Me, My Spirit, And I [Book 1 Complete]

B1-Ch 42 Adjusting and Future Problems



Becoming Lusha required some give and take in their daily schedule and more than a little bit of subterfuge. Luca and Shada had separate interests and responsibilities.

The Shadow Company was run by Shada's manager Kariss, but Shada was known to hover around the compound invisible and intangible while carrying on silent conversations with Kariss so that she could carry out his will. Shada also worked at the clinic providing Holy Essence for enhanced healing. The rest of his time was spent working on his own studies and experiments.

Even Luca had a job of sorts as he was paid for his help with translations that he did during the language studies part of his tutoring sessions. Payment had been arranged after his grandfather had decided that the original language tutor was taking advantage of young Luca.

The real problem for both of them was that like Luca, but unlike Shada, Lusha needed to sleep. They only needed 4-6 hours of sleep a night, but they now had to fit two days worth of activity into a single day. It didn't help that Lusha didn't have the same freedom of movement that Shada had as a spirit.

"Mom, I need to figure out how to balance all this stuff on my plate. I have the Shadow Company, the Root Clinic, martial practice, tutors, my translation work, and my Delving team. There aren't enough hours in a day to manage it all." Lusha had an entire list of activities that Luca and Shada were responsible for in front of them. They were twirling one of Shada's fancier ballpoint pens with one hand while holding the list with the other.

Shinobin and Lusha were at the kitchen table enjoying a light breakfast before starting their day. Cooked grains sweetened with berries, butter, and something like bacon bits was a common staple among the Wylderfolk. Shinobin chewed her food slowly as she thought.

"The key to managing increasing responsibilities is delegation, but I think you may actually need a personal assistant at this point." Her expression was contemplative as she sipped her morning tea.

"A personal assistant?" Lusha looked incredulous. "Mom, I am a child!"

"You are a child, yes, but you are more than that and you know it. A personal assistant could take over a lot of the footwork needed to manage the Shadow Company. That alone would reduce your burden significantly."

"It just seems absurd somehow. You are right, I am not just a child, but I like being a child." Lusha sighed in frustration.

"You will be coming of age soon. You will go through the Awakening Ceremony among several other celebrations. Your childhood is coming to an end Lusha dear." Shinobin sighed over her tea. She didn't want her child to grow up anymore than Lusha did.

"Other celebrations?" Lusha asked. They needed a distraction from their current concerns and a change of topic seemed their best bet.

"Hmmm, I guess we haven't spoken about that much have we?" Shinobin waved her hand in an all encompassing gesture around Lusha. "You are a child of many cultures and many peoples. There are traditions that must be observed and certain politics."

"Politics?" Lusha's voice held a hint of concern as they asked that simple question.

"Yes, there will be a debutante ball after the Awakening ceremony for the children of nobility. You will be formally presented to her Supreme Majesty Witch Queen Aseralis, my mother, your grandmother." Shinobin grimaced when mentioning her mother whose titles she said with a hint of irony.

"What!? Why on Sierrallas would I have to go to a debutante ball and meet the Queen?" Lusha was wondering if their problems were only going to get worse as they grew older. The idea of politics was down right horrifying.

"You are an Aseralis and of noble birth, technically."

"Technically?"

"Yes, there are nobles and then there are [Nobles]."

"I can hear the emphasis when you say [Nobles], but what is the difference?"

"You can be born a noble, because your parents or grandparents are or were nobles, but to be a [Noble] you must be formally recognized by both a System recognized nation and by the System itself. I am a noble by birth as are you, but neither of us bear the title of [Nobility] granted by the System."

"So there are hereditary and titled nobles?"

"Yes, but the big distinction is that being a hereditary noble is little more than a status symbol. It comes with almost no real responsibilities or benefits. Hereditary nobles are often called nobles in name only if that helps."

"It does mom, but if there are no responsibilities how does that work with this whole debutante ball and meeting the Queen?" Lusha was genuinely confused. They had read about nobility in their studies, but history and politics were not something they had a strong interest in and they may or may not have spent much of those lessons daydreaming.

Shinobin's face twisted into another grimace. "The ball is to help you to connect with your noble peers and make connections, but meeting the Queen is for the [Testing]. Not just anyone has what it takes to become a true [Noble]. The [Testing] is an ability granted to monarchs to let them assess who has the highest potential to gain the title of [Nobility]."

Lusha could tell that their mother was remembering something potentially traumatic from her own [Testing]. They were worried if it was troubling their normally unflappable mother.

"Did your [Testing] not go well mom?" Lusha's question was asked with concern in their voice and a worried expression on their face.

"It is more that my mother was not happy with the results. I do not have what it takes to gain the title. She had wanted me to follow in her footsteps and take over as Witch Queen someday."

Lusha was surprised that his somewhat humble and unassuming mother had once been considered a potential future Queen. It just didn't fit with her plain attire and the humble cottage they lived in.

"What happens if I am [Tested] and have the potential? I would really rather not become a true [Noble], thank you very much." A slight shudder ran through Lusha's slender frame as they considered all the politics and responsibilities involved in being a true [Noble]. They were already struggling with just running a single Company from the shadows.

"Let us hope that you don't." Shinobin shuddered in sympathy with her child. "[Nobles] are as much combatants as they are leaders. When Beast tides rise [Nobles] lead from the front, when the Monsters surge from their Dungeons and Lairs [Nobles] fight them back, and when nations make war the outcomes depend on the strength of the countries' [Nobles]."

"Wait, I am confused. We had nobles on Earth. They were rich landowners and politicians. Is that not the case here?" Lusha was really wishing that they had paid more attention in their history and politics classes.

"[Nobles] don't own the land as much as the land owns them. They oversee a territory to which they are [Contractually] bound by the System. They must defend it and its people from both Beasts and Monsters, which can be profitable. It is the hereditary nobles that often play politics."

"So does that mean that the [Testing] is more about determining who can protect a certain area?" Lusha was slowly starting to see the logic of the System granted title of [Nobility].

"Yes, I will give you a few books to study on the topic for later. You really should have read about all this in your tutoring sessions." Shinobin gave Lusha a pointed look that let them know that their lack of interest in those lessons hadn't been overlooked by their mother.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Ok, I think I need to mentally digest all this, but this wasn't the only ceremony was it?" Lusha was almost afraid to ask their latest question for fear of what else they might have to face in the future.

"No, you will be presented to the spirits of the Wyldwood, the elders of the Wyld Elf clan Drykus, and take the entrance exams for the Eastern Imperial Academy."

"What!?" Lusha actually shouted in alarm at the list of future tasks being added to his already full plate.

Shinobin sighed again, sitting her cup down and reaching out to hold Lusha's hand affectionately. "My sweet child, you are of the Wylderfolk and we are of the Wyldwood. All of us are presented to the trees when we come of age. You are of the Wyld Elves and they have their own traditions that must be observed. You are of the Aseralis family and we all attend the Academy as part of the treaties with the Imperium."

Lusha was shell shocked to say the least. "Mom, that is overwhelming," Lusha said softly while reaching for his mother who embraced her child in a fierce, but gentle hug.

"It will be ok. You will manage. You are strong and you are special and you literally have a Goddess watching out for you."

"Thanks, that helps," Lusha said with a sniffle. Being young again meant having to deal with the strong and chaotic emotions that came with their younger body.

"So a personal assistant doesn't sound so bad now does it?" Shinobin said with a laugh.

"No it doesn't," Lusha laughed along with their mother and enjoyed the comfort of being small and held. The feeling of being held by one's mother never got old; people just forgot how to truly appreciate it, but Lusha was not one of them.

Lusha knew that one thing on their list had to go. They couldn't go Delving as an unawakened child and no one in their right mind would want to take a child into a Dungeon. However, the Shadow Delvers had grown strong over the years while Shada lagged behind in levels. The Delvers were also a source of interesting and useful magical materials for the Shadow Company. So rather than completely abandon the team Lusha chose a different route.

"Hi guys," Lusha said as the team filed into the private room that Mina had rented at a local Delver's Guild.

"Luca? What are you doing here?" Vreen asked. Confusion clearly written on their face. "I thought we were meeting with Shada."

"Please have a seat everyone and I will explain." Lusha calmly gestured to the five free chairs with their hands resting calmly on top of a stack of papers.

WIth a series of shared glances and confused looks the Delving team took their seats and waited for Lusha to continue.

"I am invoking one of the special secrecy Clauses of your Contracts with the Aseralis family and Shada." This statement caused everyone to grimace as they could feel the metaphysical chains that bound them pinch in response to Lusha's words.

"No offence Luca, but aren't you a bit young to be invoking Contracts and Clauses?" Vreen was the most familiar with Luca and figured that it was best if they spoke for the group. The rest had met Luca, but hadn't really interacted with their much. Vreen on the other hand roamed the Clinic freely and helped in Luca's tutoring sessions.

"First, please call me Lusha, there was a bit of an accident with a magical experiment. I am Luca and I am Shada. Not that we were ever really separate of course."

"What be this nonsense?" Alo asked. His face twisted in thought as he tried to parse the meaning of Lusha's words.

Lusha sighed and steepled their fingers in front of them while sitting with a formality and gravitas that simply did not match their youthful appearance. "Shada was never a regular spirit, or blessed spirit. Shada was My spirit. Not as in, I owned him or anything, but as my literal spiritual self."

"Luca, that makes no sense. People's spirits can't act independently let alone have distinct personalities." Vreen had an easier time understanding the implications, but didn't have the context necessary to really believe what Lusha was saying.

"Let me tell you a story of a man named John that made a deal with a Goddess and became something altogether strange…" Lusha told the story of how John met Asonia and Sierra, how John became Shada and Luca, and how finally they were now Lusha.

"Are you telling me that we have been working with the ghost of a dead man?" Carsan asked incredulously.

"In a sense you could say that, yes, but honestly is that really that different than working with a spirit?"

"Lu…Lusha you…you are an Agent of Sierra?" Vreen asked breathlessly. They had a strong urge to kneel and start praying on the spot.

"Again, yes."

"Sweet Sierra," Vreen said their hands shaking.

Brumo was sitting ramrod straight as if being inspected for posture by the High Paladin. His mind blanked as he realized some of the jokes he had shared with Shada who was an Agent of the Goddess he served.

"Please guys, you all know me, or rather Luca and Shada; I am not some Holy being. Being an Agent of Sierra is more of a job than a religious devotion." Lusha's attempts to down play their role met deaf ears.

"I don't be knowing much about Goddesses and what not. My folk weren't the religious type, but this is just a mite strange." Alo understood the explanation, but understanding and acceptance were two very different things.

"Trust me, living it is far stranger than being told about it, but my time today is short and I need to move this meeting along." Lusha picked up the papers and handed copies to each team member. "These are your new Contracts, if you choose to continue working for me."

"You aren't planning to go into the Dungeon are you?" Frea asked in genuine concern as she stroked her long braided hair that hung over her shoulder.

"Goddess no! I am more than a bit too fragile and squishy right now. Not to mention I don't even have full System access. I mean I still have magic and I do have combat training, but the danger is too much." Lusha shook their head at the absurdity of going into a place as dangerous as a Dungeon as a child no matter the maturity and skill they had.

"Fair enough," Frea responded.

"Let me summarize everything quickly then I will leave you to make your choices. As of right now I cannot continue as a member of the Shadow Delving team. However, as the head of the Shadow Company and a member of the Aseralis family I would like to continue sponsoring your team as a subsidiary of the Shadow Company under the name Shadow Delving. You will essentially be the first members of a new Delving Guild whose primary purpose will be to provide Dungeon goods to the Company."

"Leading a team is one thing, but a Guild that is a bit different now Lusha," Alo said as they considered the possibilities.

"I realize that and you have plenty of time to decide. These Contracts are more of a letter of intent than a full charter. That can be discussed later after each of you decide what to do, but I really must go. I have lots of other meetings."

Lusha gathered their things into a stiffened leather shoulder bag with hidden dimensional pockets. They had it custom made to carry business materials and books. It seemed like a necessary purchase once they started trying to organize their life without the ease of movement Shada experienced nor access to Guide Skills.

"So you are possessing Shinobin's kid?" Kariss asked in confusion after Lusha had requested and been granted a meeting under Shada's name. They were in Kariss's office at the ever growing Shadow Company Compound. The former ice cream scoop like crater in the Merchant District of the Shelves was now a series of buildings producing a wide variety of raw materials and finished goods from steel and gem stones to ink, pens, and stationary.

"No, though I can see why you might think that. I have always been Shinobin's kid even as Shada. Shada was my spiritual self. They just had a separated personality and could act independently of my physical self Luca. We are now fused and whole." Lusha did their best to explain the situation, but it seemed rather difficult for the natives of Sierrallas to understand.

"I am working for a child?" Kariss asked in disbelief. She glanced around her immaculate office as if waiting on someone to jump out and shout gotcha. The office was considered extravagant by most people's standards. Stainless steel polished to a mirror finish reflected rainbows of scattered light from the diamond encrusted chandlier. Faceted windows of clear sapphire let in the evening light. The walls were solid quartz fused together seamlessly into pristine white blocks. Only the furniture was made of wood and leather, but with metal and gemstone accents. She had a much more humble office used for actual work.

"Technically you have always worked for a child. Is it really that much stranger than working for a disembodied spirit?" Lusha wanted to squint. The room was a bit too bright at this time of day and the light from a particular embellishment kept hitting their eyes when they leaned forward. The light also had the effect of casting Kariss's chair in stark shadows, which had been a deliberate choice when Shada and her had designed this space.

"I suppose not, but it will take some adjusting." Kariss inhaled deeply while working to compose herself. In an amazingly short amount of time the decisive business manager was back in her professional demeanor. "Since you can't float around as a spirit, at least for now, we are going to have to restructure our regular meetings and come up with a maintenance plan for the enchantments. Can you still work on the enchantments?"

"I can, but I lack the finesse that Shada had while in this form. I am still working on mapping my new pathways. The real problem is that many of the enchantments had hidden components that only Shada could reach so those will have to be pulled out for me to work on. Luckily I replaced all the major ones with modular designs a couple of years back."

Lusha continued discussing details of the Shadow Company business and the changes that would be needed to accommodate Lusha and Lusha's future absence from the city of Westlin. This led inevitably to a side project that Shada had been working on.

"You want to speed up the development of the skyships?" Kariss asked in surprise.

"Yes, I will need to be far more mobile, especially when I attend the Academy. A skyship would allow me to travel back and forth when needed." Lusha explained.

"The Dwarves have been really dragging their feet on releasing their stranglehold of the final runic sequences needed to make everything viable. That has been slowing the entire endeavor. How will you convince them?" Kariss normally liked the Dwarves that visited Westlin for trade. They were easy people to work with, straightforward and to the point, without all the political games others played except in this particular instance.

"I have a few ideas..."


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