Walking Disasters and Me-Final Rewards, Renewed Determination – Ch 99
The recovery process could only be described as
excruciating
, laying me up in bed for a solid few days of agonizing and aching body pain. Unlike when it was just the muscles, sharp daggers of glass composed of mind-numbing lightning would arc their cruel way along every square inch of skin, down to the core of every bone, and along every tendon and ligament. My spine most of all was probably the most torturous experience, making it feel like every joint and spur of the vertebrae wanted to do nothing more than stab out of me and beat me up, or just do an inside job and finish me off out of spite for what I put them through.
Moving in any capacity was a non-starter for the first day, and a little after, prompting a worried Gerra to periodically drop in and hand feed me during regular mealtimes like a vegetable in a recovery ward. It was
very
sweet, and although we didn't physically talk much - mainly due to the fact that even the small amount of muscle use to eat was hell - she stayed with me for an hour or two after eating to just talk, make sure I was comfy. We used Ios as a middle woman so that I could respond to any of her questions or chat back with her, the three of us spending the fleeting hours of day for as long as she could spare them. Gerra also dropped off some of those bathing talismans, which was a bit mortifying, but she was nice and just waved it off saying I smelled fine. She also seemed to blush quite a bit when she'd look over to me, even though I was under the covers...
After using one of the said talismans and putting the complaining about the self-inflicted agony and Gerra's weird attitude aside, I muse on the
real
most aggravating thing during this whole endeavor. At no point in my nearly weeklong recovery did I dream.
Even once
. Whether it was due to the sheer amount of pain I was in stopping my brain from fully resting, or that Sandra and I just failed to link up in any capacity, I don't know. Although honestly, the former option is probably the more likely cause, I always slept like
shit
after a particularly grueling day of training for track and field, so it would make sense that that little habit carried over too, unfortunately.
I wonder if there's a skill or something we can find that'll like... force me into a dream state at night? Something I'll for sure be asking Ios if the trend continues now that I'm feeling better. And oh boy, am I feeling better~! My body feels light as a
feather
, every movement carrying profound and untapped power, and as I walk over to a heart shaped standing mirror - because of
course
Aki would have something like that here - I notice that I'm... hotter? My skin seems even more pristine and perfect, and it feels silky smooth under my touch to the point of sending pink slivers of arousal darting underneath my fingertips.
Shaking my head to ward off the suddenly powerful feelings, I try to distract myself from the thought of this body becoming even
more
sensitive by looking at my more prominent assets~. My hair is lusher and bounded with untangled, free flowing red wavy curls, like I just walked out of the doors to the best overpriced bougie salon in the state. My eyes are even more vibrantly teal, and the eyelashes seem longer and fuller, to the point that I don't think I'd
ever
have to worry about using eyeliner or mascara again in my
life!
The thought continues as the skin on my face is revealed to be naturally rosy on the cheeks, still silky and sheen like the rest of my body now, but also immaculate and without any trace of hair at all. I nearly squeal with glee at that revelation~! Take
that
stupid faint upper lip hair that got me bullied all the time in middle school!! I
always
hated you!
Admittedly, that last change probably happened when I landed here, but I haven't really spent a lot of time inspecting myself over like this since then. Maybe a few times after a shower, before that turned into a couple's activity with Akiko~, but I was focused on the more...
obvious
changes at the time. Getting back on task, the inspection continues downward and thankfully it doesn't seem like my breasts got any bigger. I legitimately don't know how I would feel about that since these are already a good couple full cup sizes up from my Earth body, but it does feel like they are more...
springy
, like gravity has less of an effect on them. Pliant yet still firm, while even more giving than before as I softly knead them while trying my best not to send myself into a mindlessly horny mentality.
My hands continue down my sides, the hourglass figure seeming a tad bit more pronounced than before the tribulation owing partially to my ass and hips. The latter seem to set wider, just a touch, leading down to pillowy soft thighs and holding my even rounder rump which also seems to be even more taut yet smushable. I test said theory and gasp at the firm hardness of muscle right underneath the squeeze of fatty tissue that almost makes me moan out loud, blooded heat washing up my face even though its just me here for now. Well, me and-
"You done fondling yourself, Aims~? Somehow I
knew
this was going to be the first thing you did after recovering from the frankly
insane
amount of hurt you put on yourself, even if it was regrettably needed." I hear from behind me, Ios' teasing voice pairing with her amused form as she blinks into her projection, arms crossed and eyebrows raised in a knowing tilt. I just turn around and stick my tongue out at her, the slow rolling heat still ebbing up my face and neck as I do so before I reply.
"Well
excuse
me! It's not every day that my body suddenly becomes more of a smoke show basically overnight! Sorry for being curious about such a drastic change,
miss voyeur!"
Ios giggles as I give a playful and only half-serious huff of annoyance, and I wait for her to settle before I actually ask her seriously, "So, is this because of advancing cultivation ranks in body or something? Or did - Heavens forbid - my Charisma stat also get buffed after I caught everything up?"
Ios takes the tone change in stride, her sly smile and amused posture fading back to a more serious one as she gives a soft hum before responding, "Well, its unfortunately a little of column A, little of column B. Your body path enhances every aspect of your body - shocking, I know - and part of that is your attractiveness and features. It being a moon attributed path, an element that is often described as leading to the most
beautiful cultivators in existence
, and yeah I'm not surprised you look..." The woman actually turns her head away and blushes after looking me over, which is kind of a shock! She's usually pretty up front and carefree with her flirty nature, so seeing her get a little rattled just from giving my body the ol' up and down is something to behold~.
I smirk as I walk closer to her projection, teasingly swaying my hips a little more than necessary as I lower my already husky voice, "
Oh~?
Don't keep me in
suspense
, Ios~. How do I look?" Ios' eyes go wide as I cock my hip to the side, resting a playful hand on my waist while my other combs up to my hair to flick it once behind me, my face turning back to hers as I shoot her a coy smirk. Of course, internally I'm dying from both embarrassment and shame, but this is too much of a good opportunity to inflict some mental damage on the troll, so I'd be
dumb
to pass it up!
I swear that I audibly hear her projection gulp nervously, her dinner plate eyes just staring at me before I feel the sensation of being kissed -
deeply
- as her drone dies and drops to the floor with a
*clunk*
of plastic on stone. I shiver as I jump to the bed, moaning as pink hued effervescent bubbles begin boiling in my tightening core as hands cup my newly beautified breast and ass. I barely make it to prone before I meditate and dive into the soul space, finding Ios all over my avatar as she sloppily makes out with it. Hmm, we may need to talk about boundaries after this, but I push that thought away as I return the favor in full, both of our moans sounding out in the growingly cherry and rose strobing lights of the soul scape.
After
quite
an energetic romp, one where we
both
got off more times than we can remember, we lay 'prone' next to each other, still breathing heavily even if there is no air here. "S-sorry, Aims. I shouldn't have jumped you like that, but
damn girl
, you turned into a
succubus
all of the sudden and I just couldn't help it! You'll
seriously
have to be careful with Akiko, maybe even the other girls too when you start training with them, or you'll
never
see the light of day again. Especially when you consider the bond..."
I appreciate that she outright apologized, and it
was
fun... "
*Sigh*
It's okay, it
is
kind of on me for teasing you like that too, especially seeing how worked up you were. But that's what
I
couldn't help~. You're surprisingly fun to rile up, hehe~. Let's just let this one slide, it... well, I
liked
it to a point. It
was
kind of hot to just have you working me over so sensually when I couldn't do anything to stop it~..."
Ios shoots me a cautious yet hungry look, like she's saying I better watch out or we're going for round two. "
*Ahem*
," I cough out as I sit my avatar up, "How about we agree that we don't do that in public, during arguments without both of us consenting, while fighting or training, or if we want to be left alone? Well, I say 'we' but you know what I mean."
Ios chuckles as she sits up next to me, a pair of hands going through her curls as she gives me a little smile, "Sure, sweetheart. I'll make sure to only grope you without restraint in
special
circumstances~. Although do let me know if you change your mind on the in public one, especially since you have that
[Exhibitionist]
title waiting in the wings for you~. It can be
quite
the experience, hehe."
Oh shit, I totally forgot about that! I ignore how the large and sudden spike of lust drills into me at her suggestion - something that apparently I'm not wholly against, it seems- and bring up the title here in the soul space so we can look at it.
[Adventurous Nudist] can be upgraded to [Exhibitionist]! Upgrade title now?
[Exhibitionist]: You're not content to merely walk around among prying eyes with scantily clad clothes, you relish in it to the point that walking around naked wouldn't phase you. Temperature effects will have a greatly reduced effect on you, and your natural defenses will increase by 37.5% so long as the barest minimum of your body is covered by clothing or you are naked. These effects are doubled if you are wearing clothes stained with, or you still have bodily evidence of, previous sexual activities. Additionally, other's perception of your impropriety will be moderately lessened while any version of the effect is active, and you receive double the stimulation and point rewards for engaging in sexual acts in public while either effect is active.
I deadpan stare back to Ios, my neck creaking as I level my accusatory narrowed eyes to her. "Is this thing effecting how I see public indecency already?"
Ios laughs as she shakes her head in the negative, her humored lilt to her voice evident as she says back, "No, honey, it's not affecting you right now and it doesn't work like that anyway. That little realization was
all
you~. I'd suggest you go ahead and take the upgrade, even when the effect fires it won't change how you view the act in any way, it just gives better buffs and rewards for being a bit...
scandalous~
."
I keep my glare pinned to her for a few moments, only receiving a genuine smile in return before I finally give in and accept the upgrade. Better to have it and not need it than the reverse I guess, and who knows if some... assassin or something wouldn't try to start some shit when I'm in the middle of sex or something. Alright, even I admit that's a pretty
weak
attempt at a justification...
[Adventurous Nudist] has upgraded to [Exhibitionist]!
[Exhibitionist] Activates! Some conditions not met, currently only buffing thermal resistances and natural defenses by 37.5%!
On the bright side, I
do
feel much more resilient instantly. The 12.5% increase is noticeable, and though I still refuse to create or buy some like... bikini armor or something else demeaning to make the title always active, it'll at least be nice to know that I won't be in trouble if Akiko gets a little rougher until she gets used to my new overwhelming beauty.
Apparently
. Speaking of... "So, before I hop back out and go holler for Sam, what all changed regarding my Charisma?" I ask as I turn back to Ios, both of us having stood up by this point.
"Right, don't want to forget that piece of info! So, I ran the figures, and it looks like all of your physical stats are essentially getting buffed by 25% while you're resting, but when you perform actions, it becomes a flat factor of 1.5. So, the reason you nearly crushed your diaphragm with Akiko's body a few days ago was because as soon as you exerted force, the effect took place and your strength went from just over 14k to closer to 22k. That also means that your Charisma stat is basically always bumped up to 125 now." Ios says nonchalantly, like she didn't just tell me that I'm now fighting with almost double the strength of a peak 4th Realm now!
"What the
fuck?!
Why is that such a monstrous jump, both ways?! Wouldn't this mean that if I got like, 100k Strength and hit something, I'd just instantly get 50k extra on top of it?!" I ask out in a mixture of fear and hungry want, my Berserker side flaring to life at the untold
possibilities
of what this means when stacked with my other titles and buffs!
Ios shakes her head and waves her hands disarmingly, "No, no honey, it won't be like that." She begins which does make some relief start to wash through me. That is until she keeps talking with her annoyingly pretty and never-knows-when-to-shut mouth! "It'll be
even better~
! By the time you're hitting those base stat values, you'll have a
much
higher resting adjustment
and
active multiplier. Likely anywhere from three to five, depending on what Rank you're at in body cultivation~."
The sound of shattering glass echoes into the space as I think my mind fully breaks. Ios gives me a questioning look, waving her hands in front of my face as she jokingly says, "Uh, hello? Earth to Aims? You in there, sweetie?"
My hands fly to her shoulders as the space is suffused in a confusing mixture of reds, blues, yellows, and pinks, all different and vying between themselves as I stammer between open and closing my mouth. "Wh-... How-...
Why is that so insane?!?
Aren't I
already
overpowered as fuck?! Why is it just getting crazier!" I shake the eldritch being side to side, like a vending machine that has taken your money without giving you that one mass produced shitty cookie that everyone hates but secretly loves from time to time, and I just wanted a snack, but the fucker ate my bill and now I'm nearly screaming at Ios AGHHHH!!
With thought to action, I do end up just wailing all my frustration into the void while the confused and amused troll tries her hardest not to laugh as she's jostled side to side in my grip. "Aims, honey, it's okay! Can you
please
stop trying to give my avatar brain damage for a second?" Ios says still with a gleam of mischief in her eyes, likely knowing just how far down the anxiety rabbit hole she just sent me! I do stop my antics upon her, but only so that I move my hands to tickle her sides instead.
"
Never!
A
thousand
deaths on you woman!! Quit breaking my
fucking
world view every other day! Now suffer until I'm satisfied!" I cry out in vengeance for my lost sanity, her uncontrolled giggling echoing off the voided walls as she tries to run away from me, or she acts like it and lets me continue anyway, and soon both of us are rolling around on the ground together once again out of 'breath' but for a much sillier reason.
With still stuttering breaths, no doubt the lingering effects of such a
devastating
and
well-coordinated
attack, Ios shakily giggles and chuckles a few more times before she rolls over and gives me a kiss, her emerald eyes smiling brightly. "Get it - hehe~ - get it out of your system, sweetheart?"
I huff as I wrap her in a hug and nod, still processing the latest batch of bat shit crazy news to digest. "Well," Ios says as she presses her head against mine, "I think you handled it well~. I was honestly kind of worried about breaking the news to you, but if a little bit of tickle play is all that came from it, I'll call that a win~." I snort in a failed laugh, the absurdity mixing with humor as we lay there together under the receding mixture of hues.
Ios seems content to fill the silence as she picks back up the conversation, her hands idly stroking down my back in small, comforting circles. "Amelia, you're going to have to learn to accept what an anomaly you are. We
can't
hide it anymore, and it's going to get even more off the walls
bonkers
as you get stronger." She leans us back, her face growing serious as she drinks in my face with her eyes, "You are likely going to be on par with peak Apogee Rank people by the 3rd Realms. Sooner, if you start having more sex, but I won't press you on that. The plan we had at the beginning, to fly under the radar and try to keep you as inconspicuous as possible is no longer viable. Your tribulation was just too much, your growth too fast, and your power too extreme.
All of us here are with you, and love you, but you need to really come to terms with the absolute unparalleled - at least until Sandra gets revived - entity you are going to become. The sooner you do that, the less stress and anxiety you're going to feel, the less hesitation you'll subconsciously have about growing stronger in the first place, and the more agency you'll show about the actions and events going on around you. I
know
how passive you are, and that's okay! There's
nothing
wrong with going with the flow, seeing to your day to day and then starting it all over come the morning.
But you
can't
be like that all the time, you're just going to be
too
powerful to be so idle, to a certain point. I know it's dumb, but it really is like the spiderman quote, 'With great power' and all that. You owe it to Sandra, and
yourself
, to take charge of your life, to be involved and doing what you feel is best for those around you so long as you all agree. To be preemptive about dangers and threats. Again, I'm
not
dogging on you love, I just want you to know that things can't stay like this forever, and it will help you beyond measure to start accepting that now, while you're still safe and can afford to be so lax. That way you can choose the time and place to start exerting your will, gaining confidence, speaking up for yourself, planning ahead on matters without needing someone to hold your hand through it. Okay?" Ios says gently toward the end, a pair of her soft hands coming to cup my cheeks, thumbs stroking beneath my eye as she radiates peaceful calm. I sigh, leaning forward to bump foreheads together and give a minute nod, the space around us dripping in melancholic blues and deep, loving cherry reds.
"I... I'll try. All of this just moves so
fast
Ios. It feels like every time I get my feet planted, someone pulls the rug out from under me for this reason or that. I just... I can't seem to find my
balance
yet. I
barely
have time to process and internalize the most recent crazy shit before the next round, or more, comes barreling into me. And it's not that I don't
want
to be more assertive sometimes, and I think I
have
been when the situation is intense enough, but... I've just never been that person before. I... I don't even know where to
start
or how to begin acting and thinking like that, unless shit's hit the fan and it's a matter of survival." I weakly say back in a whisper, my hands slinking around her shoulders, pulling us together in a tight embrace.
"I know, darling~. It's going to take time, and there's
nothing
wrong with that. Things
will
slow down, or at least you'll get used to the chaos, eventually. And when that time comes, I have no doubt that you'll rise to any occasion and become even more radiant than you already are~. I love you, Amelia, and I'm
right here
with you through it all, okay?" The gentle whispering voice of Ios caresses my ears, a quiet calm settling a warm blanket over the fading anxiety and previous rush of emotions. We rock gently in each other's arms, content to just exist in the moment for a little while longer before I turn my head and give her a small peck on the cheek.
"Thanks, Ios. I needed that, the cuddling and the little pep talk. You're right, I'll keep trying my best regardless and try not to focus on just how insane everything always is. To just accept it as part of my life now and keep moving forward. Love you." I say with another, fuller kiss to her smiling lips. We both break away and stand back up, Ios giving me a little nod of her head before blinking back out of the soul space. I turn around and look, the voided walls, glowing planar circles, and vibrantly starlight bands of muscle, skin, and bone. With a nod, to myself and no one else, I exit the soul scape, instantly going toward my storage bag with purpose to fetch the battle dress.
With a swift motion, I don the familiar garb once more before fishing the spear out as well and move toward the closed doorway into the room and crack it open.
Final Rewards, Renewed Determination – Ch 99
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