A few moments earlier…
As much as I try to push the swirling emotions and thoughts away, the longer Akiko and I spar the more and more frustrated I’m getting. Whether it’s partly due to having an audience, her taunting laugh as I fail yet another swipe of my spear at her, or just plain old competitiveness that is suddenly springing to life inside of me, I can’t tell. But what I do know is that it’s pissing me off more than I care to admit, even enough to start throwing off the euphoria that usually comes with my Berserker state.
I do my best not to telegraph my next move, faking my upper body one way while pouring more of the Moon Qi into my legs to shoot off in the other in an effort to close the distance to this aggravating fox woman. The ground once more shakes with the force of my launch, sending me like a rocket to the still standing form of Akiko. But, just like the last few attempts I’ve made, she easily reads straight through my intention and zooms to where I would have been if I hadn’t tried to be sneaky at all.
“Clever~.” She says out in her – right now to me – annoying yet still sexy voice, “But your skill at manipulating Qi is still too unrefined to try and trick my eyes or my senses, Amelia~. Come, I can see you still have some fight left~.” She ends her taunt with a wink and then speeds off from the brief pause in combat, making me groan as I try and chase her down once more.
Again and again she has some trick or talent, some other way to tell me how well I’m doing while also making me feel inadequate. I close the gap once more, wind rushing through my hair and nearly deafening me at the speeds I’m going now, as I lash the spear out to her ribs, hoping that the awkward angle will at least give her pause. Instead, she merely arrests all her forward momentum and stops, making me drastically overshoot my attempt as I stumble and roll onto the ground when I try to do the same.
“Do not emulate what I can do, Amelia. You will have to adapt and learn how your body moves and works in tandem with your skills and abilities, not by studying and using mine. I will give you credit for the effort though~.” Akiko ends with a small chuckle, the tone a mixture between genuine advice and her seemingly also slightly developing battle lust. But yet again, all I can hear is yet one more way I’m failing. I huff out loudly, my breath moving a few loose strands of red hair out of my face as I rise back up, breathing heavily from the prolonged exertion now, sweaty and growingly sore.
As her words start to add more fuel to the growing fire inside of me, a small voice in my mind calls out, telling me that this is just a spar. That she is still teaching me like always, and is just having fun with it. That she isn’t making fun of me or trying to belittle me in front of the girls and Ios. That I’m starting to take this too seriously and imagining emotions behind her words that aren’t there.
And I know that. Akiko would be the last one to treat me like that, and I know it. After the short but explosive time we’ve spent together, fallen in love, and shared some of my deepest secrets and wounds to, I know she wouldn’t maliciously act like this…
But right now? Right now I’m just pissed. I channel that ruthless intent again, pushing the words of caution and the appeal of sanity away as I dart forward once more, my face set in a deep scowl. Akiko instantly senses something off, and instead of laughing or dragging out our little cat and mouse game any longer, she faces me directly and tilts her sword back into a defensive position, her ears slightly lowered as her tails start to fan out behind her.
Just when I’m about to take the last step, my spear tip coming back and angling in a feint for another jab at her face, I gather more Qi than ever, causing a shockwave to erupt from my running form. Her eye’s go wide as the words leave my lips, and two techniques become active at once: “[Unending Flow of the River]”
I move faster than ever before as my DEX is now being buffed by both techniques, time seemingly slowing down in relativity to my surroundings. Instead of stabbing forward, I bring my hands down to the base of the shaft and begin swinging it like a baseball bat, making sure to turn it slightly so that the pointed ends of the crescent guard and the actual spear tip don’t poke Akiko.
With my new Dexterity being somewhere just north of 500k by my estimate, Akiko either doesn’t have time to deflect or dodge the strike, or is too stunned by my new speed to do so, and the second my rough and poor formed swing hits her on the side of her arm, she shoots off across the training arena like a comet. An ear splitting *BOOM* sounds out from the impact, louder than even the Heavens wrath as the rush of wind and pressure nearly blow me off my feet, making my hair whip behind me violently. The color drains from my face, and with wide eyes I view the ever-so-helpful system prompt about what I just did in anger to someone I love.
Damage dealt 29,857! Luck activates! Damage dealt increased to 14,928,500!
I nearly drop the spear at seeing the number that Luck spits out, my blood turning ice cold as I stand there, lost in the haze of the smoke clouds made from Akiko’s landing as the Qi rapidly leaves my body into the ether. My left hand comes up to cover my mouth, a silent scream slowly starting to come forth from me as my eyes begin to sting with tears. Tears laced with fear, self-loathing, disgust at my actions, and worry as I drop to my knees, my chest rising and falling heavily as I try and breathe through my now covered face.
Just when I’m really about to loose it, the entire lingering dust cloud evaporates in an explosion of force radiating out from the crater I put Akiko in. I look over and see the damage, the blue padded mats torn to shreds and ripped open from the force of her landing, the only thing keeping the floor still solid being the barrier that wobbles and shimmers still from what it just endured. But I don’t see Akiko…
Well, for all of a nanosecond. Right as I’m inspecting the carnage that my outburst produced, I feel a rush of wind and the pressure of Qi bearing down on me from above. I shakily crane my neck upwards and see Akiko, floating a few feet directly in front of me and – thankfully – seemingly no worse for wear. Maybe a bit… dusty… though.
I don’t even try to stand up, pulling my eyes down and away from her in shame as she just floats there. Menacingly. After a few heartbeats of letting me simmer in my emotions, I hear her sandals softly plod onto the mats, even seeing the very tips of her sock covered toes and the wooden shoes themselves in my downcast vision. I just sit there and wait, ready for whatever scolding or displeased words she is ready to spit at me, that I more than deserve now.
Shaking like a leaf on a tree, I instead feel two strong hands come up underneath my armpits and lift me up, making me let out a confused squeak as I curl inward on myself before I’m thrust into the pillowy paradise of a familiar pair of breasts~. “Well done my love~!!” I hear in a slightly muffled distortion from my wonderous new earmuffs, “To think that you were actually able to land a decisive strike on me, my dear~! And I was able to witness firsthand the activation of your Luck ability! Truly, a magnificent sparing session~!”
As her overly ecstatic voice keeps praising me on and on, her hands and tails stroking against me comfortingly and full of energy, I’m able to come up for breath long enough to choke out a confused, “W-What?? Wait, forget all of that, are you okay Akiko?!? You’re not hurt anywhere?? I can have Ios buy some healing pills, or -.” My frantic and worried voice is cut off by her forcing my head back into her chest as she swings me bodily in what can only be described as absolute joy and pride, her loud purring rumbling my body as she attempts to suffocate me again. Honestly, as far as punishments go, this is pretty nice~.
A few playful kisses rain down on my submerged-in-flesh head before she finally lets me up in earnest, setting me down in front of her. I wobble a bit from the overstimulation of being choked by her amazing scent and cool to the touch yet pleasantly pliant breasts as she giggles happily and leans in to kiss me firmly on the lips. I moan out on reflex, further going limp as my mind becomes spirals of confused pleasure, finally dropping the spear to the ground with a muted *thunk* onto the training mats below.
“As always, my dear sweet girl, you are so very kind and thoughtful~!” She laughs back to me as she breaks away from our kiss. “Rest assured, I am quite fine even if my arm is a tad sore now from that interaction~. Do not be afraid, Amelia, you did nothing wrong.” I look back up to her with half lidded eyes, the doubt and fear still evident behind the growing cloud of lust in my azure orbs. She just gently chuckles again as she brings me in to a more chaste hug, a hand coming up to pet my hair as she continues, “I am okay, my love. It will take much more than that to cause me serious harm, although another hour or two of repeated hits like that may make me reconsider~. Thank you for worrying about me, but do not chastise yourself for succeeding and growing stronger.”
She leans us back, giving me one more quick kiss on the lips before she adds on, “I will always love you, even when we fight or spar. Part of that is learning how to do so safely while still being serious, and that shall take both of us some time to adjust to. I am very proud of you, Amelia.”
I finally whimper out a small, “Okay…” as I wrap her back up in a hug as tight as I can, my face resting against the crook of her neck as I try my best to let the worry and other negative thoughts bleed out of me. We stay swaying softly together for a few moments before the barrier surrounding us ripples and then deactivates, multiple pairs of footsteps and a fluttering drone sound heading in our direction. Akiko just scoops me up in her tails in a classic princess carry as she gives me a little wink before turning us to the approaching group of spectators.
“That was absolutely amazing, Miss Amelia~!” Jun Li says first as they all approach, her midnight black tails going into overdrive as her ears constantly flutter up and down, gorgeous ruby red eyes sparkling as she cups her hands in front of her and leans down to exclaim her praise. I back up slightly into Akiko, not expecting such a… warm reception, but the sincerity and absolute awe on Jun Li’s pretty face does wonders to help soothe my mental state. I give a small giggle and reach out to pat her head, which she accepts immediately as she closes her eyes and also starts purring under my gentle scraping touches~. Cute~!!
Samantha laughs under her breath as she comes up to the side, eagerly taking in the unquestionably adorable display before turning to me and giving me a firm nod. “You are a skilled warrior, Amelia. It took most of us many tries to even land a decisive blow against the Mistress, and you accomplished that within two sparring sessions. I would very much like to spar against you the next time you feel inclined, after your second tribulation of course.”
Is it weird I’m kind of missing the flirty yet unbearable “little pup” act that she hasn’t done in a while? “Sure, I’ll take you up on that Sam. Maybe after we find out how hard I can hit after the tribulation though… I’m still not very excited to possibly hurt any of you…” I say back, my voice getting a little smaller the longer the thought goes on.
I feel a firm and faintly smelling of smoke hand come to rest on my head, rubbing me softly a few times before Samantha leans in and says, “You are simply adorable, little pup~. I will accept those conditions and greatly look forward to our meeting in the arena.” Wait, why was that what turned her on?!… Oh right, her fighting me may be the last step she needs to get, well, physical… I blush a bit as I curl into myself, suddenly feeling very exposed and embarrassed in this position which only makes a spark of something hungry alight in Sam’s eyes before she simply nods and steps back. Hoo boy…
Gerra’s the next one up on the victory tour, apparently, as she comes in and nearly joins me in Akiko’s tail hammock, her soft round face squishing up against mine as she says, “Then me next~! You’re so strong, little bird~! And still wrapped up in that oh so caring and pure personality, nearly enough to make my heart melt~! I’ll make sure to cook up something special for you tonight, just you wait, okay?” I can’t help but laugh back against her super effective cuddle attack, my arms going around her shoulders as I feel her tail come up to poke my cheek.
Curious, I open my eyes to see what she wants before they go almost as wide as when I struck a home run on Akiko just now as Gerra quickly closes the distance between our faces and gives me a full, wet kiss on the lips! Before anyone can react, she is already bolting for the door, giggling and laughing like a schoolgirl before darting out of sight completely, her fading jubilance leaving all of us standing there stunned.
“That cheeky woman!! I wanted to kiss Amelia first!” I hear Jun Li say out in what I hope is mostly just playful anger, before she too bolts out of the door. Judging by the fuzzed-up tails and set to her eyes, I think Gerra and Jun Li are about to have a little heart to heart out in the estate~. My own heart starts picking up the pace once everything calms down, the full extent of what just happened and was said finally breaking through my hazy mind. Not only did Gerra make the first move on me, but now she and Jun Li are basically about to fight over me?? I can’t help but relish a bit in that, feeling a unique sense of desirability and inflated ego from the notion, like my own self rating of my sexiness just went up a couple notches~.
More sane words are finally spoken by Ios, whose holographic form leans back in laughter as she says, “Wow~! Little heart breaker Aims is out here causing a ruckus~! I can’t believe Gerra did that, hehe~! Or maybe I should say, I can’t believe it took her this long~? Was she always so assertive?” The last couple questions are fielded between her laughter to Akiko and Samantha, presumably.
Akiko just shakes her head in a chuckle as she replies, “I am afraid so, spirit Ios. Gerra is a very sweet and kind girl, but when she knows what she wants it can be very difficult to persuade her otherwise. Couple that with her usual desire to just cause mischief generally, and many humorous yet frustrating situations are bound to happen. But, I love her dearly and take it as part of her charm. A little bit of chaos to spice the normalcy of cultivating life~.”
Sam leans in to give Akiko a kiss on the cheek before she also responds, “That is quite accurately put, Mistress. Gerra is a wonderful woman and I respect and care for her greatly, but she can be quite the handful when left to her own devices or thoughts for too long. Honestly, that is a trait not unheard of for most cat kin, but Gerra seems to take it to the extreme, at times. However, I agree with your assumption, spirit Ios. I am also shocked that it took her this long to become forward with Amelia. Speaking of which…”
Samantha turns to me, genuine concern in her usually stoic face as her emerald eyes look to me with worry, “I hope you are well after that, Amelia. I know you are attempting to be a bit more reserved between the rest of us, for now. If you are bothered by her sudden display of affection, I can earnestly talk to her and try to calm her down from further attempts. Failing that, the Mistress can intervene and squash any future attempts, until you are ready, of course.”
Aww~! She can be a sweetheart too when she wants to be! I give her a kind smile as I reach out for her hand which she gives after a brief look of confusion. I grasp it tightly in mine as I say, “W-well, I was a little shocked at first, not going to lie, but it was… nice. I think… I think after the tribulation, I may be a bit more open about that kind of stuff. Now that I know what I need to do to reach my goals and heal Sandra, a lot of pressure has stopped weighing on me, not to mention I’ve already decided that I deserve to be happy while I do so. And… well… you three are all amazing women who are beyond kind and sexy, so I would be an idiot not to be open to the idea. Especially since the end goal is to become part of your family anyway.”
Sam looks to me and blinks a couple times, her own eyes wide again at my little rambling speech as I stroke a finger awkwardly across my cheek. She eventually brings back that all too rare soft look to her face as she says back, “Well then, I will also look forward to that, little pup~. Thank you for being forthright with me, and I am very happy that you have come to such a decision. I shall leave the three of you to discuss the spar’s results and ensure that Jun Li does not leave a lasting ailment on poor Gerra.” She gives me a little wink which makes my heart flutter as she backs up and bows to both Akiko and Ios, “Mistress, spirit Ios. If we do not see each other for the evening meal, then I wish you both goodnight. And same to you, Amelia. Listen to these two and rest, you deserve it.”
Without waiting for a reply, Samantha saunters her pert round butt out of the doorway, leaving Akiko, Ios, and me all by ourselves in the still slightly destroyed training room. “Well, that was quite the display of affection from all involved, I would say~.” Akiko finally remarks after the door has been shut for a few moments. I nuzzle into her, just humming in affirmation as the butterflies start building up inside of me thinking about all the different yet equal ways the three of them just came on to me~.
Ios gives an amused huff from the side as she adds in, “Agreed~. Well, it couldn’t stay platonic forever, but I’m glad you’re accepting of it Aims~. Now then, let’s talk about what went down between you two. First things first, are you okay Akiko? I know that was a monster of a hit.”
Akiko shakes her head in reply, “Fear not, my dear spirit Ios. Just as I told Amelia, it would take several more of such blows to bring me to serious harm. I am more concerned about the expenditure that Amelia used, both for the first technique and when she combined it so skillfully with her movement one as well.” She leans down to give me another couple of kisses as she ends the statement, making me squeal as her lips land and tickle my face~.
Ios chuckles as she turns her head to the side, no doubt looking over the numbers as her eyes go full matrix again, before she answers back, “So Aims, if you’re just using the body technique, your current stamina pool can hold that up for seven minutes, give or take. Granted, that spar didn’t go that long, but that was the burn rate for it at least. When you had both running, that more than doubled the stamina burn, meaning you likely only have three minutes or less of doubling up like that. As it stands now, you’re sitting on 225k in your pool after the bout.”
“Impressive~!” Akiko exclaims, her remaining tails wagging behind her happily, “That should be more than sufficient to overcome the next tribulation. So long as she focuses the technique on aiding her Constitution to raise her health maximum, she can most certainly deal with whatever is thrown her way.”
Wait, is that how it works?? I mean, we’ve been assuming that, but I didn’t actually check my pools and stuff when the technique was going on.. for reasons… Anyway, if that’s true, then why didn’t my stamina pool get larger too? Noticing my confusion, Ios steps in to give some corrections, “So that isn’t technically how the technique works, it seems. Sure, she can get stronger if she focuses on Strength, faster if on Dexterity, but if she uses it for Constitution, it doesn’t actually bump up her health pool. When used that way, the technique seems to make her more resilient by a factor of 10. The more CON she has, the less damage she’ll take, essentially. Assuming Luck doesn’t kick in and negate it all anyway~.”
Huh. I guess that makes sense, going by how when I bumped up my stats so quickly the other day, the stamina pool didn’t just jump up with them. It just stayed at its current used amount until I regained it. Well, I guess that’s one more mystery solved~! “Alright then, so with that in mind, do we all still think I can take the tribulation once I’ve regained my stamina again?” I ask out cautiously, eager to hear them say yes so I can finally start healing Sandra again~.
Ios and Akiko look to each other, some unknown and non-spoken conversation playing out between them before they look back to me and give me a smile. Ios is the first up as she says confidently, “I think it’s safe enough. After tonight, you’ll have more than enough spare points to muscle through any curveballs that Heaven may throw your way~. Hehe~.”
Well, that’s an odd fucking way to frame that response… Akiko leans in and whispers in my ear, throwing away any and all confusion about Ios’ cheekiness as she breathes out huskily, “What the darling spirit Ios is implying, my love~, is that I am going to give you a night to remember as a reward for your actions here today~. You made me so achingly wet after showing me your power, I can hardly contain myself even now~.”
Uh oh. I’m in danger.
