The image of my bedroom, suffused with the warm afternoon light, wavered. The soft yellow sparkle against glass gave way to the muted gray stone of the guild wayroom.

  The dust of light settled upon my velvet black cloak, quickly fading. A smile hung on my lips, the lingering afterglow from our picnic on the hilltop.

  The summer sun had watched over us with its bright gaze, and the winds that swept over the grassy slope chased the heat from our hair and our billowing garments. I couldn’t help but let myself go again, laughing and chasing after the girls, sprinting over the wind-churned grass after Beatrice’s kite, and giggling as I was chased by Claire, whose fingers were just inches away from tagging my flowing, undone hair.

  I twirled, letting my dress and wild hair fly about, and my high-pitched laugh rang up to the sky, daring the sun to point out how improper I was.

  These were things a five year old should be doing.

  This time, I could blame that child inside me. She had bubbled up to surface the moment the giggles had erupted over tag. I couldn’t begrudge her that, not after she had been dormant for so long—the dungeon was no place for a child. From the morning till late noon, we laughed, ran, and played until we collapsed at the picnic blanket where Mama was.

  My head rolled up against her leg, my body still flushed with giddiness. She cupped my cheek and smiled down at me. “Feeling better?”

  The laughter settled in my throat. “Enough.”

  She leaned in closer, her head cutting off the rays of the sun. “I never told you child, but my house is gone. Scratched from the records. And the children I birthed…” Her voice hitched. “...all buried in the ground. Now, Priscilla as well…”

  I searched her dark eyes. Even though I was an infant back then, I clearly remembered her telling Beatrice of troubles at home, and that the Queen had called her old House tainted.

  I hadn't known the extent of her troubles.

  “That felt like a lifetime to me,” she breathed in a soft whisper, a wistful smile touching her lips. “So you’re all I have left. And that, too, is enough.”

  Afterwards, we enjoyed our cream cheese sandwiches while taking in the view of the House and the fields of the Estate stretching forth below.

  The memory was still sharp in my mind when my boots touched the stone floor. My steps were still light as I pushed past the door of the wayroom. She was still on the surface, peeking out at the Guild Hall in wonder. For the first time, I noticed the animal heads mounted up high on one wall: large game trophies, on one end a deer sprouted giant antlers from its head, and on the other a scar-faced bear lashed out with razor-sharp claws.

  On the opposing wall, hung a line of armors: leather, chain, and plate. They all had dents, gouges or tears, proudly displaying their marks of battle.

  Imagined, whimsical battles between the two sides played out in my mind.

  The Hall is strangely still.

  I glanced lower. All activity had ceased at the fireplace. The chatter between the adventurers at the bench tables had died. Everyone was frozen in their seats or where they stood, their eyes fixed on me.

  A mug shattered against the ground.

  I smoothed out the fabric of my vest. It was simple wool, which I had insisted on. There was no point wearing leather since the protection was negligible. Now that I had the shroud, I was prioritizing freedom of movement and comfort. The vest wasn’t flashy, and the cloak was similar to the one I wore last time. My hood was down, but they all had seen my face already.

  Is it my hair?

  I reached up and searched for loose strands. The wind had turned my hair into a wild bird’s nest but Miona had fixed it into a neat bun.

  Nothing felt out of place.

  So why is everyone staring at me?

  A tall adventurer with straw-color hair stumbled over a few chairs, catching himself in front of me. “Lady… Joan?” he stammered.

  His face looked familiar. A spark of recognition hit me; he was one of the two men who stepped in my way last time.

  “Nathan… yes?” His eyes brightened at the mention of his name. He smiled, nodding eagerly. “Is there a reason I have everyone’s attention?”

  “Well, you see…” He scratched at the back of his head. “We were all a bit surprised when the Fist came back after only two days. We thought they’d done, given up. But then we heard you guys got to level three! We were real happy after that.” A few murmurs of agreement rose up behind him.

  “So… you are all just happy to see me?” I surveyed the room. Everyone looked more shocked to me.

  “When that Paladin Sister left, she said you’d come out after her. But you never did.”

  “Oh…” I glanced back to the wayroom door. “There’s no other way out?”

  “No.” Nathan wrung his hands together. “We went in to look for you, and the room was completely empty!”

  “Aren’t guild wayrooms connected to each other?” Some of the handbooks mentioned using that as a way of traveling quickly.

  “My Lady, my name is Thais, and I’m glad to make your acquaintance.” The voluptuous woman with the pointed hat from before stepped up beside Nathan.

  I inclined my head toward her. Technically, she should ask permission to introduce herself directly, but there was no need for formalities here.

  She pressed on, “But one can’t travel between Guildhouses without a Guild Mage opening the way on both sides. We were afraid you went back down into the dungeon by yourself.” Her blue eyes held genuine concern.

  “There’s no need to worry. I went back home to rest.”

  “My brother mentioned seeing the Blue Flower at The Duke’s Recruitment Day!” a voice piped up from the back of the crowd.

  Blue Flower?

  “But how? No one saw you leave!” Thais exclaimed, looking bewildered.

  I just smiled back at her. I’m definitely not revealing anything about my bracelet here.

  A giant brute of a man with wild orange hair pushed past Thais. “Bah! Leave the little Lady alone!” His voice boomed. “She’s helping us, and she’s fine now. That’s all that matters.”

  He guided me to a bench seat at one of the center tables, shooing away two of the current occupants. I nodded at him, recalling what Gorian had called him. “Jakon. Do you know where the Valiant Fist might be? I’d like to tell them I’m here.”

  Jakon thrust a finger at a younger boy in the crowd. “You heard the Lady, boy! Go tell Gorian. He’s at The Dancing Pig.”

  He flashed a broad grin as he plunked down onto the bench opposite me, adjusting his furs. “Glad you know Jakon’s name! Here, you want some meat?”

  His heavy hand shoved a wooden platter across the table. It held an oversized chunk of meat on the bone, glistening with grease and smothered in a dark, gooey sauce. Jakon stabbed a knife into the flesh, and red juices oozed out. “Have a bite! I caught this myself.”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  I raised my hand. “I’m fine, thank you.”

  The steam rising from the meat snaked into my nostrils. The scent was heavy with spices and salt, too much actually, but the problem was that it was bringing to the forefront something that had been nagging me ever since I entered the room.

  Everyone’s aura in this hall was bright, near blinding compared to the staff back home. That was to be expected since they were all adventurers of at least Bronze rank. But there was another more disturbing sense accompanying the brightness.

  There was a taste to their auras.

  It tasted… sweet.

  My mouth watered and I had to suck back the saliva.

  That sweetness pulled at something deep inside me. I felt hungry even though I had just eaten.

  “You sure, little Lady? You look like you’d really like some. Keep licking your lips there.”

  “No, I really am fine.”

  My insides rattled.

  It was the Demon Sword, drawn to the taste, thrashing against my insides like a caged animal. The child within me quickly retreated in panic, fleeing back to the depths.

  This never happened back at the House. Mama’s level was high but she didn’t have this… sweetness; neither did the captain or Winthrop.

  A scan of everyone’s eyes, and I was reminded of when we first entered the Hall, the way everyone looked over to us with hope. The answer slowly sank in.

  It’s the despair.

  The [Demon Sense] description had mentioned ‘rich emotions’, and that was what I was tasting. These were souls that had been marinating for years in despair over the slow, deteriorating loss of their dungeon—their livelihood.

  And it was that taste that I was drawn to.

  This is what I am.

  I tried to distract myself. “So is everyone here just waiting for us? You must have something else to do? Like… hunting?”

  Jakon snorted. “Yeah, there are a few odd jobs, collecting herbs, culling some top-side monsters. And hunting, sure. But those don’t give much in terms of pay. Certainly ain’t nothing like trading in magic stones…”

  “Yes, it’s been really hard to make ends meet with just errands alone. I have a sick kid at home who needs the gold from the stones for medicine,” Thais said from beside Jakon.

  I hadn’t noticed her moving closer, but now her aura was front and center, her despair oozing sweetness.

  It felt ripe.

  My insides twisted. The sword attempted to wrench itself free.

  Didn’t the lich order you to stay hidden?! What happened to [Dark Binding]?

  The ferocity of the hunger struck me as strange. I checked my status screen, and cold sweat broke out over my back when I noticed one of the numbers.

  It had been 8 this morning, but I had glossed over the number because I had taken for granted it didn’t affect things. Now, I had a literal taste of the consequences.

  I reached back into my memories. My Soul Points had been around 70 just before we fought the Wraiths. Had my attempt at draining a Wraith caused the drop? Or was it the act of unsheathing myself?

  I shook my head. No. More likely, it was due to my Rank Up as the sword. My capacity had increased as well.

  When my hand stabbed into the core of the Wraith Knight Ogre and siphoned its soul, that must have given me enough Soul Points to push me past 100. The message that appeared afterwards did say “Soul Points limit breached.”

  So, Ranking Up consumed 100 points and left me with the remainder. Would each Rank Up add another 100 to my capacity?

  I don’t want more capacity for Soul Points. I don't want this at all. Shouldn’t [Virtuous] stop this?

  But I remembered that cold detachment when I was the sword. I hadn’t cared about anything. [Virtuous] might have no effect on the Demon Sword.

  [Dark Binding], however, should still work. Murion and the Demon Lord had cast it on me knowing what I was.

  I can’t believe I’m relying on a demon spell to keep everyone safe.

  I squeezed my eyes shut, but even with my eyes closed I could still sense all the enticing auras radiating around me.

  “My Lady, since you are with a Sister of Lumus. Does that mean you’ve converted?” Thais’s hopeful voice intruded.

  It was a distraction. I need a distraction.

  I opened my eyes, forcing my gaze downwards. On her wrist was a bracelet with a sunburst centerpiece. “No, but you have?”

  The information from the atlas spread before me. The Eastern Faction was the breadbasket of the kingdom; naturally, most here were devoted to Isolde, the Goddess of the Harvest.

  “Yes,” Thais touched the bracelet tenderly. “Their missionaries came to me, and they helped my boy with some remedies. It didn’t cure him, but it soothed the pain.” Her face twisted as she shot a glare over her shoulder. “Whereas the priests of Isolde just sat back in her temple and told me to offer more.”

  “I’m surprised there are Lumus missionaries out here. And our local priests let them convert their flock?”

  “Of course they grumble. But they can’t stop them from speaking the truth out in the square. Lumus will share his light with all. Embrace Him, and he shall absolve.”

  Absolve… Forgive… Repent… and it’s always the Light.

  I’m in another world, and yet the faith still echoes, refusing to let me go.

  A few voices joined in from behind me.

  “Those missionaries keep butting into everyone’s business.”

  “We don’t need them.”

  “Pa says our yields are just fine under the Harvest Lady.”

  “And that’s why you’re here in the Adventurer’s Guild?” Thais snapped back.

  “That’s besides the point! Who’s going to bless the crops?”

  I ducked away from the rapidly heating bickering, and looked to Jakon. He was downing another mug of ale, seemingly oblivious to the rising clamor.

  “You’re not from here. What do you think of all this?”

  The large man shrugged, his furs shifting. “Them missionaries come up to the grasslands where the tribes roam. Their words are soft, but can’t deny they’ve got fire.” He jerked his chin to the rising clash of words. “Reckon there’s a fight coming, between the temples.”

  I nodded. So there will be a religious front to this conflict brewing between East and West.

  Murion had mentioned putting plans in place. It would be both ironic and fitting if the Demons were the ones fanning the flames of this missionary thrust.

  It makes our position here even more precarious.

  But first, I need to get out of there. The rising tempers were stirring more flavours into the taste.

  “Uhm… Lady Joan. So how are things going in the Dungeon? Do you think you’ll keep the same pace?” Nathan asked from beside me, having slipped past the religious debate.

  I wanted to dismiss him and tell him I needed to leave before I slaughtered everyone here. But I was stopped by the taste of a distinctly new flavor in the aura of the adventurers surrounding me.

  “Why do you wish to know?”

  “We are just curious. That’s all. Well… we can’t wait to get back.” Nathan answered with a nervous laugh.

  Jakon rolled his eyes. “They’re just making bets on how soon you’ll clear the dungeon.”

  Greed. The taste was savory, not sweet like despair, but it pulled at me nonetheless.

  I wanted to laugh. So it seems I have a craving for all the vices. How truly [Demonic].

  “I see… I couldn’t tell you, since I’ve never done a dungeon dive before. It’s been rather eye-opening.”

  I wasn’t mad that bets were being placed. The men used to do this all the time. They’d bet on all sorts of things, from who’d take the first kill, to who’d step on horse dung. Even death was fair game.

  The memory drew a dry chuckle from my lips. “So, what are the odds on me making it out?”

  The color drained from Nathan’s face. “Umm… we would never…”

  I let my gaze drill into him.

  He shifted uncomfortably. “Six of us put some gold on you… But that’s it. Even after what you did to old Laz.”

  “So I at least have believers.”

  I stood up, and everyone backed away from the table, giving me a wide berth. “I need some fresh air. It’s stuffy here.”

  The giant doors of the main entrance swung open. Zadina rushed in, dressed in her usual pure white with the sunburst emblazoned on her chest. “My Lady, you are here!”

  “I did say two days. Are the rest of the party here? I’d like to get going.”

  Maybe down there, I could siphon enough Soul Points from monsters to sate this hunger. All I needed were the ones with a soul.

  Doesn’t that make me a monster?

  Laughter escaped my lips, and I gestured over to the adventurers surrounding me, all radiating succulent auras. “These men have gold riding on us.”