Galataea Crystallim Core 2 Read online

  Eina noticed that he was standing there and smirked at him before making a little circular motion with her finger. Turn around little boy, the grown-ups are busy.

  He grinned at her then made a kissy face that made her frown at him. The light pink shade that rose up on her nose bespoke her true response to his immature antics. Her eyes said everything that needed to be said, 'Foolish boy. Who would want to kiss such a useless fatty?'

  Flora walked into view and Eina’s slight blush shifted to a look of suspicious confusion. When the plant girl reached out and took Scott’s hands, the blond girl’s eyes widened. A slight frown appeared on her lips that shifted to an almost imperceptible pout. She turned away and went back to work. After a moment she glanced their way once more, her eyebrows slightly pressed together.

  “Uh, Flora... We should go find Jack,” said Scott. He'd noticed the look in Eina’s eyes. She focused on work for now, but at any moment she might snap. He did not want to risk the possibility of confrontation.

  Eina continued to stare at the empty doorway after they left. Her expression shifted to one of widened eyes and annoyance. She bit her lower lip. The annoyance was replaced by an innocent and confused expression. Her eyes began to shimmer slightly in the light.

  The truth was something that she'd realized, come to terms with, intellectually. But the thought of Scott holding hands with another girl, and the actual sight of it happening were two different things. Within the mighty breast of the warrior maiden, all manner of strange sensations began to surface.

  After a brief moment of strangeness, she closed her eyes tightly. Slowly, and with a soft sigh, she opened them once more. Forget that fat bastard for now. There was work to be done.

  Eina glanced down at a trembling girl. She was one of the younger, least experienced, of the girls currently in training. Due to the constant stress of training, the young Crystallim's arms were about to give out.

  The Battle Mistress growled softly. Suddenly she cried out in a strong, authoritative, voice. “Push-ups! Do them until I'm tired.”

  Soft feminine groans erupted throughout the room, but no one openly protested. It was useless, and they would only have to do more of them if they did actually make a complaint.

  However, after doing push-ups for several minutes one brave, foolish, soul muttered, “Just because she’s sweet on that guy...”

  Eina’s hearing was alert and sensitive. She picked up the backtalk easily. “Oh ho, social commentary is it?”

  She stalked over to the pink-skinned girl and yanked her up by the hair. “Shall I put that mouth of yours to proper use?”

  “N-no mistress Eina! I’ll be good!” cried the girl. Her eyes pleaded for mercy, though other parts of her body twitched a little.

  Eina snorted then pressed her mouth to the terrified girl’s lips. It was a kiss, but there was no tenderness in it. Much like the day before, she marked her territory. The pink slut with a penchant for social commentary was now destined to be on her personal discipline list. She clearly required extra training for the development of proper discipline.

  The amazon dropped the girl rudely then looked around. “Anyone else want special training?”

  “No mistress Eina!” cried the girls. Dozens of terrified eyes gazed upon the amazonian battle mistress. Respect and fear mingled with their terror as their bodies trembled in place.

  Eina looked down at the shaking girl, a cold and unforgiving expression upon her face. “Let me hear you cry out with a strong voice...”

  The pink girl whimpered; her eyes wide with fear. Oh the horrors that she would face that day. Her thighs rubbed together slightly even as she looked up at Eina in terrified anticipation.

  Meanwhile, Scott and Flora met up with Jack in the kitchen. They greeted each other and settled in for a quick discussion about training needs.

  “So, you’re an Alraune. Have you ever had any special training before?” asked Jack. The large man nibbled on a piece of cake that he'd saved from his precious slice. He was allowed to eat that slice any time he liked, so chose to savor it.

  Flora shook her head softly. “Not since I left home. I’ve only fought and... undergone morale boosting sessions.”

  “I see. Well, how comfortable are you with fighting?” asked the hulking brute of a man. He finished eating his tiny piece of cake, a satisfied smile on his face.

  "Oh, that was wonderful," he said with a contented sigh.

  The Alraune's lips curled into a soft smile before she leaned against Scott. “I am fine with it, but I don’t have any useful direct attack skills.”

  “At your level, you probably only have things like solar absorption and your vines. Am I right?” asked Jack. Now that his cake was no longer an obstacle to the conversation, he became more invested in the topic.

  “Yeah. If I don’t use entanglement to hold an opponent down, my vine whips don’t do enough damage to defeat them quickly,” admitted Flora, sadly.

  Jack nodded. “That’s no doubt due to what I have seen of your personality. As a Crystallim, your physical skills will relate to your inner emotions.”

  “What can I do about that?” asked Flora. She was interested in being stronger. It would help her new master after all.

  Jack smiled at her and then turned to Scott. “Her nature as an Alraune is one of sweetness and gentle nurturing, like a flowering plant without thorns.”

  Scott nodded. “That sounds about right.”

  Jack looked at Flora and then back to Scott once more, “I’ll level with you two, alright?”

  They looked to each other and then back to the retired veteran. They were ready for the truth of his assessment. His advice was an important part of the reason for coming to the training center.

  Jack nodded to them and said, “Flora, you are more suited to a support position. You will probably learn healing, defense, and entrapment techniques much easier than you learn direct attack skills.”

  Flora looked a little hurt by that assessment. She tilted her head down, but lifted her head again when Scott took her by the hand. Their eyes met briefly, and her nostrils flared. A timid smile rose nervously upon her lips.

  “It’s ultimately up to you, Flora. Jack has a good eye for these things, and a lot of experience. Honestly, I could use someone who can heal and defend others just as much as I can use someone with strong attack power.” Scott squeezed her hand gently then ran his fingers through her hair.

  “You can? None of my other masters were satisfied with my low attack power...” said the sweet girl. Her eyes shimmered gently with unspent tears. Would Scott really want to keep such a weak flower by his side?

  “Well, they had their reasons, but they were probably idiots. Your entrapment skill alone could really help in a team battle against a strong opponent,” said Scott. "It helped a lot when it came to capturing Shaia, right?"

  “It could, huh?” Flora considered that for a moment. She beat Shaia due to that skill. In a direct contest, a lack of that skill and the training time she'd put in with Scott on top of it, she would lose to Shaia. Her vine whips were simply not damaging enough on their own.

  Jack spoke up. “A powerful support member is absolutely vital in the field. What good is overwhelming power, if defenses are breached and team injuries mount up? In a protracted battle even a strong person can be defeated by someone weaker, if that weaker person has outside support that the stronger individual lacks.”

  “If you choose to become my support, you’ll help us a great deal, Flora,” said Scott. "It's an absolutely vital position in any team." He’d had thoughts along those lines as well, but he was uncertain if it was the right path for her to take. Ultimately, he wanted her to decide what she wanted to do.

  “I’d like that... I think. But what about fighting? If I am focused on support, there will be troubles with fights on land,” said Flora. She referred to Shaia’s aquatic nature and lower movement capacity out of the water.

  "Ultimately, how you choose to train will be up t
o you. It's your life Flora, I'm merely fortunate enough to live it with you," said Scott tenderly. Her eyes brightened and began to sparkle a little. He knew just what to say to make her feel more at ease.

  "I... I do want to support you, Scott. I just don't know if it's alright to focus on that right now," said Flora with slight hesitance.

  “True. Our battle capacity is low, but we can work on developing Shaia a bit. Once she reaches tier-two, she’ll be able to walk on land. We need to gain at least one more attacker as well, though I am uncertain what to do in that regard.”

  Jack spoke up without hesitation. “You could take Gris-Gris with you...”

  Scott looked at him sourly. “I like my eyebrows, thank you.”

  Gris-Gris was a sweet and energetic girl, but she possessed certain habits that Scott was not particularly interested in developing. A magic oriented Crystallim would be extremely useful, but he did not feel like waking up in a different bodily form. One day a toad, another day a chair? No, thank you.

  “You always make it difficult, don’t you?” said Jack.

  “It’s part of my boyish charm, I guess,” said Scott with a cheeky grin.

  The man leaned in a little. “So, did you earn the four hundred ninety gold credits, yet?”

  “I still have five,” said Scott with a small smile. The price kept creeping down with each meeting.

  “Damn... Fine,” groused the man. He didn't expect Scott to come up with that much money overnight, but life was nothing without hope. A future filled with cake and the joyous rumbling laughter of his happy belly was a beautiful dream. One worth cherishing.

  Jack patted his well-toned stomach and sighed gently. "Someday, my friend. Some beautiful day."

  As though it understood his words, Jack's stomach gurgled a happy response. Soon. Soon the glorious day of joy would be upon them.

  The trio chatted amiably for a moment about minor things. Flora spoke a little about her past. Jack spoke a little about cake. Scott? He chimed in when he felt like it, but he mostly allowed Jack to assess his new partner without attempts to control the narrative of the conversation. Jack was in some ways, the closest thing Scott had to a father. His opinion was important.

  Despite the jovial atmosphere, it was not long before they returned to the task at hand. Scott and Flora followed Jack into a special training room designed for aquatic Crystallim. In the corner of the room, a massive aquarium sat filled and ready for use.

  Scott called out Shaia and the girl appeared just above the water. She gasped in surprise just before splashing down heavily into the tank, but her surprised cry became one of excitement and joy when she realized that she was underwater.

  He was surprised by her next actions. The typically shy girl swam up to the wall of the tank and pressed her chest up against it. She waved happily to Scott and blew him a kiss before moving away quickly. Shaia swam in happy little circles in the pool before darting here and there, a smile of indescribable joy on her lips.

  Scott said, “She seems a lot more confident in the water.”

  “Wouldn’t you be if you were half fish? Being on land probably terrifies her,” said Jack.

  Scott did suspect that she would be uncomfortable on land for lengthy periods of time due to that fact, but the difference was astonishing. After he'd seen her so joyous and full of life, he felt bad for not accommodating her needs better, and sooner. In all honesty, they'd just met. It was understandable that there would be a few oversights.

  Seeing first hand just how much more content Shaia was in the water, he made a decision. Shaia would have regular access to deep water a few times a week at minimum, even in the field.

  Jack smiled at the happy mermaid girl. “I can already tell that a lot of her confidence problems that you mentioned probably stemmed from being on land. Her mobility would be heavily reduced, similar to someone with a shattered spine.”

  “Well, she was also very shy around me, specifically...” said Scott. He found her actions to be cute, if he were to be honest. Still, it was problematic to say the least.

  “That makes sense due to her breed. Mermaids in general tend to be more confident in the water, but on land any psychological quirks like shyness would be exacerbated. She will probably still be a little shy toward you in tender moments, even in the water, but it would be excruciating for her on land.”

  Shaia moved to the side of the tank and pressed against it once more. She waved cutely at Scott using only her fingers.

  Scott waved back at her and said, “Hi, Shaia.”

  She giggled sweetly then looked down and swayed her shoulders back and forth. Her face turned a subtle shade of red, and her tail shifted to a soft pink hue.

  “I’ll need to spend more time with her in the water then... But that doesn’t help with the on-land battle situation,” said Scott. He blew a kiss to Shaia and the girl put her hands to her cheeks and shook her head from side to side. Her pink tail became bright red. Dozens of little bubbles floated upward from her mouth even as a muffled, "Kyaa!" echoed from the tank.

  He could not help but smile at her antics. She was freaking adorable.

  “Sure it does. Just train her till she can evolve. That will probably take at least two months without combat, even if she remained here and dedicated herself to training,” said Jack.

  Shaia smiled gently while getting ahold of herself. Then noticed Flora. She waved at her new sister and the Alraune waved back. That was a good sign as well. When they were not engulfed in a gentle power play over their master, they would probably get along nicely. Water and Plant types often did.

  “She needs to increase her status as well. I should upgrade her core as soon as possible,” said Scott.

  “Ah, yeah... F-Rank is not something you want her to be holding onto when she evolves. Do you have the money to raise her properly?” asked Jack.

  “No. I can get her to D-Rank, but things get expensive after that,” admitted Scott.

  Jack rubbed his chin. “D-Rank is still a little low, but it should be fine for a first evolution. The chances that she will gain unusual stat bonuses aren’t that high, but you can always upgrade her rank to C or B afterward.”

  Scott nodded. “I’d hit my sponsor up for money, but I doubt they would grant much of anything until my ninety-days are up.”

  “Probably not... Hmm, you could also try expanding your team,” said Jack. He pointed to the girls training in a nearby room. "Several of those girls in there are with the same master. They try to keep their morale up despite the cruelty of my Eina."

  Scott glanced into the room and saw various Crystallim working hard to increase their status. He then looked over and noticed Flora and Shaia waving at each other once more. They seemed to be getting along fairly well. He needed to expand his team, but there were so many options that it was difficult to decide on which way to go.

  Jack checked the younger man’s gaze then smiled. “Plant and water... Get an Earth Type and a Lightning Type.”

  Scott considered that for a moment. “I’d love to, but it’s the same thing. Either I need to get a loan, or I need to get really lucky while hunting.”

  “Why not ask your sponsor?” asked Jack.

  Scott snorted. “Is there a reason to at this point?”

  “You won’t know, until you ask. Who sponsored you, anyway?” Jack waved his hand sideways at the young hunter. "They are supposed to help you with things like that."

  “Ah, it was some place called the Ophun Research Institute,” answered Scott. He knew little else about it other than the fact that it was an institute and it did research. The network was somewhat lacking in useful tidbits of information.

  “Hmm...” said Jack. He tapped his foot on the ground casually then nodded a few times.

  “What is it?” asked Scott.

  “Go visit them in person," said Jack. He looked to Scott and nodded once more. "If they are the people I am thinking of, you will definitely like the result."

  “What do you
mean?”

  Jack grinned at him. “I bet you didn’t even bother to find out what they researched.”

  Scott shrugged. They were on the official American Sponsorship Registry. Any company or group on that list was heavily vetted and prestigious. They were held in high-regard by the council and were willing to help pay some of his costs in the future, so he did not give a damn what they did. It was a typical attitude for hunters. They were not employees of their sponsor after all.

  Of course, he was not a fool. He did try to check into their specific research, but little information was available. They were a private organization with a lot of clout, but tight security.

  “Just go visit them. If you want, I can put your girls to work here while you head over,” offered Jack.

  “What? Now?” Why was Jack pushing this so heavily? Scott became more suspicious by the moment.

  “Yes, now. It will work out well for you, and your team. I’m sure of it.” Jack grinned at him then made a shooing motion with his hands. "Trust me. Would I lie?"

  "Did Eina offer you cake?" asked Scott in a flat tone of voice. His lips quirked into a smile as he said it, but his eyes showed no humor. Jack was a man on the edge. The temptations of cake could do strange things to a person who was that far gone down the hardcore training diet rabbit hole.

  The novice hunter looked to his girls then back to Jack. He trusted the man. If he said this would help, then it would help. Scott turned to his team mates and said, “Girls. I have to go take care of something for a few hours. Jack will get you started on a training regimen.”

  Shaia pouted then rocketed to the top of the tank. Water splashed out as she reached the surface. Her breasts bounced around in a lively manner, though she did not concern herself with it. Her eyes wide, and her brows arched in fretful surprise, she asked, “You’re leaving us?”

  “Just for a little while. I have to meet our sponsor,” said Scott.