Leacea rushed over to Qorth. She looks over her body while Qorth gets uncomfortable with the attention.

  “Is this what I will be after I eat enough? Systems I'm starving.”

  “My Lady why is ‘can't take a hint’ acting like she is about to become a Tibyder.”

  I grip the bridge of my nose, “I have the ability to make anyone a normal Tibyder.”

  “Normal? Are you insinuating she is different?”

  “She is special, I have ideas how you will be different from Qorth but I won't know till you change. You're the first to use this route.”

  “Exciting.”

  Just another lark.

  “Actually, can you see if Qorth has a Tapestry?”

  “O yes, I thought you knew that already, no Elf threads though.”

  “My [Aura Sense] hasn't been trained high enough yet. I was afraid of what I would see.”

  “A devourer who doesn't want to preen at her conquests. How very odd?”

  Mags shows up with Violet and food.

  “Red, why have we procured enough food for making another Tibyder?”

  I turn towards Leacea to introduce her when I see her growing paler. She stared at the space between my sister and I. Murmuring again.

  “Why is your Tapestry above you both…how many have you devoured? I couldn't see it before in its entirety.”

  Violet speaks up, “Get a grip, Leacea.”

  She is shocked by this.

  “You know Quintarl?ne… how, who would dare teach you?”

  I speak up, “Okay now I am confused, you've been calling me devourer but don't know that I acclimate to the memories that I eat.”

  “Thats not what devourers do… they just steal soul values…you see the memories? How are you still sane.”

  Mags barks a laugh at that, “Thats a relative term for Sara, you going to explain what's going on, Red?”

  Rude, “Leacea saw that I have a tapestry and was about to go into report mode. I ripped out an ancient geas off her soul and to hide Leacea from some ‘she’ I made her a Tibyder.”

  Mags is immediately next to Leacea.

  “Deep sleep, one hour.”

  Leacea falls over.

  “Cover Trinket now. Qorth watch our latest disaster.”

  She cast her own cover spell as well while Violet and I huddled under our trinket.

  “Did you just send a bleeding signal to the Elf empire that you can free fuckin’ Elves.”

  “Maaaaaybe...”

  Violet interjects, “I don't understand what's going on.”

  “Red removed a geas from an Elf, the hybrid killing one I assume. Thing is the original caster of said geas is still alive, monstrously high level and is a massive vindictive bitch from all accounts I've heard.”

  Violet pales, “Casters know when their geas are removed…”

  “Exactly.”

  “Is it safe to say her name?” I ask with a tremble.

  “I don't know it, Elves keep it to themselves, do your memories have them?”

  I shake my head, “Sencea's larks seemed to have blank spots. I saw more the second time I incorporated her memories. She was tortured by one Elf nobility. I couldn't say if this was ‘her’ or not though. It was the only time I saw her even though she said she would be Sencea mother on her next lark.”

  “I don't even remember Sencea's mother when she was born as an Elf the first time.” Violet added.

  “The first time? Did Sencea start her Tapestry as a hybrid?”

  We both nod. I spoke next.

  “Sencea's son was the Elf soul that died which resulted in the hybrid purge.”

  Mags takes a moment to stare at the sky and breathe.

  “Are you telling me you have the soul of the one who caused the Elves to go on giant genocide?”

  Violet interjects, “We actually have the souls of both the mothers. To be perfectly honest it wasn't Sencea's fault.”

  “I only speak of the history of it. Not to lay blame, Violet. Both mothers, you're a war waiting to be discovered.”

  “Why?” I don't understand.

  “Massive vindictive Elf bitch. She is not going to let the souls of the mothers break free.”

  Mags takes another moment to collect herself. Cecelia enters the dungeon, spots us and runs over.

  ------

  “It’s not my fault, Cecelia.” Mags is already protecting her forehead.

  Cecelia is morose, “No Mags, it's mine. She was captured by slavers under my watch. That led to her eating an Elf.”

  Violet attaches herself to our mom. She gives comfort.

  “I never blamed you.”

  She does enough of that on her own. She scritches Violet behind her ears. She looks to Mags.

  “So what's the plan?”

  Mags scratches her head, “I don't know. Clearly we need to finish the Elf's transformation. We will need her to announce she is leaving town first though. Then pull her into the dungeon. Sara, one of you can meet her to the east of town.”

  Violet nods, “I'll go but why east.”

  “Elf on a lark heading to a warzone and disappearing. Sounds plausible. Just have to convince her to start over.”

  I look up, “There is no need for convincing, she has my seed in her. If I have to puppet her I will.”

  Cecelia looks aghast at me, “Sara!”

  Violet puts a hand on her arm, “Sorry mom, our bodies lose empathy the more undead we are. Red riding on fumes at the moment.”

  “Fumes?”

  I watch as violet pinches the bridge of her nose. “She's hungry.”

  “You need to keep your blood up then. Why are you letting it get this low?” Mags admonishes Violet.

  “The blood lakes are still low, I don't want to starve my babies.” I answer.

  Cecelia pinches the bridge of nose, “So you're starving yourself instead.”

  “It takes a lot to get this body living again and it just goes and dies every time I sleep.”

  “You're the one who removed your heart.” Cecelia huffs out.

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  “It stopped beating, mom. Should I leave a vital organ in myself as a memorial? It was going to shrivel up anyways.”

  I murmured the last part. She pulls me into a hug.

  “Sorry Sara, it's been a roller-coaster of emotions this past week.”

  “Have you still not gained an automatic use of the skill?”

  Violet answers, “Its tiers have been stripping the use of life magic on me.”

  Mags narrows her eyes at her, “Explain.”

  I begin explaining, another scolding anticipated, “Apprentice tier made it so my blood doesn't age, at the cost of both sustainer and my rabbit stomach being able to make blood for me. Sustainer magic doesn't work on me at all.”

  “Barring the utter stupidity of that, you're saying that once you generate enough blood you will not need more unless you need to repair injuries. Soooo why aren't you drinking?” Mags looks at me.

  “I … I…”

  Violet comes and hugs me.

  “I didn't want to sleep, die and not care about the next lives I live.”

  “So instead you plan to not sleep by being undead until your skill decides to not fuck you for once.” Mags grips her nose bridge, “The issue is your blood doesn't move while you're asleep right? Have you thought of forging a trinket to move it for you?”

  “Where would I begin? I don't know how to transfer skills or write commands. I just followed your diagram for the manacle.”

  “I'll get a book for you. We've gotten off topic.”

  -----

  The Leacea finally stirs from her compelled sleep. She complains.

  “Okay that was just uncalled for, I'm starving.”

  “Thats unfortunate since you need to go into town and talk about how your going east.” Mags is the bearer of bad news.

  “Why the hell would I do that?”

  “Cause Leacea the Elf needs to die on her lark to the east while Leia the Tibyder [Junior Priestess] establishes herself here in the adventurer hall clinic.”

  “You're joking right… you want me to just give up my name.”

  I tilt my head, “But it's not even your name.”

  “What?”

  “I can see the geas light up every time we say Leacea.”

  “I don't understand, I've always been Leacea.”

  I ask “Have you ever made it to tier four Leacea?”

  “The hell would I want to burden my larks with more memories.”

  I look at Red and she nods, the same as Vanessa. But to remove it? It could shatter her mind. Even if it's a name forced upon her, it's still the one she used for multiple lifetimes. Mags looks annoyed at the two of us. We got off point. She brings it back.

  “Here I thought you were on a lark, Leacea. How amusing it will be to have everyone use the wrong name on you.”

  “That would be pretty funny, a priestess though? I feel like that's going to get boring quickly.”

  I bark a laugh. She looks at me. I changed my title.

  “I haven't had a moment's peace since I became a priestess.”

  “I suppose trying to be a priestess is fine but I still don't want to give up my name.”

  -Puppet time?

  No Red, you will literally eat yourself with guilt when you are alive. Consequences.

  -Feeling like staying undead is becoming preferable.

  Our soul shudders at that. She doesn't mean it but the idea of forgoing my empathy. I start to breathe heavily. My tears start to flow. I'm really doing this aren't I. Forever undead to escape feeling bad. Cecelia looks over at me.

  “Violet, what's wrong?”

  “Red said something that resonated with me. I can't get it out of my mind.”

  My tears become more tinged with blood.

  “What did you say to her, Red?”

  “That it is starting to feel like staying undead is preferable." She is going to regret that later. When I take her lungs.

  Our soul shudders again. My tears carry more blood. I can feel my organs start to collaspe…if I remove my lungs I'll never live again… Cecelia looks at me with green eyes. My lungs begin to shrivel towards their blood outlets.

  “Stop it Violet, you made a promise to me didn't you?”

  My work stops. I look up at her.

  “I already gave you granddaughters.”

  “You gave me full grown ones, how the hell am I supposed to dote on Barbain and Beatrice.”

  I shake at that. “You are so cruel, why can't I just shut away my ability to care?”

  “Because existence is cruel, dead or alive. What comfort will you find if you no longer care for others? You'll inevitably become alone. You already made it so you have your emotions while dead, right?”

  I would become damned. But I wouldn't be alone.

  “I have my sister.”

  “Do you want her to be alone then, just the two of you. I don't see her trying to remove organs to force her body to stay dead. The difference between you two would widen until…”

  We would snap our soul in half. Would it be me or Red who did it? I would survive… Red would not… Then I will be alone. I release the life passives holding my lungs in partial destruction. I cough up blood. Before it escapes my mouth I pull it back in. I need it all to repair my foolishness. I'm a monster…

  “Sorry mom, I'll keep trying.” To live with it.

  She hugs me and my soul soothes.

  -----

  “What the hell was that?”

  I watch Violet walk to the food spread and start eating. She is doing it to annoy Leacea. She takes gulps from her bloodskin…When had she grabbed that? I can feel the lake's gains today diminish.

  “Hey, that's supposed to be my spread.”

  Mags interrupts her complaining, “No, Leia you need to go announce your departure.”

  “Thats not my name.”

  O wow, Violet really went to town. She revived fully. We still have some gains but not much. Refilling has been slow going.

  “I told you it's your cover name Leia, you are still Leacea just need you to get used to being called by your cover name.”

  She huffs. Violet walks behind and pulls me into a hug.

  “I think I need to hear you apologize to me, Red.”

  “Sorry.” Monotoned.

  I turn to look at her and she just shakes her head.

  “Nope, not good enough.”

  She clasped my neck and mouth. Blood goes from her hands into my skin and lips. What is she…Before I can escape she forces me to drink, the bliss takes over. My body revives against my wishes…no it wouldn't cycle my blood if it was against my wishes. Damn, I become morose as my empathy returns.

  “I'm sorry, Sara, I said something cruel again.”

  She gives me a shaky smile as she disengages me. We both are barely alive now. But enough to feel each other's emotions.

  Violet whispers to me. “Come let's upset Leia by eating in front of her.”

  I nod.

  “Seriously, what the fuck was that, I smelt blood. Also my name is Leacea.”

  I start picking over the spread. Ah bread,I start nibbling while taking turns with the bloodskin. Sorry babies. Today's gains become another deficit.

  Couldn't you have waited till after we forced her to do things.

  -I think you would have harmed us more if you cut your empathy to do terrible things. You always were willing to be cruel to get necessary results, but if you simply turn off your understanding of why it was cruel you won't consider other options.

  I take a shuddering breath at that. I hate when she is right. Speaking of cruelty.

  “Mother, just have her do the first portion of the plan, we can convince her after she comes back here.”

  Mags just sighs and waves me on.

  “You're not going to convince me to forsake my name. Now let me eat already.”

  She turns and finds she can't move forward. I revert her ears and tail. Back to looking like an Elf. I threw her my ring. She catches it and puts it on. The seed lets her use it. Her race is back to displaying Elf.

  “Why did I just do that…”

  “Sorry Leacea, my seed is in your heart, remember? You need to go announce your latest Lark to leave for the front to the east. I won't let you put a smidge of food into your mouth until you meet Violet in the forest to the east.”

  She tries to struggle but the roots hold her firm.

  Do know I can hear your thoughts.

  What? Fuck. Fine. You can't convince me to forgo my name.

  “Off you go then.”

  She leaves. Violet turns to me and hugs me as I break down crying.

  “I hate that you are using my tactics.”

  “Sorry sister, everyone knows she keeps swallowing your seed.”

  She grows annoyed at my euphemism, “I can't believe you can still make sex jokes after reliving Nick and Bipp.”

  “Sorry…I had more time between them, you had to see them till you were done, right?”

  She nods, and I return her hug.

  -----

  This is a daily reminder: You have 16 unallocated stat points

  Leacea stumbles her way through the woods. She is looking haggard. She is ravenous.

  “I did as you ask, where's the food?”

  I step into my dungeon, she follows the exit disappearing behind her. She rushes forward and begins to gorge herself. The ring falls off her finger. I pick it up and put it on before it can release its beacon.

  I watch as Leacea regains her cat ears and tail. It doesn't take long before I have to hold her up. Her stance became awkward with the rapidly shifting legs. She doesn't stop eating until her abdomen fills.

  After she could stand, I spent my time making more bandages in my true form, waiting for her to notice. She does. She reaches for the same spot on herself and finds she has no spinnerets. Her hair and bones are not iron laced. No fangs or venom glands. No skeletal sight. Her legs are scaled but no other area on her body is.

  “Why am I so different from you and the other woman? I wanted to make permanent silk bandages.”

  I know she did.

  “Qorth is in service to me, a [Supplicant]. Ultimately she will either leave it and become like you or embrace what I am, becoming more like me.”

  “More like you…”

  “You hear it don't you? Or rather you don't hear it.”

  “You don't have a heart… but that's just ‘cause you're the dungeon, right?”

  “Except you can [Identify] me. I'm an undead creature, Leacea. My body can't live without me mentally moving my blood. But I do and I live.”

  “Why would anyone choose to be like you?”

  “To be honest they became [Supplicants] before I removed my heart. One has already proceeded forward to remove her own. Eager even. She wishes to show me that I'm not a monster.”

  -Careful.

  I know, Red, dramatics aside, we must maintain our empathy.

  “But aren't you?”

  “I accepted that I am, but everyone who knows me keeps trying to convince me otherwise.”

  “So what then, I become your [Supplicant] and at some point I will rip out my own heart.”

  “And drink blood.”

  “Blood?”

  “Its the only thing that sustains us. A rather obnoxious requirement but we make do.”

  She shudders. It is not one of fear. The geas that pushes her toward danger now makes her eager for this.

  “Is there something you wish to ask of me?”

  “It would be a glorious lark.”

  “So it would be.”

  -This is becoming gross.

  I give Red a mental eye roll, either this or we eat her. Which do you prefer?

  -It is your decision.

  “Well than Leacea I bid you a good night.”

  She is outside the dungeon in the woods. She begins to shiver. She isn't cold. It's not ten minutes before she tries to contact me.

  Please.

  The entrances rift forms and she stands in front of me again.

  “Are you ready to be a [Junior Priestess] and take on the name Leia to avoid our enemies?”

  “I don't know if I can resist this geas you spoke of. I am always Leacea.”

  “You are about to become more.”

  She walks to me and gets on her knees. I push a bead of blood out and push it to her lips. In the end she refuses. She looks up with tears in her eyes.

  “I can't.”

  I cup her face and give her a sad look, seems she is capable of resisting a geas on herself after all. I look at the said geas that is now frayed. I make a further change to it. Just a small change to the geas, not a removal. The seed in her heart dissolves and Lea is outside in the forest. She will likely be killed, and I will be found but in the end I couldn't force her to be more and I couldn't devour her soul. Red is beside me rubbing my back.

  “I'm glad you volunteered. I don't think I would have let her go.” And yet it's the part of her that stopped me from doing the same.

  “Sencea told us not to let them find us.”

  “Yet we will inevitably be found.”