I woke up. My body is still warm. I had eaten a child younger than myself, blood, body and soul. My other attention takes over cycling blood in our bodies. I will myself next to my sister. She was working on a new work dress. Qorth is with her.
“My Lady.”
I smile.
“Hi Qorth.”
It must have been a shaky smile. Qorth has concern on her face. My sister speaks first.
“It gets worse after you live the gnome's life.”
I shake my head.
“You forget the spider and hydra sister, our parallel mind lets us experience two lives at a time.”
“Oh.” She looks morose now.
“Are you ready to talk about it?” Qorth comes to me. She is taller than me again.
I take a breath, “Hector was a boy who was made to kill. Grew to not care about it. Never had a chance to be anything else. He was raised to be a tool by a gnome called Rekintae. He never cared for the boy anymore than as a disposable tool. It was his second child he had used like that. The father and brother of Hector were his previous tools.”
Qorth interrupts, “The father and brother?”
Sister answers, “The father was Rekintae's adventurer party member, when he was injured to the point of not being able to travel far, the gnome convinced him to start mugging. He died after bleeding out. A mugging gone bad. He asked the gnome to take care of his sons.”
“I bit right through that bastard's heart.”
My sister winces as Qorth hugs me.
“Come tell me more.”
I nod. My emotions are oscillating from sadness and hate.
-----
My sister was right, talking the life out helps. We still carry the guilt but it gives us some distance from it. I hug her, she gives me a sad smile. I shift to our attendant form. The mistress will wake soon.
“You're so much shorter.”
I smile, “Any taller and I get light headed. We should look into more monsters to add to ourselves.”
She smiles. We understand that we are changing ourselves further. Becoming more. I don't feel fear from her about it anymore.
I will myself out of the entrance my sister had left in the forest. I return to the blank spot. The carriage hidden by the cover trinket. I walk into its effect and start working on breakfast.
You have gained [Blood Kinesis] Apprentice 1
Apprentice - You can double the density of your blood
Gain 2 exp
Not the automatic command we were hoping for. My sister has taken over for our blood moving needs. Our heart duties. When I wake up from my sleep in the midday it will be my turn to be our heart. I consider our new change. I smile.
-----
“Sara, what happened to you, you're five.”
I titter. I feel my sister mirth as well. She is here with me now. I shift my body to be bigger.
“Poor joke mistress, I gain the ability to be smaller.”
“You haven't returned to your previous size yet. You look like you are nine.”
“Ah yes mistress, I have shared my existence with my sister. It resulted in cutting my height in half. We are now both real and our dungeon manifestation.”
I can feel the adventurers enter the various instances of our dungeon.
“You should be smaller if that is the case, [Attendant].”
“[Head Attendant] Yosef, my real body was nearing nine kings feet.”
“My word.”
“It is as you say.”
I smile again. Delores looks at my rose.
“It appears your petals have changed, a violet tip up to a center of blood red.”
I smile, I'm sure the pattern will go to blood red fully when I sleep to reversing the pattern when I wake.
“Violet miss? Looks white to me.”
“What color would you like today, mistress?”
-----
I approach my mithril hares. Five females and two males. Two of the females are already pregnant. I picked one who wasn't.
“Sorry, but I need you to become a part of me.”
Gained 102 exp from Mithril Horned Rabbit
A tier two rabbit devoured, I sit and enjoy my bliss. I had eaten her, body and soul. My own body grows a tiny bit. A long way from our previous height.
-Warn a girl next time. I almost spilled the tea.
Can't have that. I titter.
-Your getting back at me for all those times I swapped mid pour.
I'd never do that. I titter again. I'm going to go make a new hydra sister.
-Do you need me there.
No, it's going to hurt but we won't need to worry about blood loss.
I shift my form to that of my smithing avatar. Smaller…can I really do this… ahhhhhhh the egg forms, the ovaries bloat, then burst. The egg is practically my abdomen. Said abdomen splits open as the egg thuds out, I didn't bother using my birth canal. The blood stays inside, defying gravity. I spend my life core to reseal myself. The pain had ended too soon. I look at my hand. Ashen. It wasn't enough to hold my blood in myself. I had stopped oxygenating it. I started cycling it again.
-Sister…
Sorry did it affect you as well?
-I felt the pain, then our blood stopped moving. I was able to move mine but yours was being held like a vice grip. The pain ended abruptly after. Did you die before or after you made the egg?
After. Hey out of curiosity. Can you switch places with me? I feel like I'm stuck in here.
-...Nothing.
Guess we can't move our soul while it's the only thing keeping the body moving. I'm restarting my body now.
I take over heart duties again. I need to be bigger before I give birth to another, skipping the birth canal was too painful. Maybe if my sister could focus on moving the blood as I birthed it. When my body takes a shuddering breath, I start making fire imbued silk to wrap my egg in. To keep her warm. I'll need to wait till my body is restored before making some Maknor spiders.
I feel the guild master enter the conference room. Damn hadn't made a new suit yet. I shrug and put the spare work dress on. I pop onto my throne. My size discrepancy is further noticeable.
“You're smaller… and look like death.”
“Sorry, I shrank recently. I had a rather harrowing mishap a moment ago.”
He raises a feathered brow at that. I place my guild dues on the table, signalling to get to business. He obliges.
“How are the changes?”
“The Maknor spiders are now making various colors. I fear they are more dangerous now. I will be curious how the adventurers will fare.”
“They will adapt and grow, and the mithril hares.”
“I now have two pregnant females, two more waiting to be placed in their instances and two males.”
“I seem to recall I had given you five females.”
“I ate the fifth, to make it a part of myself. I should be able to make as many mithril hares as I want now.”
“Then why bother breeding or the others.”
My circumstances have changed since my request. I answer differently.
“There is a certain cost from me to make dungeon versions. I can do more with real monsters. Though it does weigh me down.”
“Not planning on moving yourself are you.”
“Not unless forced too.”
He nods at that.
“Pity we can't get more monsters into you. Can't risk transporting anything more dangerous than a rabbit.”
“I already told you I have two bodies [Guild Master]. While I have duties to the mistress I have the night in which I can hunt.”
He considers that, “There are axen herds about ten miles south of here. Goblin tribes in the forest to the north. Further beyond are harpies. Then there are—”
I interrupt him before he lists more, my voice tinged with a bit of anger.
“I don't particularly desire to incorporate higher thinking monsters into myself, [Guild Master].”
He quirks his head at that.
“Sorry, anything I kill, I live through their lives. It's one thing to live the life of a rabbit. It's another to live the life of a goblin in a village.”
“Systems, right… drake?”
“Those interest me, their bodies seem to be so massive yet they are able to fly. I killed a dungeon one at the citadel. Their wings, strength and weight don't seem to be the proper ratios for flight.”
“Ah well their body contains weight reducing properties, bags made of drake leather can make a hundred pounds feel like one.”
I begin to smile at that. The guild master notices and pales. He had inadvertently given me the keys to my freedom.
“I forbid it.”
“Peter, I already have the ability to move my entrance. This relationship has to be about trust.”
“Thats a lie, I saw you pinned to the ground.”
Sister, could you take a moment, and enter our instance.
-Give me a minute.
Sure.
I hop out of my chair and walk to the exit. I look at the guild master.
“You sure you wish to be here when I leave. I say there is only ten minutes of breathable air when the entrance disappears.”
The guild master scrambles in front of me and out. Sister enters the dungeon. I exit the conference room. Still standing. I see the walls being formed around where my entrance was. The guild master is shocked to see me standing. I walk to the wall and tap it with my knuckle, smiling.
“As I said Peter, our relationship has to be one of trust.”
He nods, the skin I can see around his beak pales. A knight comes hurrying into the center.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Where the hell did the dungeon go?”
“Sir Ujan, hello, how are you?”
“[Priestess], you are smaller and bipedal again. When did you arrive? I thought you had been discharged over injuries sustained on the front. You look ghastly.”
Was that the story? Sister titters at that.
“I am still recovering, what brings you here, should you not be training knights.”
-Sister, I do need to get back to the mistress.
“Ah, with the war progressing into Bronfkin, there weren't as many knights available for a new dungeon. It's a training mission to set up for our currently missing dungeon.”
I walk back to the center of the clearing.
“Ah yes, I should return the entrance.”
I am back in my conference room. Sister is there as her Tibyder form.
“Showing off?”
She smiles as the guild master and knight re-enter the conference room. The guild master speaks while the knight looks shocked.
“So there truly are two of you.”
I look at my sister and she nods.
“So long as one of us is here the other can move above with impunity. So where can I hunt a drake?”
-----
I was sent out instead of my sister to catch up to the carriage. We had swapped bodies. It wouldn't be proper to show up looking like death warmed over.
-It's only fair.
I ran to the carriage. It hadn't gotten too far. I match the speed and go back through the door.
“Apologies, mistress.”
“Your flower has reversed itself, you must be red.”
My soul thrums at that. A distinction noted. Can our soul survive if we define ourselves separately?
-We are still Sara Maxwell Magdeline, Blood Red.
Our soul quakes at that, instead of pulling apart it feels closer than ever.
Thank you for naming me, White Violet.
Another soul quake, but better for it. She squeezes my soul.
“Sara? Are you alright?”
“Sorry mistress, you managed to inadvertently define me. I thank you for it.”
She is taken aback by the smile I kept. She collects herself.
“So then Red, why did you switch so soon with your sister. It is not yet midday.”
“Violet felt that since I had caused her to leave the carriage to show off, it was only proper that I make the run to catch up.”
She smiles at that. Yosef speaks up.
“Do you no longer consider yourself to be Sara than?”
“We both are Sara, we only have one soul and one system, [Head Attendant]. We were one mind at a point but we were divided. Now we are two minds sharing a soul, we diverged somewhat in personalities as time went on. Our mistress calling me Red furthered our distinction.”
“I see, but why do you call your sister Violet, her flower was white?”
“Ah, we can see more colors than most, sir. What is white to you is a violet that battles with blue to me. A color unique to itself.”
“And you can see this color, miss?”
“Yes, Yosef. A gift from Violet herself.”
“I see, not just the flower then.”
-----
It was evening when we returned to the estate. Delores hugged her father. I helped unload the carriage as was proper. After getting the mistress settled I was summoned to speak with the lord privately.
“Sara, I wanted to personally thank you for saving my—”
“A moment before you continue, my Lord.”
Violet, switch with me. She does. I alight onto her shoulder as an illusion.
“Apologies my Lord, my sister felt it proper for you to speak to me.”
Startled, he recovers.
“Right, thank you Sara for saving my daughter from the Bronfkin army. From reports I have seen, you were instrumental in decimating the army.”
I turn to my sister.
-I had used my seeds to sow chaos into their ranks. No devouring, we got enough burdens.
“It was only natural that I punish them my Lord, they insinuated that I was a [Slave] and the mistress my owner. That they refused my explanation only made them more condemnable.”
“Right, thank you for avenging my daughter's honor as well. Yosef tells me that you have made changes to Delores.”
“No permanent appearance changes my Lord, the flower wilts every night.”
“And her eyes?”
“An improvement, who wouldn't want to see the world in a new light, sir.”
“Right…I had received letters from my brother. Did you really melt two iron swords in front of them?”
“And cooked the flesh of my hands doing it, Sir. They wish to claim what was mine, I felt the removal of the weapons would end the conversation.”
Had nothing to do with our need to be dramatic.
-Shush.
“I understand that your illusion there is the dungeon manifestation, correct?”
Sister smiles, “Actually sir, we have had a bit of a change in that regard. Before my sister and I would swap places. One real, the other the manifestation. With distance or hardship we would become stuck, unable to swap. That was my situation for the past three weeks. We only swapped on our return. My sister, while being in the real body, pushed half our existence into our manifestation. We now are half real and half manifestation. I'm sure you received a report from Peter, today.”
“Yes, he reported seeing you both and that you were not as immobile as we had thought. I would like to reward you for your service and for your trust. Is there anything you need, Sara?”
“Sir, may I have your permission to hunt a drake.”
The guild master never did budge on that.
“That was also in the [Guild Master] report, the pros being you having the ability to make drakes yourself, the cons being that it would only increase your mobility. I have no intention of standing in your way, Lady Magdeline.”
Of course he knew.
-Duh.
“I thank you for your discretion, my Lord.”
-----
I run up and hug mom. Burying myself in her gloriousness.
“Ah, you're back to being bite sized again, sweetie.”
“It's been too long.”
“But why are you so much smaller now?”
“Red gave up half our existence to make our manifestation real.”
“Red?”
She asks even as her eyes glow green with life mana sight. She grows paler at the discovery.
“Where is your heart, Sara?”
Red answers, she was walking next to Mags.
“I removed it after it stopped beating. A liability that no longer served its function. It changed us more than I thought it would…”
“What has changed Sara…I can see you are missing your heart as well.”
Red huffs out a sigh, “A body without a heart will die, I am willing myself alive. Moving my own blood with my soul. When the change from [Body Morphic Magic 2] became permanent my system changed my race to undead. I—”
Cecelia moves quickly, she grabs Mags by the collar.
“Why didn't you stop her? Damn you, you said she was our daughter and you let her kill herself.”
Mags looks at Cecelia with sad eyes, “I deserve your hatred, but she still lives. That she just keeps changing herself is not something I can control. Or would you prefer a Maxwell solution.”
The strength in Cecelia's legs gives out and she slumps down. Mags bends down and embraces her. They shed tears at their perceived failures. I hugged them with Red.
“You didn't let Red finish, we demanded the system recognize what we truly were, a Vampire. It worked. See?”
Cecelia looks and sees the race. She returns our hugs and whispers.
“I can [Identify] both of you now. Are you truly separate?"
“Still one soul, mom. Just two bodies.”
She looks at my sister, “Red.” Then look at me.
“Violet.”
“I understand Red, but why Violet?” Mags chimes in.
“We really need to get on our leveling, sister.”
Red chuckles at that.
“Should we get started then?”
Mags interrupts, “Let us procure food for Qorth first, I suspect our next Tibyder is about to be born.”
-Perhaps our third daughter.
Only if she so chooses.
-Unnaturally.
Now you're just being silly.
-----
“This is a lot of food, ‘capable of killing us all’.”
Mags laughs, “O, I like that one.”
Qorth frowns at that, “Why the feast?”
I answer, “Violet and I have a lot of levels to do, becoming a Tibyder is hungry work, if you remember.”
“Ah you have named yourself by the color of your flowers, are you Magenta or Pink?”
I frown at that as she laughs. She begins to disrobe. Knowing her body would destroy whatever clothing she had.
“Sorry, my Lady, it is clear to me that you are Red. I do remember you draining an entire drake to complete your changes.”
I smile. Ready sister?
-Of course pink.
Grrrr. I move my stats before she can razz me more.
Level raised to 2
Strength raised to 398
Agility raised to 396
Perception raised to 430
Constitution raised to 401
Presence raised to 464
Mental Fortitude raised to 483
Intelligence raised to 659
Soul raisedto 659
You tied your supplicants closer to you
Remaining soul 6
Remaining soul 11
Remaining soul 75
Remaining soul 823
Not too bad so far. The shift in stats almost equals the soul burn. I see Qorth staring at her hand feet. I raised an eyebrow.
“Not hungry yet, My Lady.”
Huh, even though we were stuck mid change, the hand feet are considered a separate change now.
-Ready magenta?
Sure white and nerdy.
Level raised to 3
Strength raised to 404
Agility raised to 402
Perception raised to 436
Constitution raised to 407
Presence raised to 477
Mental Fortitude raised to 502
Intelligence raised to 665
Soul raised to 665
You tied your supplicants closer to you
Remaining soul 5
Remaining soul 10
Remaining soul 74
Remaining soul 822
Minor 500 Mental Fortitude Boon
Boosted slots can be stacked, double boosting
When the stat fatigue clears I see Qorth in the midst of eating. Scales are showing on her skin. Our hydra scales. She is already a mithril cat, she will now be better protected. I smile. We wait for her to finish her changes.
“It is very strange for my body to just disappear the food in my stomach.” She looks at her new armor, “Beautiful.”
“A lovely pink indeed.” Cecelia chimes in.
“‘Eyes that fail to see’, they are ultra violet. Much like my Lady's flower. Please continue my Ladies.”
Level raised to 4
Strength raised to 410
Agility raised to 408
Perception raised to 442
Constitution raised to 413
Presence raised to 490
Mental Fortitude raised to 521
Intelligence raised to 671
Soul raised to 671
You tied your supplicants closer to you
Remaining soul 4
Remaining soul 9
Remaining soul 73
Remaining soul 821
It took longer to recover. Back to eating, Qorth legs shifts backwards as her hips become a carriage. She staggers as Mags holds her up. She continues eating. Her first set of fore legs grew out of her. She shows no pain to the change. She continues to gorge fueling her metamorphosis. Her back legs are next and she can stand now. The eating continues and she gains her final set of legs. She wasn't done. She keeps at it, filling her abdomen until it too becomes full. I smile, her race is now Tibyder. My sister and I both became Tibyder as well. With extra eyes and a tail.
-At least four more, Red.
Right, we need to get her to tier two.
Level raised to 5
Strength raised to 416
Agility raised to 414
Perception raised to 448
Constitution raised to 419
Presence raised to 503
Mental Fortitude raised to 540
Intelligence raised to 677
Soul raised to 677
You tied your supplicants closer to you
Remaining soul 3
Remaining soul 8
Remaining soul 72
Remaining soul 820
Presence minor boon 500
Another boosted slot woooooo
My breathing is getting ragged. It's a bit much to grow so much. Wait, what was our three hundred minor presence boon? I feel like we completely missed that one.
-It made our auras capable of pushing other auras back.
But we haven't done that.
-Think it's an intentional thing.
So because we missed that notification we haven't been able to bully other auras.
-Would have caused more mayhem if I had known. Perm soul sense?
Sure. Ready again?
-Let's do this fuchsia.
Level raised to 6
Strength raised to 422
Agility raised to 420
Perception raised to 454
Constitution raised to 425
Presence raised to 516
Mental Fortitude raised to 559
Intelligence raised to 683
Soul raised to 683
You tied your supplicants closer to you
Remaining soul 2
Remaining soul 7
Remaining soul 71
Remaining soul 819
“My Ladies, please, it's enough, you need not exert yourself further for me.”
Level raised to 7
Strength raised to 428
Agility raised to 426
Perception raised to 460
Constitution raised to 431
Presence raised to 529
Mental Fortitude raised to 578
Intelligence raised to 690
Soul raised to 690
You tied your supplicants closer to you
Remaining soul 1
Remaining soul 6
Remaining soul 70
Remaining soul 818
Minor 1000 Soul Boon
A new core and consequences
I can barely maintain consciousness. Violet struggles as well. If we both collapse our bodies will die. Consequences?
-Sister…
I know. The last bit of Beatrice soul.
-She has her memories.
Before I can move more stats both our chests burn.
Warning cannot determine where to grow new core
Damn, two bodies. It always felt like our core was near our now missing heart. The feedback is excruciating.
Warning cannot determine where to grow new core
I remember how we lost our previous core. I go to tell Violet to stop cycling my blood when I see her skin start to turn ashen. I try to move her blood but she has it locked. Mags and Cecelia rushes to her to try to heal her. Sister moves herself to a different instance.
Sister, please.
-Had the same idea, but it was my turn to be the heart. Don't be a baby about it. It's only till you subsume the core.
We have never been dead for that long. I feel her body organs become inert. Our [Health Regen] maintains them. Pristine and dead. When it is just our blood and soul moving her body, my own chest burns fiercely.
You have gain the skill [Arcane Mana Core] Basic 1
Arcane Core - Good job making your soul be in two equal places
Basic - Enjoy your 0 exp, half dead and dying
Gain 0 exp
My mothers run over to me with Qorth behind them. They are asking what happened.
Sister the core formed, we should try to restart your body now.
-Not risking it, Red.
Damn it, no. You were not supposed to be locked away. You were free.
She doesn't answer. I force mana into my new core.
You have gained [Arcane Mana Core] Basic 2
Gain 0 exp
The pain is excruciating. I am clutching my chest. I go to do it again when Mags wrenches my face to look at her.
“Stop it Red, your core is new, you'll break it immediately.”
“But sister is…”
She hugs me to her body.
“I know, I know.”
