Ophelia didn't need to do much to disguise herself in order to sell her dowry. Her hair had both mysteriously grown and changed color the past few days. It now went all the way down to her ankles, and was hued an inky black. Her skin had also undergone a change, turning exceedingly pale and even a tad shiny in places. Finally, her fashion sense had changed after papa gave her a bunch of kimonos he apparently found while getting "provisions" on the way to town.
The changes were so drastic that she could probably pass for the daughter of a noble at this point, which is downright shocking considering her original homely nature.
"20 copper for this, are you drunk? This is genuine silver plating here you blind bat!"
Alas, the bulk of her changes were external as evident from her current frenzied haggling.
"What do you know, brat? I've got 5 punch bowls just like that, and I can't get rid of the things!"
"Oh, then I suppose you won't mind me selling this over to tommy at the corner there," she says before turning to leave.
"Wait... 30 copper and you promise to never deal with that huckster as long as I'm here."
"Deal," she said while reaching out for a handshake to seal the deal. The merchant opposite her obliged, but whispered in her ear as he did.
"Don't look now missy, but you've got the attention of some crooked guards."
"Thanks old man, here's an extra 5 for the tip."
"Ah, such a smart girl," he commented before shooing her away.
Ophelia then began walking away in a normal fashion, save for quiet conversation she was having while doing so.
"Big sister, can you see them?"
"Hrmmm, I'll tell you if you let me eat one of them."
"What? But you already ate this morning."
"Can't help it, I'm a growing girl after all tehehehe."
"No, we can't. Being a little crooked doesn't warrant death."
"Whatever, I'm going to sleep then. Good luck on your own little Ophelia" big sister commented before laughing directly in her mind. Ophelia shivered in response, which appeared to have caught the guards notice, as one of them called out to her.
"Hey missy, stop right there."
"Just keep walking and pretend you don't hear them. The square ahead of me is pretty crowded, I should lose them there," Ophelia thought to herself as she continued strolling forward. It all seemed to be going well too, until she tripped over her own hair and face planted just before the square.
"Tehehe, bet you wished you let me eat them now," whispered big sister as Ophelia was escorted away. She wanted to snort out a retort, but she soon noticed something off about these guards. Instead of taking her to the jailhouse and shaking her down for a bribe, they were dragging her towards the noble district.
"Hey, isn't taking me to your boss a lot of trouble for you? Can't we work this out some other way?" she asked while secretly sweating bullets.
"It's no trouble at all, really. The lord's son pays handsomely for our help with his youthful indiscretions," one of the guards replied.
They were approaching the manor gates at this point, so she tripped the guard holding her rope bindings and ran down a nearby alley. The guards scrambled after her but, from the way she remained a step ahead of them, it looked like Ophelia might escape.
That is until an old maid dropped out from the sky, landing on top of her and immediately scolding the guards. "Geez, you oafs. How hard is this task our young master has bestowed upon you that I must constantly come and help you. Perhaps it would be better if I convinced him to get somebody else for this assignment."
"No ma'am, please don't trouble him over as small a matter as this. We shall reflect on our actions and make sure it doesn't happen again."
"Harrumph, make sure you buy this old maid some treats then the next time you visit," she said while hoisting Ophelia on her shoulder.
She wanted to resist this, but the old maid's landing knocked the wind out of Ophelia, leaving her a helpless wheezing mess. Indeed, she could only watch as she was dragged to a hidden cellar on the estate.
The chamber within had a certain dissonance to it, as it looked like the interior decorator couldn't decide whether to make a sex dungeon or an actual dungeon. In one corner sat a stockade, but right above it was hung a sling. Tools were displayed on the wall next to it, with the giant wooden paddles right next to the thumb screws.
The old maid sighed while looking at the state of the chamber in the cellar. "He could have at least called for a slave to clean the place when he finished last time... Maybe we need a bell installed here after all."
She then locked Ophelia in the stockade before saying "I'll be right outside while we await the young master, so don't even think of causing trouble."
By herself now, Ophelia pouted and said, "are you done giggling in my head now, big sister?"
"Tehehe, my apologies. I was just enjoying your failure to solve this problem."
"So you think you could do better than me then? Why not prove it then, elsewise I'll start thinking my big sister is all talk and no action."
"Nice attempt, you almost riled me up there tehehe. I still haven't heard the magic words though, you know?"
"Tsk, fine. Just two, right?"
"hrmm... make it 10," the disembodied voice of big sister said after a minute of thinking on the matter.
"10! That's a massacre! How can you expect me to agree to that?"
Tehehe, don't blame me; I got more hungry compared to earlier. Plus the ghost in your sword needs food too, silly.
"Big needle, really?" Ophelia asked, referring to the smallsword she snatched off Colonel Crook. It was strapped to her leg under her kimono even now. "Will it be easier for me to use it if we feed it?"
"Certainly, why else would I bother sharing the scrumptious meal I'm about to have? Now, let's get started, shall we."
Ophelia couldn't respond, as she was too busy screaming. Her head felt like it was splitting open, which wasn't far off from reality as a gaping crocodilian maw lined with countless fangs sprouted from the back of her head.
"Ahhhh, it feels so good to be free again!" said Big Sister, her voice coming from this extra mouth.
"Can we go now, I am feeling seriously nauseous right now."
"Oh right tehehe, my bad," big sister replied as she manipulated Ophelia's long hair like it was her own arms. Several strands braided themselves into a tentacle before constricting around the lock, shattering it within seconds.
Now free, Ophelia first stretched her cramped neck before asking, "now how do we get out of here, big sister?"
"That's simple, little Ophelia. Just imagine sinking into the floor."
"Really? I mean I am picturing it now, but I don't see how this... Wow, I'm really sinking!" Ophelia exclaimed as she sank into her own shadow. Within moments, she became a two dimensional figure on the floor.
"This is so cool! So now I slip under the door and run away?"
"Tehehe no way, I wouldn't get fed then in that case. Just practice using this form for now, I'll work on setting up some traps in the meantime."
Aw fine, whatever you say big sister," Ophelia replied before running along the ground and crawling the walls and ceiling. It proved so fun that she almost failed to notice the young master's arrival at the chamber an hour later.
"Jolene, I know you are getting old, but you can't be so blind that you'd mistake an empty dungeon for one with an occupant," he commented upon seeing the chamber empty.
"Of course not, young master... I swear she was here just a minute ago," the old maid responded before stepping into the room and looking around for the girl that should be in the stockades.
She then noticed the broken lock on the floor and asked one of the guards following him, "did you all change out the locks from last time?"
"Yes ma'am, we sure did."
"Is something the matter, Jolene?"
"I think you should head back to the big house, young master. Something doesn't seem right here." But before she could do anything else, she was cut down as big needle leapt out from her own shadow and thrust into her vitals.
The guards, upon witnessing this, rushed over to help. But with the old maid already dead and big needle having retreated back into her shadow, they could only stab the floor in frustration.
"Everyone regroup, it's not safe here. Keep an eye out on your surroundings and watch out for dark areas," their leader commanded, rallying the distressed guards. Luckily, the young master fainted upon seeing the old maid killed, so there was no need to consult him first.
One of the guards thus scooped him up before they rushed to the nearest exit, keeping in formation for any possible ambushes along the way. But, upon reaching it, things only seemed to go from bad to worse.
"Leader, why have the defensive measures kicked in? We didn't have time to report anything yet," the newbie of the group asked while staring shocked at the stone wall where their exit should be.
"It's possible we are under threat from a coordinated assault," another guard commented.
"You mean we are getting attacked from all sides right now?" asked a third.
"Calm down men. Remember, there's a passageway here leading directly to a panic room in the big house. All we need to do is stay on the defensive and we win, understand men?"
"Yes leader," they responded in unison before entering formation. their leader led the way, walking cautiously around the chamber to the tool rack. Once there, he quickly rearranged the torture devices hung there, causing the entire display to move sideways and reveal the hidden passageway.
"Wait, leader. Didn't you say to avoid dark areas?" the newbie asked. But, before the leader could respond, a tendril of hair had already shot out in a flash and grabbed him.
"Leader, no!" the guards shouted while attempting to free him. The hair proved too fast, however, and reeled their leader into the passageway like one reels a big fish.
"Remember your duty men! Keep the young master safe!" he shouted as he vanished into its inky blackness. They wanted to ignore his words and rush after him, but the loud CRUNCH sound that echoed forth from his location froze them in their tracks.
"What do we do now? This is the only exit," the newbie asked in a panic.
"Calm yourself. As deputy leader, I order you all to light your lanterns. Those without lanterns shall grab a torch from here before we enter the passage. This thing hides in darkness; so long as we brighten the area, it won't be able to get us," an older guard stepped forward and said.
"Yes, deputy leader," his subordinates all shouted.
This plan indeed proved successful, as they made it several hundred meters down the passage without issue. It was so successful, in fact, that they started to relax. The men gradually stopped inspecting around corner before crossing them, having either forgotten or never known that this passageway wasn't uniform in construction. Some areas were narrower than others and, more importantly, some areas had higher ceilings than others.
It was in crossing a corner into one of these later areas that Ophelia struck, a black noose made of hair suddenly dropping down from the darkened ceiling and snatching up the deputy leader in one fluid motion.
"AAAAAH!" CRUNCH
His headless body then dropped like a sack of potatoes, showering the guards behind him in blood. Their leadership now decimated, the guards panicked and dropped all pretense of caution. They practically sprinted down the remaining corridors and, as a result, with every turn another guard would be disappeared.
By the time they finally made it to the panic room, the newbie carrying their young master let out a sigh of relief before turning to realize, with horror, that he was the only one left.
Unable to bare the tension anymore, he collapsed to his knees and begged: "please evil spirit, I beg you spare my life!"
The ghostly voice that grated his ears responded, saying "I don't know, I'm still hungry..."
"Quit playing with your food," another voice said as a porcelain skinned maiden rushed out of the darkness and stabbed the guard through his eye.
"Tehehe, so brutal. Oh well, shall we torture this fiancé of yours," asked the mouth on the back of Ophelia's head.
"Do we have to? Being a shadow is surprisingly exhausting and I really need to get back to papa before he starts trouble," she responded.
"Don't tell me you intend to spare him?"
"Of course not, cheaters must die," Ophelia said as she kicked the unconscious young master in his leg.
Such a violent awakening method proved successful, as the he immediately shot up like a rocket and screamed before his attention was stolen by the cool beauty in front of him.
"So noisy. Is that any way to great your fiancé?" Ophelia asked him.
"Ha, impossible. My fiancé is an uggo compared to you miss," he responded, thinking entirely with his lower head at this point.
"How sad, I might cry now. Maybe you'll find big sister more attractive in that case," She said while turning her back to him. A tentacle of prehensile hair then wrapped his throat.
"Oh what a deliciously handsome man. Give me a kiss dearie," the crocodilian maw said before biting his head off with a single crunch. The poor horn dog didn't even get a chance to scream.
Funnily enough, the other entrance to the panic room opened right at this moment, giving the manor lord a front row seat to his son's demise.
"SON!!!!"
He didn't get a chance to shout anything else, though, as his head was smashed in with a meat tenderizer immediately after. Ophelia's eyes widened at the site of this in shock.
"Daughters!?!" "Papa?!?"
The two murderers said in unison before an awkward silence permeated the room. It was Ophelia who finally broke the tension to ask "what are you doing here papa? Didn't I say to stay at the inn?"
The Butcher could only scratch his head and say "hungry," in a defeated tone.
Not wanting to give him a chance to question her, Ophelia quickly wrapped up the conversation: "fine, let's pack up these provisions and get out of here."
As the two began their grizzly cleanup, the butcher couldn't help but think "so this is what love feels like. And I'd thought I'd forgotten the feeling..."