood in the way.

Just another notch in the wall of things he would do for her.

She tried to see it from his view, tried to adopt the selfless attitude he had hoping a different angle would help.

It pained her to do so, especially when she was the one at the center of all this sacrifices. She was vastly different from him, a more emotional being to his objective outlook.

The sound of entry made her turn, as Dutch stood looking around in bemusement.

'Hmm, must have fallen asleep. I guess that's what happens when one doesn't get enough rest.' He quipped.

'Everything's fine, I'll just wake up again. No worries.' He reassured, reaching for the button.

'Wait.' Vale asked, as she got off the chair. She walked up to him, her footsteps purposeful.

'What is it?' He returned, her eyes indecipherable.

The girl silently took off, magic holding her up as she cradled Dutch's head with her hands gently. Her wings spread around him, leaving her as the only thing he could see.

'It will hurt you.' She lamented.

'Only for the first time. Acceptable problems.' He stated.

The Vault Spirit smiled sadly as she closed her eyes and kissed him gently. The spirit held herself back, keeping it slow and tender , their hearts beat gently in tandem.

Time stood still for the both of them, as their minds became the only thing the other felt. His actions mirrored hers, content to follow.

Finally, they broke apart, mere inches from each other. Dutch saw an almost insane devotion in Vale's eyes, an all consuming torch of emotions.

'Whatever happens, I will always stand by you. For everything you have done and for the hardships you take. Thank you.' She whispered.

'I try my best.' He answered.

Vale formed a small smile before hugging him.

Alice closed the sequence.

It appeared that the man had diagnosed and fixed the problem overnight. While the error itself was simple, the fix meant that the artifact was definitely adept at creation.

Her analysis gave her much to ponder. The artifact was definitely powerful, with such an overarching power. She wondered about its origins. She has seen few that even resembled this sort of magic.

Frankly, it was far too tedious a type of magic for her taste. It required far too much effort in the framework in its creation for too simple a use. One doesn't make a house to keep a cup.

It did offer quite a bit for her though. She was definitely interested in how it work on the deep level, especially with such an owner.

Raising her finger, she weaved a spell, installing it onto the artifact. The runes lit up before disappearing into the crystal. With a nod to herself, she picked up the glove and returned to her guest.

A query along the way notified her of her guest state. Smiling to herself, she chalked it up to his last activites. After all, the artifact was a tedious one to use.

Still, she needed him among the living to conduct her work. Sending a command, she had a doll rouse him as she entered the room.

Her charge opened his eyes groggily before focusing them, his posture echoing.

He smiled embarrassed.

"Oh darn. This couch was too comfortable." He quipped.

Alice smiled at the comment. "Perhaps. I trust your rest was good?"

"Indeed. Quite the delight, actually." He returned.

The magician nodded as she returned the glove. "Your progress is excellent. I will confirm that the spell is ready to fire. When is up to your discretion."

"And if I may, I'm curious to see how the artifact would function in constant activity. I applied a spell that should analyze how your artifact work. May I challenge you to a duel for the sake of knowledge?"

Dutch nodded slowly. " The rules?"

Alice smiled. " Nothing long. A simple three hit duel."

"I can do that." He returned.

"Very well then. I'll need to prepare and I'm sure you do too. We'll meet ten minutes from now outside, if it not too short for you?"

Dutch smiled. "It would be more than enough."

Alice nodded and left the room, her dolls following. Dutch kept his smile as he stretched, working out the kinks of his sleep.

Did you hear that?' He prodded.

'Yes. Are you sure of this?' Vale questioned.

'See it as a test of the armor and our link. Better now than later.'

'...Very well then.' The spirit answered as Dutch felt her mind start to change.

'Prepare yourself.'

He gasped as he felt a rush of thoughts fill his mind. He felt his perception expand, as every single sense became sharper.

Unbalanced by the feeling, he steadied himself on the couch. Glancing at the window, he felt Vale instantly process the image from his eyes, turning a humanly narrowed view into a wide image.

He expressed surprise and wonder at what he saw and immediately, Vale happily acknowledged.

Amazed by the speed of her answer, he felt Vale answer with amusement instantly again.

'For now at least, our minds are one.' The spirit explained as a strange feeling accompanied her words.

He paused as he felt the feeling. It almost felt like he was talking to himself in her voice.

'Of course it is.' Vale continued, her words vastly slower compared to each other's thoughts.

He thought about it, examining both feelings. It really felt like he was talking to himself. Slightly awed by the intimacy and speed of the mind link, he quickly let the words in his head go, using emotions and the information she processed instead.

Accepting the change, he returned his attention to the world around him. Vale giggled softly , their dual minds improving his perception of both the outside and her.

Looking at his hands, Dutch studied his new state. Even concentrating on his hands, he could still sharply discern the floor beneath him. The barest of movement made him glance, watching a grain of dirt shake ever so slightly from his movements.

No, he concluded, the link didn't exactly widen his view. Instead, it improved his recognition, sharpening the ordinarily blurry edges of his vision and highlighting events from there.

The beginnings of a thought called forth his armor, smoothly replacing his fatigues. The speed from which it happened made him pause. The Vault had never been so fast before.

He sent off a question to Vale, aimed at the Vault. Her answer was a mental nod, telling and simple.

So this was how fast the Vault responded to it's spirit. He wondered if he could apply that beyond their link and decrease the time taken to switch weapons. It would help throw his opponents off-guard , a tactic extremely valuable.

Perhaps he could test this in his battle with Alice.

A nudge made him pause, as Vale stopped his musings. She directed him to the Vault crystal, where for a split second, a layer of energy glimmered over his hand.

'A shield.' She revealed, using words to convey what emotions couldn't. 'It's not finished yet but it will be. To keep you safer.'

'I feel safer already.' He returned.

Vale giggled again as Dutch set off, moving outside. Alice already waited outside, shanghai by her side.

"Interesting choice. People here don't usually bother with armor."

"We aren't the people here." Dutch answered, his link with Vale helping to fill their words with the proper terms, their voices bound together in their heads.

Alice paused as she registered the words. She was less bothered by the words than the sentence. Dutch's voice now carried a magical inflection, an accompanying tone that almost all magical beings had. Distinctive, it was just another way of determining the being, especially if the being had a human form.

And she remembered have a rather interesting conversation with that same tone before.

It seemed that spirit and master were closer than she had deducted.

Still, it mattered not. This fight was for the sake of knowledge and this was knowledge that she had no use for.

What she needed would come soon enough.

"As I said before, it will be a standard three hit duel. No real limitations but I do request that you mind the house. It takes time to repair damage." Alice said.

Her opponent nodded. "No guarantees. But we'll try my best."

"Very well then."

War Sign "Little Legion"

Alice's first salvo was materialized in a formation of dolls that charged forward. Armed with a wide variety of melee weapons, the deceptively deadly force started closing the distance.

Dutch phased in his carbine and fired. Each pull of the trigger meant a doll down and he stepped back slowly, calmly taking out targets.

His opponent gestured, spreading out the formation even as she mustered more dolls. Practiced movements organized the newcomers, commands sent via threads.

Dutch took the change in stride, continuing to keep up his fire. Dolls formed a messy path towards him, ignoring the losses they took.

The dwindling few quickly got within hacking range and attacked. Switching to his knife and pistol, Dutch drew help from Vale's mind as she kept track of the multiple targets.

An alert made him stop mid-swing as a small spear stabbed where his arm would have been. He punched the offending doll away as Vale directed him to block a sword swing with the slide of his pistol.

The remaining dolls continued their attack, swarming him. Even as he took out a swinging doll with a few shots, Dutch kept the link busy. Information was constantly taken in, processed and instantly sent out again as Vale constantly kept track of the dolls even out of his perception.

A mental call of danger made him jump into a roll as a barrage of Danmaku shots filled the air. Alice redirected her dolls to track him, the constructs arrayed in an archaic firing line.

The ground kicked up around Dutch as he followed his roll into another jump. Standing from that, he called out a flash bang and threw that before returning to deal with the remaining swarming dolls.

Alice sent a phalanx of shield dolls to wall off the object, keeping it sealed off from her. She was in the midst of directing the doll battery to keep up it's fire when the device exploded.

With the light largely shielded from her, it was the sound of the blast that stunned her. But even that was diminished as she recalled her shield force, walling herself until she could attack again.

Taking his chance, Dutch phased in his grenade launcher. The dolls were still, silently awaiting an order as he aimed and fired.

The grenade sailed across the air, crossing the distance in a second. Alice barely noticed it as it smashed into the shield wall and detonated.

The explosion tore through the shields easily and sent the puppeteer flying. She landed in a heap, her appearance hardest hit by the explosion. Even then, her mind worked, still able in its stunned state to Marshall her dolls.

Almost unconsciously, she recalled her shields once more. But their numbers were diminished and scattered by the blast. Even as what's left raced to defend their controller, a trio of bolts outran them and smacked squarely on Alice's chest.

All the dolls halted as Alice gasped. Her mind focused by the pain, she gingerly got up, smiling.

"That ended faster than I expected." She quipped.

"Indeed. Although I did only shoot once. Can you count that as a single shot?"

The magician nodded as she readied her magic once more. "I can consider that."

Dutch reloaded his pistol. "Your move."

Alice ran through her spell cards. By now, she had a sense of her opponent's battle tactics and adjusted accordingly.

She needed to overwhelm him. Doing so would keep him off-balance and allow her to get her shots in.

But first, she needed time.

Curse sign "Hourai Doll"

The aforementioned dolls appeared and fired. Dutch rolled out of the lasers as the dolls unleashed their barrage, turning the air into a solid light show. Still, he managed to avoid all of them, Vale managing to detect the invisible gaps in the lasers.

Alice registered her accuracy with little emotion. She hadn't expected this attack to do anything and was not disappointed. Still, it did what she needed as she emptied the last of the energy in the dolls and switched to her next attack.

War Command "Dolls of war"

As the lasers started to fade, an army of dolls materialized and charged Dutch. Much larger this time, their master spread them out further too, a literal cloud of death rushing for a single person.

Dutch cursed. Grabbing his launcher, he fired into the mass and switched back to his carbine, taking out what he could.

Alice dispersed her dolls, widening the cloud. Apart as they were, the amount of dolls were still too great for the grenade not to miss. It smashed into an unlucky spear doll and detonated, blasting apart the formation.

Still, her measures had worked, with the majority of dolls surviving mostly at the edges of the formation. She kept them in their wide arrangement, still sending them forward.

Her opponent still kept up his fire, methodically shooting down doll after doll. When his weapon clicked on empty, he switched his pistol and kept up his fire.

Just like before, there were too many for him to counter as the first drove in to stab him. His left hand came up, diamond knife already phased in, stabbing the doll in its center and severing its connection.

As the construct fell away from his blade, the next few charged in, attacking together. His mind worked in overdrive with Vale, as they rapidly noted and prioritized targets. Barely keeping up with the amount of attacks coming his way, Dutch stepped backwards, using space to compensate for numbers.

His pistol phased away, his knife changed hands. A slash parried, a stab blocked by the flat side of the blade. Step back, the space used to slash apart a doll.

The dolls were relentless, constantly striking. Their small size and coordination meant that Dutch defended more than he attacked, knowing that he only had two free hits.

But with more dolls coming, it was a losing battle.

He sliced a doll apart and immediately followed an alert from Vale to halt a lance charge by a trio of dolls with the flat side of his blade. Another alert drew his attention to a battle axe doll, charging in weapon raised. But with his knife occupied, he was weaponless to counter it.

Resorting to desperate measures, his other hand seized the doll. Acknowledging that he had just given the doll a barn to hit, he quickly moved his arm back, hoping to throw it before it could swing its axe.

Alice smiled.

Magic Sign "Artful Sacrifice"

The doll exploded in Dutch's hand as Alice detonated its stored magical energy. Sending him falling backwards, it also sent the rest of the dolls in the other direction, as the shockwave pushed everyone back.

Two hits left.

Dutch rolled back onto his feet. He was blown off his feet with his pride the worse off from the explosion. Still, the armor did its job, with the blast wave the only thing that really touched him.

'Should have expected that.' He thought.

'Now is not the time.' Vale admonished, tracking the formation of dolls in front of them. 'And I don't think we can keep fighting them.' She continued worriedly as they watched Alice reform her dolls, sending her spears and lances into the first wave, the rest into the second.

'I concur.' Her soulmate returned as he planned a response. Calling out his grenade launcher, he fired at the dolls, targeting the ground just ahead of them.

The blast broke the dolls formation, as they were sent flying everywhere. Alice quickly reformed the formation, wondering if her opponent was slipping. Such a miss wasn't the person she was fighting.

Still, she attacked. Sending her dolls through the rapid thinning smoke of the blast, she kept her second wave widely spaced as they follow closely behind the first, ready to counter whatever the human had planned.

On the other side of the smoke, Dutch waited, his weapon now his wrist blades. At his feet sat a pair of claymore mines, angled right at the advancing dolls.

The mines detonated like oversized shotgun pellets. Five hundred pellets of energy sprayed out from each mine, most of them finding hits.

The doll formation was shredded. The entire first wave came apart, bearing the brunt of the attack, as components of dolls rained down on the ground. The second seemed no better, a massive hole was torn through the army. The remaining survivors came mostly from either the rear or the fringes of the column and even those were worse for wear.

Alice's mind raced as she adjusted for this sudden change. The majority of her army was in pieces and what was left was too little to present a real threat. Not wanting to pull back and give her opponent time, she sent off her remaining dolls to continue the attack. Meanwhile, the magician ran through her arsenal.

With her two large force spell cards gone, the magician needed some sort of way to distract him. Her dolls wouldn't last long and reinforcing them would take longer. Knowing that whatever she chose, she had to throw all her cards, Alice decided on a plan of rapid victory.

While she still had dolls to distract him, she would defeat him quickly.

The puppeteer threw out a doll and sent it flying to the fight. She continued to command the other dolls to occupy Dutch, as their numbers started to dwindle.

She commanded the lone individual doll to fly into the fight, mixing itself among the other dolls. As Dutch ducked to avoid a sword, the doll broke from the group and flew around, halting behind him. Knowing that she needed his full attention elsewhere, Alice sent every remaining doll attacking him to rush him, She had pretty much placed all of her cards on the table with that.

Dutch responded just like before, as he stepped back to spread out the dolls The large clump of dolls continued its attacks, as Vale helped him track and prioritize the attacks. Their opponent had sent a doll to join the attacking force and the spirit kept out for any particularly strange movement that would indicate her plans.

Once Alice decided that Dutch had been pushed back far enough, she showed her hand.

Focus Power"Trip Wire"

The laser shot out from her towards Dutch. To no one's surprise, Dutch rolled out of the way, quickly getting back on his feet to meet her dolls. But the doll followed his every move, constantly keeping itself exactly behind him, the laser turning to meet him as it homed in towards the doll behind him.

Of course, unknown to the construct behind him, Dutch moved again to avoid the laser. Again it followed, as the guidance doll latched on to him for maximum accuracy.

Both he and Vale felt the doll catch on. Their conclusion of the doll's purpose immediate, Vale's mind raced to come up with a way to tear it off but her soulmate had already resigned himself to it, his mind had already begun working on a counterattack.

The laser struck with a flash. His armor doing its job again, what little damage got through was registered by a slight clenching of his jaw.

1 hit left.

As the light of the hit faded, he was already moving. He threw a flash bang at Alice, at the same time calling out his grenade launcher. Dutch knew that he had a small window before Alice got her remaining dolls to charge him again, so he aimed and fired

Alice divided her shield dolls, sending one to deflect the flash bang with the rest to deal with the grenade, moving to keep the dolls between her and him. A sacrificial doll charged forward, charging to intercept the explosive.

The dual detonation left a wall of smoke between the two and slightly stunned Alice, far away as she was. He took his chance to pull out his Black Arrow, carrying the heavy rifle standing up. Remembering her last position, he aimed, braced and fired.

Even with the armor, the recoil still hurt, although it was manageable for him to work the bolt, aim and fire again, the second shot flying before the first casing even landed.

Alice had almost shook herself back to normality when the first projectile blew apart the shield doll group sent to block the grenade. She was fully aware when the second flashed out of the smoke and smashed into her.

Just like before, the puppeteer was sent flying. The pain of the hit coursing through her, it was a testament to her Youkai constitution that she was able to get up immediately after that, her clothing blackened and in shreds from the hit.

"You really like using your explosives."

Dutch shrugged. "It's all we got. Unless you have some sort of way to give me magic."

Alice smiled painfully at the statement before pulling out her last few spell cards. With what was left, she needed to win.

Taking her still waiting dolls on the battlefield, the magician sent them to attack Dutch once more, knowing that for both of them, this would be their last salvo.

Dutch responded with his carbine, rapidly blasting the dolls apart. Alice took the chance to pull out a card, taking her complaining body in stride.

Spy Sign "Seeker Dolls"

A group of dolls spawned and flew up. Their compatriots, battling the human, were already down to their last legs as the dolls soared over the fight.

Alice clenched her jaw as she concentrated on the fight. She just needed to hold him off just a little longer before the seeker dolls could get into position. Taking precise control of each doll, she was able to make them last a bit longer than their earlier comrades, just enough for the dolls to get into position.

As the pieces of the last dolls rained on the ground, the seeker dolls fired. Each unleashed a laser into the ground, all firing in varying directions to create a net of lasers around Dutch.

The human cursed as he scanned around him. He couldn't find any way out, even with Vale carefully analyzing each laser. Turning back to his opponent, he raised his hand, wrist blades forming. The vault crystal was already turning red as he aimed.

Alice was just as active, as she summoned a doll. This was her last shot, a do or die. If she missed, she was effectively defenseless.

Her spell card already in her hand, she saw the actions of her opponent. The magician allowed herself a quick quirking of her lips. Whatever the result, the data from this fight would be very interesting.

Curse Sign"Shanghai Doll"

They fired.