A follow up Visit (Flashback)

The soft click of steel boots on stone could be heard down the streets as a well dressed figure walked boldly through the center of them. She was someone who could easily have slipped through the shadows of the alleyways unheard and unseen but instead she was deliebelbarely making herself visible to the public.

After all for what reason did she have to hide herself and move covertly? She would be the Raikage soon and this was her country. She had commissioned some work from Damian and it was all legitimate so she had nothing to conceal from the people. Rather seeing a woman as prominent as herself go to such a place would only be good for business. Darhk Industries doing well was the equivalent to her doing well since she owned so many stocks in them. Giving them a bit of free advertising was absolutely in her best interest.

As she made her way to the Central tower she admired the town around her that had practically sprung up overnight. For something that had been constructed so quickly the town was rather well built. It was already at least 10 kilometers from one end to another and she wondered just how big it would get given a few years and some good administration. It was too bad that Damian had turned down her offer of a noble title. He’d need one if she was going to put him fully in charge of a place like this officially, not that he wasn’t already in everything but name.

It was annoying how now that she had the country in the palm of her hands she still needed to conform to certain standards and rituals to keep the gears all running smoothly. If she just went and said ‘here’s Damian Darhk and he’s going to be the town's governor for now on” other nobles who were hungry for such a position would throw a fit and make her life very difficult indeed. Turing such advancements so that they were mostly merit based instead of who could pay the biggest bribe to the ruling family wasn’t something she could do overnight.

Arriving at the tower she had her servant and Lady in waiting, Sophie opened the door for her and walked gracefully inside, her wind pink dress fluttering softly in the breeze before the door was shut once more. She looked for all the world to be not wearing any amour when in fact the stuff she was wearing under her dress was far sturdier than most chainmail. Dauntlessly she stepped straight up to the front desk.

“I Lady Ryuko Shizu Von Rose am here to see Mr. Darhk. I believe I have an appointment.” she said with a faint smile on her face. Naturally she had Sophie book an appointment earlier not that she actually needed one to see the man. It was just a matter of good manners since this was far from an emergency. She was simply here to pick up a package he’d had for her. One far too important to trust to the mail service or even sending one of her own Jounin over for. Not when it was her own personal equipment involved at least.

[1]

Moonspire, was just one of Damien's shinning achievements, of course none of it would have been possible without Ryuko. Still the corporation town had been built and most of the citizens of Moonspire were Darhk Industries' employees which helped with the growth of the town as quickly as it did. Several thousands of families uprooted from their homes and moved to a new land, all for the sake of their boss as it was either move or be unemployed. Damien knew some would be unhappy about the circumstances of it all, but with the money he received from Kumogakure he ensured every family was well compensated for their move. Each family got a elegant house, a nice big yard, Damien even commissioned a school be built to educate the children of the employees while they were working in addition to the bonus pay for the move.

Darhk Tower was cylindrical in shape and it's two hundred and fifty stories could be seen from several Kilometers away, it's glass windows reflecting light from the sun making it all the more of a visible in the approach to the town of Moonspire acting as a beacon calling to travellers from across the northeastern part of Kaminari no Kuni. Yet despite the massive feat the tower itself is, like everything Damien designed there was more to it than meets the eye. The Vast Tower stretches several levels into the earth as well, though these levels are much larger, spreading out even further than the tower above ground almost spanning the full Radius of the town itself. Where most of the research and development Of course only those of the highest clearance would have access to the lower levels of the building due to the length Damien goes through to protect the secrets of his corporation. The ground floor of the tower would be a wide, open floor plan with various water features and plant life scattered throughout it ranging from all variety of strange plants that Damien acquire like everything else he didn't make himself, through money. There would be a security check desk at the far side of the room from the entry way, and behind the desk sat a single elevator door.

Normally the lobby would be busy with the coming and going of various employees, however today was a special day at Darhk Industries and as such Damien had given all but a few the day off leaving the tower lobby near empty causing footsteps to echo off the walls. A Single Security guard sat behind the desk with two others standing on either side of the elevator, the one behind the desk would start fumbling through paperwork before finally finding what he was looking for. "Ah yes, Miss Von Rose. I will let Mister Darhk know you have arrived." As he spoke however the doors to the elevator opened, "That won't be necessary Saburo, their arrival has already been noted. Lady Von Rose, please come with me" Came the voice of Zhu Li as she motioned for Ryuko and  Sophie to join her on the elevator.  The elevator is large enough to hold twenty people, leaving plenty of room with just the three of them. Once the two ladies had joined Zhu Li the doors would close behind them, the control panel holding hundreds upon hundreds of buttons but one would stick out from the rest. A button larger than the rest at the very top of the panel with the letters "DD" written upon it, it was no surprise this was the button Zhu Li would push to begin the ascent up the tower. Zhu Li would remain quite save for a welcome, "I hope you have been well Lady Von Rose, Mister Darhk would like me to officially welcome you to Darhk Tower." The elevator's walls were made of glass allowing the view of the outside world as one ascends the tower add to the splendor of it all, the slow ascent in the elevator would reveal more and more of Moonspire and just how much had been accomplished here including construction in the distance near the sea.

Finally the elevator would reach their destination dinging at it's arrival before opening to reveal an immaculate office the size of the lobby on the ground floor, floor to ceiling windows surrounding the office giving a panoramic view of the town below it as well as ample lighting. Unlike the lobby the floor within the office was polished marble which surprisingly made the footsteps not echo as loud. Two pillars stood in the middle of the room on either side of a desk, however rather than regular stone pillars these were large fish tanks full of all kinds of rare fish. There would be a small area to the left of the elevator which held countless bookshelf's full of books, on the right of the elevator stood a liquor cabinet with every bottle of Liquor Damien personally owned inside it including the one that Ryuko had given him herself. Zhu Li would exit the elevator last before sitting down behind the desk, clearly be her desk rather than Damien's. On the opposite side of the pillars and desk from the elevator was an open lounge area, it was here that Ryuko would find Damien awaiting her arrival. Standing in his normal purple business suit and his trenchcoat just draped over his shoulders, hearing the ding of the elevator the male would turn to greet his guest. "Mi Lady, you look exquisite as always." He remarked with a slight bow out of respect, he knew the lady Von Rose like to keep it professional but that did not stop him from thinking she was beautiful. "Please come join me for a drink, though I'm afraid I have started without you." He added with a slight chuckle lifting his own glass, though he was still more than capable of functioning as normal despite his head start. Whether Ryuko joined him in drinking or not did not matter to him, nor would it stop him from continuing. However it was polite to ask and that was something he was working on, being polite.

[1]

Ryuko didn’t know if it was because she’d spent time living in what was now Shimiko tower but she felt a particular affinity for tall buildings. Being able to see far across the horizon held a strong appeal to her. Strategically they made for a perfect lookout base and when she had the money she was planning on building a tower of her own in either frost or hotspring to serve as an advance warning system of a land invasion from Kohanakagure or other nations.

In some ways being sandwiched between the land of fire and the land of water was a large disadvantage to her country but if she took advantage of the geographics of the terrain her country was highly defensible.

She wasn’t an engineer but she knew a good building when she saw one. So many buildings these days were build with questionable looks in mind but Moonspire was as tasteful as it’s name would imply. It almost seemed like if one could climb to the top they’d be able to step out onto the celestial sphere high in the sky. Considering one of Ryuko’s goals was to reach the moon she wondered if it would be appropriate to make a sister tower someday called the Earthspire just for a laugh.

“You know, you didn’t have to come get us personally. Not that I don’t appreciate the gesture.” Said Ryuko with a light smile. As secretary went Zhu Li was personally as it got. Going the extra mile must have come like second nature to people like her and Sophie. They often seemed to know what needed to be done without even having to be told.

As they entered the elevator Ryuko blanched at the sheer number of buttons available to be pushed. Just how many floors did this building have? She knew it was tall but she’d had no idea until now that it extended so far below ground as well. Truly it was one of a kind.

“What do you do for security to make sure people don’t go to levels freely?” Ryuko asked. At Shimiko tower you needed to swipe a special key card before you could push the buttons for certain levels such as the penthouse for them to work. The front desk wouldn’t give out those cards to just anyone and since they were electronically encoded it wasn’t an easy system to bypass either.

“Hmm I’m doing just fine thank you. I’m glad to see you seem to be in good health as well.” Ryuko replied, returning the greeting. Normally she would offer to have someone come to her for a checkup if they ever were not feeling well but she knew that was pointless in this case. Damian was a doctor as well and she knew for a fact he cared enough about Zhu Li to see to it she was looked after if she fell ill, even if it was a little hard to imagine him attending to her personally.

“Just to check but there won’t be any more recording devices will there?” asked Ryuko, wanting to know ahead of time so that she didn’t say something she didn’t want out in the open. Her fingers sparked with electricity as she spoke. She was going to be the Raikage so it went without saying that she knew more than a few Lightning jutsu. Maybe she’d have to develop one that was a limited range emp just for shutting those kind of devices down. She had the suspicion that if she did however it wouldn’t be long before Damian developed a kind of shielding to prevent that kind of thing from happening.

The truth was she would never be able to outdo him if she simply reacted to what he developed. For every step she took to counter his devices he’d react with a step or two of his own. The only way to win would be to make an exponential leap of some kind and as smart as she was she knew that kind of thing wasn’t easy to do.

She graced Damian with a pleased smile at his display of respect and picture perfect greeting. It seemed the edicatte lesions she had recommended had paid off after all. To be honest she personally had no hard feeling about the incident. A lot of her angry and irritation had been more for show than anything else in an attempt to set him straight.

“Good day to you Mr. Darhk. I must say you have down an exquisite job with this town, and especially with this tower.” she said complimenting him on his work as she gave him a polite courtesy as a way of greeting. “I have to say, your taste in offices is exquisite.” she said as she looked around the room in admiration.

The fish tanks were a nice touch but most of all she admired the vast amount of books he had on display. It was enough to put some village’s library’s to shame and while it couldn’t quite rival the size of her own one it was the closest she’d come to outside of the walls of the Church. She viewed having such a thirst for knowledge as admirable. Depending on how Damian applied it he was well on his way to being a sage in his own right as well going by the definition of the word she’d given her student Mort.

“Well then, don’t mind me If I do.” she said with a pleased smile as she took a set across from him in the lounge. Sitting directly beside him was a big no no for all sorts of reasons since it would imply a closer relationship then she would like. She wasn’t sure what his relationship with Zhu Li was but she didn’t want to impede on it but making it look like they were closer than they really were nor did she want to get Damian’s hopes up when he literally had no chance of that kind of relationship with her.

Not that his looks were bad or anything, nor was his personality and arrogance an insurmountable obstacle. It was nothing to do with him and everything to do with her and the not so small fact she was about as gay as you could get without being sterotypically flamboyant about it. She wouldn’t be ashamed to admit that Damian would have made for a great catch otherwise. Considering how much she loved alcohol she was looking forward to seeing just what he’d be serving her today.

“I’m sure you know why I’m here today. How have things been with the business? Do you need help with anything?” Ryuko asked. It wasn’t that she doubted his competence when it came to such matters, that went without question. His pride on the other hand was another story. Even a great man like him sometimes ran into trouble and needed assistance. She wasn’t sure if he’d ask for her help without being prompted, at least not unless he had any other choice at least.

[2]

“What do you do for security to make sure people don’t go to levels freely?”

"Biometric Scanning, every employee's DNA is sampled during the hiring process. Each employees clearance level is link to the DNA record on file, whenever the employee enters the elevator the computer recognizes that individual and only the buttons their clearance level gives access to is operational. Without a DNA signature on file, the elevator does not work at all. Of course if you like I am sure Mister Darhk would be willing to set you up for full access to the building." Zhu Li would reply as though it were something so simple, yet in truth even she did not fully understand it. It was an algorithm created by Damien, which meant that Zhu Li didn't question it too much.

“Hmm I’m doing just fine thank you.  I’m glad to see you seem to be in good health as well.”

"Yes I am, thank you." Zhu Li would reply with a smile.

“Just to check but there won’t be any more recording devices will there?”

"No there will be no devices, Mister Darhk's office is swept daily for bugs as well as has a jamming device activated at all times. Additionally we have learned our lesson from the last time, there will be no more incidents." Zhu Li would answer with a smile.


"Thank you, the tower is my own design, as for the town. That is all thanks to you Mi Lady, it was your investment into the company that was able to help me fund this town and provide homes for my employees." Damien would reply to Ryuko's comment of Moonspire, the tower was one of his finest works but it paled in comparison to what he had.

Damien would smile at Ryuko's willingness to partake in his celebration, especially since he pulled out the scotch. He would grab the spare glasses and would pour a glass for Ryuko, "This is The Darhk Dragon, a scotch my father barreled on the day I was born. Today was it's grand opening, so you will be the first beside myself to have tasted it as it will not be on the market until the end of the week. Would your companion like a glass?" He would ask out of politeness, though he had also offer Zhu Li to have a glass but she refused. Maybe it was an assistant thing or maybe it was something else, Damien would not waste time wondering about it at least not today. If Sophie wished to have a glass, Damien would pour her one as well before leaning back and taking a sip from his own glass.

"Business is doing well and your timing could not be more perfect, if it had not been for the fact that Zhu Li informed me of your arrival I would have sent for you tomorrow." Damien replied with a smile before taking another sip of his scotch and sitting his glass on the table, "Zhu Li, do the thing." Damien would state without any explanation on what the 'thing' was, Zhu Li however would know instantly doing what Damien needed her to do. With a press of a button from Zhu Li shades would descend upon all the windows, the room would be in darkness as the shades fully closed, however this darkness would only last for a second as the fish tank pillars would light up fully illuminating the large office. The floor next to the lounge area would begin to shift, what was originally open floor space would now be a fully furnished crafters workshop. Damien would stand grabbing his glass from the table and walk over to the workshop motioning to Ryuko in a follow me manner as he passed her. "The last time we spoke you may remember how I spoke about hot air balloons for war, my team believes they have figured out a way to eliminate the problem we were having." Damien would direct Ryuko's attention to the blueprint on the table, "my team brought this after I had announced that they had the day off, telling me it was going to be a surprise gift from them. There's not a prototype yet but the concept is sound, Their calling it the Chakra Diffusion Propulsion Generator. Their name not mine." He would add with a chuckle at the last part, "that aside, it would work like how sages gather natural chakra from around them, this would do effectively the same thing. Producing it's own energy as well as propulsion, and if it works it will be the stepping stone of the Air fleet." Damien would give Ryuko time to look over the blueprints, even if she wasn't an engineer the process of how it would work was simple enough and Damien wouldn't go to far into the details unless she ask. However he knew it was something that she would be interested in, as she was the one who had set him down the path towards domination of the Sky. Aside from the blueprint of the device Damien was talking about the workshop would hold blueprints of various AirShips, it was clear that a lot of his time has been spent on such designs. Damien never did anything half-assed, when he set his mind onto a project he would put everything into such a project. Though he knew that the AirShips were not why she was checking up on him, it was her special request that she was after though Damien wished for it to be more of a surprise than simply giving it to her. He wanted to build up the tension and anticipation a little more before the grand reveal.

[2]

The Priestess eyes widened in shock at the revelation about how the building's security system worked.  She almost couldn’t believe her ears.   Biometric scanning was a term she’d expect to see in science fiction.   A thumbprint scanner would have been impressive,  One that could scan eyeballs would seem futuristic but this was a quantum leap in what technology was supposed to be capable of.

Ryuko had known she was smart but not the smartest but this was the first time she truly felt the difference between what it meant to have A class intelligence and S.  She could understand the technology being presented to her but not how Damian had arrived at that point.   It really was brains on another level decades ahead of the rest of the world.

As far as security went it was impressive if not infallible.  Even her best lab would take days if not longer to process a dna sample.  Being able to quickly read something to match it against a sample on file in seconds was neither practical or feasible for them.    Still a computer was a computer and which meant it could be bypassed or hacked even if doing so would be extremely difficult.

“Tis more than sufficient to keep out all but the best of the best.” Ryuko concluded.  Even she’d have a hard time breaking into a place like and it would be next to impossible if  they went on high alert.    Not that she’d have any reason to be sneaking in if Damain really was willing to give her full security clearance which she was more than willing to take him up on.

Considering her ability it might be nice if the tower had some kind of elevated platform attached high up for her to land on.  An airship dock of storts could come in handy given what they were working on.

“Good. Mistakes may have been made but I’m willing to forgive as long as they were learned from.”  said Ryuko pleased that they now knew there was a time and a place to record her for prostestary, not that that meant she wasn’t going to be on guard for such a thing now that she knew what signs to look out for.  In a way she was thankful to them for showing her the unexpected hole in her security since she too had an opportunity to learn from the blunder.

Damian said that the town and the tower was mostly due to her funding but in her opinion he wasn’t giving himself enough credit. Not just anyone could take the amount of money that she’d given him and put it to such efficient use.  It took talent and skill to manage it as well as he had.  The sheer scope and the speed of the project was out of this world.  Usually construction took time and often went beyond the planned schedule and over budget.

Once again the priestess’s eyes widened as the carefully constructed mask she wore fell apart for a brief moment as a look of genuine surprise came over her face as she went over the implications of Damian’s words.  The fact the scotch was named after his family wasn’t what caused it either.  He called almost everything he made Darhk something or other.   Some might call that narcissistic but Ryuko just viewed it as him being on brand.

No, what surprised her was the fact that it was the man’s birthday and she had no idea prior to arriving that was the case. It wasn’t often she was caught off guard like this.  He was still more of an acquaintance than a friend at this point but he was still a business partner and it was only polite that she should have brought him a gift.    Coming here empty handed could be seen as a slight against him however unintentional?

Luckily Sophie came to her rescue producing an entire box full of expensive and rare boos that had been imported from overseas.  As expected for a good lady in waiting she had been keeping track of stuff that was too trivial for her master to remember and made all the proper arrangements ahead of time.   Getting a gift for someone like Damian who practically had it all hadn’t been easy but luckily she at least had some idea of his tastes to go on instead of having to  buy something blind.

“Congratulations, Shall I have a portat made in your honor?” she asked before taking a sip of the scotch, casually played her earlier surprise off as if she knew all along that it was going to be his birthday.  “Wow this stuff sure packs a punch.  Tis worth of the name dragon.” She commented while wondering internally what percent proof it was.

“Thank you for the kind offer Sir but I couldn’t possibly accept."  A normal glass of wine would have been one thing but she couldn’t possibly have a glass of such a premium product that was normally outside her budget.   If she did she’d risk ruining her taste for the normal types of stuff most rich people who never touch.

Ryuko was impressed by the depth of the noverable communication between Damain and Zhu Li.  All he had to tell her was “do the thing” and she understood exactly what thing to do.   She aften seemed to communicate with Sophie the same way and knew you didn’t get that kind of relationship between master and servant without building up a lot of trust between them.

Seeing the office transform took her breath away and she wondered just how many surprises Damian had in store today.   Being able to change a room like this had some many applications her head spun. Imagine building a sports stadium that could switch from baseball to football on the fly at the flick of a switch.  They’d be able to use the same building for several applications at once saving on real estate.

The illumination from the fishtank was also impressive but part of her couldn’t help but wonder how the fish themselves felt about it though that was supposing they were even real in the first place and not another level of artifice purely there for aesthetics.   That idol though left as quickly as it had arrived as Ryuko followed Damian into his workshop and gazed at the blueprint that was like something out of an alien world to her.

“To think they would design an engine that could gather nature energy so casually.  Tis puts sage’s like me to shame.” she said with a light laugh.  Something that could gather energy without needing fuel of any kind wasn’t just revolutionary, it was nearly physics breaking.  The only thing more absurd would have been if he’d told her that it could reverse entropy itself and produce energy out of nothing.

“Tis much more than I was ever expecting your company to produce.” She admitted readily. She thought he’d make an engine that ran off some form of gasoline.  As long as it could pull air in and push it out that would be more than enough propulsion for a larger than average air balloon which until now had the distinct problem of being at the winds mercy unable to steer.

“Can this engine of yours be used in a void devoid of nature?” she asked for once sounding hopeful.   Forget airships, this could put her dream to reach space within reach, a wish she hadn’t expected to see granted during her lifetime.  She was so excited she neglected to inform him about the real reason why she had come.

[3]

A smile would form on Damien's face at the sight of the bottle presented by Sophie, "Mi Lady, you did not have to go through such trouble on my part." Damien would reply as Zhu Li would take the booze from Sophie and add it to his collection cabinet, Damien knew how rare and expensive the bottle was only having a single bottle himself before now. The male would let out a chuckle at Ryuko's comment about the scotch packing a punch, and would shake his head at Ryuko's offer of having a portrait made. "Thank you for the offer Mi Lady, but that won't be necessary. Zhu Li has already seen to that, despite my objections." Damien would reply taking another sip of his scotch, in truth he hated portraits. Having to stand still for so long became such an annoyance, and he preferred to spend that time working.


Damien's eyes would spark a little at Ryuko's question of working in a void devoid of nature. "Well I don't wish to get your hopes up, as I said we don't even have a prototype built yet. How the device is meant to gather this energy is still a mystery, and while I cannot say one way or another about if it would work in space. I can say it would be a great break through, and could lead us to such an accomplishment." Damien understood the woman's desire to reach space, it was a desire he shared as space was the final frontier. Still they needed to walk before they could run, or rather they had to fly before they could break through the atmosphere.

Damien would take another sip of his scotch as he tried to hide a smile that formed on his face at a thought that had just crossed his mind, as if he had just remembered a joke in his mind. "Mi Lady there is one more thing I would like to show you." He would say as he removed the glass from his mouth and sat it on the crafting table, "Your assistant was kind enough to send the materials I needed over and well your special request is completed." Damien would pause allowing Ryuko to process what he said as he gauged her reaction to this revelation, after a few more minutes of allowing the tension to build Damien would slowly walk around the table to another a second table not far from them which held a cloth covering it. He would slowly make his way to the opposite side of the second table, of Ryuko was not already standing in front of the table he would motion for her to come stand in front of it. The pure white cloth would hide what was underneath it, yet it was clear something sat upon the table under it. Damien would grip the cloth in his hand and look into Ryuko's eyes, "Mi Lady I present to you Tengādian and Shikenri, The Shield and Spear you requested." With those words he would remove the cloth and watch Ryuko's expression. What laid beneath the cloth was not exactly what one would expect to see, however looks could be deceiving and none more so Deceiving than Tengādian and Shikenri.

Tengādian, the Heavenly Protector by name, was nothing more than an Ecranches. As if the male had taken a large dinner plate and put straps on it and called it a shield, through the artwork on the shield and the attention to detail in the entire craft. Skikenri, the spear named Death Right, looked to be a scepter with a sharp piece of metal on one end. By all accounts it was more on the size of a dagger than a spear, Damien wondered just what Ryuko could be thinking at this sight. Surely she was expecting more than this, however he wouldn't spoil the surprise just yet. He would wait for her comments first, she was a perceptive individual but would she be able to see the secrets that her new equipment held.

[3]

“Perhaps not and yet I did so all the same.” said Ryuko with a veiled smile. “You see the trickiest thing about being a member of nobility is the unspoken rules and protocols that must be followed. I doubt you’d have cared but not bringing you a gift could have caused all sorts of problems.” she explained why she’d or rather her lady in waiting had gone to all the trouble.

“I can understand why you do not wish to join our ranks. The added formality can often seem like more trouble than it’s worth. That said if you keep making contributions to the state such as you have been doing there may come a time where you become one regardless of your wishes.” she added warning him about his future since as time went on the higher the likelihood he would invent something that would leave them little choice but to raise his station.

“Are you aware of how my family the Rose clan became members of the nobility?” she asked him. It wasn’t a long of complicated tale and was fairly well known within the country but he wasn’t a native so she could excuse his potential ignorance on the matter. They weren’t quite a metoracrity, at least not yet but the state had a system in place to reward people for doing great deeds.

Mainly it was by becoming a nobel of the cloth. Someone who didn’t own land and was basically a noble in title only. It was a considerable honor but not something you could pass onto your children so most newly minted nobels ended in one generation. It took some very serious contributions to reach the next level but considering the type of projects Ryuko had Damian working on she had no doubt that people would be questioning why she hadn’t made him at least the equivalent of a baron before too long.

It was a shame about him not wanting a portrait. She felt like it one would be a tasteful addition to his office. It’d be something that could be appreciated for generations to come. She could imagine some future ceo of the company looking at it and trying their best to live up to Damian’s legacy.

She frowned slightly when Damian admitted he wasn’t sure how the new device was actually meant to gather nature energy. He said they didn’t have a prototype but that the specs looked sound so she’d assumed it was further along then it actually was.

“I take it then we won’t have airships ready for the coming war…” she replied sardonically. The smell of brewing conflict was in the breeze. Anyone who knew what signs to look for could tell a war of some kind was on the verge of breaking out and it would be soon. She’d rather her nation wasn’t dragged into it but she might not have a choice in the matter.

“Gathering nature chakra is all about stillness, If your machine has a core that doesn’t move that might be able to do the trick.” That was about the best advice she could give. Ryuko was a sage but she would have a hard time explaining the process since it had come as natural as breathing to her.

“I can demonstrate how to gather some if you’d like. It’s invisible to the naked eye though. We’ll need some technically proficient sensors or some type of special instrumentation in order to get any worthwhile results.” added the priestess with a long suffering sigh. She’d let her excitement get ahead of her and was now regretting it.

“Nonetheless we shall persist. If conventional methods are not yet sufficient then we shall use unconventional ones to supplement them. We have someone that can cross dimensions. If we study his ability we might be able to replicate it mechanically to generate a wormhole of sorts and travel vast distances by bypassing them. “ she said with conviction burning in her eyes to see the stars.

“We also have a technique that can allow us to teleport things anywhere on the planet in an instant as long as we have coordinates, provided what’s being teleported isn’t at least. With some slight calibration it should be possible to use it to send an unmanned probe to the moon at least.” she revealed.

It was just a matter of math really. They had all the instruments they needed to measure where the moon was in relation to the earth and how far away it was so all it would take was some number crunching and in theory they’d be able to teleport items over. The hard part would be sending people since most couldn’t survive the processes, even Ryuko herself couldn’t yet without Rafaela’s power fully unlocked.

Even if she could she’d have to be retarded to try without sending some probes first to make sure it was even safe to do so. They couldn't get the probe back either, but with the advancements that had been made to wireless data transmissions recently she didn’t think it was completely out of the realm of possibility to try.

The fact that technology had progressed so far in such a short time was scary and yet it felt like things were stifled in some fields at the same time. Their boat fleet for example was considered top of the line but was positively ancient unchanging over the last century. It was almost as if some unseen outside force was distorting things.

She wondered how the Lunar society, a cult that worshipped the moon would feel about the fact that Ryuko literally wanted to build a base there someday and use it as a launch pad to reach even greater heights. She knew some people called space the final frontier but she knew that wasn’t true when there existed other dimensions they could visit. Perhaps even other universes. In her dreams during her coma she had seen fleeting glimpses of worlds not her own.

Some would write that off as nothing but a fever dream or a hallucination brought on by her condition but something told her that wasn’t the case. Call it intuition or perhaps a divine revelation but she knew they were out there somewhere just waiting to be found. Just how much did they stand to discover if they could locate even just one of them?

As a sage Ryuko was driven by nothing more than the pure impulse to uncover and understand the unknown. To use it to make her country first and then perhaps humanity as a whole better. It was selfish to prioritize her people first but that was what a sovrin was supposed to be like so in a way she was doing a proper job of it.

“Speaking of war Damian, what is theoretically the biggest bomb you could produce that could still be fitted onto the heavenly transfer platform?” she said with a dangerous look in her eye. She’d heard about how a silly cat had packed a ship full of enough blackpoweder to blow up an entire village but had no intention of trying to replicate such a stunt.

No as was often the case her terribly brilliant mind had envisioned ways to combine things in ways that had never been considered. Most people just thought of heavenly transfer as a quick way to deliver goods in a pinch. Building a platform was super expensive and it was so energy intensive to perform that it simply wasn’t practical for large scale shipping and yet here she was considering weaponizing it.

Extreme long range bombardments were something that was practically unheard of in their world. They didn’t have things like railway cannons that could shot artillery shells over tens of thousands of meters or intercontinental missiles. While their airships they were working on could drop bombs they still took time to travel and could be intercepted. Good luck trying to stop an explosive from going off when you could send it practically anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye as long as you knew where to aim.

It wasn’t something she wanted to use but it was a very powerful card that she couldn’t afford not to obtain. If the other villages knew she had a power that could destroy them in the blink of an eye they would be much more willing to leave her country alone rather than attacking directly ensuring their own destruction.

It was likely they would need a secondary secret site to test powerful explosives. After all who wanted one to go off in a big city like this and wreck the place? It was a shame they didn’t have any Kotōshura clan members on hand to help with the research.

Personally the priestess felt like she was being a mix between a deva and an asura. Offering salvation with one hand and destruction with the other. Still compared with the society who had burned down an entire innocent village for no reason at all or Kiri which had sent forces to literally rape and pillage other countires she felt she was still far more virtuous even if she had to still tolerate some necessary evils in her midst.

Damian saying he had one more thing to show her snapped her out of her self reflection. This was it, this was what she had come here to see. She followed him feeling a second rush of glee. She felt almost like a kid on christmas day about to be opening her presents. The anticipation as they slowly walked over to the second table was excruciating.

As the inventor removed the cloth the priestess literally made an ooo sound at the sight before her. They weren’t quite what she had been expecting, especially given the extravagant names he had given them but she wasn’t stupid enough to judge a book by its cover. As an experienced bukijutsu user she could tell just by looking at them that they were more than meets the eye.


“Let me guess, they have some sort of gimmick that allows them to extend and this is their more compact form?” she asked, taking her best guess at what they could do. She couldn’t tell the mechanics behind how they worked at a glance but they were far too interactly made to be mere display pieces.

She reached out a hesitating hand towards the shield first but withdrew it before touching it, afraid that she might accidentally trigger the transformation unwittingly. Even in this form they were absolutely gorgeous, truly a work of art of a grade rarely ever seen. Something told her they were literally one of a kind, something not even the man who had made them could easily replicate.

“These are absolutely priceless. It feels almost insulting to even ask how much I own you” Ryuko commented before he had even shown her how they actually worked. He’d said he’d make one for free but she wasn’t sure her entire national budget was enough to cover the other. They truly were worthy of being a royal treasure and being the stuff legends were made out of.

[4]

"I will take that into advisement in my future business deals," Damien would reply to Ryuko's comment about gifts, and when she made mention of there coming a time where his contribution would end with him as a part of their ranks Damien couldn't help but frown slightly though it wouldn't last for long he would be quick to return to his previous demeanor in an attempt to hide his disappointment in those words. He enjoyed his freedom far to much to be tied to one nation, and he was never really done of having to take orders from someone. Which was why he took his father's company out from under him and made it his, tired of his father telling him what to do. Though he could always negotiate it later, it and when that time arose. "I've heard stories of it yes, but they never give the full account of the details. I would love to hear it from your perspective, that is if you don't mind." Damien replied with a smile as Ryuko asked if he knew of how her family came to be.

Damien would give a heavy sigh when Ryuko mentioned the coming of war, he knew it was only a matter of time before the swabbles in the minor country sucked in the rest of the world. Hearing Ryuko say it allowed only confirmed his suspicions, "it's hard to say how long it would take really, we could get lucky next week with our first attempt. It could be a month or even a year for us to achieve, but we will not stop until we achieve our goal. If you could maybe explain the process in some details, I can figure out a way to make something that would allow us to view the process and then you could give a demonstration of how to gather it. As for a unmanned probe I should be able to come up with something," Damien was not lying about it even with the continual equations running through his mind about the airships and a way to view something invisible to the naked eye, he was now think of what he would need to get a probe that could function independently without being able to perform maintenance on it as well as communicate back with visual feed. When Ryuko mentioned a bomb, Damien's eyes would narrow. There was nothing funny about war, but bombs. There was no going back once a bomb was sent out, "Theoretically, I could make a bomb as big as the platform itself. However, at this time I have no inclination to make bombs. Forgetting the hazardous materials involved in making such a thing as well as the potential danger of my employees, there comes the question of morality. It I made you such a device what would you do with it? Wipe out armies of your enemies, villages? How many innocent people would be harmed in this endeavor of yours? And once your done with your enemies who would you turn your bombs on next allies, Me? Weapons of war such as the AirShips are on thing, villages have systems in place to protect their innocent from attacks from the outside, but there is nothing that can protect them from a bomb placed in the middle of their village. Do you want the lives of innocent millions on your hands? Besides if I expand my business to another country and then you go to war with said country and decide to blow up the village, well that would just be bad for business on my part." Damien's words would be cold and emotionless, a far change from the outburst he had in her office. This was the first time he had refused to preform a service, and the first time he even attempted to be the voice of reason. He remained professional in his entire speech of morality, only going to show how far the lessons Zhu Li was forcing him to take worked. In truth he could make a bomb with ease he had the testing area and all the other ingredients needed, however he would not just make a bomb on that scale for just anyone. He needed to be sure of her intentions before he even considered such a thing.

Damien would smile when Ryuko asked if it was some gimmick that allowed them to extend, she was just as perceptive as he gave her credit for though he would wait a little while longer before answering. He could see that she was hesitant of touching the shield, as if she was scared or maybe just admiring them in this form first. Either way she would ask him how much she owed him, and Damien would chuckle. "You said so yourself Mi Lady, they are priceless. What is the worth of not just one but two Mastercraft items that will make you a thing of legends? I will let you decide after some demonstration, and you can tell me what you think it is worth to you." Damien would pick up the shield turning it over to show the straps upon it. "If you don't mind Mi Lady," he would say as he held out his other arm for hers. If she held her arm out Damien would strap the shield to the forearm of whichever arm Ryuko offered him, "it's designed so that all you have to do is flick your wrist and it will activate. Whenever your ready just give your wrist a little twist with the shield out in front of you. It has a counter balance so that it won't activate with your arm at your side while your walking, you will have to hold it up right in order for it to activate, and it will deactivate the same way." Damien would give Ryuko time to activate it and view it's glory as a beautiful Tower shield, the designs the same as the smaller form on a much larger scale. A single crystal that stood in the center of and took up most of the smaller shield, now standing in the center of the tower shield. Once Ryuko was done admiring it, Damien would begin to explain. "The material you provided me with was phenomenal, I only wish I had some left so that I could try to replicate it. That crystal is truly one of a kind, even if someone tried to replicate my work without that crystal material it just wouldn't be the same. When hit with chakra the crystal absorbs it almost instantaneously, you have access to this chakra to do as you wish with it. I also took the liberty of placing a unique Fuuin seal upon it, if you are ever in trouble surrounded by all sides simply slam the shield into the earth to activate the seal. By using my knowledge of the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique I was able to replicate the process into the shield, when you slam it down and activate the seal it will create temporary copies of the shield surrounding you like a dome. The best part about this is all the shields duplicated this way share that chakra absorption, so it will not matter where the attack come from with that activated. Unfortunately the enchantment will only last for 90 uses, and once activated if you pick the shield up off the ground the cloned shields dissipate." Damien would finish explaining the shield and then grab the small scepter from the table and twirled it in his hands.

"Now this one is just as special even without the mystery material," Damien would add before tossing it in the air towards Ryuko with the full belief that the woman would catch it. "Flowing a small amount of your chakra into it will activate it," once activated the small scepter would extend to a full seven feet long, the shaft being six inches thick in diameter and the head of the spear being a full foot of the seven that made up the spear. "This blade can not just slice through bone with ease it can even sever chakra networks, causing your opponent to lose more and more chakra with each slice." Damien smiled at his accomplishment in full form in Ryuko's hands, a true Master piece and he even made sure that the color scheme of the Shield and Spear matched her armor that he had seen her in before. "Now I know how devastating it can be when your weapon is knocked from your hand in the middle of a fight, so I placed a counter measure into the spear. A simple Fuuin seal and the same chakra that you used to activate the spear, now links Shikenri to you permanently. If you ever find yourself without it, simply stretch out your hand and will the spear to be there and it will come to you. Even if it's kilometers away from you." A smirk would appear on Damien's face as he spoke, the clever man making a point of how clever he was through the entire speech about the items. He knew they were works of art and no one could replicate his work, they were truly one of a kind. The only question now was how much Ryuko thought they were worth, the amount didn't really matter to him after all he was give one to her for free due to their contract. It wasn't about the price, so much as it was how much Ryuko valued his service. When they had first met she had insulted him by wanting her items for free, but as he told her then he could provide a service that no one else could. That was what he wanted to see, if Ryuko would now see his true worth.

Ryuko couldn’t help but catch the frown on Damian’s face when she mentioned that it might only be a matter of time until he joined the ranks of nobility. It really looked like he was against the idea and part of her wondered what she could do to help him out since she didn’t want to force the title on him if he truly didn’t want it. Avoiding that while giving him the credit he was due would be a thorny path but with the reforms she was enacting it wasn’t an impossible one.

“You know you could always simply SELL the title.” She offered as a way to deal with the problem. He was a profit minded man after all and it wasn’t unprecedented to do so for a large sum even if whoever he wished to sell to would have to be thoroughly vetted.

“I’m afraid tis not a terribly exciting tale. Just over a couple centuries ago a great famine swept across the land leaving scores of dead behind in the wake. My ancestors were a group of knights from overseas that feld here after the country they served at the time had fallen. Using the exoctic knowledge of farming techniques they brought with them they helped the land of lightning recover saving many lives. For this the Daiymo made them members of the peerage and my clan has served his linage ever since.”


The priestess recounted the tale with a warm look on her face, speaking fondly of the incident. It was sad that the famine had to happen in the first place for her clan to rise to power but it wasn’t a tragedy that had been caused by human hands. They had helped because they had wanted to, because it was the honorable thing to do. Not out of some ulterior motive such as profit.

Even now her clan maintained ties overseas, occasionally bringing in fresh blood from their original homeland so as not to become too asian. They had proposed for so long precisely because of being a blend between east and west. Not leaning too heavily towards either side.

“I’m not sure I can describe the process much better. One simply mediates, allowing their body to become one with nature allowing the energy around them to flow inwards. Though it must be balanced against their own energy less they turn to stone as if they were stared at by Medusa herself. Though I doubt a machine will have the same issue” Ryuko explained, giving her head a sheepish stitch. It was rare for her to have such a difficult time explaining something.

As Damian turned down her request for a bomb and gave her a laundry list of questions Ryuko actually smiled with relief at him declining her for once. The hard part sometimes about being the priestess of a god of war as well as the future leader of a nation both military and otherwise was that you sometimes had to think of very dark stuff that you didn’t otherwise wish for.

“I doubt many have systems in place to deal with airships given how few and far between they have been until now. Occasionally one is seen in the hands of a Great Merchant such as Okane-san but those are seen as little more than convenient methods of moving goods around, not a tool to be militarized.” said Ryuko speaking of the one airship she knew existed based on the intelligence reports she had received. It had no weapons to speak of and wasn’t particular fast compared to a standard watership, it’s only advantage was being able to ignore terrain.

The stuff she was steeking to build with Damian would allow the Land of lightning to control the sky. Having air superiority was the kind of thing that would make or break battles and wars. It would take time for other nations to begin coming up with apperoate counter measures but Damian was right in the sense that they would be much easier to defend against in the long run.

“War is a twisted thing. Leaders must always balance the scales of life on their hands. How many am I willing to kill to save others? I’ve snuffed out one life to save another more times than I could count which is quite high I assure you. I almost never feel the slightest bit guilty because the kinds of people I usually have to kill are scum. Slavers and Drug dealers that barely even qualify as human.” she pontificated while looking at her hands which were drenched with the blood of countless sinners.

“Those deaths however were not war but merely taking out the trash. In a full scale battle between nations innocents can’t be helped but caught in the mix and there are no easy answers. If killing a million was all it took to save a billion could you still pull the trigger?” she asked not sure of the answer she herself would give.

“Tis best I think to prevent a war from breaking out in the first place but failing that one can’t help but wish for something that could put it to a swift end. What is one city against the lives of an entire nation. Think not just of the lives of your countrymen we could save but also those on the other side who would have fallen in battle. Just how many of them would be spared?” She continued asking more questions all of them rhetorical.

“That said, I'd rather not open Pandora's box. Even If I could trust myself to not use such a device improperly it’s very existence would invite temptation. Inevitably someone would use it to commit atrocities. Not to end wars but to start them, or worse because of misguided predioudious” she spoke bitterly.

“If I had a hand in bringing such a weapon into this world does that also not make me at least partly responsible for how tis is used long after I’m gone? I care not how the history books regard me as long as my people prosper but I think I could do without such a stain on my soul.” said the priestess ending her soliloquy.

She was only human. If she spent her life working for peace and then someone else came along and started yet another war she could hardly be blamed for it, but she could for all the deaths that would come from such a bomb existing and the inevitable escalation it would cause as other nations sought to make their own equivalents. At least with the airships it was something that already existed.

Ryuko let Damian place the shield on her left arm. This was for both practical and symbolic reasons as the left side was where a person’s heart was thus needing to be more fortified. Extending the shield as instructed she gave it an thorough examination feeling quite impressed that Damian had not only matched it to her armor set look’s wise but also perfectly tailored it to her fighting style going above and beyond her original request for it to act as an extra chakra reserve.

“I received the sample from someone I’m not sure is of this world. He appeared before the village gates provoking a fight. Yet he seemed only out to be testing us in preparation for some grand disaster to come rather than seeking to deal any true damage. Try as I might to locate him I have never found a hide nor hair. Nor have I been able to successfully replicate the metal he gave me though my attempts lead to the creation of my Adamantite.” said the priestess with a wistful sigh.

She had so many questions she would have liked to ask the man but she had a feeling that further attempts at locating him or more of the metal he’d given her was a lost cause. All told that meant the shield that Damian had made for her would remain truly one of a kind.

The enchantment he had placed on it was magnificent. She could hardly believe her ears when she heard the amount of charges it held before it would need to be recharged. Usually 45 was the high end and this was somehow double the amount, Truly it was a pierless treasure.

Reverting it back into it’s storage mode then moved onto the spear which was equally impressive. Considering she’d asked for a weapon that could wound a god without going into further detail she wasn’t sure what the end product would be like but what Damian had made would more than suffice. Forcing a foe to bleed chakra was an absolutely fit for her and being able to call it to her hand from anywhere across almost any distance sounded like something straight out of mythology.

“Tis seems I own you more than just a mere apology. Please forgive my indiscretion for trying to get both of these works of art for free.” she said as she placed her hand to her breast and gave him a respectful bow. Now the biggest matter that remained was discussing how much she owed him. When working with something priceless you just had to assign a value and be able to justify your figure.

“How does 4 million… No 5 million Ryo sound?” she asked, dropping an absolutely astronomical number. That was more money then she could afford so it’d be coming out of the village’s pockets. It was more than a top of the line man of war ship and easily enough to pay for an entire city and also the absolute most she could offer him without the village auditors breathing down her neck for wasteful spending. That just went to show that how deeply she valued them.

“In addition please allow me to buy another 30k shares.” she asked. He was free to do business in other countries as he wished but his was far too valuable to allow for another stakeholder to have more leverage then her. She needed to secure enough shares to ensure that his company would stay operating from a kumo first perspective for the foreseeable future.

[5]

At first Damien wouldn't reply to her comment of selling the title, however after a few seconds of thought he would answer the statement. "I would never dream of soiling a title of honor by selling it, however if the day comes where the title is needed." Damien would pause as he constructed a way to say what he was about to say in a way he hoped would not upset the priestess. "I hope that if the day comes that you and your village will respect my privacy and freedom. I have plans to do business with other nations, and that does require a delicate touch. One that would be more complicated by ties to a single nation, while I will always be eternally grateful to you and Kumogakure for getting me this far. Business is business and the only way for business to improve is to grow, as I stated in our first meeting my goal is to bring the world into the new age. Now that said I am very good with compartmentalization, those working in the other countries would have no information about this one and vice versa. Information I have about Kumogakure would never be passed to another nation, and I ask that you and your people not try to gather information about other nations through me. Respect of business, of course." Of course he really didn't need to mention the part about him not giving away info and asking that they not try to use him for information. The non-disclosure agreement him and Ryuko signed expressly forbade such things from either side, he could not sell their information and they could not take his to another company. Any action of such would result in the termination of the contract, but with someone such as Shimiko leading the Anbu who had a reputation for interrogation he needed to hear it from Ryuko that such things wouldn't happen.

As Ryuko recounted the tale of her family's rise, he could see that she cared deeply about it. "It is always good to help others, when the means are available. Even if nothing is expected in return, simply wishing to help those that needed it, I can see why they were given such honorable titles." His words were kind and held the air of understanding, though him getting a title would be much different than her family. They had pure intentions on their help, while his only intention is money and knowledge.

Seeing the smile on Ryuko's face when he turned her down about the bomb was slightly comforting for Damien, he was afraid she would have gotten upset about it but she wasn't only adding to Damien's assumption that she was not like other leaders. Hearing Ryuko say a man name Okane having airships, even if they weren't military he had solved the flight. Perhaps he found a different way to gain such, but the fact was he had done it. Damien had heard of the man before, but he had no interest in meeting the man before now. Damien would listen without comment as Ryuko spoke about it, even though she asked questions he could tell they were rhetorical.

"Speaking of your Adamantite, I trust you have brought the information I asked for regarding crafting blueprints and recipes from the village?" Damien would ask when she mentioned where she got the strange material and how she developed her own material. A material which was extremely durable and well developed, his time working with the material into her items made him want more of it for himself. He would of liked to know more of the other man, but he could tell Ryuko would not be able to tell him more. If what she said is true, then the shield really will be one of a kind.

Hearing Ryuko offer such a high amount for the single item was unexpected to say the least, he had thought maybe one million or two max but five? Of course he would not say that, he loved money too much to turn down such an offer. Topping it off with an offer to buy even more shares than her initial buy in, only added to the man's delight. "There is no need for you to apologize, Mi Lady. The past is the past, we learn and move forward." He would say with a smile, only to see a glare from over Ryuko's shoulder coming from Zhu Li. She need not speak as the man could see it all in her eyes, he had done more wrong in that meeting than Ryuko and he had still not apologized himself even if Zhu Li had apologized for him. "I too must apologize for my actions and my attitude in our meet, I should have done so before now but I am very stubborn. I have seen since the error in my ways, and I strive to do better now. I know Zhu Li has already sent you four drones for free on my behalf to apologize, however truth be told I had no part in that and I feel that saying it myself might be more meaningful." As he spoke the pain on his face on saying he was in the wrong would be obvious, however the sincerity would be obvious as well. While he had hoped he didn't have to say it, he knew 5hat the words were true and he was ashamed of himself for such actions. Damien would step around the table grabbing his glass once more and taking a swig before his eyes widened as if something just occurred to him. Stepping away from the table Damien would approach a self at the back of his workshop that held a single case upon it, lifting up the glass lid he would reach inside and pull out the blade he had within it. "I won this at an auction the other day, I have no real use for it other than decoration. They called it the Ersatz Sword of Kusanagi, please take it as a token of my appreciation for good business and an apology for my previous aggressions." Damien would state placing the blade upon the table in front of Ryuko.

“Perhaps then tis best to ensure your nomination of such a title never comes up. While I have no intention of getting in the way of your business I’d rather not give the rest of the aristocracy a reason to get overly involved either.” said Ryuko, feeling a headache coming on. Even a Monarchy such as what she was planning was not absolute. The last thing she needed were some of those small minded plebeians meddling in Damian’s affairs.

“Darhk Industries conducting business in other Countries is essential to my plan to bring peace and stability to the region, I have absolutely no reason to interfere in that regard. Nor do we need you to act as our eyes or ears as we can gather information just fine on our own.” She spoke of we in the royal sense referring to the village and the nation at large.

For the most part she had little use for yet more spies. Most of what she needed to know about the other nations flowed freely though their newspapers, radio stations and televisions. Censored as it might be it was plenty to go with the spies Nariko had already put into place.

“I may however ask your company to serve as an intermediary with other nations if things go well. Even something as simple as being able to arrange a meeting with their leaders at the appreciate time would suffice.” She said with a hawkish grin. Even a nation that was nominally hostile might be willing to listen when money was involved. If that could get her foot in the door to begin some diplomacy then she couldn’t possibly ask for more.

“Tis easy to make the correct decisions when times are good. Few however can do so when the chips are down. Tis was a hard decision at the time as my ancestors risked running out of food as they used most of their supplies in order to grow more. Twas the bet of a lifetime.” she mused.

She had a feeling that Damian was one of the later people. The kind that could make the right call during a crisis. The fact that he had moral standards, that he knew to draw a line already made him better than the vast majority of capitalists who didn’t want some of the money but all of the money. Their unrealistic expectations hurting countless people around them in the never ending quest for more when they already had more than any one person could ever realistically spend in a lifetime.

“Ah yes of course.” said Ryuko as Sophie held out a manila folder full of paperwork for Zhu Li to take. Ryuko wouldn’t say this part outloud but she wasn’t sure if she could fully trust it to Damian or not, or at least she hadn't been sure before he refused her request for a bigger bomb which is what had sealed the deal.

On paper Adamantite was so simple. Just mix Titanium with Ebony but the truth was if you didn’t get the proportions just right and fire it at the correct temperature all you’d be left with would be little better then slag. It might not be the strongest metal in the world but it was of the highest calibur they could mass produce which made it valuable.

Or at least it would be until they figured something better out. She already had some theories about a unique compound that could only be made in zero gravity but no way to realistically test them. Reaching space would be the key to making many more advancements for humanity.

She paused not sure what to do when Damian returned her apology with one of his own. She hadn’t been expecting one since she’d considered the matter mostly resolved outside of her own laps. It was starting to feel real Canadian here as she almost wanted to say she couldn’t possibly accept another item after the Drones had already been delivered but she kept her mouth shut not wanting to trample on Damian’s resolve. Going by what she knew of him it couldn’t have been an easy gesture for him to make.


“I Ryuko Shizu Von Rose gratefully accept your kind offer Damian Darhk. I swear to put this blade, the Ersatz Sword of Kusanagi to good use.” she said ceremonially as she picked up the sword appraising it. It was a step down from the Spear but that was to be expected as such legendary class items were considerably rare.

That didn’t make it anything to sneeze at as it was a weapon of the highest quality caliber you could reasonably expect to get a hold of, outstripping even her beloved Hakkin’s Fang. She wasn’t a Kenjutsu specalistic but she knew more than a few sword moves so it was sure to come in handy especially for the big fight she had coming up to prove herself.

Flipping it over she stashed it on her back. If anyone were ever so foolish to try and attack Moonspire or Damian in her presence she would be sure to make a point of using this sword to protect them.

“Before I make my leave I have an additional request. I was wondering if you might have some high end gear for summoners on hand. Something that would either reduce the cost of calling their families to them or prolong the duration they can remain.” she asked.

She could call forth Flying Turtles and Hydra to fight on her side and being able to do so was critical to her fighting style. A bit of experimentation had revealed just how much energy using the higher end ones could quickly eat up, having to spend extra ever so regularly to keep them anchored to this plane. An inconvenient fact she was hoping he’d be able to help mitigate somewhat with one of his clever inventions.

[6]

Damien would allow Zhu Li to handle the paperwork that Ryuko's assistant handed her, the woman would be able to determine what all of Kumogakure's Technology would be useful to him, what would just be reproduced for the market, and what would be garbage. Not that Damien thought of the items as actual garbage, however he held high standards for what he allowed to be sold in his shops.

Damien's eyes would narrow slightly when Ryuko made mention of a summoners tool, if he did not know better he would think that the woman had a spy within his company someone in development or perhaps even Zhu Li. The thought would vanish as quickly as it arose within his mind, he knew that was not a possibility. Even if he had not vetted each and every employee himself, he took precise measures with his employees to ensure such things like a spy would not work. No it was simply that the woman had a mind like his own, one that never stops thinking. They had had similar ideas before, great minds think alike the male would think to himself before clearing his throat. "As a matter of fact I actually do have something that I think would suit what you are looking for. I was making it in preparation for my trip to Fire country, as I have heard rumors of summoners from the leaf village." The male would begin walking as he spoke, this time to a table closer to the fish tanks. "Perhaps you can make use of the prototype, I designed it myself and it is extremely capable. It can work as a anchor to the summons allowing the Summoner to not only have more summons out at once by using it as a medium, it increases the time the summons can remain in our world when summoned. The cost of which to own for you, Mi Lady. Two hundred thousand." Damien would continue, as he reached into the case upon the table and removed a metallic staff. The staff was sturdy enough that it could give someone a good beating if wielded properly, but that of course was not it's main purpose. Standing on end it was six feet long and about half an inch thick through most of it, however towards the top the shaft of the staff widened until it came to a orb the size of a good morning star minus the points. The enchantment he placed on it to increase the summons duration was good, but it paled in comparison to the ability of the staff itself. It was the focus point, one which would allow summoners to call forth more than the usual amount of summons at once. While Damien was not a summoner, but after hearing the rumors about Konoha he figured he could use this as an attraction to draw in clients there. Of course he could always make another one, there was no stopping that. So allowing Ryuko to have the first would be an excellent way for him to gather feed back on whether it was useful or not. If Ryuko wanted it she could have it for a lower price than what he would be selling it in Konoha for, but with all the money she had helped him make it wasn't a loss in his profit margin. Still with the time spent on it and the quality being comparable to the sword he had given her, he would think two hundred thousand would be something the woman would jump on to have it.

Leave it to Damian Darhk to have just what she wanted on hand ready to go. When Ryuko had enquired about a summoning support item she’d assumed it’d take him some time to prepare one.     She wasn’t sure if it was just a stroke of luck or fate at play that he had looked into one already for his trip to the fire country.   That made a lot of sense, there weren’t a lot of summoners in Kumo at the moment but she’d heard there was plenty in Konoha.

“Would you like a letter of introduction? I have a Jounin acquaintance in Konoha.  I know our countries aren’t on the best of terms right now but that should be at least enough to get you a least a meeting.”  offered Ryuko.   She thought back to her match with Masuyo in the Jounin exams and smiled fondly.    They weren’t exactly what you would call good friends but the woman had given her an open invitation to meet up if she was ever in the neighborhood.  She prayed that in the near future she’d be able to take the battle maid up on the offer.

“Sold” Exclaimed Ryuko once she was shown the prototype and told the cost.  200,000 Ryo was enough to fund her aritorsatic lifestyle for two entire months. The equivalent to the total income from both of her stores combined for one month but it was cheap when you considered what the staff could do which went far beyond what she’d been hoping to get from her request.

It would take some testing to see the results but if she could have more summons out that meant potentially being able to have two boss summons out at once, perfect for someone with multiple contracts like herself. The fact that looks wise it reminded her of a sounding staff that a priestess like herself would use for special ceremonies was a big bonus as well. As a vestal she could carry it around casually out in the open and nobody would suspect a thing.

“I’ll be sure to give you a thorough report on this staff’s effectiveness.” She replied suspecting he’d given her a discount on the prototype so that she could act as his guinea pig not that she minded if it saved her some money. She might have a lot to throw around but that didn’t mean she should be careless with it either.


“Before I move on to the next order of business on the docket for today I have a follow up question about something we discussed earlier.  This is purely theoretical since the nature chakra engines don’t have a working prototype yet but how much do you think you could minitureize them?” she asked.

The smaller the engine the smaller the output.  There wasn’t much practical reason to have a tiny one for the most part for for Ryuko it could solve another issue for her.  She’d been looking into getting a nature clan implant in order to passively gather energy so that she could have her sage mode turned on perpetually but she wasn’t so narrow minded that she was above looking into technological solutions instead of biological ones.  

A human like herself didn’t need anywhere near the output of an airship would, so even an engine that was small enough to be wearable would suffice.  It’d likely take a few innerations to get one to the right size that it wouldn’t be too unwieldy, or act as an additional weak point.  Ideally it’d be something she could incorporate into her armor.  

“Just a few more points of business and I’ll be on my way.” she said after that not wanting to tire Damian out with an endless string of requests all at once.   “As you might be aware I’ve been working with a colleague of mine to make a new type of navy vessel.   We’d gotten as far as making a functioning scale model but she can no longer work on the project due to illness.   I was wondering if you’d be interested in taking over the contract.” said Ryuko snapping her fingers.

At her request her lady in waiting Sophie took out a small carrying case. Opening the clasps one by one she swung the case open and took out the contents with both hands placing it on the table for everyone to see.  At 1:100 scale the model of the nemesis class ship was painstakingly detailed.  


Compared to the airships it ran on a steam engine which would seem positive primitive and yet it was paradoxically still ahead of anything any navy in the elemental nations could field at the moment. One might say why did she need it if she had airships but  she was the kind of woman who wouldn’t be satisfied until she had total domination of both the land, sea and sky.

“I know we’re already asking quite a bit from you, but I’d also like to consult about the feasibility of building a defensive fortification that spans the entire border between the land of frost and the land of hot springs as well as building some trains to supply it” she said, her voice dead serious.  It was a project on a truly massive scale but if done properly would turn the land of lightning into a veritable fortress.

She was in the process of upscaling her navy to the biggest the elemental nations had ever seen. Even without the new ship type she would have more than enough to secure her sea borders and trade routes.  Now if they could complete a border wall it would make attacking by land an equally difficult prospect.

The trains part was also easy enough to explain.  Simply put the heavy transfer platform was great for delivering a package fast but it was too energy consuming to be practical on a mass scale.  She needed ways to move things and people around by land quicker then what she had now.

“And last but not least, do you happen to have any medical technology for working with dna and that would allow for extracorporeal pregnancy” asked the priestess with a light blush on her face.  She was essentially asking if he had an artificial womb.   As a lesbian she had though long and hard about how she would have children once she managed to secure herself a partner.  

Many would resort to adoption or seek the help of a third party male but neither quite sat right with her.  She needed an heir, a child of love that was born genetically from a donation made from both partners.   Seeing as that she was going to be the military commander of a nation that might be at war soon she couldn’t afford to be out of the action for several months either.

[7]

"Thank you for the kind offer Lady Ryuko, however I would prefer earning my own audience. If my companies accomplishments are not enough to open the door, then perhaps it is simply not meant to be." Though having a letter of recommendation would get his foot further in the door, the male was simply to stubborn to accept help in the matter. Though he knew he would get an ear full for him turning Ryuko's offer down later, he knew that if he couldn't earn his audience with the village leaders himself then they would not view his work with the respect it deserved and that was simply something the male would not accept.

A smile formed on the male's face as she said the word sold, he knew she would but hearing it come from her was like music to his ears. Another transactions thanks to the honorable Lady Ryuko, though he would have to be careful. The last thing he wanted was to take all of Ryuko's money, she had already spent 8.2 million just since her arrival at the rate they were going she could buy up all the products he had. When she told him she would give him a thorough report a wave of relief would wash over him, he knew he could always count on Ryuko to have his back. They were good in business together, even if deep down he would have liked more than that, he was happy to have her helping him with his work.

When Ryuko brought up smaller engines Damien's eyes would widened, a million calculations would run through his head as he tried to figure out why she would want a smaller engine. In all honesty he could not think of a reason for a small one, unless she was looking for individual flight for a person. Once he had that thought, he found the answer that he felt comfortable giving, "I suppose it would be possible to get it to the size of a fist. Of course the smaller the device, the less effective the device itself would be. I can not guarantee that it would be able to lift the average person, what would you need for such a small generator?"

The man's interest peaked as Ryuko mentioned taking over a contract and her maiden produced a pristine model, Damien would look over the model with a spark in his eye as the gears began turning in his mind. It would be an easy construction, he could have a team on it within the week and have a full scale within the month. He would finally look up from the model with a wide smile upon his face, "I will be happy to take over the contract for you, we can discuss terms once I've completed the full mock up to determine costs and effective production."

At the mention of a consult of a defensive perimeter over not one but two minor countries as well as trains, Damien felt his heart skip a beat. Not from the thought of such tasks, that would be easier that the AirShips. No his heart skipped a beat due to the thought of the money he was going to make off such projects. "I would be happy to help however I can," Damien would reply in a sincere tone, as long as he made a profit for his work he would and could do just about anything. It all came down to the motivation behind it, and Ryuko by far had earned his admiration. She is going to do get things, and if he can help her achieve those goals in any way he was going to do it regardless of how much of a profit he truly makes. The exact numbers didn't really matter to Damien when it came to Ryuko, she has always been honorable and respectful when it came to his payment. It was the only reason he allowed her to choose the price so often, because she understood the true value of such items.

Damien would think for a minute as Ryuko asked about medical technology for pregnancy, if he was being honest the subject would take him by surprise but luckily his pokerface would hold and it would not show. He would swirl the scotch within his glass and allowing the ice to clank against it as they moved while he thought, "I have been working on a project. A personal endeavor of mine that would accelerated the recovery process of patients injured through conflict or even from surgeries if the unforseen were to happen. The idea of it is what I call a Stasis Pod, but to put it simply it's a bath tub with a door that seals the patient inside. Now the pod itself isn't that special, it's nothing more than a container. However it will be filled with this mixture of chemicals that I have my lab working on that will be doing the work and healing the submerged patient who would be strapped to monitors and a respirator." Damien would look at Ryuko with an apologetic look upon his face, "I am sorry I'm getting off topic. That wasn't what you had asked me about, anyway my point is that we might be able to use the stasis Pod for your request we would just need a different chemical combination that can simulate a womb. I can have my lab start working on the chemical mapping of such and should be able to give you a progress report within two weeks, unless of course they get it figured out before then. In which case I would be delivering your request." Damien would smile before gulping down the last of his Scotch, he knew Ryuko's dream went along side his own despite their differences. She wished for a child, and by all records she would be one hell of a mother. If he could help her achieve her goals, then he would do so without hesitation.

Ryuko shrugged as Damian rejected her offer for a letter of recommendation. It was no skin off her nose if he didn’t want her help in that regard. Damian was free to do with his business as he wished as long as she got her cut of the sales as a shareholder.

Though honestly the vast majority of the money she was making from the business was being poured right back into it the way she was going. She’d paid an astronomical sum to him so far already today even before you threw in her latest purchase. Times like these she was glad to have the funding of the entire village backing her since it would have been more than her personal fortune could have afforded otherwise.

“Very well then. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors in the land of fire” She said formally. If he made a deal with Konoha it would likely mean increased trade between villages. More trade typically meant better relations and less fighting, at least in a physical sense which was a good thing.

If Damian’s eyes had widened in surprise at her request, then the Priestess mirrored his expression in shock at just how small he thought he’d be able to get them. She thought she’d be lucky if Darhk industries could get it to the size to be mounted onto a small vehicle like a flight pod.

If they could shrink it to first size then something like a personal jetpack wasn’t out of reach. As someone who could fly on her own power she was a bit conflicted about more people joining her in the sky but those feelings of jealousy paled in comparison to the things she could use such an engine for.

The only question is where should she place it in her armor to reduce the chances of it taking damage from an external attack. Should she start wearing larger shoulder pauldrons perhaps or perhaps somewhere else she thought as she looked down at her chest with a sigh. While she was by no means an ironing board her size there was modest which sometimes left her feeling depressed and inferior to people like Niko or Natusuru who were so large they practically counted as weapons in their own right.

She had a feeling that if she put an engine or two there to exaggerate her size while wearing armor it would only have a negative effect on her self image. At her age their was still a possibility of future growth and her pride wouldn’t allow her to pretend she was something she wasn’t, at least not for long anyhow unless it somehow served to complete a mission like the one time she and Mort had snuck into a high class brothel to bring down one of the Daiymo’s cousins.

“Well as I explained, gathering nature energy involves stillness. Tis hard to take a break in the middle of a fight to sit still and meditate. Being able to charge up on the run would be a huge advantage.” she said not mentioning that she already had at least one way to do just that. Part of being a high level ninja was having as many options at your disposal as you could get your hands on. It never hurt to have alternatives.

“Besides which such an engine might have other uses such as acting as a portable generator to power various devices such as a slipstream projector.” said the priestess offhandedly with stars practically glittering in her eyes. By lowering the air pressure around yourself as you ran you’d be able to achieve a higher top speed from the reduced friction. Even if it couldn't work on a person for scaling reasons just imagining mounting it on her ships so they could complete their trade routes that much sooner made her feel a bit giddy.

“Excellent, then I’ll leave the model with you then.” said Ryuko, feeling pleased as punch that he was taking up the contract after all. His company was working on so many projects already that she was half afraid he’d turn her down. “Say would you mind if we named one of the ships after you? The SS Darhk has a nice ring” she asked.

“Hard to believe we were thinking of turning one into a mobile school. An advanced Academy for Gennin if you will. Tis will be hard to spare one from navy service given the current political climate.” Ryuko said with a sigh. With War on the Horizon she’d have generals demanding to know why she wasn’t putting such a valuable asset to proper use if it wasn’t on the field.

“Many thanks” she nodded in appreciation when Damian said he’d help do everything he could to build the wall. “Tis will be a big project indeed, I’d appreciate if you used my gennin to help with construction as much as possible. I’m much rather they be too busy building then fighting on the battlefield and dying. So ridiculous that we villages use children as soldiers in that way.” she grosed.

After refusing to build a bigger bomb she felt like Damian was one of the few people she could talk to about this kind of thing. One of the few people who understood how horrible and twisted the wars of this world really were. He was a catch beyond catches and if she was straight she would likely have been asking for his hand in marriage right about now if she hadn’t already from how dazzling he was. Whomever landed him as a partner would be one lucky person indeed.

“Of course I’ll ensure you’re well compensated for the trouble.” she said with a knowing grin. It wasn’t like Damian was running a charity here and the last thing she wanted was to infringe upon his good will too much. For all her utopian ideals she knew very well that the world still ran on money and had no intention of trying to change that in the foreseeable future.

Personally she almost wouldn’t mind having society go cashless and having transactions act as a form of credit except for the inherent danger of such a system being misused. If Money was nothing more than zeros and ones on a computer it might be easier to steal then robbing a physical bank and there was always the risk of a totalitarian government deciding they didn’t like the way a citizen thought and cutting them off.

“These stasis pods sound interesting, I’d love to have a few at the hospital even for only standard use.” Ryuko commented. Being able to heal people faster was every medic’s wet dream so naturally she was enamoured with the idea. In many ways this could be the first step towards being able to put people in cold sleep, something they might need for exploring space more deeply or to keep patients with an incurable disease alive while they searched for a cure.


“Two weeks is more than sufficient in this matter. There’s no need to rush on my account as tis is not something that needs to be ready right away.” said Ryuko feeling once again relieved that Damian didn’t feel the need to pry about why she would want such a thing as an artificial womb, especially given the potentially unethical uses it could be put up to.

She’d heard of more then one mad scientist who’d tried to replicate a bloodline through eugenics or cloning. Being able to create humans artificially without the messy business of sex would greatly exbitite the process. It was not the kind of tech she herself would be willing to trust in the hands of just anyone. She still had yet to find Nozomi let alone receive her permission to proceed. Doing so unlitarterally would be wrong for all sorts of reasons.

“So far almost everything we’ve talked about is various things your company can do for me and my village. Before I make my leave for the day I want to ask, is there anything I can do for you at this time?” Ryuko asked. A healthy relationship couldn’t be just take and take. Sometimes you needed to give as well.

[8]

Damien would nod at Ryuko's statement of using the generator to gather chakra for her, now that he understood it more definitively he was able to give a more solid answer. "If that is what you are seeking, I am sure I can devise a way that it could gather the chakra for you to use in combat. Though I won't say it will gather a lot. The large scale generators for the ships would more than likely overload you, of course the smaller one would not put out nearly as much it could still be dangerous. I would have to test it with someone far less valuable than yourself, before I give it to you for your use. Just to ensure you remain safe." His words would hold an uncharacteristic concern for Ryuko, of course he knew she wasn't interested in him but that wouldn't stop him from caring about the woman's wellbeing. Damien knew that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but he still would not give her dangerous untested technology. Not just for the company image, but because he would hate to think that he caused her injury or problems because of it.

"I would be honored to have you name a ship after me," a sly smile would appear on his face. His ego was showing, and Damien loved having his name on things. It was on everything he had his hand in, even the inner workings of Darhk Industries subdivisions would hold the name Darhk in their titles. He was one, if not the most, conceded men in the world. He would look somberly at the model when Ryuko mentioned a mobile academy, "perhaps I can help in that as well. I can supply you the ship for your mobile school, so that you are not diverting crucial defenses from your Navy." Damien would have no trouble putting the funds together for a ship, that could be used for the purposes that Ryuko was seeking. She had done more for him than anyone else, the least he could do is fund the mobile schooling.

Damien was surprised at the fact that she wanted him to use the Genin in building the wall, though he supposed it was better then sending them to war. Still unskilled labor could cause hazards in the work, though extra safety would not be so bad. "It is unfortunate that military has resulted in such measures, though keeping them busy with the wall would be a far better use. I will ensure there will be extra safety measures in place, so that they are not doing anything too dangerous." When Ryuko mentioned that he would be compensated a smile would form on his face, he knew the woman understood him. It didn't matter about the price, he knew that she knew his worth and would hold her word.

"Of course once we have a working model I plan to do a full upgrade to the hospital, turning it into a state of the art medical facility. These pods are just the beginning, I assure you that. And there is no rush at all, merely projective business. What is good for you benefits my company, so ensuring the happiness of my shareholders is a no brainier. Especially one who has done so much for me in return." Damien would reply with a smile, his words held sincerity as he meant every word. When Ryuko changed the subject to what she could do for him, he was a little take off guard. There was something he wanted that only someone of Ryuko's position could give him, of course he had wanted it for a while but he had been playing the long game. He wasn't sure now was the right time to ask, though he suppose the worst she could do was refuse him. "There is one thing, Mi Lady." A sly smile returning to his face, "I am a man that appreciates knowledge, and I am also a man of science. I have become aware of certain Techniques that only shinobi of your land holds, I would love to have more information on them for my research. Of course I can understand if there are certain Techniques that you would not wish for me to have access to, but I wish to understand more about chakra and believe that the secrets of your village may help me in that dream." Damien knew that asking for access to the village exclusive Techniques was a stretch, he held no real ties to the country. He knew that they would assume he would just try to sell them, but his words of using them for his research was true. He just wished to know more.

“Well yeah, I’m pretty sure hooking just about anyone up to a ship scale generator would mess them up…” Ryuko replied in a jovial tone.   The human body could only contain so much energy and if she wasn’t careful with balancing it a sudden surge would either make her implode or simply turn to stone.


“Tis not need to be much. A master like myself can sustain a sage state with very little energy expenditure.  That said you are wise to be cautious when testing your engine as nature energy is highly volatile which is the main reason there aren’t more sages running around.” advised the priestess. If handling it was easy, anyone and everyone would be a sage.

“Oh now there’s an idea. I suppose it won’t be just one ship named after you but two.” she said her eyes sparkling again at the idea of Damian supplying the school ship which would naturally be known as the Darhk Acadamy.  

Anything he built from the ground up would be leagues better for that purpose then retrofitting something that was designed to be a warship into a rather unlikely role.   She’d have no complaints if he wanted to sponsor one.

Some people might question why he would do such a thing when there was no profit in it but Ryuko had a few ideas why it might be an attractive idea for Damian.   The school would serve as a great form of advertising, especially since it would move around.   People that attended it would be more likely to buy Darhk products for the rest of their lives.  

Plus what better way was there to gain future highly skilled employees short of training them internally from the ground up? This would save him the time and trouble of having to do that since he’d have to do little more then provide the ship and Ryuko would take care of the rest.


“Working on conduction will be a good experience for them.  With any luck they’ll become more like Roman legionnaires, just as much engineers as they are soldiers.” she said.  It would give them plenty of things to do during peacetime if nothing else since the state had no end of projects that could be worked on.  She hadn’t even really considered safety much since being ninja they were likely safer then normal works from being able to walk on walls and such.  

On hearing the words state of the art medical facility her face lit up like a kid at christmas who’d gotten the present they’d asked for from santa.   If he had followed up with a line about her hitting the jackpot when she’d signed up with him she wouldn’t have been able to refute the point.

She wanted to spread that sort of development across the entire continent given time to save as many lives as possible but a small part of her wanted to brag that Kumo was the first.  That it was the Kingdom of thunder that brought all these invitations to the rest of the world.  

“Tis it not crazy how we wish to avoid war, but tis the very prospect of said war that is accelerating scientific development?”  asked Ryuko deeply appreciated the irony of the situation.  If it wasn’t for the fighting she’d have budget committees after her head for pouring so much money into things that didn’t directly translate into more profit.

“Hmm that depends entirely upon which techniques you wish to learn.  Some are how we say more closely guarded than others.” she said with a long sigh. Short of him asking for her hand in marriage this was the most troublesome request he likely could have made.    She was trusting him with so much already at this point that there seemed little harm with trusting him more but she still had to be careful with some things.

“I’m sure you’re willing to sign a non disclosure argument but you’re already a man who’s too invaluable to lose.  Having that knowledge could make you an even bigger target for outside forces then you are already.   I’m not saying no but I’d be more comfortable if you had at least another strong bodyguard from my village.  Not that I doubt Zhu Li isn’t capable but she’s not going to be able to fend off more elite threats on her own.”    said Ryuko.

If someone like Akihirio came knocking or the Society Damian would be in serious trouble.  Those jutsu where her village’s ace in the hole she so really didn’t want any more information leaking on them then what was absolutely necessary.

[9]

"War is but another affliction of the human condition, Mi Lady." Damien would respond to Ryuko's comment of war. While it was true there were people like her who wished for peace, there were more people in this world who wished for nothing but power. Power to rule the world by force, or some other way. The results were always the same, as long as there were those that would seek to do good there were those that sought to do bad. This is the highlight of what Damien called the Human Condition, and one that Damien himself was still trying to understand himself. His research into this condition as he called it was his driving force, his question for knowledge insatiable. The mind was the great tool humans were given, and his was his greatest weapon. Mind of matter, it was how Damien looked at everything. Of course he knew in a world of shinobi, smarts only would get you so far. It was why he held the experiments he did, it was why he was always pushing the boundaries. It was his own quest for power that drove him, he did not wish to rule the world. No his wish was that Darhk Industries would be the biggest world wide company, able to supply the world with the tools to survive or kill their enemy. Sure he was doing nothing but adding fuel to the fire, but if there was a profit to make one best believe that Damien Darhk would not be far behind if he wasn't already in front of it.

When Ryuko mentioned that some were closer guarded than others, Damien's hope of getting access to all of them went down the drain. He wouldn't show the disappointment on his face however, instead he would merely smile as he allowed Ryuko to continue about the non disclosure and hiring additional bodyguards. Once Ryuko had finished Damien would finish off another glass of whiskey, taking a slow deep breath as he placed the glass on the table. "Well, Mi Lady. I would be happy to sign an NDA and I have my eyes on a couple prospects from the hidden cloud shinobi to fulfill duties if they are interested, though of course them serving as bodyguards is ultimately up to them not me. On the matter of the exclusives I would be lying if I said I wouldn't like all of them, however that is not how I work. All of them could prove vital to my future research, however as I already said I can understand not wishing me to have all of them." Damien would return to the couch he was sitting on when Ryuko arrived, laying back as though he was thinking of what to say next. "There are three in particularly that have drawn my interest, the first of which is your self-repairing barrier. It could help provide defenses not only for my company, but if I can devise a way you can use it without shinobi it could benefit the village as well. The next is the Iron Armor Seal, anything strong enough to lock away a power like a Bijuu is something that could prove very useful to me in the future. And finally." Damien would take a breath as he knew this last one would be one of the ones guarded above the others, one that the village wouldn't want anyone outside their walls to know of it's secrets. In fact the book he found that referenced the techniques did not even have a discription of this one, just a name. "Black Lightning. While I know I am not a ninja and this Technique is reserved for those that have shown exceptional use of Raiton, I believe it could help me in my research just as much as the barrier could." Damien would hold his breath waiting on Ryuko's reply, any one of those techniques could do wonders for his research but to have all three would put him leagues further beyond the competition then he already was. In the back of his mind, Damien knew that he would most likely not get his last request so his hope was for at least one of the first two he had asked for.

“War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives” said Ryuko quoting a famous general.

She was fully aware of how ironic those words were coming from her. The bulk of her country's economy and jobs right now was building up various things to defend themselves from war. Without it she wouldn’t have to spend millions of ryo to maintain the shipyards and her massive navy.

She knew full damn well that eternal peace was impossible, but her policy was to walk softly and carry a big stick. She was more than happy for her nation to live in peace when it could but if it was threatened she wanted to be absolutely sure she had enough forces on hand to be able to defend itself if attacked and to put a swift end to conflicts before the casualties piled up.

Not just for her sake but for the other sides as well. The quicker she could make them admit defeat and surrender the less they would have to suffer. The longer a conflict dragged on the more people were dragged into the meat grinder.

As expected Damian was more than happy to agree to her terms to learn some exclusives. They were a very small price to pay considering what she could have demanded instead. There were some villages that would put a seal on someone to ensure their silence rather than just make them sign a paper.

“I can grant permission for the first two easily enough. As for the third….” Ryuko said dramatically. The barrier one was so impractical to use because it required multiple people to activate and ate up so much chakra in the process. If it got out the damage would be minimal.

As for the Iron armor seal she wasn’t too worried about sharing that since most of the major villages would have their own method to seal a bijuu already. When she considered that with the fact most of the Bijuu had a host already it was fairly harmless to teach.

“As for the third normally I would have to say no but these are rather unique circumstances. I deem it a suitable reward in recognition for your distinguished service to this country.” Said Ryuko with a sly grin. This world for them both since if people complained why she hadn’t made Damian a noble for his work she could simply explain he’d been given more than adequate compensation otherwise in lue of a raise in social status.

[10]

Damien felt his heart sunk when Ryuko paused about his third request, he felt sure she was going to deny him it. While he wasn't lying about the other two helping his research, it was the Black lightning he had been the most interested in. Damien's fear would be alleviated when Ryuko finally broke her dramatic pause and agreed to him learning it's secrets, a smile would form on his face as another piece of his plan fell into place. It wasn't every day that someone was given access to something like this, and while she said it was for his service and he believed her. Damien couldn't help but think of what a wonderful birthday it had been, and that he was lucky to have a partner like Ryuko. Damien would let out a sigh of relief at Ryuko's words, "Thank You Mi Lady, I assure you I will not betray the trust you are placing in me."

With their meeting coming to a close, and all the important matters out of the way Damien knew that Ryuko more than likely had other important matters to deal with in her village before she could call it a day. "One last thing bedore you depart, Mi Lady. Please take these with you, they may prove helpful." Damien stated before handing Ryuko a small pouch containing 5 Flash-Bangs, "These are a new type of explosives we have been working on, a mixture of a flash bomb with an equally loud bang to deafen and disorientate the enemy. Just make sure you aren't standing next to one when they go off." He chuckled slightly at the last remark, he knew Ryuko wasn't stupid enough to try to set one off next to herself. Of course that could not be said for everyone, which is why the item wasn't on the open market. It was actually intended for special ops like the Anbu, or in Damien's case his private sector. "Also I have one more favor to ask you," Damien would reach into the desk and remove a bundle of three normal looking scrolls, "Now I think we both agree that war is a terrible thing in this world, however I would be lying if I said that it didn't have some uses. These scrolls hold a special seal formula that I created, capable of storing the remains of those no longer among the living. Even the dead has it's uses, and oftentimes lead to ground breaking discoveries not to mention the benefits of having readily organs on hand for transport. Since I am not one for a battlefield myself," Damien paused a moment clearing his throat, the fact that he said he wasn't good at something obviously paining him. "I would ask that you carry these with you, and if you happen to find useful subjects for research I would like you to use these and bring them to me. That is of course if you do not mind me asking such a thing." Damien would smile as he spoke, his tone holding no sign of trying to get Ryuko to do something she didn't want to. Not that he could. However even if she wasn't the one that took the life it didn't mean she couldn't seal the body and bring it to him for research.

Unless there was something else Ryuko needed, Damien would allow her and Sophie to depart from the office as he returned to his glass of scotch, 'A good day indeed' he missed to himself as he looked out across Moonspire at his achievement.

(Attempted Exit?)

'Giving to Ryuko':

Ryuko knew she was someone who was found of dramatic flair but upon seeing the extreme look of disappointment on Damian’s face as she made it seem like she wasn’t going to grant his request to learn black lightning reminded her to make sure she didn’t take things too far.

It had only lasted a few seconds before his face transformed to one of elation but that didn’t mean the negative feelings hadn’t existed. Given that her goal hadn’t been to make him feel bad she was worried about reaping what she had sown if she kept this type of shenanigans up in the future.

Payback as they say was a bitch and she was pretty sure Damian was the exact sort of man that would ensure he got his in some shape or form in the future for any slights that were made against him no matter how minor they might seem. Well at least he seemed pretty happy with the outcome this time so hopefully he’d let her off the hook since she hadn’t been deliberately out to get a rise out of him.

“Oh now these seem really cool.” Ryuko commented as she examined the new type of grenade she had been handed. As someone who had used a strobe light in her baton to great effect she had more than a passing idea of just how effective such a weapon could be.

All he’d really done was stick too already good ideas together, sort of light peanut butter and jelly but then again where'd much of her ideas basically the same thing. How many jutsu had she come up with simply by trying random combos out together and seeing what worked and what didn’t.

In any case for a Buki user like herself it never really hurt to have more tools on hand to mess with people. Even if there was a limit to how much she could realistically carry at any one time she hadn’t quite reached that yet and they weren’t so large as to pose a problem. “Thank you,I’ll be sure to put these to good use.” she said as she placed them into one of her hip pouches.

His last request was a little strange but of no trouble to her. Just because she didn’t like war didn’t mean she wasn’t pragmatic enough to kill people when she had to. She was just extremely good at emotional compartmentalization which could make her come off as cold at times since on the surface at least taking those types of actions rarely seemed to shake her.

“No I don’t mind at all. Tis better to make the most of what you have at hand rather than waste it. Even a life that has been cut down can still be put to use.” she replied as she took the scroll and added it to her pouch as well. Given her fighting style she couldn’t promise that she’d always be able to bring a body intact enough to use for transplants but it was something that was better to have on hand and not need rather than need it and not have available so she wasn’t about to complain.

“Until we meet again Damian. I wish you a happy birthday and all the best the year to come” said Ryuko as she left the office more than satisfied with the results she had gotten from the meeting

[11]

[Exit]