The sword looked rather well made, at least from a distance. Long, gleaming blade, a strong but simple guard above a firm grip. But when Neko Romanova picked it up, instantly her expression shifted from an evaluating look to one that was much less impressed. “Not as good as it looks, is it?” Alice Romanova, Purrfect Archer commented idly from where she was making a sandwich.
“It’s a War Earth weapon,” Neko replied. “Most of its power came from the nanites it contained, and with them gone, it’s greatly reduced. In fact...” she balanced the sword in her hand for a moment, considering. “It’s not even designed to be wielded by a person, is it? The balance is all wrong. If it was from anywhere else, I’d say it’s actually decorative, but for War Earth...” Placing the sword back on the table, she turned to her former student. “It was one of Battle Maidens special swords. The ones she used for ground bombardment.”
“Uh-huh,” the younger catgirl replied, grabbing a slice of ham and placing it on top of the cheese. “I wanted one of the swords as a souvenir after surviving that. It was crazy. There were odd ripples in the air, and if you weren’t quick enough...” she winced. “Swords falling from orbit, fast enough and with enough nano-explosives to knock Emet on his granite-covered ass. And she had hundreds of the damn things. Remember those Purrfects from PSI?” Neko nodded and Alice shrugged. “They were getting hit every five seconds. If aunt Sylia hadn’t upgraded my old jetpack...”
Glancing at the sword again, Neko raised an eyebrow. “So... War Earth doesn’t like catgirls?” she asked dryly. Alice chuckled, finished building her sandwich, and took a bite. “But you didn’t ask me to visit as soon as I could spare just because you wanted to show me your new prize,” the woman continued, looking more serious.
Alice finished the mouthful of sandwich and nodded, looking much more serious herself. “I did have another reason. Incarnates.” Neko nodded, having expected as much. “I mean, I know Mender Ramiel says he’s willing to tell me anything I want to know about it, it’s just that... Well, I don’t trust him entirely. As useful as the Menders are, there’s just something about them...” She paused, searching for the right word, then shrugged and waved a hand. “Well, that I just don’t trust,” the girl finished with a wry smile.
Chuckling, Neko dropped into a seat. “And what makes you think I know any more about Incarnates then you do?” she asked. Her student gave her a rather old fashioned look, and the woman chuckled. “Well, aside from my habit of investigating all sorts of fascinating topics, and having had a long time to study.” When the look remained, Nekos grin faded, and she nodded. “Yeah. I’ve studied Incarnates. Not in as much detail as I’d like, mind you. Outside of Statesman and Recluse, they’re not exactly easy to find. Hell, Hero One never even knew what he was.”
Alice nodded, although her expression was somewhat troubled. “Do you remember what I looked like when we first met?” she asked, sitting down. “I was a scrawny fifteen year-old that barely broke five feet that could magically summon the strength to handle a bow, with purple hair and pointed ears.”
Her old teacher didn’t answer for a moment, thinking back to the homeless girl she’d been sent to advise, and the changes that had taken place over the past two years. “Then the ears became cat ears,” she murmured. “And as you became more powerful, the tail, the fur, the glowing eyes for a while there-”
The catgirl snorted. “That was a pain in the ass.”
“-And you added an extra foot in height, and a lot of muscle, although at least some of that is the benefit of your mothers cooking,” she pointed out.
“But you see where I’m going with it.” Without noticing she was doing it, Alice began to pace back and forth across the kitchen. “The magic, the power I already have, it’s had a lot of physical effects on me. What if the Well has even more? I’m happy as I am, and the Well’s done it before. Look at Recluse and those experiments he’s got hidden under Grandville.” She was starting to wave her hands around as she walked, a clear sign of her concern. Neko, knowing the girl well, letting her vent as needed. “Then there’s things like Reichsman, and Romulus and all these other things I can’t begin to explain... What if I start changing again?” Stopping, she turned to face Neko. “More feline, more human, more like the other Incarnates, it doesn’t matter. I’m happy the way I am. I’m comfortable. I don’t want to go through that again.”
“And you won’t,” Neko promised. Rising to her feet, she placed her hands on the girls shoulders. “The Well of the Furies responds to willpower, but it is not the only will at work here. There’s you. The power you access from this point on, be it from your own magic or from the power of the Well, found through the countless conduits it has hidden, will be yours to command,” she said quietly, her voice intent. “You will shape it, command it, control it. For over two years you have trained and grown, both as a hero, and as a person. Where you go from here, you will decide. And knowing you as I do, my dear Purrfect Archer, I doubt that the Well is going to be able to change you in a way you don’t want.” The girl managed a faint smile, before Neko added “besides, I’m pretty sure Inyme likes you as you are. Good motivation.”
The girl laughed at that, hugging the taller woman. “Thanks,” she said, even as Neko returned the hug. “I think I needed that.”
Smiling softly, the taller woman broke the embrace, squeezing Alices shoulder gently. “If you want, I can go get my information on Incarnates, walk you through it.”
“I think it’d help,” Alice admitted, then scowled as her phone beeped for attention. “Damn,” the girl muttered as she checked the text message. “Maria Jenkins wants some people to sweep Peregrine for Warworks. You don’t mind if I...”
“No, get going,” Neko replied. “I’ve got things I need to do myself.” Nodding, Alice headed for the front door, leaving her mentor standing alone in the kitchen. Neko waited for the front door to close, then raised a hand. There was a flicker of light, and then an odd crystal appeared, floating above her palm. It seemed to emit its own light, almost pure white, and Nekos eyes narrowed as she watched it ripple over her skin.
For a moment, her hand was different. Smaller, with a coating of light brown fur. Then the hand closed around the Incarnate Shard, the power vanishing from the room, and her hand was her own again. “The power answers to your will,” she murmured. “Never forget that, and never let it do otherwise.”
“It’s a War Earth weapon,” Neko replied. “Most of its power came from the nanites it contained, and with them gone, it’s greatly reduced. In fact...” she balanced the sword in her hand for a moment, considering. “It’s not even designed to be wielded by a person, is it? The balance is all wrong. If it was from anywhere else, I’d say it’s actually decorative, but for War Earth...” Placing the sword back on the table, she turned to her former student. “It was one of Battle Maidens special swords. The ones she used for ground bombardment.”
“Uh-huh,” the younger catgirl replied, grabbing a slice of ham and placing it on top of the cheese. “I wanted one of the swords as a souvenir after surviving that. It was crazy. There were odd ripples in the air, and if you weren’t quick enough...” she winced. “Swords falling from orbit, fast enough and with enough nano-explosives to knock Emet on his granite-covered ass. And she had hundreds of the damn things. Remember those Purrfects from PSI?” Neko nodded and Alice shrugged. “They were getting hit every five seconds. If aunt Sylia hadn’t upgraded my old jetpack...”
Glancing at the sword again, Neko raised an eyebrow. “So... War Earth doesn’t like catgirls?” she asked dryly. Alice chuckled, finished building her sandwich, and took a bite. “But you didn’t ask me to visit as soon as I could spare just because you wanted to show me your new prize,” the woman continued, looking more serious.
Alice finished the mouthful of sandwich and nodded, looking much more serious herself. “I did have another reason. Incarnates.” Neko nodded, having expected as much. “I mean, I know Mender Ramiel says he’s willing to tell me anything I want to know about it, it’s just that... Well, I don’t trust him entirely. As useful as the Menders are, there’s just something about them...” She paused, searching for the right word, then shrugged and waved a hand. “Well, that I just don’t trust,” the girl finished with a wry smile.
Chuckling, Neko dropped into a seat. “And what makes you think I know any more about Incarnates then you do?” she asked. Her student gave her a rather old fashioned look, and the woman chuckled. “Well, aside from my habit of investigating all sorts of fascinating topics, and having had a long time to study.” When the look remained, Nekos grin faded, and she nodded. “Yeah. I’ve studied Incarnates. Not in as much detail as I’d like, mind you. Outside of Statesman and Recluse, they’re not exactly easy to find. Hell, Hero One never even knew what he was.”
Alice nodded, although her expression was somewhat troubled. “Do you remember what I looked like when we first met?” she asked, sitting down. “I was a scrawny fifteen year-old that barely broke five feet that could magically summon the strength to handle a bow, with purple hair and pointed ears.”
Her old teacher didn’t answer for a moment, thinking back to the homeless girl she’d been sent to advise, and the changes that had taken place over the past two years. “Then the ears became cat ears,” she murmured. “And as you became more powerful, the tail, the fur, the glowing eyes for a while there-”
The catgirl snorted. “That was a pain in the ass.”
“-And you added an extra foot in height, and a lot of muscle, although at least some of that is the benefit of your mothers cooking,” she pointed out.
“But you see where I’m going with it.” Without noticing she was doing it, Alice began to pace back and forth across the kitchen. “The magic, the power I already have, it’s had a lot of physical effects on me. What if the Well has even more? I’m happy as I am, and the Well’s done it before. Look at Recluse and those experiments he’s got hidden under Grandville.” She was starting to wave her hands around as she walked, a clear sign of her concern. Neko, knowing the girl well, letting her vent as needed. “Then there’s things like Reichsman, and Romulus and all these other things I can’t begin to explain... What if I start changing again?” Stopping, she turned to face Neko. “More feline, more human, more like the other Incarnates, it doesn’t matter. I’m happy the way I am. I’m comfortable. I don’t want to go through that again.”
“And you won’t,” Neko promised. Rising to her feet, she placed her hands on the girls shoulders. “The Well of the Furies responds to willpower, but it is not the only will at work here. There’s you. The power you access from this point on, be it from your own magic or from the power of the Well, found through the countless conduits it has hidden, will be yours to command,” she said quietly, her voice intent. “You will shape it, command it, control it. For over two years you have trained and grown, both as a hero, and as a person. Where you go from here, you will decide. And knowing you as I do, my dear Purrfect Archer, I doubt that the Well is going to be able to change you in a way you don’t want.” The girl managed a faint smile, before Neko added “besides, I’m pretty sure Inyme likes you as you are. Good motivation.”
The girl laughed at that, hugging the taller woman. “Thanks,” she said, even as Neko returned the hug. “I think I needed that.”
Smiling softly, the taller woman broke the embrace, squeezing Alices shoulder gently. “If you want, I can go get my information on Incarnates, walk you through it.”
“I think it’d help,” Alice admitted, then scowled as her phone beeped for attention. “Damn,” the girl muttered as she checked the text message. “Maria Jenkins wants some people to sweep Peregrine for Warworks. You don’t mind if I...”
“No, get going,” Neko replied. “I’ve got things I need to do myself.” Nodding, Alice headed for the front door, leaving her mentor standing alone in the kitchen. Neko waited for the front door to close, then raised a hand. There was a flicker of light, and then an odd crystal appeared, floating above her palm. It seemed to emit its own light, almost pure white, and Nekos eyes narrowed as she watched it ripple over her skin.
For a moment, her hand was different. Smaller, with a coating of light brown fur. Then the hand closed around the Incarnate Shard, the power vanishing from the room, and her hand was her own again. “The power answers to your will,” she murmured. “Never forget that, and never let it do otherwise.”