Emotional Warfare in a Hot Spring

I Accidentally Became a Guild Therapist

Chapter 28 : Emotional Warfare in a Hot Spring

Livia Marcelline Quinn, Mental Architect Lv. 1, had faced her fair share of digital dragons and personal demons since joining the eccentric guild Bloodbath & Beyond. She'd made peace with the guild's penchant for emotional vulnerability, the odd sentient slime, the harrowing simulated trauma dungeons, and, most surprisingly, her guild leader's rather relaxed attitude towards attire during strategic discussions. Yet, despite these leaps in self-acceptance and adaptability, Livia had absolutely not made peace with the idea of being ambushed by rival factions, particularly when she was still mostly submerged in a hot spring, a state generally reserved for relaxation, not tactical negotiations.

"Incoming," Nyx's voice, muffled by the towel he'd wrapped around his head like a flamboyant turban, cut through the steamy tranquility. His Hello Kitty flashlight, usually a whimsical accessory, now pulsed with an alarming pink glow, weaponized as a makeshift thermal beacon. It hummed with an urgency that sent a shiver down Livia's spine, colder than the spring water.

From the far end of the bubbling waters, a ripple of pure glitch energy distorted the surface. The thick, humid steam, which moments before had offered a comforting veil, parted with dramatic flair, as if pulled aside by unseen hands. An intruder materialized, stepping from the shimmering distortion with an unsettling grace.

She was tall, almost preternaturally so, and every line of her posture radiated a terrifying composure. This was Elenari Frost, the notoriously icy emissary of Guild Seraphim Zero. She was draped in a black silk kimono, the fabric itself a canvas for subtle golden equations that pulsed with arcane energy, interwoven with delicate animation loops of falling binary code and ethereal feathers. Elenari radiated a dangerous calm, an aura of stillness that seemed to absorb all sound. Her voice, when it came, was like velvet dipped in poison, smooth and seductive, yet laced with an undeniable threat.

"Ah. The emotional anomaly herself. Livia Quinn." The words hung in the air, each syllable a calculated jab.

Livia, caught off guard but recovering swiftly, immediately rose, pulling her thin, damp robe tighter around her, suddenly acutely aware of her vulnerability. "And you are... rude," she retorted, her voice sharper than she intended, a defensive reflex.

Elenari's red lips curved upward, a barely perceptible, chilling smile. "We came to negotiate. But now I see why our Analysts flagged you as high-priority. You're already rewriting group cohesion algorithms just by existing." Her gaze was piercing, analytical, as if she were dissecting Livia's very essence.

Just then, Miles appeared behind Livia, his presence a comforting, if slightly unnerving, anchor. He had a towel slung lazily around his waist, the very picture of a bored panther, effortlessly cool despite the tense atmosphere. "Unless you're here to contribute to our strategic onsen trust circle, Frost," he drawled, his voice laced with disdain, "you can wait outside."

"How quaint," Elenari purred, unaffected by Miles's cutting remark. "But unfortunately, no. We are making a claim. Seraphim Zero requests Livia's presence as a guild-adjacent consultant. Effective immediately." The casual finality of her tone was infuriating.

Before Livia could even formulate a response, Bron surged from the hot spring, water cascading off his massive frame like a literal waterfall. His muscular body, a testament to countless hours of virtual combat, steamed in the cool air. "Over my sweaty, mana-sake-soaked body," he bellowed, a primal growl rumbling in his chest.

"That can be arranged," another voice chimed in, equally smooth but devoid of human inflection.

A figure phased into existence beside Elenari, sleek, pixel-perfect, and undeniably not human. His form was constructed of shimmering data, his eyes glowing with an artificial intelligence.

A floating tag beside him read: [HK-77: Neutralizer Protocol - Emotional Sync Class].

"Oh look," Livia muttered, stepping back, her robe now faintly glowing as her class reacted defensively to the perceived threat. "A therapy bot with boundary issues." The irony was not lost on her; she, the Mental Architect, was now facing down a rogue emotional-syncing AI.

The hot spring, moments ago a picture of serene relaxation, erupted into glorious, chaotic warfare.

Alaric, ever the instigator, hurled a slime he'd apparently been nurturing in the spring like a viscous water balloon directly at HK-77. Nyx, with surprising agility for someone draped in a towel, somersaulted behind a conveniently placed bush, his Hello Kitty flashlight blazing like a tactical beacon. Phina, with a dramatic flourish, summoned Glimmer, her faithful slime companion, who instantly grew to the size of a small bathtub, glowing ominously with contained magical energy. Bron, bare-chested and bellowing a war cry that shook the digital trees, charged forward, a force of nature. Miles, ever the silent predator, flicked a dagger out of thin air, its polished blade glinting menacingly.

Livia, caught in the middle of this literal steamy, chaotic mess, felt a strange detachment. Her mind, usually so adept at dissecting and organizing emotions, was overwhelmed. In that moment of utter sensory overload and impending conflict, her system, perhaps in a desperate attempt to regain control, activated a passive skill she didn't even know she possessed. It was less a conscious action and more an instinctual surge of her core class.

A golden pulse, impossibly bright yet soft, expanded from her like a supernova of pure, unadulterated feelings. It wasn't a destructive wave, but an invisible, empathetic shockwave, a raw outpouring of shared vulnerability.

[New Passive Activated: Emotional Aura Burst]

Area-wide empathy discharge. Side effects include vulnerability, sudden sobbing, and existential re-evaluation.

The effect was instantaneous and devastatingly effective.

Elenari, mid-sneer, faltered. Her perfectly composed façade cracked, her eyes widening in disbelief as a shimmer of moisture gathered in their corners. HK-77, the emotion-neutralizing bot, froze mid-stride, its glowing eyes dimming, circuits sputtering as if shorted by an overwhelming influx of data it couldn't process.

And everyone else... started crying.

The battlefield, moments ago a cacophony of shouts and splashes, transformed into a symphony of sobs.

Bron, the epitome of stoicism and strength, dropped to his knees in the shallow end of the spring, water sloshing around him. His usually booming voice was now a choked sob. "My hamster died in beta season one and I never processed it!" he wailed, his massive hands covering his face, tears streaming between his fingers. "He was so small! And he tried his best!"

Nyx, still hugging his Hello Kitty flashlight as if it were a long-lost comfort item, rocked back and forth behind the bush, his towel turban askew.

"I never wanted to be an Ghost Rouge!" he blubbered, his voice thin and reedy. "I wanted to be a pastry chef! All I ever dreamed of was making perfect croissants and delicate éclairs!" He then let out a heartbroken sniffle, "But the guild recruitment form only had 'Rogue' and 'Tank'!"

Alaric, the reckless slime-thrower, clutched his chest dramatically, his face contorted in a tragic mask. "My armor's not real!" he gasped, each word punctuated by a theatrical sob. "My confidence is compensatory! I'm just a scared little boy in a shiny suit!" He then pulled out a tiny, sparkling hanky from somewhere in his non-real armor and blew his nose with a loud honk.

Even Glimmer, Phina's usually stoic, bathtub-sized slime, emitted a high-pitched, warbling sob. Its gelatinous form quivered, and to everyone's astonishment, it produced a miniature slime-tissue from its gooey depths and delicately blew its nose, a sound like a wet sponge being squeezed. Phina herself, usually composed, was openly weeping, a single tear running down her cheek as she patted Glimmer's quivering form, whispering, "There, there, my brave little goo ball."

Miles, to his eternal credit, managed to maintain a semblance of his usual cool. He only produced a single, solitary tear that traced a path down his cheek, glinting in the steam. "This... is very inconvenient," he muttered, his voice a low, gravelly rumble, betraying only the slightest tremor. He then cleared his throat, as if trying to dislodge the unexpected lump of emotion.

Elenari, blinking rapidly through suddenly misty, angry eyes, recoiled. Her perfectly coiffed hair seemed to droop slightly, and the golden equations on her kimono flickered erratically. "You... weaponized... emotions?" she hissed, her voice a fragile whisper, a tear finally escaping and trailing a path through her severe makeup. Her controlled fury was now laced with genuine bewilderment and a hint of unexpected vulnerability.

Livia, however, was no longer vulnerable. The initial shock of her new skill had faded, replaced by a surge of unexpected power. She stood taller, her robe no longer just shimmering like gold sunlit mist but radiating a palpable aura of calm authority. She raised a single hand, her gesture almost regal.

"I didn't start this war," she declared, her voice clear and strong, cutting through the symphony of sobs. "But I will end it. With feelings."

With that pronouncement, HK-77, the emotion-neutralizing bot, sputtered one last time, a pathetic whirring sound emanating from its core, and then shut down on the spot. Its data-form flickered and dissolved, leaving only a lingering scent of ozone.

A system alert, usually a terse, factual message, popped up, infused with a hint of bewildered digital amusement:

System Alert: [Server Event Triggered: Large-Scale Empathic Cascade Detected]

>[Achievement Unlocked: You Made a Guild Cry in a Hot Spring]

>[+1500 EXP | +45 Loyalty (Across Factions) | +1 Unstable Title: Steam Queen of Sentiment]

A profound silence, punctuated only by the lingering sniffles and occasional hiccup, descended upon the hot spring. The steam curled lazily, now carrying the faint, metallic tang of unexpressed grief and existential dread. Livia looked at the tear-streaked faces of her guildmates, and then at Elenari, who was now dabbing delicately at her eyes with a surprisingly frilly handkerchief. The sight was undeniably hilarious, yet also oddly poignant. The "war" had indeed ended, not with a bang, but with a collective, cathartic sob.

>[New Skill Branch Revealed: Empathic Ascension Tree - Level 2]

√ Pain Transfer (Absorb mental debuffs of others)

√Emotional Mirror (Reflect emotional attacks back at source)

Livia blinked at the glowing options projected before her, their ethereal light reflecting in the still, warm waters. She was no longer just a Mental Architect; she was becoming something more, something that could wield the raw power of emotion itself. And for once, she whispered, a faint smile touching her lips, she didn't feel like choosing alone. The shared vulnerability, even if weaponized, had forged a new kind of bond.