Interconnected: Spliced Souls

The city quickly launched an investigation and cordoned off the area while Sissy, Gerld, Suusa, and I were questioned by the guards. It had happened close to us, after all.   

The golem's corpse was left undisturbed since its size was an anomaly. The researcher who was going to get that golem mage’s core was almost the first to arrive. He was a Molekin—a short, mole-like guy with sharp drill-like nails that rotated. He was hyperactive and excited, speaking a mile a second while he searched each corner—above and underground.    

“Interesting!!! So very interesting!!!” I heard him say. I was talking to a winged-wildkin who asked me if I was okay. In short, the researcher immediately and audibly deduced a paradox. There was a hole underground—a chamber, I guess, that could support the golem. But the tunnels branching off were too small to support it. And they also led nowhere. His passion made it hard not to overhear.   

That’s a little strange.  

I texted Itarr. Yeah. It’s like the golem precisely spawned when it would do the most damage. Was Suusa’s skill energy was too much?   

I knew how some monsters were made. If a gang of flaming wolves invaded a cave, its collective skill energy would ensure that more wolves would spawn whenever they weren’t naturally reproducing. Something else might manifest here and there, but that would be a rarity. The only way to change things would be to kill the wolves and instill another monster group in its place. 

There might be something else to these golems than meets the eye. I mean, they had souls when it felt like they shouldn’t. Just something about it didn’t make sense. I couldn’t describe the uneasiness.  

Unless that golem was a bunch of smaller ones combining. But where did they come from? The only answer is that they spawned below, right? And then tunneled their way to the chamber? But did they excavate the chamber? Or was it created after they merged? 

“And are you sure you three are uninjured?” asked a Dogkin guard when he approached. Sissy and Gerld were behind him, and Suusa was finishing his report. I nodded and told him we were okay, but he insisted on escorting us to Cassidy's shop after I told him our destination. 

That was kind of him. 

We stopped by the guild to turn in that quest and reported about the golem mage, which turned a few heads.   

The city was mixed. Golems were common. Any adventurer worth their salt had ways to combat them. Business was so good that battle shops sold little vials of dissolving liquids you could throw at them. On the other hand, there hadn't been a golem that large. And none had struck up through the ground and launched an attack. It wasn’t unheard of when you considered the world, but it had never happened in the past 3 or 4 months.   

The golems themselves were an oddity, too. I overheard rumors of the guild putting out an emergency quest to Molekin and Gopherkin to check for other tunnels around the city.    

I had texted Albert and got his opinion, and he believed the city would pay alchemists to focus on anti-golem items for the next few weeks—more so than usual. The market would be flooded, and the price would drop.   

I suppose Arcton would act fast since the fighting circuits were vital. One noble had been killed, and they wanted to keep the money flowing.   

Of course, it all came down to dupla. I doubt the same treatment would apply to some commoner or slave.   

And Albert was right. A messenger rode through town when we were about ten minutes from Cassidy’s shop.   

“I guess that means it’s open season for golems,” said Sissy. Suusa grunted and avoided eye contact. The guard agreed, then wished us well outside our destination.   

Momo and Saline already knew the truth of what had happened. We found them in the kitchen, where Albert was preparing refreshments. He wanted to show Saline a seeping technique she hadn’t seen before. Momo still asked us if we were okay, though. That made Sissy giggle since it was the fourth or fifth time.  

Gerld said he was much more durable than some rocky fool and brought up Acidgun. “That thing was crazy! Honestly, it’s so downright amazing it’s hard to believe it’s real. I didn’t even have to use these.” He retrieved a few green vials from his pouch.   

“Are you still doubting my wands?” Sissy’s expression was dull. She didn’t look too pleased.  

“Kinda? I mean, we had to get saved from that first golem.”  

“Well, that’s not my fault! It snuck up on us, so...”  

“Yeah. But that’s another thing. Only witches can use your specific wands. And it drains your skill energy, but Acidgun’s fuel comes from the crystals themselves, which refills from the skill energy surrounding us.” Sissy fumed. It almost looked like she was about to cry. Gerld realized his mistakes and comforted her. “You’re still the best witch in the world, you know. But is it wrong to have an option or three in the back pocket? Isn’t that what you said, Momo?” asked Gerld. Albert served the refreshments. Something hot and sweet was the best way to relax from an adventure. 

“Yep! Ya gotta have a plan 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. You can never go wrong with back-ups.” We cheered Sissy up. Honestly? Her wands were magnitudes stronger than my enchanted guns. Whereas I had adaptability and speed, she had brawn and firepower. I was happy to weaken our enemies while she finished them with a devastating blow.    

“But isn't that too much?” the witch finally asked. Her smile was charming. “You spend too much time preparing and not enough time adventuring, and you’ll eventually run out of money accounting for scenarios that didn’t happen.”  

“That’s true, too. I suppose there’s a balance you must strive for.” Momo told them about a few of our mistakes in Waveret. “We should’ve splurged for a few health and skill potions since things almost worsened. Ah, but you can always carry some tea. You can’t ever go wrong with a pick-me-up when you’re feeling blue. Especially now that it’s getting colder.”  

“Speaking of that,” I heard Cassidy say. She walked into the kitchen. Cue darted awake from his nap and welcomed her back by rubbing against her legs. “Your ass better not be getting cold feet.” I asked where she had been, and she said she was registering me for tonight after Momo mentioned my interest in it. “There are a few open slots. And I’m vouching for you. Hang me out to dry, and I’ll have your ass mounted on my wall.”  

“You know how reliable I am, right? So, I guess that means I’m fighting tonight. She reached into her coat and handed me a metal badge with my name etched on it. 

“That’s your entry ticket,” she said when I absorbed it. “Don’t lose it.”  

I brought up what had happened. Cassidy must’ve heard about it.   

Cassidy scoffed and rolled her eyes. “What? That little disturbance? The fights won’t stop unless the city’s on the brink of ruin. Hell, they’ll probably still run even if it’s coming under siege.” She said they might do some moment of silence for that deceased noble. She said his name, but I didn’t much care for it. Suusa asked if Cassidy knew much about him, and she confirmed he was well-known amongst the slave circles. He had a habit of convincing promising young fighters to sign away their lives to him since he promised to market their skills. And while he did that, the contracts had stipulations that were impossible to live up to.   

Even worse, Cassidy mentioned that he often targeted the illiterate and lied about what the contracts entailed. The ‘success stories,’ as Cassidy so lovingly put it, were rumored to be paid actors.    

But he made money, and money made the world spin.   

Same shit everywhere you go, huh?  

“Might want to eat something hearty before your fight.”  

That was a good idea. After talking it over, Sissy, Gerld, Momo, myself, and Albert went to the market, leaving Saline and Cue with Cassidy. Suusa grunted and said he had business to take care of.  

“Well, you better come back when the food’s done. You didn’t get any of that pizza because you wanted to be sour, so I’m not saving any of these stuffed shells!” barked Sissy. Suusa grunted again and left without a word.   

---

We departed shortly for the market after getting ready. Cassidy remained at her shop, but she gave us an extra 400 dupla to get everything we needed. The topic, of course, was about Suusa. Momo already knew the gist of things from Albert when Itarr texted him earlier, but a detailed discussion about that could come later.   

The commerce district was crowded, but it wasn’t like the crafting district. We had elbow room and enough space to breathe without exhaling on someone’s neck. A few merchants who had been present for my fights with that singi and Cowkin called out to us, and we got free beef, chicken, and pork for putting on a good show. They even tried to acquire tickets when I showed them my entry badge for tonight. The kind merchants even recommended which stall to avoid and which ones to go to, which made it incredibly simple to get the ingredients needed for tonight’s dinner.   

We were gone for about two hours, and Albert immediately returned to my ring to get things ready after arriving at the shop. Sissy and Gerld left to find Suusa.  

Saline assisted Cassidy in organizing her medicine bag and a briefcase of general remedies to sell at the fight tonight. The old bat told me to get some rest, and while I didn’t need it, Momo said it was always a good idea to take a quick cat nap whenever possible. “And, you know, I’m a singi, so I know all about that kinda stuff. Let's go, Servy.” Momo grabbed my hand and took me to our room. We laid down, held hands, and... 

Itarr greeted us, and Momo rushed over to get her a big hug. Albert had a makeshift kitchen near the fountain. He methodically chopped veggies and marinated the meat. My goddess, meanwhile, was busy chipping various things out of blood crystals.   

“So... Suusa did that?”  

“Yeah. And I wanted to kill the slavers, too.”  

“Slavers are awful... And from what Cassidy told us... People like him don’t deserve to live. It’s horrible. Taking advantage of the weak for a quick dupla. But...” It seemed like Momo hesitated for a moment. “I mean, if he used to be a slave, then his feelings are more than valid. I guess I can’t really fault him. But going through with it?”  

“Yeah. Suusa also said something about how we’ll likely never meet again. Something about false promises designed to make us feel better about parting.”  

“Ah, that?” Yeah... It’s more common than you think.” Momo crossed her legs and stretched. “People are attracted to the future. They always have these grand ideas and dreams of what they want to accomplish. They always want to be the star of their story, and every story requires a touching, heartfelt reunion. But life doesn’t always work like that. Sissy, Gerld, and Suusa... Once we go our separate ways, we might not see each other again.”  

“I don’t want to think like that, though.”  

“I don’t either. But that’s something we must be ready for...”  

“...”  

“...”  

The mood soured.   

Our thoughts obviously turned to Srassa and her impending, eventual marriage…  

Momo frowned and apologized, turning her attention to my new discovery. She played around with Acidgun and Duskgun, slightly yelping when the recoil knocked the weapon from her hand. She was curious about other forms, so I grabbed a bow Itarr had made, dissolved Acidgun, and re-enchanted the skill.   

Pulling the string back caused a green arrow to manifest, and it flew just as straight, popping like a balloon when it hit a crystal target Itarr had put up. It lasted for a single shot before going on cooldown for three seconds. Itarr said she wasn't practiced in making bows, but Albert complimented her. It wasn't the best, but it was still very damn good. 

“It’s not really that exciting. Just one shot? A regular archer can use skills to enhance their projectiles, but you're limited to one skill per blood crystal, right?”  

“Yeah. But guns are more powerful than bows." 

“Are they?” Momo looked at Duskgun. She didn’t know about gun safety or proper etiquette, so I taught her. Albert and Momo had never heard of a firearm before, so... What did that entail? Was I the only one with info about them? Bombs and explosives were commonplace. Perhaps the most similar item was the repeating crossbow—a weapon that used its recoil to re-nock the string, which allowed another arrow to be loaded automatically. It fired about 30 arrows a minute, but you could build bigger ones meant to attack city walls—siege weapons, basically, which fired a lot slower.   

Gunpowder didn’t exist—or Albert and Momo had never heard of it, but there was something called black powder, which often blew up if improperly handled. Cannons used it to propel cannonballs. 

That fit with my 'knowledge' of black powder, so that...was the same.     

The following experiment was with a shotgun. Itarr needed assistance, so I helped her finish the design. It looked like a standard double-barrel, and after enchanting it, I braced the stock against my shoulder and pulled the trigger.   

It didn’t fire slugs—no, it expended buckshot, but each pellet was wrapped in the properties of [Acid Arrow]. They decimated the crystal targets, sending shards of crimson all over the courtyard. Albert was working behind us, so nothing ever reached the food he was preparing.   

“Holy heck! That thing just exploded!”  

“Yeah... That’s...the power of a shotgun. You know... If I had this in Waveret, we probably could’ve explored a little more of the dungeon. Remember the teleporter trap we found?”  

“Maybe, but it’s still better to exercise caution. Hey, can I...” Momo gestured to the shotgun. I helped her hold it and started throwing targets in the air. Her aim wasn’t good, and she feared the recoil and thought the total lack of sound was unnerving.  

I didn’t understand why these guns were missing the one thing they were known for—a noise that could strike fear into anyone’s heart if they encountered it in the middle of the night. Then again, it didn’t use black powder. There weren’t any actual bullets being fired—just magic. And magic was often silent, if not extremely quiet, so perhaps the spell’s property transferred to the gun? It’d probably make noise if I used a spell designed for noise. [Thunderclap] was one of them. It sounded like its namesake and was cast to quickly disorient your opponent, But I didn’t have any of its Skill Paths.  

I quickly repurposed Duskgun into Duskshotgun and let Momo mess around with it. It didn’t take but a few minutes to do.  

The next shape was a grenade with holes, and if I were right...  

Yep. I was. After throwing it, the acid grenade ‘exploded,’ shooting acid arrows from each opening, covering everything within ten feet. It was quick and instant, and the luster returned to the crystal after two minutes.   

While neat, I felt like Acidgun and the shotgun were more beneficial because I didn’t have to retrieve them. It’d be different if the grenade automatically returned to my ring. 

The one after that was a flamethrower. The base design was much more difficult for Itarr to make, so I stepped up and carved what would’ve been the canister while Momo closely observed every movement. She said she found the little details astonishing, and that was when I realized I had been carving in dents, blemishes, and scratches for no good reason.   

A second later, [Acid Arrow] was enchanted after dissolving the grenade, and...  

It didn’t work well. I expected a mist of acid, but it was like tiny, little arrows of green goop that were just pathetic.   

“Well, you said this thing shoots out flames, right?”   

“Yeah. This matches what I think of when I imagine a flamethrower.”  

“Then maybe that’s the problem, Servi,” Itarr said. “[Acid Arrow] might have different properties. You might need a skill called [Acid Mist]. Albert?”  

“The spell exists, but I cannot recall which Skill Path it belongs to,” replied the butler. He was just about ready to start the cooking process. If he finished early, the food could be ‘frozen’ in time. As in, the food would never waste, spoil, or become cold. I could even stash an ice cube here, and it would forever remain frozen unless Itarr allowed time to affect it.  

I crafted a syringe for the hell of it and to my surprise...  

“Woah... That thing just shot out like an arrow,” exclaimed Momo when I pressed the plunger into the barrel. It was thin and narrow, though. Maybe the perfect thing for assassination?  

Why the hell am I thinking about killing people right now?  

Itarr held a work-in-progress prototype of a bazooka. It wasn’t finished. And since I told her it was very explosive and dangerous, she wanted extra time to work on it and finish it herself without help to test herself as a creator. Who knows? Maybe an outside touch would add an unexpected quirk? Or effect? Making stuff made her happy, and I liked seeing my goddess smile.  

“So... What do you think?” I asked, dissolving the syringe.   

“What do I think? Umm... They’re scary, but I guess also fun to use?” Momo lowered Duskshotgun. She gently sat it on the fountain’s edge, ensuring the barrel faced away. She had learned gun safety incredibly quickly.   

“Do you want one? I can repurpose Shockwand into it. And I’ll let you have it since Srassa has that wand and flute I made for her.  

“Maybe I can keep it in my bag? Umm... But...does it have to be a gun thingy?”  

“No. It can be whatever you want.” I listened to her request, and it sounded kinda badass.  

Some crafting later... Momo gazed at a one-handed crossbow. I even etched her name and a lightning bolt into the grip.  

She looked calm, but that tail revealed her true feelings. She was like a kid who had been given a brand-new toy. Momo tested it out, and it could fire only once before going on cooldown, but that was just 2 or 3 seconds—so about the time someone using a crossbow would spend reloading. The bolts were coated in lightning and made a small bzzt when hitting something. I made a skelly to use as a training dummy, but the electricity didn’t do much to its bones. But it worked a little better when I swapped it for a zombie.   

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Momo said. “What kinds of skellys and zombies can you make? You’ve been using the same ones.”  

“Albert used an undead bird to hunt for Sissy’s horse, but yeah, we’ve been sticking with the same. I guess I don’t know why? We haven’t really had a reason to diversify that much. And it’s counterintuitive, but... I’m still not sure if it’s a bright idea to openly use my necromancy. I want to... I can be much more powerful if I leverage its true power, but...”  

“But you used it in front of Feral.”  

“I did, but Feral’s Feral. I knew it would be safe to do so. And I obviously trust you and Srassa.” She asked why I didn’t use it in front of Sissy when we went golem hunting, and I probably would have if I didn’t have my guns. “We’ll probably use them more when I unlock the mid-tier undead. Or maybe the undead that look less undead, if you know what I mean.”  

“I do.”  

“It feels like what you told Saline last night. There’s so much I can do that it feels overwhelming.” I didn’t know what to focus on. I needed to kill other necromancers to get NP to buy other [Necromancy] categories, and I needed SP to unlock abilities. But I needed to focus on Warden to acquire Skill Points to purchase spells to enchant onto blood crystals while ranking up enough to unlock additional Skill Paths. And maybe if I were better organized, I could’ve had a better handle on things.  

“I guess it feels like I’m coasting,” I confessed to Momo.   

“Nah, don’t say that,” replied my friend. “It’s like you said. You don’t have a guide to follow. Just go at your own pace, okay? Learn what you want to focus on, and Srassa and I will be there with you. And you’ll have Dineria, Nimyra, Albert, and Itarr, of course.”  

Yeah... Momo was right. I wasn’t alone. I didn’t know how much or long I’d felt like this, but I haven’t been alone since Itarr saved a wretched soul like mine.   

We spent the next hour or two just hanging out. Momo played some more with her crossbow.    

But she soon had a good idea.   

Why make it a one-handed crossbow when it could be a wrist crossbow? Albert found the idea intriguing. He helped construct it, and Momo had a fancy new accessory. It was foldable, too, and when it was ‘put away,’ it looked like a forearm guard. Blood crystal wasn’t exactly suitable for hardcore combat. But I was sure it would take a stray hit or two, and that was all I could really ask for.  

“Haha! Take that, you target!” Momo dodged an invisible enemy and shot her crossbow, striking a plate Itarr had thrown with a bolt surrounded by electricity. The goddess took a break from her on-going projects to spend time with us. “Gah! This thing is sooo cool!!! Thanks a bunch, Servy!”  Momo's tail wagged at supersonic speed.

“You’re welcome. But… Do you remember the missing fighters Gerld mentioned?”  

“Yeah, why?” Momo returned to the fountain and sat beside me. Itarr sauntered to Albert’s cooking station and savored the delicious smells.   

“Well…”  

“Let me guess: you want to solve it?”  

“Am I that easy to read?”  

“Kinda? You’re a selfless girl, Servy. You’d give someone your only shirt and endure a frigid winter if it meant they’d survive. But how are you planning to tackle this? Do you know where to start?”  

“I’ll make myself a target,” I said. “Ask questions that shouldn’t be raised. If I pretend I’m close to the answer, sooner or later? The culprits would try to silence me, and that’s when I’ll act.”  

“But you might die.”  

“…that’s a possibility.”  

Momo whined and pouted. “I know…it doesn’t bother you. And it really shouldn’t bother me since you… You know… You won’t…be dead, but is that the best way? Can’t we think of another option?”   

“Momo’s right,” added Itarr. “I think that plan is too reckless. Do you have any ideas, Albert?”  

“I do. There’s another way to attract attention to yourself with minimal risk to others. Why not go on a winning streak and use the money won from the first bet on the second? Casino owners often hate paying out, so they entice big winners to stay in their fanciest suites to potentially earn back their money by convincing them they could win even more.”  

“The big wigs running the circuit wouldn’t be too happy if I walked away rich. But wait, first bet on the second? Am I fighting more than once?”  

“Presumably. These circuits are unique in that you can request more than one match when signing up.”  

 Momo and I didn’t know that, and we wondered what Cassidy put me down for.    

“Interesting… I can potentially snowball my winnings by a whole lot. And they couldn’t fault me, could they?”  

“Nope. From the circuit's perspective, you’d have done nothing except follow the rules and emerge victorious.”  

“But where do we get that kind of money?” asked Momo. “We have a couple hundred dupla, but we’d need a few thousand, right?”  

And then it hit me and Itarr. “Cassidy!” we exclaimed.   

“She’s bound to have a few shady connections. I’m sure she could introduce me to a fence.”  

“Servy, how the heck can a fence help us? Can’t you build one? A blood crystal fence can go for a few hundred, but…”  

“Not that kind of fence. It’s an informal term for someone who deals in stolen goods,” clarified Albert.   

“Oh… Well, I guess you learn something new every day, haha!”  

Albert said there was still a risk. Someone might get upset at my streak and want to stop it. The best way would be via poisoning. The most common way would be tampering with a glass of water to force me on the toilet, but that wasn’t a problem.   

We just needed Cassidy’s help.    

Momo and I left the soul world and found the cranky bat making medicine at the table. 

“The elf and dog went to fetch some water. Hmm? I know that look. What the hell do you want to ask me?”  

“Do you know anyone…” I explained my favor, and she laughed. “Well, you’re not denying me.”  

“Because you’ve come to the right place. This place is full of stolen shit. People get robbed every day. Now, show me the goods.” I flashed a few jewels, and Cassidy inspected each one, eventually deciding on the square-cut emerald and the pyramid-shaped ruby once she saw how they sparkled in the light. “I’ll be back in an hour, but I’m getting 10%.”  

“That’s fair.”  

“Good.” Cassidy stood, lit a cigarette, and pocketed the jewels while pointing at Momo. “Take over for me. Do it how I taught you.”