Well, I didn't exactly want or need live subjects to experiment on. The tests of my new breed of Briarbane parasites were extremely positive. I had them... probably 99.3% optimized for the second phase of my operation. Whether or not the host body was living or dead did not matter--the parasites would consume the flesh and work their way into what remained of their brainmeats and nervous system in order to gain control. I only offered to take some of the living because I knew that the dead were often fed to the boars that Lye kept around the Sanctum as threats and as pets, and I wanted to be sure I could leave with the couple dozen bodies that my plans required.

Seeing that I'm not exactly in the mood to femsplain this to Red, I let the lecture die on the tip of my tongue.

I regarded the sad little blue-haired creature writhing in fear and agony on the ground at my feet. The thing claimed that I lost whatever game she played for control of my soul, when I knew for a fact that she tricked me... But to be completely honest? My life had taken a turn for the better ever since she separated it from me. I mean, sure, I've been unable to tap into the powerful magic that the Forgotten One Pode granted me--and my experiments have suffered from it somewhat, to be honest--but I no longer heard her whispers in the dead of night, trying to nudge me back down the path of damnation. For the first time in... gods, in forever, I felt truly free.

I suppose for that alone I should at least have sent her a thank you card.

Maybe I could agree to take her off Red's hands.

But what could I do with her? What would I do with her?

I miss having an army of angry wasps at my beck and call and all, but... No, I could never take back my soul. Not a chance in hell. Nope. Ain't happening.

...What if we tried to find a way to get rid of it? I mean, for good? The cat-thing clearly had no interest in holding onto it for herself, screaming like she did about it trying to attach itself to her. I could study her rather uncanny ability to absorb the souls of others, and we could possibly find a way for her to give it up without giving it another host. Or maybe we could just seal it in a bottle and chuck it into the ocean, I don't know.

I always did like a new puzzle to solve.

"Sure," I muttered after mulling over the thousands of possible outcomes ahead of me. "I'll take her." Not necessarily liquefy her like Red'd probably like, but I'm sure I can come up with a way to erase the cat's memories of the Sanctum and how she got here.