The troll guild master peers at me. “Any idea how long you plan on staying this time, She who Mourns.”

  “Until I conquer Gadvak.”

  Her eyebrow twitches, “There is a registration fee for the attempt. You're going to be locking out the dungeon should you succeed.”

  “How much?”

  “Two thousand large gold, it's a deposit the other adventurers claim as compensation during lockdown. Don't expect any of it to be returned. Every adventurer will come and claim compensation for the duress of it being down for three days. Whether they actually delved the dungeon or not.”

  I frown at that, I need another two hundred large.

  “How am I going to gather that amount of gold?”

  “Your not, you fucking twit. No one pays that, they sell the core they claim.”

  “I'm there for the core.” I pause, "Only one?”

  “Well then you got a fucking monetary issue there, Mourns. Yes, only one. Dungeon bosses only have a single core.”

  I frown at that. “Pretty sure they have multiple.”

  “Of course they do, but they disappear at the removal of one. Unless you lash 'em down and try to take ‘em while they are still alive. Not suggested by the way, the dungeon is likely to collapse on you should you try that.”

  I roll my eyes, “Fine, do you know which cores can be gained from Gadvak?”

  “Arcane, fire, dirt, lightning, life, and light.”

  I feel I need to replace the ones I am missing before branching out.

  “Do you know of dungeons that have mental or void?”

  “What are you planning on using those two for?” The guild master squints at me.

  “To replace the ones I lost in myself.”

  “The void will kill you, Mourns.” She glares at me.

  “Doesn't seem to stop me.” I return the glare.

  “I recall, I was the one who documented your execution, Mourns.” She gives a sigh, “The void core is going to separate every piece of your being. Which are you planning on sticking into yourself from Gadvak?”

  “The fire.”

  “Roasted alive as well. This seems to be ill advised.”

  “The guild must know what resist level is necessary to succeed at implanting those cores.” Stone grumbles.

  The troll woman shifts her glare to him, “Sure, third evolution. Fancy on torturing the girl yourself, Stone Cleaves for Profit.”

  “She does that herself.” Glindinal huffs from the back of the room.

  “Aye Glindinal, you have the right of it when it comes to Mourns.” I raise an eyebrow to that. “What?”

  “The first time you used a name and not the moniker.”

  “She an Elf, that is the moniker she registered under about what?”

  Glindinal rolls her eyes, “Six thousand or so years ago.”

  “But Rin had…”

  “I know what she chose, I remember my Larks, Sara. Unlike some people.”

  “Are you annoyed you aren't fucking cause I'm getting weird tension here.” The guild master earns the ire of Glindinal.

  “Don't be pointin’ out the awkwards, Winctal.” Stone chides.

  “Whatever, they should fight or fuck. You planning on opening the clinic again?”

  “I like to set it up as free to entice more people.”

  “We don't do free here, Mourns.” The guild master glares at me.

  “Ya well, most are going to turn away after seeing who I am.”

  “Being the [Laughing Demon] is a problem. I'll think of something.”

  “What's a demon?” Glindinal asks.

  “[English] for devourer.” Winctal points out. She sees my astonishment. “I don't speak it but plenty of assholes were asking the same question after your execution.” So the city knows I eat souls. I start to shudder. Then a titter comes out.

  “That’s just great, I thought they all hated me because of Yetna.” More gasps of laughter, “Turns out they really do know how much of a monster I am.”

  “What you did in Yetna already made you a monster.” Winctal scoffs.

  I giggle, “You don't seem to give a damn about that guild master.”

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  She picks me up by my robe, looking me in the eyes, “She who Mourns, you're a murderer who ate twelve people who were various levels of shit. As a fucking child. The thing I regret is that I failed to get you out eating bandits and slavers instead of city scum.”

  She lets me go to fall on my ass. I rub my pain as I still titter.

  “What the hell goin’ on with your aura, Mourns?”

  Another titter, “Seems mother's aura can't quite contain me as I laugh.”

  “SHE IS NOT YOUR MOTHER.” Glindinal screams at me. It sobers me from my madness.

  “Rather rude to say that about an adoptive parent.” Winctal grunts at Glindinal.

  “What no…she is talking about Cea. Glindinal, she raised me for a year. I hate what she did to me but it doesn't remove her from my mind just because—”

  “I got it, I just hate it that you let her have that shit over you. You're as bad as Aurora.” I glare at her interruption, at her words.

  “Ya you both need to fuck already, clearly Mourns has new bullshit she needs to tell me. I'm grabbing something to drink first.”

  -----

  You have gained [Alcohol Tolerance] Competent 1

  Competent - Are we doing this again? Hangover severity diminished by level and Constitution

  Gain 4 exp

  You have gained [Blood Alcohol Intolerance] Apprentice 9

  Gain 6 exp

  “What no curse to go with my bleeding for you.”

  I roll my eyes, “My curse is a bit worse now, it takes more, lasts longer and takes less to kill you each time I do it. I don't fancy finding out it only takes this much to kill you, guild master.”

  I take another sip, the ire and contempt has an undertone of concern. Drinking blood is getting weirder. I sit back and take my time. My reverie is interrupted when Lea ghost fox jumps out of Glindinal and now Lea is here.

  “Ah, is there some for me as well?”

  “I don't have enough blood to feed all your children.” Winctal scowls.

  “Ah don't be like that Winctal, I came all this way afterall.”

  “Leacea—”

  “It's Leander, I want to claim my old name and rank, Winctal. You know how to push that paper work, don't you? Peter is rather incompetent, which is why he is in Kargnia. Also for saying my fiction of a name, I demand a cup.”

  There is a bit of a stare off between the Kitsune and the Troll. It's the troll who breaks first, she looks at me.

  “She is one of yours, right?”

  “She asked for your blood didn't she?” I deadpan. “How do you know her name?” Ah shit, now she glaring at me, “Her current adventurer name.”

  Lindur speaks up, “Part of the guild master title, they can see everyone's adventurer name.”

  Huh, I stare at Lindur for a moment. The thought is interrupted by the familiar clacking and cadence of claws. She has a Tibyder body but clearly identifies as a Vampire. I feel my soul eyes flick on.

  Soul lowered to 524

  “Ah fuck what the hell you just do to me Sara.”

  I blink, the remainder of the soul mana disappears down the eager maw of my tether, “Sorry, um I didn't know that was going to happen, Barbain.”

  “O shit, it says you're a Tibyder again, mistress.”

  She frowns at Lindur words. “I still have my Vampire skills though.”

  “Probrably just means that being undead makes you identify as a monster now.” Lea says off hand as she collects a glass from the guild master.

  “Seriously Sara, the hell.” Barbain frown swivels to me. “Now I have two things to yell at you about.”

  “I'm out, too many blood suckers for me.” Winctal grouses.

  “Ahhh but I was hoping for a nip.” Barbain whines at the leaving guild master. She turns and looks at me. “What's with changing my race, Sara.”

  “She did that randomly to herself six months ago.” Lea says between sips.

  “Ya well she didn't randomly change me when I saw her last.”

  I shrug, “I didn't have eyes at the time.”

  “‘Cause you were a ghost you didn't change me.” I shrug, she pinches the bridge of her nose.

  “Why didn't Beatrice c—.”

  “How the hell do you remember all their names?” Glindinal growls.

  I look at her, “I remember all my crimes.”

  “How am I your crime?” Barbain growls as well.

  “I stole you from your mom.” I give a toothy grin.

  She groans, but surprisingly Glindinal laughs. “You're an absolute moron, Aurora.” Her laughter stops as soon as she realizes what she had said. She flees the room.

  I'm a bit dumbstruct by it all. “Goin’ to let her just be, Mourns?” Stone asks.

  No I suppose not. I chase after her.

  -----

  “How did you find me? Even I don't know where I am.” She huffs out. She is standing by a bridge looking out.

  “I can smell fresh bread in a blizzard, not sure why you think you can hide from me.” I stand next to her, my back against the bridge stonework. “It was nice when you said my name.”

  “I didn't say Sara.” I frown. She sees it and sighs, “It was a slip of the tongue.” I narrowed my eyes at her. She huffs another laugh, “Is that what you want?”

  “You alternate from teasing to hating me. It's hard to keep up at times.”

  “You pulled away from me.” Her eyes flick back outwards.

  I look up at the sky. “You're right, sorry.” I push myself off the stone to go.

  “You said that all these memories are shared when you split again.”

  I look at her, “It's true, it takes a moment to figure out who I am.”

  “What if you don't split?”

  I go to the opposite side of the bridge and sit down, my back against the lip.

  “I asked myself the same thing after a split.”

  “And what did you tell yourself?”

  “That it's impossible, I hate being alone.” She turns to me.

  “And what happens if you're not alone. Is that it for there being two of you then?”

  “I don't think it's possible to be so wedded to a person as what I had with myself.”

  Another huff then a shake of her head, “Doesn't that make all your relationships doomed.”

  I think about that as I stare at the night sky. An errant thought crosses my mind. It gives me a wry smile, “What is my sister's is mine and what is mine is my sister’s. Don't see why that doesn't account for love and courting.”

  “You're impossible. What if someone only has feelings for one of you?”

  I shrug, “I'm only one soul, Glindinal. Even if I was separate, I am certain I would drive whoever that fool was to madness.”

  “So I'm a fool then.” The glare returns.

  “Probrably.” I'm messing things up again. It was a mistake coming out here. My head slumps to looking between my knees that quickly had bunched up to my shoulders.

  “You sulk the same way she did.” She sat next to me.

  I turn to glare at her, “I don't know how many times—”

  She grabbed my face and pulled me into another kiss. It was long and passionate, probing. I surrender myself to it, to her. She cuts herself in the end. I taste her fear, her hesitance, her hope, her passion, her confusion. It writhes inside me as it must in her. She lets me go.

  “You called me impossible.”

  She barks out a laugh and looks to the sky, “I'm a hypocrite, I admonished Delores for doing this exact thing.”

  “Pretty sure she only gave me a cup of blood.”

  “Fine, I've done worse than she has.”

  “I consider it better personally.”

  “Shut up, you're not whole yet and I'm taking advantage of your compromised state.”

  I shrug, “I have more memories in me right now then the last time you kissed me.”

  She frowns at that, “I didn't know you were so compromised at the time.”

  “Me neither.”

  “So when are you going to let me taste your blood?”

  I wince, “I suppose when you decide you don't want to court me anymore.”

  She grows annoyed at me, "What's that supposed to mean?”

  I look up to the sky, “My blood would make you my daughter and that would be gross.”

  “Leander is right, you have the dumbest rules.”

  “Not only a spy of my diary but of conversations as well, why did you ask if you already knew?”

  She shrugs. “Just making sure. Will I get an entry on how my blood tastes?”

  “Not like you could read it.”

  “I'm sure I can find resources on learning [English].”

  Shit.