You have gained [Two Separate Minds] Apprentice 9

  Gain 2 exp

  Ahhhhhhhhh what's going on? I struggle as my mind is being filled with instincts. It's too much. I suffer as time slows and I focus. It keeps pouring in. An eternity. I'm a dungeon. My body is gone and now this is my forever. Except my body is sitting inside my soulspace. My sister is there and she speaks.

  “Hey, ready to switch?”

  That's not right, but now we have.

  -Ya, we seem to not be typical.

  O you can hear my thoughts? I was so afraid before. Thank the system, I thought I was going to be alone again. My sister gives a mental hug.

  -Guess we got attached.

  I suppose so. So we can pop out whenever. I'm in my room now. Barbain is startled.

  “Sorry.”

  Are you still able to hear me sister?

  -I can hear your thoughts but I don't have any of our senses here.

  That makes me sad. I look inward with my soulsight and it's as if my soul is half in my core. It's strange. Not sure what to think about that. Let's try switching again while I'm out here.

  -K.

  I'm back inside the space, my mind the soulspace. Alright not an issue of swapping whenever. Did Barbain notice the swap.

  -She wasn't looking when we did.

  Figures, tell me when she is ready.

  -Beam me up captain.

  I snort and am back in my body.

  “Are you going to do it yet?”

  I smile, “I already did. Sorry that I caused you and Beatrice to miss class.”

  “Anything for you, mistress.”

  I raise my eyebrow at that. Barbain grasps her head.

  “Damn it, I'm not sure why I said that.”

  My soul sight can see it. My soul desires decorum. The title makes her my supplicant, beneath me in status. My soul is pushing her to respect decorum. I hugged her.

  “I'm sorry Barbain, my soul is a strict mistress. I'm trying my best to not influence you.”

  Her emotions are in turmoil.

  “It's fine Jam, I'll keep it in mind. Anything else I should know?”

  I bite my lip.

  -Tell her. *Yawn*

  Did you just mentally yawn? Nevermind fine.

  “I think as you borrow more of my soul, you are going to find it harder to not do what I say. If I tell you to do something you will do it without thinking about it.”

  “Of course I would … gah.”

  There is laughter coming from the other side of the door. Stop that. The laughter stops. The silence stretches and Beatrice bursts through the door in a huff.

  “Did you just…”

  I nod at her, feeling sad. I don't even have to say the words to influence them. They both hug me.

  “It's alright, we understand you're not doing it on purpose.”

  “But what if your acquiesce is just my influence.”

  Barbain barks a laugh, “The only thing I get from you on that is self revulsion and recriminations. To be honest, it be better if you did accept it more.”

  “Thats just the Marie in you talking.”

  Barbain starts shaking me rapidly from that. Beatrice looking at me with a question. Ooooo Barbain be keepin’ secrets. My connection with them both only causes Barbain to shake me harder while Beatrice tries to find out what I know.

  -----

  You have gained [Alcohol Tolerance] Basic 7

  Gain 1 exp

  “So you're a dungeon now?”

  “‘Fraid so guild master.”

  “But you're also still a whatever the hell you are.”

  “That is true too.”

  “Its not the right night to ask me to cut back Mourns. Do you plan on allowing adventurers to plumb your depths.”

  Is that a double ettendre. I'm bleeding ten.

  “Not particularly, I don't want to kill anyone.”

  “So don't.”

  “I quirk an eyebrow.”

  “Some dungeons will kick people out the moment they take fatal damage. It is usually newer dungeons. It seems as a dungeon gets older, they get more blood thirsty.”

  I search my own thoughts on this, yes I can set conditions on those entering me…okay this is going to get weird to think about. I can take exp, levels or lives. But [Soul Eater] is glutinous. Could I even prevent that from happening?

  “I think I am still going to refrain, I can barely maintain just a floor at the moment. My soul core is way to underdeveloped for this.”

  “Why is maintaining a floor hard?”

  “My soul core not ignited, I have to make mana from my two—”

  [Arcane Mana Core] gains the Fire aspect, skill [Fire Mana Core] Basic 1

  Fire Mana Core - you have a magical aspected core of Fire energy

  Basic - a nascent Fire magical core

  Gain 2 exp

  “Oh fucking system.” My guests all looked at me, “My arcane core became fire, not life this time.”

  “You don't get cores you already have, even I know that.”

  I give an annoyed look at Lindur.

  “I shattered my previous life core, I was expecting its return, but now it’s fire.”

  I grasp my chest. I feel like my soulspace is shrinking. I look inside myself and it is. I guess I can't maintain more than what my arcane core can regenerate. That follows. An ignited soul core in a dungeon would only allow you up to almost all your passive regeneration. You could spend the core for static things, and would have to make the initial layout and such. But never could you over commit yourself.

  “MOURNS.”

  “Sorry.”

  “It's fine, what's this about maintaining?”

  “Everything I make in there requires soul mana to maintain, my one arcane core is not able to create a large area.”

  Still can't believe I got a fire core instead of life.

  “What about bringing things from outside?” Barbain asks.

  “I mean a dungeon would consume them would it not.”

  “But do you?”

  I don't. A dungeon reset is defined by the dungeon. Outside objects don't require soul mana to maintain. I grab my work attendant dress and enter my soul space. Then I come out without it.

  “Ah fuck, Mourn warn a lady first.”

  “I'll consider it when I find one.”

  “Ha, good on ya. So you left the dress, is it still there?”

  I look into myself and yep still there. Feels kinda strange. I wonder if I can hammerspace this. It doesn't will itself into my hands. Maybe I can partially, nope I'm in my space again. Maybe I should wait for sister. She has control of the subspace and should be able to eject things out of it. Before I pop out with my dress the guild master steps through the rift.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “You're right there ain't much of shit here.”

  “Want to test what happens when I leave.”

  She quirks an eyebrow, then shrugs and motions me to do whatever. I pop out with my dress. I can feel her walking around. I stand and it feels as if her weight has been added to my own. Not quite hammer space then. That must have been the feeling from before. However this subspace is anchored to me, I still feel the weight of any foreign object in it.

  I feel a shuddering thud in my soul. Then another. I pop back in to find the guild master gasping for air. O no air in here.

  “Sorry.”

  She shakes her head, “Good thing to learn, maybe generate some plants in here.”

  “Right now the only things I can generate living wise are things I've soul eaten.”

  Is that true of other dungeons? No one heard of [Soul Eater] but then again no one knew about soul boons either. There have been new dungeons if you go by what the guild master has said.

  “Which are?”

  “Iron horned rabbits, regular horned rabbits, yetna tigers, giant Maknor spiders, humans, elves, juvenile hydras and goblin skeletons.”

  Being undead I didn't soul eat, which seems bloody backwards to me. She starts laughing at my meager offering.

  “Perhaps you should hunt a treant or a dryad.”

  “How intelligent are they?”

  “Does that matter?”

  “It does to me.”

  “Treants are just walking instincts, dryads have enough intelligence to trap their prey.”

  I could live with killing treants, not sure about dryads. Then again considering the high chance of etching perhaps I will go with my initial plan of not bothering. Beatrice's head pops through the portal.

  “You done squirmin’ inside of Jam, the rest of us are about to head out.”

  “You're doing that on purpose aren't you?”

  She gives me a blank look, “Yes.”

  Then looks annoyed.

  “Damn it, it's no fun if I'm not coy, soul.”

  Her head pulls back out. The guild looks at me with an arched brow. I sigh. I start to shudder.

  “My soul is starting to influence them, I think they will lose the ability to ignore my questions or lie to me. It's like anything I say is a compel now.”

  “Still their choice Mourns.”

  Until it's not. We walk out.

  -----

  It's just me and the B's now. Beatrice calls me out.

  “It's still my choice, Sara.”

  Before I can object, she squints her eyes.

  You have gained [Soul Etching] Intermediate 2

  Gain 80 exp

  A supplicant has tied themselves further to you

  Remaining Soul 20

  I'm more of her soul now. This is a lot to accept. But my torment hurts them as well.

  “I only suggested we wait to see what not having the title was like. Now, it's a forty day lock.”

  “Thats right, but more importantly I didn't listen to you.”

  I suppose she didn't. I smile at that.

  “By the way what's the message your system gives you?”

  They both blush, Barbain is first, “When it's my leveling it says you have offered your soul to her further embrace.”

  “And when it's me.”

  “She has taken more of your soul to further her embrace.” Beatrice supplies.

  We are all becoming embarrassed squared. Beatrice breaks the awkwardness.

  “Are we heading to the dungeon?”

  “I wanted to spend time messing with my soul space.”

  “Which you can do when we sleep. Need to reduce your weight, o thunderous one.”

  “Fine.”

  -----

  We brought a cart in case I couldn't access my soul space inside the dungeon. Barbain of course asked why that would matter but you never know. So we trundle along.

  “Pity we couldn't …aggggh”

  Beatrice just grew her arcane core. I smile, my girls are growing up. That was a weird thought. I shrug and let it be.

  “I got to do that for every core?”

  “And every level it burns a little, have fun getting access to greater power.”

  She looks sourly at me. I fall down grasping my chest.

  You have gained [Permanent Arcane Mana Core] Advanced 1

  Advanced - doubled in size, all arcane cost are halved

  Gain 32 exp

  You have gained [Mental Mana Core] Advanced 1

  Advanced - doubled in size, all mental cost are halved

  Gain 32 exp

  I feel like you're doing that on purpose system. I wave the B's off. I start pulling the cart more when I trip.

  You have gained [Fire Mana Core] Basic 2

  Gain 2 exp

  Bleeding system.

  -----

  “Time to see if bringing the cart matters or not.”

  I roll my eyes at Beatrice and enter my soul space. I exit it with a container. Damn it. Barbain decides to throw me a bone.

  “I don't think Jam is going to be able to move easily with six axen in her.”

  Each weighs eighty pounds. Ya that would be a lot.

  “More reason to get that mithril, to reduce her weight.”

  Could I strength train by leaving things in there? Might as well put my anvil in to see. Bleh, all two hundred and fifty pounds of it. My furniture might protest any further poundage. I look at the floor and it's covered in grass. But to my knowledge grass has no soul. I think I'll dig up some sod and leave it inside of me.

  “One second, I need to grab something real quick.”

  -----

  -Why did you leave a clump of dirt and grass in our soul?

  You know why.

  -Ya, well I still can't do anything with it. Take it back.

  It plops at my feet. Guess that answers whether sister can eject items. Beatrice looks over at me.

  “Seems I couldn't consume it in my soul.”

  Barbain jumps in, “Have you tried just eating it.”

  What. My mind blanks.

  -Sister?

  Barbain raises the plod of dirt to my face.

  “Go on miss rabbit.”

  Why me? I take a grass plant and pull it from the dirt. Shaking off what little dirt remained, I look at my future mortification. I close my eyes and swallow it whole. It tastes like grass. It sits inside my stomach for a bit making me nauseous. Then it disappears.

  You have gained [Dungeon] Basic 2

  Gain 1 exp

  -O I can make grass now…but not dirt.

  Fuck. Wait no, time to switch. You can eat the dirt. I don't switch. Damn it whhhhhhhy.

  -I was willing until you said the dirt comment.

  Damn it. I eat the dirt. Regretting life choices.

  -----

  Bleh even in memory I get the taste of it. Never the blood, but this, this I remember.

  -Not like I enjoyed it either, but it seems we have a nice grassy field.

  “Hey I have grass growing inside me.”

  “O does that mean we can sleep in you tonight.”

  Barbain smacks Beatrice.

  “I think we can't do it during the night, at least in a space that small. Plants don't make oxygen during the night. If the space was larger it could store more but for now I will need to be in there with you to keep the rift open.”

  We approach a new hydra. There are still over twenty-seven left on the floor. The floor guardian should return next time.

  “Think maybe we should not bother with hydras until you have a full day?”

  “Maybe after this week, we still need to make more money first.”

  Beatrice shoots me down. We made fifteen small gold today. It all goes to buying more containers.

  -----

  You have gained [Two Separate Minds] Competent 1

  Competent - Hey now it's just seven hours of sleep.

  Gain 4 exp

  -That's concerning.

  Ya, if it tiers up again we are going to have a lot more time on our hands. Want to still swap at noon and midnight? I feel her assent. I go and sit on my clinic chair. The mage hand book pops out of my shoulder. Close sister.

  -Still getting a sense of our body through here.

  An illusion pops up next to me. Hey you manage to use my aura.

  -Can't see it though.

  Ya. I opened the book. I pour mental magic with the purpose of color into the book. It flips to illusions. I had asked the B's if there was any way to see with magic. Barbain had shrugged, Beatrice said maybe through illusions. I flip the pages until I get a listing of tiers for illusion magic. Seems Illusion two tiers is all about binding your senses, touch for basic, smell for apprentice, competent was ears and intermediate was sight. A long way to go then. I turn to ways to better train illusions. Seems it is as Marcene said. Make illusions up to your regen and hold it for the day. I form all sorts and it doesn't seem to impact my core at all.

  -I can use the magic inside us too.

  Now it feels like I'm at the edge of my regen. What is she doing in there? I feel a giggle. That's never good. Now a mental raspberry. I smile.

  You have gained [Illusion Magic] Intermediate 6

  Gain 16 exp

  Lindur comes in. I set up our training once more.

  -----

  You have gained [Alcohol Tolerance] Basic 9

  Gain 1 exp

  “Surprised you haven't doubled over from your blood skill, you seem to do that every two days.”

  The guild master grunts and gets up to go. When she and Lindur exit the room. Barbain presses the question.

  “We felt your emotion when she brought up [Vampire]. What's wrong?

  “It's been stuck at intermediate 9. I know what it wants, my soul waits for it.”

  Beatrice pushes, “Which is?”

  I don't want to say it but they can feel my reluctance.

  “A true daughter, until then it won't level any further.”

  “And you went and made that silly vow.”

  Beatrice says it in a mocking voice.

  I give a sad smile, “I did but I still think it's important to wait.”

  We start walking out of the city. No cart this time.

  “You're slower than before.”

  “I left my anvil in me, strength training.”

  [Strength Training 2] has become [Strength Training 3] Basic 1

  Strength Training 3 - keep adding the weight

  Basic - even your soul lifts

  Gain 3 exp

  -Those get sillier and sillier.

  “I only wish I could work my agility better.”

  “I thought you had all those crafting skills.”

  “But nowhere to sell, it would just stack up.”

  “Why not sell it at our family shop.”

  “A little far from Yetna.”

  “Which is why you should sell it at the Maknor branch that Fran runs.”

  I didn't realize there was more than one.

  “Will you show me the way in the morning?”

  “Sure.”

  We only killed six hydra before the B's called it a night. They vetoed my idea of soloing hydras, telling me not to be conceited. They slept in my soul space while I crafted in there. Using the cover artifact to hide myself, and to not wake them as I worked. I swapped with sister at midnight. She continues our efforts. The night sky of my soul had a beautiful illusion of a galaxy to look at.

  You have gained [Dungeon] Basic 3

  Gain 1 exp

  I didn't eat anything new. Is it over time or because there are others here. I shrug, I keep pounding.

  -----

  “Ah Barbain, you hardly ever visit even though you study here.”

  “Sorry uncle Fran, I've been busy working on my levels and studies.”

  “There's more to life than progressing, niece.”

  “I'm just making sure I can keep Sara company when she becomes nobility.”

  I smile at that. Fran frowns.

  “Your niece is quite ambitious to say the least, I nearly had a heart attack when she revealed she was tier two already.”

  “Awww were you afraid she wrest the title from you?”

  Barbain was having too much fun with me being behind her.

  “Family shouldn't fight, and I never wanted the title in the first place. It was a tough blow to us all. She is my older sister, you know.”

  And now Barbain's fun has ended. I step forward.

  “Greeting Lord Maxwell, Barbain told me that your company would be a good place to ply my wares.”

  “Barbain, why is Sara here and talking as if I don't know her voice?”

  Awwww he knew, my fun didn't even get to begin.

  -----

  “I had heard you were selling iron fire thread at Francis' branch but went missing. So now you're here. Do you wish to continue?”

  “I do, I've made more thread and ingots.”

  I placed each type of the items on the table.

  “Is that bone?”

  “Ah ya, it's just an example, I don't have proper spools or a spinning wheel at the moment.”

  “We will rectify that, is there a place we can deliver to. I understand discretion is important.”

  “I actually have a way to store things in a subspace. I can pick it up here.”

  “Most interesting, how much can you store.”

  “I feel my upper limit is a ton at the moment, more than half of that is my personal stuff.”

  He raises an eyebrow. Barbain interjects.

  “She has to carry the weight herself, she currently weighs a thousand pounds by herself.”

  “Hence why you decline to be seated. Krin, go get a spinning wheel and fifty empty spools.”

  “Make sure it can withstand lots of heat.”

  He nods to Krin, who leaves the room.

  “Anything else I can help you with.”

  I start placing the ingots on the table. An axen was worth twenty of them.

  “That shoul—”

  “Ask her about her silk.”

  I look annoyed at Barbain. Then I present my sleeve to the lord. He feels it.

  “My this would sell well indeed, is there an issue in procuring more?”

  Just my embarrassment, “No, [Lord] Maxwell.”