Walking Disasters and Me-The Journey Begins Under Notice – Ch 6
Honestly, it could be worse. Having that nudist perk sounds like it's going to make sleeping much more comfortable, since I prefer to sleep in the nude anyway. Nothing worse than feeling constricted by clothing when you're trying to catch some Z's in my opinion! And it stipulates that there's room for
some
clothing, at least at this level of the skill. I'll have to play around with what exactly meets that criteria later when we get settled. Hopefully it doesn't mean like... only jewelry is okay.
"Alright, tell me about Luck and then open up the Shop Ios. We're going to head out right after I get informed and clothed, being out in the open this long in an alien world is freaking me out." I say quietly to my resident eldritch being. While voicing my concerns, I take another look around at the forest, trying to see if I can make out any movement that's not related to the gentle breeze that sometimes blows through the clearing. Thankfully with all the leaves gone and smaller brush blown away, there doesn't seem to be much room for any enterprising spies or critters to be hiding out.
'You got it sweet cheeks~! So, Luck is honestly a crazy ass ability, universally. Anytime you perform an action, use a skill, practice martial arts, get in a fight, you name it, it has a chance to activate and multiply whatever the relevant Ability or Skill effect that is being used by the value of the Luck stat. The chance to proc the multiplier is 10% of the total luck stat, so for you that means that every action you take, every chance to avoid damage, every time you use a skill to make something, there is a 50% chance of having Luck activate.
If it happens when you're fighting, you'll have your Strength or Dexterity score, depending on the weapon and what you're doing, be multiplied by 500. If you're about to take a nasty hit from an enemy or beast, there's a 50% chance that the wound will become less fatal or less damaging by a large margin. However, if it procs when you're using a skill that's when it can get crazy! ~ Not that a 500x multiplier to Strength randomly wouldn't also be just insane, but let's say you were cooking some random meal and Luck activates.
That basic bitch meal would almost instantly turn into a quasi-Transcendent Rank meal. I know we haven't gone over that stuff yet but trust me when I say that that is almost a death sentence if it comes out that you're able to make such a high-grade item before you're strong enough to defend yourself. Or at least strong enough to justify your ability to make it. If a "mortal" like yourself were to make a quasi-Transcendent Rank pill, entire nations would either fight over you to control you or try to kill you to secure their own supply and demand to the global market.' Ios finishes her long explanation, and this is the first time I've heard
her
have a tone of fear in her voice. It's sweet that it seems to be fear for my safety, at least partially since it seems like we're a package deal.
"Well... Fuck. Talk about a double-edged sword. Even if its related to fighting, if I suddenly pop off with 500 times my Strength against someone, I can only imagine it's going to cause untold amounts of problems! Sigh, it sounds like I should at least just avoid using any kind of crafting skill or whatever until we get stronger or we're somewhere that stronger people that we trust can protect us. From what you and the System have implied about this world so far however, I don't think I can avoid fighting for very long." I reply back scratching my head while trying to figure out what to do with that latest info bomb.
'You're exactly right honey. Honestly, this is the scariest thing about you being so weak right now. We are going to stand out like a sore thumb regardless, there's no avoiding that, but if we stick out
and
you're out there bustin the heads of cultivators as a mortal?? Hoo boy, it's going to be a shit show Aims. I tell you what, let's get your clothes from the shop. You have enough points to get something that should protect you from lower tier cultivators and beasts while still being incognito. You'll still have enough points leftover to get food, camping supplies, and eventually your own cultivation manuals later once we're settled.
After you get dressed, I'd suggest you head to those mountains to your north. They should be about 100 miles away or so, and we should be able to find a cave or something to camp out in until the heat dies down for the area. I would also heavily suggest you use your available Ability Points to bring Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution to 50 on the off chance you run into something on the way. That'll give you the same fighting power as a middle tier Foundation Realm cultivator. Don't give me that look, I know you don't know what that means yet, but we gotta go. I can explain it all once we're in a cave or something! Either way, once you start heading out, I'll look at the back end of Luck and see if I can make it to where you can have the chance to activate be turned off or on, like a toggle. That should buy us some time before you have to start answering some awkward questions to the locals.' Ios rattles off, her cadence slightly quickening at the end there. I wonder if she's getting panicky now too, realizing just how in the shit we are here.
But, let it not be said that she's never helpful. She seems to have thought of a plan to get me moving, and is at least going to attempt to do some... coding? On the System to ease our little Luck problem. Couldn't ask for a better disassociated voice in my head!
"Alright, calm down Ios we'll be fine if we keep our heads on straight, okay? God, it is weird being on this side of a panic attack. You'd think I would know what to say!" I laugh lightly before continuing, "Okay, this is a martial art style world, right? I guess get me an armored battle robe or dress, nothing too fancy like you said. If we can make the primary color be a dark, deep black with all the trim along the neckline, cuffs, belt, and waist be a teal color matching my eyes, that would be awesome too. Oh! And see if we it can't have repeating patterns of little whisps of white, cloud like spheres, which is what I imagine souls to look like. If I have Void and Soul proficiency, might as well lean into it right?" I finish giving my fashion advice to Ios.
She hums for a second inside my head with her usual upbeat tone, before saying with pride, 'Aha! I found a great match, it even comes in a line of different grades so that if you like it, you can buy the more expensive ones later! The one we will buy will be a middle level Earth rank item, which shouldn't draw too much attention, I think. And I customized it like you wanted it to, free of charge for my little Aims~! 50 Store Points please!'
You have purchased [Midnight Battle Dress (Mid Earth Rank)] for 50 Points!
Luck has activated! This purchase has been upgraded to [Eternal Midnight Sovereign's Battle Attire (Peak Heaven Rank)] for no additional charge! Congratulations!
Before I can even process what just happened, a beautifully ornate box appears on the charred ground in front of me. It looks like what I imagine the decorative aspects of the battle dress to be, dark black all around, with teal blue trimming the edges of the box. Small white spheres trailing white smoke dot in a repeating pattern diagonally across the black canvas. Ios beats me to the punch on the freak outs this time, as I hear her shout out inside my head,
'What the fuck Ilya!?! You have it set for Luck to proc on the GOD DAMN STORE?! Why?! We are so screwed now Aims; we're screwed because Ilya turned the store into a freaking Gacha roulette! If I had hair right now, I'd be ripping it out!' Her exacerbated cries bounce around in my skull in what I'm imagining is her bouncing off the walls with anxiety. Now I can confidently say that yes, even otherworldly beings beyond mortal comprehension can get panic attacks. I feel vindicated.
"Ios, it's going to be okay! Honestly, it's an insanely smart idea to have Luck activate on the store! We can get access to completely outrageous things in the future if it activates on some stuff, right?? I know that it kind of bit us in the ass right now, but we'll just have to make the most of it! Maybe it won't even be too bad! Maybe everyone is walking around with Heaven grade whatever's and doo dads, eh?" My best attempts at consoling Ios are met with a high-pitched whine that drags on for a few seconds before she gets silent for a few breaths.
'Fuck it Aims, just open the damn box. It better look amazing for how much trouble this shit is going to cause us.' She finally speaks up, her voice flat and defeated sounding.
Turns out eldritch creatures can also pout, I'm learning so much today! Joking aside, I'll have to figure out a way to make it up to her and learn better ways to calm her down in the future. She always seems so on top of it, this whole interaction kind of blindsided me. And, again, I'm usually not the one trying to console someone having a meltdown, so this is quite the novel experience.
Not wanting to make the problem worse, I wordlessly open the box beneath me. It clicks open without issue, and inside the container is an achingly beautiful dress. It has a core the color of the blackest pits of space, with those white cute orbs going in a diagonal pattern across the entire body and legs. They're spaced out a few inches between themselves, so that it doesn't crowd the dress. The trim is primarily teal colored, with the edges having gold fraying which perfectly match my eyes. All of the material is light and silky smooth and feels like it would cost a fortune to make and buy back home.
The neckline makes a deep V shape, which will no doubt show off my generous assets, while the belt of cloth that fits around the waist is about as wide as my hand, made of thick comfortable material. The cuffs flare out to provide a lot of space around my wrists and forearms, enough so that I can easily fit both arms in either sleeve. The bottom of the dress is split on both sides to accommodate using my legs for things like running or fighting, which ya know. Makes sense. It caps off the lower parts with that teal and gold trim on the pieces at around mid-shin length, and at the bottom of the container are a pair of sturdy looking sandals with a couple of cloth socks that look to have a split in the seam for where the leather strip would go between the toes. All in all, it's quite the getup. I feel like I would win any cosplay contest on the planet if this was Earth. On a whim, I use Appraise on the dress.
[Eternal Midnight Sovreign's Battle Attire (Peak Heaven Rank)]: This beautiful dress was crafted for the former Sovereign of the Void during her reign over the Realms of The River. When wearing this battle attire, your proficiency with the Void, Soul, and Moon elements increase by 50%. Your DEX, STR, CON, and WIL also increase by 100. Weapons, treasures, and effects of Peak Earth Rank and lower do not affect any part of the body covered by the fabric of this dress. Weapons, treasures, and effects
of Low Earth Rank or lower will not affect you at all while wearing this attire. In direct moonlight or in the presence of Void or Soul energy, your Qi Accumulation rate will increase by 25%.
Holy shit, no wonder Ios is breaking down right now. This... This is the kind of thing people will for sure kill me to get. Fuck me running. On the bright side, if she said that my stats being at 50 would let me contend with middle Foundation rank people, whatever that means, then being higher than that would surely be better! Right?... Right?? Before I join Ios in her now understandable conniption fit, I remember something else that is drastically important to us moving forward. Crucial even.
"Ios, honey, are you back yet? We forgot about getting underwear for me." I say softly to the air with as much care as I can muster.
'Hmm? Oh, right we did huh? Wanna see if a sports bra and spanks will get a Luck pull and cause even more of a disaster? I'm game if you are~' Despite the usual joking tone at the end, it's obvious someone is still struggle busing right now. Okay Aim's, time to be a big girl and help your spiraling mental passenger! Cause we can't both be a broken-down mess, at least not before we get to this ever-elusive cave we keep talking about!
"I know this is a lot to take in Ios, and I'm sure your plans have basically been thrown out the window and that we now have even bigger targets on us. But there's nothing we can do about it now, that dress is too valuable to give up or leave behind. We're going to need every advantage we can get if we're going to survive this, right? Let's hope that Luck doesn't proc when I buy a few pairs of underwear, and then I'll put everything on, spend the ability points like you said just as added insurance, and get moving to the mountains. Okay? I'm here with you and trust me this is stressing me out too. If Resolve wasn't still active, I think we'd both be a babbling mess on the ground right now. I can still feel the panic and fear eating at me, honestly."
'Sigh, you're right Amelia. Sorry for losing my shit there, lets finish this up and get moving. Let me see... Here we go, 5 pack of athletic wear and lingerie for busty women hehe~ Joking, it will automatically be sized to you. Unless Luck fucks us again, they should be pretty standard, just a step or two above Mortal rank stuff but probably still better than anything you've ever worn before so try not to be surprised. 10 points and it's all yours honey~! Probably should spend another 5 to get a travel bag or something to store the ones you aren't going to wear in too.' She replies chirpily, her mood seeming to have improved after a successful comforting session of yours truly! Hopefully that isn't a recurring thing, or I'm going to need to buy a manual on therapy or something.
You have purchased [Assorted Athletic Wear and Lingerie (Low Earth Rank)] for 10 Points!
You have purchased [Small Travel Bag (Mid Mortal Rank)] for 5 Points!
Thankfully we get lucky, heh, and I'm not looking at another box that will cause an empire to hunt me to extinction for its contents. Inside it are 2 pairs of sportswear and 3 pairs of frilly, comfortable looking panties and bras. I inspect the bras, seeing if they have the dreaded wire in their creation and am happy to find that isn't the case. No poked boob for me! I don one of the sportswear pairs, a charming blue elastic sports bra and equally blue spandex shorts and quickly discover what Ios was talking about. I feel like I am in heaven with how everything is supported, the feel of the material against my most sensitive places and am shocked at how breathable it is for feeling like elastic from back home. Where have these been all my life!
I shake my head quickly and put the other pairs of underwear into the little travel bag I bought. For such a cheap number of points, it actually seems pretty spacious, and there are several inseams and pockets to help divide up whatever I may need to carry. Neat!
I then go about putting on the Battle Attire, which is thankfully an intuitive process despite never having worn something like this before. I only have to ask Ios a couple times on how to tie the damn sash to make it stay and look cute. As soon as I'm done fiddling with the clothing, I can
feel
the inflow of power from the dress feeding into me. My muscles feel like they expand and rip, even though no visible changes occur that I can make out. My fingers move with a speed that would make some of my toys back home jealous, and I feel like I could survive a few rounds with Mike Tyson. Okay, maybe not that last one, he is still a beast.
Above all, I feel my connection to Sandra deepen by several magnitudes, I look down to where she is resting inside of me when I notice the sensation and can almost make out her silhouette in the wispy, white ball that I assume is her soul. The ball itself has several hairline fractures, where tiny amounts of energy are... good, the energy is seeping
into
her soul, not leaking from it. Almost had another panic attack there. I can't wait to study this more, maybe with higher Wisdom I can learn how to help Sandra recover more effectively and get both her and Ilya back on the team sooner to give advice. Or, in Sandra's case, just to talk to her again and tell her I'm okay and fill her in on this new adventure we get to share together!
The last preparation step I do before heading out of here is distribute my Ability Points to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution to bring them all up to, now, 150 each.
You have used 40 Ability Points on Strength! Strength is now 150!
You have used 25 Ability Points on Dexteritiy! Dexterity is now 150!
You have used 35 Ability Points on Constitution! Constitution is now 150!
Health Pool is now 2145 / 2145
(Base 150 + 10 per CON = 1650) (+ 30% from Titles)
Health Recovery Rate is now 20 pts per hour (Base 5 + 1 per 10 CON)
Stamina Pool is now 4,030 / 4,030
(Base 100 + 10 per DEX and CON = 3100) (+ 30% from Titles)
Stamina Recovery Rate is now 35 pts per hour (Base 5 + 1 per 10 CON and + 1 per 10 DEX)
Yeah, that's pretty terrifying. I take a moment to steady myself after viewing my raw, undeniable power to start scoping out the direction of the mountains we need to head to. Thankfully, they are quite large even at this distance, and at least from what I can see from my current position the path toward them looks to be mostly clear of any fallen trees or debris from my explosive entrance to this plane.
"Okay Ios, I'm ready. I'll start heading to those mountains over yonder, are you still going to try and program a shut off for Luck activating? I won't deny, having the base stat of it is nice if it will help get more favorable outcomes, but if we need to shut if off completely until we're in a safer position then we can do that too." I ask while beginning to stretch my legs in warm up for the jog toward new horizons. I haven't had a good marathon in a while! I can't wait to see how my stats are going to impact my running speed and stuff, maybe I'll be able to give the Flash a run for his money hehe~!
'Thats the plan sweetheart, you just go get your runners high and I'll see what I can do on my side about that pesky skill activation. If it turns out we need to deactivate it completely for now, I'll let you know. I'll keep a general awareness around you just in case, but if something comes up, holler to me and I'll come help you out!'
And with that, I turn toward the path out of the blast zone that I woke up in, toward the mountains in the distance. It's not even been a full day, and I've already gone through more traumatic episodes and information than I have in years. My sister is hurting, but safe inside of me. My parents are alone back on Earth probably mourning our tragic deaths. And now, due to some unfortunate circumstances, I'm likely going to be a target for people once they take note of my existence here. But I will fight through any of those people, all of those challenges, if it means seeing Sandra again in the flesh and building a life for both of us to be happy... together. In whatever way that ends up being.
Permanent Active Skill Gained!
[Resolute Mind]: Time and time again, you have shown to have remarkable and unshakeable values and vision in the face of extreme adversity. Negative mental health effects, especially panic, fear, or hate will have their effectiveness reduced by half against you. Additionally, while under the effects of Panic, Confusion, or other such debilitating statuses, you can spend a portion of your stamina to forcefully suppress those symptoms. The stamina spent will be unable to be recovered until the effects disappear, or until you allow the status effects to become active again.
A wide, almost manic smile comes to my lips, as my azure eyes twinkle with determination and confidence and I kick off the ground, exploding through the forest like a rocket on my first step of the sprint. The only words anyone could hear from before I took off like a human missile were:
"Fuck yeah."
An unknown, feminine figure with vulpine ears and 6 large, white bushy tails ending in sky blue tips stands high in the sky and watches a stray mortal flounder about in the ruins of the once great Cerulean Forest. The mortal woman seems to have an animated, albeit one sided, conversation for nearly the hand of a clocks time before she suddenly summons a mighty and gorgeous treasure that the watcher has never seen before. After a few more mysteriously appearing items, the naked mortal dresses in under clothes, and then the treasure that must be of Low Heaven Rank at the least before stowing the last few items and turning toward the mountains in the distance. The mountains that lead back to the Fox Village, which this figure calls home.
The mortal gets into a low position, nods her head once allowing her long red hair to tumble slightly in front of her beautiful face, before the mortal's eyes alight with glee and mania. As the ground suddenly cracks beneath
a mortal's
step
, this Kitsune woman hears two more words be uttered by the young woman below with her excellent hearing, "Fuck yeah".
All the floating woman can respond with, is a look of pure fascination, as well as a hint of lust and battle fever, on her own beautiful face as her soft and motherly sounding voice echoes into the sky around her.
"Interesting."
The Journey Begins Under Notice – Ch 6
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