Awareness slowly feeds back into me, my brain becoming a slightly disoriented mess, like when you nap wrong and forget what day or week it is. I mentally groan, trying to piece together enough coherent thoughts to begin unraveling the gordian knot of my mind, images and feelings rousing from my efforts. I remember Samantha’s forge and her flirty teasing with me while she got me kitted out with gear, training – for a couple days apparently – with Akiko in one of the rooms downstairs, and then…. nothing. At least at first.
As more moments of time trickle by, my foggy mind clears up some to recall the thorough lengths we went to for the spear training, all the different types and forms and what not. Then the both of us plus Ios discussing my path going forward since Luck is such an oddity. We, mostly they, came to an agreement and Akiko asked me to spar with her. Insisted, more like. All the prior web of feelings splay out into my mind again, like the cracked glass of a dream now recalled. Fear and reluctance in the beginning that morphed into anger and frustration at her constant style of condescending instruction until she finally said something that made everything seem to click in my mind.
When she… insinuated, I suppose, that Sandra was at risk of dying if I didn’t go full tilt, something inside me snapped in comprehension. I was already pissed that my efforts still weren’t enough to satisfy her apparently high definition of success for a first-time spar, but that feeling boiled over, bending backwards to shatter before reforming into something I have never felt before. Stronger than any title or skill effect from the system, I felt something deep in my core, my soul, solidify into being: Ruthlessness.
Because… even though I knew something was up with Akiko by how big of a personality shift she was showing, I also knew she was right. I’ve known it since Ios first popped it my head back in the forest and when I got my first glimpse of it with the bears. I can’t afford to be anything but merciless to those that would see me and mine harmed. It only took someone powerful and wise in the world that I’ve also grown to care for deeply to throw it in my face, repeatedly, for it to sink in. I can still hear the certainty in her voice ringing in my ears, like a song you can’t get out of your head, as she laid my apparently suicidal hesitation before me on the altar of insignificance. If I kept holding back, not giving it everything I possibly could, then I wasn’t going to make it here. And neither was Sandra.
I just… hope that that realization didn’t rob me of something else to take its place. I remember that regal, foreign feeling descending on me when I finally let loose and started using Qi. But… it didn’t feel as dangerous or threatening, at least to me, this time. Like, I knew intrinsically that it was only there to help guide me or something, not exert its power onto my personality or soul. So, at least that’s something~. I briefly check the system messages, knowing that as soon as I open my eyes, I’m going to have to confront Akiko about how she went about things. Even though I realize and see the benefits here at the end, I want to talk to her and see if the ends justified the means…
[Quest Complete! Gain Advanced Proficiency with Spears!
Learn advanced formations, stances, and combat usage of the weapon class known as: Spears.
Reward: 250 Ability Points, 500 Shop Points, 25 Skill Points, 100 points into Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.
Single time effect of current Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution x 25% (After previous increase applied).
Rewards increase for each level of proficiency.]
[Progress: 100%]
Strength is now 670!
Dexterity is now 720!
Constitution is now 710!
Applying one-time x25% buff…
Strength is now 838!
Dexterity is now 900!
Constitution is now 888!
Health Pool is now: 18,819 / 18,819
Stamina Pool is now: 37,064 / 37,064
Available Ability Points: 732
Available Shop Points: 5,550
Available Skill Points: 187
[Quest Started: Gain Mastery Proficiency with Spears!
Become a world leading master of the weapon class known as: Spears.
Reward: 2500 Ability Points, 3000 Shop Points, 150 Skill Points, 1000 points into Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.
Single time effect of current Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution x 50% (After previous increase applied).
Rewards increase for each level of proficiency.]
[Progress: .001%]
Wow, okay. I’ll take a silver lining for sure~! I don’t even remember clearing that quest, I must have been so locked in during my fight with Akiko that I either didn’t notice it or dismissed it subconsciously. I notice a few more notifications lingering, so I go ahead and clear them out while I have some time to myself, no doubt Ios already knows I’m awake and I’d wager that Akiko does by now too.
Hidden Conditions Met!
Passive Skill Acquired! [Qi Conversion lvl 1]
[Qi Conversion lvl 1]: Gain the ability to transmute neutral Qi into elements and affinities that you are in tune with. The ratio is 1:10, and will slightly increase as the skill’s level increases. Can be leveled up either by usage or with Skill Points.
[Qi Conversion lvl 1] has leveled up to [Qi Conversion lvl 2]!
[Qi Conversion lvl 2] has leveled up to [Qi Conversion lvl 3]!
[Qi Conversion lvl 3] has leveled up to [Qi Conversion lvl 4]!
You have learned the technique [Moonlight Body Strengthening]!
[Moonlight Body Strengthening]: Channel the essence of the Moon into your physical form to unleash devastating and beautiful attacks on your foes. While this technique is being channeled, your Strength, Dexterity and Constitution scores are multiplied by 10. You can choose where and how to direct the energy, opting to favor one stat or another and in various locations for increased effectiveness. While using this technique, stamina usage is increased moderately.
You have learned the technique [Unending Flow of the River]!
[Unending Flow of the River]: Surround yourself with the energy of the Void, greatly boosting your speed, maneuverability, and damage resistance. While this technique is being channeled, your base Dexterity score is multiplied by 15 at the cost of greater stamina usage for actions. Additionally, you gain the ability to move your presence in any direction without the need to adjust for momentum or balance, and weapons, skills, and techniques targeting you lower than your spiritual cultivation path have a growingly reduced effect on you so long as you are surrounded by Void Qi.
You have learned the technique [Soul Empress’ Domination]!
[Soul Empress’ Domination]: The regality of your soul cannot be denied once you have channeled this technique. In a large space around you, suppress the hostility, auras, and stats of any creature weaker than your soul cultivation path’s Rank, likely making them cower in terror. Creatures that are at or above your path’s Rank will still have a feeling of dread, disdain, and monarchal pressure exerted on them, making them more susceptible to fear and other mental effects. You can designate allies to be spared this technique’s effect and can choose who to target inside of the area of effect. Stamina usage increases greatly for each target designated.
A new row has been added to your status screen to hold your techniques!
Hidden Quest Complete!
[Hidden Quest: Row by Row.
Find or learn a skill, technique, or effect to make your status screen expand!
Reward: 250 Ability Points, 500 Shop Points, 50 Skill Points.]
Available Ability Points: 982
Available Shop Points: 6,050
Available Skill Points: 237
Oh my Heavens, even more points?!? I nearly break the sleeping girl routine to jump for joy, my heart thudding in excitement like a drum at a rock concert! If what Ios said about power levels a few days ago was true, I basically have enough in the bank to out stat any peak 3rd Realm! And that’s before my awesome new techniques kick in!! Speaking of which, thinking back on it now I only remember learning those first two… The Moon one was right after Akiko mentioned Sandy’s imminent death due to my reluctance, part of that clicking of mentality shuddered open that knowledge for me as I was desperately searching in my core for anything to prove her wrong.
The second one was much more active on my part, I actually dived into my soul where the manuals were and tried to meditate on anything that might be able to help me close the gap in speed with Akiko, since overpowering her was definitely not an option. The Void manual danced up in front of me and unfurled a bit to show that technique to me, the comprehension nearly instant whether due to our… previous lives interactions or my ridiculous for this Rank Intelligence stat. But yeah… I don’t recall diving into the soul manual at all…
The introspection session of today’s episode is brought to a close as Ios finally chimes mentally into my head, I wonder just how much self-control she had to have to wait this long~. ‘Hey honey. You’ve been asleep for a couple days but I’m glad you’re up now! How are you feeling?’
Shit, a couple days?! I respond back mentally to my companion, Are you serious, it’s been that long?? I guess I feel fine if that’s true, still a little out of sorts mentally but my memory is clearing up the longer I stay awake. What happened?
‘Well…’ Her chirpy voice rings out in a slightly solemn tone, ‘You and Akiko sparred, you remember that right?’ I quickly confirm for her mentally before she continues on, ‘Good – and you did so well during that sweetheart, I’m really proud of you~! – so during that little… session… you kind of, dipped into your soul’s true power for a moment? It’s honestly hard to explain, I could still feel you just fine but nothing I said seemed to be getting through to you and I could sense that royal sensation coming out from your overly packed soul, which was because you fed a stupid amount of Qi into it. I was worried you may be… losing yourself to it, so I told Akiko to err… knock you out? I couldn’t really think of anything else to stop you, I’m sorry hun!!’
I process all of that as much as I can, my mind once more a spinning top of confusion, worry, and disbelief. I can’t even respond to Ios mentally with how in disarray my mental scene has become, imaginary fires breaking out left, right, and center of my sanity. I… I chose to do that? Why can’t I remember that, or anything leading up to it?? I felt perfectly in control for everything else, didn’t I?
I… I don’t remember anything like that happening! The last thing I can recall is getting frustrated, again, that the movement technique wasn’t working like I had hoped against Akiko and catching my breath. Why would I… I-I wouldn’t do that!
I feel the sting of tears beginning to form behind my closed eyes as my chest begins to rise and fall in increasing speed, my mind desperate now to remain as closed off as I can from this new and terrifying information. The system seems to agree as I get a [Panic (Overwhelming)] message not long after, soon followed by Ios’ tone which shifts to one of care and calm as she calls back out to me, ‘Aims, honey it’s okay! We’re going to figure all of this out, but right now you just need to breathe, okay? I’m going to use [Resolute Mind] for you, you just focus on my voice and follow along. Can you do that for me? In… and out. Good~. In… and-‘
Several walkthroughs of calming breaths later, I feel the panic attack recced in full, keeping the exercise going until I see it fade from my active effects. I decide to… shelve that whole revelation for now. A girl can only experience so many existential crises in a morning. I also notice a warm, soothing presence physically beside me, and wrapped all around me, too. I finally open my eyes, forcing myself to face this growingly difficult reality one step at a time. I focus on the ceiling, the brown wooden beams framing against each other with interlocking patterns that are almost mesmerizing in form and function. The soft white light of the crystal hanging from the center most beam dangles in the air, emitting its ghostly glow to illuminate the space.
I feel the warm, fuzzy sensation – no doubt Akiko’s tails – draping and covering nearly every inch of my body in a protective layer, as well as a pair of arms wrapped around my side in a protective embrace. My left shoulder is squished into something delightfully soft yet firm, and even through the rebellious mess my brain is working through, the little bubble of pink that pops in the chorus brings a tiny blush to my face. I turn my head toward the pleasant and comforting sensation and am greeted by the downright miserable look of worry and concern plastered onto Akiko’s face which is inches from mine.
Whether its my frazzled mental state, or just genuine care and love for the woman, I somehow decide that it’s my job to lift her spirits in the moment. To do that, I give her a small smile and lean in to press my lips against her soft, pliant ones. A small, surprised, sound escapes against our conjoined mouths, making me giggle slightly as I break off the engagement, bearing witness to the most astonished face she has ever made around me yet~.
I smile thinly to her, putting as much genuine emotion into it as I can muster from the sea raging in my mind. “Hey,” I say quietly to her as we lock eyes, her violet slitted pupils blazing with worry still, “I’m… I’m okay. For now. Thank you. We… we should probably talk, huh?”
Akiko finally shakes off her funk, actually gently shaking her head a few times which I still find adorable, as she gently leans down to kiss my forehead. I lean into the touch, the soothing sensation dripping down my being like honey before she leans back and strokes my face, her words coming out small and careful, “If you are well enough for it, my dear. I… I know you will have many things to say to me, some of them are more than deserved, I know. But know that I care for you so much, Amelia, and I truly do want nothing but the best for you and your sister, including your safeties.”
I give her a small nod, feeling the serpentine knot of her tails uncoiling from their various embraces of my legs, torso, and arms. A feeling that I immediately miss, I find, but I push that thought away for now. As she releases me, I notice that without her fresh clean scent a tangy smell of sweat and… well… me… begins to drift to my nose. I crinkle my face at the smell, flushing further in embarrassment knowing that Akiko probably was nose deep in it just now or for however long she stayed here in the room with me.
“Uh… Maybe I should shower first? I feel pretty gross right now.” I say to her sheepishly.
She smiles softly before hopping out of bed and giving me space to get up. “Of course, dear. I had debated washing you while you were indisposed but did not want to ‘add to the pile’ as spirit Ios informed me. Would… would you like company? I wager you are still quite sore, from everything. I promise to only assist you in cleaning.” Her slightly hopeful tone belies the droop in her tails, probably expecting an outright refusal from me.
The redness across my face deepens a tad, but I find that I’m honestly torn. I don’t really want to be alone right now, even if it is just for a shower, and having her physically nearby would make me feel better. But… I’m supposed to be mad at her, right? Why aren’t I? Fuck it, I’d rather have comfort than bite my nose to spite my face.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind that at all. We can probably just talk in the shower then, two birds and a stone, right?” I finally say back to her, my legs swinging off the edge of the bed.
Her ears flit up to their happy alert stance as her tails whirl behind her in a flurry of motion. Oh my god, the cuteness~!! I giggle at her obvious excitement before hopping off and shucking out of the battle dress. I give it a sniff test and find that the garment itself still smells perfectly clean and presentable, as do my underwear when I strip them off too. More points for awesome magic clothing~!
We make our way into the shower, the bathroom door left open behind us without a care as she fiddles with the controls to bring out a piping hot spray of liquid. I step in, sighing in delight and relief as the water begins to wash away some of my worries, fears, and doubts almost as well as Ios’ breathing techniques. Akiko has disrobed now too, her white kimono plopping into her ring with a poof of Qi as she saddles up behind me. I leave the soap and shampoo here on the tiled floor, so I bend down to pick them up and we begin to wash each other in restrained ceremony.
As she is raking the conditioner through my hair, her slightly long nails pleasantly scraping against my scalp, she finally breaks the mostly comfortable silence between us. “Amelia, I want to firstly apologize for pushing you so far on your first experience with actual, controlled combat. I doubted that doing things the traditional way was going to be effective on you, where I would slowly build you up and get you comfortable with the idea of things like killing intent and how to devoid yourself of mercy during pitched engagements. You came from a world that is just simply too different, too safe, for that to ever work. Or, at the least not leave you disadvantaged with meddlesome things like mercy and hesitation during a life-or-death fight.
But still, I should not have gone the opposite direction either, applying pressure to your weaknesses and making you think you were not succeeding when, in fact, you were quite handily shattering my expectations for you. I just… I wanted to be sure that you had that capability inside of you. The capacity to become a killer in order to protect what you love and hold sacred.” She turns me around, letting the water wash the suds out of my hair as she rinses her hands off before cupping my face softly, “I am truly sorry for doubting you, for not explaining my intentions prior, and for using your sister against you like that. I hope you can forgive me, eventually, but I would more than understand if you wished for us to be separate for a time so that you can process not just my actions, but the implications of yours.”
A knot of unease forms inside me, her words clawing into me as she expresses her guilt. I simply lean against her generous bosom and hold her in a hug as I think. Do I even really fault her? Sure, not a very ideal way of going about all of this, but the logic is there and sound enough. Hell, I can even agree to it for the most part! I was nothing but nerves and fear until she started to get under my skin, what would have happened if she had just gently guided me along until I met someone who could rock my shit? I would have been defeated before I even began that fight! But then I come back to the one thing that genuinely hurts me about all of this: She used Sandra to get to me.
The whip crack of betrayal sends its ugly, sickly green flash across my soul, my being crying out to be outraged at such an insult and cross of boundaries. I hold her tight as I let those emotions play out inside me, once more feeling the wetness on my cheeks, wetness not coming from the calming droplets of the shower. I let it all wage war inside me, until finally – after who knows how long wrapped in the hug – clarity starts to batter away those errant and malicious thoughts. She was right about that too, and I already decided that earlier. These feelings are only popping up because I’m being confronted with them directly, but that doesn’t mean that my opinion on this has changed.
I slightly release my grip from Akiko’s wondrously giving yet firm waist as I look up to her face from my comfy perch. I adorn myself in an actual, genuine smile as I say, “I think I’m okay with what you did. Or at least, why you did what you did. I don’t want that to be our relationship every time we step into a training room, but I can’t stand here and say I don’t understand why you went to such lengths. You’re right. I was still holding back before you brought up Sandra, still just trying to prove something to you instead of actually taking your lesson to heart. Because honestly, I don’t think I could have unless you pulled that card on me.
All of my life on Earth was nothing but a safe, secure society. Sure, we had crime, violent crime in fact, but it wasn’t a quest for survival day in and day out for the vast majority of people in my state, or country. I never had to go into our armed forces, our military, and learn any of those lessons. On top of that, I was pretty sheltered growing up just simply due to my brain being so fucked up. Of course, I’d rather have that than what my abusers did, don’t get me wrong, but it just further puts it on a point that I needed some kind of kick to get to that realization.
Again, now that I’ve passed that test and you know I’m capable of doing what needs to be done, I hope you won’t go so hard on me in the future~! But I…” I bite my lip as I look into her sparkling eyes, relief and joy dancing behind them. Her perfect face drawn up in a dazzling smile, her wet ears point themselves fully in my direction as her sopping tails dance behind her in a frankly amusing display. Am I doing this? Is it too soon??…
Fuck it. “Thank you, for always being so considerate and kind and amazing to me, even when you’re kicking my ass into shape so that I won’t die miserably in this crazy new world. I love you, Akiko.” I say as I lean up, throw my arms around her neck, and bring her face down slightly so that I can give her a long, deep kiss.
