“The reason I have been forthcoming with you and allow you to be so willful in questioning me is exactly because of my plans for you,” Calypso explained. “However, do not become too willful, or you will pay.”

She finished her explanation with just the hint of a threat. I might have shown fear, but my mouth was opened and I was just too shocked by everything else she had said. The Salicia that I knew was a copy made in a dungeon? Calypso had used some ability, presumably from a Dark Priest, that allowed her to control the other woman? Was it the supposed Karmic Control that I saw in my mysteriously appearing Mimic job? Did I receive such a job right now because I encountered Calypso? Why was that job so high leveled without me earning it? The more questions I asked, the more questions I had.

“How did Salicia end up as a Bandit King?” I asked hesitantly, trying to act more cowed while still unable to let it go.

“Were you one of the refugees from a city she ransacked? Yes, I was in hiding at the time, and it was convenient to use a few proxies to do my bidding. I was seeking weapons that would help me in my battle against the Demon Lord. Cities with stories of old weapons, and of course, ancient dungeons. At some point, she managed to unearth a massive clockwork dragon for me. I never would have imagined she’d turn around and destroy it and then get captured. I had given her too much karmic freedom and she started to believe she was a real person. Ended up as some noble’s slave. I won’t be making that mistake again.”

I perked up at those words. There was a personality under there. She was suppressing it using her karmic control, but the Salicia that I knew still existed. She just had to.

“She’s still a slave then?”

“Slavers are only a little better than Monster Tamers. I don’t personally like to use them.” Calypso spoke distastefully. “You need to have a free will for it to be suppressed by a Slaver. I prefer to… cut out the middle man, and control their will entirely these days. However, enough questions! I came today to find how you will serve me.”

The main take away I got was that Calypso had been manipulating things since the moment I met Salicia. She had set Salicia up as a Bandit King so that she could help her search for weapons. Salicia had come across the so-called guardian of Terra’s Dungeon, but her memories of her sister had caused her to turn and destroy it before Calypso could stop her.

She had also likely put an extreme mistrust of the church in Salicia’s mind. After all, if the church checked her too closely, they might realize that she wasn’t human. It couldn’t be easy to tell the difference. Even I wasn’t able to tell and I had her as a slave. I had even resurrected her from death once. I might not have thought this impossible, but I was able to resurrect Karr’s miasmic soul after defeating him, so it probably was like that.

“Cleaning the latrines? No… too aggressive for my girls? A masseuse? I don’t have the time to receive massages.” Calypso was tapping her fingernails together as she thought about what job I should have.

“How about… a cook?” I suggested, my eyes flashing.