For the Record

“Uh. Oops?”

I guess this is one way to meet other students. Although this one looks horrified…

“A-AHHH! I mean, sorry, s-sorry, I’m so sorry!” they squeal as they squirm out from my arms, and promptly start bowing repeatedly.

I tilt my head, while my paladin offers an apologetic smile to them, and then walks forward to whisper something in their ear.

I pretend not to hear, but I can definitely sense the words. “It’s ok, they look scary and well, they are scary… but they’re not so bad. And I’m not just saying that because I’m their wife!”

The last bit gets an incredulous look, but it at least seems to have defused or at least redirected the tension… the two of them start rapidly whispering to each other, mostly around disbelief or what marriage to something like me even is, but I let them have their space. We haven’t caught up with the rest of the party yet, so it’s not like I’m in a hurry to get anything done. I choose instead to focus on the exasperated human carrying the large sack of books who seems to be socially attached to the one I ran into.

“So, uh. Hello? I’m Nemesis,” I offer.

They simply raise one eyebrow and say, “I am well aware of who you are, considering the headmaster made you the center of spectacle not ten minutes ago.”

…

I guess they’re not going to say anything else. I shrug and turn back to the other two, still rapid fire whispering. But, that won’t stop me from interrupting.

“Hello, I’m Nemesis.”

They both turn to me and go silent for a moment. I give my bond with Izahne a light caress, which of course causes her to blush.

I sigh, producing yet another small cloud of ash and sparks. “Yes, I know. Very scary, ooh, watch out, it’s dangerous. And I am. But, not to you, unless you actually want to fight for some reason? I don’t particularly want to fight, m-master would probably crush me flat. He seems to want me to talk to people, and sometimes it’s interesting, so we may as well talk.”

…

“Most humans have names, and you’re no different, right?” I probe.

“Y-yes!” the one with bristly hair finally replies, much too high pitched to be their normal voice. “Eleonor! I mean, I’m Eleonor!”

“Calm down, I’m not going to bite.”

They nod rapidly and let out a series of mm’s and mmhm’s, definitely more than are normally used in human conversation.

“It’s just… you’re them! I mean, you! A-and, you feel scary, like just standing here you feel scary, like dense mana, it makes it hard to see you!”

Heh?

(Looks like a scout Class. Probably all perception of some kind, from what she’s said probably a vision main,) my Assistant offers.

Ah, this one’s a ‘she’ apparently.

“Scout Class?” I ask.

The scout’s eyes widen for a moment before she starts nodding so hard I’m shocked her head hasn’t flown off. “Yep yep! Is it that obvious?”

“No, my Assistant told me.”

The human with the bag of books’ attention snaps to me, as if it hadn’t been before. “Your Assistant is verbally capable?”

I shrug. “It’s not like it’s some big secret. My soul got smashed together with someone else’s and it turned me into this.”

“Wait… how does that even happen? How is that possible!? That must violate at least four of the ancient taboos!” he dumbfoundedly blurts.

I shrug again. “Some gods don’t care about taboos, now do they? I mean, supposedly I ate one in a previous incarnation, so they sound a lot more like guidelines to me anyway.”

“Is that why?” Eleonor says timidly while pointing above me.

So of course, I look up and see the ceiling.

(She means your status, idiot.)

Oh.

“My identify? Yeah. That’s why. I’m a scary, plane-ending monstrosity. But it’s ok, even before the ra-rab-… master bound me, I wasn’t exactly looking to wipe out life. Although I do eat vitality, and souls, and ascendants taste especially nice.”

“What does it feel like when you do that?” the scout unexpectedly asks.

And Izahne immediately steps between us and spreads her arms. “Please don’t, s-sweetie? Save that for me.”

Nyx chuckles. (I think you broke her.)

“If you say so,” I reply. My paladin smiles more brightly than I’d think having your soul chewed should uh…

(Yeah, she’s ‘special’.)

Sure.

Anyway, that seems to have assured her, since she’s moved next to me and taken my hand.

(You know what, here. You’ll understand it better in these terms. She’s territorial of you. Remember? Belonging to each other? She wants the little things you do with her to stay with her.)

Ooh. Wait, I think I get it! Like how I felt when Elobahn felt dangerous last night?

(Yeah, something like that!) Nyx exclaims.

Hmm.

So should I not be talking to these people?

I immediately feel disagreement from my link to the headmaster. Is he really watching everything I do? Ah, there’s the confirmation from it. Wonderful.

(Want to know something funny?)

Not really, but you’re going to say it anyway.

(He can’t police what I say! He’s a rabbit, a very fancy rabbit, an old white fluffy bun bun flaunting his power and poorly pretending to be a human!)

Hey, don’t say that, he’ll probably… wait, nothing? No retaliation? He can’t hear you, can he?

(Apparently not!)

I sigh more ash, which gets the attention of the others who have apparently been watching me have a conversation in my head.

“Sorry, my Assistant was being dumb.”

(Hey!)

What, it’s not wrong.

“So, where are you going after this?” Eleonor asks, causing the book hauler to sigh.

“Eh,” I shrug.

Izahne seriously answers though. “Back to the nearby dungeon, they have to feed or they could lose control again.”

“Wait, that’s a thing!?” the scout unnecessarily shouts.

I sigh. My sigh count has to be approaching Nyx’s by now. “You know what, why don’t you come along? Watching how it happens will probably answer a lot of questions you haven’t asked yet but definitely will at some point.”

***

After my paladin tells Abaris and the others via her rune tablet that we’re going out for dinner, the four of us head back to the nearby dungeon for some sustenance and experience. Eleonor never once stops chattering after she finally accepts that I’m not waiting for the first opportunity to rip her soul out. Which I’ll admit would be a pretty neat Skill! And would definitely get me pulped by master!

Anyway, I follow the same routine as the last several times. I use Will Detection to find mobs of enemies, which unfortunately are all weak considering this is a low level dungeon for beginners again… At least this one has kobolds in addition to the same old goblins and slimes from that other beginner dungeon where I first met the party. While it’s good to have some variety in my diet, I have to say…

These things aren’t satisfying at all!

Considering my hunger trait got another change thanks to master, I shouldn’t be surprised that it takes more now. It’s still frustrating.

After patiently watching a mob of a dozen kobolds organize into a vanguard rank with a few archers behind, I hit them with my aura and watch them freeze in place like wooden practice dummies.

“First I hit them all with my aura.”

I disperse into my ash form and drift over the first few before beginning to Consume them.

“Then I envelop them and drain their vitality until they die.”

The unfortunate vanguards shrivel in place before finally collapsing.

“I just consumed their souls. They’re really not very filling and I assume it’s because they’re weak spawn monsters. Ah, then I usually do this.”

I hit the bodies with an additional burst of Consume to reduce them to dust, and then pull the dust into myself. I feel my mass very slightly increase, as the fresh dust flares into sparks and a moment later becomes ash mixing with the rest of me.

The book carrier whose name I still don’t know interjects, “Is there a limit to how long you can use your aura?”

I shrug, which probably isn’t a recognizable gesture without a physical body. “Not that I know of. I used to use it all the time, and I was a lot weaker then.”

They furrow their brow and nod, but don’t say anything more.

“Anyway, then I do it to the rest of them, like this.”

…

Less than a minute later, I’m already done with all of them. Is it just me or did that take less time than usual?

(It’s not just you. Looks like your innate Skills got stronger with your race change. You basically got a unique legendary evolution in one shot.)

Why doesn’t master just use that on all his students then, if he’s so fixated on making them stronger?

(Don’t you think he would if he could?)

I… huh. Okay, I don’t really get where you’re going with that.

Nyx sighs. (My point is that this, all of this, isn’t normal. You aren’t normal.)

Well, obviously. Even I know that.

“You know what, I’m going to try something,” I say.

The others back up, but I notice that the headmaster doesn’t seem to be stopping me. I still don’t know how much intention he can read, or if it’s just things I’m already in the process of doing…

Anyway, I feel within myself for the freshly added vitality from the most recent mob, and will it into Create Spawn. Sure enough, a dozen weak wraiths appear around me, and…

Wait, I can feel bonds to them?

(They’re your spawn. You basically just summoned monsters, except from parts of yourself instead of some other plane or pure mana.)

Is that how that works?

Nyx gives me a flat look.

Anyway, I can intuitively feel like I can control the –

(Control Spawn. Obviously. Idiot.)

Yeah, sure fine whatever.

I direct my spawn to scatter throughout the dungeon and to touch our bond when they find things for me to consume. They drift off into the distance in a clump, though I see some peel off in other directions as the cavern forks.

“You can use those as scouts, can’t you!?” Eleonor excitedly says, throwing both arms in the air for no discernable reason.

I channel my best Nyx flat expression before I realize I’m still incorporeal, so I reform my body and do it again. Izahne immediately takes my hand. Huh. Maybe Nyx is right about her being territorial.

“Are you worried I will replace you?” I ask her.

(Gods, too direct!) my Assistant shrieks while wincing in mock pain.

My paladin looks at me with upturned eyes – not a difficult thing considering she’s shorter than me. I feel trepidation through our bond.

I tilt my head and give her a stronger brush with Consume than usual, and she gasps and visibly sags.

“I will not replace you,” I say.

She doesn’t reply, but also makes no attempt to conceal the small smile on her face or the positive emotions across our bond.