<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Bloodedge]

Had Yugi given that advice before? Yes, it had indeed been dozens, hundred, perhaps even a thousand times for other reasons. He didn't have the time for acknowledgement of that claim, however, as his lips were already being made very busy. Of course a bit of kissing would only last so long; Tae herself only had so much time remaining. In those fleeting moments, however, he became deeply invested to a point of it showing in his breath when their mouths separated. As they were so very close at the hip, the addition of her tongue to his neck had Yugi grinding against the doctor, stiffening rapidly between their pelvises. He'd yet to be on the receiving end of something like a hickey until Tae sucked a small area of his neck's flesh between her lips. It was a sensation so full of pressure, with a bit of a pinch added... only for that pinch to be replaced with another, sharper sort. "Hah~" Yugi gasped as skin was broken.

Tae's Cursed Imprint ─ (applied by Takemi Tae at 75%+ Intimacy)

Description:
A permanent mark of her S-rank medicinal mana etched into your flesh.
The seal pulses with her essence, expanding your limits through controlled over-healing.

Effects:

• Level 1 (Always Available – No cooldown, low mana cost):
  Activate at will for short bursts.
  +20% to all physical and magical stats
  +50% stamina and mana regeneration during use
  Minor over-healing: instantly repair minor wounds and convert incoming debuffs into small healing waves (10–15% HP restore)
  No severe backlash; only slight fatigue if overused in quick succession (minor stamina drain after 5+ minutes total use)

• Level 2 (Daily Ultimate Mode – Once per day, high mana cost):
  Trigger once daily for the full transformation.
  +60% all stats
  Constant over-healing (instant minor wound repair, +100% regeneration)
  No immediate downsides during use
  When duration ends: -40% all stats for 30 minutes + mana exhaustion (skills cost 50% more)

Activation & Recharge:
Level 1 can be triggered anytime with low mana cost.
Level 2 requires a recharge via intimate contact with Takemi Tae (she must "re-infuse" the seal manually).
The seal glows emerald-black when active, veins pulsing under the skin.

System Remark:
The doctor's mark is set.
Her venom courses through you.
Use Level 1 freely, vessel.
Save the full surge for when you truly need it.
The crash will remind you of her necessity.

That notification appeared for Yugi in conjunction with a rather aggressive feeling right around the bite's location. His hips pushed forward as if his very body wished to bypass their clothes and dive into Tae right then and there, as three Tomoe in a familiar pattern appeared at the base of his neck. "Hrngh─! Fuck fuck fuck!" he groaned through the burning sensation. At the same time, Yugi's essence was flowing back into Tae's mouth... leading to a notification on her end.

〔SYSTEM NOTICE — SKILL UNLOCKED〕

Skill Acquired: Shadow Reaping

Description:
The user collects a "reaping" from defeated enemies or willing allies, harvesting their mana as tribute to the [REDACTED].

Effect:

• When an enemy dies nearby, the user absorbs a portion of their mana as a small permanent boost to max mana pool
• When an ally dies nearby, the user can "reap" a portion of their mana to restore her own
• Passive: In a Domain or base controlled by the [REDACTED], the user can "reap" a small daily mana tithe from lesser [REDACTED], granting +50% mana regeneration for 24 hours

System Remark:
ERROR
ERROR
ERROR.

[Apollymi]

Yugi had definitely given that advice before, Miko had seen it... and bastardizations of it, all over the 'Genokiller' forums. To her, such advice made sense, not everyone could approach a situation the same way, it simply made sense. Such a logic was why she was generally opposed to walkthroughs for Otome Games. Just because a random set of words or circumstances works for one person, doesn't mean it could or should work for a different person. And the AI in a lot of games had been made more and more intelligent by the iteration. It was becoming less about the words said, and more about learning the 'Player' instead. While Miko thought over advice and gameplay mechanics, she got to witness a steamy make-out including the delivery of a hickey and a love bite and the reaction to it.

For Tae's part in this, the delivery of a little pain and pleasure in a single moment wasn't all together to new. The thing that made it interesting, was the reaction of the lad she was currently making out with. He'd made a few light noises, his whole body grinding against her fore as if he wanted to find a home in her body. "Hmm, I get something new too?" Tae mused pulling away from that bite, which had setting into an interesting almost tattoo like mark on his skin. Still, there was something Tae was observing while Miko squirmed. It was hot and it sounded great, the girl's loins were throbbing as she finally stood up again knowing what was going on. "Squee♪~ That sounded great♪~ If you want to experiment and bite a girl... I volunteer♪!~" Miko added. While Tae shifted her eyes and chuckled just a bit. "Oh, there are a lot of red words in this new skill of mine. "Shadow Reaping... edgy," she whispered still not quite ready to pull away.

[Bloodedge]

The bite Yugi received from Tae was one thing, but the burning sensation of a seal appearing on his neck was something very different. That part wasn't pleasant at all... until it was. Yugi managed to register the woman claiming she got something from that exchange as well, but he was too busy being internally immolated to respond. "HOOOT! HOT HOT HOOOT!" he wailed, managing only to keep a firm and still tightening embrace on Tae.

After a few moments, that sensation expanded. There were visual signs as well, including a burning glow to the otherwise black seal as it fanned out in a flamelike pattern across Yugi's skin. It settled spread-out around his neck and shoulder, turning black again. By then, Yugi's inner strength had been pulled forth. His stats were roughly 20% higher, both physical and magical. His body was constantly ready to reconstruct itself, similar to Mana Reversal, albeit to a far lesser extent. "Gah! Fuck... that felt so good, so bad, and so good again. Did I just get a fucking cursed seal?!" he asked excitedly. Ah, but there were two things he'd yet to comment on. First was Miko offering herself as the doctor's next... patient for such biting. "You know it would totally help the synergy or what-the-fuck-ever!" he encouraged. As for the red words in Tae's new Skill, there was little he could say... but that Skill title said a lot on its own. "Shadow Reaping? Based on everything else we've been given so far, that sounds like a job thing. Does it sound anything like 'official member of a kingdom' shit? Executioner or something? Or like... gardener, I guess. That one could be lame."

[Apollymi]

It seemed the bite Tae had given would come with a bit of recovery time. Yugi made several noises and then kept saying the word 'hot'. While this happened both Tae and Miko got to observe the burning look of that mark as it seemed to be settling into the lad properly. "Oh? Adjusting then... squeeze is a little tight~" Tae said lightly but she truly didn't mind the closeness. It'd been quite a while since she'd felt something so close and it was worth appreciating. As for Yugi's question, Tae and Miko could only say "Seems like it. Mix of mana, applied thing, and look at you... not even being out of commission for ages!~" Tae observed as she looked over the healed bite and the subsequent decorative marking. "Oooh♪~ It's like Mari's, that's badass♪!~" Miko chirped appreciatively.

Speaking of things encouraged. Upon getting the ability to speak back, Yugi would be encouraging the combination of Tae and Miko for obviously deviant reasons covered by 'excuses' of synergy. Tae could only chuckle finding the girl's proposition to be about what she'd expect for someone so free with herself while the encouragement of Yugi was normal but didn't hit the ear as innately sleazy. "So, you're just that open in general..." Tae said mostly as an observation without a firm confirmation. "That isn't a no! Boob hats and head pat, incoming♪~" Miko chirped happily. At the same time, Makima was still watching and found it amusing, "So it's just both of you..." she thought about the nature of the pair of horny teens both doing things for themselves and each other. There was nothing bad to be said about their teamwork even in moments of carnal pleasure seeking. Beyond that point there were the issues with Tae's new skill, "It seems to allow me to gain permanent mana pool increases by collecting the mana of allies or enemies who die around me. So in that way I'd say more mortician or taxe collector, than gardener or executioner," Tae gave that general explanation. "I didn't even get any ominous flavor text this time. It all came up Error. I think you two might be breaking your game~" Tae mentioned seeming to have enough of an udnerstanding from her youth to know they might have stumbled into an area they weren't meant to be in just yet. Meanwhile that same information was just being fed into Miko's brain, sorted with all of the tone shifting, words like 'vessel', 'chaos' and 'concubines', kingdom, shadows, and even the trial they were currently going through. She was on her way to a big idea. It even contained that near death experience of Yugi's where death wasn't really the end. What did it all mean?

[Bloodedge]

By the time Yugi finished recovering, he felt better than ever. Tae's mark was similar to the feeling of leveling up, but with a more immediate and larger payout. According to Miko, his seal was similar to that of the character Mariketa. How interesting. "She was one of my favorites. Red hair, thicker than a sack of meat buns... traumatized with an oral fixation," he chattered, pausing to clear his throat after. A small amount of effort was put forth to encourage whatever interaction would happen between the women in this quest venue. Yugi couldn't mind for many reasons, not the least of which was how much he now felt like fighting. Blood coursed through his veins like never before. Though he'd been at rest for over ten minutes, he felt like he was just entering a rush ─ one that wasn't going away.

Alas, there were things to note about Tae's latest skill. As opposed to an executioner or some silly gardener, she thought it seemed more like a mortician's skill. It all sounded quite powerful... quite permanent even. "So you've become similar to us. Kill things, get stronger. I'd say that sounds like you've got the System with only the Intelligence stat. Pretty sweet," Yugi commented. All the while, his eyes were moving about the battlefield, scanning through that ring of poison mist still keeping them all safe. "In that case... you're getting stronger right now. That, error messages and the gold loophole in the Shop? This game only just started being broken~" he said with a somewhat twisted grin. "So, if you guys are gonna do lesbian shit, you've barely got time for it. I... feel like I could rampage right now. Wish I had some heavy metal background music."

[Apollymi]

Miko could do nothing but agree with the assessment about the fictional character Mariketa. "That whole family was hot, but she was like a girl coming off a bad end... I felt like she needed care," Miko said decisively. Still, with the poison keeping away the coming horde, it would be Yugi who had a bit to say about the way Tae analyzed her new skill. Opening the path to consort had given her the ability to gain permanent stat increases, specifically the one she aligned to best, 'Intelligence'. "A bigger mana pool is a good thing regardless of anything else, being able to heal more often and exchange power is one of the better sides to it," Tae agreed whole heartedly. Meanwhile, Makima had but a simple thing to say, it that impassive way that belied unnecessary excitement. It was right there, in the corner of her mouth twitching just slightly upward as another ridiculous thing became obvious, "Permanent ability to gain a stat, is that really what just happened?" she questioned just an edge of excitement in her voice.

"Waaah♪~ Tone shift♪!~" Miko blurted out seeming to almost shiver as she quickly wrapped her arms around the doctor as if seeking protection, when in truth... the smaller girl was just seeking the warmth of large breasts atop her head, knowing that most tall women wouldn't shoo away a small girl in need. Was it emotionally manipulative? Yes. Did she still find Tae absently hugging her back, also yes! A limited amount of time to do lesbian thigns wasn't really something MIko worried about directly. Still by the time Yugi was talking about their limited time, Miko already had hands firmly grasping another woman's bottom while her head was barely able to peek around her breasts and a eyebrow was raised. "Well, it isn't the first time I've made-out with a girl or anything. Besides you did do a really nice job with your skills so far, keep at it~" Tae said as Miko acknowledged another tone shift, "Break the game, win the game♪!~ Ooh, I had an idea for something metal a few days ago..." Miko mutteres softly before Tae's lips met hers as that woman had to lean down to accept the smaller's girls advances. An innocent little makeout would be taking place while Yugi got the time to stretch.

[Bloodedge]

Before Yugi could fully separate himself from Tae, Makima had a question that was equally an observation. Indeed, it seemed Tae had the ability to grow stronger in a similar way to the Players, albeit in limited capacity. "Already wondering what it'll be for you?" he asked without requiring any form of answer. Yugi had become quite interested in ravaging the knights. Soon enough, he was stepping away from Tae for that exact purpose ─ and to leave room for a physical replacement.

As Miko made her way into the space now abandoned, Yugi looked into his own palm. Only one thing was missing. "Oh, and make sure it's recorded in the System. I'll be pretty annoyed if I have to miss this," he said. In that moment, lightning began arcing between his fingers, charging a stronger current than he could manage before... even while only making a casual attempt. While lesbian practices began, Yugi rushed through the ring of poison at a faster pace than ever before. He'd look like an arc of lightning himself, bouncing between knights with no consistency whatsoever ─ but still with nothing short of success as knights fell one after another at various sporadic points across the throne room. Slowly but surely, there was also progress toward another level for the Players. . .

[Apollymi]

Yugi was separating himself from Tae initially, simply to follow the urge to wreck something physically. At the same time, Makima had been questioning the nature of a real and substantial buff for an individual deeply connected to the Players. "The idea of such a thing existing at all is intriguing enough. Connecting it to myself as a thought is almost too much~" Makima mused. Though she was doing exactly that, if any of her already monstrous abilities gained any more power, she'd reach a pinnacle of existence.

While Miko was about to start a little something with Tae, it would seem she was under orders to make sure it was recorded. Yugi would hate to miss it. She figured that would be the case, "Yes, Daddy♪~" the girl chirped her agreement in the most casual way possible for the sake of deviance. Meanwhile, Tae was leaning into the face of the small girl whose hands were moving rather actively around the softness of the goth woman's body. What kind recording would Yugi be able to see later? Well... it'd be one which involved deep kisses, and the very active hands of both Miko and Tae. Miko had even slipped up under that one's dress, finger tips making contact with skin and panties. And by the time Tae disappeared for the day, Miko was sitting with a blushing face licking her lips happily. "I really gotta do that again! How's the upgrade?" Miko asked of Yugi as she banished that throne and re-entered the fray as well, at the end of Tae's timer.

[Bloodedge]

"Bucket," was Yugi's only word of response to Makima's assertion. As if on cue, one Gojo Satoru was on the screen, standing behind Makima with a bucket he was actively pointing to. "Bucket!" exclaimed the grinning white-haired man. Moments after, Yugi was managing to avoid the potential assault of those hidden assassins by keeping more mobile than they could be. His hand alone could not go through the High Knights' armor, but it was consistently piercing the chestplates of infantrymen with the ease of stabbing wet paper. Such was how Yugi continued, felling one knight and moving effortlessly through the horde ─ at times by jumping over a suit of armor to find the next target elsewhere.

As he moved, Yugi's eyes darted rapidly from one spot to another. The mages were far too well-guarded, but not casting any offensive magic. Moreover, he could confirm that the number of enemies was indeed growing instead of reducing. Ah, but... as moments passed, that seal on Yugi's shoulder was also growing, along with his power output and physical ability. Miko was eventually done with Tae, the doctor no longer within the quest dungeon. She asked about the upgrade. What would he say? "Deadly~" Yugi spoke in a slightly darker tone than normal, seeming to revel in his own offensive ability. "But so's the wave. Mages might be keeping the summons going. I'd kill them, but... it feels like a trap. You should call your Assassin. I'll call mine," he said whilst midair, flipping back within the slowly-dissipating ring of mist. It seemed that ring would continue keeping the horde at bay for a few minutes. With that being the case, Yugi spawned a second screen, intending to call one Shinomiya Kaguya without ending the call with Makima. "Dual-calling? Not bad~"

[Apollymi]

Bucket was the word spoken and it was a joke which was echoed by Gojo. Miko also chimed in "Bucket," she stated earnestly. Well, it was obvious to her that the need for a bucket was something for Makima. Makima for her part in this only laughed, "Ehehe~ You three are incorrigible," she decided almost casually, but once again it wasn't something which sounded like a negative to Miko. No, by her own understanding Makima was the type of woman who enjoyed inclusion in the antics of her pets. No matter her newest male pet was currently wrecking a large number of those creatures. Having a much easier time doing it than he'd managed previously.

Miko for her part in this, rejoined the fray with a question one which was answered by the the lad in a way that made the brunette shiver. "Oh, another tone shift, careful♪~" the girl chirped, seemingly nothing but horny by the sounds of it. Beyond that point the mages, were apparently boosting the numbers of the extra targets. What was more he claimed that killing the mages felt like a trap of some kind. "Hm, I know what you mean... if we have a couple more minutes. I'll be able to use Megiddo again and cover at least part of us if we kill one to see what happens," Miko claimed as a part of the situation. No matter what they would need to call in the next round of help. "Yeah, I'll call him," she said within the circle aiming to shoot a call to Amamiya Ren. At the same time, Shinomiya Kaguya had been awake for a while, she was relaxing on the couch still nursing her previous nights workout when her secret phone rang. She pulled it out of her Inventory and pressed the green button putting it to her ear, and not even noticing she'd answered a video call. "Oyai♥ I didn't figure I'd get a call, so soon. Something up?~" Kaguya said seeming to be enthused.