Ranking Advanced

  Vengeful Ghost Sect

  Initiate Rank 2

  Grave Robber

  Hail the Dead

  Achievement +50

  I note a new achievement, but I haven’t done anything besides finish off the servants.

  Ranking Advanced

  Vengeful Ghost Sect

  Initiate Rank 3

  Grave Marker

  Keeper of Lost Souls

  Achievement +100

  Before I can say anything there’s another.

  Ranking Advanced

  Vengeful Ghost Sect

  Initiate Rank 3

  Grave Filler

  Darken the Lands

  Achievement +100

  -Oy --.- Not this shit again.

  Rob the Grave

  Achievement +50

  Empty the Graveyard

  Achievement +50

  “Are you listening --?” Hidden Smile takes a step towards me and the girls put themselves between us causing him to draw up short.

  -I’m being spammed with information right now,- I snap, sitting down, legs folded beneath me as I angry groom.

  Trample the Heavens

  Achievement +100

  -That one is for making Little Corpse!- One of the girls stage whispers in a send.

  “You think I won’t drag you?” Hidden Smile snaps, jabbing a finger at me, but snatching it back when the girls take a step towards him.

  I wonder if he notices they don’t step back... I sigh, shift to my true form, barely managing to fit in the courtyard, and then I keep grooming.

  -Make sure to wash your hands afterwards,- I advise him.

  ‘Cause scales. I wonder how many I knock free grooming?

  “You are a terrible treasure!” he shrieks at me, shaking so hard his hair is mussed and he has to straighten his robes.

  -*Tell me you learned why I’m called a Catastrophe without saying you just learned why I’m called a Catastrophe?*- I snort.

  “Eclipsed Rainbow! If you’d be so kind as to follow Hidden Smile, he’ll be able to guide you to the housing zone where you can set up to continue your cultivation,” Widow’s Sigh says. I shift down to hunan, then, -- still not sure how, -- down more to hybrid form to figure out where he is. “Thank you for cooperating.”

  I’m not. I want to see what the setup is. I said I was going to eat people’s stuff for messing with me. Kinda need to know where they put their stuff, don’t I? One of the girls picks me up and I go back to grooming.

  -Little Corpse was worried you’d be upset that he used so much Resentment to help you finish your other Requirements for Sect advancement,- one of the girls says with relief, carrying me after Hidden Smile who takes the time to bow over his clasped hands in respect to our Elder. I make a point to keep grooming before registering what was just said.

  -He did what? And how much?- I slowly raise my head, lowering my arms.

  -They didn’t notice,- one of the girls drones before sighing long and loud. I still don’t know which one.

  I narrow my eyes at them, -- not that it matters, I think they know where my sight is at all times, -- and open my Logs. Resentment spent. Cost? Paid. Ah!

  Um. I still had over 100 Ghost Soldier bodies, and the spirits in my Inner Void came out, temporarily, to run around my void as Ghost Soldiers. For an achievement for me. And they gained Karma, some of them taking the chance to dump their Resentment on me or beat the shit out of each other in an attempt to gain Karma for defeating Ghost Soldiers. And~ I still have over 100 Ghost Soldier bodies after they ran out of charge and vacated them.

  Note to self. Cultivators losing their bodies, and gaining corpse bodies, need to be trained or they can’t fight for shit. Guess that’s why they just stood around or did running tackles. Good job on the foresight, Little Corpse. Did these dumbasses really just teach their armies to stand around looking imposing? What a waste...

  -Well, you gained Resentment, so why complain?!- one of the girls pouts, stomping her foot, and snapping her sleeve at me.

  -They don’t have access to just take the corpses again, do they?- I ask. I don’t want to just get drained of Resentment or get a mega dump that cooks my soul whenever someone else feels like it

  -I had to do it for them,- Little Corpse tries to reassure me, but his permissions aren’t very reassuring. Can all of them just randomly raise and control an army with my shiz? -Servants are less conspicuous,- he admits, and I wonder if I should make the Servants better. -You should.-

  -How the frick do I stop them from taking advantage of my shiz?- I’m not gonna give them full permissions.

  -Don’t.-

  Tch! Says it like it’s that simple. They’re gonna be resentful, petty, then flat out destructive ‘cause they don’t have full access.

  -You say this like anyone else is capable of more than just fueling them for short periods of time,- Little Corpse points out.

  -Wasn’t that Disarray guy using an army to farm the Graveyards?!- I snap as the girls set me down on a bed that’s a simple thin, cloth covered padded mat on a wood frame with cloud grass sheets in what I’m assuming is supposed to be my bedroom. I probably shouldn’t have been in my Logs during the tour. -Oy! What kind of house did you pick?!-

  -You care now? Too busy complaining to make a choice and now you want to complain more?- one of the sisters says while rolling along the ground.

  I’m assuming she’d laid down specifically to do this and not because she was tired of me. There’s enough space on the bed.

  -Bully! See if we don’t climb up there and eat you!- the other girl pokes my side, putting me out of her sight with a huff.

  -We moved far enough away to see which houses were occupied or not! We chose a manor befitting your Resentment capacity. Somewhere we can rest our Little Masters,- the other girl hops up, bobbing her head and wiggling her shoulders in time with her words.

  -How many bodies do you think you’ll be allowed to pose around the house?- I ask.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  A manor? I’m assuming there are a lot of rooms. Are they gonna have a room with the dressed skeletons playing tiles and another where they’re playing instruments?

  -How many will you let us?- comes back the response.

  -Iono.- I shrug, setting up a table with food. -Ask Little Corpse.- I shift to hunan and begin begin eating while meditating on my Ghost Flame. -I’m busy.-

  Waow~...

  The windows for Vengeful Ghost Flame Sect has so much more shit in them. Before they were just some basic bish guild badge bullshit, probably because I wasn’t in yet, but now I don’t know what an initiate can see, because I’m an Advanced Grave Keeper.

  Don’t know when, but I’m assuming it was during the sound and the fury of the string of cheese I’d gotten when I transferred to the Sect grounds proper, but I’ve gone from Grave Digger, to Grave Robber, to Grave Marker, to Grave Filler. One more Rank until I’m out of Initiate and into the real advanced Ranks! Then more Ranks after that... Fack... This sounds like too much work.

  -Why did I want to do this?- I ask, because I honestly can’t remember.

  -We do your chores for you and talk to people so you don’t have to,- Little Corpse snaps and I wonder if he’s screaming in the void again.

  -*You can’t fight. We can,*- one of the girls says as they set up their own little table, working very hard on making sure they’re both helping place the furniture and setting dishes on their table.

  -*So I don’t need to be here any longer...?*- I ask ‘cause it sounds like I’ve accomplished my goals.

  -Given up on cleaning out the Graveyards? Thought you weren’t going to leave anything behind?- one of the girls says, oh, so casually, and I bristle.

  I can do that.

  -What do I need to do to rank up and access more shit?!- I snap, highly motivated, not angry.

  New foods, new tears of the Disciples. I’m. Taking. Everything.

  -Four Formless Servants,- Little Corpse says, transferring from my void, and walking into the room cleaning his hands on a square of cloth. -You’ll have to find four ghosts that aren’t just Servants or Soldiers. The girls don’t count,- he continues before I can say a word.

  -So... Graveyards?- I shove everything down, banking my shiz, then standing at the ready for the girls to follow suit.

  -Monks,- the girls say in sync.

  Oh. The monks might have non-standard spirits they need exorcised... Cool. I look at the girls and Little Corpse, knowing this is why I’m investing in the dead over the living.

  -Peh! You need to pick better living,- one of the girls makes a spitting noise, leaning over and bowing her head in case I misunderstood her disgust.

  -We gonna do the incense thing?- ‘Cause I wanna do the incense thing. It saves so much time!

  -You’re going to do you and get Resentment, while we sit and finish our meal,- one of the girls says, making a point to raise her bowl to her nose, inhaling deeply and releasing a sigh.

  -You have enough spirits, and you’ve been warned to avoid the town --,- Little Corpse begins and I fling my head back and gargle loudly.

  -He said to stop robbing them of their effort! They didn’t create the Resentment! They just stirred it back up! It’s public Resentment that they’re trying to monopolize!- I shriek, pacing back and forth and flinging my arms around. -I wasn’t part of the Sect yet even though Widow’s Sigh made it sound like I was, and now I am, so I’m just as entitled to the Resentment as they are!-

  -I was going to say they don’t want you near the town so lets go back and keep making friends with the monks and see if we can’t rob them of the source of the Resentments,- Little Corpse sighs.

  -I apologize for interrupting,- I bow respectfully, before standing straight and giving him a nod of approval.

  The grating sigh one of the girls releases is mirrored in Little Corpse’s pinched brows and eyes.

  -Let’s go learn more from the monks! We’ll be calling you Little Monk soon!- I clap him on the shoulder and he just sighs.

  I transfer to the village and there’s a thick pale fog. That smells like rich floral perfume. Fancy stuff that doesn’t just smell like alcohol and allergies. Subtle shiz.

  -They did incense!- I shout, fists raised to the sky in victory.

  -Don’t!- Little Corpse bellows, making my head ring. -No spirits. Just Resentment. Just sit.-

  -And breathe...- I go to take a deep breath, remember that he just told me not to, but he was faster. Arms wrapped around my waist he hoists me up into a bear hug, stopping me from fully inhaling. -Right. Sorry.-

  -I need you to do a visualization exercise...- Little Corpse says slowly, setting me back down.

  Little Corpse walks me through sitting down and imagining that, instead of breathing deeply and cycling my Essence and breath through my body, that I imagine lifting my antenna wafting the Essence into an ever closing or ever opening spiral. Instead I remember that I have ice cream, try to figure out what kind of milkshake I want, then reflexively try to take a sip of my imaginary triple thick milkshake with the knowledge that I’m going to be suckling on the straw for an embarrassingly long time.

  Something opens in my chest, my scales shift on my shoulders, -- I feel like someone just updated my physical appearance, and then the scales on my shoulder start snagging and shredding my robes.

  -Aw, why?! What happened?- What did he make me do?!

  I take a deep breath to rant, verbally, out loud, and my breath hitches as my weird chest hollow clicks and my scales start pulling again.

  He did not just censor me.

  My robes pull at my scales again and I glare blankly at Little Corpse who is trying not to laugh. Until I start taking off my clothes. Suddenly he’s no longer amused.

  I try to drone at him as he tries to tell me to stop, and get me to stop, and put my clothing back on without touching me, but every time I try to breathe my chest clicks. So I just rip the robes, because bad silk is bad, and look down to see what looks like a palm-sized paper circle on my chest below my collarbone and above my breast.

  I try to inhale, stopping when my built in drum clicks. Wait. No. I have a horrible thought that I’ve got a built-in tok tok drum when I remember that my robes were pulling at my shoulder scales. I slowly focus on my upper back, looking away from my chest, and I’ve got... Are those feathers?

  I’ve got long ridged scales sticking off of me like lizard bed-head. But why?

  I try to breathe, I click, I stop. I try to breathe, I click, a monk races by while swinging a large sheet of fabric at me, the sheet wrapping around me like a cloak, and then the monk is gone. In and out without a word, just protecting my modesty.

  I snort, click, and cough.

  -Okay, what the fuck did you get me to do?- Is what I try to ask, but I have to stop my makeshift spoken word because of the fucking clicking.

  “Hello!” A chipper monk runs up to me. Chipper or fucking stern, gods... I’m not in the mood, you smiley fack. “This might sound strange, but --.”

  “(t0k)Yes, I’m click(tok)ing!” I snap. My eyes start stinging and I remove all transfer permissions before going into my void.

  It won’t stop! I’m a bug? How do I even cry? What’s happening. I force a deep breath, ignoring the clicking, just pushing through, and realize that it’s a set rhythm. If I take in a steady breath. Once I get to a certain point. I click. Another full breath, three toks, and I realize I sound like the fucking tok tok drums. I mutated a fookin’ percussion set tripped by my breathing.

  I transfer out of my void trying to swing on the over-sized little fuck who easily ducks back out of the way. Any follow up I may have is intercepted as a monk, hands raised in surrender, -- or to prove he’s not grabbing anything, -- puts his back or his shoulder against me, head turned away but the back of his head, neck and ears glowing red.

  “Listen! Listen! You’re purifying the area when you breathe. Every time you breathe. Just breathe normally!” the monk shouts, literally leaning into me even when I’m backing away trying to get off of him.

  “Stop crushing my tits!” I snap. Fack off! I’ve been trying not to get pushed over!

  He stops moving, head bowed, one hand raised, the other parallel to the ground in front of his stomach as he starts chanting E-fucking-mmediately. I breathe normally and finally notice that Silent Howl has been spamming me, but I was distracted by the sound of my built in prayer drum.

  Silent Howl:

  You’ve now got a built in Resentment filter, jackass!

  Check your Resentment!

  [Ghost Pot (+120/-2)]

  [Resentment: +759840/-505022]

  [Max Will: 9,579,451]

  [HP: 9,579,451]

  [Current Condensed Qi: 1831149/24442449]

  [Current Qi: 1904395/957945100]

  [Current Karma: 97769797/107275977]

  Tch! That doesn’t tell me anything!

  I punch the air while glaring at the monk, kicking the cloth he holds out to me before putting him out of my sight. I storm a few steps away, breath heaving, just rhythmically tokking. I said I’m going to start taking all the loot and the fucker put a bell on me! Need some better living people. The girl was right.

  Deep breaths. Ignore the monks chanting, and the people bowing to me, and I’m going to punch someone. I take a deep breath, getting angrier as the tokking gets faster, and then some jackass flings the sheet over me again. I’m in my Logs, so I can just read, but I’m kinda done.

  I still my mind, -- Do Not Disturb! You’ve done enough! -- walk into my void, bank my clothing, go to the Soak, and the fucking tokking is purifying the water, isn’t it? I feel my scales tingling, my skin tingling, my organs tingling --.

  Da fuq?

  Logs to find out what the fuck being permanent percussion gives me.

  Survey says... I’m not filtering. Well. Technically, I am. I’m auto-collecting Resentment. Ss. Resentments. By breathing. Like I do with essence. ... Yay...

  Why am I getting Resentment in my void? I feel the air thicken. Someone’s focusing on me awful hard.

  Not a fan.

  Oh! The bears! And probably Broadband Chicken!

  ...

  Definitely Persephone during my coma years.

  Fack.

  So... I have Resentment. A lot of negative Resentment and I’m gonna get a fack ton more. Let’s go shopping.

  Probably gonna have to talk to the others and let them back in...

  Ugh...