This is a daily reminder: You have 384 unallocated stat points

  I scream. No why. Why did I? There were so many. They were just monsters. But they were families. I loved each other. I ate people. But they were just trying to survive. I was right to worry about attacking caravans. I hide my shame behind my wing. Rin wakes next to me. She gasps. The long ears are quite good, they always are in their prime. I hold my head with my left hand while my right wing covers me.

  “Sar? What's going on, why do you?”

  I screech. She covers her ears. Glindinal runs over to me and covers my mouth. I am tempted to take her delicious fingers…stop it. I huff out a moan. Their memories. I was every member of their flock. Why do I eat souls just to remember their pain? I had revelled so much in their blood. Now I just loath what I have done. What I am.

  “Are you done wailing? Some of us like to sleep, you know.” Glindinal growls out.

  “Sar…your arm came back as a wing.” Rin points out the new addition.

  I look at my new appendage. I couldn't restore my arm before. Not without undoing my ears. Now it's a harpy wing. It has feathers from all my flock. I can feel more tears.

  “Why are you bleeding from your…are you absorbing it?” Glindinal shouts.

  “You know her blood is a slime. Nothing wasted for the dramatic.” Said chimes in.

  “My flock…” I murmur.

  “Flock?” Rin asks.

  “Her memories are still jumbled from all her feasting.” Said waxes.

  “Shit, why is my escape tied to this devourer? I pity you Randinrin, you have to follow its orders.” Glindinal bemoans.

  “She's not an it, she's Sar.”

  “You're such a coward Rin, if you wish to call it by its name at least say it in full. Sarcea.” Glindinal mocks her.

  I look up from my wing. There is no previous state to revert to. My soul knows my Elven arm is gone. But I can't keep this harpy one either. “It's Aurora, get Stone.”

  Rin gets up and goes.

  “You're just like her when you do that. Same look.”

  I glare at Glindinal.

  -----

  Rin comes in followed by Stone. Glindinal has returned to her bed.

  “Ack I knew I gave ya permission to get creative but a wing?” Stone asks rather incredulously.

  “She wants you to cut it off.” Said zips by.

  “Girlie, you keep removin’ the thing you're goin’ to get used to it bein’ gone.”

  I give a steady look at the Dwarf while Rin begins to panic. Before he can say more I am twirled around by Glindinal.

  “Are you insane? No no stupid question. Are you just stupid? If you revert your ear, you could just slowly change it back. We can lay low while you fix yourself, fool.”

  I glare at Glindinal, “Cut it off.” We don't have time for me to recover, the scouts are dead. I pull the blood from my wing. It shrivels and dies. It hurts but I just stare at Glindinal.

  She relents and pushes me down onto the bed, gripping my withered wing. She motions to Rin who holds my other shoulder down. I mentally prepare myself as the grim face Dwarf walks up. His knife at the ready.

  -----

  I sit huddled in the caravan covered cart. The others are outside patrolling. They were hired as guards. I was just a one arm, one cat ear, one eyed basic mage. A spear laid against my left shoulder. Sitting next to a barrel of harpy blood. A water skin repurposed for blood was at my waist. It doesn't taste great when they are dead. Found that out after taking a bit from sealing over my stump.

  I look at my loss. I killed them for their right feet. I…They had started to get bold. Attacking caravans instead of goblins. Got the attention of the city. There was a request for extermination, two small gold for proof of the nest's destruction. I thought it was easy money. I lost an arm. No, I decided my ear change was more important a disguise than restoring an arm. Then I removed it again.

  Out of guilt? Shame? I was told death was just a cycle. We die, our Tapestry is reborn, we live again. Ready for a new Lark. But do those I eat get rebirth? I look up, my Tapestry now speckled with my victims. It's not as pretty as before. My mundane eyes can no longer see all the colors. They had family, they were a flock.

  At some point my soul tethers got snapped. Perhaps while I was sleeping. I hope their Tapestry return. The captain was a bully but they were only trying to return me. They were out to capture me, not kill. Yet I ended them, puppeted them. I didn't feel the remorse I do now for my flock. Suppose I would have if I had eaten their souls.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  The caravan trundles through the mountains.

  -----

  “How are you doing, Aurora?”

  I give a weak smile to Rin. It's nice hearing my name. I shouldn't have given it out. There was a bit of a lull. Apparently a rock slide needs clearing. I get up.

  “Are you sure?”

  I wave her off. I had set my false soul to show my second set of levels. Few would bat their eyes at a tier two moving rocks with dirt mana.

  “Is there anything I can assist you with, my Lady?”

  “I was actually here to help you, it's not much but I can move boulders.” Said speaks while transparent on my shoulder. I cover my mouth.

  “We won't turn down free help” The Elf says, her eyebrow raised at my subtle subterfuge.

  I give a smile to the Elven caravan driver. I start pushing boulders out of the path. It helps keep my mind off things. My mana doesn't move much from the effort. Ill gotten gains. It doesn't take long with my assistance. There was plenty of thanks to be given. It felt good. Perhaps I should focus on that.

  I return to my spot in the covered cart. No one had bothered my stuff. I sit back down. The happy memories. Flying was great. The communal spirit. I would huddle close during storms. There was such warmth. The meals were far better than salad. Biting into a haunch of flesh freshly ripped from a bipedal's corpse. My mind blanks for a moment. Bipedal…I look in my covered cart. It is full of all sorts of bipedals.

  No different. My body is different. It has different needs. Just because my jewelry prevented me from digesting raw meat doesn't mean I would enjoy it more than salad. Anything would be more enjoyable than salad though. Stop it. My stomach growls. Traitor. I take a sip from my water skin. My hunger settles but my curiosity doesn't.

  A distraction, yes, I need one. I open my status screen and pull up Ray of Light in my compiler. Curious name but I can change my spells here and check if they will run.

  First off, Ray of Light fired out of my chest of all things. Guess if the ‘program’ didn't specify how it was targeted it would simply shoot from my center of being. Lets see, emit from the left hand pointer finger. Hmmm I only have one hand though. Can't both execute and point at the same time. Well I could but it would be awkward. A delay? Not much better of an option to be honest. Truly I wish I could just fire the thing off without using the status screen. How bout, activate when I point. Doesn't compile.

  I think about it some more. My biggest problem was that it literally fired through my chest. I should be able to cast anywhere in my aura. Alright how bout if it was just fired in front of my chest. That way I could at least be pointed in the right direction. It compiled. But I can't test it in here. I fiddle some more. Grateful I hadn't attempted water ray in the fight. Flooding my chest cavity sounds awful.

  You have gained [Magical Math] Apprentice 1

  Apprentice - you can use advance mana as an input type

  Gain 10 exp

  I frown at that. I could already put converts into the programs. Perhaps it will reduce activation time. That at least is something. Less lines, more efficient. My soul shudders at that. But why? Nevermind. Lets at least update the spells that use one type. I frown. Only cover and water ray use one type of advanced magic. I could make a lightning ray…do I need to say what the ray type is? I mean if the mana type is specified as the input, shouldn't it carry through the entire program? I write the spell Ray. It compiled. I smile, less lines.

  You have gained [Magical Programming] Apprentice 1

  Apprentice - Gesture casting unlocked, requires full attention to engage

  Gain 10 exp

  …Can I use my finger after all? Full attention? Like the separate mind skill. My other half probably referred to that skill. But it was separate minds not bodies. I only hope the answer is there.

  Back to my distraction. Lets see the Ray spell with the gesture of a finger pointing. I so want to try it. The caravan stops. The exit of the covered wagon is dark. Good distraction. Everyone gets up and heads out. I follow suit.

  There are some fires being made. I wander over to Stone and the others.

  “Ah, I heard no screams so I assume your ride was uneventful.”

  I frown but nod. He is starting to work a fire. I don't have fire magic to help. Light magic would just shoot through it. I sat down next to his pit, opposite of him. Rin comes over with something. She hands me a rather sturdy piece of square. I look up questioningly.

  “Hardtack, you eat it. Though I suggest wetting it first.”

  She demonstrates with a cup. I shrug and dribble a bit of blood on mine. Making sure it doesn't fall off. Rin looks a bit queasy

  “Mourns, most don't like the look of blood, much less someone using it like a condiment.”

  I bite my hard tack, Said speaks. “That's silly, Rin is a blood mana priestess, she literally has to have people drink her blood to heal with.”

  A smack from behind my head happens after Said finishes talking. I turn around to glare at Glindinal.

  “There are plenty of ears here who can hear you, idiots.”

  I pale at that, “Sorry.” I mumble.

  “And no talking from you.” She says in a hushed voice.

  Another frown but that's fair. My voice is causing more problems. I sigh, and nibble on the hardtack. In a way it's soothing. Grinding it against my razorsharps. It's just me and this rock.

  “Must have been boring in the wagon.” Rin says.

  I smile, “Worked on some spells. She got some new tier skills.”

  Said you need to say I when talking incognito for me. I hear a huff. You know I could try my new spell outside.

  “Demonstration.”

  I point my arm out to the left. My finger points at that tree, channel water mana, should at least not cause a commotion. I focus on activating it. The water shoots out from the center of my chest into Stone and his fire. My eyes widened. I forgot to change where it would fire from.

  “Fark Mourns, pull your mana out of it. My poor fire is out.”

  I do so. “She wishes to apologize for being a nit.”

  “That would imply she plans to stop being one.” He growls. It causes laughter from Glindinal while Rin is confused. Glindinal leans over and whispers to Rin who then starts laughing as well. I frown, it would appear that I am hopeless. I nibble some more and work on my program, my cheeks heated from embarrassment.

  -----

  I return to the wagon. I sit next to my barrel. Another two days until we cross the border. Hard tack is nice. I miss meat. Next time I kill a monster I need to take a bite as well as a sip. Just to know. Does undead meat taste different? Probably. It is rotten after all. I'll have to eat another soul just to test. I shudder knowing I will. I don't have to be the one to kill it though. But the one who kills gets the choice of the first part. I shudder. That's a harpy custom, not an adventurer. Adventurer custom likely is a question of coin. So monster meat. Best not to confirm on people though. I gulp. I lay back against the fabric and try my best not to think about it.