Book One – Chapter Three – Part Five – Joining Warden, A New Friend, And A Loss Of Innocence.

Momo was the first to arrive. She saw a young boy, probably around the age of 15 or 16, wearing rusty armor that only covered his chest, leather pants that had a red stain, and frayed grey boots.  He was locked in a life-or-death struggle with a brown rat. Using his equally rusty sword like a shield, he blocked the incoming attack and deflected a second swipe that followed. Seeing his chance, the boy made his move and tried to counterattack. He raised his sword just a bit too slow, leaving him wide open. The rat took advantage of this and quickly spun around, nearly hitting him with his tail. The boy managed to stop his attack in time and jumped over the tail swipe. He landed with a heavy thunk with his sword at the ready.

The sudden appearance of Momo broke his concentration.

“S-Stay back. This one is mine!” the boy yelled, turning his head towards the intruder. Though he was distracted for just a single moment, the rat took advantage of that to charge forward. It knocked the boy back with his huge, brown body. Sparks flew from armor as the boy slid across the floor. He couldn't keep a grip on his sword as it went flying into the river of sewage.  After being swept away, the chances of it being found were slim to none.

He hit the wall at such a speed, it lightly cracked. With a groan of pain, he put his hands to the filthy wall and tried to stand up. The strength in his legs left him, and he fell back to the ground. He attempted to try once more, but his consciousness abandoned him.

Just then, Servi arrived, not a single bit out of breath, thanks to True Immortality. The first thing she noticed was an armored boy sitting against the wall with his eyes closed and a bit of blood pooling nearby.

“Servi! We need to help him!” Momo drew her sword and began to run in, but Servi grabbed her by the arm.

“Wait! Like before, I’ll get the rat’s attention.  You attack from behind. We need to kill the rat first.”

Momo nodded and waited for her time to strike.

Meanwhile, the rat slowly walked up to the knocked-out boy and opened its mouth wide. A festering smell filled the area.

Shall I use Remedium?

“HEY! What’s that?!” Servi screamed. Both to get the attention of the rat and to answer Itarr.

I believe it is a healing skill belonging to the Light element. We learned from those guards you killed earlier.

The rat turned around and gnarled at the new threat. Servi lifted her sword and pointed it towards the beast.

“How bad are his injuries?”

I don’t know, but I don't think his life is in danger.

“GGRROOWWWLLLL!” Servi mimicked the beast. It was so out of place the rat stared at her for a moment before beginning his assault.

She didn’t know if it was from where she was getting better, but it was like she knew what the rat was going to do. As she fought, a series of afterimages appeared in front of her. By dodging the attack of the first image, the second and physical attack would whiff. While it was perfect for defense, it was terrible for offense. The weight of her sword felt strange, and if she tried to attack, the afterimages would flicker. If that happened, she had to rely on her instinct. And if she took a bad hit, Momo would panic, and Servi would be forced to use a skill.

Momo stared dumbfoundedly. It was like Servi was dancing with the monster. She moved in such a way that the rat barely missed his attack, but a miss was a miss. It meant that she took no damage. The rat became angrier and angrier, meaning he made wasted movements, which also slowed down the attacks, making them even easier to dodge.

“Momo! Stop staring!” Momo shook her head and started her attack after being scolded. Pulling her sword out from her waist, she rushed in, but a word from Servi stopped her.

“And watch the tail!” the moment Servi yelled this, the rat took a small break from his constant offense and violently spun around. Thanks to the afterimage, Servi knew the attack was coming and called out to Momo.

“Thank you!” Momo said as she stood up. The attack missed, but the wind generated from the spin knocked her down. Once recovered, she held her sword up high and stabbed it into the back of the monster just above the tail.

“DODGE!!” Servi yelled, but it was too late.

The rat roared in anger and spun around again, this time hitting Momo. She brought an arm up, which wasn’t covered by her chainmail, and took the full brunt of the attack. It knocked her back, and she slid across the ground. Thanks to her chainmail, her vest and shirt didn’t rip from the friction. If it had, then her bareback, with no protection, would have slid across the gritty ground, resulting in road rash and a very gruesome injury. However, she didn’t come out unscathed.  She so happened to glance down at her arm.

White bone peeked through her skin, and it was like it was staring at her.

“AAAHHHHH!” Momo screamed, her voice full of pure fear and adrenaline.

I’ll heal h—

“I’ll distract him, so take a potion! HEY! You have to be strong, Momo. The quicker you take the potion, the faster you’ll get better!  Focus on my voice! I know it hurts, but you have to focus!”

Following her order, Momo scrambled away from the fight and opened her bag using her uninjured arm. Grabbing a small red vial, she didn’t know whether to drink it or spill it on her broken arm, so she did both. As if time were rewinding, the exposed bone slowly moved back into the skin, which promptly healed up. A second later, it was like it was never broken. Then as sudden as it came, the pain disappeared.

Why did you stop me?

“Because her life wasn’t in danger. Trust me, I won’t let her die,” Servi said while she was dodged to the left. The rat tried to slam into her using his body but missed. If the rat had just a bit more speed, the beast would’ve fallen into the nearby sewer river.

Very well.  If it happens again, can I heal Momo? I don't want her to die.

“I don't either, but I knew she was going to be alright. If it would've been a serious injury, then I would've told you to heal her.”

I'll be at the ready!

“Momo?!” Servi yelled out after she dodged another swipe. The rat's claw soared overhead, cutting off a few strands of her black hair.

“I’m fine! I’m coming back!” she yelled.

“I can’t get a hit in, so you have to finish this!”

"I won't let you down!"

“HEY! RAT!!!! OVER HERE!" Servi screamed.

Though the rat only suffered a single attack, it was in a dangerous spot. For mammals who had them, the area around the tail's base was sensitive and vital. It was where a large cluster of nerves was at. And right now, a sword was jabbed into it, and a not-so-insignificant amount of blood flowed down the monster’s back. In addition to the rat slowly losing the ability to feel his limbs, it wouldn’t be long until he died of blood loss.

The rat, sensing that death was near, focused all of his willpower on ignoring the pain. His goal was to kill those that tried to kill him, even if it meant he would die in the process. For an animal teetering on death’s door, he had nothing to lose, and that made him a very dangerous beast.  He reared up on its hind legs and snarled, preparing for his final attacks.

“RRROOOOAARRRRR!!!” Since it worked before, Servi believed making loud, beast-like noises would momentarily stun the rat, but lightning didn't strike twice in the same spot.

Still dancing ever so gracefully, Servi tried to ready her blade as she dodged, but the afterimages flickered. She lost her concentration and couldn’t read the incoming attacks. The rat surprised her by thrusting out its claws, and Servi barely managed to raise her sword in time, blocking it. An ear-splitting noise echoed out as claws scratched and broke against metal.  From behind the rat, she saw Momo reaching for her blade, still stuck inside the rat’s back.

“Momo, he’s almost dead!!” Servi yelled, recovering from the attack.

“YYYAAAHHHHH!” Momo pulled the sword out and jabbed it back in. Using all of her strength, it went in further than before. She felt her sword struggle against something large and thick-- the spine-- before finally cutting through it. If the attack didn’t kill it, the spinal column would definitely be damaged enough to the point where it couldn't move.

The rat prepared itself for another spin, but its legs gave out. Its strength betrayed it. Lying there helplessly, the rat, out of sheer hatred, forced itself to move its non-working limbs to no avail.

Breathing hard, Momo walked up to the dying animal and pulled her sword out. It made a nasty squelch.

“Finish it,” Servi said. Momo obliged.  Raising her sword, she slashed it down on its head with all her power.  She learned from last time. When given a chance to safely attack without any danger of being attacked in return, aim for the head.

The slash was powerful, filled with the anger of nearly dying. The sword cleaved through the rat’s face like a hot knife through butter. Teeth, gums, and a bit of pink brain leaked out from the new opening.  Momo was unable to stand the gruesome sight and vomited.

Taking a rag from her bag, the pink Singi wiped the puke off her mouth and the crimson staining her sword. Next, she took out a small bottle of water and poured it down the sheath. She then turned it over and allowed the red liquid to flow out. She repeated this process two or three more times until her equipment was devoid of crimson.

Then, as if suddenly remembering, she sheathed her sword and ran over to Servi.

“Are you okay? Did that hurt? Here, take a potion!” Momo started to feverishly search through her bag but was stopped by the woman in question.

“I’m fine. I took a sip of mine. The sword took most of the damage. It’s a bit dented and scratched, but it works.” Servi lied and showed Momo her sword. The middle of the blade had a few dents and scratch marks running down it. "What about you? Are you hurt?"

Momo shook her head and held out her once-broken arm. “I'm fine.  That potion healed me right up.  It still hurts just a little bit, but it's not anything I can't handle. About your sword... Do you need a new one?”

A red soul fluttered right by Momo’s eyes and went into Servi’s ring.

Good. If Momo could see it, then there was no way she could have missed that. We don’t have to worry about her or anyone else finding out.

Servi nodded, then shook her head. “No. This sword is still fine. Let’s check on that guy.”

“OH NO! I FORGOT ABOUT THAT!!!” Momo's eyes went wide, and she rushed like a bat out of hell over to him. A small pool of crimson threatened to soak his bottom, but it didn’t look serious.

“Hey! Are you alive?! Please don't be dead!” Momo crouched and lightly shook his shoulder, causing him to groan out. Slowly, the boy’s eyes opened.

“……What happened?” he asked.

“When we showed up, you were fighting that rat. You got distracted, got hit, and passed out. Then we killed the rat,” Servi said.

“….I see. Well, why did you save me?! You should have left me to die! I’d rather die a warrior's death than be saved by some woman and her pet cat,” he raised a hand and pushed Momo’s shoulder. She cried out in surprise, falling back on her butt, and Servi raised her sword against the man’s exposed neck.

I’ll kill him. Let me kill him. Itarr begged.

“You better have a damn good reason for pushing my party member like that after we saved your sorry ass,” Servi said, nary a hint of kindness.

“N-N-No. Servi, it’s okay. I’m not hurt,” Momo said, her body slightly quivering out of fear. It was the first time she’d ever seen Servi so angry and bloodthirsty.  Reluctantly, Servi lowered her sword and nodded to Momo.

“Tch!” he spat some blood out and stood up. “I didn’t ask for your help. If my memory is right, you’re the ones who distracted me. Basically, you’re the reason I’m injured. Now, give me a potion for my wounds. It’s the least you two could do,” he fell to one knee, grunting in pain.

“..But but but I—We saved you,” Momo said, stuttering.  She held out a friendly hand, but the kneeling man slapped it away. He slowly rose back to his feet. After taking a few steps, he stopped. An evil grin appeared on his face.

Momo reflexively held her bag close to her chest.  She felt something awful was about to happen.

“Give me that bag!” he made a lung for her.

“NOOOO!” screamed Momo. She instantly fell to the floor, landing on top of it to protect it. “NOOO! This is my  grandpa's bag! You can’t have it!”

“You bitch! Give me a potion and the bag, or I swear to the Gods above, I will kick your fucking ribs in!!” The man pulled back his leg, and Momo tensed up, preparing for a kick. A loud noise later, the man collapsed to his knees again, this time clutching his armor, which had a brand new dent in it.

Noticing that the kick didn’t come, Momo looked up and saw Servi drinking a small red potion. Her fingers, all broken and bleeding, slowly moved back to place. The bone and muscles moved as if time was rewinding.

Servi walked up and kicked him, knocking him to his back. He might have had armor on, but it was rusty and weak, meaning it had no defensive protection against anything more powerful than a giant rat or a roach. Well, it turned out that Servi was a bit stronger than that.

“GAH!!” he cried out, clutching his chest. That last kick broke two of his ribs and knocked the wind out of him. As he tried to fill his lungs with oxygen, Servi raised her leg and stomped down his stomach. If she had a bit more physical strength, her attack would have punctured through the paper mache-like armor. It didn't matter, though, considering Servi broke another two or three ribs.

The boy coughed up blood and whimpered. “Stop! Please stop!!”

Servi turned to Momo, who had gotten up off the ground. Clutching her bag tightly, she meekly glanced up to make eye contact with Servi,

“Momo, it’s your choice,” Servi said.

“….I just wanna go... I wanna leave...” she quietly responded.

Servi sighed and turned back to the pathetic boy.

“You stay there and think about what you’ve done. And you better thank Momo. She’s the reason you aren’t dying. But if you move a single muscle, your head will be flowing in that river of shit,” the boy didn’t nod or say anything. The pain from his broken ribs was enough for his consciousness to abandon him a second time.

Surely you’re not okay with this? He was going to kill her. He deserves to die.

“I know, but she’s probably traumatized, and killing him will make things worse.”

I see.

Turning to her partner, Servi spoke. “Momo, we can leave. Give me a minute to get the claws,” she received no response as Momo stared at the ground.

Servi sighed once again for what felt like the tenth time. A minute and sixteen crudely cut claws later, she was ready to go.

Should we leave him here?

“Yep.”

Servi walked over to Momo, who still stared at the ground. She grabbed Momo’s hand, who suddenly flinched. Her body shook with fright and fear.

“Momo, it’s me. Everything is fine. Are you ready to go?”

Momo nodded slowly, and off they went.

That bastard is still within range. Shall I kill him?

“No. However, if we run into him later and I’m alone, then you can. But you can take his gear. Let me know what he has.”

Very well.

A moment later.

I left him naked. He really didn’t have much: just that old armor, some ripped and stained clothes, and a small dagger. He was probably going to use that to stab Momo.

“Probably. I don't know if we'll see that dick head again, but it doesn't matter to me if he lives or dies. I won't lose any sleep over it.”

The walk back was mostly uneventful. The friends crossed paths with a few rats and roaches, but Servi killed them from a distance using Fire Wall and Shadow Shot.

“I got a quick question. I’ve been using Fire Wall and Shadow Shot non-stop. Wouldn’t I be out of Skill Energy?”

You have seven souls capable of using skills inside of you, including you and me. Your Skill Energy Reservoir and Regeneration is seven times bigger and faster than a regular person. In short, it is improbable you’ll ever run out. It fills back up faster than you can use it.

Shadow Shot, like its name suggested, allowed the user to shoot an arrow made of darkness. It belonged to the dark element. By providing the skill with more Skill Energy, the user could control the arrow's speed and size. A small and slow Shadow Shot expended less Skill Energy than a big and fast one. It was also silent, which was perfect for the situation. Since Momo was a bit traumatized, looking down, and not paying attention, Servi could use Shadow Shot to kill from a distance. All in all, she killed six rats and two roaches, each of which took only a single over-charged Shadow Shot before it perished. She also took the time to absorb the corpses, just in case.

In most cases, four maxed-out Shadow Shots were enough to tire a Rank 10 Warden member to the point where they felt lethargic. Once again, Servi wasn't exactly normal. She had seven souls capable of using skills inside her: the five guards from earlier, herself, and Itarr, who was a Goddess. That meant Servi had the Skill Energy Reservoir of six people and a divine being, not including the unnaturally high Skill Energy Reservoir Arnold had. That also meant she regenerated Skill Energy seven times faster than an average person. And the more souls she absorbed that were capable of using skills, the bigger and quicker her Reservoir and Skill Energy Regeneration would be. It would not be a stretch to say that sometime in the distant future, Servi would be capable of using a tremendous amount of skills, likely over a thousand, over and over again without feeling the smallest amount of fatigue.

“I see. That’s good to know.”

Hmm. Do you see that rat over there? I wish to try something. Do you remember back when you used Fire Wall three times?

“Yeah. Why?”

I believe you could use a skill three times because you had three souls within you. Those being your soul, my soul, and the gold armor-wearing guy's soul. Since we now have seven, try using Shadow Shot seven times.

Servi did as Itarr asked. By thinking of Shadow Shot seven different times, seven large black arrows circled in front of her.

“How interesting. I guess depending on the skill, using it multiple times like this could be very useful.”

I agree. Now, look at this. I can use it seven times myself.

Suddenly, seven more Shadow Shots appeared beside the already floating seven, for a total of fourteen.

“We can effectively double it? Amazing…”

And it seems I can give you control of the seven I made. You know, I almost feel sorry for the rat.

Servi commanded the fourteen arrows of shadowy death to launch, and off they went to kill the rat. Well, kill was to put it lightly. The rat exploded from the fourteen impacts, and not even a scrap of fur larger than 5cm remained. Blood and meat splattered onto everything nearby. Thankfully, Servi and Momo were far enough away to where they didn't have to worry about that.

So that’s seven rats and two roaches.

During some of the downtime, Servi attempted to talk with Momo, but she only responded by nodding or shaking her head.

“How are you feeling?” no response.

“Were you scared?” she nodded.

“It’s okay. I’m here to protect you. So don’t be scared, okay?” another nod.

And so, they walked in silence until they reached the little base ran by Rank 10 members.