In the end they were paying for the leasing of up to twenty keys for Kargnia. Not including the conference room. So then why am I back outside maintaining another set of stands.

  “Because everyone knows to come here and not to the dungeon, dear.”

  I give an annoyed look at Mags. Okay, I get that but why the sign for free healing.

  “Need you ask, if healing will help you, why not entice more to come to you.”

  But I can't see the arena being at the bottom of the stands. Everyone is standing in the way.

  “That's fair. Everyone please ensure the [Priestess] has a clear view of the stage, it's the least you can do.”

  The crowd parts a bit and I can see the center of the arena. It will have to do. I met an old woman with a bad back. I soothe her pain, which soothes mine. I look over to the second set of stands and listen to Hecnae berate her trainees.

  “Ya see that set over there. All your complainin’ of being unmanageable as a team of twenty is being done by one wee lass who is busy healin’ geriatrics. You call yourselves dirt knights.”

  The snickering from those seated can only make me smile.

  The Viscount walks to the center of the arena. He faces the nobility and his voice booms outward. Illusion magic amplifies his speech.

  “Welcome all to the nine-hundred-eighty-second tournament of choosing. I just wish to take a mom–”

  I nudge Mags, is this really the number? It seems insane.

  “Does it, dear? The kingdom knighthood actually predates the foundation of Atlas. Whether they inflated the number at some point or another I couldn't say. But their counting hasn't jumped since I started attending.”

  “We have a special treat this year, the winner of the tournament will be given a dragon egg to rear.”

  Qorth could be dragon knight, that is so exciting. I look at Mags and she is decidedly not. I touch her arm.

  “A fear a [Countess] will not be able to claim a dragon knight.”

  Ohhh…

  Fear not, my Lady. I will forfeit the final match.

  You will do no such thing, if you are to be the first vampire knight then let it be atop a dragon. Your service to your house will be but a short portion of your eternity. I can wait.

  Truly mother…thank you.

  I mean who wouldn't want a dragon. I would be a terrible Matriarch to demand one of my daughters to give up such an opportunity. I direct another thought to Qorth.

  Show them why they never should have kicked you out of the knights, Qorth.

  As you demand, my Lady.

  I sit back and do my best to alleviate this old man's arthritis.

  -----

  I kinda feel bad about forcing the group to make sure there was a clear view of the stage. The fights were…slow. They are all probing and feinting and doing it in such a bizarrely slow manner. Best to focus on the healing.

  I pat the Drakenoid who is amazed their scales are back. They give a multitude of thanks that I just smile at. As they leave the next group comes in bearing a stretcher. Rasping breath, amputated limbs, sores all over. I raise an eyebrow.

  “We can't afford any other, please help us.”

  Damn, Mags wandered off. Nothing for it then. I move my hand towards a wound. One of the caregivers grabs my wrist.

  “Are you insane? The curse will transfer to you should you touch him.”

  I give him a toothy smile, he rears back. I place my other hand on one of the open wounds while he is distracted. It pushes into my hand, the others move to stop me. When they touch my arm I compel them to let go. It buys the curse time to go into my body. It wishes to weaken my heart, best of luck at that. Nasty piece of work, I wait until it's fully inside me…I negate it. My personal blood core is down to a tenth. I pull the cloth over my left eye.

  I start drinking from my blood skin, sorry Violet. I couldn't hold off after all. That was a bit much. Granted my curse negation isn't the most efficient but to take that much blood mana to break it. I start taking care of the man's wounds. I just hope my other eyes won't bubble up if I sip through the day. The men come to from their compel daze.

  “How are you alive?”

  Should I not be? I give a head tilt towards the one who spoke.

  “That was healer's bane, a curse that eats life magic. It's considered unnegatable.”

  Why would you bring such to a free clinic…seriously. Hey, Mags or Cecelia I think someone just tried to assassinate me. Cecelia arrives first.

  “Gentlemen, why is it that my daughter thinks you just made an attempt on her life?”

  “What? We tried to stop her from touching him. What fool of a healer would touch someone afflicted by healer’s bane.”

  “If you didn't notice, she is eleven. Exactly what sort of training do you think she has.”

  They pale. I just continue treating the man as I sip my blood. This might be a better show than the knights fighting.

  “Look ma'am, free healing is going to put us honest healers out of business. We just figure she burns her reserves on a hopeless and closed shop for the day. We never imagined she would be able to get past the four of us to infect herself. We will pay whatever restitution you want for your loss.”

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  I look up, make a loud slurp. Then roll my eyes and continue treating the invalid.

  “Treatment costs, funeral costs, truly this was not our goal to kill your daughter.”

  I check my body just in case but nope no curse. I just shrug. I start restoring the missing foot.

  “I very much doubt an honest healer carries around a patient with healer's bane. Seems doubly foolish to bring it to such a crowded venue.”

  Sweetie, could you tell Mags to send some guards to take these fools away. I prefer to watch you in case someone else tries something.

  I smile, sure thing.

  -----

  “Oh, Gregory's round is up.”

  I look up from my work, ‘a weird rash on the underside of this arm and this leg and the small of my back’ to see Gregory facing off against a Croman. I smile, he is going to lose badly.

  “Thats not very nice, Sara.”

  Sorry, just a ‘stats are tyranny’ sort of thing, mom. His opponent is almost tier two.

  She huffs, “It is not insurmountable.”

  Sure but it's not like his opponent isn't also a trained knight. Surprised you got attached, Gregory is a rather prickly personality.

  Prickly personality just took a gut check but managed to back away.

  She shrugs, “He was a perfect gentleman when he was inside your dungeon. At first he was scowling at Qorth when I arrived but something she said to him caused him to be on his best behaviour.”

  He is being picked apart at the moment. What exactly did you tell him, Qorth?

  That she was Cecelia Maxwell, your mother.

  Was it the mother or Maxwell part. I feel Violet would have chimed in something about this. Then labeled it gross. I sigh. Four days at most.

  Gregory takes another blow, intentionally and thrust an elbow at the Croman's neck. The elbow is caught and Gregory is forced to submit.

  Cecelia scowls at that. You will still train him if Mags picks him up?

  “I will train him not to attempt such unsportsmanlike maneuvers.”

  Rashes gone, I raise an eyebrow. I prefer him to win over how sporting he is. My knight should be alive and dishonorable over being dead. She looks at me annoyed.

  “You can be honorable and alive, Sara. If he has no honor, he will betray you to live as well.”

  I give a rather foxish grin to Cecelia. Betraying me is death. She just rolls her eyes at me. Violet would have told me that was cringe. I sip my blood skin a bit morosely at that last thought.

  -----

  Qorth match was the opposite of Gregory's. She easily beat her foe. Granted her foe had no idea where to begin versus a eight legged spider centaur but them's the breaks. And their ribs.

  I removed an ancient splinter from an ancient gnome. There is no greater significance to life than seeing the newest ‘nae thank me. Janae gained a new lease on life as she hobbled away.

  “With that, we conclude the first round. We will begin the next match in an hour.”

  I look and see the line is just as long as before. The stands are emptying though, guess they hunt for food. Not all of us can have a blood skin that fills as needed. Mags finally returns. She is not happy. She leans next to Cecelia.

  “He knows who she is.” Just a whisper.

  He has known since the ball. My name was thrown around enough.

  “Will he attempt something?” Cecelia asks.

  “Not until he returns to his lands. He won't act directly.”

  He'll just update a couple of bounties. I never did ask if assassination guilds were sanctioned by the state.

  Mags looks at me annoyed, “Of course not.”

  I mean the one in Yetna had a state bounty. Is it one of those quasi situations like slavery?

  Sara, your eyes are emerging!

  Sorry mom, being thirsty and angry. That curse ate up almost all of my personal blood core.

  I mentally try to center myself. I sip some more.

  -----

  The Croman who beat Gregory advances. Qorth had to fight an opponent with a life core. They were rather tenacious. But Qorth was systematic. An arm is broken. An arm is healed. A leg broken, a leg healed. Every exchange required healing on her opponent's part. The troll woman conceded after the fifth broken bone healed.

  Another hour until the quarter finals. I look at the line again…and it seems just as long. Exactly how many in Kargnia need minor healing. I huff out a sigh.

  Mags laughs, “I take it as a good sign that your emotions are moving this much again.” She then lifts the cloth covering my right eye, “Only slightly cloudy.”

  That's good news. I pull the cloth back down. Community service for dungeon slaughter. Seems apt.

  The Croman loses their fight. Guess Qorth will not get to avenge Gregory. A tier two human. Could be trouble. Qorth own quarter final match is against an Orc male. He spends the start berating her.

  “‘Sold her heritage’ you think you can stand against me?”

  Qorth simply gets into a low stance ready to shatter a knee.

  “Even if your eyes have changed you still look ready to kill, former sister.”

  She darts forward, he swings down. He aims to crush her. Instead of a knee, she breaks his elbow. It was a fast strike that robbed the orc of his power. He pulls back wincing. His weapon deflected away from him.

  “Yield?”

  The orc just howls and charges forward. He is brought to his knees with a swift blow to the stomach. A follow up smack to the back of his head plants his face into the stone ground. I wince as a tusk snaps. He is unconscious but breathing. Qorth moves on to tomorrow's final.

  -----

  I sit pensively on my throne. Come on come on come on. I watch as Lea's body forms. Her skeleton, her inert organs, her blood, then her flesh and skin covers it all. But is her soul in there?

  “System fucking worm, fucking bitch, I'll fucking kill her, Systems—”

  I am hugging her before she can continue her stream of expletives further. She looks down and pats me on the head.

  “Seems the distraction worked, where is your sister?”

  I look back to the throne and my ears droop.

  She would have been back by now…she didn't last much longer than you did. I hope I only need to wait three more days.

  “Hope? Why only hope.”

  If she is not back in three days it probably means I have to put the dungeon into lockdown…

  “I see…actually why aren't you dying right now?”

  I'm not sure…I'm not an illusion at the moment but…my blood is being oxygenated? How? My ghost maybe…can't test it at the moment. I can at least say it's not oxygenating well. We should go.

  I look once at the throne, hoping. It's answered, unlike Lea, the first thing that appears for my sister is her blood. The eyes floating and then her own open where the head would be. The bones come next. Then what internal organs we have left. Flesh, then skin…ashen. Her body came back dead and in her attendant form...why? Her horn forms as does mine. I rush over to her as Said flickers next to her head.

  “Sister…”

  It's Said who spoke…it's not Said.

  Lets get out of here. She nods.

  -----

  Red has yet to release me from her hug. I pat her on the head.

  -When you hadn't returned right after Lea, I was so worried.

  I huff out a sigh. I wasn't slain until that asshole crushed my blood core. I watch her ears droop at my thought. They aren't back yet. Seems I will need to wait a bit before their return. Actually, I feel something is missing. Where my pet? Red looks away from me.

  “Red.”

  -Well um you see…with you dead I had to give her a home and…um life found a way.

  Life found a way…

  -They have laid a few eggs onto each other. I don't want to separate the mommies.

  I grip the bridge of my nose. Red is going to become a spider pinata no matter what. At least let me have a baby after they are born.

  -After its weened.

  The grip grows harder. They aren't mammals, Red…I see her giving me a rather foxish grin. What else has happened since then?

  -Things, things happened. Uh oh my right eye was all dead like. We concluded that it was because of the dungeon killing.

  Doesn't look dead at the moment. Just a bit cloudy.

  -Seems healing warms our soul. I have been doing a lot of healing the last two days.

  Community service for our dungeon crimes. I bark a laugh at that.

  -That's how I thought of it too.

  I smile, then look at my strangely silent Said…she has no wings and legs…

  -Sister…your teeth are like mine…

  I'm a no tail kitsune then. I had felt something off about my body since the fire core came back. I look at my stats…my physical stats are bleeding ten. I look at my tiny ghost. Not Said.

  -Will you bring her back?

  Would she be the same?

  -She was a piece of our soul, can you tell which piece?

  I could. I cup the ghost and push that bit of me that was her into it. My eyes were closed but when I opened them she was there. Looking rather annoyed.

  “Why am I only a torso, where is my tail?”

  Sorry I lost my cores and apparently our tails. The torso fairy begins smacking my head again with her little fists. Or at least miming it. She had no greater access to magic than I did. I smile.