When I regained consciousness, I found myself in the same place I'd fallen asleep, the Lesser Alraune nowhere to be seen. I couldn't understand what was going on until I suddenly stood up, an action I hadn't even considered taking just yet. Without my consent my body started walking back towards the center of the lair, stopping at the edge of the area that was filled with the sleeping gas. While I wasn't able to see it, I was almost certain that a flower had been placed upon my head, the same kind that had been on the Adventurers I'd slain earlier.
Being under the control of another being was a bizarre experience, as while I could think about moving my body, it wouldn't respond, the sole exception being Thread Creation and Thread Manipulation. I assumed the reason the two Skills worked was due to the fact that they were inherently incompatible with a normal human physique, which is what I assumed the flower atop my head controlled. While it was nice to know that I had a modicum of control, the Skills weren't that helpful in this situation as the Lesser Alraune would know if something attached to one of the trees, or any of the nearby vegetation for that matter.
The worst of the situation came about when Arya's voice came from the earring. "Vell, it has been a few hours, where are you? Steria hasn't yet woken up and I'm not confident in my ability to heal a creature I've never worked with. We need you."
I struggled desperately to try and move any part of my body so that I could grasp my necklace and respond to Arya, however it was pointless, as let alone speaking, I wasn't even able to budge a single finger. Arya's voice continued to leak through the earring in regular intervals, becoming more and more concerned and desperate as time passed.
I had assumed the five Adventurers I'd fought and killed had been rather fresh since they weren't malnourished or otherwise unhealthy. However it came as a great shock when I discovered that this Lesser Alraune cared for the controlled people better than some people could take care of anything. There were well made beds and a shift system that ensured each person under its control got adequate amounts of sleep and there was a garden full of highly nutritious fruits and vegetables. If it weren't for the fact that I was on my feet around fourteen hours a day and I didn't have any semblance of control over my body, this would seem like a decent job to have.
It wasn't all downsides however, as not only was I able to use Seshat's Library to peruse and look for anything I could use, there was also time to brainstorm plenty of things I had desired to work on while at the same time earning Experience and raising my Polearm Skill level, due to the frequent invasions the Lesser Alraune suffered at the hands of other monsters that wanted its territory. I still hadn't used any Experience yet, but now that I had time I was seriously considering what I should use it on.
There were two that I was heavily considering, Artifice and Multitask. Both Skills had served me extremely well and I used them frequently. Artifice had been stuck at level 9 for nearly two years now, and while Multitask hadn't been at level 9 too long, it increased even more rapidly than Masochism had back when I first began to work on my Skills. Doing so would be within the recommendation for leveling a Skill, as I had already brought them so high, a single level wouldn't affect me too much. I'd also considered dumping as much as I could into Agility since my current weakness was my inability to deal with enemies that were faster than I was, such as the Lesser Alraune, something that would likely only prove to be more of a hindrance if I wanted to move further into the Forest of Darkness.
Arya still reported to me everyday, the concern and desperation never leaving her voice. While she knew I was at the very least alive, she didn't know what kind of state I was in, for all she knew I could be an endless snack for the Alraune due to my impressive regeneration Skills. What worried me the most was that even though Steria had woken up, the wounds I'd left in her body still had yet to heal, something I desperately needed to rectify.
On the other hand, I didn't know what I could do to break free from the Lesser Alraune's control. Despite having access to all recorded knowledge, there were no records of anyone successfully removing the Brain Flower from its host without them dying or suffering from horrific trauma that they were unable to recover from. However, even if I wanted to try and remove the flower, someone else would need to do so as I was incapable of doing anything about it myself.
Eventually the chill of the winter began to fade as spring began to roll in. Steria had finally started to recover, though the process was slow and she needed help from someone for nearly everything she did. My situation had yet to change at all, I was still a forcibly conscripted guard with no free will for the Alraune. I had seen many of my fellow enslaved die to invading monsters, any of which survived were usually enslaved as well to reinforce the losses suffered.
Very few people from the Races ever came into the Forest of Darkness, let alone getting near the Lesser Alraune's territory, so it unlikely that I would be saved by them and with not only Steria but Renae to look after, Neyla and Arya already had their hands full, making an expedition to save me unlikely as they both knew just how dangerous and crafty the Lesser Alraune was, something that made me dread running into any higher evolutions.
Summer rolled around and it seemed that Steria was close to making a full recovery according to Arya. I had been enslaved by the Lesser Alraune for nearly six months, thankfully there was still around a year and a half until we needed to make it to the center of the Forest of Darkness. If the Lesser ring were already this dangerous, the Inner ring was going to be an even more dangerous place. I wasn't as worried about the Center ring as according to Neyla most of the monsters in the Center ring had gained sentience and could be reasoned with.
I was standing with a naginata in hand as my body waited for new orders while my attention was focused on my Status. Over the past six months I'd accumulated around 700 Experience, a small amount compared to what I'd gotten for devouring the Hero's Divinity, but with it I was able to level both Artifice and Multitask, something I'd been switching between doing and deciding to save. While struggling over the decision I heard Arya come through the earring, her voice was likely the only thing keeping me sane during these long six months.
"Steria is nearly fully healed, but something seems off with her. I wish you were here. Anyway, we'll be coming for you soon, so stay safe, and happy birthday."
I hadn't even realized that my birthday had arrived as my age had yet to increase on my Status, but if Arya said so she was probably right, she was much better at tracking time then I was. I was sure that if my body was able to, it would have a stupid grin on it from listening to her. However, she was not the only one to contact me, as after a few more hours Marian's voice came from the earring, this wasn't the first time, but unlike Arya, Marian didn't have the freedom to do as she pleased at the manor, especially since Alcrem found out that I had entered the Forest of Darkness.
"Vell." her voice whispered. "I miss you, and so does Reine. I don't have much time but, happy birthday. I love you."
Marian's voice was filled with concern, but it still made me happy that I had so many people that cared about me. Such a thing was impossible for Velen, Velkis, and even Vellastria, they had all been alone and caught up in their own objectives. I knew that at least two of my previous incarnations had people that cared for them, Veldarix, the Oni had stated as much when talking about Kalista, and the Elven Vell'prara'stasiela that seemed to have once been on this world had at the very least Ellie, and perhaps more, but the memories from her were still just fragments and intense emotions, so I couldn't be sure. I didn't know what the other 15 had been through, but it didn't particularly matter, as I had already disassociated from my previous lives.
I savored my feelings for a little longer before looking at my Status. without hesitating I increased both Artifice and Multitask. I momentarily saw them at level 10 before they faded and a sharp pain split my head. It wasn't a physical pain that could be resisted with Masochism, but something completely different. There was a familiar sensation as my body weakened and I coughed out blackish purple ichor before collapsing. I had already experienced this once and unlike last time, I wasn't too worried. I was molting once again, almost exactly a year since the last time I had done so and soon everything went black as I lost consciousness for the process.
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