Based on the FUSE light novel

  Evening and the sun about to sink, a small party rests and talks. The place ensconced in a flat plateau of land covered in forest, they themselves are gathered in the clearing making up the smaller real estate of the highland. The vantage point surrendered arresting vista of faraway landscape.

  On the plateau, standing a couple hundred feet from the party a large building, luster overgrown by vegetation, be it vine, root and plant. The construction sat atop a tall foundation, giving a noticeably higher elevation than otherwise. The party is certain are the only bodies here.

  One party member the old, wheel chair bound man, unable to converse. Eyes vacant, doesn’t know where he is.

  A woman, Tiendra, yearns a change away from serious talk. Experiences to present left her weary of any serious tone. Find a way and take the edge off.

  “Who goes there?” a group member’s voice shoots out. Another woman Gyakka.

  The sudden presence of a standing white woman, arms folded. What’s more is beauteous.

  Flowing blue hair kept in twin buns by black ribbons. Her attire a dark colored china dress a golden dragon pattern upon it, admixed are white long gloves, lush womanly thighs covered in white thigh length boots both adorned with gold ornaments and a bulbous chest. Accessorized by a colored, closed hand fan.

  Glaring from deep gold eyes, “Submit to your one and true liege.” A fire to match the beauty. The band except the old man exchange glances.

  The woman scarcely 30 feet away maintaining her scornful eyes in their orbits.

  Nothing gets people’s blood boiling like an authoritative attitude.

  Noting pulchritudinous appearance, Norian, the only other male, “Just when I figured came from my dreams.”

  Gyakka alarmed, “But wait, no one felt her coming.”

  Norian concurred, “Time to worry.” Isn’t to say panic is welcome.

  Tiendra, the woman, “When we eat at your table…broad.”

  The azure stranger’s form formed a snit. “Quite the ghetto speech. Hereby disown any prerogative addressing you as “lady.””

  Eyes scanning the girl’s sizable bust, Tiendra fires off, “Up yours bimbo. You’re not the boss of us.”

  Norian, snickered but the man moves things along, “We firmly reject sweetie. Rudra doesn’t have our allegiance. We live our lives as we want. Life our freedom.”

  Tiendra nods.

  Scornfully, “An insect’s word carries no weight. You are meant to serve.”

  Gyakka, “Who is that woman?”

  Norian, “Gyakka.”

  “Yes.”

  “Move the old man to safety.”

  Air tense. The faceoff is about to explode.

  The azure woman’s eyebrows point downward in annoyance.

  Norian, “Being our pretty guest doesn’t take well to leaving peaceably…Tiendra,” calls out he.

  She yells, “UNIQUE SKILL – SPIRIT MANUS!” The two partners are running, opening a gap between them. Manifests two ghostly hands and lower arms controllable from distance, mimicking movement of the user.

  The two halt. The gap is dozens of feet wide. Wanted to give each space, were the other hit, both won’t be caught in an enemy’s strike.

  Meaningless to this foe.

  The spirit arms fly quickly to the building, reaching it.

  Size alterable to big proportions and still mimic Tiendra in grabbing and throwing a giant masonry work down from elevated height.

  Stranger responds raising a hand and a stream of fire emits, immolating the projectile, in the seconds taken to land in the palm of her other hand, vaporized down to a small, blackened pebble.

  Unperturbed absolutely.

  Once flying back to a position near the stranger, manus expands one hand and arm to ginormous proportions, and following the woman’s movement, thrust into the ground, excavating a huge mass of soil and raising itself along with material, clean airborne.

  The intended victim breezes herself gently with the colored hand fan. No cares.

  Dumped directly on her. She’d taken hundreds of pounds of material head on, without any attempt to escape, the pile encasing her in a mound.

  All turns quiet.

  The whole thing in moments blasted away by aura DRAGON SPIRIT HAKI - imbues the user's aura with magical and physical properties and shreds anything it comes into contact with.

  She standing in place elegant as ever.

  Gyakka impressed, “As I live and breathe. I was certain somebody in the world carries aura overwhelming in character. Felt it flare a moment while it blew the dirt away and suddenly vanished.”

  Ain’t the only one who felt.

  Tiendra’s humongous hand comes down in a chop. The woman casually parried with an unfurled hand fan. The skill user remarks, “We caught a real pain in the ass.” Next brings the other giant arm in a punch from the rear. The haki erupts again. The hand as though colliding with an immovable force. Topping it off, try as it might couldn’t force a way to cover the several inches to her back.

  Gyakka stands in the forest edge some feet from the old man, clasps her hands together, “ULTIMATE SKILL – ESSENCE OF SPIRIT.”

  With that a low hanging fog travels toward the new arrival. The previously stopped hand had nothing barring its path to the woman’s flesh, with the powerful aura no more. A distance of inches, the hand quickly moves to deliver a punch.

  The woman dodges in a powerful leap, blue hair and attire fluttering in periods whilst airborne and came to a graceful landing unperturbed.

  Tiendra elects to maintain the pressure. Next transpires speedily over seconds of explosive intensity - her material body makes a series of downward punches; emulating are the ghost arms. Each impact making a small crater and kicking up dust in the ground. The woman nimbly dodges each in succession.

  “Keep this up we’ll have bimbo on the run.”

  Norian seconded, “We got a good pressure game. I can tell this chick be a strong ass one.” His eyes tilt to the ground. “Our ace is in play.” The fog followed meantime. Gyakka’s gaze tracking her.

  The combat lull is fleeting. One arm vanished. Next moment burst through the ground in a grab, reducing the ground directly beneath her feet to chunks and bits. The stranger this time runs at inhuman speed roughly 20 feet evading.

  Again, posture unperturbed.

  “All’s well,” is Norian’s confidence. He caught sight of the low fog at her feet. “Dodging this time shows Gyakka messing you up and don’t even know.” He chose to join the party. Clasping hands yells, “UNIQUE SKILL – BATEAU!”

  No sooner a wire-frame, consisting of vertical and horizontal lines intersecting, forms around the girl, a wooden; double deck boat of large dimension materializes. A creation technique in seconds.

  The girl curious, not scared, is wholly inside, can make out the interior and view outdoors through windows.

  The boat shaped craft began to rise from the ground. Fly it can powered by 6 horizontal propellers, the engine of each beneath housed in vertical nacelles, three per side.

  Remotely directed by thought command, accelerates to a few thousand feet up and hovers, a brief wait passes. The voice command, “STALL.” Heads follow its plunge down.

  On impact with the ground disintegrates and explodes in fire and smoke.

  “Sorry sweetheart.” remarks the user.

  “Crash and burn,” exults Tiendra at the death of another.

  Gyakka on her part overheard that, “Why am I scared of that woman?”

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  The girl shortly seen standing amidst the debris, elegant, undisturbed – beautiful even. China dress and shoes minus so much as a scratch, her hand fan open. She isn’t looking at anyone in particular, absolutely unscathed, facial expression serene. Her demeanor outwardly is unconcerned.

  Her exitance on a higher plane?

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Whispers Norian. Every eye save Nebroussian’s locked in fascination.

  A gentle wave of the fan and debris, flame and all tumbles from her vicinity before coming to rest tens of feet away. Aura manipulation felt by all explaining that power move.

  “Why our fog…why isn’t it working? Nullification in real” strong beings in this world have that. Called RESIST SKILL.

  Something is dawning. A single bead of sweat on their temple.

  Overhead, a large hand forms a clenched fist above the stranger 20 feet below. Tiendra’s body telegraphed a pound hammer-like motion.

  Supernatural walk. Eyes can tell for left after images. Wasn’t at hyper speed, but normal human pace, yet somehow arrived and came to a stop sooner than naturally conceivable.

  “Nebroussian!” yells Norian alarmed. The stranger halted right in front the discreetly placed old man. Who showed no reaction.

  Wire frame lines began forming several hundred feet above the action.

  Panicked, Gyakka nearby tossed a knife. She thought she witnessed the azure haired woman flicker. What is clear the blade went through and stuck itself into a tree on the other side. Optical effect of evasion.

  The stranger inquires, golden hue eyes fixed on him. “What is the power’s name?” calmly.

  In actuality addresses Gyakka. Fear frozen a long while till she finally gives it, “ULTIMATE SKILL – ESSENCE OF SPIRIT.”

  “This power usage may’ve been faint and routed through the individual named Gyakka and an ULTIMATE level no less. Therefore a trait to lower its emanation and so perception by others. Neither can bypass my UNIVERSAL SENSE.”

  Hard to dispute. It is an enhanced version of Magic Sense, extending her perception to a great radius.

  Gyakka self-muses, “Did we have a chance?” no sooner had they left her mouth a yellow, explosive blast enclosing the stranger and the new incantation, “UNIQUE SKILL - HOT SHELL!” His new attack.

  Panicky, in a shock Tiendra screams, “Dude, you killed them both!”

  The aftermath shows all three unscathed. Norian asks if Tiendra of a sensation just now, “Feel it again? – the aura.” Once a short pause passes, “It in protecting sweetheart here defended our friends. Sort of PHYSICAL ATTACK NULLIFICATION, like when she survived crash of BATEAU.”

  A beast’s aura.

  Norian screams for Gyakka, “Gyakka, get him out of here!” with the opening, she hustles to obey, grabbing his wheel chair and rushing away.

  “No,” exclaims Norian to Tiendra proceeding to run to her comrades. She stops in her tracks. “We’ll regroup under cover of night. Scatter. I’ll cover us.” Her face pained – he has not time to console.

  “UNIQUE SKILL - HOT SHELL!” Indicates a warship all along. Fires rockets out the ship’s sides, whose warheads cause explosive effects on impact.

  Several rockets at a time rain down on the girl’s position. Ground cratered and trees damaged or burning in several dozen feet diameter where she stood by the blasts, her body obscured by dust. Norian and Tiendra separately and old man with Gyakka are in the forest fleeing. The distraction seems to work.

  For as long as they live…every dust particle fell instantly to the ground, revealing a beauty standing elegantly, hand fan open. Bending her arm and extending her left index finger, a new salvo erupts from BATEAU, projectiles flying down in a fresh attempt to demolish her. Simply, gracefully waving her fan once, scatters them. Finally, from the index finger’s tip, a small flame, a few inches high forms and flies up towards the craft quickly.

  On contact this tiny flame in comparison, sets alight bow to stern in the course of half a minute.

  The craft’s structure hung in the sky, deformed from the inferno, bright in evening’s low light.

  For as long as they live what next burned into collective consciousness.

  Bateau’s remains best described as in several moments expanding to a disc shape and mow down trees out to 1000 meters, much beyond dimensions of the craft. And then contracted again and the debris permitted falling. In the brevity it lasted the people beheld the great disc of flame and surely Bateau’s debris intermixed, low over their heads, also perceived the sound of flame, wood burned though and sliced then witnessed the tumble of many a tree round them.

  Exclaims, “That’s, that’s you, Velgrynd?” Norian was guessing. Power to defy laws of physics and nature.

  Gathered before the lady were they in a clearing. Nebroussian none the wiser. Heart to heart with the Scorch Dragon.

  Dawn of despair. That’s what he felt with the sweat bead before and finally knew. Gradually her resistances negate what thrown her way.

  “Your defiance must run deep to raise a hand at me,” remarks she. In this world are several dragons and she isn’t mightiest, however is temperamental. What’s that say about those beasts?

  “You could have spoken up from the beginning,” says Norian, teeth clenched. Him and the rest knelt before her, save for wheelchair Nebroussian’s invalid frame.

  “I wasn’t thirsting for a donnybrook. Seeing my might the onus rests on yourselves to sense you’re outmatched.”

  The power scale just making itself felt, he pushes back, in the process sounding louder than he’d sought, “No way. We’d have known had you simply told us.” Perceived as impertinent could result in…

  The Scorch Dragon with her fiery reputation remained calm, save for raising a single eyebrow of her attractive features, “Sparring verbally instead of physically the best right now, warrior?”

  He had no reply.

  “Fealty. Yield to your sovereign Rudra’s name.”

  Tiendra, “Willing to largess me – us, another chance when we fled your empire?”

  “Credit Rudra.” In this world common a weaker being submit to a their better.

  Tiendra turns her head to Gyakka and turned it forward again. “I shall.” Norian and Gyakka follow suit.

  Officially the Nasca Namrium Ulmeria United Eastern Empire. One of such significance, regarded as the world’s strongest nation. The group kinda fled from. Undisputed military power squashed the minutest ember of dissent, head of this military nation, Rudra Nam Ul Nasca, the emperor bonded by intimacy to a dragon as lover.

  The pleasant waterfall in the morning and then describing how’d they got there for she told Norian resummon his craft, there’s a place to go, fortunately doubled as a transport. The party boarded. One snag – where was Norian’s expected destination? And her reason to everyone’s astonishment but Nebroussian’s – a tea party.

  The group sat on the grassy ground like a family, old man in his chair, Gyakka sat on the ground close beside. The blue hair on her knees. Arriving last night means spent the night with a dragon and lived. An offer they couldn’t refuse.

  This waterfall cuts through the mildly sloped meadow covered in low grass. The band are mere feet from the waterway, a gently cutting and narrow stream, in earshot of its flow and smell of the clean, pristine water. The waterfall itself situated hundreds of yards up from themselves.

  Setting provided a pleasant sight in comparison to a violent alternative…

  “You for real going through with this?” inquires a semi incredulous Norian. Unable to help himself despite knowing what he did. A part of him expects to be roasted nicely then and there.

  Velgrynd answers calmly. “The tea party isn’t shallow. My formula to substitute rage I know can consume around me.”

  Underneath the veneer – a dragon’s subtle might, getting ones who fought her to literally participating in tea, an activity so unexpected, violence to peace. Soft power.

  Someone else couldn’t resist speaking forthright. The woman Tiendra. “Last gave your name as Velgrynd. Mock us in the fight did you?” Gyakka glances her way, her head turning slowly first, eyes wide with dread, trying to swallow anxiousness, else give it away. The combatants poured their all into battling her. Put another way, resistance would be in the world of Tensura deemed an offense by the higher being, not least one perceiving insolence.

  Clearly hasn’t resigned to defeat. That battle Tiendra felt she didn’t take seriously, an affront to a fighter as herself. Velgrynd speaks to the contrary and manus user in turn told not enough to outright trigger a massacre.

  Gyakka gave Tiendra a nervous look admixed with one of quit pissing her off.

  Vel points out calmly, “Challenge an affront in of itself at the empire to run and deny your emperor service, no?” Next muses to herself a woman as her hasn’t blown the mountain top. Its handover to a new era maybe. She adds, “Your little troupe went AWOL.”

  “AWOL would mean we submitted to your vassalage. Us as a warrior band wanting to preserve their powers to a more in our eyes, deserving master, invaders are owed nothing.” Tiendra continues some more – “Seized our land, not our loyalty.” Inside can feel her blood raising temperature just a bit. Any more and…

  “In spite insubordination the emperor hasn’t seen fit to cast you away,” she points out.

  Norian interjects in the circumstance of their defeat yesterday, yielding is the only course. Tiendra gave a disagreeable expression. The young man kept going. A dragon has their lives in her hand. “Lady Velgrynd, temper to us with clemency.”

  Velgrynd remarks he has talented poetry. Wasn’t that she interpreted as flattery. “‘Lady.’ Without prior permission? So be it. Your reward, sliver tongue.” And chuckles, probably a miracle in of itself. Vel goes on to say no plans to slay them on the books this moment, “The typical me would have. Rest easy.”

  Tiendra, knowing who she dissed, who can water the grass with the manus user’s own scarlet, the red stuff flowing in the body, may have something to do with. Is more behaved. Reality’s dawn finally breeched her defences, she’d have to practice control over her mouth and emotions from this day forward. Noted by the azure, who in a complimentary manner says gives her leeway to call the dragon lady now. No sarcastic venom dripped.

  That dragonoid Lady Milim known to smack gentlemen halfway across counties.

  Norian’s thinking rang of soundness – better be empire soldiers on call. Word is this beauty would move heaven and earth for Nasca, therefore he concluded she’ll keep the band alive; her words aren’t idle. Whether or not Rudra proves a worthy master a stream they’ll have navigate.

  Nebroussian shifted in his chair.

  That near imperceptible movement a cue, being a cold morning, Vel reacts by opening her left hand, her palm skyward faced, creating a dragon of fire 20 feet long above their heads in mere seconds, which proceeded to fly majestically upwards to a thousand feet, necks craning to follow and like that curved itself into a concentric circle and from there short while to come, into mini sun of flame hanging in the sky, in seconds their bodies felt a progressively rising warmth and finally a gentle heat bathing their bodies.

  “Your old friend looked chilly.”

  Needless to say, jaws hit the ground. Except the old man’s, blissfully unaware anyone tempted to conclude.

  Norian whispers awed, “You weren’t kidding.”

  Velgrynd, “My love merely thought when it comes to beings as yourselves you have some worth and shouldn’t be wasted. Clutch every golden opportunity.” Mind reader? Confirmed his assumptions. “Going by your performance, Rudra proves his boundless wisdom keeping you in his fold.”

  Before this time Gyakka expected Rudra wouldn’t cast so much as a glance at these low ranking non natives – an assumption proven false. Empires expand. Valuable? She didn’t want to place her neck out but what else could it be? The empire’s strongest made the effort tracking small souls down.

  Intricately marked cups and plates, plus wafer and cookies along with the indispensable complement of tea waiting to be poured out its pot. In place all this time.

  The dragon girl’s activity began. Gyakka is invited to pour tea for the assembled – which she did. Picking up the tea pot and dispensing the warm liquid into the cups. The trepidation hadn’t by any means wholly receded. She serves personally the old man, holding a cup to his orifice. Velgrynd hadn’t been harsh to him last night, taking a neutral stance, hadn’t addressed the fellow.

  Next, wafer is served Gyakka, impromptu co host. Vel inquire once they bit into their share if the taste satiates the tongue. No no’s to be found.

  The azure haired beauty, seeing the nervous woman hand feed the elderly man, “You’re needlessly uptight.” Gyakka looked her way. Expresses to the bundle of nerves, “Bounced up two carriers at level of Unique skill level in one day.”

  “High skill users in your service make you and your empire stronger players.”

  “Speaking of. Dotting aside, there’s a skill connection betwixt you and Nebroussian, my Universal Sense can’t lie.”

  “Naturally wouldn’t get past you, huh? While active he transfers the skill to me remotely.”

  “No wonder he himself kept out of harm’s way.” She smiling, “Nebroussian brings to the table the Ultimate skill doesn’t he?”

  “ESSENCE OF SPIRIT – doesn’t rely on overwhelming enemies by brute power, rather manipulating and or disturbing magicules in others.” Gyakka couldn’t help but exude a disappointed tone.

  “Be not sullen child – unaffected I wasn’t.”

  “Does that mean you’re outside Ultimate skills?”

  The dragon doesn’t reply except to say pure dragons stand as the preeminent existence.

  Gyakka, “Technically speaking I don’t own the power – he does.”

  “No wonder channeled through your being,” dragon lady nods his direction, “considering he’s…”

  A power at Ultimate strength no less. Unique and ultimate cannot exist on two people at the same time. No one in the same world is allowed to have the same skill so long as that person lives. She indicates is resistant the old man’s power. “Yeah, SPIRITUAL ATTACK NULLIFICATION.”

  Tiendra gulps in awe.

  “Permit me to make an offer to restore Nebroussian.”

  Gyakka’s face in disbelief.

  Permit? The dragon rather conciliatory, operating below her station. Could’ve told that’s how’d it be. Raising a hand pointing an index finger, a helix shape of flame encompasses both, whom happen to be beside each other. Gyakka wears a stunned expression. The flame maintains for seconds more and gradually dissipates into bits of flame and its over.

  A reasoning drifts unto the old man. He runs hands down his visage. “The day has come,” whispers he. Then higher, normal tone. “This is really happening!”

  To say Norian’s and Tiendra’s demeanors too shocked to speak right away isn’t enough superlative. The apparent miracle stripped their voice.

  Gyakka asks in disbelief, “You’re, you’re back? In real?”

  Nebroussian, “Feels everything is open to me.” The man stands up from his wheel chair. He pulls the woman upright and embraces the hug of a thousand hugs. His companion speechless.

  “Soul corridor” says Velgrynd matter of factly. “Nebroussian, hencefourth bound to Gyakka. The health and vitality of this individual is imprinted onto the soul and by extension the body, restoring speech and motor function. Serve my Rudra with all your being.”

  This what it means to be in presence of a dragoness.

  The amazement palpable. What possessed us to think we stood an inch of a chance, Norian thought. “The imperium before us.”

  Tiendra dumbfounded asks, “A dragon did that? Tell me about soul corridor!” One onlooker who shouldn’t be surprised this point, yet…

  To Velgrynd its casual and besides, “Food and tea has to find elegant stomachs. My tea party seeks your attention.” She dismissed as casually. The scenario got too heavy for her get-together.

  Gyakka is snapped out the reverie. “My lady, do dispense more tea for him.” Velgrynd’s instruction, tone of an elegant woman. She dumbstruck some seconds, frozen in place mentally and by the hug. She frees herself of the hug and pours him a new cup. To stress compliance verbally bades the man drink.

  The eating and drinking continues sometime. The dragoness authorizes talk – except about the battle or empire. Few words are offered, none wants to trip the line.

  Allows her picture painted in poses, fan in hand. Which nobody questions. While she’s affable and elegant, they breathe another day. The apprehension doesn’t fully lift. Some discussion betwixt her and merry companions sees Norian put paint to canvas.

  And there you have it. All aboard Bateau for the flight back to the empire’s domain.

  Author’s note – long last Vel as promised. My mind went into collapse. A writer’s block held me months, scarcely adding material I began November 2022 last year. A simple short story. Online 101 stories (including named ROBOT 101), mainly short, but novellas, screenplays in the mix.

  Penning continuously last 6 years. I attribute the block to exhaustion. And an old sin, internet addiction.

  A treat. Researching the word ‘ship’ I discovered ‘bateau.’ Though my story doesn’t replicate the real word one. I knew the name from Ghost in the Shell.

  Admittedly the character didn’t follow wholly the one in the book. Pretty tolerant of those guys and picnic would on the surface, place her as odd.

  Date - Saturday, July 8, 2023.