We were finished with the hydras by the time sister woke up. She was on my shoulder hugging my neck. I was still sullen from my fuck up from yesterday. Beatrice told me to not to mind it but it still ate at me. Barbain said to knock it off.
“Sorry.”
“Nope, you need to be done with that, we got a new area to go into.”
I nod as we head in the direction of the dwarf scent.
“Hold trespassers, who approaches the Kingdom of Gadvak.”
30 Gadvak Dwarf Guard
They speak…no that doesn't mean anything. They all smell the same.
“Could you please tell me your name?”
“Hold trespassers, who approaches the Kingdom of Gadvak.”
Never have I been so relieved to hear repeated voice lines.
“Do you suppose we have to say something specific?”
Beatrice shrugs, “Maybe the gate will open if we approach.”
With no better ideas we do so. The gate does indeed open as we approach, nine more dwarves come out to join the first.
“That's a lot.”
“What don't got enough knives to throw misst…Jams?”
She's stuck, I did this to—
“Don't you start, Jam. We got ten dwarves to get through.”
Damn it, right. Mope later.
“I'll start in the middle.”
I throw my first knife. It's dead on for his head. That he had a shield to raise thwarted my attempt. They start approaching.
“Try again, sister.”
The knife in my hand disappears as I throw it. Only reappearing as it embeds itself in the head of a dwarf. That then becomes paste.
Received 10 exp from 33% share ring
She may not be able to see but she senses where I put mental mana. She enveloped it in the same clear illusion we made thread with. Two percent of my core to do that. Perhaps a compel.
“Stop.”
I throw a knife into the frozen dwarf. Another squelch sound.
Received 10 exp from 33% share ring
You have gained [Thrown Knives 2] Basic 1
Thrown Knives 2 - okay you might need therapy after this
Basic - throwing to the same spot is easier and faster
Gain 2 exp
The bile in my stomach rises. Not now. That took three percent all together. Invisible knives it is. I throw another till I judge them too close. My sword comes out. A square shield does as well. I had finished it while the B's slept. Sister had popped it out of our soulspace.
I engage another dwarf, he slams his sword into my shield. Barbain and Beatrice skewer him from the side. They had already finished their three apiece.
I puke to the side. It was all a bit much. Barbain rubs my back. Beatrice walks up and asks a question.
“You're going to be alright to proceed, mistress.”
I croak out, “You're not even trying to stop yourself.”
“I decided to say fuck it and just go with it. I think catching myself is more distressing for both of us. Besides, mistress can have more than one connotation.”
I try to look at her sourly but I just bark a laugh. She is doing it on purpose. To annoy me, and distract me. If I accept this there is no going back. It will lock. For both of us. It's too much. She will always look to us as her superior and I would see her below me. Never as an equal. I just can’—
-Acceptance.
Our souls thrum. I can feel Beatrice joy growing. Why sister? She hugs my neck again.
-Because the status quo was miserable. You were miserable. You couldn't go back, you can't fix it. You would have us stay in misery, for them to feel our misery. We have to accept our past mistakes and move forward. It wasn't the right thing to do, but we will remember and do better. You won't free her till after we can make her our daughter. For now we must move forward.
Acceptance. My future daughters hug me. My tears hit the ground.
-----
A spider centaur is asleep in my soul scape. Sister could not divorce herself from the image anymore. She tried but part of her mental lock apparently included her manifestation that started the fiasco. My Beatrice is beside her giving her scritches. That there is purr coming from her is just the cherry on top of the whole ridiculousness.
I'm glad she finally slept. I was growing fearful as she tried so hard to change, fighting past her exhaustion. My Beatrice's soothing words calmed her. Our souls connected. We could no longer think of her without feeling possessive.
“Did the guild master ever say how many dwarves were here?”
“I think someone tried to count them but stopped at a thousand.”
Barbain looks annoyed at my answer. She eats her stowed sandwich.
“To think we have only taken out forty so far, do we know where we are going?”
“Sadly not, trying to find unfamiliar scents but most of it is stale air or dwarf.”
“Is there no map, mistress?”
“The place is different for every instance.”
We get up and head back out my rift.
-----
Hallway, four dwarves. No injuries. We proceed forward. A junction.
“It all smells the same.”
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Barbain points to the left. I shrug and we proceed.
“Always left when in a maze.”
Curious, but that's only if the maze has no inclines. And we are clearly heading down. At least I will be able to lead us out. A portcullis drops behind us. Why did I think my jinxing thought? Nothing to it but forward. There were no bends or junctions but a few alcoves had dwarves in them. We go through twenty more dwarves before arriving at a giant double door.
“Not like we have a choice, mistress. Come Bar Bar, I'll get the left side.”
Barbain goes to the right. The door creaks open. When there is enough room we sneak through. On the other side is a giant golem.
100 Gadvak War Golem
“I smell multiple dwarves.”
Multiple of the same dwarf.
“Since the golem won’t bleed, Barbar and I will fight the golem. You pick off any additional dwarves, mistress.”
“I'll throw knives at any exposed golem runes, perhaps it will scramble them.”
She smiles at that, “We will endeavor to expose them then.”
They charge forward, well practiced. Barbain starts with her lightning fist. It traverses the golem and stuns it. Beatrice slags its right leg with fire magic. She follows up with water which causes it to shatter. It falls forward. Dwarves enter behind us. Four of them. I rush towards two while throwing two more invisible knives. The two fall when I reach the other two. A slash provides me with a boost. Minor but nice. He slows but the other is pressuring me. I slam him with the shield to offset him. Then stab him. He slumps over giving me my share. I re-engage the first. His slowness leads to decapitation. The bliss leaves. I turn to see the B's retreating from a crawling golem.
More dwarves come out. Eight is a lot. I rush towards them.
“Guards attack the war golem.”
I dropped half my mental mana to do it but they comply. Their interference gives the B's a much needed reprieve. I scan the golem for anything exposed that I could damage. A shoulder rune. I toss a knife. It plinks off. The second comes faster and pierces. The arm shudders then starts pinwheeling around. Killing half the guards I had set against it immediately. Soon the torsion is too great and the arm breaks completely.
It is on its side now. A beached whale. Its intact right arm and leg swing out but are unable to reach the ground. The four guards remaining are still attacking the golem. Sixteen more dwarves enter the arena.
“Going to need help.”
Barbain and Beatrice regroup with me. Eight on each side of us. Barbain points to one.
“You, attack the one to the left of you.”
She points to another on our other side.
“You, attack the one to the left of you.”
Barbain starts to breath heavily. But the two packs of guards devolve into infighting. I rush one pack while my Beatrice heads for the opposite group. The infighting makes for easy pickings. I take heads feeling the bliss enter and leave me. By the time they managed to regroup there were only three left. Their injuries made them slow. Two knives took out two when Barbain took the third. Beatrice was already done with her eight. We turn to the wreckage of the war golem. There were two guards left. The other two were pasted.
“Any ideas on how to finish it?”
“I'm out of magic.” Barbain says between heavy breathing.
“I myself only have a quarter of my reserves, ma'am.”
“I could try to slag it but not sure where?”
“Either the head or the chest.”
Well no chest means no place for the head to rest on. I rush over placing both hands on the golem back. The range of motion of the arms is the worst there. I pull forth the fire mana and pour it into its back. It heats up then melts away, my fire core at half. I push forward into the machinery. It does not require nearly as much heat. It slags too. I got a notification.
Received 34 exp from 33% share ring
I look back and smile. The B's rush forward towards me looking panicked. The two guards from before land on me knocking me down. One brings a sword down causing me to lose an ear as the blade scrapes against my iron skull. The other is trying to push the sword through my back but only barely getting past my scales, hitting the back of my ribs. Barbain and Beatrice each take one. They pull me from the corpses.
Beatrice closes the wounds on my back before slumping over, she over did it for her mistress. I finished the rest of the healing. I need to look at the spot with my skeletal sight to see. A new ear grew in. I drink from my blood skin. I empty it. It will have to do. I was still not brave enough to drink the dwarves dry.
“Bea, it is a disservice to exhaust yourself on top of your lady, also why is your new ear grey, Jam?”
Shit, I can't see color with skeletal sight. I hope sister can fix this.
“Sorry, I never got formal servant training. Do forgive me, mistress.”
“I require only your friendship, Beatrice. Service is for the birds and Marie.”
She smiles, then has a thought.
“Isn't your mother's name Marie, Bar Bar?”
I smile as Barbain tries to escape my Beatrice's probing questions.
-----
I take a moment to remember the war golem scent. In case I ever returned. I find the vein at the opposite side of the doors. I touch the ore. It seems quite solid. The rock to the sides not so much. I go into my rift and grab the pickax and a hydra blood container. I exit out to see Barbain being tickled by Beatrice. I shake my head. After a good healthy drink…all of it. I get set to break the ore loose. The pick-ax had multiple enchants of hardness, rated to work on mithril. Came guild master recommended. Only cost five large gold.
Plink. A bit crumbles down. I sigh. I reach down and grab the pebbles. I swallow them whole. They sit there a bit before my rib cage gets itchy. This will take awhile. Is it better to keep the weight till I have what I need? Probably. I swing again.
You have gained the skill [Mining] Basic 1
Mining - Hi Ho, its off to the mines Sara goes
Basic - your swings give just a bit more impact
Gain 1 exp
-----
You have gained [Two Separate Minds] Competent 4
Gain 4 exp
-Did the system really just seven dwarves us.
It really did, well almost, I think the song was different. I was never great with lyrics before.
-So how are we doing so far.
My mining up to intermediate three. I have a decent pile here. Is it a hundred pounds decent? I'm not certain.
I slump down tired. Barbain comes over and picks up the pickax. I give her some room.
“Not going to start eating them yet.”
No mistress that time. Perhaps the friendship comment helped.
“I figure additional weight would help with leverage.”
Plink.
“Additional weight also tires you out faster. Come, I will start feeding you.”
Perhaps the friendship comment did nothing. I sit up as she places mithril in my mouth. I can't chew it, I am left with swallowing the pieces whole. It's a dry affair. Sister pops tubs of hydra blood next to me to lubricate my throat.
Plink.
You have gained [Illusion Magic 2] Intermediate 1
Intermediate - You can attach sights to your illusions
Gain 24 exp
Guess you got bored. She pops onto my shoulder. Her illusion is just a mini me. Guess she didn't lock that. She looks at my ear and channels more life mana into them.
“I did, it seems you're stuck with a grey ear.”
Plink.
Damn took too long. She could make it black like the other but I wouldn't be happy about that either. I swallow more mithril. Barbain sits down next to us. Beatrice takes up the pickax and starts at the vein.
Plink.
Sister talks for me, “This will take awhile.”
I swallow more mithril.
“Ya, all the excitement is reduced to eating rocks.”
Plink.
She pushes more into my mouth. I can understand why the rabbits murder adventurers who try this. I swallow.
“How you holding up?” Barbain asks my shoulder.
“Better than before, sister was right about moving forward.”
Barbain tilts her head as she feeds me more ore.
Plink.
Sister answers, “Sorry, we had a long conversation between our thoughts.”
More like a novel from me while you asked me why. She turns and sticks her tongue out at me. Another swallow.
“Um I don't think I have any left that are small enough.”
I look at the pile, that is a problem.
“We will have to wait for more from the vein. If it runs out, we can take it back.”
-----
The vein is exhausted, it will hopefully be enough. I get up and feel as if my weight has been cut in half. That's nice. We head back after stowing the ore away. Seems level four is actually on the other side of the vein. We weren't foolish enough to proceed.
“Thanks for helping me.”
“Of course, Sara.”
“Of course, mistress.”
I lead them down the path of our scent. The portcullis is now raised. We find more four packs of dwarves. Three more times.
When we get to the second floor we find some hydras are back. We shrug and make it by them. It's getting close to when the gate will close but seeing as I can run faster then the b's now I tease them by running ahead. I slow my pace a little so they can keep up. But I never let them pass me.
-----
You have gained [Alcohol Tolerance] Basic 8
Gain 1 exp
The guild master drank three bottles of rosè wine for me. I felt it and it was nice. Sister was happy too.
“So managed the war golem. Just the three of ya.”
“Mental magic is cheating.”
“Better to cheat than be dead.”
“Jam almost flubbed it in the end.”
I looked at Beatrice, surprised she said my name. She returns the smile. She knows it would only trouble me if she started saying mistress here. A dutiful servant.
“Oh?”
“The two compels wore off while her back was turned, she lost an ear, and had several back holes.”
The guild smacks me upside the head, then regrets it as she messaged her hand. It still bowled me over. I might have a harder head but I simply weighed less.
“Never look away until you accounted for all your exp.”
“Yes, guild master.”
-----
I went to sleep as a Yetna tiger, curled up with my rabbits, one ear grey. The sound of constant plinking reverb as Sister used the pickax to break apart the mithril.
