We all stand in varying states of disbelief, Akiko and Ios especially at the sudden revelation of just how quick I'm able to power through these quests. Honestly, if they didn't have the multiplication bonus, we all would probably be jumping for joy right now! Instead, we just look awkwardly between the floating quests text and ourselves, letting the silence weigh heavily on us as ti passes. Eventually, Ios rallies a bit and begins the process to bring us back to life.
"Alright," She begins, her voice a little waving still at the sheer might of my system aided cheat skills, "So it took Aims about 5 - 6 bolts to essentially get to 1%. That ans in roughly 500 or more, she'll be done with this quest and get that boost. Shit... I'm kind of at a loss here. It honestly doesn't look like there's going to be a way for decent understanding to happen without maxing out the Mastery levels for ranged weapons..."
Akiko nods beside , her tails alternating between rising and drooping as we all process this bizarre situation, where we are actually nervous about
getting stronger for the first ti. Well, soul stuff aside I guess. "Agreed, spirit Ios," Akiko replies, "that seems to be the case. I know you desired for Alia to receive the most out of those later quests completion, but I cannot in good consciousness allow her to not progress further if she desires to use bows, crossbows, or the like. Despite what this system says, and barring any other occurrence from her past life, there is simply no outco that would justify such lackluster training."
The quest text floats away, replaced by the still beyond pretty but currently quite aggravated form of Ios in all her glory, her four hands running wild through her curly blonde hair as she groans in frustration. "Ugh... Damn it! We could have banked that completion when she was so much further into her cultivation, once her stats would have been beefy and then skyrocketed them! It's not fair~..." A cute as hell whine escapes her lips as she huffs and sits down on the floor in protest, likely at the unjustness of having her plans fall apart in the most unexpected way.
Aren't I supposed to be the one devolving into a pitiful ss right now?? Not only at yet another insane occurrence regarding
and the system, but also because of the unoptimized potential that this ans? Why is Ios the one who is rolling around on the floor now, groaning and mumbling in despair?!
Akiko and I share a look,
with my slightly confused yet growingly amused face at Ios' tantrum, while Akiko looks just beyond mischievous as her ears flick out to the side once or twice. With a teasing tone, Akiko turns back to my languishing ntal companion and says, "My dear spirit Ios~. While I agree this is likely not the preferred outco, I do not think it warrants splaying yourself out on the ground in such a sad manner, even if it is amusing to watch~."
Ios' hands leave her face, crossing over her nicely shaped chest as she huffs and levels a glare at the two of us as we stand over her. "Maybe it does, and I can wallow all I want! Akiko, Aims is going to be missing out on so many stat points now! Not to ntion that ans she's going to be starting to work on the Intent level of the quest, which is so absurdly insane for so many reasons." Contrary to her words, by the end of her little rant, she is standing once again, although she missed the whole standing up part and just reprojected herself vertical.
"I know, spirit Ios. Like I said, by far not the ideal situation, but one that we cannot avoid. Why not seek Alia's opinion on the matter to help ease your burden?" Akiko calmly states back, her gentle voice soothing and comforting as she verbally helps Ios out of her little mood.
I take the initiative to speak up, my own thoughts pretty much aligning with Akiko's, "Ios, I wouldn't feel comfortable using any kind of ranged weapon or item or whatever if this is as far as we let
go for now. Sure, the system may be helping
aim or implanting knowledge in my head or sothing, but I'm by no ans at a level where I wouldn't be concerned - to say the least - to use a crossbow in actual combat. Besides, it seems like I get stat buffs or multipliers when I rank up cultivating, so even if we're missing these ones for the next bit, I'll still get a good power up in! And honestly, by the amount of points that's going to be floating around, maybe we can go after those Intent ones when I hit the 4th Realms or sothing." I end with a shrug, but end up digging the hole a little further for both the won accidentally.
Akiko's slightly worried face answers
back with her voice matching her deanor, "While certain genius 4th Realms can create Intents, it is still considered wildly dangerous to do so. Not only for the cultivator in general due to the stress it puts on their souls, but also because it creates a target of obsession, jealousy, and wounded pride by those around them. And the fact that you would have multiple stemming from these quests only further complicates the matter..."
Ios ponders a bit before she speaks up in a thoughtful tone, "Well, Aims already almost created so kind of Love or Soul Intent a little over a week ago, so by the ti she is that strong I don't think that will matter. But I do agree about the unwanted attention being an issue. Maybe we could combine them, all the weapon ones I an..."
She doesn't get a long ti to wonder, though, as Akiko looks between the two of us with a shocked expression. "What?! What do you an spirit Ios? Alia, did you truthfully almost create an Intent while still in the 1st Realms?!"
Oh fuck... Ios didn't tell her?! I glare over to said person, who looks like a deer caught in headlights as she raises up her hands in virtual defense and quickly fires back, "Shit, I forgot! We were going to bring this up to you before the training and soul stuff started kicking off, honestly Akiko! We just got wrapped up in that, then the soul stuff, and then I was worried about Aims' recovery, so it slipped my mind!"
I back up Ios, flying a hand to Akiko's soft yet firm arm as I attempt to shed more light on the truth as I see a bit of hurt in the beautiful fox's eyes, "Ios is right, I wanted to sit down and talk with both of you about it together, but we just got so wrapped up in other crazy things that it got kind of... swept under the rug? We weren't hiding it from you, I swear Akiko. I'm sorry."
Akiko takes in both of our hurried responses as one of her hands cos up to pat my head, her own voice still level and thankfully devoid of any sign of annoyance towards us as she says, "I understand, I suppose. Tis have been beyond fluid since you started this journey, Alia, so I cannot find it in myself to fault you. Take it as a sign to improve, because sharing such vital and foundational changing information should be at the forefront of your mind, especially given your unique scenario." I look up to her and see she just has a small smile on her face, her eyes still kind and showing no hints of betrayal before she leans down to kiss
softly. I hum into the embrace, relief flooding my mind as she backs away and gives a slightly sharper look to Ios.
"Sprit Ios, we had more than enough ti to at least discuss the event that you two have described while Alia was indisposed. I know you both care for each other deeply - as do I for both of you, Sandra, and the rest of my girls - but we cannot let our emotions overco sothing as glaring as forgetting to ntion how a newly minted cultivator nearly created an Intent." Ios squirms a little bit, not really having much of a defense besides just nodding her head a couple tis which seems to pacify Akiko, thankfully. With a small huff and shake of her own head, Akiko takes a step back so that she can see both Ios and I clearly as she continues, "Very well then. Do start from the beginning about your theory that young Alia nearly did sothing that no cultivator at her rank has ever done on Mara."
Eager to keep the fox happy, we spend the next few minutes going over exactly what happened, how I was deep in my soul space healing and talking to Sandra before my emotions nearly overca
at seeing how well she was healing after I bumped up my stats. I go over how sudden and natural it felt, all of the love and devotion blasting off of
like so kind of explosion of prismatic color before I reigned it back in and then talked to Ios. When she hears her na and my pause in the story, Ios hops in and tells her side of things, that she noticed no interference from the Empress at the ti, and likely she wouldn't be able to influence
quite like that anyhow. We wrap up our tales with both of us once again reiterating how the plan was to sit down together, the three of us, and talk this out before life just kind swept us up in a different direction.
Akiko listens intently, nodding along at Ios' assumptions and theories after hearing the events leading up to everything. At the end of our little info dump, she sighs out and looks over to , her tails slightly puffed and flicking periodically which I take as a sign of concern, "I agree with spirit Ios' assessnt, my dear. You sohow, beyond any sane reasoning, nearly created so kind of deep, emotional Intent aid at your connection and devotion for Sandra. Simply incredible, my sweet girl~. Anyti you are awake, you seem to devise new ways to break norms and fly in the face of what was thought possible."
It's my turn to squirm a bit from the sudden praise, but I don't get to for long as a couple white tails co up to wrap around
and press
once more into a hug with Akiko. Her gentle voice sounds out from above
as we link together, "I suppose it is a good sign, all things considered. You should be able to handle those powerful abilities that we now know you will be acquiring quite quickly given your completion rate for the system tasks. The main issue now is trying to devise ways or thods for you to combine said intents like spirit Ios suggested, just to keep the weight off of your soul as well as to strengthen them further."
I look back up to her immaculate face as I ask back, "What should I do about the one I almost ford on accident? I honestly don't really know what set it off last ti, but I still have to go and heal Sandra. I'm not giving that up just because I may be considered too low level by others to be carrying around an Intent."
Akiko chuckles as she plants another kiss on my lips, "I would never ask that of you, Alia. Truthfully, there is not much we - or rather you - can do in that regard. If you happen to develop an Intent as you're healing your mate, then that is what happens." She shrugs slightly, both our bodies pressing together at the motion before she continues, "I see spirit Ios' logic in it. Your soul is that of a powerful reincarnated being, so as long as we keep the number of Intents and levels of them low before you progress your cultivation paths, there should not be a problem. If you, sohow, develop a stronger intent, we simply will need to have you advance quicker than planned."
"Let's hope that doesn't happen..." I hear Ios grumble from the side, obviously not a fan of the ever-thinning tight rope I'm now having to walk across. I give Akiko one last squeeze before I move to step back, her tails letting
get so space yet still keeping their delightful contact that sends periodic shivers through
as I address the group, "Well, I guess that's the plan then. Nothing like a good ol' 'wing it' to really inspire confidence~. Hehe! So, what should we do for ranged stuff now? Get to Advanced first on the other two groups for the buffs, drop as many spare Ability Points into Wisdom as I can, and then spend the rest of the next couple days getting familiar with all of them, likely hitting Mastery?"
Man, it really is nice not having Panic breathing down my neck. I'm pretty sure this whole conversation, especially the part where Akiko found out about the Intent stuff, would have been enough to make a little episode. Now, I still feel the brief flashes of those feelings, but much more muted and manageable, and they pass by quicker than a car speeding down the highway. I return back to the present after that brief introspection to see that Ios and Akiko both seem to be agreeable to my plans, and we end up doing just that for the next little while as Akiko pulls out both a standard long and short bow for
to play around with. The speed for the bows quest is just as ludicrous as the crossbows was, and after a few failed attempts at posture, arrow placent against the string, and learning how to aim, I am t by the completion notifications by the Basic and then Advanced versions:
[Quest Completed! Gain Basic Proficiency with Bows!
Learn the ins and outs of the weapon class known as: Bows.
Reward: 25 Ability Points, 50 Shop Points, 2 Skill Points, 10 points into Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom.
Rewards increase for each level of proficiency.]
[Progress: 100%]
Dexterity is now 1,522!
Intelligence is now 1,147!
Wisdom is now 2,897!
Available Ability Points: 882
Available Shop Points: 8,650
Available Skill Points: 416
[Quest Completed! Gain Advanced Proficiency with Bows!
Learn advanced thods of use, efficient knocking speed, and familiarity of the weapon class known as: Bows.
Reward: 250 Ability Points, 500 Shop Points, 25 Skill Points, 100 points into Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom.
Single ti effect of current Dexterity, Intelligence and Wisdom x 25% (After previous increase applied).
Rewards increase for each level of proficiency.]
[Progress: 100%]
Dexterity is now 1,622!
Intelligence is now 1,247!
Wisdom is now 2,997!
Applying one-ti x 25% buff...
Dexterity is now 2,027!
Intelligence is now 1,558!
Wisdom is now 3,746!
Available Ability Points: 1,132
Available Shop Points: 9,150
Available Skill Points: 441
[Quest Started: Gain Mastery Proficiency with Bows!
Beco a world leading master of the weapon class known as: Bows.
Reward: 2500 Ability Points, 3000 Shop Points, 150 Skill Points, 1000 points into Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom.
Single ti effect of current Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom x 50% (After previous increase applied).
Rewards increase for each level of proficiency.]
[Progress: 2%]
Damn, yeah this is getting crazy pretty freaking fast! I quickly pick up a spare arrow and twirl it around my fingers, my new Dexterity turning the piece of tal tipped wood into a fidget spinner like nobodies business~! I haven't even started most of the crafting quests, which a lot of them seem to favor Wisdom, not to ntion the fact that I haven't leveled in the system at all really yet, as well as all the *ahem*sexy ti quests that are always available... I can really start to see the ramp up beginning to click into gear now~. Akiko and Ios still seem a tad bit on the fence about the rapid progress but not really seeing another option, we continue on after a brief break for lunch with the thrown weapons next as Ios pops in to explain so things.
"The ones for thrown are a little more generous in the rewards category since the subject is so broad. That also ans that it may actually take you a few tries on various things to get up to the Mastery quest, but honestly with your monstrous speed I wouldn't be surprised if you blow through these ones too hun~." She says as we all giggle a bit around the newly cleaned up aftermath of lunch. I stand up and stretch before Akiko follows
and produces a laundry list of items that are the typical fanfare for these kinds of weapons.
As Ios predicted, these quests do end up causing
a bit of trouble, taking most of the rest of the allotted training ti to finally break past Advanced. Turns out it takes a bit more skill to accurately hit sothing with the bladed end of a knife - which I learned is called a kunai-, small hatchet aka hand axe, or ridiculously thin needles which are nad senbon. The javelins and other overhead thrown weapons go a little smoother, mostly requiring
to get the aiming of it down correct. I do nail the darts first ti though, so that was fun~! As I'm about to turn back to the walking armory of Akiko, I finally get the awaited ping from the system and check through my ssages.
[Quest Completed! Gain Basic Proficiency with Thrown Weapons!
Learn the ins and outs of the weapon class known as: Thrown Weapons.
Reward: 50 Ability Points, 250 Shop Points, 10 Skill Points, 50 points into Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom.
Rewards increase for each level of proficiency.]
[Progress: 100%]
Dexterity is now 2,077!
Intelligence is now 1,608!
Wisdom is now 3,796!
Available Ability Points: 1,182
Available Shop Points: 9,400
Available Skill Points: 451
[Quest Completed! Gain Advanced Proficiency with Thrown Weapons!
Learn advanced throwing techniques, uses, and situational needs for the weapon class known as: Thrown Weapons.
Reward: 500 Ability Points, 1000 Shop Points, 50 Skill Points, 250 points into Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom.
Single ti effect of current Dexterity, Intelligence and Wisdom x 25% (After previous increase applied).
Rewards increase for each level of proficiency.]
[Progress: 100%]
Dexterity is now 2,327!
Intelligence is now 1,858!
Wisdom is now 4,046! Updates are released by novel??fire
Applying one-ti x 25% buff...
Dexterity is now 2,908!
Intelligence is now 2,322!
Wisdom is now 5,057!
Available Ability Points: 1,682
Available Shop Points: 10,400
Available Skill Points: 501
[Quest Started: Gain Mastery Proficiency with Thrown Weapons!
Beco a world leading master of the weapon class known as: Thrown Weapons.
Reward: 4000 Ability Points, 5000 Shop Points, 300 Skill Points, 2000 points into Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom.
Single ti effect of current Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom x 50% (After previous increase applied).
Rewards increase for each level of proficiency.]
[Progress: .2%]
Oh yeah~.That's the ticket right there~! I shiver slightly at the new stats, all the various points, and the pure thrum of satisfaction that cos with ticking off these things as I exhale out and wipe the few drops of sweat from my forehead. "Well," I say as I turn back to Ios and Akiko, "Looks like that's
all caught up then~!" I skip over joyfully - and much faster than before - to the kitsune and wrap her in a warm hug, her comforting feel and scent mixing in with the still buzzing emotions of growing power and success inside of , my voice nearly purring in delight as I snuggle in.
Akiko chuckles as she strokes my hair and holds
closer with a couple tails, her matronly voice echoing around us as she says, "I believe that is so, my dear girl~. Wonderfully done, as always. I hope you keep this enthusiasm when we return to the martial weapons in the next few days, when the alure of quick and rapid results is not as easy to obtain~." Ugh, buzz kill! I pout up at her from her shoulder where my head was resting, only getting further amusent in response as she continues on, "I know you will always try your best, my sweet~. Would you like to join the others for dinner, or do you wish to navigate straight back to your room so that you can begin healing Sandra? It is still early enough in the day that Gerra may have only just finished preparations for tonight's al."
I hum as I debate the options, wanting to spend more ti with the girls while also eager to see how my new absolutely ridiculous Wisdom is going to work on Sandy... I ask her to give
a mont and try diving into the soul space, just to give it a test run, and am shocked to find that I am already instantly in front of Sandra's recovering form, the prismatic rainbow of light still feeding heavy amounts of Qi into her. Confused, I think about the flow model and find that I am now observing that instead with seemingly no travel ti having passed. Well shit, that's definitely one obvious benefit of the new numbers~! I think back once more to Sandra, and before I can blink, I am back to my previous spot. I try gathering more Qi with the combined technique, taking control of the now - sohow - slightly autonomous connection between us to manually start delivering the silvery energy to the spots I deem need it.
Like before, it moves where I want it to go and with as much output as I want it to have, but now I notice that the Qi is actually filling in exactly where it needs to go, perfectly sealing a small wound on her underside in a matter of seconds! I quickly bring up the main quest to see the current progress, and still slightly frown at the results:
[... current amount healed: 2.67%]
And that was with basically a week of non-stop energy flowing into her... I test it one more ti, finding another hairline fracture that can be quickly filled in and do so, checking the progress once more.
[... current amount healed: 2.72%]
Fuck , this is going to take a while... I sigh ntally, the conjoined space around us waving along with my internal breath. Oh well, nothing for it then. I'll just have to make sure to stay dedicated and keep on top of it and forbid her from pulling off anymore crazy stunts like the heart demon trial. I send a feeling of love into the bond, a slight bit of blue mixing in with the fading pink as I don't receive anything back again, before I instantly pull myself back to the present, still resting my head against Akiko's delightful form.
"Well, seems like the new stats really speed up my movent in there, how long was I out?" I ask up curiously.
"Alia... You just finished saying you were going to be diving into your soul space not but hardly a second ago..." Akiko replies, her voice a mixture of curiosity, awe, and astoundnt as her tails wave behind her happily.
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