This is a daily reminder: You have 48 unallocated stat points
Another mana drain plate done. Lea can you go place this one.
“I feel you are using me just cause I am already dead.” She appears in a huff. Seems she gained the ability to traverse the dungeon by will.
“Well reviving the body is thirsty work, Lea. Best not to waste blood.”
She looks pensive, and behind herself.
“It’s your tail isn't it?”
“You have blood mana sight now, don't you? You can see that it is missing.”
She nods sulkingly.
I smile, “A necessary and hopefully temporary side effect.”
“And if it is not? You can't even change your form without this.”
She touches the place above the core that is slowly becoming hers.
“Then I simply will make do without it.” I take a moment, then smile, “Lea, I felt some of my compassion come back as you started integrating that core.” The smile becomes a frown, “I also felt thirstier when you changed your body, do hold off till it's fully yours.”
Her eyes widened, then she kneels head down.
“Of course, my [DiQueen].”
I scowl as she giggles at my expense.
-----
“I must reiterate my apology to you, mistress.”
I am bowed at the waist, my face pointed at the floor. The mistress comes and places her hands on my shoulder. She attempts to change my posture through her strength. I do not budge.
“Please Violet, I should not have struck you. It is my apologies that should be heard.”
I look up and see sincerity in her eyes. I smile, “You were right to do so, I was being foolish.”
She looks annoyed, “I am more than capable of telling you are foolish with words. You frustrate me so, sometimes. Speaking of, I don't feel your aura.”
Why did we teach her that?
-I believe we were showing off at the time.
“It is prudent that I keep it at skin level.”
“Oh no you don't, expand your aura. You need it to protect yourself from prying eyes don't you?”
Right, no putting my safety below my mistress comfort. The aura expands. It passed over her. I feel her blood but leave it be. She shudders for a moment.
“If you want, I can help you train till you get a mana aura of your own. It will provide additional protection from me.”
She smiles, “You've already been raising my mental fortitude, silly. What else do you have in mind?”
“Well I have a trinket to help train mental mana, if that is a core you wish to develop first.”
She smiles and gives a nod.
“I'll have it ready by tomorrow.”
“You insinuated that you already had it.”
“It's a toy for me, I need to make control rods for you to use it.”
“Ah…you should head to Kalidia, it is almost time for exercises.”
-----
A wooden sword hilt is presented to me. I grasp it. Seems Jeremy is determined to land a blow unaided.
Soul raised to 923
I paused. Lindur? Her soul will be consumed twice as fast as my regular supplicants. A snack between myself and Barbain.
“Something wrong?”
“No, Sir. Just an errant notification.”
I take position again and he commences to bore me. Hopefully he is at least gaining skill levels through this.
“You seem unbalanced.”
“A minor issue I am adjusting to.”
More twacks of the wooden swords sound. My poor absent tail has left my walking wobbly. I am sure I will be adjusted to it by the end of the day.
“Your eye no longer glows red.”
Twack.
“You spend a lot of your time talking, Sir. It robs you of force in your swings.”
I can see the lack of oxygenated blood. He should breathe more, talk less.
“Said the one who spoke more.”
He huffs then swings again.
“I am not the one out of breath, Sir.”
Twack. He barks a laugh.
“Perhaps my goal should be to tire you then.”
“Whichever impossible goal you wish to set for yourself, Sir.”
Another laugh from him, twack.
“Would you permit me to know your actual name?”
“Perhaps if you actually manage to strike me.”
“Have I not already?”
Not a fair blow, but true. My fault for losing the grip on my sword. He goes for an overhead swing. I swing my sword hard, shattering the swords. He stops and looks at the handle as I walk by him.
“Sara Maxwell Magdeline.”
The blood in his face becomes scarce.
-----
Did you really have to shatter the swords? Neither of us are carpenters.
-Felt being dramatic for a name reveal.
I roll my eyes, you do realize he will only become more desiring of you now. A daughter of nobility that is of a higher rank than his own.
-Bleh.
We are back in the dungeon forest. The tigers will run out soon. But their return begins tomorrow. Sister still wobbles as she steps. The adjustment she made for a tail now overbalanced her. It's pretty funny to watch.
-You're giving up a core next time.
Planning on more dungeon vampires sister?
-I've gained a certain level of fatalism about it.
I brought out a table and some chairs. One less than last time, Jasmine and Hischurl were no shows today. The realization that I was the one who almost drove her to suicide was a bit much.
“Your tea, my mistress.”
Annoying etiquette, the hosting house always serves the tea. My sister will enjoy perfection for an entire month and a half. I walk to a tree while she monitors her cups. The branches here seem good.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
The twisted wood becomes the shape of a wooden sword. I snap it off and rub the tree. The bark reforms over the wound caused. Thank you but I need another. It provides one more for me. I will them into our shared space.
-Not a carpenter.
No, just a hundred year old flower.
“It must be quite convenient to be a dungeon.” Kalidia opines.
“It has its upsides, Kal.”
“I still don't understand why you are an [Attendant] to a house beneath you in status.” Jeremy grouses.
“She has no title just like the rest of us, cousin. I believe you like to point that out, yes?”
Delores causes both cousins to grouse now. I know she heard my conversation between me and Kalidia. I smile, quite malicious indeed. She continues.
“Sara, would you be willing to train my cousins in detecting an aura?”
Red speaks up, “That would be rather cruel, mistress. I am quite certain that would constitute harm.”
“Yes but training is to prevent greater harm.”
“What is so dangerous about the training?” Kalidia asks.
“Getting [Aura Sense] requires determining who is making an aura between two individuals. Mistress, why not simply work with a cousin and train that way?” Red huffs out.
“I don't want to.”
I come behind Red and embrace her.
“Besides Red, the more matched the aura the harder it is to make a logical guess on who it is. They will have to truly sense it. Don't ruin a chance for fun now.”
Jeremy interjects, “You still haven't said what the danger is.”
I smile, “You are already in our [Mana Aura].” And our pariah aura. Our crown will not do, the horn would give us away. “All I have is one that causes acute horror in you. Do you wish to guess which of us is causing it?”
Red grows annoyed, “It is not a guessing game, you are to be certain when you say who is doing it. Sister, it's one thing to do this, another to give bad instructions to prolong their suffering.”
Spoil sport, but fair. I sigh.
“It is your choice.”
They nod…fools. They are already gripping their bodies. The thought of spiders in the woods is only magnified by the feeling of spiders crawling inside. They are both pale and when Jeremy is about to point to me, Kalidia interjects.
“Fool, you must be guessing if that is your choice. It's clearly the other.”
He pulls back his hand. My smile widened. They both are right but they are both arguing because they each have a different aura on them.
Thank you, mistress, for this.
Of course, Violet. I felt you were getting restless.
-----
I look through my engraving book.
“Why did you volunteer Ratagin…”
“Because you are on pins and needles all day, Red.”
I look up from my book, annoyed.
“I seem to recall you offered our Ratagin before exercises. Besides it was you who was looking to torture our guest.”
“You smiled too when they got the skill and frowned at us.”
It wasn't the only smile. I snuck a few when they weren't looking. Delores caught me though. I smile now which causes Violet to poke me in the cheek. Lea wanders over.
“O, what's this?”
She notices Ratagin. I place it to the side for Violet to demonstrate.
“Backflip, Ratagin. Ehhhh …” She grows disappointed at Lea's disinterest, “Sell anything to anyone that isn't us?”
She shakes her head as she answers, “Oh don't be sad, it's been awhile since I was seven. Pity this is a dungeon and not a store in the city. I am sure there would be interest in this, there.”
Violet grows annoyed, “Quite certain Peter would have a heart attack if I put an entrance up as a storefront.”
“Can you actually do that?” Lea looks hopeful.
“Nothing stopping me other than the guild, Queendom and knights.” Violet deadpans.
I continue flipping pages. Ah skill rods. Seems similar to making the rings, a convert skill and then the magic command. Lucky mental magic is not an incantation. I need to learn that. So many things to do. I begin shaping the metal. I pause and look at Violet. She sighs.
-----
"I thought we were going to have a relationship of trust.”
My comments are directed at Sir Ujan. My entrance disappears and reappears for a moment. Ruining whatever working the unknown knight next to the marshal was doing.
“I advise you to not do that and cooperate, Lady Magdeline.”
“Blind obedience is not my thing Sir Ujan, otherwise I would have sworn up as a knight.”
He grows annoyed at that. He has his sword out, which to be fair I am out in my true form. I have heard it is intimidating.
“I advise you again to submit, Lady Magdeline.”
I laugh, the knight and his conspirator both wince.
“I at least would like to know what you are attempting to inscribe into my soul. It may determine whether I let one of you live or none…”
“You intend to intimidate—”
My eyes are looking at him in full. He trembles under the sight. My horn comes out. It causes him further distress before he is kneeling in awe. I can not hide my soul presence when my aura is out. A [DiQueen] can not do anything but bear her full splendor after all.
“Now then, what were you attempting to bind my soul with?”
Sir Ujan speaks in a monotone voice, “They were runes of rooting, we were attempting to ensure the dungeon never leaves the Queendom.”
“Were there no other runes planned?”
“No, your majesty.”
“Then rejoice, your task is already complete. I have already placed a permanent door in the plains to the south. Advise the Queendom that I wish for that land to be part of my demesne when I gain my ennoblement.”
My horn withdrew, my blood red eyes dim. A moment later Sir Ujan and his subordinate shudder, regaining their lucidity.
“That was ill advised, Lady Magdeline.”
“That is my line, Sir Ujan. I hope you understand that your deference should be more than because of my title now, yes?”
“It is as you say, ma'am. Why do you continue as you have if you are this levelled?”
I look at the trembling inscriber. Sir Ujan follows my line of sight.
“Ah of course, you are dismissed for the evening, Sir Dennis.”
He walks into my entrance as the aforementioned Sir Dennis scurries to the exit gate.
-----
I watch Sir Ujan enter the conference room. I am on my throne with Lea at my side. Violet appears next to me on her own throne.
“I appear to have gotten both of your attention.”
“It was ill advised, I can both sense and change the area around my entrances Sir Ujan. Not to mention inscribing is the same as trying to place a geas on my soul. You would have locked me inside my own dungeon if you had succeeded. Was that the goal?”
He grimaces at that, “It was not.”
A new set of foot prints sound on my stairs above the conference room. Magdeline enters shortly after. The Drakenoid blood moves faster in his body. Panic?
“[Countess].”
“Sir Ujan, I have already been apprised, was it your initiative or the [Marques].”
“The [Marques] wanted assurances that the dungeon would not absorb the amount of money being placed into her.”
I begin to laugh. It is so absurd. A mithril knife appears on the table in front of him. He gingerly picks it not understanding.
“Mithril…”
Another knife falls and another. My sum total of boredom appears in front of him. A mountain of knives towers over the knight. He backs away, trying to understand the amount of wealth I was displaying. Magdeline whistles.
“I hadn't believed it when Cecelia said you made ten knives each night to stave off the late hours.”
My sister was too far away to talk to. And Qorth therapy was not exactly the most engaging. It almost became a game to see how many I could forge a night. My top score is fourteen…okay it was a game. At least I can claim it had a use. I look at the mountain that blocks my sight of the astonished knight.
“As you can see, personal wealth is not an issue, Sir Ujan.”
The mountain disappears other than the knife he holds. He moves to place it on the table.
“Keep it, a reminder.”
He is shocked but pulls his hand back. The hand with the knife goes to his chest, it is parallel with his sternum. He bows.
“My apologies for my shameful actions, my Ladies. This only brings me back to my earlier question.”
Violet speaks up, “I'm only eleven Sir Ujan, a target for the unscrupulous. I already have a bounty on my head from one noble house.”
“Are they insane? Why have you not petitioned it to be removed?”
He is looking at mother. She answers.
“A large silver is hardly a bounty, besides removing it would only inform the foolish gnat that I know where his quarry is.”
-----
He had left me a treat, he is getting better at his apologies. I appeared next to Qorth after I had my bliss.
“You've been avoiding me, Qorth.”
“Apologies, Lady Violet.”
I sigh, I do miss the riddle names she made.
“It's about Lea.”
“You said you let her go free but she is now enslaved inside your dungeon.”
I wince. I was trying not to think of it like that but now it is out in the open, “She placed the proverbial shackle around her own neck but I was still the one who forged it.” I slump down.
Qorth looks up, “Is that what it means to be a Vampire, the power to enslave and consume?”
And to revel in it, I take a moment to think. I join her looking up at the illusion.
“It is not unique to Vampires, any power allows such if it can overcome another. It's just a bit more visceral.”
A small chortle, “I suppose, ‘sophist to herself’.”
“Thats a bit unfair, what am I lying to myself about now?”
“That you don't crave it.”
“Then you are wrong, I know I do but I also know that it would be a hollow existence.” I grow a bit morose.
“How so?”
“Well take this conversation. To force you to submit means I would never hear such words from you again. Indeed, I would hear no words but ‘Yes’ and ‘My Lady’. A rather boring thing to hear forever. I fear eternity Qorth, yet that is what I am damned to see if I continue.”
“Are you truly tired of being called my Lady?”
“I mean it's nice but riddle names are fun too.”
I give a toothy grin to her that causes another chortle. We stare up at the ceiling galaxy some more.
“‘She who I would offer my heart to’, I am ready to proceed.”
I laugh, she grows annoyed, “Sorry, that one sounded like a confession of love.”
She is shocked, then blushes. It only adds to my laughter. Red is next to me now. Her horn grows out, forcing my own to appear as well. She speaks.
“Are you ready to become more, Qorth.”
Qorth regains her composure and places her legs under herself in a rather awkward configuration, Tibyder samurai kneeling. She looks at us, resolved.
“We are, my [DiQueen].”
Red motions me to do it. She can not become her true self. Not by herself.
It should be you, Red. Put your clothes away.
She does and I place a hand on her and make her into her true self. Almost…the tail is missing. I try my best not to laugh during our ceremony. But it is hard.
-I know…
She walks up to Qorth who awaits our blood. She tips her chin up and bites down. The blood once again drains from our [Supplicant]. All but our drop. Qorth has never been dead before. Her strong yellow skin now waxy and dull. Red pulls away leaving the four wounds on Qorth neck. She just stares at us. Red intones the next part.
“Undead do you wish to remain like this or claim your place as my daughter.”
She nods and slowly gets up, she tilts Red's neck and bites down. I watch as the blood she makes is sludgey. The capillaries shrivel as her body organs are bathed in her new blood. Then her heart collapses. She continues to drink as I watch the organ become nothing. She stops the moment it is gone. She begins to move her blood with her own will. A rose blooms on her head, ultra violet.
You have gained [Vampress Matriarch] Basic 9
Gain 10 exp
Red takes off our ring and hands it to her.
“‘Too young to offer a courtship’?”
I roll my eyes, “It's a [False Soul] ring. Your race has changed.”
“I would not hide who I am, my Lady.”
She hands the ring back. Seems we are the only ones who hide ourselves. Red puts the ring back on.
“If you wish to provide a boon, my Lady. I could use a spear.”
Red smiles at that, I join her.
