…
19-10-1705
…
The girl started tittering again. She does it every six days for the last few weeks.
…
-----
“Seriously it weirds everyone out when the dungeon does that.”
I smile at Lea, “Sarcea has started delivering blood to me.”
She raises an eyebrow, “Whose blood?”
“Our mothers.” I give a big foxish grin. She returns it after a moment.
“So how much is there?”
“‘Bout a cup or so.”
She frowns at me. “That’s not a lot Sara, how are you supposed to kill her with a cup?”
“Got to start somewhere. Besides, for as long as it has been going on. It won't take much.”
I just have to not give into my current thirst.
-----
“Do you think you will be able to attend Gotsdam?” Delores asks.
I shrug, “I really don't know. Kinda a ghost at the moment.”
“You said it was only a temporary affliction. Look, you already grew your hands and head back.”
You have gained [Cea'Nila Noble Etiquette] Apprentice 3
Presence raised 1304
I smile. The social cues of everyone is above you and you must defer, defer, defer.
1300 Minor Presence Boon
Your aura double in size and density
Uh that's frightening. Before I can consider the implications, my soul begins to etch.
Hey its the 2nd major presence boon, Lich edition
Should your aura subsume another, their own aura becomes a beacon for your own, adding their presence level and maximum aura size to your aura until their aura no longer touches your own. Your undead will always be a beacon for your aura. Subsuming an undead aura makes them your undead. Should your aura be subsumed while undead you become an undead construct for the subsumer
Okay, I feel like that may have been my fault. As if I didn't already have enough ways for her to control me.
“Red?”
“Sorry, some notifications showed up. They were…disconcerting.”
“Disconcerting?” She asks.
“Disconcerting.” I answer hoping she doesn't probe.
“Disconcerning like now you have slime blood or disconcerting like you have control of all blood inside your aura.”
I wince, “The second one.”
She frowns at me.
-----
…
20-10-1706
…
Panic miss panic is panicking.
…
-----
“How are you not?”
“You're already a slave. You just have another way to be collared.” Lea says with a bit of disinterest.
“But…”
“You said it requires you to be undead right? Well for what reason would she do that?”
I start to calm down. That's right, she wants babies not skeletons.
-----
…
26-10-1706
…
Alright she went right back into panic mode. Apparently the latest chuck of memory has the bitch of the north forcing Violet to be undead. Something about her being harder to revive. Telling her that it was just a test and that she was revived doesn't seem to matter.
…
-----
“It's not that…Sarcea wanted to stay undead. I thought with me having Violet memories that perhaps she wouldn't desire it but I think her life is just too stifling there.”
Lea looks up from her writing, she screws her face after a bit.
“I mean I became undead to escape her.” She said after a bit.
That didn't improve my mood. I huff out a sigh and give Lea a shaky grin.
“She tried to force a life core into her.”
Lea puts down the quill. “How did that go?”
“It shattered after three days. She is panicking over Sarcea state.”
“She is not the only one.”
-----
…
27-10-1706
…
Arccor and Lincor. I haven't heard their names in a century. I hated Arccor at first but his cooking was a reprieve from the monotony of salads. Sara says she never received a memory of Violet eating anything other than salad. Hearing her tell me of Lincor made me think he was trying his best to annoy the bitch without actually breaking one of her commands. Her hopes of him being an ally are in vain I fear. Lincor cares only for novelty. He will be bored of Violet soon enough.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
…
-----
“Oh systems why…why would she do that? I'm fucked. I'm fucked, I'm fucked. What can I do—”
“Sara, Sara calm down.”
I look up not understanding.
“SARA!”
I blink. “Lea?”
“Yes, Lea.” She nods at me, “What happened?”
I relay what occurred, the surgeries.
“Fuck. I can understand the soul quake you just had. That's like some higher tier shit she is pulling now.”
“Sarcea won't want to kill her.” I say morosely.
“I mean it's a compel right? We could force her to be undead. It won't work then.”
The idea sickens me. Manipulation to out manipulate manipulation.
“With the rate she is going…she may not be able to revive.”
“What do you mean?” She asks gently, willing me to take my time.
“Everytime she breaks her horns, her blood healing works less on her. She needs to use blood magic but she is being denied it.”
“I don't understand.” Lea's unique way of saying ‘explain’. I almost think it is a product of her etiquette training. Not a demand but a statement of fact that others may choose to enlighten. Will Sarcea ask for explanations in the same way
I sigh, “[Laughing Demon]: Horn breaks make self healing with blood magic weaker. [Laughing Demon Sanguine Priestess]: Healing others makes your blood magic work better on yourself.”
How many more horn snaps before she is incapable of reviving herself.
“So because she is not allowed blood magic she can't stave off the detriments of breaking her horns. What if she was a head priestess?”
I look at her incredulously. “I dunno. She is not one either way.”
“Look Sara, I have a [Junior Sanguine Priestess] title. If I.” She pauses, “If I give up being a monster. I could easily be recognized as a full [Priestess]. Making you a [Head Priestess].”
“But we don't know if that will do anything.”
“Make it do something. It's your bleeding title for your order.”
Her words stun me. She already has the potion bottle in hand. I just stare in shock as she drinks it down. Her body shakes. I feel her separate from my soul. Her heart shrivels up and disappears along with the rest of her circulatory system. Not that it was beating before. The lungs remain.
“Don't look at me all wide eyed, do I [Identify] as a person again.”
4 ? Kitsune Junior Sanguine Priestess, Tier 4 Adventurer, Competent Mage
I nod slowly.
“What?”
“It says you're a Kitsune”
She gives an annoyed look.
“Your heart is gone.”
“I felt it go, Sara.” She replies with a bit of annoyance, “Why the hell am I a Kitsune? I still feel the thirst.”
“I don't know. I may have changed things with that one soul quake.”
Her eyes bore into me.
“Maybe you're only considered a Vampire when undead now.”
The blood in her retreats. Stop it. She just smiles.
“Can't command me anymore.”
Her body becomes ashen. But I was supposed to have a title hierarchy…Sarcea has the priestess title.
4 ? Vampire
“You identify as a Vampire now and your title fell off…are you a monster again?”
“Seriously?” She scowls.
“Thought you were trying to be alive.”
“No, I just wanted it showing my title so I could get recognized as a [Priestess].”
“Ummmm if your blood is like mine, it’s toxic when you're undead.”
She gives me an annoyed look as she starts drinking from my blood skin. Alive again, she gets up and finds she can't teleport in my dungeon anymore. The scowl grows larger. A little four tailed ghost fox follows after her.
I shout after her, “I need you to send some letters for me.”
-----
…
28-10-1706
…
Ujan was shocked when I told him to use Identify on me. He was so excited. He asked if I still had a thirst for blood. My toothy grin of all fangs caused his blood to hide. My laugh made him relax. Sara is afraid to laugh but maybe it's alright around those she cares about. That is, if my laugh carries the same properties.
…
2-11-1706
…
Seems the queen bitch noticed Violet was getting progressively harder to heal. I've been making the rounds healing while Sara just keeps repeating a mantra. The priestess under me healing others improves blood healing on myself. It's a little creepy that she repeats it so many times. Priming her soul I guess.
…
6-11-1706
…
Another batch of wounded will be arriving soon. Ujan says the push to the capital has begun. Sara has been consumed by a sense of dread for the last few days. She said something about something familiar touching her soul. Her mantra has grown non-stop.
…
-----
Every knight and soldier we treat has healer bane now. Where does it even come from? A soldier reaches out to Lea. She has a quiet smile as she heals him. It's all a bit gross. I feel a bit of her annoyance at my thoughts. I smile. She can't admonish me for my stray thoughts right now. Not with her audience.
The title [Laughing Demon Sanguine Priestess] becomes [Laughing Demon Sanguine Head Priestess]
Laughing Demon Sanguine Priestess - Your mana aura gives off an aura of healing when alive and gives off an aura of undeath when undead. You are your own order. A recruit loses access to life magic for blood magic. If not already a Vampire, they can only satisfy their thirst through your drinking of blood. Their thirst will rot their body until they are mundane undead. Your order's healing of others makes your blood magic more effective on yourself. Those who bear your horns become junior members unless already recognized as a priestess. You need only place your hand on their brow to give them your horns should they be willing. Gain Five additional Mental Fortitude and Five additional Presence and Ten additional Soul when leveling up
That thing is a novel. It's there though. Lea can help Sarcea now. Congratulations [Priestess]. Lea's smile returns.
“Something happened Lea?” Sir Ujan asked.
“I just received a promotion in my order, Ujan.”
He gives her his best Drakenoid smile. I gag. It usually means Lea is not sleeping in the dungeon tonight. It causes Lea eyebrow to twitch.
“Something wrong, [Priestess]?”
She smiles at his words. “Sara just being a bit of a prat today.”
-----
I sit on my fountain. Kicking my legs at the top. Not really caring. It's night time and the stars above the plains shine. A healing aura while alive. Undeath while undead. Kitsune and Vampire. Person and monster. Duality. I'm sure my sister will be quite annoyed that I ended up etching ying yang bullshit into ourselves. After I had admonished her for the same thing. Not quite the same but close enough to tease me about it. I know I would.
My soul burns, then my chest begins to burn. Not my body…my ghost's.
You have absorbed a master magic tier core
Undeath Mana Core has merged with your Blood Mana Core
Your core replaces mana with the opposite spent. Use blood mana to make room for undeath. Use undeath mana to make room for blood. Your state of living is now tied to this core.
The hell. I look at myself. That's an empty core. I feel my soul grow cold as it fills. It's not blood mana that fills it. Damn it. Okay, I just need to spend the mana. Then it will be blood mana. I try to just expend it above me. It clings to me. It doesn't leave my ghost. I need something living.
I will myself into the dungeon. The forest…is dying. Everything is dying. I go to my babies. No. They are rotting. My soul rots them with undeath. Are they like me? Should I revive, will they as well. I watch as everything around me dies and grows colder.
-----
…
10-11-1706
…
I haven't seen Sara in three days. I only just finished up the latest caravan train of wounded soldiers. The dungeon is cold now. The undeath even nibbles on me. Something changed. I informed Ujan that I would need the day to myself to go find her.
…
-----
“How many?” Lea asks. She sees the bile staining the ground.
“Just three Elves. I used my entire core in me and it just refilled with this coldness. This undeath. I don't understand.”
“Me neither. Care to, like, actually explain what you're talking about.” Lea asks.
“Undeath core merged with my blood core. Use one type to get mana of the other. Only, I just keep making undeath mana.”
Lea winces at that, “Is it possible you’re not making blood mana because you've yet to reform a blood core?”
I look at the sky. That's probably why. Static body being static. She is going to suggest breaking the spell. I fear learning the truth. That I am no longer in there. I speak up before she does.
“You told me everything she did has an agenda.”
“What's that?” Lea asks, a bit annoyed at the change in subject.
“Her…I got a bit of memory last night. She told Sarcea about this core. Then presented a [Blood Mana Core] to her as if it was some new thing. She even told her it came from a dangerous Vampire. In the end she offered it to Sarcea the undead Elf. A test to see whether she would eagerly claim it or remain an Elf.”
“So did she?”
“Hmmm?”
“Did she claim it?”
“No, Sarcea said she was an Elf. Guess she passed the test. Her prize, the blood core anyways and a whole lot of commands. No attempting to heal others. Chop off your tail. Never heal that wound. Bestow [Junior Priestess] on Randinrin. That part may have been the grossest.”
“Randinrin?”
“Possible suitor, now sporting horns like you. Not a vampire though. I fear she will likely die.” My moroseness grows. "They did another surgery to put it in. They exchanged a piece of metal as well. It made it sound like she had a heart beat. Her chest started moving again. Like mother knew she was going to keep dying but they didn't want anyone else to know." I start to shudder as the words pour out.
“Your emotions aren't frozen like before.” She says slowly.
“I grow cold with undeath but I am still a Vampire. Not a Lich.”
She frowns at me, “I don't understand the difference.”
“Soul tethers make me a Lich. Just being undead makes me a Vampire. Which apparently killed everything inside my dungeon. Now they are undead. I couldn't bear to keep them tethered to me. My babies are all shamblers because of me.”
I make myself into a tiny ball. To better hide myself. Lea attempts to pull me into a hug which just has her arms pass through me.
“Damn it, Sara. Accept my warmth.”
I simply let myself fall into the fountain.
“There is at least something good out of all this.” Lea opines while giving a side eye at the fountain.
I poke my head out of the base to glare at her.
“Your mithril hare population boom is fixed.”
I scrunch my brow at her. Her laugh at my consternation forced a smile.
