Akiko, Jun Li, and I continued our dumbfounded stare towards the chaotic spirit as the text retreats along with the projector like device in her wrist. The gremlin carrying on like nothing in the world is amiss as she pats down my stunned body with a floofy towel. I debate even responding at all, the sheer incredulity at both her actions as well as overpowered as hell technique she just flaunted to us making my tired, exhausted, and still coming back online brain take one look at the situation and then promptly turn itself back off.
As my haunted gaze gives up and turns upwards toward the ceiling's sky light - oh, a pretty bird flew by. That's nice~ - Akiko and Jun Li opt for a different reaction. The usual soft voice of the snowy furred kitsune pitches quite a few octaves higher as she exclaims from my side opposite Ios, "S-spirit Ios!! T-that technique! That would be... It is..."
"Insanity..." The watery voice of Jun Li responds from perfectly behind . I take the verbal cue and lean back, fully abandoning whatever nonsense these three are about to talk about to just enjoy the pillow soft chest of the red eyed fox~. As my still slightly damp hair makes contact and my head begins to sink into paradise, I sigh in utter contentnt and close my eyes with a satisfied smile and pleased hum~.
I feel her thinner arms co around to hold protectively as she acquiesces to my unspoken request, which only makes nuzzle further between those blessed mountains as she continues, "While those boons seem... incomprehensibly powerful, I fear that would only paint an even larger target on Miss Alia's person. Were they to be discovered, there would be untold numbers of female harems that would do anything to spend even a single night with her! Not to ntion the fanatical elents who would see soone using a 'lost' technique as heresy."
I an... that first scenario doesn't sound completely bad as like, a kinky fantasy. But I doubt my consent would matter much as I think back on the wording of the technique itself... No, that litany of benefits would definitely be a reason to be kidnapped and thrown into an actual pleasure dungeon or sothing.
Or lead to having to defend myself against a bunch of horny, power crazed won who are trying to get off... My cheeks flush a little at the thought, but I hum in my mind and keep pondering... The second option she threw out surprisingly doesn't bother in the slightest, and Ios states exactly why a mont later.
"Well, seeing as how Aims could already defeat soone as strong as Sam when she went all out prior to this tribulation, I doubt any clamoring lunatics roving around are going to be an issue for her while she's on Mara. Besides, that's what we're here for. To help her, and support her, and fight by her side. Right?"
A pause, presumably to gauge the reactions of the other two before her high-pitched, sing song voice carries on, "As for Aims being sought out for sexual favors, I doubt that would happen either for the sa reasons. She's just too strong and has too many buffs against charms and the like. Besides, everyone here knows how emotionally connected Aims needs to feel to actually be intimate with soone. The trust, vulnerability, and empathy required. Even if soone were to try and force her, they'd likely end up a stain on the wall faster than they could blink."
Another break in the conversation as I feel soft weightiness press on my cheeks, paradise encompassing my head as it sinks further into Jun Li's chest~. "Besides," Ios once more resus with a serious tone though her voice gets more and more obfuscated by warm flesh~, "You need this. All of you. If you want any hope of keeping up with Aims and Sandra, especially once we all leave Mara, then this technique is the way to do it. It may not let you reach the absurd levels of power the two sisters will be reaching, but it should help keep you in the sa weight class if nothing else. The sa of course goes for myself and Ilya, if we can cultivate."
Akiko's hesitant tone is next, though it is wonderfully muffled by the giving, earthy scented skin that I bask in~. "I... I suppose there is logic in that, spirit Ios... And I do agree with your assessnt that if sothing does not change, we will easily fall behind Alia." Her tone takes an odd quality that does raise my suspicions even though I'm perfectly entombed in such a wonderful spot with unopened eyes, "A-and... Sandra, of course..."
Huh. That was odd. Akiko quickly resus speaking after that weird hiccup, the brief almost fearful break in her tone rapidly replaced by her usual sureness, "I had hoped that by applying ourselves more heavily into cultivation of the other paths, as well as continuing to advance our spiritual ones, that the gap would be lessened. But, it seems, this system's boons are far and many, and even that concerted effort may still leave us wanting."
"I agree, Madam..." The voice above sounds out, her gentle tenor rumbling in her chest and against my ears as I swoon into the sensation. "However, the choice is left to Alia." Dainty hands that were holding steady reach up to pluck from my shelter, a needy whine escaping my lips as my hurt teal eyes flare upwards towards ruby red counterparts.
With a small smile and blush, Jun Li leans down and kisses my forehead before saying, "Like the Madam inford you after I noticed the imbalance, there are other ans to keep your energies in harmony. I would have no issue routinely clearing any of your excess Yin, at least until you can overco the issues you are facing with intimacy."
I frown a bit at the notion, weary voice still scratched with exertion replying back, "I don't even want to even think about getting in that stupid bath again right now. But... I appreciate the offer. Besides, isn't it just going to get worse as I cultivate further? Even if I start having sex regularly again?"
Akiko responds from my right after she finishes drying off my arm, "That is true. The more you advance your understandings, especially of your moon attributed body path, the deeper the imbalance will beco. Eventually, you would likely need not only have regular coitus - with balancing tools - but also regular acupuncture treatnts if you wished to not let the Yin energies influence your ntal state."
The frown on my face deepens. "What does that even an, by the way? I get its bad from the way y'all talk about it, but I'd like to know exactly what being 'imbalanced' entails."
Ios chis up from my left, also just finishing my arm as it slaps limply to rest in my lap. "Yin and Yang are essence energies that every creature has. Males typically have more Yang, while females more Yin, but there are exceptions. I think we've ntioned the basics before, like how Sam has a very high Yang balance because of her sun and tal affinities, for example."
I nod as she smiles and continues run the towel along my skin, "When one of those energies becos dominant over the other, the person begins to reflect the aspects of that energy more and more. For soone with a Yang imbalance, they would beco rash, fiery, and ill tempered. Haughty and arrogant, and seeking nothing but satisfaction of every kind as they burn the world around them with their pride. The opposite is true for Yin, as I'm sure you've guessed. In that instance, the person would beco aloof, cold, and borderline mute. Having prideful indifference to all things they consider beneath them, which is as vast as the celestial body that gives the most of that energy: the moon."
Well, that sounds... disturbing. Ios nods as she explains further, her towel wiping down my tummy as she turns her attention there, "Very disturbing indeed~. There are so exceptions to the rule, of course. Not everyone with a heavy imbalance becos so drastically different from their core personality, but the changes are always along those lines. So cultivators even strive to maintain such a state, as they think it gives them power over other more balanced cultivators. At the risk of making them extrely weak to the opposite energy, though."
"Excellently surmised, my friend." Akiko's dotting voice cycles back into the conversation, a snowy tail coming up to pat the smaller woman's head as she tries - and fails - to bat the offending appendage away. "That is the general premise of it, my love. So... yes. While it is manageable for now, it will likely be sothing we will need to address soon."
I sigh as I fall back into the protective palace of Jun Li's breasts, her giggle a balm on my soul that brings a little smile to my face as I think for a mont. The girls leave to my thoughts as they finish drying off, a much less erotic affair than I was envisioning. But, maybe that's just because I feel so spent. I shake my head a bit to get back on track, the bouncy response of soft flesh again brining a bubbling laugh into the room that shakes both the comfy pillows I rest on as well as my body.
I gotta take the technique, right? It is literally perfect, for so many reasons. It'll keep myself, it'll let the girls have an easier ti keeping up with and eventually Sands, and it instantly soul bonds with so I won't have to worry about pissing off the Heavens. Not to ntion the absurd benefits it will give us... Also... I check the system for one specific thing...
[4 Leaf Clover lvl 1, Evolvable] Cooldown: 00:00
Perfect~. While I'm at it...
You have used 100 Skill Points to upgrade [4 Leaf Clover lvl 1, Evolvable] to [4 Leaf Clover lvl 2, Evolvable]!
Jeeze!! It only costs 10 points to upgrade sothing like [Combat Recovery], but a whopping 100 for this one?! Well... I guess it kind of makes sense, given how ridiculous the skill itself is. And it's not like I don't have the points to spare right now... Eh, fuck it.
You have used 100 Skill Points to upgrade [4 Leaf Clover lvl 2, Evolvable] to [4 Leaf Clover lvl 3, Evolvable]!
You have used 100 Skill Points to upgrade [4 Leaf Clover lvl 3, Evolvable] to [4 Leaf Clover lvl 4, Evolvable]!
You have used...
...
You have used 100 Skill Points to upgrade [4 Leaf Clover lvl 8, Evolvable] to [4 Leaf Clover lvl 9 (MAX), Evolvable]! Evolution criteria t! Skill can be evolved into: [6 Leaf Clover lvl 1, Evolvable], [Barbed 4 Leaf Clover lvl 1], [Shielding 4 Leaf Clover lvl 1], [Golden 4 Leaf Clover lvl 1].
[4 Leaf Clover lvl 9 (MAX), Ready to Evolve]: Aren't you Lucky? Your Luck stat will influence your next four damage dealing actions, shop purchases, or received damage. For damage dealing, all damage will be multiplied by the total Luck stat. For shop purchases, the item will upgrade to a higher Ranking based on various factors and influenced by your Luck stat. For damage received, all incoming damage will be divided by your total Luck stat. This skill has a cooldown of 4 days.
Remaining Skill Points: 21,611
F... four days?!? My eyes shoot wide open, the shock plainly visible for Akiko to see and being perfectly mirrored by Ios as she - without a doubt - noticed my little spending spree. As if to confirm the notion, her shaky voice that was once playful and cheery whispers out, "H-holy shit, Alia. I didn't think you'd just up and do that..."
Equally curious and worried eyes drip from above and from my right as I gulp down a small ball of worry, its content stuck in my throat until I nervously laugh and explain, "W-well, you rember that Luck skill I got, Aki? The [4 Leaf Clover] one?" She replies back nonverbally as I continue on with fidgeting hands, "I was looking to see if I could use it again since I am going to be buying that dual cultivation technique, which I could. But I also rembered that it can be powered up so... I did that too. And now it can evolve into sothing new, but as it is the month-long cooldown between uses is now... four days..."
A pin drop would find itself out of place in the silence that follows, a squeaking mouse too hesitant to live to its nasake as all three of the won look at . Ios, at least, just has an air of amused shock but the other two? Hoo boy, do they look silly with their mouths hanging so open~. And its even funnier because it's the second ti they've done so in what? Ten minutes? Surely a record~.
I lightly clear my throat to try and get so amount of life back into their color drained faces before Ios recovers first. "So, you want to buy the dual technique while using the newly jazzed up [4 Leaf Clover]?" Her eyes beco numbers again, which is an odd keepsake from her illusory days but whatever, and then smiles back to . "While the Peak Empyrean Rank version - which is the one you'll likely get if you do that - is absolutely better, I don't know if it qualifies for using a charge of the skill... although, now that the cooldown is so short, I also don't know if that even matters anymore..."
"Kind of my thoughts on it too." I reply back as Jun Li's arms seemingly unconsciously pull further into her soft, welcoming body~. "But I bet that once I evolve the skill, the cooldown is going to shoot back up to a month or sothing. Though I could always just rush it back to MAX, considering I'm sitting on so many points..." I pause and ponder as Ios does the sa while Akiko and Jun Li slowly have their brains rebooted.
"I'd want to see what the evolution paths are first and talk about it so with you guys before I do that though." I finally say back just in ti for the other two won to beco verbal again.
With stuttering speech, Akiko rejoins reality as she shakes her head like a dog expelling water before saying, "H-heavens, this has been a most eventful day... Just to confirm, my love, you are intending on purchasing that incredible dual cultivation technique with that extraordinary enhancent?" Jun Li also seems to echo that statent as her questioning and hopeful eyes gaze upon , making squirm a bit in her now all encompassing, body pressing hug.
I smirk as I answer back, "Yup~. You two missed the declaration 'cause you got all spacey on us~. That technique is just too good to pass up, even if it will drain my current shop points. And..." I break as I take a hand from each of them into my own, my eyes flitting between them with true, honest care, "I don't want you guys to fall behind or feel like you're lacking or sothing. I love you all, and I want you by my side forever."
Kisses and nips and tail pats and naked hugs shower on like a roaring storm. My giggles and peals the replacent of thunder and flushed pink cheeks the tone of the sky as the two kitsune cuddle pile into oblivion~. The lingering annoyance, anger, and frustration at the whole cleansing ritual gradually being forgotten with a ntal sigh. The twisted emotions slowly unwinding themselves as I willingly move past it and focus on the future.
"Okay~! Okay~! I can't breat- H-hey! *Mmhm~* Jun Li! S-stop grabbing my ass! *Ah~!*" I squeal out between breaths and fur and bubbling giggles, all of us now slightly damp once more after the rushed tumble to the moisture slick stone floor. They do, thankfully, retreat from their assault to dry off once again with loving eyes and happy smiles that I return in full.
Once we're all dry - for the second ti - Ios hands my own white, poofy bath robe and helps to standing on my still jelly filled legs. And while I am physically exhausted beyond asure, I can't help but instantly notice how much... lighter I feel. Like so unseen weight and internal clog as been removed from every facet of my person, inside and out. How much more... connected everything feels inside of now, as well as how much more powerful I feel.
"Told you it'd be worth it, Aims~." Ios coyly whispers into my ear, breaking from the internal inspection as I shoot her a look.
"I just decided to forgive you three for underselling this whole fiasco. Don't go find the shovel I put away to dig a new hole, Ios." Her eyes widen a touch before they slink down to a flirty, inviting visage. Her feet rising to toes as she pecks on the corner of my lips before she whispers into my ear, "You're so smart and cute when you're grumpy~. And I don't mind if you still want to 'punish' later~."
Luckily, my reaction is just the rising brimstone to my face and not a cold pang from my heart as I choke on air and shake my head. My lips muttering out, "You're impossible..." as the other two won giggle and slowly guide out of the onsen and back into the estate proper. The rosy butterflies simr down as we march along at my snail like pace, my mind present but focusing on what needs to happen next.
Firstly, I need to enjoy the feast with the others. I feel like I more than deserve it after this roller coaster of a morning, and Gerra and Sam undoubtedly worked hard on it. But after that... I need to talk to Sam. The dreaded fearful spike does spear its way through at that thought, but I wrestle it back down with an internal glare and clamping of hands. My willpower easily putting the beast back in the corner, for now. If the other three caught on to the montary blip, they choose not to ntion it as we unhaltingly continue apace.
Once we've had our talk... well. I think its ti to be rid of this ugly passenger, once and for all. And though it lashes out again, my soul avatar handily stuffs the unwelco hanger on back into its cage. Feral screaming and all. A drop of sweat brims to my brow that I wipe off with a sleeve of the immaculate robe, but aside from that and a few heavy breaths, I'm no worse for wear at the brief exchange. Though a few concerned glances my way are waved off with a quick smile.
Confident that the malford entity is subdued for now, I begin to think of further things that I should do after those tasks are complete. Buy the dual cultivation technique, decide on what to do with [4 Leaf Clover], get ready for that stupid eting with the idiots from the capitol, get back to inscriptions and the other crafting stuff... All the while checking on Sandra and-
My mind lurches a bit at that last thought as a growing concern builds inside of . I revisit the worries I had before, about how strange it was that she was so easily able to overpower - nearly destroy - the heart demon at first glance. The odd, reality warping effects from her anger fueled state back in the dream. And then Akiko's seemingly frightened tone at ntioning her just now in the bath...
Did sothing happen? Has... has Akiko already t Sandra? If so, then why on Earth... on Mara would she be scared of my sister? The most powerful woman on the planet, holding a fearful tone for soone that isn't even a complete, corporeal person yet? And why wouldn't Akiko have told ?
If that's the case, then when and how did that even start, I wonder... After showing Akiko the [Dream Archivist] library? I an... it is kind of an in-between space that allows anyone soul bonded to to enter... but I thought I'd at least be aware of who was poking around in there at a given ti. Not to ntion, if they did sohow et there - like I'm beginning to think happened - wouldn't I have noticed Sandra's presence?
The doors to the kitchen grow closer as I sit with this puzzle. Feeling like valuable, crucial, pieces are missing or misshapen until sothing clicks inside of ... With a snaking knot of worry, a na pops back into my brain. The scattered pieces rearranging themselves in a flurry of motion to perfectly spell out what my mind whispers: Raphiel.
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