Walking Disasters and Me

"I mean what I said, Amelia. You cannot learn the next techniques for your soul cultivation as things stand." The Empress reiterates in that regal, know-it-all tone. I narrow my eyes toward her as my frustration begins to bubble up from inside of me, my foot beginning to tap the ground in mirror to my impatience. Not even the calming view of the canyon can help me now.

"Yeah, the issue wasn't that I didn't hear you, its the message itself. Why can't I learn the new stuff yet? I'm well at the peak of 2nd Rank, aren't I?" I say as I try my best to not let the peeved off reaction filter into my tone. Last thing I need is for her to get annoyed back at me for not showing enough respect. Wherever that line in the sand is.

"I understand you are not elated by the news, but you shall need to inquire within yourself as to the why of my statement. All I can offer as advice is that you have not been using the first technique in the correct manner. Once you comprehend its true intended purpose, the other techniques will reveal themselves to you." She responds back matter-of-factly, even going so far as to raise a hand to still my incoming question as she turns to face me.

"I have already given you more insight than I would normally since the circumstances are as they are. This is your path that you walk now, and accepting help is fine and merry until it becomes a crutch that hampers your progress in the grand scheme of things." Her eyes seem stern, but I can still sense a bit of softness behind the bonfire whites disguising a rounded pupil as she continues on, "You are an incredibly intelligent woman, with a plethora of boons from both your past life as well as the system grafted to your being. Trust in yourself and seek the knowledge you are missing. After the tribulation."

It's painfully obvious that there isn't going to be further discussion on the matter, at least from her. I sigh as my arms uncross and I lean back into the seat, "Fine then, keep your secrets." I look back over to her, worry bleeding into my voice as I ask, "Are you sure I should take the tribulation now? While I'm still opposed to using sex just as a means to get stronger, I could probably just... hole up with the girls until all my stats and stuff are guaranteed to survive an Immortal tribulation. If we absolutely needed to."

The Empress nods, her golden white crown always perfectly fitted to her head as it shines. "I am positive. The Heavens will not be so hasty as to react with malice so soon after my [Judgement]. If you wait, the risk exponentially increases. And while you very well could spend your waking moments drowned in ecstasy to strengthen your base of power, the more disparity you achieve between your cultivation ranks and your intrinsic knowledge and power the worse the outcomes can be."

I give her a questioningly look and head tilt as I reply back, "What do you mean? Wouldn't being smarter and better at comprehension just... speed up the process? Why wouldn't I want to just pump up my numbers and then speed run through the Ranks?"

Her eyes squint again in amusement at my bodily reaction, her lips pulling up slightly into a smile as well before she shakes her head. "You have seen the folly of advancing too quickly already. Your flow model, while robust and created with precision leagues ahead of any Mara counterpart for your Rank, still held problematic issues that impeded your comprehension of the void manual. Luckily, you were able to quickly notice such problems and solve them before advancing further.

Now, ask yourself this: What would have happened if you did not notice and then moved further along the cultivation path? How much would you have to refit and reform to solve the incredibly important matter of holding Qi? Could you even have if you advanced far enough?"

I go to respond, mouth opening in rebuttal before it dawns on me that she's completely right. Another sigh closes my lips before I answer back, "No... I mean, maybe? I guess it would depend on a few things, but I see your point. Anything worth doing is worth doing right and all that..."

"A wise saying, and counsel." The Empress agrees as she stands and offers me her hand. I take it after a second or so of moping around, our feet once more back on the tiled floor of her throne room as she clasps her fingers around mine. Before she ascends back to her golden chair, she faces me once more and puts both her hands on my shoulders, giving them a small squeeze as she does so.

"Trust in yourself, Amelia. And trust in those around you. When you have advanced through the next tribulation and learned what is needed, return here and I shall impart the next soul techniques."

"Why would... wait." I pause as realization dawns on me. "You didn't just make the manuals, they're you. Or, like... parts of you. That's why they're so life like, and why we connect so well."

A true smile comes to life on her still mostly obscured face, but I don't sense any malice or manipulation behind it, just pure pride. "Well done~. Yes, I imbued those manuals with a fragment of my soul when I made them eons ago. While any Transcendent Rank item, treasure, or beast is naturally intelligent and sapient, the manuals will eventually regain their true forms when you advance into Immortality. Since my main forte was the soul, I am more than capable of administering what is in those pages to you, while the other two paths will still need to be pursued in the normal fashion."

A cold bead of sweat dribbles down my face as I warily choose my next words with the utmost care. "They... Uh... They're not going to like... be you, right? Like three little mini Empresses?"

The smile finally gains a hint of emotion other than pride. Sadly though, it feels like mischief which does not bode well. "Would that be such a bad thing? You would have four ancient deities to pull advice and knowledge from, who share their power with you as you grow. Seems to me like a fine deal that any mortal would not hesitate to take."

"Oh Heavens..." I mumble out as I raise a hand to my suddenly throbbing temples. One all powerful being is already a handful. And I technically have two if Ios is thrown into the equation! I'm just a girl, damn it!

Finally having her fill of seeing me squirm, the Empress lets loose a small laugh that puts orchestras - no - even the very concept of music to shame. The entire throne room becomes bathed in pink and gold as I feel my cheeks begin to burn and my eyes go wide at the melodious sound. Just before my knees give way, the Empress scoops me up into her arms with an apologetic look on her face.

"My apologies for the accidental slip, Amelia, but you were very cute just then~. When you advance far enough in cultivation, it can become quite difficult to suppress your beauty and attractiveness in the presence of mortals. Even ones who are soul bonded with you, such as we are. To answer your question related to the manuals, they are their own personalities holding their own memories. In essence, they are unique individuals that merely have a fragment of my soul as a base consciousness."

She takes a moment to look out into space before returning her vision back to me, "While it has been a pleasurable experience to converse with you in a more informal manner, you should return to Mara and begin preparations for your tribulation."

"H-huh?" My hazy mind pops and crackles with the lingering pink sparks as I look up to her. I know she is objectively attractive, obviously, but this is the first time I've ever felt anything like that for her properly. As the vibrant hues begin to settle and my brain begins to function again, I realize that I don't quite know how to feel about that right now.

"Oh, uh... Y-Yeah. I guess I should be heading out then. Thanks for explaining everything, even if it was kind of bad news in a sense." I say as I squirm and free myself from her arms. Well, more like she lets me down, but there was for sure squirming involved so I stand by it!

"Fret not, think of it more as an opportunity to deepen your knowledge instead of an obstacle to overcome. If you find yourself in dire circumstances, do not hesitate to call for me. Now, Wake Up." The last syllable sounds with the ringing of a gong, my eyes flashing open in the same heartbeat to stare up at the familiar ceiling of my room in the estate.

I rub my eyes a few times, the stiffness in my body signaling I've at least been under for a couple hours. As I rouse further back to waking, the second eldritch power in my life beams into existence next to the bed in her usual cheery mood. "Have a good nap, sweetheart~?"

The corners of my lips pull into a smile as I turn to see her resting her head on a pair hands there at the edge of the bed, her green eyes regarding me with their nearly ever present mix of pride, love, and arousal. Although my horniness might be making a false positive on that last one. "Hey you~. Yeah, it was a productive visit to say the least. I was able to get the next spiritual technique down, but ran into some issues regarding the soul path. Which, ya know, par for the course."

Her holographic hand comes up to pat my head, the sensation translating as she does the same in the soul space. With a commiserate frown, she replies, "I'm sorry, honey. That must be frustrating. Before we get into what happened though, there's been a development out here that you should be aware of."

A drip of anxious worry bleeds into my core as she holds my gaze firmly in her own. "O-okay. What's going on?" I ask out with trepidation on my voice.

"Nothing too dangerous, I think." Ios quickly answers back, administering more calming head pats to my soul avatar. "Akiko and the girls sensed some higher Ranked folks heading toward the Village probably a few hours after you bedded down to begin cultivating. Sam is here at the estate managing the Village while our kitsune's and Gerra went to go investigate. From how far off the foreign presences were, they should be intercepting them soon."

The worry doesn't fade in the slightest as I nervously gulp down the rising knot of tension, my teal eyes peering back to hers as I ask out in a whisper, "Is it because of me? What I did during the last tribulation?"

Ios adopts a small, comforting smile as she replies softly, "I don't know for sure, sweetie, but it's pretty likely. The newcomers were traveling from the direction of the capital continent, where the nominal world power resides. But! Akiko is out there right now and is going to handle it. I have no doubts about that~."

"Alright..." I meekly reply. Just another thing to throw onto the pile, I guess. Although, we all kind of new something was going to happen after what I did. Just didn't expect it to happen so soon, or while I was under. Ios and I sit in silence for a few minutes before she turns to me with a more typical carefree smile.

"Why don't we go see Sam? She'll likely be happy to know you're up and about and will probably want to inform Akiko too. The Empress still gunning on you taking the tribulation asap?"

"Oh yeah, big time. Part of the reason the whole experience wasn't an entire success is tied up with her wanting me to just get it over with already. Well, that and apparently I'm not comprehending the first soul technique properly." I say back as I stand and stretch my legs and arms, a few satisfying pops followed by soothed muscles helping to lift my spirits some. Ios floats beside me all the while, continuing on the conversation as I'm fixing up the battle dress and slapping on the bracelets.

"Huh. I guess she must really be set on the idea if she straight up told you not to worry about a core technique and just take the tribulation. It is kind of weird how that skill functions as compared to its text... Did she give you any hints as to what you're missing?"

"Not really, and she did so intentionally." I huff back as we exit the room, Ios' drone floating ahead of me to guide us to wherever Sam is running the Village from. As we meander down the corridors, I follow up with, "Again, she just said I wasn't using it right. I guess after the dust has settled, I'll have to sit down and see what I'm missing."

We carry on in companionable silence as Ios flits down the winding hallways of the estate, eventually bringing us to a room I haven't been to before. It's a large, probably 100 x 100 ft room made up of completely sheer stone walls in a vast contrast to the wooden architecture that dominates the Village and the estate in general. Going by our path, this little oddity seems to be smack dab in the center of the building, and there are thousands upon thousands of runic lines, glyphs, and connection points strewn all about the exterior.

"Something tells me this would put Soviet era bunkers to shame..." I quip lightheartedly as Ios swings us around to where the doors to this stone behemoth lie.

"Without a doubt~. You'd probably realize this if you sat down and studied it, but this room here can likely survive the destruction of the planet provided everything was turned on and functioning properly." Ios replies off handedly as I stop and gawk towards the drifting drone. She pauses, giggling as she turns back to see my stunned face before saying, "Cute~. C'mon, the doors are right here."

I shake my head and jog up to her location, my eyes going wide at the floor to ceiling slabs of granite that constitute the 'door'. There are even more inscriptions and runes plastered across the surface of the entry point, all of them woven together beautifully and expertly, all of them thrumming with a steady flow of Qi throughout the etched network. I turn to Ios, raising my hand to the obvious roadblock as a spike of annoyance ripples through me, "Okay, so how do we get into Fort Knox here? I don't see a fucking doorbell."

I almost gasp at hearing my own tone before Ios raises an eyebrow and replies back in a careful tone, "Aims, I know you're upset about the soul stuff right now, but that isn't a justification for being snippy. What's going on?"

"I-I don't know... I just got so annoyed and aggravated for a second there out of nowhere. It's gone now though..." I think back to the emotion, something clicking in my brain as I recognize how foreign it feels to me. "Shit. I think that was from Akiko. Something must be going on wherever she is, we need to get inside and see if Sam has any updates! I'm sorry I snapped at you, but can you please tell me how to get in?"

Ios nods before pointing at a series of connected runes on one of the stone slabs, "Touch that network there and feed Qi into it. Sam will be alerted to the presence and will be able to tell its you."

I do as she asks, trying to keep the frantic and anxious bubbles from growing or popping inside me as my hand rests on the indicated spot. "Come on, come on..." I mutter with increasing worry until the door rumbles like a small earthquake and begins to open outwardly. I jump back a few steps to get out of the way of the multi ton stone, almost bouncing in place as I wait for just enough clearance to dart inwards and see if Sam knows anything.

Seeing my moment, I launch myself forward as fast as I can past the just wide enough opening that has presented itself. As I do so, I run headfirst into the confused and waiting arms of the golden-haired women temporarily running the show as she catches my frantic momentum and pulls me further inside as Ios' drone follows suit. "Amelia? I had assumed you to be deep in cultivation for longer. What is the matter?"

"Sam!" I exclaim loudly, pulling back from the embrace enough to at her face to face as my emotions become more and more chaotic, "What's going on with Akiko? Has she said anything since she's been gone?"

As she is just about to respond, my eyes widen as a seething fury that I have only ever felt once before blossoms to full bloom inside of me. The entire soul space is awash in the darkest blood red, my throat burning from a violent and manic prolonged scream that shakes the ground beneath us. Energy funnels into my body and whips my equally reddened hair in its maelstrom, my heart crashing against my ribs as my teeth grind together almost to the point of breaking. The rage, the hate, the disgust. All of it crashing and melding into macabre desire to hurt. To kill.

[Berserker Intent level 3] has upgraded to [Berserker Intent level 4]!

I try to move, to fight as I instinctually activate any and every last scrap of power I can pull from. The singing of the Berserker blood calling its siren song of madness as clarity becomes a distant memory. A feral scream pulls from my lips as I thrash against my binds, a loud *SLAM* of stone on stone behind me that I barely pay mind to. The only thoughts left in my mind, that sing to sing to my soul, are to draw blood. To eat.

My vision lands on the stranger holding me, violent animalistic rage at the mere thought that something dares to deny me my hunt. The fool utters a single word before I pull my feet to my stomach in a jump, a ferocious snarl escaping my lips. Said feet fly and visibly crater into their unsuspecting stomach, sending them flying through the air to impact against a far-off stone wall, releasing me from their grip:

"Shit."