text: [Themes: fantasy, serious]
  
  Maybe your feelings have faded. Hell, maybe you didn't even ever truly love her to begin with, but you still feel responsible enough for her situation that you're not giving up on Lisa.
  
  "I'm doing it. I can make this work." You say.
  "Very well." Isabella remarks with a bit of a sigh.
  "I have to say, I'm still sort of surprised that you're so permissive in all this."
  "Contrary to what YOU may think of me. I do have a sense of kindness...or maybe I'm just fond of you enough that I don't just kill the pair of you to be done with this failed attempt of courtship."
  "Courtship..." you scoff.
  "Yes, that what this was, at least to me. What would you have me do? Wait around for you to give me flowers or some other meaningless gesture? Go out to...I dunno the local festival? I'm a fucking vampire. I take what I want and at the time I wanted you. But I can see now that method wasn't the way to go about it. Personally, I don't even think you have any feelings of love for this girl, just a sense of guilt. However, if THIS is what is going to make you happy, then fine. I'll show you how. Either you're going to come to become so disgusted with what Lisa has become that you'll finally do away with her yourself and we can try again. Or you'll stay with her and maintain your delusions. Either way the pair of you will be free because I'm not going to have you both living here if that's the case."
  "That's...pretty generous of you, but..." you start to say and then stop yourself.
  "But what?"
  "Um, nothing..."
  "Pfft, I already know what you were going to ask before you realized it would be stupid to do so, though again it isn't going to bother me."
  "And what did you think I was going to ask?"
  "That what if you just fake it for your freedom and how will I know? To the former, go ahead. If you're REALLY willing to put yourself through all this, just to be released from me, then you deserve your freedom. At least it will give me a bit of pride that I will have released a very patient one of my kind into the world. Lot of young vampires fuck up due to being impulsive. But then, I suppose you've already had a lot of experience at being patient haven't you? In any case, we should get started."
  
  Isabella tells you that the process is fairly simple, however due to you being on the younger side, she isn't sure how long it will take, if at all. The best you can do is just keep feeding her blood on a regular basis until she starts to show signs of change.
  
  "Now of course she's already a bit on the paler side due being stuck down here with no sun all the time. So the thing you're probably going to notice immediately is her starting to show signs of free will. She'll probably start by addressing you without needing to be addressed first. She'll of course also start being very affectionate, wanting to please you in every way." Isabella explains.
  "But it's different from the trance correct?"
  "Oh yes. Much different. In fact, she'll be immune to that to some degree. Her loyalty towards you will be unquestionable due to sharing of blood, but she's still going to do things on her own and it might not matter how much you tell her not to. As I said, ghouls tend to have disgusting habits and urges. In fact if you've ever heard the tales of how vampires are a bunch of decadent sex fiends, well THAT'S the reason. Ghouls that somehow manage to get elevated to vampirehood, never fully shed those more vile traits. Always best to go from mortal straight to vampire with no transition in between, like I did with you." Isabella says and strokes your face.
  
  Isabella observes you bite yourself and then feed your blood to Lisa. It actually isn't as easy as all that. Despite being in a trance, Lisa still doesn't react well to the whole blood drinking thing, especially that of a vampire's. She starts gagging and coughing even though she's also trying to follow your command of doing it.
  
  Even reluctantly forcing her head to you doesn't work and she ends up vomiting.
  
  "Lisa doesn't have much of a gag reflex eh?" Isabella jokes, which you try to ignore and just refocus your efforts.
  "How long do I have to do this?" you ask.
  "Well until she at least manages to keep some of it down at least. As I said, it isn't going to happen instantly either. You're probably going to have to do this every day for months. Possibly even more than once a day since you're still a young vampire. All I can suggest is you better make sure you keep YOUR strength up, but you better not go using up all the humans chained up in the larder. Also you're still obligated to your duties to me. Anyway, I'll leave you to it."
  
  You continue to force Lisa to suck on you and eventually she keeps some of it down. You start to feel a little weird yourself so you tell her to stop and you go replenish yourself with someone in the larder, despite Isabella's warnings. You'll just have to go nab humans for her more frequently.
  
  If she thinks all this is going to deter you, it isn't. Now that Isabella has hinted at freedom, your motivation for doing all this is doubled.
  
  You spend months slaving away more than you had under Ral or even Isabella before all this mainly because you have to increase capturing the amount of blood "donors" not just for Isabella, but for yourself. It's really tempting to just grab someone from Dert, but Isabella has always had a rule against taking too many people from there lest the ignorant peasants start getting riled up, or worse, just pick up and leave.
  
  So it's mostly a lot of ambushing bandits, travellers and (ugh) hobgoblins in the forests. There's always Holgard too, but the journey even with your speed is still always a pain in the ass dragging someone from there since you have to keep feeding Lisa your blood at a regular interval. (Not to mention there's currently religious conflict going on there between the factions)
  
  Needless to say, all of this makes you a lot more irritable and tired all the time (Basically, you feel like a human by vampire standards)
  
  Months pass just like Isabella said they would, but you don't give up and eventually you start to see the signs of Lisa changing.
  
  It starts by her talking to you and addressing you by name. She's very confused at first, but as you start to explain it all to her, she doesn't even seem to care. In fact, she seems very happy that you've gone to so much effort to save her life.
  
  "Oh my beloved! I KNEW you always loved me deeply! Let me show my appreciation to you!" Lisa exclaims and proceeds to jump on you.
  
  It's a little strange, but given all you've gone through to turn her, and she seems to be so willing, you don't turn her down.
  
  Isabella still doesn't seem fussed by this turn of events. She does seem to decrease her own demands for sex though. Cleaning is still a priority unfortunately, but considering Lisa now has all this energy she starts helping you do it.
  
  It's during one of these cleanings that you start to see what Isabella was warning about.
  
  "Lisa, I bring in real food, you don't need to eat the bugs crawling around this place!" you exclaim.
  "I'm sorry honey, but I dunno...they just looked so...inviting. And they're nice and crunchy too. I like the way they sometimes wiggle in my mouth...mmmm...tehehehehe..." Lisa says trailing off into a disturbing giggle.
  "Look, just don't eat them, and don't eat anything else that isn't proper food either."
  "But...but what about your delicious yummy blood?"
  "That's still fine."
  "Good! Because I want some right now!"
  "You just had some a few hours ago!"
  "But I need it! I need to suck on you!"
  
  It's just the beginning.
  
  Year 26
  
  "Well, you proved yourself. You wanted it bad enough and I'm true to my word. You and your ghoul bitch are free. Now get the hell outta my crypt, it's still night right now, so if you hurry you can find other shelter before dawn." Isabella suddenly remarks to you during one of your few moments to yourself.
  
  You're so tired, all you can muster up is a "huh?"
  
  "You heard me, you're free, get out." Isabella remarks.
  "Now?" you ask.
  "Yes! I said get out! I'm sick of you doing a half assed job of keeping this place clean and your bitch eating my food. Never mind the fact that I don't exactly get off on hearing you lot have sex. Though I'm guessing that was your idea that she scream as loud as she could."
  "I thought you weren't jealous and didn't give a shit."
  "I don't actually. But I'm certainly not going to share you in any capacity with something that's currently up in the graveyard as we speak, digging up coffins and eating rotten carcasses."
  "What?! She got out again? Why didn't you stop her?!"
  "Not my concern and neither are you anymore. You were fun for a while and I don't regret our time. Just confirmed my original thoughts of why I stay single to begin with. Anyway, take care and a part of me hopes that deep down that you do truly love this girl, but then I've always been a bit of a romantic."
  
  Isabella tells you that you've got a short period of time to leave not just her crypt, but also the area. She mentions that if she catches you or Lisa still in the area she'll kill the pair of you since she doesn't want you lingering around to possibly fuck up her relative peace by preying upon Dert.
  
  You gather up what belongings you still value and take your leave. Sure enough when you exit the crypt, you hear Lisa snuffling about in the graveyard. You soon find that she's already dug up a grave and half eaten body parts lie all around her. She looks up from the rotten leg bone she's chewing on and wastes no time in running to greet you, though it's more like an animal loping at you.
  
  Lisa attempts to kiss you, but the stench of her breath is horrible and that's saying something considering how resilient you've gotten to such things. You turn your head away and tell her to calm herself.
  
  "I'm sorry, I know I'm suppose to stay in the crypt, but I just got so hungry and nipped out for a quick snack since I know you don't like me touching the chained up humans in that one room. Anyway, is it time to give me some more of your yummy blood? I could use a drink after that meal! Say, do you want some of this leg?"
  
  You look at Lisa and she's absolutely nothing like the girl you were so fond of years ago. She doesn't even look the same. While she's not aging anymore, she's definitely changing in appearance in other ways. Her clothes and body are constantly dirty; her hair is a matted nest crawling with insects. Her teeth have bits of decayed flesh in them and who knows what else. She smells like the same corpses she eats. Her personality is that of a spineless lackey that isn't even completely obedient.
  
  And the kicker to all this is you willingly had sex with this thing repeatedly just to gain your freedom. You can't imagine the number of times you dreaded keeping up the sham.
  
  Of course it's done now. You don't really need to go through it any longer.
  
  > leave Lisa behind
  Isabella was right. Ghouls are disgusting creatures and however long you live in this new vampire life, you are never making another one again, unless you were trying to completely humiliate someone.
  
  Lisa, really didn't deserve this fate and you've long since saw that it would have been a kindness to just kill her. However, in her current form she allowed you to regain your freedom so you'll always remember her for that, along with when she was human.
  
  You think about killing her now, and it's not really because you wouldn't do so, if only to release her from this hellish state of life, but you've still got one last idea to stick it to Isabella for putting you in this situation to begin with.
  
  "Lisa, you remember your old home Dert and how to get there correct?" you ask.
  "Oh yes! I remember it well! It's full of humans! Fleshy...delicious human..." Lisa starts to say trailing off as she thinks of exactly that.
  "Yes, it is. Well because you've been a good girl, you can go there and eat all you want!"
  "I...I can!?"
  "Yes! You can empty the entire village if you want!"
  "Oh....oh THANK YOU!"
  "Yes, well I am the nice one."
  
  Lisa attempts to kiss you again, but once again you block her from doing so.
  
  "First thing I'm going to do is eat my father! That old bastard never wanted us to be together! THEN I'm going to eat that bitch Lindsay! I remember that dumb whore stupidly bragged about getting pregnant when she gave you a blowjob! But I don't blame you of course, you know that right?" Lisa says.
  "Oh I know. I know. Actually I'd sort of forgotten about that, but then I've been a bit preoccupied with other things. Anyway, have fun." You reply.
  "Wait, aren't you coming with me?"
  "Oh no. I have some important business to take care of for Isabella in Holgard. Might be awhile so don't wait up for me."
  "Oh...well okay. I was hoping that we were gonna do this together...I don't like how you take orders from that Isabella bitch. I'm sorry. I know I'm not supposed to talk bad about her, but I don't like her. I can't wait for us to be free of her so it can be just you and me together forever!"
  
  If only you had the patience, Lisa's obsessive dream might have come true, but you just don't. You're tired of having to serve or help other people in any capacity. You just really need to be by yourself for a while. A LONG while.
  
  Still, no point in not giving the girl one last thrill.
  
  You quickly open up your wrist and motion Lisa to drink, which she does so gladly. You give her a little more than usual since you figure she's going to need the extra strength to take on an entire village. Even assuming she survives that, she still will be no match for Isabella who will no doubt eventually learn of this, but at least you've given Lisa a nice going away present.
  
  Afterwards you pat Lisa on the head and tell her to scamper off before all the humans in Dert get away. With this last command you watch Lisa lope into the darkness towards Dert. Isabella's going to be pissed. You half wonder if she'll hunt you down for doing this, but for some reason you don't really care if she does. You just sort of wish you could figure out a way to get a little revenge on that asshole Ral too, but that might be for a different day you guess.
  
  You briefly think about making your way to Holgard since it is the closest settlement of where you can feed easily, but you figure you probably should just leave the region entirely. Not to mention being a "normal" thief just doesn't hold the same thrill it once did and it's not even necessary anymore.
  
  You've never been a wanderer by nature, but maybe you'll start to become one now. Who knows, maybe you'll even bump into your sister in your travels. You like to think that she'd find your transformation very interesting, or at least the story of how it happened. You hope she's doing okay, or at least doing better than you are.
  
  After thinking on it, you decide to head towards the direction of the Delantium Kingdom. You know it's going to be quite a journey even with your speed. You hope you'll find shelter along the way. You always hate having to just dig yourself a hole in the ground.
  
  But there will undoubtedly be little communities like Dert or your old home of Teckleville along the way for you to rest and feed at. There always are.
  
  As you begin to walk, you aren't sure what you're going to do with the rest of your undead life, but your days as a common rogue are over.