Book Three – Chapter One – Part One – Trip Prep!

Three days ago, on the morning of July 10th, a girl woke from a most relaxing sleep. Her blue eyes opened up, and the pink ears on her head twitched slightly.

Today’s the day! Today’s the day!!!! I gotta get ready!!!  In a practiced motion, the girl rolled out of bed and equipped her gear in record time. A black messenger bag hugged her shoulders, a thin longsword waited faithfully at her hips, and her cleaned leather armor was ready to protect its master.

“I really need to upgrade my armor. My chainmail's a bit bent, and it’s probably not a good idea to have my arms exposed.” The girl ran her left hand down her right arm, and it slid across her smooth, soft skin.

She should be up, so I better go check. The adorable catgirl left the room, locked the door, and descended to the third floor with an energetic skip. She was definitely a bundle of energy on this fine morning.

“Servi!!” Momo half-yelled as she ran over to a girl.

Servi smiled and finished up locking her door. When she turned back, her black hair softly fluttered about before coming to a rest against her shoulders.

“Good morning, Momo.”

“Good morning!!!” said Momo, who couldn't contain her happiness and excitement.  She opened her arms and gave her best friend a giant hug.  Servi laughed and wrapped her around Momo while taking in the fruity-smelling scent radiating from her best friend's hair.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” Servi asked.  She retreated from the hug and double-checked her shield and pouches before making her way to the kitchen on the fourth floor.  Momo followed right beside her.

“One: we go see Claire and formally accept the promotion quest. Two: we go cash in this bad boy!” Momo reached into her bag and pulled out a single ticket that was valid for a camping set.

“Three: we go buy the food and stuff we need. Four: we check and double-check and triple-check everything. Five: we finally start the promotion quest!!!!” Right after saying that, Momo’s stomach growled, causing a red hint of embarrassment to cover her face.

The two sat down at a table and glanced over a menu, and Servi laughed. “It almost seems like your stomach growls at the most important moments.”

Momo scowled and sighed. “I try to be super serious, and my body betrays me.”

“It isn’t anything to be embarrassed about. It’s just your stomach letting you know you’re hungry, and it wants food.”

“Yeah, but… Nah, I’m already over it! This is gonna be a good time for us, and I won’t let my stupid hungry stomach embarrass me anymore!”

Almost like there was a Goddess of Irony watching over the world and waiting for the perfect moment to strike, Momo’s stomach growled even louder.

Servi couldn’t help herself, and she snickered just a little bit. Momo, meanwhile, did her best to stay strong, but she couldn’t hold in her giggle.

A waiter came by, and the two ordered a small breakfast. Servi asked for two slices of buttered toast, a few sausage links, and a small bowl of fruit. Momo decided to get the same thing and thanked the waiter when he walked away.

“Hey, you remember our promise, right?”

Servi replied back. “I do. As soon as we get back from the quest, I’ll tell you about me. Momo, I didn’t mean to keep it a secret, but it’s kinda hard to talk about.”

She quickly put her hands up and reassured her friend. “Oh no, I’m not angry or anything. I’m just happy to learn more about you. I mean, I only know your name, and I know you wear that ring. It’s super pretty, by the way. I don’t think I ever said that before.”

I wish I could thank her, but I myself don’t even know why I have it. All I know is that it’s important to me, and somehow my power is activated through it. Itarr said. She amnesiac Goddess that lived inside of Servi. Because of certain events, their souls became interconnected together, and the two were bonded as one soul. Her power of Immortality and Absorption were passed to Servi, which meant she was unable to die. In addition, she could absorb the souls of her fallen enemies and add their strength and skills to her own.

“Thank you. It belongs to someone I love.”

Momo put her hand up and smiled slyly. “Ooohhhhh, is it a man? Can I meet him?”

Is Itarr a man? I mean, her voice is feminine, so I think she's a girl. Servi pondered internally for a moment.

“It belongs to a woman, but I guess I’m just keeping it safe until she comes back.”

“Where’d she go? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“I don’t know. She’s a close friend who’s dear to me. She taught me how to fight, then before she left, she gave me this ring.”

Servi…..

“She sounds amazing!” Momo smiled.

Servi returned her smile. “She is. I hope you have a chance to meet her soon.”

Servi’s smile is fake. It’s like the one I used to give grandpa…. I hope that woman isn’t dead. I would really like to meet her.  Wait? What am I saying? She has to be alive because Servi said she wanted me to see her.  Grandpa used to go on trips after he retired from Warden and before I was born, so I wonder if it's the same with that woman? I just have to wait for her to come back.

Momo went to speak but stopped herself. She didn’t want to sour the mood before they even left, so they settled on small talk. It wasn’t long after that when their food came, and the two girls spent a quiet fifteen minutes eating their breakfast and drinking their beverages.

“Aahhhh….” Momo leaned back in her chair and smiled. “The breakfast here is always so good. I’m gonna miss it.”

“Me too. Hey, do you how to cook over a campfire?”

Momo shook her head. "But don’t all you have to do is stick the meat in the fire? It probably won’t taste the best unless we bring spices and stuff, but to be honest, I’m not a very good cook.”

“I’m not either.” At least I don't think I am... “We can always get some hardtack.”

“Hardtack?” Momo got up out of her chair. Servi followed. After placing a few dupla on their table for a tip, they were ready to leave.

“Fisher said it was a type of bread or something. It stays fresh for a long time, but it has no flavor. If it's not that expensive, it might be worthwhile to pick some up in case of emergencies.”

The two walked down the stairs to the lobby. “Good idea. It always pays to be safe. Oh, there’s no one in line!”

Momo’s tail trailed behind her as she half-jogged half-ran over to one of the eight windows. Servi had a problem with how it was outlined and designed, but she figured it wasn’t worth the effort to be annoyed. She ignored it because the headache it brought on wasn't worth it.

“Claire!” chirped Momo as she put her hands on the desk.

A red-headed Elf smiled at her through the glass wall separating them. It didn't reach the table, so there was a bit of a gap that allowed items and voices to pass back and forth. Momo promptly took advantage of the opening and slid her ID in.

“Good morning, Momo, Servi.”

“Morning to you,” Servi nodded and summoned her own ID before putting it through the narrow hole. Everyone born in the world had one, and it was a vital part of daily life, especially if someone wanted to join Warden.

“Are we excited?!” smiled Claire.

Momo happily stuck both hands in the air as her tail waved from left to right. “I am!! Oh man, I can’t wait.”

“You still have your ticket, right?” Claire was searching through a small folder marked ‘Promotion Quests.’

“Yep! Me and Servi are gonna go redeem it after we leave here.”

“Good. Okay, so for the Rank 10 to 9 quest, you two need to deliver a letter to a nearby Warden office in a different town. Are you two up for that?”

“We are!” Servi and Momo said at the time, prompting a small giggle from their Elven friend.

“Very good! Alright, the town you two need to go to is called Arcton. It’s about three days away.”

Servi’s heart stopped when she heard the name of the town. Right after she was involved in a massive attack on the city’s slave markets, she overheard a group of people talking about Arcton. To be honest, she didn’t get the best first impression.

“Is it safe?” was the first thing Servi asked Claire. Momo looked up at her with a puzzled expression.

“It is. Why? Oh, have you heard the rumors?”

Servi nodded. “Yeah. Something about a group called The Mafia is running the town. And there was something about renting slaves.”

“That sounds scary…” Momo’s mind went back to a moment in her past that frightened her to her core. It was a single event that nearly fractured her soul, metaphorically speaking.

“I hope this can ease your worries. Warden has also heard the rumors and sent out an advisor some months back, and everything checked out. He did say there was something called RASP, which was about renting slaves, but he did not report anything especially dangerous.”

“Okay….”

“Look at it this way,” Claire said, trying to ease her friend’s worries, “You don’t have to stay overnight if you don’t want you. Really, all you have to do is deliver this letter to the Warden office there. They’ll check it over and promote you, giving you new dog tags in the process. After that, you’re free to leave. Heck, you can start the way back as soon as you leave Warden.”

“Since we won’t have to stay, I feel a lot better,” Momo muttered.

“If you want, I can put in a request to change the town. It’ll take a few days for it to go through, but you’ll probably be sent to Waveret. It’s about a week and a half away.  It's an ocean-side town down to the south.  It's quite a beautiful city.”

“Servi?”

“It’s up to you.”

Momo puffed out her cheeks. “That’s not fair to you. We’re in this together, so we both need to make a choice!”

“Sorry, sorry. Then my vote is for Arcton. It’s closer, and all we have to do is deliver the item and leave. Besides, we won’t have to spend that much on supplies.”

“That’s true. We are running a bit low on dupla. Claire, is there a reward for the quest?”

“There is. In addition to being promoted, you both get 50 dupla and 10 Potential.”

The Singi turned back to her best friend. “Yeah, I think going to Arcton will be best.”

“Very good!" Claire began to do her work. Thirty seconds later, Servi and Momo received their IDs back. Momo peeked over and looked at Servi's crimson ID.  She took note of the immaculate, clean, and smooth surface and saw their quest and the neatly etched into her ID.

When Servi took her first-ever quest, the woman had snapped her fingers and burned the quest paper. The ID then absorbed the ash and glowed. But Claire had to use a small match.

Servi decided to ask Claire. “That? Once you’ve worked at Warden long enough, you receive permission to use the Acceptance Flame by snapping your fingers. I’ve only been here a few years, so I have to use the matches. Oh, here’s the letter. Who’s going to hold on to it?”

“Umm…. Servi, you want to hold it?” Momo had it in her hands and held it out towards her friend.

“Why don’t you put it in your bag?”

“Really?!” she replied back. Servi nodded and smiled as Momo deposited it safely in her bag. It was like watching a priest put a holy object into a safe and secure location. “I promise to keep it safe!”

“Now that that’s settled, onto the next thing. Have you two ever camped out before? Well, I know you have because of Fisher's exam, but what about you?” Claire raised both arms to the sky, stretching and yawning as she asked. It was unprofessional, and she knew it, but she realized she didn’t have to be 100% professional when in front of her friends.

“I have a little bit. When I came from my village to Canary, I was in a caravan, and we had to camp out. But I was with probably 10 or 20 people.”

“Hmm…” Claire held a hand to her chin and realized she could slack off from work under the guise of helping two newbie Warden members get prepared for their most important quest yet. “In that case, let me give you two some tips. Well, Servi probably heard this from Fisher. When you go to buy supplies, make sure to get food that will last a while. Dried fish and meat are good.”

“Is hardtack any good?” asked Momo. “Servi said Fisher told her about it.”

Claire nodded. “It’s bread made from water and flour. Sometimes people add salt. Not very tasty without any jam, but it can last a while.”

“Then we better get a little bit of that.”

“Yep,” replied Servi.

“What else…. Oh yeah, Fisher probably told Servi this, but before you leave, be sure to drink your fill of water. Oh, and fill your canteen up, too."

“We don’t have one,” Momo replied.

“Right now, you don’t, but I’m pretty sure that ticket includes a canteen as well as a fire starter kit and a pot. Speaking of that, I recommend you use the 10 Potential to buy Remedium first, then Fire Wall after you get promoted. Those two skills are something you want ASAP.”

“Right!”

“And if you can, camp next to a lake or other water source. Oh, boil your water before you drink it. Even if it's from a lake or something, always boil it.  And be sure to read the directions on the fire starter kit.”

“Thanks, Claire, for telling us all this.”

“You’re very welcome, Champ.”

“Noooo…” Momo comedically whined. Her face became so enflamed with embarrassment that it almost matched Claire's hair.

Ever since Momo won the tournament, her friends had called her Champ. They meant it in good fun, but being called that felt wrong.

I won, but only because Servi fell asleep and wouldn’t wake up. Or she passed out. Something happened, but she was unable to fight. And even I got knocked out because of the fight with Blaire... Yet the following two matches were my victory because their injuries were too much. Still, Srassa had to fight all five matches. But I know if I complain, they’ll probably get mad at me. Momo, you have to suck it up!

“I’m sorry, Momo. I didn’t mean to tease you,” replied Claire after noticing the distress on her friend’s face.

“It’s okay,” Momo turned around and realized a small smile was forming.

“Claire, we’ll see you when we get back, okay?” said Servi.

“Okay. Be safe, you two!”

The two said their goodbyes and walked out. Momo had a spring in her step, and she couldn’t hide the wide smile that plastered her face.

“Hey, so you know where we turn in the ticket?”

“That I do,” Momo dug it out from her bag. “There’s a store inside the shopping center where Levadia Woods is at.”

“Then I guess that’s our destination.”

Sometime later, the two friends were at a very familiar shopping center that had been engrained in Momo's daily life for the past month.

“I can’t believe it’s been a month since I met Dineria and Srassa.”

“Did you have fun training with them?”

Momo turned her head and stared into her friend’s red eyes. “Yep! Dineria taught me a whole lot, and Srassa is a good friend.”

“I’m glad. So, what’s the name of the store?”

“Umm… Castra. What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know.  Shall we head in? The quicker we get all of this prep done, the quicker we can leave.”

“Sure!”

The two friends walked in, and that was when Momo told Servi the stores were organized based on their name. “So, that means Castra is somewhere on the ground floor…. Oh, I see Dineria!”

Far off in the distance stood an Elf with green hair. She had a red tattoo of a flower on the back of one of her hands, and she wore a shirt and pants made of leaves and bark. She was talking to someone, but she overheard one of her favorite pupils. Sparing a moment, she waved and smiled towards Momo, who returned both of them.

“Seems like she’s busy, so let’s not bother her.”

“Yeah. Oh man, I can wait to tell Dineria all about the quest!” Momo said.

It took around ten minutes of searching before they found the store.

“Huh. Never expected a place that sells camping equipment to have so much….”

“Metal?” Momo finished her friend’s sentence.

“Yeah...”

It was the strangest thing. The entrance door was all metal with just a bit of glass.

“It’s kinda strange. Levadia Woods had nothing but wood and stuff that could be found in nature, but this is like the complete opposite. I hope the tents are metal.”

“If they are, then they’d be too heavy to even move. Well, let’s go in.”

Momo thanked Servi, who held open the door. Then she went in after.

As soon as Servi closed the door behind her, a person walked up to the two girls.

“Welcome to Castra. How can I help you two today?” said the man, who was no doubt an employee of this place. He had on a simple uniform of a buttoned-up white shirt and black pants. But he had a metallic shoulder pad with the name of the store engraved on it.

A bit of a weird uniform, but I kinda like it. Servi thought.

“I have this ticket right here. It’s good for a camping set,” Momo dug in her bag and pulled it out.

“Ah, so you’re the champion, Momo. Gotta say, I was very impressed with your matches. I gotta say, you showed so much ferocity and courage in the finals.”

Did he say 'I gotta say' twice? That's an odd way of speaking... Itarr said.

“Umm… Thank you!” Momo meekly said, struggling and fighting through her embarrassment.

Come on, Momo, you’ve got to work on that. Next time they say it, just own it! It won’t be like you’re bragging or anything.

“You’re actually in luck,” said the worker, “Governor Blasé paid for the winner to have the most popular camping set for two. The going price is a bit over 700 dupla, so you two saved a lot of money. Follow me, and I’ll show it to you.”

“Did you hear that?! 700 dupla is a lot,” Momo said as they walked.

“It is,” replied the girl who had over 20 million dupla stored inside her ring.

“I do agree it is expensive, but once you see it, you’ll see that it is well worth it. Keep in mind that it comes with much more than two tents.”

Servi and Momo followed the worker as he led them to the back of the room, where it opened up. To get here, the worker had slyly followed a route that involved walking by whetstones, grinders, flint, swords and sheaths, shields and spikes, and other objects in the hope he could make a sale. Unfortunately for him, Servi and Momo were not interested in anything but a tent.

When they finally reached the back, they saw multiple sets of tents set up in their own area. Some had a single tent, and others had two or three. A few had a few canteens and chairs, and one display, in particular, had five tents, five canteens, three fire pits, and six pans.

And that was the one he stopped in front of.

Momo’s heart sank. “Don’t tell me we got this one?! I don’t know what we’re going to do with all of it…”

“Haha, no worries, this isn’t the one. This is the deluxe set that we offer. It’s a few thousand dupla, but as you can see, it comes with nearly everything. How do you like it?”

“It’s fine, but there’s no way we can afford it. Can you go ahead and show us ours?” Servi said with a little bit of edge and force hidden beneath her words.

“My apologies. I am proud of what we offer,” the worker did a formal bow and led to a display a few meters away. It had two tents, two canteens, a collection of fire-resistant rocks, a fire starter kit, a pot and a holder, and two metal skewers.

“Servi! It’s perfect!!” squealed Momo, who immediately hugged her best friend.

Servi smiled and hugged her back. “Momo, you did an amazing job, and this is your reward for all your work. I’m proud of you.”

Momo smiled and lightly teared up. Taking a little cloth from her bag, she turned to the worker and saw he was crying.

“Oh,” he went to speak, “I’m sorry for crying. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve never seen someone be so happy over getting a camping set.”

“It's a big deal for me. I grew up poor, and even now, I don’t really have a lot of money, so the fact that I actually own this is almost too much...”

“Then please accept my apologies.”

The worker went to bow, but Momo stopped him. “I’m not angry or anything. So please, there’s no need for that.”

“Thank you, Miss. In that case, allow me to offer you two something. Feel free to pick out any color canteen, and I’ll substitute them.”

“You don’t need to go that far.”

“Miss, I insist. I don’t want your first impression of our store, if it is your first impression, to be soured by my indecent behavior.”

Momo went to reject his offer but was stopped by Servi. “Maybe we should take him up? I mean, he did offer.”

“But….” she turned to face her friend. She smiled, and Momo sighed. “Okay, we’ll take you up on it.”

The worker clapped his hands. “Excellent. I’ll show you to the canteens, then I’ll work on getting everything packed up!”

The canteens were displayed about five meters away, and the trip wasn't arduous in the slightest. “Pick one you like, and I’ll be back shortly.”

The two friends thanked him and began to search far and wide for something that piqued their interest.

“Servi, some of these are bigger than the ones in the tent set. Do you think it’s okay to pick them?”

“I don’t know. I'm sure that employee will give those to us if we raise hell about it.”

Momo giggled and shook her head. “Probably, but I don’t wanna be that kind of person.”

"Same here. There’s no harm in asking, is there?”

“I guess not," Momo replied as they continued their search for the perfect canteen.