We make our way into the surprisingly empty kitchen, the revelation so odd because the room is filled with the sll of sothing else that sends a wave of nostalgia through despite its emptied appearance. The perfect combination of baked dough, lty cheese, and cooked ats all sat upon the fragrant aroma of mushed tomatoes, garlic, and oregano. A pizza. Like a bloodhound following the scent of a recently escaped prisoner, I dive forward into the space, sniffing the air periodically before the lovely scent trails guide over towards the brick oven tucked into the corner of the room.
There my quarry lays, looking almost identical to a thickly cut pepperoni pizza back on Earth, a note beside it that Samantha reads out after she gets done having a good few chuckles at my antics and salivating mouth as I take in the glorious pie with stars in my eyes. "Samantha and Alia," Sam narrates out in an amused tone as I dart around toward the pantry to go get us plates and sothing to slice the pizza with, "Jun Li and I went to assist the Madam with a few matters out in the Village while you two were having fun downstairs~. We should return well before dinner, but since Jun Li inford that the both of ya would be coming up for lunch, I went ahead and made a little sothing before we headed out. Hope you enjoy, and we can't wait to hear all about the surely ridiculous progress the two of you had today at dinner ti~! Love, Gerra."
I return back to Samantha's side with eager, bouncing steps after succeeding in my search, a couple plates and a rounded long blade with a wooden handle spanning its length as she turns to and smiles. "I can see that you are quite familiar with this particular dish, little pup~. Why don't you have the honors of slicing it and then we can take the al to the gardens to have a pleasant afternoon al? I shall fetch us so water as well."
I nod back to her happily, my voicing humming out as I move around her shapely body and begin carving up the large, probably 18' pizza into six mostly equal slices. The first two co out a bit wonky since I'm getting used to using the blade, but the others look perfect~! I stack three for each of us on the big plates, having selected them specifically after seeing how big Gerra made the pizza, and then follow Samantha's lead as she takes us through the corridors and then out into the lovely garden alight with the colors and sounds of life.
Fresh, mountain air whips around us, its light chill as comforting as it is refreshing while we saunter past the various rows of excellently organized flowers and manicured stone pathways. Coming to the bench under the cherry blossom tree, Samantha sits down before producing a small wooden foldable table from her storage ring before motioning to set our als down atop it, placing a stone pitcher of water beside two equally made cups after she fills them with the crystal-clear liquid with a dull *thunk*.
In a barely constrained effort, I quickly use [Appraise] on the new yet oh so familiar food before eagerly raising the overloaded slice of heaven to my mouth and sinking my teeth into its gooey texture with an audible - and quite pleased - "Nom~!"
[Perfectly Baked Sipisnout Slice Pizza (Peak Heaven Rank)]: This wonderfully baked and crafted mixture of dough, sauce, cheese, and thinly sliced Sipisnout at was cooked by a world class Spiritual Chef. It offers the perfect combination of sweet and savory, its crust holding an excellent mixture of crunch and doughy airiness with a marinara that is aromatic and delectable. Additionally, when consud, Health and Stamina pools as well as their recovery rates will increase by 15% for the next 48 hours.
I devour the first slice in utter bliss, the salty at mixing perfectly with the soft and faintly sweet tasting cheese, the sauce coming in to elevate the taste, texture, and sll of the ensemble in a herby delight~. Samantha again chuckles from my side, but I pay her no mind as I actually break out of my gluttonous revelry to notice the slight change to the wording of the food.
"Huh," I say as I wipe so errant and delicious sauce from the corners of my lips, "[Appraise] says the buff from the food lasts twice as long now, 48 hours. I guess Ios was right, the higher up I get in cultivation the longer stuff like this will last. Well, hopefully not for like, poisons or sothing, but I'm pretty resistant to that stuff in the first place so maybe that won't be an issue?" I say out into the air, mostly just thinking out loud rather than needing an answer, but Sam is kind enough to provide one anyway.
"That indeed will be the case, little pup. The more your body and soul beco accustod to using and holding Qi, the longer boons such as Gerra's utterly divine cooking will stay with you and aid you. As for sothing like a poison or toxin, that can actually depend. So variants only work on those who have yet to start using Qi, so on lower to middling levels you yourself are technically on right now, while others specifically only work on higher Ranked cultivators. The more your flow model changes and adapts, the more direct and specific the various vectors for such underhanded thods must be crafted." She ends with a huff, tearing off a bite of her own slice as she goes back to looking over the field of flowers.
I swallow another mouthful of the wonderful al, turning my eyes in concern over to Samantha as she trails off. "Uh... I an, I think I get why you aren't necessarily a fan of that kind of stuff seeing that you really value honesty and straightforwardness, but you still seem pretty knowledgeable about it regardless. Did Jun Li teach the rest of you a little bit about that? It would make sense, just so you guys know what to look out for and all." I respond back curiously, waiting for her to finish her bite before asking.
"Hmm..." Samantha says as she rests an elbow on the little table and holds her face in her hand, a far-off look darting across her features before she resus, "Jun Li taught myself as well as Gerra a decent bit, especially after learning about the betrayal that the Mistress faced a century ago. I will freely admit that I was beside myself with guilt for being unable to save Zephyria, soone so dear and loved by not just the Mistress but myself as well. Of course, I never once doubted that the two of them shared a special and unique bond, one whose depth I knew I would never be able to reach with either of them, but just knowing that I still occupied a spot in both of their hearts was more than enough for . And still is."
She gets that distant look again, my empathy spurning little drips of heat from my eyes as I raise a hand up to stroke her back comfortingly. She gives the faintest of jolts at my touch before turning her head and giving a soft little smile, the fragility of it only outshined be the earnest gratitude that dances in her eyes. "Thank you, Alia." She says as she leans back, taking my hand in hers as she thumbs over my knuckles. "The march of ti has kept its pace, relentless and ever steady, but there are always tis when wounds on the heart still leak their vicious sap. The distance makes the pain dull, increasingly so as I grow older and accept that there was little to nothing more I could have done that night, but the growing maturity does little to comfort sotis when I think back on the event. My upbringing and the ethos that was drilled into since I could walk often tis hard to reconcile with the careful comfort of forgiveness that the Mistress always levies against ..."
I scoot over, abandoning the food in a rare showing as I wrap her in a one-ard hug, interlocking our fingers on her opposite hand as I rest my head against her shoulder. She lets out an amused huff of air before leaning her head down to rest on mine and saying, "You are very sweet, and I see a good deal of that sa, pure kindness that the Mistress carries in you and your actions. To get back to the reason for my knowledge on the darker elents of warfare, I had actually been versed in the subject sowhat from my training as well as the brief interlude of ti I was striking out on my own, before the Mistress took in.
Of course, after that night, I redoubled my efforts to shrink such a gap in knowledge from what I saw was my duty. Not just to the Mistress, but myself as well since being a protector is sothing that I always strive to be. Sothing that settles in my spirit like an eternal guiding light. When the Mistress found and took in Jun Li just around three decades later, and we learned just how skilled she was in the alchemical and poison making process, I pestered her for months to teach any and everything she could~." Her giggling voice at the end no doubt replaying so fond mories of bonding and happier tis. I smile into her shoulder, giggling with her as I imagine just what Sam and Jun Li must have been like back then.
"Needless to say, she taught all she was able to after I finally stopped putting up a protective front that masked shaken bravery. Finally opened up to her and shared my fears and reasoning behind learning sothing she stated as 'so far outside of your natural talents that the effort would be a waste, not just to you but to myself as well.'" I whistle into the air, eyes going a bit wide as I lean back to look to Sam.
"Damn~! Miss J had a mouth on her back then, huh?" I say in a laugh, the mirthful green eyes of Sam joining as she chuckles along, curly hair being swept up in a gentle breeze that carries our laughter across the picturesque landscape of the gardens.
"Indeed~. Although I freely admit that was also in part due to my... guarded nature when it ca to her presence at the estate in the first place. You are lucky that Jun Li and Gerra had beco mbers of our harem before your arrival, little pup~, for they both had ti to significantly lessen those tendencies after we bonded." She boops my nose with a finger to which I respond stick my tongue out at her, both of us all smiles after a second of silence as I tuck my head back to the pillow of her shoulder.
"So," Samantha continues on with her story, reaching out to pick up another slice of pizza that she raises to my mouth. I feel the blush creep to my face as the heavenly scent fills my nose, trying my best to ignore the butterflies in my stomach as I lean over to take a much more prim and proper bite. "Jun Li shared as much knowledge as we both could reasonably handle at the ti. She is a fantastic teacher, but she was still young and both of us still new to the growing acceptance between us. In spite of that, I learned more on the subject than all of my previous attempts combined in the span of a few short months, enough to feel confident that any future defense against such tragic actions that linger on my soul will be... more achievable."
I squeeze her hand as well as her body as I tighten into the embrace, my mind mixing between the joy of her continuing to open up to and the sorrow of hearing her carry all of that guilt for such a tragic night. I lean back after a few more monts of squeezing her delightfully firm and warm body, planting a small kiss on her cheek as she turns to . "Thanks for sharing that with Sam. I can only imagine how heartbreaking that night was for both you and Akiko, and anyone else that was still loyal to the group, and I'm sorry that it happened at all. I know what it's like to feel like you let yourself down, failed yourself in this way or that, even before coming to Mara. Every ti I broke down, every ti I drove myself to near madness by worrying about so random problem, or so sentence I said and how others would perceive it. Always being angry and so full of sha at myself afterwards, for not being able to just be normal for once, for feeling like I was failing those few people who did truly love .
I know that's nowhere near the sa as what you both went through, and again I can't even begin to consider what I would do in such a fucked up and tragic situation. But at least on so small level, I do understand that aspect of it." I end with another little peck to her face, her soft smile warming my heart as she raises up a hand to gently scratch through my hair.
"Thank you, Alia. And likewise, I am sorry to hear of your prior struggles in life, from a thing that you had little control over. In so ways, I think you may understand my feelings on the matter better than the Mistress or the girls to be honest with you. Only those who have had to pick themselves up from that constant drip of doubt and failure can truly grasp what it ans to be on the other side of it. To accept such tragedy and learn how to heal and move past it. I do not an to say that Jun Li or Gerra did not also have turbulent occurrences or tis of struggle during their lives, far from it, but it does seem that there is a uniqueness the both of us share in our forms of it. To an extent." Her words are gentle as the breeze plays between us, both of our hair catching its flight from ti to ti as she speaks. I just give her a wide and caring smile, nuzzling into her hand as it cos to rest on my cheek before she leans over and kisses my forehead.
"As much as I would like nothing more than to share more of our experiences between each other, we should not dawdle for too long. Jun Li will have both of us laid up for punishnt if she returns ho to find us chatting away the light here under this gorgeous tree~. Co, let us finish the al and return the effects to the kitchen so that we may continue on with training." I giggle as she ruffles my hair a couple tis, both of us eventually returning to the fantastically hoy al in silence that is only broken by the sounds of our enjoynt of the food.
In the blink of an eye, we've finished the al, cleaned and returned the dishes in the kitchen's washtub sink, and are once more standing on the other side of the purple training barrier marking the continuation of the scenario. "We shall finish your blunt mission and then transition to the exotic quest afterwards. The hand-to-hand portion will be less about instructing you on proper forms and more about you having to ditate and unlock your initial techniques. I will of course share with you the basics, but every dedicated martial art style is unique to the person and their cultivation, so strict adherence to a general philosophy is always a hinderance."
I nod as the simulated wind kicks up, getting back into a more serious headspace as she summons the next slew of unfortunate contenders to get brained by my dope as shit magic weapon~. With only slight corrections here and there, we cross the finish line for the blunt quest after around 5 or 6 various beasties get returned to the ether, my breath not even feeling shallow from any of it.
[Quest Completed! Gain Basic Proficiency with Blunt!
Learn the ins and outs of the weapon class known as: Blunt.
Reward: 25 Ability Points, 50 Shop Points, 2 Skill Points, 10 points into Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.
Rewards increase for each level of proficiency.]
Strength is now 14,118!
Dexterity is now 20,707!
Constitution is now 14,293!
Available Ability Points: 2,487!
Available Shop Points: 37,500!
Available Skill Points: 1,859!
[Quest Started: Gain Advanced Proficiency with Blunt!
Learn advanced formations, stances, and combat usage of the weapon class known as: Blunt.
Reward: 250 Ability Points, 500 Shop Points, 25 Skill Points, 100 points into Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.
Single ti effect of current Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution x 25% (After previous increase applied).
Rewards increase for each level of proficiency.]
[Quest Started: Reach Advanced Proficiency in Shields.
Learn advanced concepts and usage for the Shield support weapon.
Reward: 250 Ability Points, 500 Shop Points, 25 Skill Points, 150 points into Constitution.
Single ti effect of current Constitution x 35% (After previous increase applied).
Rewards will increase as ranks are advanced.]
[Progress: 26%]
I blink a few tis as I check the system logs for the quests, my confusion obvious as Sam walks over to and asks, "Is everything all right, Alia?"
I hum a little before dismissing the words in my mind and then turning to face her, "Yeah, the quests got all completed and stuff, but I noticed I have more points than I should from doing them... Oh! I know what it is!" I look back out to the sky and pull up the... other... quest lines, finding the culprit nearly instantly.
[Admin Quest Started: Date Day or Night!
Have a lovely day or night with one of your friends or lovers~! Does not have to include sexy tis, but it must be an intimate and purposeful event! Can't ga the system too hard~!
Repeatable.
Rewards: Variable depending on satisfaction of all parties.]
[New Date Registered! Processing Rewards... 400 Ability Points, 750 Shop Points, and 100 Skill Points!]
I fail to hide the little tendrils of another blush dancing to my face as I cough out and explain to Sam, "I guess that lunch we had was considered touching enough to be counted as a date, so the system threw so points my way. Kind of odd, since the last ti it did this I basically spent all evening with Gerra helping her cook dinner for you guys..."
'I can help explain that so honey~!' Ios chirps inside my head, nearly startling into the air to which she just giggles and laughs as I wave off Samantha's concern, 'Looks like the system counted the little bit of ti you guys fooled around at the door as well as the soft monts the two of you shared here and there today. The tipping point was indeed the tenderness during lunch though~! Congrats on your second date sweetheart! Hehe~!'
Like a chaotic tornado in the night, Ios fades away leaving just as much ntal destruction as the comparison as I sigh and fill Sam in on what she told . She just takes it in stride, giving a coy look before returning to her post with trailing behind her. "Do not worry, little pup~. I find it rather charming that you are still so bashful at tis like these, but I do not take offense to your system offering you rewards for us having spent such a lovely ti together. Now then, for exotic weapons there are a few options to choose from, so being more difficult to use than others. The most common variants used in this area of Mara being whips, a weapon called a kusarigama, hooked swords, and one that you are much more familiar with: scythes."
I give her my full attention while also trying my best to push the slowly receding redness from my cheeks, my eyes perking up at the ntion of the Empress' seemingly favorite weapon. "Oh neat! I wonder why I haven't advanced the quest for those then seeing how I used the soul scythe during the heart demon trial." A little shiver trickles down my spine at the mory, but Sam just rests a hand on my shoulder and shrugs.
"I know not, likely that would be a question for your spirit. It may be that you technically were not wielding a weapon of any sort inside the challenge, yourself or the Empress rely manifesting the form of one using soul energy. At any rate, since you have so experience with the implent, I would recomnd starting with that and then moving on to the other weapons I ntioned earlier." She offers as I just ntally shrug and file it away as sothing to ask Ios about later. I take a couple steps back as I will the shape of the farming implent into existence, but as soon as the silvery magic weapon becos tangible and I grip it, power suddenly courses through as I yelp and fall to one knee.
The wind kicks up around as Samantha rushes over to my side, my eyes slamd shut as I grit my teeth from the growing pain splitting the inside of my skull while the system pings up a new ssage amidst the sudden turmoil:
[H!d#en C0nd^tio*s M@t!
You have gained the Title [Reaper]!
[Reaper]: While wielding any form of scythe or other implent used to transition a soul from life to death, increase any damage done by 25%. This increased damage will always affect the body, soul, and spirit of the target. Additionally, you will have any mory, prior knowledge, or experience with using said weapons returned to you in comparison to your Soul Cultivation Rank. Current Rank will return knowledge up to the Advanced Rank.
When you advance into the Manifestation Rank, the returned knowledge will be returned to you up to the Mastery Rank. When you advance into the Soul Monarch Rank, the remaining knowledge will be returned to you, up to the Intent Rank. Returning available knowledge now...]
[Quest Completed! Gain Basic Proficiency with Exotic Weapons!
Learn the ins and outs of the weapon class known as: Exotic.
Reward: 25 Ability Points, 50 Shop Points, 2 Skill Points, 10 points into Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.
Rewards increase for each level of proficiency.]
[Quest Completed! Gain Advanced Proficiency with Exotic Weapons!
Learn advanced formations, stances, and combat usage of the weapon class known as: Exotic.
Reward: 250 Ability Points, 500 Shop Points, 25 Skill Points, 100 points into Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.
Single ti effect of current Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution x 25% (After previous increase applied).
Rewards increase for each level of proficiency.]
Strength is now 14,228!
Dexterity is now 20,817!
Constitution is now 14,403!
Applying one-ti x25% buff...
Strength is now 17,785!
Dexterity is now 26,021!
Constitution is now 17,866!
Available Ability Points: 2,762!
Available Shop Points: 38,050!
Available Skill Points: 1,886!
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