I went and hugged Qorth, my personal knight with cat ears and a tail now.

  “My Lady, I have become closer to a Tibyder. I feel I will level soon as well.”

  I smile at her. She is taller than me again. Being more physically mature and in no way was I making myself smaller because of a desire to hide myself…damn it. My form regains some height.

  “Sorry you haven't had much chance to get exp. I'm the only dungeon in the area and my soul prevents you from hunting here.”

  She waves me off, “I have been honing my other skill instead. Better to have a strong base.”

  I smile, “I hope my sister gets a chance to kill another hydra or two. We could get you tier two.”

  She laughs, “Before you were so morose about devouring my soul and now you are eager, guilt of sorrow turns to pleasure.”

  I froze for a moment, I got used to it I suppose. I breathe, if I can guarantee a longer life for my loved ones, whats a nibble of soul between friends.

  -----

  The midday has passed and I haven't swapped with sister. I figure as much. I could hear her but I could not make an entrance to the dungeon.

  -Guess we are waiting until you return.

  Afraid so. I heard you made an underground lake. With a dryad flower on an island. Has any adventurer made an attempt for it?

  -Not so far, they still hunt for the ‘mithril hare’.

  You wouldn't be making it too hard to reach the area, are you?

  -Nooooo.

  Sister.

  -The aura density might make people drown themselves the moment they arrive.

  If you do that you're going to only get someone strong enough to make it through.

  -I don't want my babies to get hurt.

  Exactly my point. If they are too strong, then your babies won't get a snack but death.

  -Fine.

  I give a mental hug as I sit in my clinic. Not much else to do while waiting. Mags had left after breakfast. Lindur doesn't need training anymore. The guild master shows up looking very annoyed.

  “Have anything to say for yourself?”

  I look at her head askewed.

  “Not sure I understand your meaning.”

  “You went and charmed me and left without explaining what had happened.”

  “It was the quickest way to end the conversation.”

  “You truly are confused, before you were rather falling over yourself to avoid fucking over others. Now you don't care.”

  “Ah, yes. I lost my empathy after dying as my manifestation. Or when I almost cleaved my soul in two. I really don't care anymore. If you want someone to torture themselves over their actions you best talk to sister. Though if you point out that the action might harm her, she might be more inclined to do it.”

  I titter.

  “Fuck Mourns. I thought you were suicidal now your telling me you will do whatever you want despite consequences.”

  I titter again.

  “Well I still understand consequences. It's why Jeremy Sdrea is still alive. Part of me was tempted to tell you to forget I was here last night. I felt sister would be sad if I went that far.”

  The troll woman studies me more.

  “You say you lost your ability to care but you still think about your sister's reaction to things. But empathy is just imagining how others will feel. Are you not doing just that when you consider your sister's feelings?”

  My titters stopped, this conversation is getting rather annoying.

  “Are you suggesting that I still care? I am quite certain I gave up caring after watching countless adventurers die.”

  “Except you knew they would live. The guild is quite eager to exploit dungeons that have yet to start killing. To my knowledge, no one has died in Bandit's Suicide.”

  “The blood will be awful if they die, just more consequences.”

  “A pint of blood is a pittance for what you are offering. You would see no difference in numbers if you had demanded more.”

  “I don't seem to understand your angle here Winctal. I thought this hall was about no hand holding but it feels like you're trying to get me to some new truth.”

  “Just trying to make sure you don't burn down a tavern, Mourns.”

  I bark a laugh at that. I turn my head to the noble quarter. The mistress is on the move. Towards the west gate? I get up.

  “Apologies [Guild Master], I have duties to attend to.”

  She lets me go. She either thought she had said enough or didn't wish to provoke me.

  -----

  “What are you doing here?”

  Another sneer.

  “I am here to serve the mistress."

  “She will not—”

  Jeremy takes an elbow to the side.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Be needing you to answer for me, cousin.”

  Jeremy gives a nasty look at Delores. Kalidia laughs. I walk to Delores.

  “Is there a color you prefer today?”

  “I am fine with matching you again.”

  I grow the flower on her head. Kaldia walks up looking at her head.

  “Why is it attached? I had assumed you were giving her yours.”

  “Part of the perk of employing me, miss.”

  “Sara, please provide one to my cousin as well.”

  I turned to Kladia, “I wouldn't be so garish as to request a color that was different from the two of you.”

  I give her white again, and titter.

  “Whats so amusing, [Attendant]?”

  I turn to the unfunny one.

  “It is a secret between the mistress and myself. I ask that you not pry, sir.”

  He looks as if wants to say more but Kalidia interjects.

  “Brother, you've already removed her from the house. Do you plan to further inconvenience Delores?”

  He huffs and starts walking towards a familiar apothecary. The rest of us follow.

  -----

  “Two small gold is far too much for healing potions, why a few months ago it was just three large silver.”

  Jeremy has found a new target to vent his frustration on.

  “Hydra blood has become more expensive. There was a literal glut a few months ago, it took this long to finally stabilize the price again.”

  I titter again. Jeremy looks annoyed at me again when the apothecary notices me.

  “What are you harassing me about potion prices when you have a [Priestess]?”

  He is confused, “Beg your pardon, but I don't see a priestess in our number.”

  More titters. It only brings his attention back to me. The Croman turns her head, a look of greed I hadn't seen since I brought her grave trillium lights her eyes.

  “Are you three wearing dryad flowers?”

  I titter some more. Kalidia answers, “They are flowers that grow on the [Attendant]’s head, are they truly dryad flowers.”

  Kalidia removes the one I had given her and hands it to the apothecary. I make a note to never give her a flower again. The flower on Delores wilts and falls off as does my own. I am spending life mana at this point. Annoying. My form is too far from my natural state. The apothecary remarks on the wilting flowers.

  “What happened to the other two?”

  I make no effort to answer, curious to see if this devolves. The one who gave away my flower asks me to expose myself further.

  “Are you not going to answer her, [Attendant]?”

  I turn to Delores, she understands. “My [Attendant], does not answer to you either, Kalidia.”

  The apothecary has decided to ignore the others to appeal to me directly.

  “She who Mourns, would you please provide more of this, the apothecary has been on their back foot ever since you stopped doing dungeon runs. The [Guild Master] would reward me greatly for a new source of dryad flowers.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. Jeremy speaks up.

  “Who the heck is ‘She who Mourns’?”

  The apothecary turns to the boy head cocked.

  “Do you not check the credentials of those you hire. That is the [Priestess] She who Mourns. My guild was rather up in arms about securing her as she was turning in highly potent hydra blood in quantities greater than the rest of her guild combined. She may have changed her hair color but I make it a point to study the beak of every customer.”

  Seriously, she recognizes me by my nose. Sister had chosen this form to not stand out, but apparently we have created enough of a reputation that my adventurer name is known by those I never actually introduced myself to. I direct a thought to Delores.

  Mistress, can we leave please? This is only going to create further issues.

  If we must, Sara.

  “Come along, Sara. The day is burning.”

  -----

  “Is there a reason the egg goes down my wind pipe?”

  The gnome looks sourly at me. O right, I was thinking of a movie when I first made someone swallow one of these. I suppose it doesn't need to go into the lungs.

  “Sorry, the first time I made these, I hadn't fully thought out how to use them. Sure Charles can tell you of the violence he met.”

  The man in question was standing out of arms reach of the cage. I change the egg. It should survive in the gnome gut for a few days.

  “There, it should sit in your stomach instead of your lungs.”

  “Twas in my lungs…” The gnome croaks.

  “O don't be a coward Harold, do you have more bandages to sell?”

  Wait, gnomes can have names without tae at the end?

  “Sure.”

  I hand a seed to the elf. I have enough seeds for a month. So long as the war ends. A Minotaur speaks up.

  “I heard you can be commissioned for mithril arms. I was thinking of a halberd with a searing cut engraving.”

  “It's kinda embarrassing but I only know like two engravings so far. I can infuse the mithril with fire mana.”

  “Would not such an imbuement wear off?”

  “Perk of using my own materials, perfect conduits for my mana.”

  He thinks on this, skeptical. I shrug.

  “I can always forge the halberd and you can find another to engrave it.”

  He nods at that, “I'll take a deposit of forty large gold. Twenty more on the completion. Will start work when I receive the deposit.”

  I hand the Minotaur an egg. The party opts to head further down instead of exiting. They fail to notice the hydra when they are fighting off the spiders. They did better than most. Most fail to notice the spiders. I suspect the Elf heard them. The lake grows a bit more.

  -----

  “I see you sell linens. Do those only last ten days as well.”

  The fairy illusion answers for the dryad illusion. A pity my skill does not increase while my sister is away.

  “The linens are made of permanent silk.”

  “So why aren't the bandages, they are perfect conduits for your mana are they not?”

  “I would have to charge a great deal more.”

  “Why is that? Clearly the silk is not at issue nor the mana spent.”

  “Because it would be worth more, I'm sure a king's ransom could be made off clothing that was permanently life imbued.”

  The elf rolls her eyes, “You don't ransom kings, you depose them. How much for life imbued clothing?”

  The dryad illusion narrows her eyes as the fairy winks out. The elf storms out on that and heads to the smithy. She barges in as the Minotaur counts his coins out.

  I've been putting silvers onto the bandits. Not like I actually need the coin. The elf barges in front of the transaction.

  “Tired of talking to illusions, why do you not want to sell me permanent life imbued cloth?”

  I pinch the bridge of my nose.

  “I prefer not to cause the alchemist guild to try something drastic against me.”

  “You're a dungeon, what are they going to be able to do?”

  “Fiiiiine, real reason, I like blood and if I give adventurers life clothes they are going to buy it, sell it, then retire. Then I'm out of blood.”

  “You should be charging ten times as much for your mithril weapons then, selling at cost is rather foolish. Most smiths who can melt mithril charge far more.”

  The Minotaur looks very annoyed at the elf. Possible murder on the horizon?

  “I'll honor the price I set, sir.”

  Mollified, he resumes counting.

  “If you are going to do a favor for Dillon, you can do one for me.”

  I give her an annoyed look.

  “Aw come on, I'm an elf on a lark. Surely having life clothes on me wouldn't stop me from coming and delving into these depths.”

  “Look if I can get some more powerful monsters and can expand further I might seed the dungeon with life gear. Certainly a dryad flower is about as much as I am willing to reward for the current dungeon.”

  “There's a dryad flower?” The Minotaur perks up.

  “At the back of the blood lake, I mean why else would you be going down there.”

  The elf responds, “Curiosity, it feels like the monsters there are smarter than typical dungeon fare.”

  I shrug, “Not a typical dungeon.”

  -----

  I had to stud my torso with hydra scales to negate my life mana loss. It will only be for a month. A month of being hounded by the alchemist guild master.

  “Are you sure you can't procure more dryad flowers?”

  “How many dryads do you think I am willing to fight? They are rather dangerous, you know.”

  Victor looks annoyed at me.

  “Jilcaw said one of your party insinuated that you grew it on your head.”

  “Now that's just absurd.”

  Wintcal attempting to deflect for me. I nod in agreement. It is very absurd.

  “First you stop hunting hydras, now you refuse us dryad flowers. Are you allergic to profits?”

  -Hey, I just made sixty large gold, sister.

  I titter at that.

  “You think this is amusing.”

  “Sorry, random thought. Truly there is nothing to be done. I didn't even know it was a dryad flower at first. Was just a weird flower that grew in the back of the Bandit's Suicide.”

  “The hell is the Bandit’s Suicide.”

  “New dungeon near the border town of Kargnia.” Winctal again.

  “This is not a dungeon flower.”

  He has the white flower I had made for Kalidia, as well as the two wilted ones. I give him a questioning look.

  “If it was a dungeon material they wouldn't be unique. The colors are slightly different for one. The number of petals vary. Clearly these were grown outside a dungeon. Very young, less than a year old.”

  Less than a day. Guess he is not the alchemist guild master for nothing.

  “Still can't get more.”

  He leaves an hour later, failing to convince me to part with my secrets. When he was out of the guild, Wintcal turned to me.

  “Leaving money on the table again, Mourns?”

  I just bury my face into my hands.