-Ah...- he turns slightly away, hands flipping from palms down to palms up as he shrugs. -Oh!- He perks up, eyes clear and bright, so I guess he figured something out. -You didn’t learn corpse preservation from a manual, you made a manual in your library after getting several soldier corpses?-

  -Oh, yeah,- I nod and gesture for him to continue by waving my chopsticks at him. I finish the bite of fatty meat and take a bite of greens. -Continue,- I say before chewing this bite.

  He blows out a breath, looking away from me, eyes unfocused before he looks around.

  -Mind if I sit down?- he asks, pointing at the box he’d dug through.

  -Go for it,- I wave him off. He puts the lid back on the box, then hops on top, sitting with his legs crossed, slumping as he thinks. -I take it there’s a reason you brought that up?-

  -Oh! Right!- he shifts around, pauses then holds his hands up, arms resting on his thighs as he leans forward. -Every Corpse manipulator is given an idea of how to preserve a corpse, but they all have their own formula. There’s some common ground, things that just work, but a full Corpse Preparation Manual would be very valuable. Especially of an advanced Corpse like the one you made for me,- he finishes, eyes shining brightly.

  -Don’t tell them shit. Got it,- I nod, continuing to eat. -Why did that last idiot say I couldn’t control you all at the same time? Am I supposed to be doing something?-

  -Mm!- He points at me, eyes wide, head back, back straight, and just holds the pose. -Most manipulators have to channel Resentment into their servants to keep them going if they’re not just absorbing ambient Resentment, but you kinda gave me my own supply, and the girls are just good at gathering and feeding themselves. Cultivator things.-

  I grunt in acknowledgement, and just sit and eat for a little bit. Little Corpse drums his fingers on his legs before hopping off and going on to check the other boxes. When he finds a servant he puts the lid at an angle, trapping them in, but letting us see that they’re there. It looks like all of the servants here are white-masked, but I don’t know why they’re so weak.

  -They’re not weak, the caskets are warded,- Little Corpse says. -I think they’re a potential reward or proof that you passed the trial.-

  -So I might need to take one of them to be able to leave...- Really need to find out if I have an extra servant slot yet.

  He’s strong enough to ignore whatever wards these are. Good to know. Too bad I can’t tell the difference between a ward an epitaph and a dirty limmerick. He snorts, and either he’s going to be looking those up later or he already knows, and he’s been doing some casual reading between study sessions.

  -Why wouldn’t I?- he says, laughing lightly as he does inventory.

  -Reading for fun? You monster!- I snicker and he lets out a quick bark of laughter.

  I keep eating, taking my time to chew every single bite while Little Corpse makes sure to loot the caskets. Loot box occupied? Can’t kill the spirits yet, so he pulls out the spirits in occupied caskets, carrying them by their throats to empty boxes he already checked, trapping them, then going back to the now empty box to continue smashing hidden panels, false bottoms, and pretty much wrecking the place to get me more shiz.

  I approve.

  Over half of the boxes are empty. Like already looted. Six pairs of boxes, six empty boxes. Boo...! Only four servants, not all of them white robed. Some have black tunics or black pants, and apparently not all of the masks are blank, but neither of us know what they indicate.

  The air whirls and screams in sync with Little Corpse finding that the walls aren’t walls, but dusty web shrouded alcoves with even more boxes, but these are filled with desiccated bodies, rotten low level loot boxes, -- busted wood caskets equal wood scrap, -- and I sigh as I get ready to disarm the enemies where I can, leaving the actual fighting to Little Corpse.

  The whirlwind resolves into the girls spinning to the ground, covering their mouths, and racing over with eyes shining brightly. They’re excited, weren’t lying about being able to move around, and now there’s something else I have to ask them about and hope it isn’t linked to their death. Little corpse comes to join me on my over turned uncommon loot box, and we give the girls our attention.

  The Sect is pay to win. Literally. Whoever stores or generates the most Resentment is king. Or Emperor. Or Empress. There are actually women in the Sect.

  We’re not supposed to fight one another, but a lot of people have gotten it into their heads that I’m not a new Sect member, but some kind of auditor put in place to test them. Pop quiz, bishes! Someone comes in and disrupts your ritual. What do you do? The monks were going to kill themselves to try to stop the ritual, but I was taking all the power from the ritual every time it got near to critical.

  How dare.

  We, -- literally everyone who traded blows, including my attempts to defend myself. The girls filed reports and most people admitted that they tried to stop me from stopping them, ‘cause that was the exercise, right? They honestly think I’m indestructible. Oops? -- have to pay a fine. For every fight we pay 100 Resentment. A year’s worth of effort to some people. For every death of a fellow disciple, 1,000 Resentment. Before I can snap that I’ve already contributed and these bastards are trying to bleed me dry, the girls inform me that the Sect is pulling from the Shard I used to buy them.

  Check the accounts, and take it out of my deposit! Suck it!

  Although the fine doesn’t apply to the elders.

  -Come again?- Did they say the elders are fighting?

  The elders aren’t fighting, they’re cleaning house. Resentment equals Rank, once you pass certain milestones of course, and a lot of powerful people have suddenly gone bankrupt, falling in the ranks and being replaced by... Not so powerful people.

  Which is an awful way to rank up. The Sect is about making people strong and sending them out into the world, fully capable of taking care of themselves, and some of the new Wankers, err, Rankers... Aren’t. So the elders are giving them the same treatment as I tried to give Little Corpse. Get Gud or get recycled.

  So some of those people heard about the whole Sorrow’s Roost thing, and figured passing my little test would be an excellent way to prove how amazing they are.

  -That’s been cleared up, right?- I ask, not at all amused by this bullshit. I knew they were targeting me, but this is dumber than I thought it would be. -‘Cause this shit isn’t funny and survivor’s will get their feelings hurt.-

  -They’ve been told, but who’s to say they’ll believe it?- the girls shrug, one looking unfocused and disinterested while the other pouts lightly, possibly feeling sad on my behalf. -Oh!- unfocused focuses and dances while mopey beams.

  -Heart’s Disarray was fined 2,000 Stones for using such a powerful attack on you! One for each time,- the little solar death beam says gently pointing once at each of my hands while she talks. Oh! Two attacks, 1,000 Stones each.

  -Spirit Stones or Resentment Stones?- I ask, realizing that there’s a huge difference.

  Don’t want people paying to at me. Again. Why does this keep happening?

  -Resentment Stones!- the other scowls, flicking her sleeve like she’s bitch slapping away my question. It was a legitimate concern. -If you hadn’t made your display so elaborate, he’d be in the Hovels soon,- she continues, putting me out of her sight, ‘cause how dare I dunk on the higher disciples? -Tch! That’s not what I meant!- She stomps her foot as I look away to put her out of my sight.

  -Oh!- the Gentle runs to Angry and whispers something to her. I could Logs, but nah...

  -Oh!- Angry perks up, sucking her tongue and giving me a narrow look before her expression clears. -*Heart’s Disarray has been found to be the cause of many budding Disciple’s deaths!

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  -He roams the Graveyards looking for rare corpses that sometimes form there, and if he runs across a Disciple that doesn’t have a proper servant or the mark of wielding Ghost Flame, he “culls” them for the Sect. Taking their Resentment as payment!-

  -What mark?- I ask, ‘cause we’ve already gone over, and lauded, Little Corpse’s utility over and over again.

  -There’s a skill, Toll the Dead, that lets you see scars on your spirit from manipulating or gaining the Resentment. I don’t have it, but apparently you don’t have any scars.-

  -I’ve got tons! My soul isn’t --.- Is my soul not hunan?

  Bish. What the fack am I thinking? If it was, someone would have noticed by now, and I wouldn’t be a bug. Tch!

  -Well, I have a soul... It’s just not hunan shaped... They probably don’t know where to look for scars... Or care!- I add. I’m pretty sure he was just killing people to try to form one of these rare spirits or corpses.

  -Remember that display you did with all of those Stones? The important ones?- the girl quickly amends, raising an eyebrow and giving a snarky little head shake.

  No...

  -Wait, how many people did he kill?- No way... Is it my birthday? When’s my birthday.

  -*He’s been kicked back to the Hovels anyway, and he has to pay a weekly fine of 10 Stones,*- she continues, fists on her hips and alternating bending her knees to give a somehow rude, and clean, little shimmy.

  ? Happy Birthday to me... ?

  -It might take him years to get out of debt enough to start advancing again,- the other girl says, getting started on a meal at a table that I’m pretty sure Little Corpse set up, but when?

  -*And many of the old masters in the Sect are furious. You know how you were sponsored by Widow’s Sigh?*- the other girl sits down to share in the meal.

  -No,- I say while shaking my head. He dumped me in the Graveyards by the Broken Servants, but he didn’t actually give me anything.

  The Red Silk Spider thing was me helping them, not the other way around. Pretty sure they intended to use me as a scapegoat if anything happened.

  -Oh.- She literally stops eating and just sits there. She looks and sounds so disappointed.

  -Anywho!- the other girl waves her off, pausing in her meal to take up the explanation. -*Widow’s Sigh dropped you off in the Graveyards, right? You didn’t have to figure out the riddles and puzzles or rob graveyards on your way to find the Graveyards with a basic idea of how things work, but no power. The Graveyards are there for you to gain that power.*-

  -Right. He should have given you a manual with a breathing technique to help you start creating the necessary skill to gather servants, and a blueprint on how to create a Ghost Pot.-

  -You got the breathing manual but you didn’t look at it until you got a few more from the Graveyards.- Little Corpse chimes in, going through the alcoves one column at a time, probably just to get used to his body, because he’s putting in a lot of effort. Unless this is another he’s too stupid thing. -If the girls want to join me they can take high or low, and you can search the low ones if you’re so inclined.-

  How considerate.

  -Okay, what do you mean a “blueprint” for the Ghost Pot?- I ask, pointing with my chopsticks before looking down and realizing I’ve got a bowl of dumplings in my hand. I shrug and start eating while waiting for the explanation.

  -Our Ghost Pots!- the girls say, holding out their soul purses.

  -I’m going to try to make a pill bottle design, but the purses are very popular,- Little Corpse admits, and I’m very confused. -Yeah, you just did bank bug things, but most people can’t do Spatial Storage internally without being very advanced.-

  I rest my hands on my thighs as I wait for my brain to realize that I facked up successfully at so many points. I got a Broken Servant when I have the resources to support them into being a badass --.

  -Are you still a Broken Servant or are you a Ghost Soldier now?- I quickly finish the dumplings because I want to eat ice cream while we talk. -And did you want anything? Or do you not eat, ‘cause organs?-

  -Groundskeeper. Still a Spirit Servant, but I’m advanced enough to maintain house grounds. Roam around without you needing to power me, and I can wield tools, and think and act without your input. And I can’t eat ‘cause organs.- he gives a sad smile, hanging by one hand to explore a middle alcove.

  -So, if I learn bodies better --.- I start, awkward as hells, because this feels awkward. He can’t eat, and we’re eaters!

  -If you learn bodies better, and I’m comfortable enough being a living corpse, then maybe, but not now, thank you,- he says, interrupting me with his voice raised before ending softly.

  -So what would happen if I attempted to create bodies for these masked ghosts? Are they better spirits or just intact?- Subject change! Nailed it.

  -Depends on the spirit,- all three of them say at the same time.

  Fair.

  Food done, we start looting. Bodies at various levels of skeletonized? Banked, deposited, and moving on. Wood? Ditto. Dusty ass cobwebs that looked like dust filled murals... Banked. You never know?

  There’s some not garbage though. Occasionally very good treasures, even. Gems, -- we’re assuming some rich lords tried to buy their way through and died, -- manuals stolen from other sects and hidden here, -- we’re not sure if this is a garbage dump or a bootlegger’s stash, -- and then I remember that the test might be to get a masked Ghost Servant. There’s a door we could use, but loot.

  -Did you find out how many servants I can have or how to tell?- I ask the girls. One of them just stops moving, her head bowing, chin to her chest, and the other groans dramatically while slowly folding and collapsing to the ground. -What’d I say?!-

  -The rule of thumb is take how much Resentment you have, and divide that by 1000, and that’s how many servants you can have,- the standing girl raises one hand, languidly looking at it before raising her other hand and slowly looking over at it.

  [Ghost Pot: +120/-3]

  [Resentment: +734640/-441259]

  [Max Will: 9,579,451]

  [HP: 9,579,451]

  [Current Condensed Qi: 1831144/24406069]

  [Current Qi: 1905395/957945100]

  [Current Karma: 97624177/107275977]

  [Mortal Wallet: 12E,692K,180P,697R,179Da,258De,2605k]

  [Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1325Di,126Co,10479St]

  Tch!

  -Where are all the servants? I’ll grab one and you can destroy the others for practice,- I tell Little Corpse standing up and dusting myself off.

  -All of them?- Little Corpse and the girls exchange looks. What’d I miss?

  -If I need a servant I can take one, and then we won’t need the others?- It sounds simple to me, so what’s the big deal.

  -How about three? So the girls can have escorts so they don’t get harrassed, I could probably use the help with some of my simpler tasks, and you can have someone when we’re off doing other things,- Little Corpse recommends, the girls nodding along, and I’m pretty sure I just heard that they don’t want to sit around while I’m eating and sleeping, but they’ll get lonely and not help one another. -Not inaccurate,- Little Corpse admits as the girls try to protest.

  -This is why I like you,- I wag my finger at Little Corpse. I sit back down since it sounds like we’re gonna be hammering at this for a bit. -Why not take two servants? They can take over your simple duties, and the three of you hang out,- I say while pointing between Little Corpse and the girls. -*That last one thought --. Tch! I’ll have to pay a fine.

  -Where was I? Ah! Why not have Little Corpse as your servant when you’re out? The other guy thought that he was. A powerful corpse and two deadly beauties? No one will mess with you. And Little Corpse can kill the others.- I say while gesturing towards Little Corpse with both hands.

  -Why not take all of them?- Little Corpse suggests, and I wonder if they planned on leading up to that.

  -My void is crowded enough!- I snap.

  Why are they trying to add new people? I don’t have a large void anymore!

  -You... You seriously don’t want to have to see anyone in your void, do you?-

  -You say that like it’s an issue.- I don’t see anything wrong with not wanting to just vibe without having to Social. They sigh, I shrug, then I wonder how the others store their bodies. -*How do the others store their corpses when they don’t use them? That one dude used a script, but I think that was just a smoke bomb or something so that other disciple --.

  -They’ve fined me for that, didn’t they?- I remember I’d sent Little Corpse to kill the other “servant” in Sorrow’s Roost.

  -Your Ghost Pot,- Little Corpse says dully while the girls facepalm. Was I supposed to just make that connection?

  -I thought the Ghost Pot was for souls, not bodies,- I try to trigger any Library stored “Memories”, but I’ve got a lot of concern over how many Ghosts I can store.

  -“Ghost Servants”,- Little Corpse says, indicating himself and the girls while the girls jazz hands.

  -So how am I supposed to get the servants? I thought I had to destroy them and I had a chance to get them. Like with you,- I point out. I’ve killed tons of soldiers and got --. -Have I been storing defeated Soldiers in my Pot? What happens when I free their souls?-

  -The corpses are in your bank, but you can put them in your pot. The ones you didn’t eat already,- Little Corpse put out.

  -Wait, so I could have just given him one of the pre-prepped soldier bodies?- I ask myself before turning to my Servants.

  -That’s what most people do. That’s why the Graveyards are farmed and Corpse Preservation is so valuable,- Little Corpse points out. -So what you’ve done is truly amazing.-

  -Fack...-