Walking Disasters and Me-Complicated Results – Ch 95

Walking Disasters and Me-Complicated Results – Ch 95

Akiko wraps me in a hug once more from behind, planting a small kiss on my temple before she suggests, "It has been some time since you last ate, my love. Let us stop here for a moment before too many more of those devastating realizations that so oft plague these talks with the system occur and ruin any appetite you may yet possess. I had Gerra make some of her cookies for you, both as a means of apology for my actions as well as to brighten your spirits since we are keeping you safe here in this room for a
little
while longer."
I turn to her, my eyes lighting up like a kid who just got told Santa was coming to town before Christmas which equally coincides with my stomach letting out a loud agreement to the idea. Still basking in a shy excitement, blushing faintly at the embarrassing and betraying bodily function, Akiko simply giggles softly a few times before kissing my forehead again and then depositing a spread of food onto the bed.
Neat~
! I haven't had breakfast in bed since my last breakdown on Earth, and it was a much sadder affair of bread and eggs that I finally got the willpower to make.
I mentally slap myself, but despite my best efforts to keep the depression train chugging along, the heavenly aroma of Gerra's cooking banishes any negative thoughts, my mouth salivating on reflex from the delightful smells of freshly made food and soft baked cookies~. I do my best not to leave a mess on the bed, devouring as much of the meal as quickly as I can in ravenous hunger. I do have the presence of mind to use
[Appraisal]
on all of it, getting it up another level in the process. I also decide between bites of barely contained glee and gluttonous desire to just bite the bullet - hehe - and use 20 points to max it out after we go over how many I've gained here in a bit. Not like I'm
hurting
for them after all, even before Ios does the big reveal of the new grand total.
Before long, the meal is thoroughly vanquished, my conquering banner of satisfaction and bliss waving in the metaphorical wind over the barren landscape of its defeat~. I sigh out happily, leaning back against Akiko as she chuckles and scoops up the discarded dishes back into her ring for future cleaning. I assume. Hopefully she isn't like a
hoarder
for stuff like that...
Ios smirks beside me at the internally spoken worry, making me level a glare back to her. I still can't
believe
this trolling woman lied to me like that, saying 'Oh
no
you silly goose, I can't read your
mind!
You're just so
painfully easy to read
and I'm all up in your nervous system that I can essentially do the same thing as that!
Dork!'
. Which is totally how she said it too, verbatim.
The smile only grows wider as Ios shoots me a wink, the heat that comes up annoying as it is natural as I huff and lean against Akiko's delightfully soft body again. "Alright you troll. Let's get on with the other stuff I should go over now. Also... Can we just skip the sexy titles and the orgasm stuff and just see the points I got from it? I'm not really in the mood for anything like that right now."
Ios regains a bit more professionalism as her playful smirk returns to a more neutral smile. Still edged with her natural mischievous energy, but much more sympathetic in weight as she replies back, "Of course honey. I honestly wasn't even going to bring that part of the quest up, just the point values gained from it. So! Where do you want to start? You got a few titles from the tribulation itself, aside from the upgrade to
[Defier of the Heavens]
and your Intent. You also got a
tiny
bump to your base stats since you're still
technically
a baby cultivator, but a massive expansion of your Health and Stamina pools as well as regeneration rates. And don't forget the points gained from your time with Akiko and me like you said."
Hmm... I lean back into the crook of Aki's neck as I ponder, my voice humming softly in contemplation as her tails wave lightly against me, once in a while sending a pleasant shiver down my spine before she pulls them back and gives a soft apology. I know she is concerned about not measuring up to the bond that the system forced on us, but she's honestly closer than she thinks. It's just going to take time for us to truly be on the same level of understanding that I think naturally comes with the title itself.
I mean shit,
Sandy and I
aren't really what I would consider to be on that level, to where we know intrinsically what the other is thinking or feeling, desiring or wanting at any moment, not to mention romantically yet. Granted, part of that is that she's still healing and resting inside of me while I've been on my own journey of growth and recovery, but I don't fault Akiko for a
second
for feeling a bit like a fish out of water here. I'm in the same boat too, with both of them now, after all.
I raise my head up just enough to plant a little kiss on her cheek, giving her a small squeeze around her waist before I turn back to Ios. "Let's just go top to bottom, look at the whole status screen and then we can break it down after that. It's been a while since we've seen the whole thing, and I'm sure there's stuff on there that we haven't mentioned yet."
The illusory form of Ios nods agreeably, dismissing her projection to show Akiko and I the full and complete status screen as we look over the frankly ridiculous changes to it:
Spoiler
Status Screen
Name:
Amelia "Aims" Dufort
Race
Human (Reborn)
Titles:
[Intertwined Souls] [Reincarnator] [Favored by Ios] [Favored by Ilya] [Bane of the Heavens] [Touched by the Void] [Hardened Soul] [Charon's Little Helper] [Otherworldly Beauty] [Pro Athlete] [Alumni] [Survivor] [Beginner Weapon Master] [Gluttonous Consumption] [Improvised Unarmed Fighting]
Sex Titles:
[Focus here to expand list]
Level
15
(Exp Gain Multiplier +250% from Titles)
Cultivation Methods
Soul: [Dominating Empress' Soul of the River] 1st Realm of the 2nd Rank
Spiritual: [Imperial Spirit of the Unending Void] 1st Realm of the 2nd Rank
Body: [Eternally Moonlit Midnight Sovereign's Immortal Body] 4th Realm of the 2nd Rank
Techniques:
Soul: [Soul Empress' Domination]
Spiritual: [Unending Flow of the River]
Body: [Moonlight Body Strengthening]
Health:
174,504/ 174,504
(Base 500 + 10 per CON = 52,880) (+ 230% from Titles and Cultivation Ranks)
Recovery Rate: 1,721.40 pts per hour
(Base 50 + 1 per 10 CON) (+ 200% from Titles and Cultivation Ranks)
Stamina:
856,185 / 856,185
(Base 300 + 10 per DEX and CON = 259,450) (+ 230% from Titles and Cultivation Ranks)
Recovery Rate: 7,924.5 pts per hour
(Base 50+ 1 per 10 CON and + 1 per 10 DEX) (+ 200% from Titles and Cultivation Ranks)
Stored Qi
0
(Accumulation Rate Boost +250% from Titles) (Being Absorbed by Active Effects)
Active Effects:
[Soul Storage (Occupied) (Incubating)] [Eternal Divine Soul Creation Pill (Peak Divine Rank)]
Ability Scores:
Strength (STR)
5088
Dexterity (DEX)
20,677
Constitution (CON)
5,238
Intelligence (INT)
18,698
Wisdom (WIS)
32,990
Charisma (CHA)
100
Luck (LCK)
625
Active Skills:
[Inspect lvl 10 (MAX)] [Appraise lvl 8] [Charm lvl 10 (MAX)] [Steady Breathing lvl 10 (MAX)] [Resolute Mind] [4 Leaf Clover lvl 1, Evolvable (On Cooldown: 2 days)]
[Midnight Empress of the River's Qi Domination Technique] [Quick Thought] [Combat Recovery lvl 10 (MAX)] [Berserker Intent level 1]
Passive Skills:
[Allure lvl 10 (MAX) (DISABLED)] [Firearm Mastery (MAX)] [Master Learning lvl 1] [Cooking lvl 5] [Adventurous Nudist (Can be upgraded)] [Qi Conversion lvl 10 (MAX)] [Dream Archivist]
Available Ability Points:
19,282
Available Skill Points:
2,686
Available Shop Points:
44,550
[collapse]
My jaw hangs open and my eyes go wide, my body trembling in disbelief at the numbers for my Health and Stamina pools, as well as the recovery rates. Even if they still seem woeful compared to the pools, with both
[Steady Breathing]
and
[Combat Recovery]
active, I bet I can stay in a fight going full tilt for the entire duration of the effect provided I nom another exhaustion pill. Akiko also seems to have nearly the same reaction, whether completely hers or piggybacking slightly off mine, who's to say now.
Also, the points! The
glorious
points!! Those lovely numbers by themselves are already doing wonders to help bring me back to a much lighter and happier place~!
"
I-Incredible
... Where would these numbers put Amelia at in terms of a pure spiritual cultivator, spirit Ios?" Akiko softly voices in bewilderment, her tails slowly snaking their way around to wrap me up protectively on their own, which does make my heart feel full~.
The screen blinks away as Ios rubs her chin with one of her hands, the others coming to rest in her lap as she projects herself sitting on her bent legs underneath her. "Well, if we're talking her HP and Stamina, then probably at least up to the first couple Realms of the Apogee Rank. It would be further if she say, invested all of her free points into CON and leveled out her Health stats. That's a generalization, of course. Every cultivator is different, you could have mediocre people who are barely scraping by what the definition of the Rank implies, while having genius level 1st Realms of the Rank able to stomp them up to the half-step. This is also Aims' pre-technique and skill activating stats, so as you can imagine, shit gets very real,
very
quickly
."
Akiko's body begins to shake, her tails now coiling around me like a shielded cocoon from the outside world as I turn to look back at her questioningly, only to find a manic smile on her face. The subtle hints of her delirious state trickle across our fledgling bond, but not enough to make me match the intensity that she surely is experiencing as she leans her head back and cackles like a mad woman.
I try to reach up to hug her, or calm her down, but my body is more restrained than I thought. Which, despite my previous assertations about not wanting to be horny right now, is achieving that exact result. Deciding to just let Aki get it out of her system, I turn back to Ios and give her a shrug. "Honestly, that's kind of a fair reaction. I'd be pretty much on the same level right now if the other stuff we talked about hadn't already kind of fried my brain."
Ios gives me a fragile smile as she gently says between bursts of chaotic laughter from Akiko, "And here I was about to praise you for keeping it together so well~. Kidding aside, I'm sorry about that sweetheart. I know the change to that title is heavy beyond belief. I should have asked if you were okay, shouldn't have just assumed it when we were in the soul space and I didn't feel any hint of hesitation or melancholy off you. Well, aside from trying to figure out the next steps for Sandy."
I go to give her a reply before something tickles in the back of my brain, her wording and the timeline of events that followed from me even gaining the adjusted titles. In a flash, I arrest the thought and put it back and out of sight, already knowing its contents but not wanting to share them yet... At least not until Ios and I are back in the soul space where I can more accurately gauge her reactions and honesty... I love her,
truly
, but...
"Thanks, hun." I say instead, returning the smile which is still mostly genuine as we wait for Akiko to get back to earth. Mara.
Whatever
. Ios doesn't seem to catch any of my brief internal hijinks, content to sit in silence with me as we wait for the kitsune.
"Oh my~!!" Akiko finally calls out, wiping tears from her eyes with her hands as she turns and wraps me up and a crushing hug. "You are going to be the most powerful creature in existence Amelia~!! Simply, profoundly,
incredible~
! Why, I could likely send you out to deal with the lasts pests that plague our town, and you would have no issue! Aside from the action of it itself, of course."
I chuckle awkwardly at the thought of turning into a hitman all of the sudden, hugging her back as her infectious joy seeps into me and mine back to her. "W-well, let's not get
crazy
. I don't think I'd have an issue defending myself, or any of you or Sandra, but I don't know if I'm ready to go full Genghis Khan on an entire continent yet."
Akiko leans back and gives me a
devastatingly
adorable head tilt, her curiosity palpable in more ways than one as I just laugh and give her a full kiss on the lips. "Don't worry about it, when we get some time we can have a movie night and watch some documentaries from Earth. You're so
cute
though~. Mwah~!" I giggle between another press of lips, her tails vibrating happily against me as we stay embraced.
Ios gives a little cough, her stern eyes betraying the happily placed smile on her lips as she says jokingly, "Alright love birds, I agree that Akiko is the cutest, sexiest foxy momma on Mara, but let's keep on task eh?"
I stick my tongue out to her in response, but Akiko and I do reign in our antics as she returns me to her lap, the both of us facing Ios once more. "Right," the eldritch being lectures on, "As Akiko said correctly, Aims, you're essentially already creeping into the top tiers of the power level for Mara, once you proc all of your base techniques, skills, and titles. It's going to get a bit wild when you start learning your new ones~. But, before we go down that rabbit hole, let's take a look at the titles you gained in the fight as well as the full wording for the
[Berserker Intent]
, because both are... well, you'll see."
[Gluttonous Consumption]: You are characteristically gluttonous and have used the
unorthodox
method for a human cultivator of eating an opponent, both as a form of damage and as a way to consume its energy. When fighting, amplify your bite strength and damage done by double your adjusted Strength value when you bite something. In addition, you gain the ability to digest limbs, energies, dantians, souls, or meridians from opponents and absorb their power. The digestion of these constructs or appendages is instantaneous and provided you are only one Rank or below the consumed item in any cultivation path, you shall not receive backlash from the released energies. You may still attempt to consume items or constructs higher than this value, but may suffer consequences from the purity and strength of what you eat.
[Improvised Unarmed Fighting]: While unconventional, you are undoubtedly effective in a no holds barred fist fight, employing any and every means to inflict damage and destroy your opponents. Your unattributed, non-technique use of unarmed fighting, including punches, kicks, or various slams or tosses, all occur with double the damage and speed of your other, more structured attacks at an increased usage of stamina per action.
[Berserker Intent level 1]: You have taken the concept of a Berserker to heart, letting it mold and shape your ferocity in turn. The path of the Berserker is one soaked in carnage and rage, tempered only by meaningful connections of those you hold dear deep in your psyche as well as your own will to remain sane in spite of the call of battle. When activated, your bloodlust bathes the area in a crimson aura proportional to your Strength and Constitution stats. This radius is defined as (STR+CON / 10) and represented in the numerical value you are most accustomed to: Imperial. Those inside the aura's hue feel the pure animosity and insanity driven want for battle emanating from you, often times inflicting negative effects such as fear or terror. Additionally, while the Intent is active, your physical stats will be multiplied by 3. This stat increase will not affect the aura's radius.
Current Radius: 1,032 ft
The aura's formula as well as the multiplication buff will increase as the Intent increases in level and comprehension, but so too will the call to subsume yourself in the madness.
I stare blankly ahead at the new additions descriptions, all of the fleeting joy from seeing those wonderful point values on my status screen getting swept away by yet another savagely heavy series of effects. "I... I mean... I knew I kind of went off the deep end after I figured out the clone was trying to hurt Sandra, but I didn't think the system would actually give me a fucking
title
over it..." I say out numbly, my voice quiet and subdued as I turn around and cling to Akiko's chilly warmth. She wraps her arms around me as she lays a few lingering presses of her lips onto my head, none of us speaking up for a few moments while I process all of this.
It... It does make some level of sense, I guess. The system likes to throw titles to me at the slightest thing sometimes, and actually... eating an opponent like I did is definitely grounds for some kind of recognition... I shudder as the memory plays back in my head, the feral and delighted grin splitting near painfully across the void form's face, my energy made tongue being cut and pricked by the jagged teeth inside of it as I gnashed, clawed, and ripped the clone apart... Oh
Heavens
...
With a gasp and a cool hand stroking down my back, I suck in a few breaths of air, breathing them out shakily as Akiko is looming over me looking just as pained as I feel. "You are okay, my love. We are right here, you are
safe
. None of us judge you or hold you in ill regard for what you did or what the system describes to us. It is okay, just breathe my darling girl."
I feel the dampness on my cheeks again, cursing myself for apparently having a full-on relapse by this point even though I was doing so
well
recently. I thought I was
past this
, and now I'm affecting Akiko with my mental shit too! I do my best to corral my emotions, closing my eyes and doing a few deep and steady cycles of breathing to start leveling me out again, the frustration and resentment toward myself difficult to beat back into submission at first. When I finally do return to the waking world, disappointment ebbing off me stronger than the freaking Intent, Ios flits over next to us and gives me a kind look.
"Aims, I don't think you're relapsing honey. The fact of the matter is, is that anyone in their sane mind with your experiences and background being shown this, doing some of the things you did in that frenzied state, would have a therapy bill higher than the freaking
US defense budget
. It's okay to feel scared, lost, and confused, to be terrified of yourself sometimes until you learn to control the tools and skills at your disposal. Which is what we're going to do, believe me. But don't beat yourself up for your knee jerk reaction to this, to what you did. Feel it, accept it, and then focus on how to either accept it as part of you, or learn how to make sure it doesn't happen as severely again."
Her words sink into me as I nod, still a bit numb but coherent enough to accept that she's right, at least about some of it. I sincerely hope it's like she said, and this is a 'normal' couple of panic attacks instead of a sign of something greater... I sigh mentally, pulling myself back from that spiraling rabbit hole as I sit back up with Akiko's help. I give her a soft "Thanks..." before she leans me against the headboard of the bed, pillows stacked behind me and the proper blankets pulled up to my chest. Her weighty tails lay on top of me, providing their secure comfort as she let's me stroke one absent mindedly.
Ios scoots back a couple spots, a look of concern still on her face before she says, "I know we've been over this before, but you're going to be experiencing
a lot
of changes constantly here on Mara and beyond, honey. You're going to have to make hard choices, do some questionable or ruthless things sometimes to make sure everyone you love and care for survive. What matters most is that you don't let those moments become who you are, at your core. To hang the sword up, accepting its weight in your hands every time you leave it at the door, or if you need to pick it up in your hand once more. Does that make sense?"
I close my eyes as I take the metaphor to heart, seeing her frowning face and sad, emerald eyes stare at me hopefully, like she is desperately trying to make it clear that none of my reactions to things thus far have been wrong or some deeper sign. Well, that last bit may be me projecting a bit, but the emotions are clear as day, as are her words. Just because I've learned
how
to be ruthless, how to channel that bloodlust and rage to fight like an insane person and all that entails, doesn't mean I've learned how to
cope
with it afterwards yet. And this is part of that process, to either accept or deny that part of me as well, and to make sure it becomes more a tool than a liability to my psyche.
I open my eyes, resolution shaky but building behind their azure color as I weakly yet firmly reply, "I understand. I'm sorry for scaring everyone, including myself. I guess I've been... running from accepting what I did during the tribulation, at least at some level. But you're right, Ios. I need to accept that that is a part of me now too, and learn how to live with it and all that comes with it, including the aftermath." I turn slightly to Akiko, her own amethyst eyes looking pointedly at me as she gives me a small smile. "I may need your help with that part, Aki. I know we've been working on getting me to that exact state when I'm fighting, but as you can see, I'm a bit of a mess afterwards~."
Akiko gives a soft, amused chuff before coming to lay next to me, nuzzling her face into mine as she replies happily, "
Of course
, my love. I will always be here for anything you need, and I am sorry that I did not think to do so sooner. Do not apologize for feeling your emotions and being true to yourself, that is part of who you are and the woman I fell so deeply in love with~. I'm sure spirit Ios agrees as well~."
I give a sidelong glance to Ios, her true, actual smile shining through again as she simply says "Yup~!" in a cheery voice, making all of us break out into quiet, amused laughter together.

.
!
Complicated Results – Ch 95