This is a daily reminder: You have 48 unallocated stat points

  I stare at the ceiling. Suspended in a blood red hammock of my own making. I look towards where my blood core is. Three fourths of the way gone. I grip the hammock…it tastes of metal…the fuck. My life's eyes turn on and I see new sensory nerves under my skin. Taste buds? Seriously? Did Violet dream fish dreams last night? Looking at my waist I find a new organ…a fish bladder too. How is that even going to work in my true form? My lateral eyes see my floating whiskers…okay that has to go.

  I am next to Violet. She looks at me and laughs. She had already removed her own whiskers. I narrowed my eyes at her.

  “Could you have waited at least a night so I have time to process.”

  “But now you're too busy to lament.” My glare at her intensified, “Fine, I think I was starting to delight in messing with people. I felt sleep would calm me down.”

  She reaches up and removes my whiskers. I can taste the sweat in her hand. She didn't change the taste buds. Before I can ask why she flings a bit of blood onto my skin. My eyes roll back, it's as good as if I was drinking it. The soul etch smooths out before I can think clearly.

  “Seriously, you didn't actually remove the whiskers from our soul.”

  She shrugs, "It's another sensory organ, not like we can't pick and choose.”

  I grow annoyed as she cups my neck…I feel blood vessels move and pull back to my lungs. My throat shifts as well. I must have looked confused as she explains.

  "Didn't notice the gills, huh. They connected to your mouth, best I could tell you breathed air through your mouth and nose and it filtered it through the gills. Your lungs were starting to go inert.”

  “I mean if they worked with regular air as well as in water—”

  “May wish to look at your hand before you convince yourself you don't need lungs.”

  I do, it's pale. The blood was not as oxygenated. Might be fine in water but above land, lungs will be necessary.

  “I still don't understand why you left my skin as a giant tongue.”

  She sighs and reaches for me again. She grasps air as I step away. She gives me a wry smile.

  “Fine, I can't go back after your demonstration.”

  She laughs.

  -----

  I watch Qorth defend herself with the spear Red made her. It does seem better as a Tibyder to use such. Our legs are in the way for sword swipes. I think I may need to get Red to make some more.

  “Maybe javelins too, sister.” Red chimes in on my stream of thought.

  “Is that any different from our throwing knives?”

  “Was just thinking of the intimidation factor.”

  “See we already have that, our knives not being intimidating initially is a benefit. Fools leave them in which lets them do their work.”

  She shrugs, she attempts a smile but it falters. I rub her back. It's not long before Cecelia joins us while Qorth is busy splayed out again.

  “You alright there, sweetie?”

  “Rough night, but finally through my Yetna massacre.”

  Cecelia winces at that. Qorth gets up and scurries over.

  “What did you learn?”

  “That the assassination guild has a ten large gold bounty on me.”

  Cecelia turns to Red shocked. I roll my eyes.

  “The bounty is for a ten year old girl with blue hair and black streaks. No further details beyond that.”

  “Not very similar to that anymore.” Cecelia says morosely.

  I give her a hug with Red.

  “An enforcer I made a fool of turn to killing the very night I bullied him. He literally killed a stand in for me to make himself feel better.”

  “Sweetie, you're not responsible for the actions of others.”

  “I could have ended him there, should have ended him there.”

  Red eyes begin to match her nickname. Cecelia nuzzles her and whispers.

  “Shhhh, calm yourself. You can't say things would have been better or worse if you had. You could have caused retaliation towards you.”

  “Green Matron wasn't particularly kind to those who killed her lackeys, she could have gone scorched earth." I remind Red.

  “Earth?” Qorth found a new word.

  “Sorry, earth is what we call our land in my previous Lark. I was just saying it was possible for the gang to burn everything to kill us.

  She nods at this, “What of the other life?”

  “An assassin, he killed for money. He actually killed three Gadvak cultists before setting his sights on me.”

  “Red, you said the bounty was for the old you.”

  “He had a lover's revenge charm in the form of a locket. It was leading him to me. He interrupted me as I was drinking Birg.”

  “The noble thief?” Qorth asks.

  Red nods.

  “...You didn't tell me you were behind Minthan's husband's disappearance.”

  There were a few parties they both were in. Not a strong connection but that was only between her and the thief. Did she have a bigger connection to Minthan?

  “Sorry mom, he was my seventh victim. He interrupted a meal and tried to slay me…He spent his evenings harassing the gang I spoke of earlier. Not enough to stop them, it would end his fun if he did.”

  Cecelia sighs, “I hadn't known he had that side to him.”

  Qorth chimes in, “He swung at a small illusion he didn't understand while facing Sara in the city.”

  Cecelia's moroseness becomes anger, “Scum.”

  Is that a knight thing?

  -----

  “The training tool we suggested.”

  “O one of those rat golems…did you make this out of mithril?”

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  I nod, “It was a fun exercise.”

  I will another tiger away. The Sdrae twin examines Ratagin. I give a control rod to Delores.

  “Channeling your mana through that will raise your [Mana Manipulation:Self].”

  She does so and Ratagin flips. I smile. Jeremy looks at me.

  “Can it do other things?”

  I roll my eyes, as if Ratagin needs to do other things. I produce the other three rods with a sigh.

  “This one makes him move forward, this one backwards, this last one you can make go left or right based on whether you think that but it takes more mana to do so.”

  “Why do you seem so disappointed that I asked?”

  “Because Ratagin is at his most delightful when he does backflips.” Violet interjects.

  Before I can expound on that I feel my core in Lea disappear… It's hers now.

  You have gained [Blood Mana Core] Master 2

  Gain 96 exp

  I think that just leveled after Lea finished absorbing my core.

  -I don't see you doubling over in pain, I take it it didn't come back.

  No.

  -Don't worry Red, I'll keep the whiskers away.

  I bark a laugh, our guest looks at me.

  “Apologies.”

  They return to using up their mana on Ratagin.

  -----

  “Dame Isabella, Gregory. I hope the day finds you well.”

  They return my greetings in their own way. Isabella places a jar of red liquid on the table.

  “The hydra healing potion recipe was by far the best use of your blood. Specifically replacing hydra blood with your own.”

  Makes sense, my blood being at least partially hydra.

  “And its effects?”

  “Better healing and mana restoration.”

  “Hold on, you're telling me she can restore mana with her blood?”

  She nods at Gregory.

  “Is that rare?”

  “Practically unheard of. You have to slay monsters with titles to get blood of that potency.”

  I wince at that. They noticed. I move the conversation along.

  “So how does one make hydra healing potions?”

  “Are you not worried the alchemist will attempt to seize you?” Gregory tries to interject.

  I simply look at Isabella. She nods and speaks.

  “Boil the blood with creeping leech vine, about three to one ratio in mass. After you boil that for an hour you mix in crushed cloud berry of about a tenth in mass to your boiled mass. Boiling again for another hour you mix in an equal amount of slime body into it. Then you place it in a distiller, the condensed vapor is the potion.”

  “And the rest?”

  “A rather toxic sludge. Dispose of it.”

  She places a container down on the table and two more boxes.

  “In here is a live slime, a box of creeping vine and some cloud berries. You will need to procure the instruments yourself. I would suggest making them, the alchemist keeps a close eye on anyone buying a distiller.”

  “Thank you, Dame Isabella.”

  “You can remove up to half of a slime without killing it, and avoid its core. It can dispose of your toxic sludge for you. It needs mass to replace mass.”

  I nod, pet slime…

  They leave and I walk over to the container. I poke the slime, it quivers. The creature has no…or is it all blood? I try to manipulate it and it quivers and tries to fight back against my control.

  Red are you in a calm place at the moment?

  -I suppose, the mistress and others proceeded to the graveyard. They cleared a patch and are waiting for their skills to rise.

  Good, I'm going to eat a slime.

  -That sounds awful.

  Not if you consider its gelatinous body is all blood.

  -...

  I move everything to my couture. Wouldn't want Gregory to return to this. Sorry slime, time to join my soul.

  I plunge my hands into the creature. It begins to absorb into my skin. Ha it is trying to absorb me in turn. I make a small recess in the ground and fill it with blood. I kick off my shoes and place my feet into a small pool. My body heals as the slime and I fight for dominance. The slime climbs up my arm and wraps around my head. I simply begin sucking it into myself…shit it's dissolving me from the inside as well? No matter. It envelops me fully. My skin burns. But it is losing mass. Seems I am more voracious. Soon the core falls to the ground.

  You gained 67 exp from Slime

  I pick up the core and swallow it too. Delightful. I ride the bliss for quite awhile. When I come to my sister is rather annoyed that I got to eat something new.

  -----

  “To the north we can find cloud berries. It's likely you will run across a creeping vine. Under no circumstances should you slay a slime though.” Magdeline intones.

  I grow pale.

  “Why are you trying to avoid looking at my face, Red?”

  “Any reason to not kill a slime?”

  “I worry taking in a purely magical creature may alter your physiology so much that you have no cohesion anymore.”

  “Wait, are you afraid I will become a slime?”

  “You have shown a tendency to rid yourself of unneeded organs, what will you do when you can just exist as a slime?”

  … Violet, please come here and break the bad news. You got to enjoy the bliss first hand.

  -...

  VIOLET!

  She is hiding, damnit. In the throne room.

  Seriously Violet, stop wasting blood.

  -If I am undead, I don't need to sleep, I can avoid Mags and incorporating the soul.

  You already ate the soul Violet, you forget that I'll be sleeping as well.

  -Shit…join me sister. In our vacuum of no sleep.

  Pass.

  “Violet ate the sample slime Isabella provided us. The soul has already been eaten.”

  Magdeline looks up at the ceiling, putting her hands through her hair in a vain attempt to dispel this new madness.

  -Why did you tell her…

  So you can leave the throne room and revive yourself.

  She appears next to me slowly sipping from our blood skin. She looks annoyed at me.

  “Barring the danger of what I already told Red, you do realize you probably ate this garrison personal alchemy slime.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “Best hope you make money fast on your potion idea.”

  “How much?”

  “Ten thousand large gold if it was purely translucent.”

  Violet pales, “Why would anyone give me something worth that much.”

  “Well they are notoriously hard to kill accidentally. You also demonstrated a personal fortune in knives.”

  “You're giving birth to the new slime Violet.”

  “Do not do that…” We look at Mags, “Slime makes copies of themselves. Can you truly birth a slime versus inadvertently cutting yourself in half and becoming two souls?”

  “We are Sara Maxwell Magdeline, there is no division of that.”

  Not anymore, was that her real worry? You're making the egg, Violet.

  She just smiles at me.

  -----

  This is a daily reminder: You have 48 unallocated stat points

  I look at my hand. Still flesh and bone…and an amorphous blob underneath it coating it all. In the gap of every cell is my blood. It is me…I'm not sure if flesh and bone is anymore. I expand the blood in my hand, the fingers separate each on a tendril of blood. Shit, fuck that hurt. I pull it back in and they reconnect in a pinch.

  Awww fuck, it hurts reconnecting the nerves, alright so I still have a nervous system. I massage my hand. Is there a distinction? Should I pursue this until I define one? Might end up as a blood slime if I do. I plop out the two rings that were in my lungs. Red is going to be annoyed. Our blood is one mass, thus oxygenating one part is oxygenating it all. My blood is at my skin level now…can I just pull in oxygen from the air? I stop my lungs. My blood continues to oxygenate…

  -I spent all this time making a circulation system and now I don't fucking even need lungs anymore. Fuck it, vampires don't breathe.

  My eyes widened. Our soul quakes again. My lungs begin to collapse. I stopped it.

  Red is next to me. Hugging me.

  “Sara, it's time to remove what is unneeded, help me please.”

  She can't do it herself, she doesn't have the magic. I do and my lungs begin to collapse again, what tears I shed are red, I do not lose blood from it. It just reenters my body. It truly never left my body. I look at her and she gives me a sad smile.

  “All of it, Sara.” She weezes out.

  Damn it, I can feel my lungs become a smaller and smaller mass. It shrivels up on itself until the lungs are gone. So are hers. My arteries shrivel up, unneeded. My hollow bones fill with pure mithril. Stronger now, I look at my unbreathing sister and give a shaky smile.

  Magdeline burst into my couture and sees us. She narrows her eyes at us when she notices we aren't exactly having that rhythmic expansion of our chests anymore.

  I go to explain ourselves and…I look at Red and she shakes her head.

  “Did you fools just remove your lungs? You don't seem to be dying but you can't talk anymore either can you?”

  No mother, I forgot that the lungs were necessary for talking. We have rendered ourselves mute, sister…

  -I mean we still have oxygen, we just need to force it through our throat. Not insurmountable.

  “Ahhhhh.”

  “Thats not very convincing.” Magdeline looks cross at us.

  “Pr…o..of of con. cept.” Red croaks out.

  Mags has a hand going through her hair again, “It would be easier to just have lungs.”

  “And giv…e up creepy no breath…ing?” I'm getting better at it.

  She buries face into her hands, “Why in the hell would that matter, Sara?”

  My body convulses, the dungeon giggles…I am the dungeon.

  “Stop forcing air through your throat Red, we are able to make sounds without it.”

  Red looks at me, “Ya but you didn't move your mouth to do that.”

  I can see her point. It's one thing to no longer move our chest cavity, it's another to talk without moving my lips. I am a dungeon I can move air inside—

  Mag places a hand on both our shoulders, “Sara, please put your lungs back. You're right that it is unnerving to watch you not breathe, I don't even expect you to use it to oxygenate your blood. But do you truly want to control your speaking through such means, to mimic speech. I fear it would alienate you, furthering you away from others. A difference that would grow. I saw you try to giggle just now. Let me hear your laugh without a filter, Sara.”

  Her eyes glisten and I nod. The lungs reform, they are smaller than before. Big enough to talk, and not much greater than that. I try to force them to fill the chest cavity and my blood core begins to drain. It's too much. I release the passives.

  “Sorry mother, I could only form them to their current size.”

  She sighs, “Help your sister, it will have to do.”

  Our lungs have enough room to expand and deflate inside our rib cage. They don't cause my chest to rise. I release my false soul on my race.

  “Best to establish I am a Vampire. I doubt anyone would believe a chimera could fundamentally alter themselves this much.”

  Mags thinks on that, “Actually, if you had some gills, you could pull off a sea person chimera.”

  I laugh and she smiles at that. Happy to hear my mirth. Red just rolls her eyes as I give us matching gills.