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

  12-12 13-12-1706

  …

  New diary again. I found an Axen last night. Or three. The first one's anger was exquisite. It was hard to not drink him fully. But I managed. The second was fearful. It was younger. It is a bit distressing that fear tastes better than anger. I must admit that one ended up going into my stomach. The third was unaware completely. I simply filled my barrel with him. His lack of emotion actually made me feel bad. Stone demanded we bring the bodies back in one piece. He left without me while I fumed. It was rather rude. I still wonder what they taste like.

  We will be setting out for Kargnia next. I hope I learn something there.

  I find writing with this hand is a little off, I have to grip tighter then what I am used to.

  …

  -----

  “So how was cow dreams?” Glindinal asks.

  “Grass and rutting. Sometimes I fought over who got to rut."

  “Ah no were ladies? Where the fun if not rutted over.”

  I give an annoyed look at Glindinal. Said floats over, “None were ladies.”

  “That what I said.” The fairy just shakes her head at the Elf.

  Rin laughs at it all. It's nice. We head out of our rented rooms in the guild hall. I had enough for separate rooms for us all. Then Glindinal requested to be in my room. Which caused Rin to ask the same. I made sure there were three beds at least.

  Waking up before them gave me time to wipe myself down. Found out my right arm has a thin layer of blood coating it. That it doesn't soak the bandages is weird but that's slime blood for you.

  I knock on Stone's door. No answer. I look at Said. She floats in. I hear a pew pew followed by a bevy of curses. Hopefully she used water mana. Said flies through the door followed by the Dwarf.

  “Bloody hells, Mourns. Damn ya to ‘em for wakin’ me before I was ready.”

  I smile, “The day is a wasting.”

  He slammed the door in my face but I can hear him getting his gear on. We walked down to the food hall. Glindinal waves a four at the Elf. He nods as we sit.

  “Didn't need to get me one.”

  “What, you still eat don't you. How many meals have you had that weren't salad?”

  I grimace, “I had a hardtack. O and soup.”

  She gives me a pitying look. The plates arrive as Stone does. His mood is still sour. I give a large silver to the Elf. He brings back eight smalls. I look at the plate before me. It has a gelatinous yellow mixture with some golden brown wedges to the side. These were accompanied by three tubes of grey brown…meat? I wasn't sure. I poked at it while the others tucked right in. Glindinal notices my hesitance.

  “O just try it already.”

  I give her an annoyed look but shrug and try some of the yellow stuff. I smile, definitely better than salad. I take my time but it's gone before I am full. I tried the grey tube things next and the cooked meat was great and all but it's not as delightful as the raw of my memory. Though I suppose my palate might be different. I will need to take down an axen while Stone isn't watching.

  I watch the others use their hands for the wedges. I shrug and follow suit…this stirred something within my soul. I nibble at it while just relishing it. It was like a forgotten memory. It was gone before I knew it. I felt a bit empty afterwards. I wonder if I could…I feel a poke in my side.

  “Gah…what?”

  “Time to go, you went and drifted off there, Mourns.” Stone says. Rin was laughing behind a hand while Glindinal was beaming a smile of see things can be better than salad. While walking out, I walk over to Glindinal.

  “Is there a way to buy more of that golden brown stuff?”

  “Golden brown…bread Aurora, it's called bread.” She says with a bit of exasperation.

  I nod, “Sure, bread. Can we get more?”

  “Ain't no bakery here. Kargnia is big enough for one though.” Stone intones.

  I'm a bit deflated at that. I hear some footsteps from behind. I turn to see the Elf carry something wrapped in napkins.

  “I baked too much today. Here, enjoy.” He puts the bundle in my hand and heads back to his counter. I can smell the bread in it. I smile and give a bit of a head nod towards the kind Elf.

  -----

  After loading the cart the grumbling Stone starts pulling it again. We walked past the fountain. Each of us touched the stone on it. When my turn came I felt a bit of a connection to it. For a brief moment I felt I was in the vicinity of a titled monster. I frown at that.

  “What wrong?” Rin asked.

  I shake my head. “I'll tell you after we are out of town.”

  She nods at that. I keep walking. No longer full of shooting pain. We pass a new set of guards at the southern end of the village. They seemed happy to see us go. The walk out was quiet. There was no barrier stopping me this time. Definitely not losing this card.

  -----

  “We are far away now.”

  I smile as Said looks frazzled at Rin. “When I touched the fountain it felt like I was next to a titled monster.”

  “So it's true then, the fountains are built over titled monster corpses.” Stone says as he pulls the cart. I shiver at his words. I myself carried such a title.

  “How long till Kargnia?” I say as I trot up next to the Dwarf.

  “At our pace I say we be campin’ for two days.” I frown at his words. “Wot?”

  “Nothing, Arccor got to the plains of Kargnia in a week. I feel we are so much slower.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “We ain't running there, if that's what ya mean. Lest ya forget, ya took an extended stay at the border. I was mighty nervous whateva pursuit ya had would find and demand ya.” He gave a shudder at that. I joined him in his shiver.

  “You know what happen to Arccor?” Rin asked.

  “Happened, happened.” Said beats on Rin's head, trying to force the better diction in.

  “Happened.” Rin repeats.

  Before I could respond, Glindinal spoke up, “He was missing when I left, right?”

  Her words come out smoothly. Guess she has progressed. I smile, then sour at what I have to say. “I ate his soul…or I think I did. I don't remember doing it. He almost took over my body when I woke up. I ended up cutting some of his memory out of me. Then I cut almost all of it except for his final conversation with mother.”

  Rin looks at me aghast while Glindinal simply asks another question, “Why did you do that?”

  I point to above my head, “His memories dominated my Tapestry, I couldn't see mother with such a thing. I had to remember just the important parts.”

  “Which were?” She asks, probing.

  “That beyond Kargnia, in the plains I had another half. That I ate three princesses. That I was under her control so long as I was fed or unharmed by her. And after I gave birth to the princesses I would be killed and reborn until my soul was truly an Elf.”

  “Seeing what she done to ya, not sure how ya were considered unharmed.” Stone quipped.

  “You mean the memory removal.” Glindinal asked.

  “No, I am talking about the three nails driven into Mourn's head. She still gots a lens on her left eye that lets the bitch up north spy on her.” Stone says with a growl.

  “She does?” Rin says with a shake.

  “The nails were removed.” I tell her, hoping it will calm her.

  “But not the lens, explains the eyepatch. Why the hell was that left behind? Is that why your eyes match hers for a bit?”

  I nod to Glindinal words, “I can see through her eye as well as the other way around. She knows I know but at least I know she is still in the castle.” At that we walk in silence.

  -----

  I feel my blood passive let go of my ear. I smile. It’s finally mine. I go to change the other but then pause. Nose first. Hunting would be so much easier with the nose. Kind of tempted by the eye but no, the nose. If I can find axen or rabbits that will be far superior to running into goblins. I made the change. And pull in the scents far farther than my soul sense. I grimace a bit at all the animal and goblin markings but I also catch a whiff of fresh bread. It is at the edge of my smelling range but we are walking towards it.

  I take a swig of the blood to correct my thirst. Grimace again. I can taste it better now but it's still dead blood.

  “What's wrong, you're making faces.”

  I look at Stone, “I just set my nose to the spider's one and it made me taste more of the blood.”

  “Thought ya love the stuff, ya're practically shooting out euphoria every time ya drink it.”

  “Only from the living. This I feel will sustain me but there is no joy in it.” He blanches a bit at the words. “Sorry.”

  He waves me off, “As long as it's not me or my own, I'm not worried about ya preferring fresh. How are the legs?”

  “Better, they only have a dull ache now. Want to switch out? I think I could handle pulling for a bit.”

  “Ain't goin’ to turn down an offer like that. Have at it.” He lets go of the handles. There a thud and a bit of an annoyance yelped out.

  Glindinal pokes her head over the lip. “What was that for?”

  “Eh, takin’ advantage of my kindness don't mean I have to tell ya when it ends.” He says aloofly.

  She follows him with a glare as I lift the handles and begin pulling. It hurts a bit more but I can handle it. I watch a snow flake fall down. I find it calming. I continue to pull the cart.

  -----

  More wood is thrown on the fire. The blaze is an inferno. The pile of wood we had gathered was monstrous. The snow had thickened beyond the small motes I saw when I started pulling. We sat in an alcoved shaped by dirt magic. The others stayed near the fire and each other. Stone sat alone. He simply had a bemused look at our shivering.

  “Its just a wee bit of weather, no need to make a fuss.”

  With a chatter Rin spoke up, “We're just tier ones, I'm glad Rora found some rabbits.”

  I had pointed them out to Said as I pulled the cart. She had made a bubble of water mana over their face to drown them. I felt it was rather heartless. She simply told me it was the easiest thing to do while she was outside my mana aura range. She did have to wait for others to collect her kills.

  “Are we going to be okay?”

  “Ah it will blow itself out soon. May hap ya use that wood power of yours to change the wheels to rails.”

  I frown at that, “I can only affect living wood. Fancy trying to remove the wheel and fitting on these rails you speak of?”

  “Ah, na. I'm an adventurer not a crafter.”

  “The same.”

  He shrugs, “As I said, this will blow out soon. It ain't a worry.” He tosses a bit more wood on the inferno. His looking at the sky makes me wonder if perhaps he doesn't believe his own words.

  I'm squeezed before I can question him further.

  “You'll stay warm for me right, no trying to be undead to hide from the cold.” Glindinal looks up at me.

  “Sure.”

  She scrunches her brow at my casual use of my voice. She seems tempted but decides to not try to risk a kiss. Better to bury her body against my left side for warmth. Rin had tried my right side but found that arm to be colder than the snow. She had to settle for the left side of Glindinal instead. Perhaps that was the greater reason for not trying to steal a kiss. It's cold enough to not have to endure the withering stare of the [Junior Priestess].

  -----

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

  …

  14-12-1706

  …

  Turns out Stone can't predict the weather, along with not being a crafter. The snow keeps coming. Stone and I have had to knock down another tree to keep the fire going. At least water mana allows the manipulation of all things wet. Dry wood burns better.

  …

  -----

  “Just another day, surely.” Stone stammers near the fire.

  Both Rin and Glindinal glare at him for his words. I just stare to the south. I feel a poke at the side. I look at the poker.

  “You still want to keep moving, don't you.” Glindinal asks with a shiver.

  “Want can't change the situation.” I murmur back.

  -----

  The snow lessens but still falls. I look to the sky. Instead of dark clouds its grey clouds. The sun is trying to burn its way through the cloud and failing. A bit of dirt trembles down. Stone looks up at our dirt hovel.

  “Need to clear the snow again.”

  I frown. My reserves were being worn from this. So was his. Rin was already tapped from using fire magic. Glindinal said she could move water forever. I was skeptical.

  “How bad would it be to try to make progress?”

  “You want to expose ‘em to the elements? I'd be fine and ya be undead but they won't bounce back from that.”

  I frown at that. I check the air. Smells like snow for miles. Except for where the bread was.

  “Do barriers prevent snow?”

  “If the lord sets it so. Ain't a good idea less you got the citizenry to power it.”

  “I think Kargnia is doing that.”

  He nods at that. Looking at the two shivering Elfs, I get up. Glindinal looks a bit incense, when Rin speaks. “Rona?”

  “I smell a great deal of wet fur, I'm hoping it can help keep you warm.” They shiver but nod at my words.

  “Ya sure girlie? Ya not got the best record goin’ solo.” He asks with a bit of concern.

  “I'll be careful.”

  I walk out in steady falling snow. I clear the accumulation off the top of our shelter and head towards the wet fur.

  Said flies beside me. I look back. I can't see the hovel.

  “Do it.”

  She gives a concerned look but boops my nose.

  My body shifts back to the spider. My legs scream in pain. I hold it in as I hug myself. Slowly the body dies. It's still as injured as before but at least the spine is connected. The holes in my body are shallower. I can feel them slowly filling. My right arm seems stuck as just a metal skeletal hand with claws, though. I can feel my undeath draining. Seems my giant…I'm even bigger. Why?

  “Stop wasting time, idiot.”

  I look at Said. Fine. I begin moving towards the wet fur. I wince.

  Soul lowered to 485

  And now I frown. My body is too large to be fueled by my core. I continue to pace through the snow. My legs sink up to their first joint in the snow. But over all, my movement is slowed more by my pain than the snow. The thirst grows as the blood mana slowly fixes the body.

  -----

  74 Wooly Hound

  The creature was looking right at me. Its snarl caused me to freeze a bit. Its fur was a white soggy wet carpet draped down to its four paws? I wasn't quite sure with all its matted fur. Something about his glare at me gives me pause. My soul freezes at the long snout that huffs then charges. I do nothing as I am bowled over. I scream as it bites down on my left shoulder. Its claws dig into my front.

  Why am I so afraid? It's not an aura. Then why. More pain. Damn it. I flood the area with my own horror aura. The beast loosened its jaw a bit. I take my skeletal right arm and drive its claws into the creature's chest. It tries to tear my shoulder as it squirms but my hand digs deeper. It takes everything to mentally not shut down. But I reach its heart and squeeze.

  82 exp from Wooly Hound

  I slowly pry the jaws off me and stare at the beast.

  “Why are we scared of dogs?” Said asks.

  I don't know. I pull in the blood, letting it finally revive this body. My mind blanks as I cross the threshold of undead and living.