I continue to roam the ever increasingly dense forest. I would find gatherings of souls and move away from them. Not wishing to add them to myself. Every time I stop there is a bit of rustling near me. The vegetation seems alive.

  “Of course it's alive, idiot.”

  I give an annoyed look at Said. You know what I meant. She just laughs at my consternation.

  I continue my search for guilt free blood. My thirst was maddening. I needed to find something soon.

  Soul lowered to 219

  You have gained [Necromancy Magic] Intermediate 5

  Gain 40 exp

  I picked up a scent near a ravine. It seems rather large. I creep forward, my eight legs carrying me quietly. Down by the water, I spy it.

  ? ? Drake

  Its soul was only slightly bigger than mine. It is drinking from the river. An ambush then? A ray of light to bisect a wing perhaps. I can't let it escape after all. If I landed on its back I could thrust my legs into it and start drinking my fill immediately. Yes. Let's do that. I creep to an overhang. Slowly. Quietly. No giggles. Alright just wait for the opportune moment.

  It doesn't come. A vine lashes around my throat. My attempt to reach for it fails as I am arrested by more vines. Before I can understand what is happening I am bound and being pulled back into the forest. Deeper.

  -----

  I continued my struggle as I hoisted into a grove full of flowers. I can hear something growing behind me. I turn my head, the tree has grown a rather sharp looking spike. I redouble my efforts. Vines and tendons begin to snap but not before the wicked branch slams into my back. It snaps against my spine. The skin is torn but the bone holds.

  “That won't do.”

  The tree spike threads around my spine piercing through my flesh while avoiding the metal. I scream. It stops.

  “Your voice, how very peculiar. A flower that grows out of a spider.”

  Fighting for lucidity. I push my undeath into the wood. Its own vitality fights against it. It's not working. After killing so many trees, is this revenge?

  “Such strong bones, but not so strong cartilage.”

  The wood twists and my spine is separated. I can't feel anything below my waist. My eye searches for the assailant the voice belongs to. The next time it speaks, she is next to my ear.

  “Now that you're suitably subdued, do tell me what [A Lady of the Plains] is doing hunting in my forest.”

  My eyes snap to the voice.

  ? ? Dryad, Lady of the Forest

  Her soul was three times my own. How did I not notice her before?

  “Because I didn't want you too.”

  And she can hear my thoughts.

  “I apologize for intruding, I was not intending to encroach on your territory, I simply need to drink.”

  Soul lowered to 218

  You have gained [Necromancy Magic] Intermediate 6

  Gain 40 exp

  “You're cannibalizing your own soul to keep moving that body.” She tilts her head, “Ah not your soul afterall, if we wait long enough will these eyes of theirs fade out.” She pokes a set. Then her grin grows. She slowly drags them to my eyes. I don't understand. She pushes them in.

  The tree releases me. I'm suddenly looking out of my thigh. My gaze pans to my arms. I watch as my top left arm sprouts feathers. My other lower arms pull in as does my legs along with my abdomen. Soon the body lifts itself, though only to find the talons below useless. My gaze is pulled upwards to the dryad. There is a babble of screeches. Seems I'm unsure what's going on. Unsure why I was missing a wing. Unsure where I am. I watch myself think all these things but I'm not in control.

  “Most interesting, a harpy now. Now where did the previous one go?”

  The body stiffens at the words. There is a feeling of sedateness flowing through it. The dryad is scanning the body. Looking at the various eyes until she is staring at mine.

  “Ah there you are, spider. As much fun as it would be to have you walk out as a harpy. She doesn't have your flower.”

  Suddenly I am looking through my own eyes again. The body reshifts. The wounds are still there.

  Soul lowered to 217

  You have gained [Necromancy Magic] Intermediate 7

  Gain 40 exp

  I am on my side.

  “Ah that's no fun, you were able to snap back in before I could try different sets of eyes. I was so curious what would happen if you were half you and half a baby chick.”

  My eyes widen as she reaches to another set and rips it half. I scream at the pain. She laughs and pulls it over my left eye.

  Damn this predator. My body shifts from eight legs of points to four legs with hooves. Fur begins to cover my torso. I glare with one eye and panic in the other. I can feel my mind begin to devolve. This predator needs to die. No. I can't lose myself. This causes laughter from the dryad. I look up.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Can't lose yourself? You've lost so much of yourself it's absurd.”

  She flicks the stag's eye away. My body collapses again. Instead of the spider, I have returned to my default body. The illusion is no longer capable of handling the strain.

  “Ah there you are, if I should move the souls now, do you think it will be permanent?”

  She reaches for a set of eyes on my shoulder. They slowly shift to my face. My panic grows as they inch towards my own eyes. Again it's pushed in.

  My eyes gaze into cloth. Is this what the other souls existances are inside me? Are they aware? I hear myself cry out shrilly.

  “This body doesn't shift itself as readily, O be quiet little birdy. Now where are you?”

  The cloth blocking my gaze is torn away. I see the dryad peer into me.

  Soul lowered to 216

  You have gained [Necromancy Magic] Intermediate 8

  Gain 40 exp

  I’m back in control. Not that it matters any. I'm so damn thirsty. But I need to know.

  “How?”

  “Hmmmm?”

  She scans my body. Looking for a new set of eyes to play with.

  “How did you speak without desire?”

  “I never speak without desire. I simply can direct who hears my desire.”

  “I don't understand.”

  “Disappointing. But you seem incapable of controlling your desire. Moving the various bits of you to the front is becoming dull. Your soul is breaking pieces to return you before any more fun can be had. This conversation is just not amusing anymore. Now what to do with you, trespasser. As tempting as it is to kill you, that would be ruining the fun of my sisters. One gave you a voice, one gave you a core. I feel kinda left out. Maybe it's your turn to give back?”

  “What would you have of me?” I huff out. Fearing what she will ask.

  She doesn't ask. She places a hand at my throat. Her fingers dig into me and burrow downward. I want to scream but nothing comes out. The fingers grab something and it's pulled out. The orb in her hand swirls with both blood red and green black.

  “This will do.” She stares at the orb. Her mouth opens and she swallows the core. “Yes this will do. Oh my, this thirst. Is this why you came here? I can feel its hunger.”

  She places a hand on me and pushes the cold mana into me. Grinning. My skin grows more ashen. The muscles wither. Then she seals the hole in my chest. My thirst grows again. I can barely think beyond finding blood. I watch as the vibrant greens on her become ashy black.

  “A most interesting new experience. Now to satisfy it.” The fingers once again pierce my arm. They pull my blood into her. She frowns. “Why does this not satisfy me? Answer me.”

  “You're not me.” I answer in a monotone.

  She begins to laugh, her body further blackening. “I have irrevocably changed myself but I lack a necessary part. But your soul has it.” She grabs at the air, catches a twisting Said. “Ah little one, you've been hiding for so long. If I eat you, will I be able to satisfy this hunger.”

  Nooooo, that's my bit of soul. She laughs as she looms over me. Taunting me. She slowly brings Said to her mouth. I watch in horror. She eats her. My soul burns. Horns begin to form on the dryad forehead as she laughs.

  My thirst forgotten, I opened my status window. I push the execute button. The light ray shoots out of my chest and through hers. She falls over gasping. She is next to me. I pull myself onto her and bite her throat. Damn her.

  Unable to apply temporary stats

  She grows weaker as I satisfy my thirst. The notification keeps popping up. I don't care. Said is in her and I will take her back from her desiccated corpse.

  Gained 639 exp from Dryad, Lady of the Forest

  Title [A Lady of the Plains] changes to [Laughing Demon of Atlas]

  Laughing Demon of Atlas - Your dominion grows but it is as disjointed as your soul. You can sense other titled monsters near your domains. All monsters in your domain bow to you or challenge you.

  I need to find Said. I consume the soul. My mind blanks.

  -----

  I live the life of a flower. A hundred years before I could move. So many died for my curiosity. I learned, grew, killed and grew more. Till my latest snack burnt a hole through my chest.

  I was rather careless. Now I am the weed that wandered into my garden. The foolish child blew out the core in my former chest. Makes me regret severing her spine. Now I can't move my legs. Where is Said? She is still in me, absurd. I control this body now. The arm pushes up my body. I didn't do that. I feel a bit of my soul being grasped. There. Stop it, you're just an echo. I scream.

  -----

  You have gained [Fastidious Soul Eater] Intermediate

  Intermediate - Devoured souls can only claim one of your attentions. Do regain control before they do

  I feel my soul reverberate at the pain. It clamps down on my rebellious part. Making it me. Or it makes me her. I don't care, I simply look up waiting, hoping. Said reforms.

  “Idiot, why did you wait so long to do that?” I smile as she admonishes me.

  “Sorry, my mind couldn't focus with my thirst raging.” I apologize. Said simply hrrmps at me.

  “You were supposed to fix your body, not damage it more.” She said to me, brazen little me speaking so to me. I giggle.

  It is a problem though. My blood core is gone. Will it come back? Doesn't matter. At the moment I can't stand up. I should be able to puppet my body through my blood. Like when I controlled that one Elf. It doesn't respond. I look at my status screen. All the blood skills are greyed out. I lost my blood core and now I can't use its magic? I see the other greyed out magics. Mental, fire, arcane, void, soul. Did I truly have all those cores before? So then the blood core was gone for good then. I never regained the others.

  Soul lowered to 502

  You have gained [Necromancy Magic] Intermediate 9

  Gain 40 exp

  I raised my left arm. It's grey, withered and dead. I don't think I can revive without the core. Maybe Rin? I grow vines out of my torso. They wrap around my body, protecting my modesty. I laugh, bizarre to finally care about such. Damn myself. Why I ripped my robe off myself. I lash more vines around my legs. They tighten around them and I flex them to stand. It hurts but it works. Absurd to lose the ability to move my legs but still feel pain in them. I can only hope it's a good sign.

  I found the remains of my robe. I slip it on and use my vines to pull the tatters together. It will have to do. My pardon is still intact at least.

  I slowly walk towards the plains. I can sense it now. My lurching grows more refined as I go. The vines position themselves better to force the movement. The less I think about it the more natural it is.

  -----

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

  I sit at the edge of the forest. The edge of my domain. I could go back. Resume my place. Perhaps I could become a tree that waters itself in the blood of foolish travelers.

  “That sounds boring.”

  I smile at Said. It shouldn't be long now. A certain Dwarf wanders down the road. Said darts out to him. He is surprised to see her, they come to me.

  “Mourns, why'd you leave without me?”

  “The [Baron] didn't seem to be happy with my presence.”

  Stone nods at that. Then he becomes confused.

  “You look like hell. You spoke without bewitchin’.”

  I smile at that. Then wince.

  Soul lowered to 501

  No more necromancy levels? I feel a bit of the dryad burn away. I'm rather upset at that part of myself. It's the least I can do to make up for it. I giggle.

  “Mourns?”

  “She needs you to bring her to Rin. She lost access to her blood magic and can't revive herself.” Said speaks for me.

  “You're undead then.” I nod to his words, “Fark Mourns, I don't think I could get you by the barrier.”

  I speak while keeping the desire to myself. “I can wait outside the barrier, while you bring Rin to me.”

  “I can do that but Intong isn't near a forest. You're going to be slain the moment you're spotted.”

  “Then I will wait at the forest edge.”