“Null, I want to grow more. I think I need your help.”

Snow is a bit agitated for some reason. Lets hear what she is thinking. Maybe I can help.

“What do you need? If it is something I can help with I will try my best.”

“While Snow is still more Rat than Person, I can not travel with you. You are thinking of going to the wild Grasslands, right?”

“Well, yeah I am thinking of that. But why do you want to go with me?”

“I am close to a Beastkin, but not close enough. I want to grow before going there.”

“Still, I do not understand, why you want to go with me.”

“...Snow wants to be helpful. I want to be with you, as you will be there longer than just a few days, right?”

“But I am still here.”

“But I want to help.”

We are running around in circles. If she wants to come, then maybe I should take her with me. Just, she is still a Monster. That won’t do, as I never heard of something called a tamer, and the only ones who have marginally tamed Monsters were Mages who have them in chains.

“I understand Snow. What do you want me to do? Please do not say I shall remodel you, that I will not do, as it might eliminate your will, and I am not risking that.”

“I… I need more spirits and goop. First change was with a Spirit. Last change was me becoming more Miasma than spirit. To go further I need Spirit and need to change again.”

“Is that safe?”

“I… don’t know, but I will try.”

This whole thing is rather risky. Putting in more Spirits in a body was always a Failure, but right now Snow might be at a bottleneck. She always meditates in the darkness and I made her her own little meditation room next to her chamber in the Mansion, but she seems to have reached her limit in digesting Miasma.

The whole thing is a bit too risky for me. I mean I love to experiment, but Snow is the only one I really have next to me besides the dumb kind of Monsters. What to do…

…

“Are you sure about it Snow? It is still not too late to go back.”

She shivers in the vat. I have restrained her by the limbs and shoulders to prevent her injuring herself if she starts to seizure. Right now she just lies there… vulnerable…

“I am sure. Snow is scared but I want to become more Human.”

“But why? Do you not like being a rat?”

“I like being with Null. I like Leafy and the new people, but I like most being with Null. Null likes to be human and I want to be human too.”

“We do not know, what will happen. You might not become human, you know that, right?”

“Snow is sure. Snow wanted to become more like Nulls bodies and Miasma had puzzle parts inside. I have so many puzzle, but still need to put them somewhere.”

“Puzzle?”

She likes her puzzle. Always putting the Puzzle with her on it back together. Maybe she subconsciously or even consciously can lead her Mutations? Is that possible? Well she is an intelligent Monster and not many have been known to exist in every knowledge that I scoured.

Snow nods. She seems determined.

“I can puzzle myself into a human. Maybe not complete but Snow will try.”

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She is still nervous. She falls back to her old habit of telling her Name if she is nervous, so I know it. But denying her the chance is also not good. With a sigh I start to fill the Vat slowly with nourishing fluid I call Biomass. She calls it goop, but it is all the same. Disassembled flesh and plants mixed in a homogenized slime to give access to every amino acid and mineral something would need to grow. Add in some Mana and it stays fresh forever… okay lots of Mana.

To make it as comfortable as possible I preheated the Biomass to be a cozy temperature.

“Are you ready?”

She nods, and I pull some rat spirit body out of the Portal. Slowly I let it travel to her side and it seems she uses her own spirit to draw it inside. I did not need to do anything.

Doing her own thing I just sit there with Red and look worryingly over her inside the vat. While she starts to fuse with the Spirit I increase the darkness Miasma slowly to give her a push in the right direction.

As feared she starts convulsing. This looks really painful, and unlike Ava or Red she can not leave her body to not feel the changes.

“Null… another…”

“One might already to much. Please just try and stabilize for now.”

“Want… to finish… while I already hurt. Please… another…”

I did not know Red can cry anymore, but his eyes are wet. Maybe it is not him but me. Still I give her another.

...Her shouts of pain were tearing through the Dungeon below the started Castle and I really want to shout myself so damn much, but have to keep her stable and watch over her…

…

“My Lord, you want us to go alone?”

“Yes, right now I have to watch over something too important for me, I can not leave.”

“But… the Merchant could lie to us. And what shall we bring back?”

“I allow you to buy for five large Gold coins all you need for the Festival. Presents, Clothing, Drinks and toys for the youths. With this we will start the new Year right with everyone having a smile on their face. Five large Gold is for each finger on one Hand, remember?”

“That… That is too much! We could live for that much for a Year without starvation!”

“You would never starve here, as I would not allow it. You need so much for being here, I do not even know everything as I am sadly unknowing what you People all need. Bring with you many spices and vinegars, so everyone can taste nice things. I would love some for me too, so it is not all for you anyway, right?”

“Ah… right. I thank you my Lord! By the way…”

“What is it?”

“We have long time not seen little Snow, is she… Ah, please excuse me!”

My face with Ava must have been horrible. Still I guard her and her body still has not reached equilibrium after three torturous days. I knew I should have stopped her, but somehow I felt it would be bad to take her wish away and just do nothing.

“She is ill right now. Something is happening, so I need to be by her side. I hope you excuse me for the time, next time I go with you again. I trust you will not run with the Money?”

“I would never! It is way more than I would spend my entire life, but being here is more wonderful than living somewhere else. You can trust me to be your faithful servant, my Lord.”

Belk is rather trustworthy. I still do not trust them, but right now I do not care if they ran away, Snow is more important. And still I would find them. Oh, I would find them everywhere, alright. Their Families are still here and would go on the List of the next experimental subjects, if he would leave.

…

Seeing off the people often going with them I gave them extra Money, if the Guards are especially greedy this time without me, but should be fine anyways. Two of the newcomers are with them this time, as they do not have me helping the transport. They know the way and have the Amulet. As they unwillingly eject Mana Belk just needs to touch it to increase the glow. He was also ordered to hide it before entering the city as it is rather auspicious.

By the way I improved it with a very small addition. I can feel the trace of the Amulet now and know where it is. If they run, I know it firsthand, so nothing to worry about.

What I am really worried is the extreme heat Snow is emanating. I started to lower the temperature of the Biomass to compensate, but with her still convulsing it just helps a tiny bit. Please Snow, do not die.

…

While feeling the Amulet coming back from the City it seems I was right to trust them.

Sstill being next to Snow I see her slow changes. They are not what she hoped, so I hope she is not disappointed. Right now I see a rather scary looking massive Ratbeast in the vat. Giant muscular arms with black claws, purple veins running over her skin that shed its fur. Black spikes have grown on the tip of her tail and her teeth became razor sharp and golden. I had to put her in a different vat as she was outgrowing it. Right now she would tower over a Cockatrice when standing on her hind legs.

I had to stop her thrice already because she nearly woke up and gone on a rampage by the wild and bestial shout she gave. You are still in there Snow, right? Please come back…

…

The Farmers came back. They were laden with many fabrics, spices and shiny new tools for Farming and so on. It is nice to have them back, so I can maybe send them more often alone to get what they want.

I was grateful for bringing back some pieces of Metals the Peddler King has put back for me. I already forgot about them, as I was right now in different thoughts.

The Materials were stowed in the Mansion for now and the preparation for the festival was ongoing. Two weeks and the next year would start. Spring would come and wash away the sn… the cold and Winter.

Leafy is right now a bit troubled by me not telling her where Snow is. But what should I say right now? She is mutating into a hulking Wererat? At least she has the decorum not to ask more than once, while I take the time to drink a tea once a day with Ava. Leafy sometimes forces me to eat something, but it is just a body I can reassemble if he is too lean.

Snows eyes are now purple too. I saw it when she was shortly awake to cry out and lash around her. While she is sleeping I go often to her exposed head looking out of the vat and scratch behind her floppy ears. Whatever happens, she is still Snow, so I will have her with me, even if she might go berserk.