Note: this chapter does contain an intimate seen at the end. You will see it coming and feel free to skip it if it's not your thing. It is a part of the story and character development, but it's not integral you read it.
*****
"Good, you're back. I'm feeling so hungry I feel like my joints are turning to stone," Mazur complained as he stretched his next and glance at the food Ivan had hauled back through the fourth dimension.
Ivan merely rolled his eyes and quipped, "You're just old, it's probably arthritis."
Mazur ignored him and after getting changed, immediately went to cooking some meat for the two of them. Ivan stayed in the room and looking at the purple bruise on Iris' chin, asked, "What happened?"
"…Sorry," Valeria muttered in a barely audible voice before explaining what happened.
"Don't worry about too much," Ivan waved his hand dismissively. "I have to say though, you have quite the talent for fighting, like an inborn instinct. Would you like to join the hunters in combat training? It would be very beneficial for you."
Valeria was stunned at first and began tearing up in worry that Ivan was getting rid of her, but after some reassurance, she eventually understood and simply said, "If you want me to."
"Iris, note down that Valeria will be placed into combat training with the hunters, and there is to be no discrimination of status. Report it to Yukeli tomorrow. Also, get Valeria to give you some cellular healing salve after, it helps aid in external injuries, and can give a minor promotion to the speed of a bone healing."
"Understood… Umm, also…" Iris evasively began to try saying something but couldn't find the courage, her fox tail twitching nervously.
Ivan could read her body language as clear as day when she was like this. "What is it? Do you want to take part in combat training as well?"
Iris steeled her resolve and requested, "I want you to teach me how to read people."
"And also how to control people?" Ivan asked with a trace of a smile.
Iris became hesitant again at this question but still responded with a curt nod.
"Good, then today I shall give you your first lesson. Come sit over here," Ivan patted to the armrest beside him. Iris walked over nervously and sat down as instructed, but was taken by surprise when Ivan suddenly grabbed her hand with his and started inspecting her slender fingers.
"Ah! This-"
"The most important thing you must learn is to be confident at all times," Ivan cut Iris off, disturbing her pace in the conversation. "You have a beautiful face and enticing body, your smile is capable of mesmerising people, and being in full control of your emotions and body will help you guide them to your desires."
"Body language can speak far louder than spoken words, but you can never control your body when you can't control your emotions. Before learning how to read someone else, or how to manipulate them, you must learn to have an unequivocal courage in yourself."
Iris nodded, but was completely distracted as he played with her fingernails.
"I want you to show this courage at all times. Wear a smile, gentle and calming, at all times."
Doing her best to comply, Iris tried to maintain a smile just like he said, but it was incredibly difficult to do. She didn't give up however, continuing to diligently practice it until she could maintain it. This was hard to do as Ivan would constantly put her on the spot or make unexpected actions like pinching or whispering into her ears when she was cooking her Valeria and herself, breaking her composure and making her start over again.
Time began to fly by as everyone had their daily routines to maintain.
Mazur became extremely busy between teaching the new employees the galactic common language and expanded the knowledge of those who were scientists or belonged to other intellectual careers.
In addition to that, he was supervising the mass production of nanobots for the forced evolution into a four-dimensional being and working on several side projects in speculating the accurate construction of true four-dimensional devices, not just mimicry of three-dimensional tool which was the equivalent of printing a painting when working with four dimensions.
The possibilities that the additional dimension opened seemed endless to him, and he was so enthralled into it that it had seemed to become an obsession. It was unfortunate he could only do a limited amount of speculation and planning as the four-dimension idea, or design, could not be expressed on a three-dimensional sheet of paper.
Valeria had joined in the daily combat training with the hunters. She suffered some subtle discrimination at first for being a Kivsharr, but her animal like instincts caused her to get the upper hand on several of the hunters. She was incapable of competing with the adults in terms of speed and power, but her natural adaptability in fighting had impressed more than a few of them and that discrimination quickly faded.
The hunters were taught and constantly drilled in several styles of combat. They trained in spear and sword arts, the bow and arrow, and several other minor styles. Their hand to hand combat technique was an ancient martial art Ivan had found on the national information network, the empire's version of the internet, with Iris' assistance in translation.
It was a style of martial art designed for designed for defending against larger targets, such as wild beasts. None of the hunters or the trainers understood why they were being taught this, but from Ivan's experience, this was the best choice for them to increase survivability if suddenly assaulted by a four-dimensional creature at close range.
Ivan's routine consistent of maintaining public appearances and becoming the face of life from other planets. His calculated smiles and mesmerising eyes captured the hearts of the Folkien Empire's citizens, making him the greatest celebrity currently in media, surpassing even Iris Bedifax.
Iris becoming his personal secretary had long since become common knowledge, and many rumors about a romantic relationship between the two spread. Some hardcore fans of hers were heartbroken about the news, and vetoed any related news on the subject, but most people were supportive.
Ivan also participated in teaching the new employees the galactic common language, but the main teacher role was Mazur while he was mainly there to maintain the confidence of the people in him and dispel any doubts they may have.
*****
The situation gradually began changing over the next three months. Ivan sat in the presidential suite watching the late-night news with a glass of fruit wine the Vulpes were especially proficient in making.
"Zeta Orvic reporting here from the northern battlefront," I pretty reporter with her hair trimmed at the shoulders, stood before a barren land that had been the front of war so long nothing by trenches and explosion craters remained in the land of death.
"The Folkien Armed Forces have just recently received the first shipment of new weaponry and defensive devices. These devices have been in the development for several months based off technology supplied by the celebrity alien you all know and love, Mr. Ivan Storme."
The camera shifted across and showed several military convoys driving up to the defensive barricades. Large crates lined with compressed plasma rifles opened up along with extensive plasmatic storage cartridges. Tens of thousands of PES devices were also unravelled and attached to the soldiers' chests, causing a barely visible blue shimmer to surround their bodies.
To Ivan's increasing surprise, artillery cannons twenty feet tall and incorporated the technology of plasmatic grenades was incorporated into a massive weapon of war.
"As you can see, this new shipment of military equipment is state of the art. It will increase our soldiers' survivability and ability to repel enemy assaults. Our army will be better equipped than ever before in order to protect our citizens from all foreign threats."
"Oh! Here comes the greatest debut of our new military forces. We have been trying to get even a glimpse into this classified project, but you can see the new Thunderfox Mk III Juggernauts entering the battlefield!"
The host spoke rapidly in excitement, and it was likely that all the citizens watching this footage also had their blood boiling in patriotic spirit. The camera panned across and zoomed in on a massive line of a hundred tanks, the so called Thunderfox Mk III Juggernauts.
Ivan's jaw dropped open upon seeing them, because they were simply far too outrageous. Each tank was at least twice as large as the tanks used back on Earth in his time. What was even more shocking though, were the enormous molecular destabilizing cannons installed onto the front of every tank.
These cannons glowed a faint orange as the juggernauts moved toward the front of the battlefield, ready to fire at the press of a button.
The enemy empire's soldiers began to appear atop of bunkers several hundred meters in the difference. They began to fire at the Folkien Empire side, but the troops of the Folkien Empire had received a morale boost from the new technology which could not be diminished.
"This is exciting news! A skirmish has begun to take place, which we will be reporting to you live! The treacherous Azoroth Empire will truly learn the consequences of their actions today!"
The reporter continued to spit out patriotic lines laced with propaganda as she and the cameraman took cover nearby, where they wouldn't be hit by any stray bullets.
Ivan watched the news report as the Folkien Soldiers used their new plasma rifles to tear the attackers to pieces. They then took advantage of their PES devices to charge at the enemy line and create havoc and they unilaterally slaughtered.
Azoroth field artillery and heavy machine guns in their second defensive line began to fire like crazy, creating a haze of flashing lights as they bounced of the Folkien soldiers' personal energy shields, unable to create any substantial damage.
The second defensive line of the Azoroth Empire rapidly collapsed the plasmatic grenade artillery fired glowing orange and red mortars into enemy territory, blasting massive craters in the ground and shooting out a corrosive plasma like rain in the surroundings, melting any soldiers and vehicles alike in gruesome deaths.
The most terrifying was save for last though. Soldiers were fleeing back to Ozoroth territory with pure terror the only thing keeping their feet running. Painful cries and death wails filled the battlefield as the hundred juggernauts rolled up in front of the front line and with a bright orange glow, fired their molecular destabilizing cannons into the fleeing enemy forces.
The cannons were designed to avoid hitting the ground in order to avoid turning it into a quicksand and preventing the juggernauts from advancing further.
A visible ripple echoed through the atmosphere and swept through the fleeing soldiers. They didn't even have the chance to resist as everything from the ankles up was directly turned into fine sand, only to be blown away by the concussive blast of wind following.
Ivan watched the screen calmly, but many people were stunned into silence. The battlefield had instantly become silent, as all that was left was a dead wasteland covered in feet.
He flicked off the television and yawned while looking at the clock. Iris had to leave with a military convoy to meet the higher ups earlier, and it didn't look like she was coming back tonight. Just as he was climbed into bed, Iris had suddenly returned, a slightly gloomy atmosphere hanging around her.
Iris had been maintaining her confidence extremely well over the past month thanks to Ivan's constant training and testing her composure, but it seemed to have fall apart as she stood at the door of Ivan's room.
"What did they want?" Ivan asked noncommittedly.
Iris did her best to maintain her smile as she honestly replied, "The imperial bureaucrats have stipulated that our relationship has progressed too slowly as of late. I am to join you in bed tonight and receive your seed, or they will find someone more appropriate to replace me. I must go tomorrow for an investigation as to whether I… completed my duty."
"Do you understand why they want this now all of a sudden?" Ivan asked softly.
"I've been paying attention, so I know. It's because of the war. They had such an overwhelming victory, they no longer need you for technology. Because they don't want to be supporting your desires with nothing more in return, they are manoeuvring to gain more from you. They want your DNA, to find out why you are so impervious to everything."
Ivan smiled softly at this in the dim room, "You've learned a lot, even managing to see through to the crux of the matter so easily. So, what do you want to do? Do you need me to tell them I like having you by my side and would be displeased to have that changed?"
Iris bit her lip tightly before shaking her head and saying, "…No."
"No?"
Iris suddenly stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. She slowly slipped out of her clothing on piece at a time, the final items to fall into the pile of clothes on the floor being a lace bra and underwear.
She revealed her alluring figure beside the bed, the moonlight from the window in the room faintly shining on her figure, particularly the two large mounds on her chest that shook slightly from their elasticity. Ivan admired her figure briefly, not a single trace of body hair on her, before she nervously climbed into the bed.
Ivan didn't ask her if she was sure about this. He respected her decision, and no healthy male could turn down such a stunning woman practically demanding his affection.
Iris took the lead in clumsily trying to undress Ivan, and somehow succeeded in the end. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, her large jade rabbits rubbing against Ivan's chest as her tongue searched for his like a lost soul seeking its companion.
Ivan had tried to help her prepare for the following act, but she kept clamping his hand between her soft thighs, leading to several awkward situations.
"I thought I told you, you should keep smiling no matter what?" Ivan whispered softly into her ears as he was propped on top of her.
"What do you mean? I am," Iris responded with a tremble, the moonlight showing a smile on her face, but it was mostly in self-depreciation.
"It's not quite the same."
"I made this decision, it was my choice to go through with it. Just please, continue looking after me, okay?"
Ivan didn't answer, because there was no need to. Iris had her arms and legs wrapped around him as he pushed down on top of her. Iris bit her lip in order not to cry out from pain. The initial process was slow to complete, but the two slowly began to move in rhythm, soft moans began to sound out from the room alongside a scent laced with hormones.