19 Weapons of War (1/2)
Note: this chapter does contain an intimate seen at the end. You will see it coming and feel free to skip it if it's not your thing. It is a part of the story and character development, but it's not integral you read it.
*****
”Good, you're back. I'm feeling so hungry I feel like my joints are turning to stone,” Mazur complained as he stretched his next and glance at the food Ivan had hauled back through the fourth dimension.
Ivan merely rolled his eyes and quipped, ”You're just old, it's probably arthritis.”
Mazur ignored him and after getting changed, immediately went to cooking some meat for the two of them. Ivan stayed in the room and looking at the purple bruise on Iris' chin, asked, ”What happened?”
”…Sorry,” Valeria muttered in a barely audible voice before explaining what happened.
”Don't worry about too much,” Ivan waved his hand dismissively. ”I have to say though, you have quite the talent for fighting, like an inborn instinct. Would you like to join the hunters in combat training? It would be very beneficial for you.”
Valeria was stunned at first and began tearing up in worry that Ivan was getting rid of her, but after some reassurance, she eventually understood and simply said, ”If you want me to.”
”Iris, note down that Valeria will be placed into combat training with the hunters, and there is to be no discrimination of status. Report it to Yukeli tomorrow. Also, get Valeria to give you some cellular healing salve after, it helps aid in external injuries, and can give a minor promotion to the speed of a bone healing.”
”Understood… Umm, also…” Iris evasively began to try saying something but couldn't find the courage, her fox tail twitching nervously.
Ivan could read her body language as clear as day when she was like this. ”What is it? Do you want to take part in combat training as well?”
Iris steeled her resolve and requested, ”I want you to teach me how to read people.”
”And also how to control people?” Ivan asked with a trace of a smile.
Iris became hesitant again at this question but still responded with a curt nod.
”Good, then today I shall give you your first lesson. Come sit over here,” Ivan patted to the armrest beside him. Iris walked over nervously and sat down as instructed, but was taken by surprise when Ivan suddenly grabbed her hand with his and started inspecting her slender fingers.
”Ah! This-”
”The most important thing you must learn is to be confident at all times,” Ivan cut Iris off, disturbing her pace in the conversation. ”You have a beautiful face and enticing body, your smile is capable of mesmerising people, and being in full control of your emotions and body will help you guide them to your desires.”
”Body language can speak far louder than spoken words, but you can never control your body when you can't control your emotions. Before learning how to read someone else, or how to manipulate them, you must learn to have an unequivocal courage in yourself.”
Iris nodded, but was completely distracted as he played with her fingernails.
”I want you to show this courage at all times. Wear a smile, gentle and calming, at all times.”
Doing her best to comply, Iris tried to maintain a smile just like he said, but it was incredibly difficult to do. She didn't give up however, continuing to diligently practice it until she could maintain it. This was hard to do as Ivan would constantly put her on the spot or make unexpected actions like pinching or whispering into her ears when she was cooking her Valeria and herself, breaking her composure and making her start over again.
Time began to fly by as everyone had their daily routines to maintain.
Mazur became extremely busy between teaching the new employees the galactic common language and expanded the knowledge of those who were scientists or belonged to other intellectual careers.
In addition to that, he was supervising the mass production of nanobots for the forced evolution into a four-dimensional being and working on several side projects in speculating the accurate construction of true four-dimensional devices, not just mimicry of three-dimensional tool which was the equivalent of printing a painting when working with four dimensions.
The possibilities that the additional dimension opened seemed endless to him, and he was so enthralled into it that it had seemed to become an obsession. It was unfortunate he could only do a limited amount of speculation and planning as the four-dimension idea, or design, could not be expressed on a three-dimensional sheet of paper.
Valeria had joined in the daily combat training with the hunters. She suffered some subtle discrimination at first for being a Kivsharr, but her animal like instincts caused her to get the upper hand on several of the hunters. She was incapable of competing with the adults in terms of speed and power, but her natural adaptability in fighting had impressed more than a few of them and that discrimination quickly faded.
The hunters were taught and constantly drilled in several styles of combat. They trained in spear and sword arts, the bow and arrow, and several other minor styles. Their hand to hand combat technique was an ancient martial art Ivan had found on the national information network, the empire's version of the internet, with Iris' assistance in translation.
It was a style of martial art designed for designed for defending against larger targets, such as wild beasts. None of the hunters or the trainers understood why they were being taught this, but from Ivan's experience, this was the best choice for them to increase survivability if suddenly assaulted by a four-dimensional creature at close range.
Ivan's routine consistent of maintaining public appearances and becoming the face of life from other planets. His calculated smiles and mesmerising eyes captured the hearts of the Folkien Empire's citizens, making him the greatest celebrity currently in media, surpassing even Iris Bedifax.
Iris becoming his personal secretary had long since become common knowledge, and many rumors about a romantic relationship between the two spread. Some hardcore fans of hers were heartbroken about the news, and vetoed any related news on the subject, but most people were supportive.
Ivan also participated in teaching the new employees the galactic common language, but the main teacher role was Mazur while he was mainly there to maintain the confidence of the people in him and dispel any doubts they may have.
*****
The situation gradually began changing over the next three months. Ivan sat in the presidential suite watching the late-night news with a glass of fruit wine the Vulpes were especially proficient in making.
”Zeta Orvic reporting here from the northern battlefront,” I pretty reporter with her hair trimmed at the shoulders, stood before a barren land that had been the front of war so long nothing by trenches and explosion craters remained in the land of death.
”The Folkien Armed Forces have just recently received the first shipment of new weaponry and defensive devices. These devices have been in the development for several months based off technology supplied by the celebrity alien you all know and love, Mr. Ivan Storme.”
The camera shifted across and showed several military convoys driving up to the defensive barricades. Large crates lined with compressed plasma rifles opened up along with extensive plasmatic storage cartridges. Tens of thousands of PES devices were also unravelled and attached to the soldiers' chests, causing a barely visible blue shimmer to surround their bodies.