-oOo-

  Chapter 56

  -oOo-

  “Please tell me this is the last,” Sylvia groaned.

  The asteri worked her fingers, hoping to stretch the tense muscles of her hand. She’d spent an hour filling out forms. With a quill pen. Admittedly, a magical quill. But it was still a fudging quill. Sylvia hadn’t handwritten so much text in the last two decades, not even during her stint at the Academy. Most tests there were oral or demonstrative. First year witches couldn’t be expected to imbue spirit speech onto paper, even if paper was as cheap in the nether as it was on Earth.

  Which it very much was not. A soli only buys five sheets!

  “Then you’ll be happy to know that this is, in fact, the last document, ma’am,” the bank assistant said.

  The gentleman beside her was a kelpie, officially Aos-Si Fuath Ceffyl. The demon had a long, horse-like face. Instead of hair, he had a mane of dark moss. While the kelpie had hooves for feet, he was lucky enough to have hands. Though, Sylvia imagined, it had to be awkward holding things with only two fingers and a thumb.

  Ki manipulation probably helped.

  A lot.

  The kelpie placed a clipped stack of papers in front of her. Another pile sat to the side, the contents already filled. Most entries were scrawled using ink while the signatures were written in blood. Blood was legal proof of consent as divination could attach blood essence to a specific person. To this end, the quill had been enchanted. When Sylvia willed it, the instrument would use her blood as ink.

  Fortunately, Anbaht was smart enough to know this blood essence shouldn’t be cleansed of identifying characteristics. That was one part of what made the artifact legendary.

  “This is a formal attestation that you’ve paid all your import duties,” the kelpie continued. “I’ve already filled out all the relevant fields and signed as a witness. I only need you to add your name here, here, and here.”

  The assistant tapped the relevant blanks.

  Yes, Sylvia was, among other things, paying her taxes. Imported goods were subject to a tariff. Three percent went to the emperor. Another three was delivered to the king. The last belonged to His Grace, Archduke Asmodeus. Out of the 14.5 million soli, the government had cruelly snatched 1.3 million.

  After her payments to Yvonne, 12.5 million had been left in her pocket.

  Thieves.

  Was she not entitled to the sweat of her own brow? The saying was death and taxes. Sylvia was already dead, so why was she paying taxes!

  Lamenting the evils of government, Sylvia picked up the document. The witch read it carefully, eyes sharp, searching for suspicious phrases and obvious traps. Despite the myths, Hell wasn’t any more likely to screw a person than a lawyer back on Earth. But they weren’t any less likely to, either.

  The kelpie waited. The horse-faced man kept his expression neutral. A finger, however, revealed his impatience. Tap. Tap. Tap. The thick digit rang atop the desk in a steady rhythm.

  Undeterred, Sylvia read every page. Twice.

  Then, finally, the asteri picked up the quill. Magic set sharp thorns in her palm. Sylvia eased her ki, letting them bite. Blood was drawn from her veins. The witch signed with a scrawl.

  The assistant placed the document onto the stack. Then he picked up the pile, cradling it by his chest. “The keys to the accounts you requested will be ready in a few minutes, Miss Swallows.”

  “Thank you,” Sylvia said.

  “No, thank you, ma’am,” the kelpie replied. “Mammon is always willing to serve your financial needs. And not just in Tartarus. We have branches in over a hundred planes, including Heaven, the Fey Federation, and six of the material worlds. Even if you lose faith in everything else, you can always have faith in Mammon. Mammon, the most trustworthy bank in the netherworld.”

  …

  Did this banana just read her a marketing jingle?

  Sylvia’s lips curled. She was an Earth girl. Simple tactics like that wouldn’t work on her. She’d already endured thousands of hours of corporate brainwashing. She knew the truth. Mammon was only interested in her money!

  And… they were going to get it. In addition to her personal account and government expense account, Sylvia had split 2.5 million soli into five keyed accounts. Four for the Cloud Island Government. One for Emmy and herself, should they venture out into the planes in the future.

  Keyed accounts were anonymous. In certain ways, that made them riskier. If Sylvia’s key was stolen, she’d have no recourse. But the lack of identity checks was perfect for a witch hiding from the Inquisition.

  Bowing, the kelpie left. The silver-haired girl stood, stretched, then flopped into a nice leather seat. Sylvia let out a sigh of pleasure when she sank into the cushions.

  “One problem solved. A dozen more to take its place.”

  Sylvia’s fractal eyes shifted to a blue window. There was a giant pile of emails to trawl through. Emmy had been keeping them sorted for her, but there were powers Sylvia couldn’t delegate to the emeraldette. The witch groaned. Digital paperwork to follow the physical kind. Just what she wanted.

  But not today. Today, she was going to put aside business and relax. Hmm. Which restaurant should she visit first? Oh, and she should buy tickets for a show at the Third Street Theater. Choices. Choices.

  “Regardless, I need to call Silas and Josephine so they can start finalizing deals.”

  Summoning the phone feature, Sylvia dialed Mr. Wells. Brrring! Brrring! The familiar noise sounded in her skull. After a moment, the shadow hunter picked up. The chain of sounds was nostalgic.

  “Governor Swallows,” Silas greeted.

  The shadow hunter’s voice echoed in her mind. Sylvia replied with her own psychic resonance, avoiding the need to speak out loud.

  “The accounts have been made,” Sylvia said. “I’ll give you the tokens when you swing by the apartment.”

  “What’s our credit limit?” Mr. Wells asked.

  “6 million,” Sylvia answered. “With another million to spare if you spot something worthwhile.”

  “6 million should be enough,” Mr. Wells accepted. “I’ll let Josephine know when we meet up.”

  Sylvia frowned. The witch shifted her posture, left leg crossing over her right. “You two aren’t in the same place?”

  “We are not. She’s at one of the circles, looking at alchemy equipment,” Silas Wells answered. The businessman took on a frustrated tone. “The witch we’re dealing with refused to talk to me. Whenever I opened my mouth, she’d just turn her head and look at Josephine instead.”

  Yeah. Well. Witches could be a bit bigoted. Most bloodlines were, in fact. Humans are going to hume. Demons were just humans wrapped in a new package.

  “I’ll throw her a secure link,” Sylvia said. Not only to inform her fellow asteri, but to make sure nothing nefarious had happened. Sure, it was unlikely, but there were slavers in these parts. Some of them even liked to nab witches. “If you’re not in the alchemy shop, where are you?”

  “I’m following up on a lead,” Silas answered. There was a pause while the shadow hunter seemed to be talking to someone. Then the conversation resumed. “I ran into a supplier who has a ship full of refined lumber and nobody to sell it to. The buyer was in the airship business, but they had money troubles and couldn’t accept delivery. The supplier has no choice but to dump the wood fast. It’s all wind aligned. Thirty tons of it. The seller quoted a price of 110,000 soli a ton, but they want us to take at least five.”

  The asteri let out a low whistle, prompting a glance from nearby demons. Embarrassed, Sylvia uncrossed her legs and straightened her feathered skirt.

  The math on the deal was excellent. Swift Brooms was paying 80 gold a ton. That was equivalent to 200,000 soli for the same weight in refined wood. For a Stella Iecit, that was a solid chunk off the manufacturing cost, especially with most losses occurring later in the process. If they could source this wood from Tartarus, Swift Brooms would see substantial savings.

  But the savings weren’t the biggest win. The greater earning was volume. High quality wood remained a major production bottleneck. Not as bad as forgers, but that problem was self-fixing. Lots of players liked the glamour of the crafts. Even if they didn’t, the glint of gold was a potent allure. Not so many were interested in a low-paid drudge job cutting down trees on Starlight’s east coast.

  Sylvia was hoping to get golems to solve this problem, but it’d be a while before they could create a supply chain to her liking.

  The silver-haired girl sighed. It was a nice dream, but they couldn’t take it.

  “Utrecht is only good for 20,000 droms,” Sylvia informed. “Any more than that and the handling will turn sluggish. If we were headed anywhere other than the Cloud Island Wilderness, I’d be willing to risk thirty tons. But I won’t risk sailing the Utrecht through the Great Gyre while she’s overloaded.”

  Essence interacted with the ethereal world. The flux caused by the spiritual mass would create a kind of magical bow wave as the Utrecht pushed through the starry void. This would make the ship slower and less maneuverable. Going a little over the limit was fine. If Sylvia took it too far, the ship would be dead in the water.

  “Is that so,” Silas sounded. “I’ll inform Josephine. We’ll need to take into consideration the ship’s limits when planning our purchase.”

  “I should’ve mentioned it earlier.” Sylvia paused. Her eyes narrowed, expression turning sly. “You wouldn’t happen to be on the ship right now, would you?”

  “Yes. I told them I wanted to check the lumber in person,” the shadow hunter returned.

  “Then I hope you’re checking more than just the lumber,” Sylvia encouraged.

  “You know I am, Governor Swallows,” Silas answered, sounding rather pleased with himself.

  Sylvia grinned. Good man. She hoped the crepe eater was enjoying the pile of merit points that had fallen in his lap. Ah. The pleasure of stealing intellectual property. Sylvia missed it.

  The witch licked her lips. She’d get her own taste soon enough.

  “A shame we have to pass up such a good deal,” Sylvia grumbled. “What’s the price normally?”

  “One-fifty,” the shadow hunter answered. “But they only sell in bulk.”

  “Just because we can’t buy in bulk now doesn’t mean we won’t be able to do so later,” Sylvia said. In the long run they’d need lumber. Not just for brooms but for ships. “Let them know we’re interested, and not just in wind elementized wood, either. However, it’ll be several years or maybe a decade before we can follow up.”

  If a mortal business heard a client say they’d be interested in a decade, they’d ignore them. Who knew if the business would even exist by then. Demons were longer lived. A decade wasn’t long at all. To such creatures, all they’d hear is the ching of soli and the prospect of a future client.

  “They harvest the wood in Emain Ablach,” Mr. Wells noted. “So it’d be better to buy direct.”

  Astral transport costs were pretty small compared to price, even if they used the Utrecht. A larger ship would improve the margins, making even raw materials profitable.

  Something to think about in the future.

  “Then we’d better buy an astral map,” Sylvia said. The asteri wasn’t much interested in returning to Tartarus regardless. “When you’re done poking around their ship, meet up with Josephine. It’s about time we started making our promises real.”

  -oOo-

  Sylvia tapped a glossy nail against her chin. The witch pondered the lectern in front of her. There, a glass box held a single tome, a book titled: Mirrored Lake Sutra.

  A brass plaque introduced the martial manual.

  This premier edition manual teaches the transformation level art, mirrored lake sutra. During inner flow, this art can be used to accelerate thought. Upon reaching manifestation, this acceleration will grow greater. Furthermore, the mind will have crystal clarity, letting the user better resist and detect psychic manipulations.

  During the transformation stage, this art may be used to cultivate a clear lake within the sea of consciousness. The lake will provide a reservoir of psychic energy to fuel the mental acceleration, improving mental endurance. What is more, while this lake is present, the increased clarity of the mind will become passive.

  Current Bid: 57,000 soli

  Buyout Price: 150,000 soli

  “Should I buy it outright?”

  While one hundred and fifty thousand soli wasn’t a huge amount of money in the grand scheme of things, it was a high price to pay for a martial manual, transformation level or not.

  Then again, few demons could read the manual once then use a System skill book. So the value of a manual was much higher for a gamer.

  Sylvia was browsing goods in the House of Silver. The House of Silver was the largest auction house in all of Tartarus. There were many ways to buy or sell in this boutique. For instance, here in the Treasure House, demons put items on display. Some would be auctioned over multiple days. Others could only be purchased outright.

  An hour ago, Sylvia had made use of direct purchases to obtain 1.5 droms of aetheric gold. The price? 870,000 soli. Needless to say, the little nugget was tucked safely in her soul. Later, Sylvia had purchased 10 droms of lucidite at the low, low price of 62,000 soli per drom. The paired materials would make the base alloy for their rings.

  One ring for her. One ring for Emmy.

  Sylvia’s cheeks warmed. It was a little strange and nerve-wracking to think Sylvia would marry such a talented and beautiful woman. As Eric, she’d been convinced that she’d never marry anyone in her life.

  Technically, she still hadn’t.

  But that’d been a private purchase. Skill books were a public purchase. The distinction mattered. Private expenditures came from Sylvia’s account. Accounting for expenditures and monies set aside for the future, she only had 1.2 million soli left.

  A public purchase was paid by the Cloud Island Government. That account still had several million to spare.

  As governor of the Cloud Island Wilderness, Sylvia had been exercising her prerogative by slapping down 50 thousand soli bids on every manual in the Treasure House. She hadn’t much cared which bids were won or lost. The players needed skill books of all kinds. This was to fill out the System’s skill tree.

  Once they had a dozen or so transformation arts, their value would drop. By then, the players would have the foundation to create or elevate arts on their own.

  The mirrored lake sutra, however, was more enticing than the books Sylvia had seen. Namely, because the rare art was almost as useful for a witch as it was for a warrior.

  “I’ll just buy it outright,” Sylvia decided. “Everyone knows how awesome it is to slow time while you’re aiming.”

  Besides, psychic resistance would be a major benefit to warriors. The physical classes tended to have lower investments into spirit. The mirrored lake sutra would help plug this weakness.

  See? Money well spent.

  Corrupt dealings justified, the asteri crossed the room.

  Mastery of ki was divided into realms: inner flow, externalization, manifestation, transformation, enlightenment, domain, and finally truth. In the first two realms, ki manipulation was purely mechanical. Once manifestation was reached, arts would take on a concept and gain a spiritual nature.

  This was the level Sylvia had reached. The silver-haired girl had learned two manifestation level arts, the waltz of flowers and hawk eyes. Spiral thrust, tail whip, and ether breath were techniques. They didn’t have an underlying concept.

  Transformation was the process of making a concept real. And to transform an idea into a reality, that idea had to be cultivated. Cultivation demanded resources and special materials. At the end of the practice, the expert would grow an actual physical organ in their body to support the art.

  Which mandated careful consideration.

  A cultivated art would work better if it linked to an existing trait. Conflicting arts would have diminished effects, or might even kill a demon outright. And that, right there, was the most brutal aspect of the transformation realm. Death. When a demon died, their cultivated art would die with them.

  The only way to recover was to cultivate the art anew. Greater skill would make this process faster. But there was a reason few below the third consolidation stepped into the transformation realm.

  Death for weaker demons was far too common.

  “Miss Swallows,” the woman behind the desk greeted. “What can I help you with now?”

  The woman was a gnosi. An oracle. Like Phoebe, who Sylvia met in Iacchus, this witch had milky eyes. No pupil. No iris. Instead, where the color would stand was a foggy circle of pastel blue. These seemingly simple shades held complex, geometric depths.

  A little tag over the woman’s left breast provided a name: Francesca.

  Francesca was one of several oracles the House of Silver kept on staff. These witches not only handled customers, they also provided divination services on demand. Items behind glass were shielded from causality magic. If Sylvia wanted to get a second opinion on an item’s description, she’d have no choice but to pay one of these fine ladies to take a look for her.

  This was one of Hywel Silvertooth’s many scams.

  Sellers had to rent space. Buyers paid for services. When an item sold, the House of Silver would take another cut. No wonder the great goblin was among the ten richest men in Tartarus. Which was an incredible achievement for a mere Transcendent. Tartarus had scores of archdemons running about.

  Not that Sylvia was complaining. Because, it just so happened, items outside of glass were free game. The Treasure House was, in Sylvia’s eyes, the most wonderful of buffets.

  Om nom nom. The asteri had already feasted on five hundred merit points. She could practically feel the System purring in her soul.

  Maybe she was projecting? … Nah, Lucifer was also a shameless IP thief.

  “I want to pay the buyout price for the mirrored lake sutra.”

  “An excellent choice, Miss Swallows,” the oracle said, her voice holding an utterly fake cheer. Francesca had a perfect saleswoman smile. “Will you put this on the same tab as your other bids, or will you be paying with your private account?”

  “With the other bids,” Sylvia answered.

  The oracle gave a nod. “Then allow me a moment, please. ■ ■■.”

  Francesca chanted a small spell. After casting, the woman spoke again, her whispers carried by the air. Soon a uniformed man approached the distant lectern, lifting the glass to remove the manual.

  Sylvia watched the proceedings lazily.

  “The manual will be ready for you when you leave,” the gnosi said. “Or, if you’d prefer, we can have it sent to your apartment or your ship.”

  “I’ll pick it up on the way out,” Sylvia replied.

  Francesca nodded. Her milky eyes held a spark. “If I may, Miss Swallows, I have noticed that you have a sharp interest in knowledge. Perhaps you’d like something more than a premier edition manual. The House of Silver has daily auctions. Jade scrolls for a variety of subjects are common entrants.”

  This woman had to be rolling in commissions.

  Sylvia was very much interested in jade scrolls. A jade scroll produced an epic skill book. That was the equivalent of transforming money into merit points. And merit points were harder to get.

  Unfortunately, Sylvia didn’t have nearly enough soli to be blowing them off on scrolls. Even if she did, Sylvia had already promised herself and Emmy that the next eleven books would be dedicated to dungeon creation.

  Speaking of dungeons….

  “You don’t happen to have any territory phantasms?” Sylvia asked.

  “Those are quite rare and expensive,” the gnosi noted. “We do have a single Class IV core, but I’m afraid it’s being saved for the year-end auction.”

  Sylvia grimaced. Sounded expensive. Maybe it’d be better to forget about it.

  “You should check in often,” Francesca suggested. “Sometimes precious items get added. Who knows what exciting goods might appear.”

  “That sounds... exhausting,” Sylvia deadpanned.

  “Oh, I assure you, the auctions are very exciting,” the gnosi encouraged. “The thrill of the bid. The joyful feeling when you win.”

  Her poor money flying away to settle in a goblin’s pocket. The terror of realizing she’d bid too high and would be left destitute. Dull, pastel pink eyes stared at Francesca. Sylvia wouldn’t be deceived.

  “If you dislike the drama, you can always hire an assistant to make bids for you,” the oracle said, all smiles. “The House of Silver has a list of accredited persons who will serve your interest.”

  Hywel Silvertooth, you’re a rotten, capitalist monster.

  “I don’t think that’d be in my budget,” Sylvia said blandly. Then she stopped, her eyes suddenly sharp. “Actually, do you know what staves will be on auction and when?”

  “I’m glad you asked,” the gnosi said, with an all too real delight. “The House of Silver has many high-end staves that might suit an up-and-coming witch. First, why don’t you tell me your budget range and your elemental preference….”

  -oOo-

  It was Sunday of the 3rd week of Men-Tenebris.

  Hell didn’t have weekends. Not as Americans knew them. When Sylvia had attended the Academy, classes were held on every day of the week except on the 7th. Though the 6th was a day of labor in the netherworld, Sunday remained a day of rest. Not that Sylvia had many Sundays off. While Riley had been playing sports, Sylvia had been reading textbooks. Later, her time had been claimed by Kyna, Esmeralda, then the Sunday Course.

  In the years that followed, Sylvia rarely had time for herself.

  Today, though, Sylvia rested. In fact, she’d returned to her original custom. The silver-haired girl was reading a book: Soldiers of the Mind.

  This manual had been purchased by Silas and Josephine. Soldiers of the Mind didn’t describe an esoteric art. Rather, it taught a series of tricks and techniques to be used in psychic warfare. There were tips on how to deflect or absorb psychic shocks. Instructions on how to best make use of spells like psionic spike. One chapter had even mentioned crystalline heart then suggested that the caster put the mental fortification into a slow spin.

  If Sylvia had learned this earlier, perhaps Dmitry Naopte would’ve been less successful in his secret manipulation.

  The door opened right as the witch was readying to flip the page.

  A dark-skinned prisma entered the apartment. Belkis flashed a smile. The elemental witch was wearing a red sundress and a pair of kitten heels. As usual, a little witch’s hat sat atop her golden-brown hair, fashionably off center.

  “Hey, little sis.”

  “Hey,” Sylvia sounded in answer.

  Knowing she wasn’t going to read more for the moment, the silver-haired girl slipped a ribbon between the pages of her book. Snapping the manual closed, Sylvia passed the tome to her left tress. The cute, curly tail stretched, setting the book on a side table.

  “So, how was the get-together?” Sylvia questioned, more out of politeness than interest.

  Her soul pinged, conjuring Wizard Means Wise X’s progress bar. 858 / 1000. How nostalgic. Years past, Sylvia would’ve torn through books, longing for the System’s sweet reward. Now she watched wistfully as the final quest in the chain neared its end.

  It’d been almost six years. If not in the next month, Sylvia would finish the quest on the journey home.

  “Nice,” Belkis answered. “I got to see a bunch of old faces. We talked, had a few drinks, then spent several hours dancing. It was fun. You should’ve come with me, little sis.”

  Yeah. No. Sylvia had no desire to meet women Belkis hadn’t seen for fifty years. Pastel pink eyes gazed up, meeting those of heated iron.

  “I’ll need you to keep tabs on the others for the next week or so,” Sylvia declared, changing the subject.

  Belkis frowned. “Is something up?”

  “No. Nothing specific. I just want to deal with a problem left behind by Baron Naopte,” Sylvia explained. “The vampires put a bloodseed in my body and I want it gone. Since the big transactions are complete, I figured now was the best time to off myself then resurrect.”

  Belkis stared. Then her molten eyes shifted, finding the book Sylvia had left on the side table. The prisma pressed her lips, expression unreadable.

  “Little sis,” she broached gently. “Have you talked to Emmy about it?”

  Sylvia had a look of genuine confusion. “Talked to Emmy about what?”

  Belkis sighed.

  The dark-skinned witch claimed a wingback chair with flowery upholstery. The prisma gazed at Sylvia, expression showing gentle concern. The maturity looked strange on Belkis’s face. Though it’d been several years since Belkis transmigrated, she still retained the childish figure of a girl in her early teens.

  “Psychic magic is no fun,” Belkis said softly. “I know how it can muck you up. You don’t have to hold it in, little sis. Emmy and I are here for you.”

  Sylvia frowned. Belkis was right, of course. Having her emotions plucked like the cords of an instrument was uncomfortable, to say the least.

  “I remember how it felt,” the prisma continued. “When the dream drop was in my soul, I experienced emotions that horrified me. The longing was enough to destroy me. I wanted to be with him. Belong to him. Be owned by him. The rational parts of my mind were still there, but my heart insisted my knowledge and experience were wrong.”

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  Belkis’s face showed her discomfort.

  “The scariest thing, little sis, is your own reflection. We create an image of ourselves in our hearts. We tell ourselves, this is who I am. This is what I want. This is what I’m proud of. I was so sure I knew myself. I was a devil, an adventurer, an independent woman. Then, suddenly, everything I knew about myself was drowned in a sea of new emotion.”

  Though it’d been brief, Sylvia understood her sister’s experience. She, too, had been faced with a different Sylvia. And not just when afflicted with Baron Naopte’s magic. Resolving the gap between Eric and herself had been the core of Awakening.

  And many questions remained.

  “I knew it was fake, of course,” Belkis continued. “Viscount Nychta wanted me to know. So I used psychic magic to fight back. But then, you saved me. You saved me and everything he put there was gone. The thing is, the image we hold in our heart? It’s an illusion. I had to face the reality that some of the things I felt back then were also the real Belkis.”

  The prisma paused, carrying a look of shame. Sylvia knew it was time to speak up.

  “In some ways, my situation was similar,” Sylvia admitted. “I have a trait called digitized soul. When combined with Yvonne’s cognition jar, I was able to see myself distinct and separate from Dmitry’s influence. So I knew what emotions were mine and what emotions he put inside of me.

  “But the time I spent under his influence was too short,” Sylvia continued. “There’s no comparison to what you endured.”

  After Baron Naopte’s defeat, the covens had taken the maids with them. Sylvia hoped they’d get treatment of some sort. The trauma had to be horrifying. Most demons dealt with psychological damage the easy way. Transmigration. Whether that would be enough, well, it was out of her hands now.

  Of course, not all news was bad news.

  Their raid had yielded precious rewards. Sylvia had cut the villa’s heart from its mount then condensed the dissolving essence into a single core. This would become a valuable research material, accelerating the development of dungeons.

  She’d even talked Yvonne into harvesting samples of Taranis’s nether code.

  And that was hardly the limit. Dmitry had a library in his study. Though it paled before the repository of the late Academy, it had books Lady Vallenfelt didn’t stock. Specifically, tomes on how to control, shape, and express natural magic. The hunters in the Cloud Island Wilderness would be thrilled.

  The job of sorting through that mess had been dumped on Brianna, Diego, and Carter. The Utrecht only had so much room. By skimming the books with gamer eyes, the contents could be recorded by the System. Once done, the treasures would be kept and garbage discarded.

  Belkis nodded, looking more confident after Sylvia’s response.

  “Even a single moment is long enough. What I’m trying to say, little sis, is that you are you,” Belkis replied. “If you learned new things about yourself, that’s a good thing. Don’t run away from them. I know it’s hard. Before Emmy made me transmigrate, I wasn’t able to admit it either. Malik…, I hate him. I hate him, but there were also things I liked about being with him.”

  Quiet lingered. A question hung in Sylvia’s mind. She hesitated. “Did Malik…?”

  Belkis laughed. “Did we do it?”

  Sylvia grimaced.

  The prisma’s iron eyes were calm.

  “Yes, he raped me,” Belkis said, her voice surprisingly light. “It’s sex, Sylvia. I won’t be ashamed of it. Of course, I can say that now. Before I was reborn…, let’s just say I was a mess. He controlled what I felt and how my body reacted. The worst part was how he made me doubt myself. That’s why I’m going to destroy that bastard. When I’m strong enough, I’ll buy a curse from Yvonne and let it crawl through that monster’s soul.”

  The anger, Sylvia understood.

  “Still, he’s very handsome.” Belkis let out a longing sigh. “And the way he took control in the bedroom, it was incredible. What a shame. If only I could take a spoon and scoop out his rotten personality.”

  “Forget I asked,” Sylvia sounded in disgust. She wanted to gag.

  Belkis set her chin on her knuckles. “I’m glad you’re okay, little sis. But if you ever have doubts, talk to me. I’ll listen. Or, if you’re not willing, talk to Emmy. She loves you. I’m a little jealous of how much she loves you.”

  Sylvia veered her eyes in embarrassment.

  The dark-skinned prisma took on a teasing smile.

  “~At least now you don’t have to worry about unicorns, anymore~,” she sang.

  …

  Pastel pink eyes turned up. Sylvia glared. She’d almost forgotten. Also, that was below the belt.

  Belkis’s molten eyes went wide with shock. “Wait. No way! Don’t tell me nothing’s happened?”

  “Emmy wants to save herself for marriage,” Sylvia said awkwardly.

  To be fair, Esmeralda wasn’t alone in her hesitation. Sylvia was nervous about pleasing her partner and uncertain how she wanted to be pleased herself. Awakening had cleared out the emotional baggage of her masculine past, but it hadn’t inserted a girlish history to replace it. Sylvia hadn’t grown up dreaming of being a bride. She hadn’t spent junior high crushing on girls as a girl. She was missing entire chunks of a young lady’s life experience.

  And Eric hadn’t been romantically experienced either.

  “I’ll talk to her,” the elemental witch insisted, looking stern. “Master has all these silly, mortal notions stuck in her head. Love means love, little sis. If you love her, then you should make love to her.”

  …

  Could they please return to the touchy-feely conversation where they shared their deep, emotional trauma?

  Please?

  Pretty please?

  Knock, knock, knock.

  Deep, cracking thuds were heard on the door. The sound was a blessed relief. Sylvia hurriedly got up. Standing in the building’s hall was a smartly dressed kitsune. The suit and style projected the image of a butler.

  The fox-eared man offered a deep, sustained bow. “Am I speaking to the misses Belkis and Sylvia?”

  “I’m Sylvia,” Sylvia answered. “And that’s Belkis.”

  Out of habit, Sylvia gave a curtsy. It was only polite.

  “Then I am honored to meet the misses,” the man answered, rising. “My name is Sigvard, a humble servant to Countess Chanlina. My lady extends you a most esteemed invitation to attend Lord Asmodeus’s post wedding celebration. The event will be held on Ignis Rosa during the Festival of Light.”

  Apple crumb cake.

  The foxman butler offered a pair of letters. Sylvia took them. Now all she could do was hope Lucifer’s cultists gave her an excuse to flee Tartarus sooner rather than later.

  -oOo-

  ? Netherworld >> Tartarus >> General Chat

  Topic: How demons chill in the depths of Hell

  CutestSilverBird (Original Poster) (Planar Governor)

  Posted: 22 days ago

  [Pic: Selfie of a cute witch next to a horde of frozen ghouls]

  Did you ever wonder how demons endure the terrible heat and the magma lakes? Question no more, this intrepid witch has the answer. Ghoul-sicles. Just snap off a limb and stick it into your mouth. Crunch. Crunch.

  You can find stands selling these treats everywhere in Pyrkagiás. Ghouls, particularly frozen ghouls, are considered a delicacy in these parts. I even bought a few to show them off to all my loyal followers.

  (Showing page 6 of 11)

  ? HaremGod [Posted: 10 days ago]

  < HaremGod is on your ignore list. Click here to view the contents of the post.>

  ? BlueRangerSPD [Posted: 8 days ago]

  I know this isn’t the right place to make a request, but I never got a response to my earlier PMs. Thus, as the unofficial spokesman for the hunter class, I think we’d all appreciate having books that provide:

  - Training methods for natural magic

  - Training methods to transform ki arts into a mystic art

  - Specific magic manuals for powers similar to those owned by: Shadow hunters, Elemental Soldiers, Druids, and Beast Tamers

  I apologize for co-opting this post.

  ? TrueSoldier [Posted: 8 days ago]

  BlueRangerSPD, when I sent in my requests a few days ago, CutestSilverBird said she’d be unavailable for roughly a week.

  I suggest PMing WellsConstruction or HellsBlazingFlower. They should be more responsive.

  ? BlueRangerSPD [Posted: 8 days ago]

  Thanks for the suggestion. Done and done.

  Edit: I got a response immediately. Thanks!

  ? CutestSilverBird [Posted: 7 days ago] (Original Poster) (Planar Governor)

  Sorry, I was busy being dead for a super secret infiltration mission. I’ll go into the details in a bit, but before that I have good news. I just picked up a few books on, guess what, natural magic. They’re oriented toward vampires instead of hunters, but they should help.

  More importantly, I have clear proof SecretProtagonist is a lying liar who lies. Demons eat ghoul-sicles all the time. Don’t believe me? Then look at the pictures!

  [Pic: frozen giant chewing on some icy ghouls]

  Next time, have a little respect for your intrepid governor. I’m a very honest woman.

  ? SilverLove [Posted: 7 day ago]

  < SilverLove is on your ignore list. Click here to view the contents of the post.>

  ? HaremGod [Posted: 7 day ago]

  < HaremGod is on your ignore list. Click here to view the contents of the post.>

  ? SilverLove [Posted: 7 day ago]

  < SilverLove is on your ignore list. Click here to view the contents of the post.>

  ? Npc72 [Posted: 7 day ago]

  LOL. SecretProtagonist, Cutie is trolling you again.

  ? SecretProtagonist [Posted: 7 day ago]

  I’m already used to it.

  >Next time, have a little respect for your intrepid governor. I’m a very honest woman.

  Funny, some of us remember this post:

  > CutestSilverBird [Posted: 4 years ago]

  >Today, your astonishing sword god speaks to you from the halls of the dead.

  Who’s the sword god again? Do I need to revive the Npc72’s loli sword god meme?

  Back, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Next

  (Showing page 7 of 11)

  ? SilverLove [Posted: 7 day ago]

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  ? HaremGod [Posted: 7 day ago]

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  ? DustyLibrarian [Posted: 7 day ago]

  An incredible image, CutestSilverBird. It took me a while to figure out this demon’s origin. The picture shows a wendigo, wrapped in some type of ice art.

  According to the books recorded in the library, wendigoes have a life force that embodies the element ice. During Awakening, this evolves into an innate mysticism. As for the reason the wendigo can be seen eating ghouls, that is because demons of that bloodline develop a trait called cannibalism. By consuming other demons or phantasms, particularly those with a humanoid form, they can rapidly recover lost energy.

  ? SecretProtagonist [Posted: 7 day ago]

  Thank you, DustyLibrarian. Once again Cutie is spewing bullshit.

  ? SilverLove [Posted: 7 day ago]

  < SilverLove is on your ignore list. Click here to view the contents of the post.>

  ? SilverLove [Posted: 7 day ago]

  < SilverLove is on your ignore list. Click here to view the contents of the post.>

  ? SecretProtagonist [Posted: 6 day ago]

  > Why do you hate Cutie? You’re so mean. You follow her everywhere.

  > Every post is just attack, attack, attack. Why can’t you leave Cutie alone!

  What’s wrong with you people? Were your brains eaten by worms? CutestSilverBird is a troll. She doesn’t even pretend she’s not a troll. She flat out makes things up.

  Also, I don’t hate CutestSilverBird. I just don’t want anyone falling for her bullshit.

  ? CutestSilverBird [Posted: 6 days ago] (Original Poster) (Planar Governor)

  Did somebody say worms?

  [Pic: Taranis, guts exposed as worms of rot eat him from the inside out]

  Check out my new curse! Isn’t it awesome!

  ? Npc72 [Posted: 6 day ago]

  Holy shit. Wrap that in spoilers, Cutie! That picture is NSFL.

  I think I’m going to have nightmares tonight.

  ? QuestBasher [Posted: 6 day ago]

  What a horrible day to be born with eyes.

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  ? Netherworld >> Cloud Island Wilderness >> Guild Hall

  Topic: Quest Complete – First Wings

  MidwestSoccerFan17 (Original Poster)

  Posted: 2 days ago

  [Pic: Giant falcon perched on a roof]

  [Pic: Roc flying alongside a redhead on a broom]

  Say hello to Zephyr, the first tamed three sisters roc. After many trials and errors, the Side Quest: First Wings is complete. I want to thank the Viridian Blades and the Sky Scouts for their help. Without them, this quest would’ve been impossible. I’d also like to thank Esmeralda Vallenfelt, who volunteered hours of her precious time to modify spells to help with the capture.

  (Showing page 1 of 2)

  ? SongGirl [Posted: 2 days ago]

  Wow, he’s so beautiful. You have to show us more pictures.

  There are so many beautiful sights in the Cloud Island Wilderness. Sometimes, I envy everyone who’s already there.

  ? QuestBasher [Posted: 2 days ago]

  Congratulations! How much longer until we have flying mounts?

  ? MidwestSoccerFan17 [Posted: 2 days ago]

  SongGirl, here you go:

  [Pic: Henry and Riley getting hugged by the giant falcon’s wings]

  And don’t be in a rush to enter the netherworld. Enjoy Earth while you still can.

  QuestBasher:

  We need to capture more first. Then we need to learn how to transform a roc’s core into a soul stone. Also, if you’re not a mage or a beast tamer, you’ll need an enchanted item to control the bird. While Zephyr has been ‘tamed’ in the technical sense, he’s closer to a wild animal.

  PS: I’ve already sent a PM to Governor Swallows to turn those tasks into quests.

  ? TeamCaptain [Posted: 2 days ago]

  When you get everything figured out, the Sky Scouts would be interested in buying a few mounts. Not everyone in the guild is suited for a broom. We can also lend a hand when capturing the next few beasts.

  ? MidwestSoccerFan17 [Posted: 2 days ago]

  When the time comes, I’ll send a message. Right now, though, we still have our hands full with Zephyr.

  [Pic: Angry roc clawing a member of the Viridian Blades]

  ? CutestSilverBird [Posted: 1 day ago] (Planar Governor)

  Swift Brooms would like to remind everyone that the broom is the superior method of travel. Brooms can be stored in your inventory, meaning you’ll always have your broom handy no matter the emergency. Not only are they reliable, they’re fast, maneuverable, and affordable.

  A Stella Iecit can be purchased with 39 easy payments. That’s just 30 silver a month!

  Is the Stella too slow for you? Then we have an answer, the Lunam Fuga! At a low, low price of 19 gold, this high performance broom can be yours. Let the Lunam Fuga be the rocket that flies you to the moon!

  BTW: Quests added :)

  ? MidwestSoccerFan17 [Posted: 1 day ago]

  Sometimes, I hate you. :)

  ? QuestBasher [Posted: 23 hours ago]

  Dear god, we have spam on the boards. Is this allowed? Please tell me this isn’t allowed.

  ? FlameKeeper [Posted: 22 hours ago] (System Administrator)

  (?_?) It’s not allowed, anymore (?_?)

  Also, I’ve added a new feature to the Merit Shop: Advertising Rights. If you want to put spam on my forum, you have to pay for it.

  ? TrueSoldier [Posted: 22 hours ago]

  I want to say, thank you, Governor Swallows, for your continued support. By creating quests, you encourage the guilds and the unaffiliated to players to make this world a better place.

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  (Showing page 2 of 2)

  ? Npc72 [Posted: 19 hours ago]

  FlameKeeper didn’t just add advertising rights to the merit shop. He also added an adblocker.

  ? CutestSilverBird [Posted: 18 hours ago] (Planar Governor)

  There’s also an ad blocker blocker. Clearly, the administrator is the root of all evil.

  ? QuestBasher [Posted: 18 hours ago]

  > “an ad blocker blocker”

  Excuse me while I vomit.

  ? SongGirl [Posted: 13 hours ago]

  MidwestSoccerFan17: Those pictures are so cute. The one where Zephyr tries to claw someone is kind of scary, though. And don’t worry. I don’t plan to show up in the Cloud Island Wilderness any time soon. I’m planning to have kids with my new hubby and die an old grandma. :)

  Give us pictures when you fly on him!

  ? MidwestSoccerFan17 [Posted: 10 hours ago]

  Congratulations! I’ve been thinking about kids myself, recently. Unfortunately, you can’t have them in the netherworld.

  [Pic: Nervous Riley, barely holding on as Zephyr dives through the air]

  Back, 1, 2, Next

  ? Earth >> News >> General Chat

  Topic: The System Just Went Public!!!

  DrSodium (Original Poster)

  Posted: 1 day ago

  This is no joke. Somebody just posted this video a few hours ago. This is an emergency!!! By the time I finish writing this post, every government in the world is going to know about the System!

  I don’t know how this even happened. Why hasn’t the System erased him yet? This is insane. In just a few days, they’ll be looking for us. And they’ll find us too. As you know, I’m a big fan of salt runes. Though I try to be careful and buy everything with cash, the government records everything. They know everything. There’s drones everywhere.

  PS: I already pinged ResearchKing, WiseGuy, DustyLibrarian, and everyone else who’s posted in the Unraveling Magic threads.

  (Showing page 5 of 6)

  ? SecretProtagonist [Posted: 9 hours ago]

  Total clickbait. It’s just some dumb ass influencer wannabe making claims without evidence. I doubt anyone would believe a word that came out of his mouth. You’d be better off getting your news from CutestSilverBird.

  ? DrSodium [Posted: 8 hours ago]

  He has over five hundred views!!! Why is no one taking this seriously? This is a big deal!

  ? Npc72 [Posted: 8 hours ago]

  I’m pretty sure 400 of those views came after you shared the link with the forum.

  ? SongGirl [Posted: 7 hours ago]

  Poor guy, I hope nothing bad happens to him. Does anyone know what happens if you share information on the System?

  ? CutestSilverBird [Posted: 7 hours ago]

  LOL. Everyone stop panicking. If I had a nickel for every time I told people about the System, I would’ve died ten years earlier after having been crushed under a pile of nickels.

  Nobody is going to trust a crazy guy ranting about invisible, magical windows only he can see. I know this will come as a shock to some of you, but the internet is filled with bots and liars.

  And no, the government isn’t going to figure out anything from this. As governor, I can say this clearly: government workers are still people. They aren’t all knowing. Most of them can barely keep up with what’s happening in their office, much less what’s happening outside of it.

  Also, DrSodium, birds aren’t drones. It’s the trees you have to watch out for. All the trees planted after 1979 were bioengineered so their leaves act as microphones. Why do you think all the neighborhoods insist on planting them? It’s because the CIA funds the green initiative so that they can spy on you better.

  ? BlueRangerSPD [Posted: 7 hours ago]

  This is all my fault.

  The person in the video is called GunNutJoe. He only joined the forums a few weeks ago. When he read my hunter post, he realized he knew me. When I told him I’d died and entered the netherworld, GunNutJoe went ballistic claiming it was the System that killed me.

  ? SongGirl [Posted: 6 hours ago]

  It’s not your fault, BlueRanger. You couldn’t have known he’d act like this.

  Cutie, do you know what’ll happen to him?

  ? DrSodium [Posted: 5 hours ago]

  He’s going to be disappeared. If not by the System, then by the government.

  Oh god, there’s already seven hundred views on the video!!!

  ? CutestSilverBird [Posted: 5 hours ago]

  SongGirl – I’ve had a quest where I was asked to reveal the System. The only penalty was getting locked out. I can’t imagine the administrator takes it much more seriously on Earth.

  And this is no joke, when I was a teenage brat I put up dozens of posts on multiple forums looking for others with the System. Nothing happened. The System doesn’t care unless your actions put it at risk. And a hundred idiots posting garbage on the internet isn’t enough to convince the public, much less a single moron in a video.

  ? WiseGuy [Posted: 4 hours ago]

  I agree with CutestSilverBird, I’ve never heard of a case where the System did more than threaten to turn itself off. Maybe it’d go further if there was a real risk it’d be revealed, but this video doesn’t come close to being convincing.

  It’s actually quite hard to prove the System’s existence. The best way I can think of would be to check myself into a research institute, then read off biometric data I shouldn’t have any way of knowing. Then third party scientist could confirm my numbers.

  But this method is easily defeated. The System could just lock itself while I was in the research institute.

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  (Showing page 6 of 6)

  ? ResearchKing [Posted: 3 hours ago]

  I used that exact method to verify the System’s existence after I received it. And you are correct about the System locking itself. I lost access for a week when I attempted a similar measure involving third parties, though I was far more discreet.

  Rather than ponder the System’s reveal, I’m more curious as to how incidents like this will affect our culture. Right now there are less than a hundred thousand persons with a System. However, in just a few years, that number will breach a million. Then tens of millions.

  At which point, limited reveals may become an effective way for parties to connect.

  The forum feature, as you know, has limited availability due to the restriction on merit points. For new recipients of the System, performing a search with the right keywords may prove more effective. This will likely give rise to the existence of secret societies that exist on other forms of media.

  Is there anyone who’d be interested in studying this phenomenon? I’m afraid I’m quite booked.

  ? DustyLibrarian [Posted: 2 hours ago]

  If there are any groups like that, I’d be very interested in joining them. If someone knows of an internet forum or wiki where System matters are discussed, please PM me. I’d like to catalog them and publish some of my work Earthside, if possible.

  ? DrSodium [Posted: 1 hour ago]

  Why are we talking about catalogs! There’s nearly eight hundred views. Eight hundred!

  ? QuestBasher [Posted: 1 hour ago]

  Just so you know, I’m one of those views.

  ? Np72 [Posted: 1 hour ago]

  Most of us are :).

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  ? User >> Private Messages

  Topic: Thank you for Purchasing the Tier I Advertising Feature

  By purchasing the Advertising Feature, you have gained the right to post ads on the System Forums along with other System based media. However, be aware that your ads will be blocked by any equal tier ad-blocking feature.

  Higher tiers of this service may be purchased at any time. These include additional tools to enhance your advertising campaign. If you want your business to thrive, become a meritorious person. Remember, however, that the System exists for everyone’s enjoyment. Excessively obnoxious, deceptive, or intrusive ads may be rejected or incur penalties.

  Currently, you may:

  * Create an ad that will appear as a post in contextually relevant threads

  * Create topics that will be inserted into the forums as a banner

  * Share this feature with a single person in your business as a floating license

  With your next tier, you may:

  * Introduce ads that show when users make a relevant search

  * Get analytical feedback on the effectiveness of your advertising campaign.

  * The number of floating licenses will expand to 2.

  Note: Any display of the user’s media will incur a cost in the form of cloud cash. These payments will be drawn from the user’s advertising account. Please make sure sufficient funds have been transferred from your main account or business accounts to support your campaign.

  Congratulations!!! In appreciation for your purchase, the System has provided 5 gold in advertising credit. These credits cannot be transferred.