-This probably looks ridiculous,- I point out, accepting a plate of fish and rice, the girls holding bowls of dumplings as they float beside me.
Little Corpse won’t put me down. I guess I’m still hungry, so he’s walking down the road while spawning meals, the girls holding extra dishes if I don’t get to them in time, resulting in me sitting on his shoulder having a picnic. I’m not sure if we’re getting weird looks since I’m focused on eating, -- more proof that me am hungy, -- and eventually the girls swap bowls, one holding a tray with all the dishes while the other keeps demanding I give her my Notes.
-I haven’t written anything down,- I snap when she tries to pull my arm, making me miss my plate with my chopsticks.
-We’re going to convert your bank notes,- Little Corpse says soothingly.
-Bank notes,- I repeat, because I think I needed to go to a bank for something. I look around to see we’re somewhere that looks like a murder den with all of the Resentment filling the air. -That weapon lady should set up a collector in here,- I say before Little Corpse sighs. -Oh, right.-
[Ghost Pot: +170/-0]
[Resentment: +760890/-222441]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1832275/24739965]
[Current Qi: 806390/957945100]
[Max Will: 9579451]
[HP: 9579451]
[Current Karma: 98959862/107275977]
[Resentment Wallet: 0C.St.,7R.Sh.,124D.M.R.N.]
[Mortal Wallet: 12E,692K,180P,697R,179Da,258De,2605k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1325Di,126Co,10679St]
[-1 x124 D.M.R.N.]
[Resentment Wallet: 0C.St.,7R.Sh.,124 -124 D.M.R.N.]
[Ghost Pot: +170/-0]
[Resentment: +760890/-222441]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1832275/24739965]
[Current Qi: 806390/957945100]
[Max Will: 9579451]
[HP: 9579451]
[Current Karma: 98959862/107275977]
[Resentment Wallet: 0C.St.,7R.Sh.,0D.M.R.N.]
[Mortal Wallet: 12E,692K,180P,697R,179Da,258De,2605k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1325Di,126Co,10679St]
-Here,- I say as I hand the girl the Notes and Receipts. -In case they want some proof, the Receipts are there, too.-
-The Receipts are ours,- the girl finds and Deposits them in my bank before flitting off to speak to an attendant.
-Don’t take extra Resentment,- the girl holding my food tray whispers. I try to sneak a bun off of a plate on her tray without being too obvious. -This place is cursed for a reason.-
-How much will they pay to remove it?- I ask her and the girl speaking to the attendant asks.
“It’s only a minor irritation, so we’ll only pay 10,000 Resentment to have it lifted,” the attendant responds and I snort.
-There’s more than 10,000 Resentment here, but I’m not taking this mess on for anything less than advancing more Ranks!- I laugh. The fact that I can barely see with some of my Ultravision active is scary.
“We won’t need Shard conversion, just stones,” our representative says to the attendant, and I barely catch that there’s only a 20 percent fee for the convenience. “We won’t need Shard conversion.”
“And how do you plan on moving hundreds of thousands of Resentment? Do you know how large those stones are? Or how many purses that will take?
“Most purses will only hold 100 stones,” she continues and I sputter.
Ha! No wonder Fashionista looked so weird. He was probably happy and pissed at the same time!
“Will you go buy more purses?” the woman asks, making it sound like we’re being unreasonable. “Or do you plan on take larger stones? Those don’t fit into standard purses? Do you realize how heavy they are? Do you know how big those stones are? Be reasonable!”
“We won’t need Shard Conversion,” my girl says firmly, already finished.
“We won’t be responsible if someone takes the money while you’re struggling to figure out how to move it! And there’s a fee for storage if you don’t remove it from the premises immediately!”
I try to keep eating, but the attendant is being pushy as fack! I put my bowl down on the tray, my chopsticks on top of the bowl, and then pat Little Corpse hoping he’ll put me down. When he does set me down I dust myself off and move forward to back up my little representative.
-We won’t need Shard Conversion, seeing how I’m the one who made them,- I say, standing beside my girl.
“What a boast!” the woman cackles loudly, stopping abruptly and turning her head away, before quickly glaring at me. “Do you have proof?!”
I blink, wondering why she thinks it’d be hard to prove I can make something that doesn’t require me to do anything special. I shrug, because, okay?
[Resentment Shard x20 Produced]
[-10000 x20 -Resentment]
[+1 x20 Con. Qi]
[-1000 x20 Qi]
[Ghost Pot +170/-0]
[Resentment: +760890/-52096]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1832320/24752409]
[Current Qi: 760390/957945100]
[Max Will: 9,579,451]
[HP: 9,579,451]
[Current Karma: 99009637/107275977]
[Resentment Wallet: 0C.St.,7R.Sh.,0D.M.R.N.]
[Mortal Wallet: 12E,692K,180P,697R,179Da,258De,2605k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1325Di,126Co,10679St]
My little helper cups her hands, collecting the Tears as I produce them. The bank attendant starts off looking blankly slightly above my head, her eyes becoming more focused, and wider, as she slowly looks down to see what I’m doing. Before her jaw can drop she shakes herself, and huffs, crossing her arms, eyes looking away again as she adopts a relaxed stance.
“So you have broken glass! What proof is there that those are Shards of Resentment?” she snaps.
-*You are bad at your job. Check them,*- I shout at her.
Fack, do I have to think for everyone who works here? These people are morons! I understand a bit of cynicism, but everyone’s talking down at me for no reason! She’s not even treating me like shit because she’s all speciest --.
This place is cursed because they treat everyone like this, innit? I get to watch as one of the other attendants politely bows off, walking away quickly, then sprinting off when she’s outside. I’m kinda impressed that she’s aware enough to know shit’s about to go down. Does she know me or was the cursed energy already at critical?
The woman grabs a handful, rudely, from my girl, casually tucks one into her upper robes, saying she’s going to make an earring out of it, and then walks off while loudly mocking my pathetic attempt to trick her. She goes on about how she’s not an idiot as Little Corpse pulls out his sickle and starts walking towards her, the other girl joining us.
Did they bank my food? A quick check of my Logs shows that they did in fact put my food away for later, setting the tray on a table on the porch where I used to enjoy eating. I let out a relieved sigh, catch Little Corpse frowning at me before he shakes his head and focuses on the loud attendant, and tune back in to her bullshit just in time to see her staring down at a tray where the other Shards are sitting.
-Now, you’ve stolen 10,000 Resentment, or rather, a Shard of Resentment from me,- I point out and she shrinks in on herself, shaking her head, eyes wide, face pale, hands clutched to her chest. This bish. -You put it in your robe and said you’d make an earring out of it! We have witnesses!-
I don’t know if I should be angry or impressed. The speed that she starts trying to disrobe to find the shard is amazing. I didn’t need to know that she wears robes with upper padding. Or that she likes embroidered chest covers. Or that she wears sheer pants for underwear.
Apparently the Shard she’d tucked into her top had gone into one of the layers, she’s not sure which one, and she couldn’t find it, so she just stripped down. Problem is, the Shard still hasn’t been shaken loose. And her robes are in a pile while she’s standing in her underwear. I get to watch as she realizes that the items might have fallen into her underwear, then watch as she looks up and sees that my man and my girls are armed and very unhappy, and that I’m not too impressed either.
“What’s going on in here?!”
Tch! Boobs Magee storms in with the attendant that fled and I realize she wasn’t saving her ass, she was saving the almost naked lady’s.
“You dare to humiliate one of my beneficiary’s?” Boobs Magee snaps, charging forward, but Little Corpse smoothly steps between us, raising his sickle, the side of the blade braced by his free hand. “Hmph! Get tossed out of my shop and you come her to pay me back?”
-What is your problem?- I turn to the woman, leaning around Little Corpse. -I came here to convert bank notes into Resentment and this one keeps trying to rip me off. She stole one of the Shards and now she’s trying to find it. I didn’t tell her to take her clothes off!-
“I thought this Patron was simple and trying to pass glass off as Shards. I tucked one into my robes, saying I’d make a cheap earring out of it, but the Shards are real,” the woman cowers, slowly shuffling over to stand beside what I’m guessing is her Sponsor.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Patron who? Are you lying about your position now?” Boobs Magee snaps, turning on me. Again.
-I didn’t say shit! I made Shards because she needed proof, and you blame me when she steals one! She realizes she messed up and calls me a Patron out of respect, and you call me a liar! To hells with you!- I snap at her. -Name one thing I’ve done! With proof! Lying cow!-
“Call me a liar? You dare?” she shrieks, eyes open in shock, but she looks paler with rage.
-*You said I came here to get back at you? Who are you that I should care? Lie! You didn’t kick me from your shop, I left because I didn’t want to deal with your shit! Another lie you told! Said I’m faking my rank? Lie! Said I humiliated her? Lie! All you’ve done is lie!*- I snap at her as the girls and Little Corpse get ready for combat.
-While watching the Catastrophe move through the Sect has been quite entertaining, I’m not quite willing to lose your services as of yet.-
I watch as a mummified monk turns from me, mouth unmoving, body wrinkles and skin stretched over bone, one arm behind his back as he slowly spins to face Loud Mouth.
“Master!” the woman gasps breathlessly, dropping to her knees, raised hands clasped as she bows.
-Whose Master?- I grumble, trying to figure out what this guys name is so I can avoid selling to him and his beneficiaries in the future. -See if I don’t become half of what she accuse me of! Tch! So loud...-
-Surely that won’t be necessary,- he says to me, but his eyes open, little slices of the void, as they slide to look at the weaponsmith. She gasps, turning grey before he extends a finger towards me, the Shard lifting out of the shitty attendant’s robes to land on the table next to the weird analysing tray. -What compensation could I offer to show my sincerity?-
“Our master would appreciate it if Eclipsed Rainbow learned how to condense Resentment into weapons,” Widow’s Sigh says.
-Bastard keeps appearing out of nowhere,- I mumble. I saw him the first time he showed up in Red Silk Spider Sect, but I for the life of me never know when he’s going to pop up anymore! -Wait. Whose Master? Not mine!-
“My Patron would like to discuss your sponsorship rewards later,” Widow’s Sigh murmurs, still bowed respectfully, and I’d like to know what rewards he’s talking about.
-Not now!- one of the girls chastises me when I go to curse him for lying about rewarding me.
-Oh...?- the monk’s eyes shine and I swear I can see the Resentment crystallising in the air around us. -If you need a Patron, I wouldn’t mind a powerful producer such as yourself joining my branch. We’ve made most of the strides in innovations used, after all...-
“And my Master prides innovation as well,” Widow’s Sigh says, bowing even deeper. Oh, is he going to bat for me against an old monster?
-Shall I demonstrate?-
Demonstrate what?
I tense up, freezing and bracing myself as the old monster reaches out a hand. Judging from the fact I don’t think I can hear anyone breathing, I’m not the only one. Why were they breathing so loud?
The mummified monk spreads his skeletal fingers to reveal a pale shard of something.
-Usually Resentment weapons are Resentment condensed around a fragment of someone’s corpse. Ghost or Corpse weapons they’re called, but that name applies to so many things these days,- he continues.
He clenches his fist around the bone, and it hovers in place, his hand stopping before it closes completely. The fog starts siphoning into the space between his hands, the air clearing but frozen under the weight of his will. The Resentment begins to crystallise, not glass, not stone, but flame. A weapon, a trident or pitchfork, starts to form of burning Resentment. When the old man finishes, releasing the weapon, it floats towards me, not tines first, but presented sideways, shaft parralel to the ground, for my inspection.
-It is no easy task, no simple task, but the amount of Resentment necessary is astounding for some,- he admits. -Consider this a gift. A token of my appreciation for your leniency... And your... unique abilities.-
-I’m not accepting this as an apology for these rude asses, but I will accept it as proof that you’re willing to do business,- I sniff, grabbing the rough stone of the weapon.
The flames had gone out, but it feels a lot lighter and smoother than I thought it would. I bank the weapon, hoping that it can’t be used for anything once it’s stored away. I send Little Corpse to verify it’s banked properly and not just propped up somewhere, and he comes back with a quick nod and confirmation.
-Now then. I produced 20 Shards, those are them on the table as long as no one else took one for personal use without my express permission, which I have not given,- I snap. We came her to exchange facking bank notes! -And she’s already taken 124 Bank Notes worth 10,000 Resentment,- I glare around everyone at the near naked woman standing to the side wearing someone else’s outer robes. -*I haven’t received a single Resentment from those Notes, and I almost lost Shards to this nonsense!
-Someone exchange my fucking notes! This isn’t even a please at this point! No wonder this place is cursed! How is it still open?!- I don’t know about anyone else, but just ‘cause I’m not mad at the old man doesn’t mean I’m not mad. We’re probably going to fight, so I bring out my scythes, scurrying legs, and wings for extra scale coverage. -And I expect to be compensated for this bullshit!-
My tirade is cut off by the old monk walking to the table my Tears are on. He adds the last shard to the tray, does some hand wavey nonsense, and I swear he starts salivating. He swallows thickly, making little sounds as he looks around. One of my girls races off, startling me, the other girl, and Little Corpse. We can’t utter a word as she gathers up the notes that the attendant had apparently put under the counter, -- bitch was robbing me! We hadn’t finished that transaction! -- and places them on the table.
“We’d like the Resentment Stones please. No conversion necessary. We understand that it will take time to get the appropriate stones togther --.”
She doesn’t get to finish explaining all the nonsense the attendant had tried instead of just processing our request. The old man places a hand on the top of her head, chuckling lightly before taking the notes. He sets the notes off to the side of the tray, emptying the shards into a bag before putting the notes on the tray, looking up at one of my little misses.
-Would you like for the bank to keep an account open for you? They’ll hold onto your stones, shards, notes, what have you, for a small accounting fee,- he explains, nodding, with understanding not “so you’ve chosen death”, when my little miss shakes her head to decline. He makes another little noise before doing more idle finger swiping. -We have several flames worth 100,000 Resentment,- -- holy shiz, they’re worth what? Maybe it’s a good thing I haven’t gotten around to touching the lamp markers. Ack! -- -would your Master like to condense them now? Or would she prefer stones?-
Little miss turns to me, as does other little miss and Little Corpse.
-Flames,- I say as I get a message from Silent Howl to grab the flames because he’s not going to standby and watch me deal with failed art installations all day.
-Simple enough,- he says with a smile that makes me feel grampa died during a happy dream. -Patience while I prepare your room,- he murmurs, and I wonder if he’s going to try to trap me in a box.
Been there, done that, didn’t work. He gives the pouch of Shards to little miss, who Deposits them, and I see Little Corpse opening his purse and setting the purse into his. I check the logs, and he did in fact not Withdraw the purse, but he has Withdrawn other things. Looks like he’s setting up somewhere considering he’s pulled out some containers, but hasn’t put them back. And they’re transferring items through me, but the information is still in my Logs.
I move off to a corner, Little Corpse standing between me and the rest of the room as the girls set up my table after getting mad when I just pull the tray to the table without any assistance. So I sit and wait while they set up the food, stealing bites from the dishes on the table because I get swatted for trying to pull from the dishes not yet on the table.
Eventually I start to lose interest in the food on the table, sighing as I go from focused on sating my hunger to bored. I look around, look away as I notice Little Corpse watching me to make sure I don’t do anything, and then check to see if I need to condense more shards.
[Ghost Pot +170/-0]
[Resentment: +760890/-141061]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1832455/24789365]
[Current Qi: 625390/957945100]
[Max Will: 9,579,451]
[HP: 9,579,451]
[Current Karma: 99009637/107275977]
[Resentment Wallet: 0C.St.,7R.Sh.,0D.M.R.N.]
[Mortal Wallet: 12E,692K,180P,697R,179Da,258De,2605k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1325Di,126Co,10679St]
-Ooh! More spirits!- I perk up, going to my Logs and groaning loudly back at the others.
Apparently I got an upgrade from my Halls of the Dead badge. What else has been going on... Oh! How much did I get from the silk? I gave the silk, and then...
-Da fuq?!- Before I can get truly outraged at having walked off without getting paid, the girls sigh, one of them rolling her eyes so hard she nearly falls off her cushion. Guess they made themselves comfortable while I ate.
-1000 Resentment per yiddit, because elemental silk,- one girl sighs. And I didn’t get a single stone.
-Oy, fuckers! I’m trying to earn that money! Give me some!- Back to wondering where the earnings for my labor went? Tch!
[+1 Shard of Resentment]
[Resentment Wallet: 0C.St.,7 + 1 R.Sh.,0D.M.R.N.]
[Ghost Pot +170/-0]
[Resentment: +760890/-145015]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1832461/24791008]
[Current Qi: 619390/957945100]
[Max Will: 9,579,451]
[HP: 9,579,451]
[Current Karma: 99164032/107275977]
[Resentment Wallet: 0C.St.,8R.Sh.,0D.M.R.N.]
[Mortal Wallet: 12E,692K,180P,697R,179Da,258De,2605k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1325Di,126Co,10679St]
[+1 x10 Shard of Resentment]
[Resentment Wallet: 0C.St.,8 + 10 R.Sh.,0D.M.R.N.]
[Ghost Pot +170/-0]
[Resentment: +760890/-145015]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1832461/24791008]
[Current Qi: 619390/957945100]
[Max Will: 9,579,451]
[HP: 9,579,451]
[Current Karma: 99164032/107275977]
[Resentment Wallet: 0C.St.,18R.Sh.,0D.M.R.N.]
[Mortal Wallet: 12E,692K,180P,697R,179Da,258De,2605k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1325Di,126Co,10679St]
-*Grumble fucking grumble,- I say as I start getting Deposits of money I’d already made! -Tch!*-
[1 x200 Resentment Stone Produced]
[-100 x200 -Resentment]
[-100 x200 Regard]
[Resentment Wallet: 0 +200 C.St.,7R.Sh.,0D.M.R.N.]
[Ghost Pot +170/-0]
[Resentment: +760890/-125015]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1832461/24791008]
[Current Qi: 619390/957945100]
[Max Will: 9,579,451]
[HP: 9,579,451]
[Current Karma: 99164032/107275977]
[Resentment Wallet: 200C.St.,18R.Sh.,0D.M.R.N.]
[Mortal Wallet: 12E,692K,180P,697R,179Da,258De,2605k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1325Di,126Co,10679St]
-Mine!- I snap, Depositing the Stones. -I already gave you all some!-
