Silent Howl:
The girls and Little Corpse serve you.
It looks like Little Corpse accidentally bound the servants before you could.
Truly remarkable.
Suspicious as fack on that quick response. Servants suddenly stop responding and then you chime in with a no, no, it’s fine, go back to sleep.
[Name: Kisandera, “Sandy”, Eclipsed Rainbow]
[Affiliation(s): Thousand Valleys, Seven Moons, Companion of the Sacred Phoenix Sovereign, Inner Void Productions, Wimble Sunrise, Scarlet Silk Society, Hunter’s Association, Vengeful Ghost Flame Sect]
[Race: Celestial Void Moth Queen[Shattered] (Saint)] ??
[Current Form: Lesser Void Moth]
[Current Realm: Shimmering(Tier 5)]
[Current Karma: 107577812/234520515]
[Master: Shimmering Steel]
[Familiar: (1/20) Fuck Face (Ghostly Servant)]
[Contracts: (1/10) Sweet Pea Blossom and Chrysanthemum Petal]
[Max Will: 9579451]
[HP: 9579451]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1836090/26894453]
[Current Qi: 503700/957945100]
[Ghost Pot: +420/-0]
[Resentment: +6177790/-209225]
[Resentment Wallet: 200C.St.,113R.Sl.,228R.Sh.,0D.M.R.N.,1I.D.P.]
[Mortal Wallet: 12E,692K,180P,697R,179Da,258De,2605k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1325Di,126Co,10679St]
Tch! I don’t even know if I can trust this. Wasn’t it manipulated by Shimmering Steel’s perception of me?
No. Wait. I was mutated by all the miasma I kept producing. Nevermind! Carry on!
Where was I?
Silent Howl:
Quick! Eat all the dumplings!
-Ha,- I drone, making a point to grab a plate of stuffed buns. -Hmm...- The servants don’t refill the table. -Ah! Servant theft!- I remember. -Why the fuck can you have more servants than me?!-
I open my Vengeful Ghost Sect window to see that I can have 20 servants now, but before it said I could only have one! The two not-mine servants limp out of my Door Portal Gate to get to work on removing the chains from the people who are loosened but still bound. Ah... No toning... Welp.
-*No the manual said that you can have as many as you have Resentment divided by 1000 with a monthly upkeep of 100 stones,- one of the girls says slowly. -It was recommended that budding Corpse Manipulators start off with 1.*-
-Tch! How does he have so much Resentment!- Didn’t I give it to him? When I made him? And I kept topping him up? -Nevermind! How’s he able to cultivate without passing the Challenge?- He’s been helping me kill the Ghosts around Sorrow’s Roost. -Scratch that!-
-Don’t just stand there looking indignant!- one girl grumbles at me while they continue loosening chains. -Keep eating until you find something else to complain about!-
I clear a spot on the table, hunker down, and start slurping soup while thinking. He’s been cultivating, taking trips to my Inner Void... Am I his mentor? Does this count as a mentorship? I’ve definitely been giving him tons of resources, but he’s been learning and developing on his own. Well, outside of me sculpting a body for him. I roll my eyes at the great start I gave him before remembering that he was doing good stuff before I figured out Corpse Preservation... Hm...
[Death Knell(+420/-218)]
[+1 Con. Qi]
[-30 -Resentment]
[+30 Resentment]
[+10 Karma]
[Last Rites II Enhanced(+420/-218)]
[+1 Con. Qi]
[+1000 +Resentment]
[+1000 Karma]
[Ghost Pot: +420/-0]
[Resentment: +6808820/-210097]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1836098/26894713]
[Current Qi: 503640/957945100]
[Current Karma: 107578852/234520515]
-Shit! Sorry!- I cringe as the not-mine puff and grunt loud enough to be heard through the gate. Okay, so maybe the girls are mine, but Little Corpse is probably a monk by now!
Silent Howl:
Right. It looks like you’re gaining Regard instead of Karma.
But you can convert the Regard to Karma.
I don’t know how, but you’ll probably stumble into it.
-I’m what?- I mumble, mouthful of noodle I’m scraping up with a comb leg.
[Ghost Pot: +420/-0]
[Resentment: +6808820/-210097]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1836098/26894713]
[Current Qi: 503640/957945100]
[Current Karma: 107578852/234520515]
-I’m not getting that much Regard...- I grumble. What’s he talking about.
Silent Howl:
...
Count the numbers in that.
That’s not hundreds of thousands.
[Ghost Pot: +420/-0]
[Resentment: +6808820/-210097]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1836098/26894713]
[Current Qi: 503640/957945100]
[Current Karma: 107578852/234520515]
-Aw, bitch,- I refocus. Is it only tens of thousands? -*Wait, that’s millions?*-
Silent Howl:
Has been for a while.
Was wondering why you weren’t saying anything.
My head hurts.
-Mine, too,- the girls and Little Corpse grumble, but I can see the girls rubbing at their heads and noses.
-So I’m not the only one that missed it,- I sag in relief before one of the girls gets up and drives her fist through a wall. -*Oh! Everyone else noticed it except me. Okay, that makes more sense.
-Tch! I’m trying to farm negative Resentment, I don’t know what positive Resentment is for! Well. Didn’t!- I snap resentfully, shuffling around to put them out of my sight before I keep eating. -Wait! That’s so much Karma!- I perk up before realizing that it’s probably like Qi to condensed Qi levels of not so much so. -Nevermind...-
-Ugh! So frustrating!- one of the girls screams. -Keep drumming!- she turns to snap at me.
Tch! Bossy. And they wonder why I don’t think they’re my familiars? I pull over a bowl of pickled vegetables, dump it over a bowl of rice, then reach out with my mouth bits to scoop a mouthful.
Nom.
As time passes with the girls and Little Corpse’s boys finishing up freeing over 20 people, I finally move on to dessert. Chilled fruits, fresh fruit, lightly sweetened dough, and an assortment of jellies. Meanwhile the girls and guys have started gathering the stuff I call not-clay and Little Corpse said was Cursed Soil.
-Alright,- Little Corpse sighs as he returns with his other two servants. -Tch! I thought I was training them to serve you!-
-You did, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t claim them,- I point out. I’ve worked as a sub-contracted warm body before.
-We’ll get you more--. We’ll go back to get you servants,- Little Corpse sighs, correcting himself and then sagging in defeat.
-Want a Bone Snare,- I twitch lightly while eating directly out of a bowl of fruit. I can, and do, pick the fruit up with muh mouth grabbies one piece at a time, raising each piece high enough to study because I’m pissing off the people who are getting snippy that I’m not worshiping their boss.
-We’ll get you a Bone Snare,- Little Corpse sighs, slapping his hand onto the back of his helmet, trying to use the helmet to scratch his head, I guess. -Ah! We’ve got shovels if you want to clean the room manually,- he says, the girls glaring at him.
-Why would we?- one girl snaps, both of them glaring at him before following his finger as he points at me.
-Then ask?- I snap at them before banking all Curse Soil, leaving dark stone rooms with cells blocked off by bars of crystallised Resentment. -I thought you just wanted to sneak some for yourselves. How was I supposed to know you were collecting it for me but didn’t want to use your hands?-
-Yeah, the boss is a very powerful bank spirit,- Little Corpse chuckles, expression soft.
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-And I eat things,- I remind him, cleaning up the mess I’ve made. I’m not hungry and I don’t feel like eating, so I just Deposit everything. -Where’d you think he was getting everything? You’ve been inside a small section of me for days!-
-Yeah, her Ghost Pot is part of her Void. A pretty small section. The forest, fields and lake? Yeah, that’s her Void, too.-
-Why can’t I hear them...- I narrow my eyes at Little Corpse who frowns back at me.
-But they’re sending...- he trails off with a light frown.
-Is this that thing where me broadcasting is weird but super easy ‘cause of capacity things?- I ask, annoyed that I get to be on the outside of someone’s Familiars doing private group sends. I have to focus to narrow it down that much.
-Is it?- Little Corpse turns to stare back at his Servants who gesture and twitch in silent conversation. -I had no idea. You really are amazing,- he says as he turns back to me.
-Recognized as a 10,000-year treasure in the Rising Sun Empire,- I remind them. -*The catastrophe thing is from the mutating.
-You should read my full history from my perspective. Should be good for a laugh or two,- I say as I trundle up to one of the walls of Resentment bars. I look out and see that I didn’t just clean up this side, but a huge chunk of a multi-floor room with a central space open to the levels above. -Ooh! More people!- I focus on chewing through the bars while Little Corpse tries to figure out how to get his group to talk out loud. I hope. -Gonna get so much negative Resentment from this place.-
I can crunch down the bars, but it’s only worth a handful of Resentment meaning I’ll be hungry from doing all the eating with nothing to show for it.
-Oy! Take your servants through my Portal. I’m gonna see if I can’t --,- my plan of seeing if I can Tone the bare bars away is interrupted by Little Corpse and the girls just walking up to them and hitting them.
The bars shatter and they start pulling more chunks free. I see a few of his servants try, but when they touch the bars their hands start smoking and they howl and recoil like they’d been branded. Except for one. He touches the bars, doesn’t look hurt, but then stumbles back to rest against a wall.
-*She, and she feeds on Resentment,- Little Corpse informs me. -She can only hold 15 or so.*-
That’s not helpful at all.
-It’s good that you keep drumming. You’re collecting the Resentment instead of Purifying it,- Little Corpse offers me praise and I’m just sad that I forgot Purifying doesn’t let you collect the negative Resentment. -Ah...-
-Don’t you sigh at me! You end up getting some of it, too!- I pout, walking away and flopping onto the ground in disappointment.
-We informed a few Grave Lords of this place, and an old Monk showed up. Not a Grave Lord or the one from the bank. A different Patron. He suggested a few monasteries we should visit for more training,- Little Corpse says as he moves off with two servants, the others following the girls. -If anyone feels full, don’t forget to dump your Resentment in the bank. If you don’t know how, walk up to our Master and they can pull it from you. Please don’t eat any of the servants,- Little Corpse tosses back to me after volunteering me as the group dumpster. -Tch! If anyone notices her getting hungry don’t wait. Withdraw foods immediately. Everyone understand?-
-Our Ghost Pots aren’t full,- the girls toss back snidely, but that sounds like a sassy acknowledgement. They know how this works by now.
[Ghost Pot: +420/-0]
[Resentment: +7333820/-211022]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1836283/26894944]
[Current Qi: 501790/957945100]
[Current Karma: 107579777/234520515]
[Resentment Wallet: 200C.St.,113R.Sl.,228R.Sh.,0D.M.R.N.,1I.D.P.]
[Mortal Wallet: 12E,692K,180P,697R,179Da,258De,2605k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1325Di,126Co,10679St]
-Hmm...-
I’m good on negative Resentment, so I don’t need to expel it. I’ve got a ton of positive Resentment, but I don’t know what the cap is and horking up pearls is uncomfy. I need to build up Qi again... I’ve got a ton of Essence, but I use it to defend myself... I needed to make more silk.
-Huh,- I roll over to face the side of the room where everyone’s working to collect the stuff in the cells. Most of the people we saved in the first cells were still alive, but the rest of the cells have husks that didn’t turn into Broken Servants. -Anyone know if I’m allowed to sell stuff in the general store yet?-
-A lot of people weren’t pleased with our stunt, so you can try selling silk to the monks,- Little Corpse says, not hesitating in his work and doing a great job of reminding me that the monks are an option.
-Tch! How much do I pay you? Remind me to give you a raise! I’m only partially joking.- Need to keep him busy and well supplied. Don’t want him getting recruited by anyone else. -You girls have any ideas on things I should sell?- Nothing. -Girls?-
-I’ve lost two servants!- Little Corpse says and I immediately Wind Walk up to him while his close servants move closer.
“I know you’re in here!” someone shrieks before a figure leaps down from above, landing where I was just seconds ago.
-Is that Fashionista?-
-This might explain why he advances so quickly...- Little Corpse says stonily. He ducks, waving his servants back and shooing me forward.
-Oy! Dip shit. This your place?- I call down, clattering my wings as I climb onto the railing.
“You! How’d you find my master’s house? You know what he’ll do to you when he finds out you stole from him?” Fashionista kicks off the ground to land on the rail near me before dropping down to the floor on this level. “Tch! Give me a Resentment Crystal.”
-Excuse you?- He literally came up to me with no fear and then tried to get more money from me? He knows I’m the same bug that robbed him, right?
“Tch! We can rebuild the Mill but thanks to you I’m in debt from all the people I put in here,” he sighs with a shake of his head before slumping and looking down at me, way~ too relaxed. “They weren’t dead, but who’d believe me? I still haven’t paid off the last few --. Hey!” He turns to the bottom cell and notices that it’s empty. “Do you have to eat everything?!”
-Little Corpse. Go. Find one of the good monks in the sect, one of the ones who want to sponsor me. Bring them here.- Oh... Fashionista doesn’t know that we’re telling on him, and I might can have him confess in front of a higher up? Yes, please!
“Remember Resentment Stones? Make me more Resentment Stones,” Fashionista says playfully.
Tch! Does this bish think I’m a dog? He’s trying to trigger a response. Does he think he’s talking to himself. Better yet.
-You know I can understand you, right?- I ask, head tilted to the side.
“Widow’s Sigh wants you to give me more Resentment Stones,” Fashionista says. I’m sorry, are you asking me if I want to go for a walk?
-Bring Widow’s Sigh. Hide him. Fashionista is trying to tell me Widow’s Sigh wants me to make money for this idiot,- I send to Little Corpse. I want to check the Logs to see if he dropped the Servants off in my Void, but I can’t take my sight off of the train wreck.
I pause. Close my eyes, -- why the fuck do I have eyelids? -- take a deep breath, and notice I can still see through my eyelids. Ew. Then I open my eyes and focus on Fashionista.
-We’re here,- Little Corpse says, and I have no idea if it’s to everyone or just me, but Fashionista doesn’t react.
-Are you saying that Widow’s Sigh told you to tell me to give you more Resentment Stones?- I ask very clearly, broadcasting widely.
“These are yours right?” he says, snapping his fingers. When the girls float down to stand on either side of him I don’t know who to be pissed at. “You can have them back. One Resentment Shard each. Not the Century Slivers, the DecaMillenial, tear shaped ones.”
Silent Howl:
Their name is crossed out on your Status screen.
It’s still there.
I think he really did take them. Only temporarily.
You might be able to get them back.
-Did you steal my Spirits?- I ask. Let’s hear him point the finger.
“I’m sorry? Your spirits?” he says, smiling as he turns his ear towards me. When he cups his hand near his ear I notice that he’s got a blade of Resentment. “As long as I channel my Qi through them they’re my spirits,” he says, standing up straight with a cruel smirk.
-Your Qi?- I parrot back. I don’t channel Qi through them, I just give them Resentment.
[-20 HP]
-Hey!- one of the girls slashes me across an eye before the other kicks me into one of the open cells. -What the hells!-
“Okay. Give me five Shards and I’ll stop hurting you,” Fashionista smirks before the girls kick me, bouncing me off the back wall.
-See if I don’t eat your boyfriends!- I shriek at them. The kicks don’t hurt and I think I healed from the cut instantly since I ate recently, but that doesn’t make it alright!
“Ten Shards and I’ll let you live,” Fashionista growls through a wide grin, eyes wide and shining manically.
-*Your rooms? Gone! Don’t think your clothes are safe! I’ve recycled silk for decades! I’m eating everything!- I shriek in indignation. And I will. Starting with Poor Pretty. -Your boyfriends? Soup and dumplings! See if I don’t grill their meat!*-
-Don’t do it!- one of the girls whines flying forward to wrap her arms around my neck while she kneels on the ground next to me.
-Don’t do it? Why shouldn’t I?!- I screech at her. -You treat me like a pet and a kick ball and I shouldn’t punish you?!-
-We didn’t do it! He made us!- the girl on me says while the other just stares blankly.
-Wait. I thought you couldn’t be separated?- I blink and tense as I realize I’m about to get my throat slit.
“That’s enough,” an old monk that actually doesn’t look like the living corpse from the bank casually blocks the other girls attack on Fashionista with a few finger flicks. “Heart’s Disarray and his Master have been training new Disciples with rather aggressive ideologies. We’d wondered what he’d done, but I suppose this would explain their secrecy and methods.”
-You call trapping people in here until they die in an attempt to breed Ghosts training?- We need to tear down this school. What the hells!
“Tch! Anyone who learns the breathing technique and two skills is free to go,” Fashionista says with his arms crossed, completely at ease outside of being super annoyed with me. ‘Cause why is he getting away with this?
“If I remember correctly I said you could only train five people here at a time, and you had to take them with you into the Graveyards,” the old monk murmurs, frowning in disappointment.
-You approved this?-
“Not this. It was supposed to be a meditation chamber, similar to the Hovels, but voluntary. The door was never locked or warded...” the old monk frowns. “I’d assumed they’d found a technique to generate Resentment through meditation. Pulling it from elsewhere...”
-No they were chained, naked, in their own filth, which had turned to Cursed Soil, and screaming to be let out,- I drone before focusing on Little Corpse. -Maybe we should find out who is apprenticed to whom...-
“I can sense that here, even if the evidence is gone,” the old monk says, eyes sliding from me to Fashionista who’s eyes in turn slide away. Wait, he’s going to get away with it because I banked everything?
I get a Request from Little Corpse to withdraw some of my Logs. I check my Logs to find out that he’d gone to Aunty because she’d called him, handed over an account for my time in the Resentment Mill, and the Account is excerpts of the local thoughts and location, not my actions.
-Approved, I guess?- I shrug. Not sure what he needs the information for.
He makes the same Request over and over, getting several stacks of paper before handing them out to the people he retrieved.
-You’re not mad at us, right?- one of the girls whispers from beside me.
-No boyfriends for ten years,- I growl back. I’m going to eat the ones they have, too. The girls whine and sag in disappointment until they notice Fashionista leering at them. -And next time see if I don’t give you what you’re asking for,- I tell Fashionista who just smirks at me before he notices his Master frowning at him.
“Speaking of, your disciple attempted to forge false orders using my reputation,” Widow’s Sigh says after receiving a stack of paper from Little Corpse. Little Corpse pauses, flipping through Widow’s Sighs packet before pointing to a page before continuing his rounds. “It’s noted right here.”
“A Recorder and a Scribe...” the old monk that happens to be Poor Pretty’s Master murmurs while looking at me. “Truly a rare treasure.”
-Make sure they get charged extra,- I tell Little Corpse, and he grunts in acknowledgement. -What am I saying? We’re going to go trade with the other monks!-
VI-VII (6-7) are published on Amazon and still available to read on Patreon.
they're gonna get more disrespectful.
