Samuel smiled up at me, as I towered over him, and turned to close the door while calmly saying, "Of course little brother, where are my manners?"

After the door was closed and locked Samuel met my eyes. He seemed to be searching for something there. "Are you angry with me?"

I cocked my head to the side, I had gotten my anger at his command under control. But that didn't mean I was happy with him. The feeling must have slipped through when I spoke.

It was nothing new. I hadn't made the conscious choice to send my feelings with the speech but it might have been a product of my subconscious desire to let him know how I felt. It was a good reminder that I still had control issues when it came to mind speech.

"I don't like being ordered to my room like a child." I did my best not to sound petulant as I sent the simple explanation, and to avoid misunderstandings I intentionally allowed the disdain for being ordered and contained that was the influence of wild to shine through. "I am perfectly willing to do as you ask, brother, but I would much prefer that you had the respect to ask."

Samuel hummed to himself, then sighed. "I feel that we will be having a long conversation tonight. Do you mind if I sit? This ability will wear off soon."

I stepped to the side, and nodded at my bed. There weren't any chairs in my room, so it was that or the floor.

The bear man walked past me, and sat down. I looked at him expecting him to start our conversation, but he lifted a hand. "One moment. I had you go to your room because the aftermath of my change is a private thing for me. I phrased it with little consideration for your feelings and for that I am…" he groaned, and I saw his body begin to release glowing fumes.

I wasn't sure what I was looking at, it wasn't mana, and though I could detect Concepts wafting off of him with the light, they were ephemeral things. I watched closely, trying to understand what I was seeing, but it was like trying to catch a scent on the other side of a pane of glass.

The glow increased quickly, obscuring his form, and forcing me to close my eyes and look away. When I could no longer feel the faint hints of Concepts wafting off of him, I opened my eyes and saw that he was back to normal. I was happy to see that he didn't look half starved, but he was certainly right on the line. There wasn't an ounce of fat on his body.

The guildmaster slumped forward, barely stopping himself from toppling off the bed with shaking arms. He was gulping for breath like he had just run a marathon. I reached into myself and crushed a couple air mana crystals, directing the mana they contained to revitalize the man. His breathing eased immediately.

"You didn't use that skill to stop me, did you? That seems like overkill."

Samuel laughed hard enough that he almost fell over. I chuffed at him, annoyed that he found the idea so funny.

"No brother, I did not need to call on my spirit form to stop you, it is a state that lasts for many hours if I do not stress myself. I had hoped that the bear's sense of smell would help me locate that bastard. Unfortunately it has proven to be quite slippery, one might even think that it was smart."

"Should it not be? Didn't it start as a human? I understand that it would be mad with the mana contaminating it, but why would intelligence be a surprise?"

"It started as a corpse, corpses are not known for their smarts. But I didn't come in here to speak of that, you have quite a few levels to go before I would consider allowing you to join us in the hunt. I would very much like to hear what has happened to you in the last few days."

"I can't tell you everything. Some details are restricted by an oath to Belua," I warned.

"That is fine, is there anything I should be worried about?"

I paused, I could feel honest pushing me to tell him about the mana beast. I knew from a dream how powerful they could be while they were still connected to their mother crystal. The beast would have access to near limitless mana as long as it was in its territory, and it wasn't likely to willingly leave. I could fail, it had a very good chance of killing me as I was now.

Fear welled up in my chest, survivor began to push me to tell him as well. I could do it too, there was no command stopping me, just a request.

My instincts screamed at me about how the kill was mine, and hungry pushed a thirst for the power I instinctively knew the crystal contained into my mind.

I thought about how much Belua wanted to make certain no one knew about the crystal. How she had bent the rules to the breaking point to make sure I was in the right place with the right body and class to get it.

I thought about how disappointed she would likely be if I went against her wishes. I wasn't sure, but I had to consider how my performance in this life would impact my ability to get another contract when it ended. Survivor changed its tune.

"Only if I fail at Belua's request. You will know when the time comes. I would like to tell you more. I really wish I could bring you to help."

"But the great mother wishes it to remain a secret. You need not say more. She would not ask you to do something that worried you so much if it was not important. You must know better than I how much the mother cares for all of us children."

I bowed my head in what I hoped would pass for a reverent nod. She cared too much, I was fairly certain her Authorities had driven her insane. Though I supposed I wasn't one to judge, I had a fraction of a percent of the Concepts she did.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

If I was constantly having to manage my paltry burden to make sure they didn't push me to do things I would regret, I couldn't imagine what it was like to have thousands. At what point did they overrun your mind to the point that you ceased to be, and became nothing more than a bundle of things other people thought you were?

I was immensely grateful that my future would hold an entirely different kind of insanity.

"So what can you tell me? What happened in the arena? I was told that you were hurt somehow, but recovered quickly. I also heard that there was an administrator involved. They also said that you were light on the details."

I thought about what I could say, and how I could phrase things to be completely honest without straying into talk about how and why my soul split.

"Martin hit me with an attack that breaks down magical attacks and reforms them as lightning mana. I suppose I counted as a magical attack in my fire elemental form. The experience was horrible enough that it stressed my soul to the point of snapping. The administrator came in, and fixed me, but I lost a part of myself."

I saw the stunned and concerned look on Samuel's face when I tried to leave it at that.

"I'm better than fine now. I still have some adjusting to do, but the part of me that I lost was holding me back." I almost felt sorry for Angela that I felt I had spoken the unvarnished truth just then.

"I see. I do not know much about souls, but that does not seem like the kind of thing that one should simply shrug off. The great mother had you hunt twice yesterday, and again today too. Are you truly fine?"

"Yes, I believe I am. I've noticed that I have some minor impulse issues, but it's nothing to worry about. I'm certain that they will pass in time."

"Still, you should go to the temple and request councel from a sister there. The one I see is quite good at her job. I have made frequent use of the service since being thrust into the guildmaster position, she helped me work through my thoughts on the matter."

I cocked my head to the side, it almost sounded like he was talking about a therapist. Considering how crazy Belua's helping hands had driven me, I wanted to laugh at the idea that her clergy could fill such a role.

The keeper had definitely shown me that they were quite separate from their patron deity. And the priestess I had met seemed very kind, so perhaps I should consider it.

Just to be clear, I asked what her job was.

"Sisters are healers of the mind and body, you may find that your oaths allow you freedom to speak with her. The vows of the priesthood require them to keep safe any words you share when seeking help. I hear that they even have abilities to specifically block their own memories of restricted information."

That sounded nice, I would love to talk to someone else about everything. Torill was great, but she had her own issues, and I didn't want to add to her burden.

I remembered how Angela had resisted seeking professional help for so many years. It wasn't until the end was near that I consented to seek help coming to terms with the inevitable. The lady at the hospital had been phenomenal.

I wondered if I could talk about my contract, I was almost certain that would still be restricted, but I felt the System share its knowledge that it was not. I was more than a little irritated that no one had told me about that. Dux had clearly said that the only people I could share information with were fellow contractors.

All this time, I had someone to go to for help. I may have even met the lady. Though there were other priestesses there, so I wouldn't know if the one I had met was the "sister" in question. I closed my eyes and mentally counted to ten. It wasn't like I'd asked, and I knew now. It was another thing to add to my list of things to do when I got some free time.

"Thank you for telling me. I will see her when I have the time. Is there something I need to do to make an appointment?"

Samuel shook his head. "Not in Brightwood since the draft came through. You can just show up and they will make time for you. Though you may have to wait if the sisters with the correct classes are busy."

I repeated my thanks.

"Is there anything else I should know?"

I shook my head, I couldn't think of anything.

Samuel looked pointedly at the giant mana shell taking up space against my wall.

"Nothing at all?"

"My staff, they have been recognized by the System as sapient. They are meant to be assigned a class, but there must be something more to it than that. Randy, the administrator, did say that he would have to do something that may extend the time though. I can't wait for them to get out though."

"I see. Is that why you have not asked me to expand your room? I am impressed by how much you have grown, however it cannot be comfortable to live in such cramped quarters. I doubt you will even fit in here in a few days if you keep growing at your current rate."

I nodded

"Well it is not as though you have neighbors. I shall simply expand the room next to yours and connect it to this one."

"I was told that further expansion would probably require payment? I have very little money"

"It would, but charging for rooms is at the Guildmaster's discretion, and not a single person is paying rent at this time. I will charge you the same for the second room as I did for the first. But hearing that you do not have much money is disturbing. What did you spend your pay on? It does not seem like you have many possessions."

I blinked. I kept meaning to mention it to Samuel, but I'd been very distracted. "If there was meant to be pay for the fire wolves I didn't get any."

The guildmaster growled. "I suppose I will have to have words with Nefen. I expected him to take on that duty. He has access to the guild coffers, and knows the calculations for payment better than I do." A large sack of coins appeared on the floor in front of him. "There is extra in there for the wait."

A cane manifested in the man's hand and he leaned on it as he stood up.

He must have seen the concern in my eyes. "Do not worry brother, I will recover quickly once I eat and sleep. Which I will do once I fix your room."

He looked at the bed, and it disappeared. Then he walked to the wall opposite to where Thorn's mana shell was and placed his hand on a circle that I didn't think existed until that moment. A very tall double door that reached the ceiling, and took up most of the wall came into existence.

"I do not know how large you will grow, but this should last you some time. Now I will take my leave. Thank you for your time, and I shall remember to show you the respect your kind is due in the future brother. I apologize for my behavior, I fear I have grown accustomed to being in charge."

He bowed to me, tilting his head to the side in a way that made my instincts feel very strange. I felt a strong change in how they perceived Samuel. He had submitted to me, I unconsciously stood taller. I was still coming to terms with the glorious feelings they were sending me when the door closed behind him.

My mark took my mind off the feelings when it flared to life, and I heard Belua asking me if I was ready for my next target.