After a while, we end our reconciliation make-out session when we notice that Ecire also shows signs of onsetting stage three infection.

  She sighs and then rolls her eyes, "Guess it is my time now, huh? Jared, you know what to do."

  "Yeah, I do. Don't worry, dear."

  I quickly look over her new skills to look for something that we can sacrifice without it negatively affecting her.

  Burial VestalGrowth Rates25 HP, 51 MP, 30 SP, 4 STR, 3 DEX, 4 VIT, 8 MAG, 8 FTH, 6 WIL, 6 CHA Earth Magic (Rank 1)You can use earth magic of ranks 0 to 1.The rank limit increases to 2 at skill level 15 and 3 at 30.The maximum rank can raise up to 5 with appropriate csses. L?i?g?h?t? ?O?r?b? ConcentrationCreate a floating orb of ice that emits light equal to a torch and follows you.You can also direct it, but it can't be further away from you than two arm lengths. Energy Boost PassiveIncrease max MP and SP each by 3% and (3 x skill level).Not too shabby. The weird source of light may come in handy sometimes; despite being creatures that prefer the night, vampires don't come with night vision in this stupid system.

  Gentle MonkGrowth Rates51 HP, 28 MP, 37 SP, 5 STR, 5 DEX, 8 VIT, 2 MAG, 6 FTH, 6 WIL, 5 CHA T?h?i?s? ?A?r?m?500 SP upkeepYour unarmed and weapon attacks inflict 10% of their damage additionally as fracture status damage. Armor of Faith PassiveWhile equipped with no armor heavier than cloth, increase VIT and WIL by (1.5% base FTH + skill level). Peacemaker ConcentrationYour unarmed and weapon attacks inflict damage to SP instead of HP.Gentle my ass. Brutalizing someone with fractures and broken bones isn't peaceful in the slightest. Maybe I should be worried about a deep darkness hiding behind her angelic smile?

  N???e???c???r???o???s???a???i???n???t???Growth Rates-6.6 HP, 44 MP, 35 SP, 2 STR, 7 DEX, -1.3 VIT, 8 MAG, 5 FTH, 4 WIL, 9 CHA R???i???c???e??? ???D???e???a???d???-87 SPCreate a R???i???c???e??? Zombie from a sufficiently rge pile of r???i???c???e???.Its level is equal to half of this skill's level. F???i???e???n???d??? ???t???o??? ???a???l???l??? ???L???i???v???i???n???g??? PassiveMindless undead see you as one of their own. C???r???y???p???t???o???c???u???r???r???e???n???c???y??? PassiveWhen you destroy an undead, or any creature within a tomb or crypt,you receive an amount of s?i?l?v?e?r? coins equal to this skill's level or the victim's [Undead] level, whichever is lower, minimum 1.I guess this is the css she compined about breaking. I can't even guess from this what she originally wanted. I assume it is simir to what I experienced with Survivor, the overp between the current version and the original may as well not exist.

  I assume this happened because as a spirit she is a part of me, of my soul, and her new css was written to a section of my soul that was thoroughly infected with glitches...

  I'm sorry, Ecire...

  So deadbrain friendship, braindead friendship, and eventually scam money? Eh, why not, I've heard worse.

  War ClericElite cssGrowth Rates49 HP, 37 MP, 34 SP, 8 STR, 4 DEX, 8 VIT, 2 MAG, 8 FTH, 5 WIL, 3 CHA Cure SparkPassiveWhenever you successfully use Cure Magic or destroy an undead creature,you can immediately use a 20% FTH cure effect on a different target within proximity. Life Sense PassiveYou can sense the proximity and retive health of living creatures within your vicinity. H?o?l?y? ?S?m?i?t?e? 947 SPDeliver a mace strike that inflicts physical lightning damage equal to double your regur melee attack power to everyone within 5 meters of the point of impact.I don't really see what's so "war" about this cleric; it looks like a fancy field medic to me. And the third skill looks nearly unusable; aren't you yourself always within five meters of a target you strike with a melee weapon? Well, it is a glitched skill so what do you expect - certainly nothing sane.

  Hallowed WitchGrowth Rates28 HP, 54 MP, 33 SP, 4 STR, 5 DEX, 3 VIT, 5 MAG, 8 FTH, 7 WIL, 4 CHA C?u?r?s?e? ?o?f? ?E?x?h?a?u?s?t?i?o?n?829 MPPce a curse upon the target if its WIL is below your CHA.While the curse is active, the target cannot use or benefit from skills or effects that improve or restore mobility in any way, like [Wings] or [Fsh Step].As with all proper curses, ending the effect requires [Break Curse]. Sanctuary Concentration, once per dayFor up to one hour you sanctify an area with a radius of 100 DU around the point where you activated the skill.The effect ends prematurely if you leave the area.The sanctified area provides a bonus to VIT of 2% of the caster's FTH, as well as HP regeneration of (0.25% of the caster's FTH) every minute. Benediction 400 MP upkeepIncrease 2 base stats of choice by (3% FTH + skill level) points.Affects up to (2 + skill level / 7) allies, can include the user.Called a witch, but provides boons instead of curses, something is wrong here. And aside from the one messed up skill I can't even bme it on glitches this time. Whoever designed this css has a very abnormal idea of what a witch is...

  But overall it seems Ecire is heavily leaning into her image of the Holy Maiden. Healing, boons, the works. She even skipped on any hints of her bcksmithing hobby, I thought that was more important to her than that. But that may have just been a frustrated Lucia's rebellious phase, what do I know?

  "I'm a bit surprised, Ecire. You've completely eschewed any hint of your smithing past. Considering how much Lucia hangs unto it, I thought..."

  Ecire cuts me off, "No, you're right, I will miss working on my crafts, but I feel this is more important. I'll have a lot of work to do with the church and everything, which is something I also enjoy, mostly. And let's be real, once all of this is over and things have settled down to an acceptable state of normal I've all the time in the world to take this hobby back up; thanks to you, we're immortal now, right? Or... maybe..."

  She never finished her sentence, so I have to ask, "What?"

  While discussing this, I continue to search through her skill list, looking for skills that are a suitable sacrifice for her Hybrid css.

  Lucia buts in, "What Ms. goody-two-shoes over there is worried about is the faint possibility that we two may become one again. We were one person before after all."

  They could fuse again? Why would they? At least as far as I can see both are their own person now and not a pair of emotionally half-empty human shells. Rather, they've become quite distinctively different from both each other and the original Lucia, and not only because the human was changed into a vampire or a spirit...

  Ah, better watch which buttons I push, I'm still in that menu.

  "Do you have more than a gut feeling about that? Because I don't see how or why that should happen. From my view, both of you have already grown so different from one another that such a reunion is simply out of the question."

  Ecire expins, "That's just something Lucy came up with, I don't believe in it either. But I can't deny that the possibility nags at my mind ever since she told me about it."

  "Yeah, that's not happening", not on my watch. I like them separated as they are.

  Or is that just the title making me feel that way again? Argh, who knows, we have a different problem right now that needs addressing.

  "I don't think this worry should influence what choices you make. You'll have lots of time ter to make up for what you're missing out now."

  Ecire pats Lucia on the back, "Yeah, and when I'm totally rusty, Lucy can coach me back into shape."

  "Good, that sounds like a pn", a bit distracted, I finally close the menu.

  ...?

  Shit, I already clicked on the confirmation button, I thought it was the leave menu button!! Damn, I forgot to add some skill sacrifices to the Hybrid css. Undo, undo!!

  Damn, too te to change it now, I screwed up.

  Before I can admit my mistake, the signs of infection have already disappeared from her. Out of us three, she had the fastest recovery from it, and she doesn't show any monstrous changes either. She looks exactly the same as before.

  Ecire looks confused, "Uh, I just got a Hybrid css and... that's it? I expected... something different."

  "Seems like it is only a big deal if the infection has already progressed a lot. Say, can you still see Lucia's shadow?"

  She mocks me, "What, no weird questionnaire to get back at me? Check if I'm still the same person?"

  "No, don't need to. I feel I can trust you on this, Ecire."

  She pats my head, "Whatever, thanks. So as far as I can see now, Lucy's shadow is gone. What do you suppose this means?"

  Lucia teases her blonde counterpart, "That you're no longer hallucinating."

  Ecire scratches her head, "Was I? I... no idea, it didn't feel like it. Uh... But maybe I was, the glitches get to you in the sneakiest ways it seems..."

  Just like I did with the block dots. Yeah, I can rete. It doesn't feel fake but it undoubtedly is.

  "So... any idea what happened to my weapon?", Ecire takes out a can.

  "No, sorry, no clue."

  Ecire waves it around, trying to figure out how to operate it. And fails by getting it to let out some spray right into her face, "Bwah!!"

  She coughs, "Gah, it still burns!"

  Oh, so it was functional pepper spray. Whoops.

  She throws it away in a fit of anger, "Useless thing!"

  After calming down, she creates again a regur mace, "I'll stick with this. Goddamn pranksters..."

  "Maybe you should hand it to Karen and let her figure it out."

  She still coughs, "Yeah... will do."

  So what exactly is her new Hybrid css like?

  HybridP?a?r?a?d?o?x? ?W?r?a?i?t?h? extra cssGrowth Rates17.5 HP, 34 MP, 26 SP, 3.5 STR, 2 DEX, 2 VIT, 4 MAG, 3.5 FTH, 4 WIL, 2 CHA H???o???l???y??? ???U???n???d???e???a???d???PassiveGain weaknesses to earth, dark and holy damage.Gain resistance based on skill’s level to peanut and poison damage and effects.Adds immunity to general mind effects.Adds affinities for c???h???e???e???s???e???, m???i???l???k??? and a?f?t?e?r?l?i?f?e?.Breathing is no longer necessary.Unable to produce biological children.Healing effects from hostile sources will be harmful instead at four times the original strength but subject to WIL.Exposure to sunlight will inflict mild discomfort.Cannot use potions.Unable to add csses that would grant iron affinity. R?e?a?l?i?t?y? ?L?a?g?Once per dayChoose a target.For 1 minute, all beneficial or harmful effects (user's choice) that would affect it are deyed until this skill's effect ends. F???a???t???e??? ???A???n???o???m???a???l???y???1000 SP, once per dayInterfere with an ongoing attack and repce the effect with a different one the attacker could use.This repcement does not cost the attacker anything extra or affect their skill usage counts.The affected skill cannot deliver more hits than either the original or the repcement could deliver, whichever is lower.E.g. you could manipute a dragon's fire breath to behave as if the dragon only performed a cw attack; the breath would then only hit one target for cw damage and pass harmlessly through everyone else in the area of effect. B?o?r?r?o?w?e?d? ?T?i?m?e?PassiveNO EFFECTCompletely glitched out but could've still been worse. More once-per-day stuff for our little one-hit-wonder and nothing actively detrimental to us.

  Her first skill strongly reminds me a lot of my [Undead] skill, a corrupted version of it.

  UndeadPassiveGain weaknesses to fire, light and holy damage.Gain resistance based on skill’s level to ice, dark and poison damage and effects.Adds immunity to general mind effects.Adds affinities for earth, ice and dark.Breathing is no longer necessary.Unable to produce biological children.Healing effects from hostile sources will be harmful instead at four times the original strength but subject to WIL.Exposure to sunlight will inflict (20 + highest css level + highest race level) damage per second.Cannot use potions.Unable to add csses that would grant light affinity.Yeah, quite simir, but hers seems less detrimental.

  I confirm her for now final status and notice that the weird wannabe-divine css did not level up again. Does it only level up when I make some sacrifices? The description didn't hint at that restriction.

  NameEcire DecroixStatusnoneAge18 (frozen)CssesGrave Cleric 16, Burial Vestal 11, Gentle Monk 11, N???e???c???r???o???s???a???i???n???t??? 11, War Cleric 11Hallowed Witch 11RaceSunbound (human) 11, Imp 11ExtraHybrid 20, Spirit 20DivineHoly Maiden 12HP1741/3422MP1254/1442 [4442]SP1568/3549STR754+16 (mace)DEX613VIT679+26MAG741FTH1005WIL865+26CHA712EquipmentSpirit Mace, Spirit MaceSkills - WeaponMace Training 16, T?h?i?s? ?A?r?m? 11Skills - MagicCure Magic 11 (Rank 2), Earth Magic 11 (Rank 1), Expel Undead 16, Fire Magic 11 (Rank 1), R???i???c???e??? ???D???e???a???d??? 11, Sanctity of Life 16, Sanctuary 11Skills - StatusC?u?r?s?e? ?o?f? ?E?x?h?a?u?s?t?i?o?n? 11Skills - SpecialF???a???t???e??? ???A???n???o???m???a???l???y??? 20, L?i?g?h?t? ?O?r?b? 11, R?e?a?l?i?t?y? ?L?a?g? 20, Spook 11, Wings 11Skills - PassiveAgeless 1, Armor of Faith 11, B?o?r?r?o?w?e?d? ?T?i?m?e? 20, C???r???y???p???t???o???c???u???r???r???e???n???c???y??? 11, Cure Spark 11, Familiar 1, F???i???e???n???d??? ???t???o??? ???a???l???l??? ???L???i???v???i???n???g??? 11, Hard Worker 11, H???o???l???y??? ???U???n???d???e???a???d??? 20, Life Sense 11, Sleepless 1, Stamina Boost 11, Summoned Spirit 20Self-made Spirit 11, Word of Refinement 11WeaknessIce, Earth, Dark, HolyHer stats went up by a lot, but that is to be expected when she gains a total of six csses with several levels alongside them.

  Well, what's done is done, and we go back to doing couple things for a while.

  3QGN73