This is a daily reminder: You have 416 unallocated stat points

  Gain 40 exp from Hydra

  The last one falls. I'm breathing heavily. Not out of exhaustion but mental fatigue. I hadn't bathed in dungeon monster blood in a long time. For as lovely the high is, the abrupt end is just cruel. Winctal touches my side.

  “Think you've had enough there, Mourns.”

  “Give me a moment, I'll get us to the war machine.” I wheeze out.

  “I think not, watching you slaughter the hydra was in a word, disturbing but necessary. I don't wish to see you do the same to Dwarves.” Abramna said moving forward.

  “Husband, misleading the child will only work for so much longer.” Ophelia chides him, while giving his arm a stroke.

  “Then there will be two of you, I suppose.” He gives a hummph but the wry grin told the real story.

  Their interactions were foreign to me, a side of Ophelia I had not known. Teasing and flirty…is this a date for them? We arrive at the Dwarven gate.

  “Hold trespassers, who approaches the Kingdom of Gadvak.”

  They can talk?

  The marques simply strode forward. His sword unseathed.

  “Wait if they—”

  “Mourns, they only say that one line.” Winctal said.

  O…right. That was a thing. Bleeding NPCs. Nine more dwarves join the one that spoke. They barely move before the first head is separated from its body. It doesn't take the man long to finish the rest. A bit of clapping comes from Ophelia while Winctal rolls her eyes.

  We proceeded forward, I had the supply bag again. Still in my many limbed form, just in case.

  “Do you know which way?” The marques asked.

  I shut my eyes to try to remember. I'm dismayed that I do not. I remember the War golem, but beyond that? Not really.

  “Head left, Black and Blue informed me that keeping to the left is how to proceed in Sara's instance.” Winctal said.

  “I still can't believe you ate an instance key.” Ophelia shook her head.

  “You can't believe it? I watched her do it with her dopey ass grin.” Winctal groused.

  “And you didn't immediately force her to spit the key out?” Abramna asks.

  “Apparently the chimera had an iron horn rabbit stomach and immediately fused the key to her skeleton.” Winctal responds back.

  I blanch at her words. I'm not sure what I was thinking. Sounds like a different person altogether. We move through the halls while Abramna dispatches the dwarves. When we reach the junction we all freeze.

  To the left is a horde of Dwarves. An unbelievable number. Uncountable.

  “Send the girl alone, less ya be slaughtered here.” One of them spoke in the sea of the same faces.

  Both Abramna and Ophelia are in front of us. Ready to fight. Ready to die. I can't accept that.

  “We aren't surr—”

  “I'll go.” I interrupt Ophelia.

  She turns to me, “You need to stay in my aura, Sara.”

  I shake my head. “Not at the cost of your lives.”

  “Aye, you for their lives, girlie.” The voice spoke. I hate that he talks to me like Stone did.

  “You would trust his word?” Abramna says slowly. He has yet to take his eyes off the horde.

  “Well, considering he could have trapped us and then killed us all anyways, I feel this is a courtesy.” I said as I moved forward. The horde parts to let me pass. “I'm sorry, everyone.”

  “Fuck you, your the one sacificing herself. It's us who should be apologizing.” Winctal says.

  Ophelia turns to me and places her hands on my shoulders, staring into my eyes. “You don't have to do this, Sara.”

  I gave her a sad smile, it seemed she had warmed up to me as well. “Thank you for watching over me. I'll make it through this. I promise you I will.” I pass her and continue walking towards the sea of Dwarves. They raise their weapon towards the other three as they close behind me. There are so many of them. Was it all the Dwarves on this floor? I just keep walking.

  The horde behind me, I still feel Ophelia aura pressing down on me. At least until the portcullis falls. Further cementing me here. Damn it. I can only move forward. The lich's aura coats me. Then she is there walking next to me. Looking perfectly fine. An illusion.

  “Where are you exactly, that this place has a horde of same looking Dwarves staring at you. Obviously a dungeon, but which one.”

  I roll my eyes, “Not immediately going for the eyes?”

  “Being brash and killing you here would be counter productive, Cea.”

  My spine crawls as she says my name. Her old name. Fuck. “Aw, here I was hoping to be the one spider centaur undead in the dungeon.” I don't think she can [Identify] me, best to not say Tibyder.

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

  “Exactly why I am not being brash.” She tuts. “An interesting form, is this how Sara's tails work, Cea?”

  “Stop calling me that.” I yell at her.

  “Why, you claimed it, did you not? Demanded it from me, even. You still haven't answered where you are, Cea.”

  I glower at the illusion. She gives me a cruel smile.

  “And I won't. Hate for you to attempt an ill advised retrieval.” I sneer. “I'm just going to get killed by the dungeon now.”

  I start walking forward.

  “That certainly won't do. If I am to inhabit your body, I can't have it claimed by another.”

  “As if you had a say in the matter.”

  She looks annoyed at me, “Cea, is this to be your desired end I will not stop it. But if you wish to still struggle against me, foolish as it is, I can get you through this.”

  “And in exchange?”

  She smiles, “Is it not enough to ensure your eventual domination?” I glare at the illusion. She laughs, “I need not ask you to etch anything, you're already becoming me, o silver haired one. No, I think, what I want.” She pauses, “Is for you to go by the name you claimed from me.”

  “I will not etch that into myself.” I growl. We reach the large set of doors.

  “Of course not, just a vow. Any etching you could remove anyways. The same with a geas. No, I want a simple vow. My name is Cea and I will correct any who call me differently. That is all I require.”

  Damn her. I don't want to be part of this dungeon. I still want to live. I made a promise to live and she can guarantee it. I squeeze my eyes shut.

  “Until I end the lich I make this vow to, I will go by Cea, correcting any who would dare call me by any other name.”

  I feel my soul twist at the words.

  The lich accepts your vow for her assistance through Gadvak Dungeon

  “Not exactly what I asked for, but it will do. Even better that I now know where you are. Open the door, Cea.”

  Damn it, system, outing me like that. I push the door open.

  100 Gadvak War Golem

  I walk forward. The lich Illusion shoots out a blade of void, bisecting the machine.

  You gained 100 exp

  “Simple.”

  I frown but walk by the broken floor boss. We reached the far wall. The frown grows at the mithril vein. I look at the lich.

  “I am conserving mana. Surely you were prepared for this?”

  Why would she need to conserve her mana? I grumble but put down the pack. I grab the pickax from it and begin hitting the wall.

  You have gained [Mining] Intermediate 4

  Gain 8 exp

  -----

  You have gained [Mining 2] Apprentice 7

  Gain 4 exp

  Finally done.

  “You could have slipped through earlier.”

  I glare at the illusion as I gather the last bits of mithril. I shift into my kitsune form and walk through the hole. The supply bag back on my back. I left behind the rations. It now has a hundred pounds of mithril in it. Should cover my shortfall in money.

  “Only two tails, is that why you're here. Did your other body not have any cores?”

  I ignore her taunting and walk the craggy path. I see various pieces of ore jutting out. Guessing iron, and copper. Maybe tin? I shake my head and continue on. I entered a larger room. An arrow hits my shoulder. It plinks off my scales. I look up to see various skeletons. Their bows are drawn. I give an annoyed look at Cea.

  “Its not like you were paying attention either. My senses are rather limited, Cea.” She looks back at the archers, pointing. “Bind yourself to her.”

  Soul tethers snapped to me. I give an annoyed look at her. She just laughs me off.

  “Does it make you grow colder, Cea? We should go find more. Do keep them in front of you, there could be traps.”

  “Actually, I didn't feel anything from them.” I do as she says.

  “Pity, but they are just dungeon fluff.”

  We continue on, our army of the undead growing. There are various tunnels leading to more rooms with more tunnels. Unlike the previous floor the skeletons are varied. Even for arguably the same species. Not all of them have bows. Some swords. Some warhammers. No shields. Defense apparently not desired. It begins to grow hotter as we proceed. Ophelia spoke of needing heat resistance, perhaps I should head towards that heat.

  Using that as my guiding principle we head further.

  -----

  “You're lost.”

  I glare at the illusion. Lost and tired. It doesn't go unnoticed.

  “You should rest, Cea.”

  "And let you use mental magic on me? I think not.”

  She rolls her eyes. I seem to recall her being more restrained.

  “I vow not to use mental magic on Cea until we escape the dungeon.”

  The lich has given you a vow

  I smile.

  “What?”

  “The system even refers to you as the lich.”

  Her eyes narrow at me then her face grows a sneer, “Your soul also just accepted being called Cea for my vow.”

  My soul squirms at her words. Fuck. I go by her name, it is not my name. Her sneer just grows wider.

  “It's just a name, Cea. Frankly your revulsion to it feels like a slight. You certainly have more memories of being called Cea than you do over, what was your name again?”

  I glare at her. She knows I can't say it. That I can only say Cea.

  “You must have been real proud of the name, considering you used it on everything.”

  She shrugs, which is rather silly. She had to use mental mana to make the illusion do that. “I would tell you why, but why spoil it. You'll know everything soon enough.”

  Speaking of, “Why did you deny me the memory of my…your first born?” I wince at my mistake. It does not go unnoticed.

  “HE IS MINE.” The illusion winks out for a moment, then returns. “I know at some point I will have to surrender those memories to you. I simply wish to have them a while longer.”

  “Can't be soon enough for you to just be a stupid mundane Lich.” I give her a sneer.

  “Ah but a new Cea will walk the land then.”

  “Hate to break it to ya but memories of others fade into me over time, lich.”

  She narrows her eyes at me, searching for a lie. I wonder if [Detect Falsehood] works through illusions. Not like I could test it at the moment. I'll have to ask Ophelia later.

  “Even should you pull every memory from me, I will still have my singular drive as a lich to claim you, Cea.”

  Guess I can't leave her up north to wither then. I needed to get my name back anyways. I start walking forward again.

  “What was the point of my vow if you are not going to rest.”

  I roll my eyes. “I just want to make a bit more progress, that's all.”

  “Sleep, I will scout ahead and find the way forward.” A bit of a wry grin emerges, “And grow your army.”