You have gained [Two Separate Minds] Apprentice 3
Gain 2 exp
I am wheeling Barbain and Beatrice back to the dungeon. Mini me pops on my shoulder to chat.
“So how are the two of you feeling?”
“Good enough to try to secure that blood for ya.”
Beatrice is loud enough to make Barbain wince.
“To be honest, I might try to take one down by myself first. Can you spot me to make sure I don't get into trouble?”
Beatrice nods and gives me a thumbs up. Mini me smiles back and returns the gesture. I keep pulling the cart. Mini Sara disappears as we reach the dungeon.
“I didn't expect to see you three back.”
“Ah well, Professor Hanigan, we kinda made our guide buy these containers and so we hope to repay her back by filling them.”
“Debts are important.”
She waves us off as I go down the ramp.
-----
We make it to the second floor, opting to carry the containers instead of the cart. When Beatrice offered to make the stairs into a ramp via earth magic, I vetoed the idea, judging it too steep. Morning Sara is already back asleep.
We set the containers down near the most isolated of the hydras.
“You sure you want to try this.”
“Says the one who took on three heads.”
“I am three levels higher than you.”
She still doesn't believe Barbain about me being tier two. I shrug.
“Thats good, no one better to watch me.”
I walk towards the hydra. It rears towards me. I throw a knife at it. It scraps the scale but does not pierce. I need more practice. It attacks with two heads, I swipe at both drawing some blood. Not enough though. As the heads rear back the other two keep me from reaching the hydra body. It's annoying. The hydra stuck one of its heads inside my mana aura. I burn some of my arcane core to open a wound on the side of his head with life magic.
You have gained [Life Magic] Competent 4
Gain 12 exp
More blood lands on me, enough to gain a stat. It doesn't affect the hydra much. I make illusions above me to bait the heads. It causes each head to focus on one. I rush in. Unfortunately that causes two to chomp down on me. They can't get through my scales but the underside of my arms is just skin. That they do get through and it hurts. It's bad that they have both my arms.
“Sara!”
Barbain is starting to head my way in a run, Beatrice a step behind her. I kick off my silk shoes and reach into my pockets for two more knives. If the hydra want to hold me up by my arms then I'll stab them with my feet hands. I channel the mental mana and stab the knives into each hydra neck that is holding me up. They let go as both heads slump down, their necks torn. I land and am ready to continue when a neck slams into my side. I stumble a bit but retain the grip on my sword. I slash down on the torso showering myself in blood. The hydra rears back, slowing further. I only get faster. My bliss increases as I hear both of B's slow down. It ends all too soon, the bliss never remaining for dungeon monsters.
Gain 40 exp from Hydra
I cycle life mana to peel off the scabs on the undersides of my arms. I wave at the girls. They rear back from me. O right I'm covered in blood. I use my wand to separate it from my clothing. They start bringing the containers and use their own water magic to fill them.
“After watching that, I totally sold on being a spider kitty.”
I roll my eyes.
“Me too.” Et tu Barbain.
‐----
“That will be five small gold, I'll return your containers to you after I transfer the blood, will you have time for some more training?”
I nod, my bank getting that much larger. Four hundred hydras to pay back mother.
I walk back to my clinic. Barbain runs up to me.
“Training?”
“She is working on mental eyes and resist mental attacks.”
“I thought you were averse to using compels on people.”
“I'm not compelling her.”
“Then what are you doing?” Beatrice has caught up to us as well.
I sit in my chair. I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on.
“My pariah aura raises [Resist Mental Attack] so long as you actively fight it.”
“Wait, you wouldn't dose me with your aura but you're doing it for a receptionist.”
And there's the headache. Fine whatever.
“Go to the door, I'll set up the same training exercise I do for her. My aura will be denser the closer it is to me, that door is your freedom. It's a pariah aura of worthlessness. If you attempt to kill yourself in my aura, I will be very sore with you.”
“It can't be that bad.”
Barbain smacks Beatrice in the back of the head.
“What was that for?”
“Jam not talking in hypotheticals Bea.”
Beatrice pales at that.
“I'm sorry, I'll take this seriously.”
When they are outside of the door I set my aura. They get six steps in before they get into a crouch and hug each other. Lindur arrives with my containers. Seeing what's going on she sets the containers to the back wall of the clinic and then gets eight steps towards me. She looks back at the two B's and snorts.
“Light weights.”
I admonish her, “Not a competition.”
She didn't care.
“Mind doing the illusions for me to study, I think I can handle that from here.”
I comply as her now diamond shaped purple eye flares on.
All three make it to dinner.
-----
“So why do you even bother eating?”
I gave Barbain a look.
“What does that mean, everyone got to eat.”
Lindur had joined us, I am pinching the bridge of my nose again.
“What? I thought she was in the know.”
I sigh and look at Lindur.
“I technically only need blood to survive.”
“The fuck, you don't sleep and you don't eat.”
“Clearly eating right now.”
Beatrice is whispering to Barbain.
“We should totally get another bottle of Dragon Fire Spirits.”
Tempting but no they need to sleep in their dorms.
“You don't need to drink that much, I got a skill that will help. Though it may take awhile to get the level high enough for it to matter.”
“You got a skill to make you more drunk?” Beatrice is eyeing me incredulously.
“I don't fucking understand this conversation.” Lindur is just confused.
“I can't absorb alcohol by drinking it. I can if it's already in someone else's blood.”
“Couldn't you just mix a drink then?”
I wish, Lindur. I was given blood sausages the day everything went to hell. It was Xena's idea. I absorbed the blood and nothing else.
“I doubt it will work, other similar things did not.”
“Me and Barbain will take shots every night until your skill makes you feel it, Jam.”
“You two are fuckin’ crazy.”
“Aw Lindur, we're worthless buddies, come join us in a night cap, Jam here can help you train [Resist Curse] as well.”
Lindur raises an eyebrow at that.
“It's true, I can apply a temporary stat reduction curse on you if I drink your blood.”
I slump down on the table. Knowing my daily imbibing has just increased to three. I feel a hand land on my shoulder. I look up at the guild master.
“Heard you got a rather interesting ability.”
Four. I just groan.
-----
First up, Lindur fills a glass with Dragon Fire Spirits and then dribbles some of her blood into it. She stirs it and hands it to me. I drink it down, it burns my throat and sits in my stomach. How do they drink this awful swill?
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
All stats increased by one temporarily.
You have gained [Vampire] Competent 5
Gain 20 exp
“So?”
“It didn't work.”
Barbain and Beatrice both take a shot from the same bottle.
All stats increased by one temporarily.
You have gained [Vampire] Competent 6
Gain 20 exp
You have gained [Blood Alcohol Intolerance] Basic 2
Gain 1 exp
“I got a skill up.” I drink Barbain offering next.
All stats increased by one temporarily.
You have gained [Vampire] Competent 7
Gain 20 exp
You have gained [Blood Alcohol Intolerance] Basic 3
Gain 1 exp
I smile, some day.
“It doesn't look like it's affecting you.”
I shrug, “There's no rush, I'm sure some day [Blood Alcohol Intolerance] will be high enough.”
“Fuck that.”
The guild master sets down a crate full of spirits. She takes one and immediately starts to drink it down. She grabs another as if it was water to her. Her exuberance leads to Barbain, Lindur and Beatrice to start on their own. I can only watch in amazement.
There are ten empty bottles next to the guild master, she has only a bit of a sway. Her hand is steady as she fills a cup with her blood.
“There Jam, She who Mourns. Drink a cup with your guild master to celebrate becoming a permanent member of the Adventurer Guild.”
I can smell the alcohol in the cup, amazed the guild master is still standing, that she is even alive. I start to raise the glass for a sip.
“Not like that, all in one go.”
I look at her annoyed, then quaff the drink. Beatrice cheers as does the guild master. Barbain has already crawled into the hammock and Lindur is passed out.
All stats increased by twenty temporarily.
You have gained [Vampire] Competent 8
Gain 20 exp
You have gained [Blood Alcohol Intolerance] Basic 4
Gain 1 exp
You have gained [Vampire] Competent 9
Gain 20 exp
You have gained [Blood Alcohol Intolerance] Basic 5
Gain 1 exp
You have gained [Soul Etching] Competent 8
Gain 40 exp
My body warms. My head swims.
You have gained [Vampire] Intermediate 1
Intermediate - Not all of your people need to blessed to be your daughters, make more cat girls
Gain 40 exp
“Oh hey, who wants to be a cat girl.”
Temporary Debuff Agility, Constitution, Mental Resistance, Intelligence reduced by half
My eyes widened as I am consumed by worthlessness.
-----
“Thats hilarious, you know I *hic* do.”
I responded, “It doesn't matter.”
I get up, I sway a bit on the maneuver.
“The fuck you goin’ on about Mourns.”
“Do you know where I can find believers of Gadvak? I don't think I can carry on with this anymore and I really want them to die before I do.”
“The fuck?”
The guildmaster doesn't understand. I take off my hat and head for the door.
“She who Mourns, where are you going without your hat.”
“Simple, if they see my ears they will try to kill me, either they succeed or I kill them. Why are you standing in the way?”
“I ain't letting you out, what's come over you.”
The guild master doubles over from the fist I put into her gut. She pukes a noxious mixture of stomach acid and spirits onto me. It burns but that's fine, burning is just fine. I start to gather my fire mana. The guild master is still in the way. She grabs me by the ears and head butts me. I stagger backwards as the guild master herself looks to be concussed. I trip over Lindur's sleeping body.
“Fuck, damn iron skull.”
Beatrice scrambles to the hammock.
“Bar bar, wake up something wrong with Sara.”
There was mumbling coming from the hammock. It doesn't matter. I got back up. The guild master looks to be regaining her senses. I walk forward again. I feel someone grab me around my legs.
“Sara stop, don't do this, gah why is your body heating up.”
“Barbain, it doesn't matter. I don't think I'll stay dead if I burst my organs like Sencea. Better to be sure through incineration, I don't want to burn you. Let me go so I can find some cultists to burn with me.”
The guild master slams her two fists braided together straight into my chest. My bones creak at the assault. It's enough to bowl me over. It doesn't help that Barbain is around my legs. My head lands on Lindur this time. It wakes the dwarf. The fire mana in me dissipates.
“Aw fuck, what the hell.”
“Lindur get some mana manacles, we need to drain Mourns.”
“The fuck?”
“Now!”
The dwarf scrambles away with a limp. I got back up again. I expand my horror aura around me. Barbain clutches my legs harder.
“We already know that don't work on me, girl.”
“Out of my way, Winctal.”
Her mental fortitude must be lowered as well.
“Systems fuck, that was half my mana.”
I open my mouth again when water is pushed into it. I gag.
“Lindur, where are those … aw fuck she ain't going to come in here.”
The guild master leaves out the door. I turn to the water source. A construct forms next to my head, it forms an illusionary sound that carries a compel.
“Stop Beatrice.”
She does. I still need to extradite myself from Barbain. I begin to convert fire mana again.
“Nooooo, please stop.”
The guild master has returned again, a manacle is snapped around my neck before I can react. I reach up to try to pry it off which only gives the woman an opportunity to secure my hands.
“Out of the way Black and Blue.”
Barbain is kicked off my legs. Which just causes me to fall over. My legs are bound now too. The guild master activates something and I feel my reserves draining, my horror aura winks out. The cores in my soul don't drain. But any time I bring my mana out it gets pulled away. I struggle. All I can do is scream.
“No, I'm worthless, let me end them with me. Let it mean something. I'M WORTHLESS.”
“What the fuck is she on about.”
“I don't know.”
-What the hell is going on.
I'm worthless.
-Oh shit, shit shit shit shit. Okay mana manacles are burning my magic as I pull it out. I need to flush my blood. I try to pop a sound illusion but the manacles strip the mana before it gets out. Damn, I need my mana aura. I push all of the arcane core's mana out, my aura is out but it's shrinking rapidly, the manacles are heating up. I push out a sound illusion.
“Sober me up, douse me in my stored blood, anything to get my mental fortitude back up.”
-The mana gone, I can smell my flesh burn from the manacles, how hot are they to manage that.
Barbain scrambles to my containers. She brings the first one over, the top open. The guild master dunks my face straight in. I don't drink, I don't deserve it. My face pulls the blood into me anyways. The guild master pulls my head out. I breathe again involuntarily.
“She ain't drinkin’, the fuck is her skin absorbin’ it? Well freaky body girl sorry ‘bout the robe.”
The guild master pulls on my robe, it stretches but it doesn't tear. Undeterred, the guild master pulls her knife and cuts the robe off me. She then upends the blood container onto me.
“Another, you over there use water magic to keep the blood on Mourns till she absorbs it.”
All my saved blood is pushed into me.
-----
“Sorry, sister and I didn't know our mental fortitude would drop by half if we became inebriated.”
“Thats practically black out drunk levels of debuff Mourns, fuck its my fault.”
I try to shake my head but the manacles are still on me. They offered to remove them but I deserve this.
“You didn't know my aura would do this, I am always in a constant struggle with it. I haven't been consumed by it in like forever. It's never been so bad that I actively tried to end it though. I think it was because it's two auras, not one. I was overcome by both.”
The system quirk is working against me.
“Did you get all murdery last time?”
I don't answer, I become sullen instead.
“I assume the last time it happened was when she broke out of the slaver camp, her aura killed four people.” Barbain throws out my trauma.
“Only three at the time, the first was before that point. I guess I should be grateful I hadn't become comatose, I think my mood going into it matters.”
“Are you telling me you’re in a murdery, suicidal mood right now?”
I just glare at the guild master. It's true though. Tears drip from my eyes. I hate this. The aura pulls in more. Barbain quickly hugs me. I breathe, the aura lessen a bit.
“Sorry, my debuff still hasn't fully worn off yet. My emotions are all over the place.”
Hence why the manacles remain. The guild master grabs my emptied containers. I look up at her, not understanding.
“Clearly you need more, and you're in no condition to grab it, you prefer axen or goblin.”
I just hang my head tired.
“Axen.”
Beatrice answers. The guild master leaves.
-----
I'm inside a ring of earthen wall again. I needed to make a new robe. It will have to be white. My manacles prevent my imbuements. Barbain sits with me while Beatrice sits in my clinic chair. The door is open
“I think white a better color, why did you make the last set red anyways?”
I murmur the answer.
“What?”
Beatrice answers from the door.
“She said it hides blood better.”
“Oh I suppose that's true.”
Debuff down to ten percent of stats.
My breathing becomes easier. A thought occurs to me.
“How you end up courting someone with Grandma Bianca level of hearing.”
A snort of laughter came from the hall. Barbain looks embarrassed.
“I didn't start out serving Bea, she became interested in me and became rather insistent. My previous mistress demanded a duel when it became apparent Bea was only hanging around because of me. I was fired after she lost. Bea kinda swept me away after that.”
“I believe you told me to go fuck myself.” From outside the door again.
I quirked an eyebrow. Barbain blushed and then whispered.
“She told me only if I watched.”
I can feel the self satisfied smugness emanating from the hallway.
-----
You have gained [Two Separate Minds] Apprentice 5
Gain 2 exp
-Ow, why do I get the hangover?
You were the one who drank it.
-I suppose. Still in manacles huh. Also that doesn't make sense, it's our body.
Waiting on the guild master to return. I dunno, it's a skill that produces the effect, it clearly bypasses our elf liver. I still had to deal with the debuff.
The guild master steps through the door with two containers of blood. She sets them down in front of me. Barbain hurrys over and makes a cup. My growing hunger is satisfied.
“Thank you guild master.”
The guild master is looking at my manacles.
“She who Mourns, you seem to have managed to fuse the damn things to your skin. Whatever was under them is destroyed now.”
My weight training sleeves. So much heat came off the manacles that my [Resist Heat] is now [Resist Heat 2] basic 2. I gained lots of skill levels during my tantrum.
“Get Hears and Laughs in here Black and Blue, we need to restore her as we remove the manacles.”
Barbain brings Beatrice in.
“Lets start with the right arm.”
Beatrice's eyes light up green hexagons. She looks up at me annoyed.
“Why didn't you tell us you ripped your right arm tendons apart.”
I look away sullen. Beatrice wrenches my face back to meet her eyes.
“There's making things harder on yourself and self harm Sara, you best figure out how to avoid the later.”
“Must have been the two hundred minor boon [Desperate Strength]. I don't appreciate the organ shifts you gave me, She who Mourns.”
“Sorry.”
“Fuck you, and grow a spine. I haven't been gentle with you and I clearly caused you pain. That ain't going to stop tonight either. This is going to hurt Mourns, a lot.”
She then proceeds to remove the right manacle. My flesh goes with it, part of my iron bone is exposed. Beatrice is fast to fix the wrist but a great deal of blood is lost. I almost pass out.
“Damn, I was hoping you wouldn't lose so much blood, Hears and Laughs, do you have sustainer?”
Beatrice shakes her head in the negative.
“Damn, I didn't want to bring more into this.”
I croak out the solution, “Eating or drinking blood can replace my blood.”
Barbain quirks an eyebrow, “Thought you said you didn't need to eat.”
I give a wry smile, “Eating can activate my rabbit stomach to replace monster parts, my blood is hydra based.”
“Is that why you wanted bread when you were making your robe?”
“Enough, Black and Blue buy some bread, we need to get She who Mourn’s color back up before we continue.”
Barbain heads out the door. The guild master brings the other container she had filled and sticks my arm into it.
“Wouldn't it be better for her to drink it?”
“She ain't relishing it like she does drinking from us. I don't think she cares.”
“It's true, post death, blood is rather a mundane drinking experience.”
“Think we got enough to do the left wrist.”
“I will be quicker this time, no tendons to fix.”
“Just stop the bleeding, use bandages.”
“Sara, you're going to be in a great deal of pain.”
“And you have three more manacles to heal through.”
“Four.”
Three.
They free my left wrist. The pain is immense. Beatrice did as instructed and wrapped my arm in my bandages after stopping the bleeding.
“You did boil those bandages, right.”
“Fuck you.”
The guild master grins at me, “Finally, you're learning. Can't be having a prim and proper priestess healing here. Was worried people might get the wrong impression of my hall.”
I try to scowl at her but I just bark out a laugh instead. Anything to distract from the pain. Barbain arrives with bread and I eat a loaf before the left leg manacle is removed. Barbain helps for the right but they are all exhausted by then.
“Damn, we're going to have to wait a day for the neck one. Not sure we can heal it fast enough before you bleed out.”
I finished my latest loaf.
“Take it off, I need all my hands to heal the wound.”
“The fuck you say, you ain't got mana dipshit.”
“My arcane core is at half currently and considering its intermediate nine, it's greater than any other fucking core you've ever seen.
“The fuck.” I just glare at her, “Damn it, your funeral, though I suppose that won't stop ya either.”
She does as I ask and time slows as I slap all my hands to my neck. Stop the bleeding first, everything can come after. I'm not breathing, so I repair the airway. A painful shuddering breath is taken. I grow the flesh back and generate blood through sustainer. Just enough to get back to eating. I grab a new loaf and get into the process of making more blood.
“Fuck Mourns.”
