"I demand a duel. I need to know how strong our best warrior is." Artemis says seriously.
She has appeared at the shop a week after I've taken over, armed with her weapons, and a big gray wolf. I am given what she considers an approximation of what she remembers me wearing from her visions when I'm her ideal warrior. Which is the same armor she wears, except it's purple and black instead of green and brown. But it's the same. Except no steel chestplate. I'm annoyed by it until she tells me herself what my gambit is.
"I see it in my visions you want to bleed so your poisonous blood overpowers your opponents. It's a dangerous gambit for sure." Artemis says warmly.
I am stunned, but giggle amusedly at the thought of it. I also have a longsword, and 4 single shot pistols that hang on my belt.
"Are you sure you can handle being shot?" I ask nervously.
"We both can heal, shut up and try me. I need to know what you can handle for real. Potential is different from reality. Don't hold back to an extent. Avoid using poison if possible, I know your poison is the real deal already. I must measure your Martial Talents now." Artemis says warmly.
We stand in the field near my shop. It's a field of dead grass now, due to my poison and the corpses. It's dead for about a sixty foot radius, then it turns bright green with some flowers here and there. Then the strange, hastily put together town surrounds us.
We approach each other. I'm a bit tense, while she's eager.
"For me, this is when you're at your most dangerous. You when you acknowledge you're not a perfect immortal. When you're too cocky, it's easier to beat you." Artemis says warmly.
She fires her bow at me. My eyesight sharpens, colors becoming saturated. And I turn my body sideways to dodge the bullet with a small sidestep. Then I rush forwards as she cocks her next arrow. I ready my sword on my shoulder. She fires. I anticipate where she fires, my simulations showing she's aiming for my heart. I block the arrow with the flat of my blade over my chest.
The distance is finally crossed. I swing overhead into her skull, but she blocks it with her bow! Then she front kicks me away. She sheathes her bow, and pulls out her gladius. I lunge forward with a hard right slash, she blocks it with the gladius. And whistles.
Her wolf comes charging in from the side. And I can't help it. My eyes compulsively shoot poison darts at the Wolf. Which hits the wolf. But he just growls and pushes through.
"Heh. I anticipated you coming. We both trained to resist your poison anyway. Don't feel too bad if you make a mistake." Artemis says warmly.
Artemis blows me a kiss. Which distracts me with a new world to deal with in my mind just from my future self saying one sentence in my head.
"I forgot she's a lesbian." she says, embarrassed and amused.
I'm stunned by her, which leads to the Wolf latching its jaws onto my shin. And racing off with me at high speeds. I'm like a rag doll in its mouth. All I can do is kick it in the head with my other foot as I'm dragged across the ground and around the area like a toy.
"Just give up, Kobra. You can't beat him without killing him. And I'd be mad at you if you killed Sammy." Artemis says warmly. "Stop, Sammy. We're done playing."
She's laughing as Sammy drops me, and I just lay on the ground in pain. Smoldering with rage and self-doubt.
Until it happens. Artemis pushes me onto my back. And sits beside me. My heart flutters as I take her in. Now that things are different for both of us.
The Oracle in myself admits it. We should date. We should try it. The Oracle admits I've never managed to settle with anyone.
"They're all just patterns of our lives. People we live with over and over again. Be it themselves, a personality who's just like them, or their reincarnation. Or a robot of them. Who cares, just try dating Artemis. Just don't be surprised if she dumps you eventually, they all do. We don't have a husband or wife in 2025." Future Self waxes wisely.
Artemis places the back of her hand on my forehead, and cups my cheek with her hand.
"You feel warm, but that could be the poison in your blood. You're probably fine." Artemis says warmly.
We're both blushing. The pain is still there, but it's fading when there's someone pretty and strange to look at.
"So are you the real one? Or just a girl named Artemis?" I ask nicely.
"There are 12 of us named Artemis at this point. It's just the rank girls get when we become a God of Hunting. I got it for slaying a Hydra." Artemis says warmly.
I can already tell what a hydra is. A multi-headed snake beast thing with regeneration just like all Immortals. Except I guess it wasn't truly immortal.
"So you need to improve on a few things. Most important is non-lethal means to fight. Develop your Yang abilities. And obviously, one of your first custom weapons is making better guns." Artemis analyzes seriously.
I sigh annoyedly.
"Yes ma'am." I affirm bitterly.
She pulls a book out her quiver and hands it to me. It's a orange book with a sun carved into the leather on both sides.
"Those are all my Yang rituals for obtaining more Yang. Be sure to use it." Artemis orders calmly.
"Yes ma'am." I say calmly.
"I order you to prioritize your fighting capabilities over your blacksmithing. We need you as a soldier sooner than later according to my visions. Especially because of your Mask. It changes things for this society, and China as a whole. It brews chaos to create the energies of Yin and Yang to give people more life." Artemis orders seriously.
I glare up at the heavens.
"I will consider it." I say through clenched teeth.
"Do it. The Mask comes within a month." Artemis orders seriously.
I should've been learning how to blacksmith. I do enough to be a worker. And a prime worker. I obtain the materials for blacksmithing. But it's the girls who do the work. I've given them my plans. My orders. And I've even given them a goal to work towards when we aren't making weapons.
Our first goal is an automatic grinder. A grinder that can sharpen steel without us needing to spin the stone wheel with a foot pedal. They are eager for it. And it helps one of our workers, Ya Bao, can use Air magic already. So she's extremely useful. And they both can use metal better than me.
I do make them teach me how to do metal a bit. But I have to make sure it's necessary, so I have Ya Bao and Qian Yun teach me.
Ya Bao is a short woman with tanned skin. When she's not at work, she dresses in cute kimonos. At work, we all look like farmers. Dirty white shirts, brown pants, and sandals. She has short black hair, and glasses. With brown eyes.
Qian Yu has dyed her hair red. It's a similar shade to mine. But brighter since it's artificial. She has pale white skin, and blue eyes. She dresses in men's clothing typically when she isn't working. My future self claims she's gonna be the first trans man we meet. Whatever that is.
"It's easiest to work with your own Chi. Your Chi calls out to what comes naturally to you. Most Martial Artists with metal magic can only create what they'd consider their ultimate weapon, or their true weapon. Whatever you call your favorite weapon. Just imagine yourself creating it using your magic, and you Martial Artists usually figure it out." Ya Bao says warmly.
"Yeah, you Martial Artists always look goofy when you use magic. Cause you're trying to look cool." Qian Yu says warmly.
I chuckle nervously. And clap my hands together. I can feel the metallic slime forming between my hands as I call out for it with my fighter's spirit. And I get a scimitar. A curved sword from India. A country that's on this continent we haven't even heard of. I feel a bit sad, but also pleased with myself. It feels forbidden in so many ways.
It's a pure purple blade, with a rough hilt. It barely even has a guard. And it's dripping poison off the steel. I swing it a bit, and poison splatters a bit. It melts into the ground, leaving puffs of smoke spiraling into the air. I admire it tensely. As do they.
"Now try making the blade retract back into your body. Otherwise, you'll be leaving weapons around for people to steal." Qian Yu says nervously.
I nod, and order it with thoughts to ooze back into me. It becomes liquid once more, coats my arm, then begins soaking in. But for now, my arm is cast in metal.
"Intriguing. And you have the armor figured out as well by now. Very useful." Qian Yu says warmly.
"You're already a Journeyman with your metal chi. Well done." Ya Bao says, tense and nice.
Next is restraint. Artemis has made two requests: Make a ranged attack that is magical and doesn't rely on murdering someone. And make a way to knock someone unconscious using magic.
The first is a bit easier, but both requires investing time in cultivating my Yang side. Which with Artemis's rituals, are intriguing. They all rely on making yourself happy, as I expected. But they are all unique because she often uses the same materials for burning materials.
Her notes show burning sage and sandalwood enhances the Yang energies in a room for absorbing sunlight and Yang energy better. I must also work on visualizing a heroic, kind solution to my problem. Holy thoughts make Yang work better.
I get a vine to work. When I make a plant grow out the ground, I'm happy. It'll work anywhere. If I pour Yin into it, it'll grow faster into a poisonous plant of steel that can be used to hit people. I can do the same with Yang but it takes longer. And inevitably it becomes tainted with Yin so it'll actually hit someone.
But it's non-lethal, and should barely hurt.
Now I work on my metal magic once more. With what should be simple, but is complex. Growing pillars of metal out the ground to hit people with. While stomping my foot into the ground. It doesn't work at all. At first.
Until I realize I must draw metal from the ground to the surface. So now I work on channeling metals in the Earth to be near the surface. It works for a while actually. Until I find another Oracle countering me.
An Oracle named Wu Bin. He's a Yin Martial Artist I know for being better than anyone at Earth magic. And he molds the metals back into the Earth as he walks past my store. Our Oracle senses cross paths, and I hate him. He is a pattern breaker. He is why I can't keep metals within 5 feet of myself at all times. Because he counters me by using his magic to mold metal back into the Earth. Cause he is a stabilizer of reality. Which is nice, cause he's known for disarming everyone's killer traps. It's just annoying cause he does mine the most.
He is unimportant for all things otherwise as he wishes for peace above all. He will fight with the town, but only when soldiers actually reach the village. Otherwise, he doesn't care.
I can make metal pillars happen once the metal reaches the surface. But I must channel my Chi for at least twenty minutes before the metals condense enough to where I'm confident I'd have a decent arena with a metal floor.
But I'm satisfied with it. Enough to focus on my business. Which is creating weapons, armor, and training people to use them.