Interconnected: Spliced Souls

The walk from Canary to the village was idyllic, pleasant, and enjoyable. Unlike when I snuck into the city twice, I took in the surrounding nature and appreciated its beauty. The whimsical leaves fluttered without a care in the early afternoon breeze, blowing our hair. The walk was accompanied by casual chatter, but most was focused on Momo and Srassa’s new life living together. I wanted to hear more about her mansion, so that was the primary topic.   

It was cute how bashful she was. Her cheeks took on this lovely blush, but it was clear that she loved her family and her life. I suppose she was ‘down-to-earth’ in that way. From what I gathered, she was more shy than anxious, and when I asked her about that, she said it probably stemmed from her training at the hands of her instructor. There was no time for socialization, which explained her current weakness.   

But hey, she was trying her best. Speaking to us out of the blue couldn’t have been easy. And from that courage, I was kinda heartstruck by it because I didn’t know if I was as ‘strong’ as her. Physically? Yeah, I was her superior. In terms of fighting? By default, my immortality gave me a herculean edge in any brawl we may have in the future.   

But as a person? As someone who can surpass their shortcomings?  

I had to admit that she was better.   

With my amnesia, any friendships would soon become my new core memories because there was no way to know I would get my missing ones back. 

They eventually asked me why I was all smiles, but I just said I was happy. Itarr felt my feelings, and we chatted via that messaging app for about fifteen minutes.   

Before long, we experienced and shared a naturalistic silence.   

The journey to the village was straightforward, mainly proceeding in a straight line and veering off to the left after arriving at a fork in the road. We soon came across two rivers flowing to our left and right. The one on the left eventually branched off and flowed towards a farming village, which was our destination.   

Momo mentioned it was probably a good idea to eat and get some energy, so we decided to throw a picnic while enjoying the beautiful view. The perfect area was to our right, so we headed over there and set up.  

“On the plus side, we can look at the pastures and watch the cows and horses,” Momo suddenly said, laying down a red and white checkered cloth. “Oh, we can't have a good lunch without these! I picked them up last night when I headed over, Srassa.” Momo sat and pulled two silver canteens from her bag. They were wrapped tightly with leather straps with a carabiner attached to a chain to bind onto a backpack’s hook.   

“Thanks, captain,” I said, taking mine. It was filled to the brim, so I drank about a fourth and wiped my lips, enjoying the refreshing taste of spring water. Srassa seemed hesitant to take it, but Momo convinced her by saying it was good practice to accept a gift with grace, even if she later added that she was a country bumpkin with absolutely no knowledge of the fancy life.   

But with that said, we divided the ingredients. There was enough to make six sandwiches, so I made two and kept one for later, while Momo and Srassa just ate one. My creations were tall and packed with juicy, succulent tomatoes and crunchy onions. Tomato squirted out, splatting my lips and cheeks, but this sandwich was delicious.   

Srassa went for something more ladylike and delicate, choosing to make hers petite. Momo slathered on the cheese, green peppers, and cucumbers– the same things her grandfather's friend sold on his farm. Since there was little else to do than chow down, we were regaled with tales of Momo’s childhood. When she was old enough to walk, she went with her grandpa to visit a friend and became infatuated with the animals he kept. She learned to care for and clean the horses, cows, and pigs. As she grew older, Momo assisted around the farm to strengthen her body.   

“It's just farming, but that's a lot of work. You work your whole body,” she said, taking a swallow of her water. “Feeding, washing, cleaning up after them. Breaking in the horses– that's when you train them to let someone ride them– is especially tiring because they like to buck you off. Can't tell you how many times one threw me for a loop. But I learned to always land on my feet. That's what we singi do, after all. But that's another thing, Srassa. I know you're trained, but you can always do more. For example, when I wake up, I do a couple sets of push-ups and sit-ups to warm up, then I do my handstands, handstand push-ups, and if there's room, I do pull-ups and stretches. After that, it's time to practice my swings.”  

“And how long does that take?”  

“It used to take me three or four hours, but I've done it so many times that I can knock it out in an hour and a half to two hours. But I take breaks every other day because the last thing you want is to overstress your body. Not having a proper recovery period will mean you'll pull or tear something, and you're bedridden for much longer. It's not worth it in the long term.”  

“Umm… Can…you teach me how to do that? Those push-ups…” Srassa asked. She wiped her soft lips with a napkin Momo handed her.   

“Sure, I don't mind. Hey, tell you what. Why don't we make it a morning ritual? Even if we don't go hard every day, we can still do some basic stretching and warm-up exercises to prepare for the day. It's always better to do that stuff with a friend.”  

“Yes! That sounds fun.”  

“Fun, huh? Doubt you'll be saying that when you're too sore to move. Eh, you should be fine. You have great muscle definition. You carry that heavy equipment like it's nothing.”  

The casual chatter continued for another ten minutes, then it was time to pack up, which took very little time. With a belly full of food and nourishment, we were ready to finish this quest.   

---

Lucoa Village was small, but it depended on how you viewed it. It probably contained eleven or twelve houses, but it held over 50 farming fields, 25 barns, and 22 grazing fields for the livestock. The shipments to Canary and the other villages and towns were staggered. Wagons were leaving every day to deliver their supplies. It was a well-oiled machine that needed months of logistical research to perfect.   

Our client was a tan-skinned man named Svelte, who lived with his mother and father. Him and his dad were out by one of the barns to milk the cows and clean the calves, so that was where we met up with them after asking for directions.   

“Ah, you're here from the guild?” asked a man who fit our client's description after we introduced ourselves. He was shirtless, with sweat glistening off his toned chest. 

“Yep. Svelte, right? We're here to escort you to get the akablooms in Lucoa Forest,” Momo replied. When it came to quests like these, the client was given a completion slip that needed to be signed by them once the mission was complete. The adventurers needed to return the signed paper for the guild to mark the task as finished. Not doing so meant the quest would fail. You'd have to pay a fine if you lost the slip.  

Accidents happened, of course, but it was a good idea to act with caution and keep the slip locked in a safe container.    

“Thanks a bunch for heading out this way. If you don't mind, can you give me a second? I need to tell my father.” We nodded and waited while he walked to the other side of the barn to talk to a man that must’ve been his dad, then he returned to us, and we followed him to a nearby house. Four minutes later, he emerged carrying a basket on his back and a fresh set of clothes that perfectly fit the mental image of a farmer. 

He even had a straw hat.   

“So! What's exactly our objective here? Are there any dangerous animals that live in the forest?” Momo asked. Svelte walked through the village center to reach the path leading to the forest’s entrance.   

We trailed behind, but Momo walked beside him. Before that, she whispered to Srassa, telling her to pay attention since the adventurer-client relationship was vital. Pissing off the client or allowing them to get hurt was a definite no-no.   

“There's been reports of wild boars and rats fighting over a nest on the far side. We rarely see them, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Besides, I can tell that the girl in the armor is new. Warden’s always had a special place in my heart, so I want to give back to the organization by posting easy quests like these. You can never have too much experience, right?”  

“Haha. Yep, that's true. But if you don't mind me asking, why is the guild near and dear to your heart?”  

“My father joined before I was born. He met my mother a few years in. They fell in love, retired, and settled down to become farmers. It's a bit embarrassing, but I'm nearly 28, and I still can't summon my Skill Tablet. I tried to join, but I didn't inherit my family's courage.”  

“So… This is your way of helping the other members? Svelte nodded, his short, brown hair swinging gently passed his ears. “That's admirable. I honestly think it's an adorable reason.”  

“Haha! I'm glad you find it that way.”  

“She's really hitting it off with him,” I commented. Srassa looked at me and nodded. She said she didn't think she could casually make friends with a stranger out of the blue. “But listen to the captain. The best way for some people to learn is by watching and mimicking. Hey, tell you what. On the way home, we can practice. I'll pretend to be a few clients, and you can work on your weaknesses.”  

“You'd do that for me?” She seemed astonished.   

“Why wouldn't I? We met just a day ago, but we’re companions, right? I mean, you know my amnesia.”  

“Ah– Right. I–I’m sorry for inferring the opposite.” Srassa blushed and looked to the left, gazing into the general store's windows to find a pair of cats lazing around a dusty counter. She tucked her hair behind her ears and looked forward with renewed vigor.   

Minutes later, we reached a fence at the edge of the village. Two boys with spears taller than they were greeted Svelte and unlatched the lock. “Good work, you two. Make sure to keep an eye out, okay?”  

“We will, Mr. Svelte!” the two replied in unison. I barely saw the cow ears hidden on top of their thick, bushy, black hair.   

“Those two have dreams of joining the guild,” our client said after we walked through. The moment the gate locked behind us, the atmosphere felt starkly different. The tall trees towered over our group– the thick, dried leaves acted as natural sunshades. Little gaps of sunlight sprinkled down like microscopic pillars of light. “Even though there isn't a fence around the entire village, they constructed that little area a few summers ago. It's quite admirable to see ones so small and young with goals set in stone.” 

Even the air tastes different.  

“I was the same way, kinda. As a kitten, I knew I wanted to follow in my grandpa's footsteps, so I begged him to train me as soon as I was old enough to talk and walk.”  

“And what about you, Ms. Srassa?”   

“Eep– M–Me?” She was startled and slightly jumped back. She slipped on a pile of leaves, but I reached and grabbed her hand, pulling her close in a hug.   

“Oh my, are you okay? Around this time of year, drought stress occurs. It gets so hot that the leaves fall.”  

“Umm– I’m fine… Thank you, Servi,” Srassa whispered.  

“You're welcome. Just watch your step, yeah?” I replied, letting her go. We continued walking, and Momo gave me a thumbs up while Srassa hurried ahead to walk beside the client. She talked about her dreams. Like Momo, Srassa knew she wanted to join the guild. Her mother and father weren't members, but her aunts, uncles, and cousins were. Srassa was the youngest of her extended family and an only child.   

When she was little, they would dazzle her mind with tales of heroism and adventurer– of muscular warriors, mystic wizards, otherworldly spirit summoners, and subterfuge-focused rogues taking on missions to defend the people of the world while defeating monsters and rescuing princes and princesses in need.   

Her father knew a kobold in Westera, and he made a deal with Srassa since he wanted her wishes and happiness to come before his or his wife's. If she thought she could endure his hellish training and become what he would consider worthy, then her father would make the arrangements.   

Servi, something does not add up.  

Like how? I texted back.  

It is difficult to put into words, but wouldn't Srassa's tutor grant her the knowledge her father is paying Momo for? Ten years is a long time, especially if they were so devoted to training as she says they were.  

Should that be the case, then she should be more capable of Momo, right? 

I believe so. But… I am a goddess that deals with souls. There is just something that makes it…hard to focus when she's around. No, that's not the phrase I want to say.  

What we've been told does not equalize what we've seen within her? 

Yes, something like that.  

I was too busy texting Itarr to focus on the conversation, but Srassa's casual-than-usual tone lightened the atmosphere.   

We took a turn after following the path. Momo suddenly thrust her hand in front of the client and twitched her ears. “I hear ruffling coming from ahead. Stay behind us, okay? Servi, I want you to come up here. I'll remain with the client and ready my magic.”  

“Got it,” I replied, drawing my sword.   

I'll keep an eye on Svelte. If anything tried to get close, I shall entrap them with [Telekinesis].   

“Srassa, take point. Keep the shield up. I think I hear a boar. If so, do not let them ram you with their tusks. It won't pierce the armor, but it'll definitely break something.” 

“O–okay.” 

Momo held her sword in one hand and raised her other wrist. Srassa hefted her shield and slowly advanced. I remained behind her, ready to dodge left or right at a moment's notice. We crept forward, our feet barely leaving the dirty ground more than half an inch. Straining my ears, I did hear something odd. It almost sounded like a snort…? 

Squeeee!!!!! 

A brown-furred pig with tusks dashed from a thick bush to our right, darting between Srassa and me. Its tusks just barely graced her armored leg, but there was no real damage.   

“[Magic Missile]!” A colorless bolt of magic whooshed by, slamming into the boar. Its hide was too thick to be more effective, but it packed enough force to sweep its backside around, causing it to fall over.   

“There's something behind us?!” Srassa cried. I didn't hear anything–   

Ggggaaaoooooo!!!!! 

“Watch out!!” Momo's ears twitched as she tackled Svelte, knocking him to the ground and out of the path of a rampaging bear. Srassa froze in fear. “What are you doing?! Move!! Get out of the way!!!!” 

“Shit!!!” I doubled back and ran to Srassa, pushing her out of the way. I tried to jump away.  

The beast is too strong for [Telekinesis]! I cannot hold it in place! 

Itarr's update reached my ear as the bear swiped at me with a large, bloodstained paw. It hooked my overalls and continued running, dragging me along with it. It ran deeper and deeper into the forest, turning and climbing up the tall trees with surprising haste. Momo and Srassa shouted my name as they presumably ran after me, but the foliage was thick and dense.   

In just thirty seconds, I couldn't hear them anymore. And I couldn't get situated right to do something about this situation, so I waited until the black bear halted on the outskirts of a cave. Standing on its hind legs, it threw me against the ground, then roared and stared me down.   

“Your eyes are looking a little bit red there,” I casually said, getting to my feet. My sword slipped inside my ring after it caught me, so I summoned it to my hand and cracked my neck back into place.   

RRROOOOAAAARRREE!!!!!

 

The bear foamed at the mouth, looking rabid and bloodthirsty. Looking around, I noticed a good amount of corpses of both the humanoid and animal kind. “Hmm? Is that–”  

I thought I saw a pouch with a red pill, but the bear's growl got my attention. It returned back on all fours and ran at me. I rolled to the left at the last second and tried to swipe at its legs, but its fur felt like solid rock because my sword bounced away. The edge was chipped.   

This time, I ran and tried to make the first move, but it swiped my head, tearing off the front half of my face. The flesh regenerated while I scratched my head.   

“Oh? Never encountered anyone like me, have you? You can't kill me, but let's see if I can end your life. Try this.” Fifteen [Shadow Shot] bolts encircled me like a pair of loyal specters. One by one, they launched at my enemy, drilling into its fur without managing to draw blood.   

The damage was there because the bear recoiled and growled even louder. I sent ten more fully packed spells of the shadow element, but the rabid ursine started to glow, covering its body with white light. It went to two legs and punched my spells away. They blew right by me, exploding the trees behind me and causing them to fall into each other.   

With this much noise, Momo and the others should find me soon. I just had to finish this brawl before then.   

“Okay, maybe this is going to be harder than I thought. Umm…let's try this?” Fifteen more spells encircled me as I ran towards the bear. It came my way, roaring like mad while still shimmering. I jumped to the side, sacrificing my arm to get behind it.   

Itarr repeatedly asked if I was fine, but I smiled and destroyed the cave entrance with the [Shadow Shot]. I hurriedly lifted the debris with [Telekinesis]. The plan was to slam the rocks against its noggin.  

Maybe I could at least knock him out?  

A sharp pain jabbed my head once I had picked up six objects. Focus was lost, and I kneeled, screaming because it felt like my brain was burning alive. 

Servi?! Speak to me! What's wrong?!” 

“It's… Gaaah!!!! It's my head!!!!” Itarr canceled [Telekinesis], and the pain went away. Trying again, the sharp sensation reappeared with a vengeance once I had picked up six fragments. It didn't appear to be related to size, mass, or quantity... But as I understood it in the short seconds before the bear body slammed me further into the darkened cave, my mind could not process the information that came with lifting more than five items. Data concerning the angle, rotation, and current position was transferred constantly to keep the items in sync, and I couldn't handle that processing. 

“Itarr, I need you to attack for me!” I asked, sliding across the lumpy, rocky floor. The back of my overalls tore, exposing my bare flesh, which became scratched.   

Well, for a second, anyways.   

The bear methodically stalked closer, its crazy eyes more visible than anything else.   

Got it. Just tell me what I must do. 

“Bury that bastard alive.” I stacked as many [Shadow Shot] as I could and filled them with energy until they were thick, fat, and full of destructive potential. They were launched towards the ceiling, which couldn't handle the sheer force of so much in one spot. The roof collapsed, raining down hundreds and thousands of falling debris, which Itarr expertly used to slam into the bear like a tornado. Some bits broke off but others lodged themselves into its belly and neck, but the damn thing was still alive!  

Even when the sun was shining down after destroying the whole roof! That was how much this bastard had endured! Its fur was hardened. It didn't seem like it felt pain. My skills couldn't breach its hide, and it could bounce away any direct spells.   

Servi? What is that I feel?  

“Hehe… Why do I feel so…alive?” I surprised myself with my own tone. Fear couldn't fester its way into my heart.   

But joy?  

Thrill?  

A lust for battle?  

The desire to fight?  

“There's one thing I can do to end this. Don't worry, Itarr… I just have to use my strengths to their full advantage. If you come face to face with a foe you cannot harm on the outside, then all you must do is strike the soft parts. Say, for example, the mouth of a bear.”  

I approached the bear with my arm willingly held out. It snarled, unsure of what I had planned. Finally, it growled, snapping down on my elbow and cleaving my appendage.   

But I held my ground. A fraction later, my arm returned to me, and with it?  

The dagger I found when I arrived at Canary. It was gripped tightly in my hand as I jabbed it up, stabbing the best through the roof of its mouth. It yelped but then roared, but by then, I had climbed to its back and held on for dear life while making mincemeat of its soft innards. A couple of shadowy bolts here and there exploded down its esophagus, destroying the partition separating that and the trachea.   

I could tell right away that blood poured by the gallons into its lungs.   

But I never gave up. It thrashed like a bucking bronco and ran into trees and the remainder of that small cave to throw me off. It managed to get a good slam, breaking a few ribs and severing my spine a handful of times, but those wounds healed quickly. Itarr tried to help by making the bear slip on its feet.   

But the grand beast stopped moving fifteen seconds after collapsing to its belly. It took another ten to pass out and thirty more before it perished. 

I retrieved my naked, blood-covered arm after prying open the corpse’s mouth. “Ugh… How many arms did I lose?” 

Fourteen.  

“Not as many as I thought. But just because I can't die doesn't mean I can destroy everything that tries to harm us.” The bear's soul was absorbed a breath later, granting us one more SP. “Guess we can't use the skills gained from absorbing animal souls. Good to know, but it sucks,” I said, stashing the bear. Itarr asked if she could skin it like she did the rats, and I nodded. Meanwhile, I walked to the dead bodies of the bear’s previous victims and looked.   

Yep. There was a red pill. And a white one, too. But no pink ones.   

Did that bear eat one? Did it become addicted? But how could it swipe away my spells like nothing? I didn't find an answer, but I found four bodies with guild dog tags clasped around their necks. Two had swords stuck inside a pair of nearby scabbards. Unlike other adventurers, I had no qualms about stealing from the dead. The plain weapons didn't seem that special. But keeping with the rules, I had Itarr absorb their corpses and clean them up while I searched for more monotonia– the colored pills.   

“Okay, that seems about it. I found 37 and an empty bottle.” I told her when I was done. The working theory was this: someone was probably smuggling them through the forest to avoid being searched, and a bear found them, ate them, and became addicted. It used this cave as a hideout, continued to kill who it thought had pills, and so on until it encountered me.   

I didn't know if it was true, but I didn't know who to tell this info to.   

What are you going to tell Momo and Srassa? 

“That the bear ate a corpse and swallowed some of those pills. Meanwhile, I hid under a few bodies and covered myself with their blood to remain hidden.” I brought the closest body to me and ripped open their chest, then slathered my whole body with their dried blood to fit the story. Even if the three of us worked together, that bear of a monster would've ended our lives. It would've killed them before I even had a chance to realize what was going on. I mean, I had to resort to this to even kill it.   

If push came to shove, I'd reveal my immortality in a heartbeat if it meant saving my friends' lives. Momo and Srassa knew a lot about me– probably more than I even knew about me– but the whole immortality and sharing a soul with a goddess?  

Yeah, maybe some things were better left unshared.   

“But we're going after those pill dens tonight. If I hadn't been here, Momo and Srassa would've died. And Svelte, too. And that bear would've attacked Lucoa Village sooner or later.” 

I am looking forward to it.  

Sufficiently bloodied, I retraced the bear’s path and shouted for my friends.   

And almost right away, I found a patch of red flowers sprouting from a bloody corpse covered in green moss hidden behind a tall tree. They grew out of the chest and looked like roses. Didn't know if they were akablooms, but I stashed all the ones I could find in my ring and continued hunting for my friends.